Pride of Aloha review...4/15-4/22

[kapoho2]

This was a great cruise. First of all, we are fans of NCLA and Freestyle cruising. We have cruised the Hawaiian Islands previously...1X-Star, 2X-Wind, 1X-POH. This time we were joined by friends and neighbors. Our group consisted of 10 people...ranging in age from 48-78. Two couples were first-time cruisers. The majority of us live on the Big Island of Hawaii..about 25 miles south of Hilo.

 

This ship is a perfect size and easy to navigate. Throughout the week we ran into our friends...but not TOO much!! The decor is bright and very Hawaiian...really nice. The pool deck is very comfortable and we never had any problem finding a lounge chair.

 

The bars and lounges on this ship are particularly attractive. Our favorites were the Plantation Club and Captain Cook's Bar. Both of these had different specials for happy hour during the week. And both had entertainment during Happy Hour. Read your Freestyle Daily for details.

 

Our cabin was on deck 10...#0318...an inside cabin. It was very bright and cheerful...much more so than the Star or POH which tend to be dark due to all of the wood details. The bathroom was compact...but functional...no problems. We would have liked a few more shelves for storage...but we made do. There was a small loveseat (pull-put bed) and cocktail table as well as the desk chair for seating. And, of course, there was the ususal refrigerator and safe. Hint...the hairdryer is in the top drawer of the desk!!

 

Our cabin steward Chris was great. He was virtually invisible...but somehow managed to slip in twice a day to clean the cabin and do turndown in the evening. We do not need to bond with our cabin steward, and we never have any out of the ordinary requests. We literally had to hunt him down on the last day to give him a little reward for all of his hard work!

 

We ate every breakfast out on the Hukilau Lanai at the rear of the ship. Never had trouble finding a table. Sometimes we went through the main buffet line inside, and sometimes everything we wanted that day was available at the smaller buffet lines outside. Never had to wait in any extremely long lines.

 

Lunches were also at the buffets or the poolside BBQ's. Always good food, plenty of it and lots of selections. Great hamburgers and pizza and pleasant service.

 

We ate most dinners in the Crossings dining room. Again, never a wait...whether we wanted a table for two or a table for our group of 10. Service was always friendly and efficient, and the food was excellent. We only dined in a specialty resaturant once. the Kahili (Italian) Restaurant. I believe the cover charge was $10/pp. We made our reservations for a table for 4 that morning. When two other friends wanted to join us at the last minute, we were told that there were no tables in this restaurant that could accommodate more than five people. Most of the tables are raised semi-circular booths or tables for 2 along the windows. This is a very beautiful restaurant. Our friends were able to get a table for 2 about 1/2 hour later which was fine. The food was very good...not pasta and pizza, but elegant continental Italian cuisine. The service was exceptional as well.

 

Others in our group also dined at the Royal Palms Bistro and the Pacific Heights...and all raved about their dinners. On certain evenings, these specialty restaurants would offer half-price cover charges for reservations after 9 p.m.

 

The entertainment was also very enjoyable. There were two headliner comedians, a magician, a broadway revue, a Las Vegas style singer and a crew talent show. The comedian Chris Alpine was especially funny. Our schedule was usually to go to a lounge for drinks, then attend the early show...and then wander into dinner. After dinner, we usually went into the Blue Hawaii nightclub to see whatever was going on there. There was lots to choose from on this ship...almost too much. We just could not do it all!!

 

One special note....the cruise director's staff on this ship was a highlight of the cruise. Tom and his "crew" were absolutely perfect. Our friends who are big Royal Caribbean fans also thought that this cruise director and his staff were the best they had ever experienced. These kids were upbeat, friendly, funny and fun. Kudos to all of them.

 

As most of us in our group live here in Hawaii we did not do a lot of shore excursions. The ship was the destination for us. But, four of us had the experience of a lifetime when we did the Kauai Canopy Zipline. This was such a thrill for us and something we will never forget. Anyone can do it...the guides were professional and very helpful. All I can say is...What a rush!!!!!!!!

 

In conclusion, we cannot wait to cruise again on the Pride of Aloha. We are looking forward to the new 10 and 11 day itineraries. Our first-time cruiser neighbors are already bugging me to start planning the next one!!

[cruizinwithkids]

Thank you for the nice upbeat review. We are looking forward to our 2/13 10 day cruise.:)

[RSWBADGER]

Glad to hear you had a great time on the Pride of Aloha, we enjoyed our second Hawaii cruise last month.

[Glamourgal]

Thanks for the great detailed and POSITIVE review. We are going in Sept. and although I hate to wish away my summer and most favorite season of the year, I CAN'T WAIT!!

[Duffys wife 1957]

Thank you for the GREAT review..Nothing like a positive review to make us pre-cruisers anxious to get there...:D

[bobcatmomma]

I leave in one week on this same cruise! How high are the ziplines? Thanks for the review!

[whatawonderfulworld]

Perfect read for a lovely Sunday morning while I enjoy my first cup of coffee (although not Kona :(!)

 

Might I also add that you live in the one area my husband both agree upon is THE most beautiful spot going. I will never forget the first time we drove from Kona, around the southern tip of the Big Island, to Kapoho and saw the lighthouse. It was one of those memories that still brings up the same feelings I had seeing what an eruption could do - right there in front of me!)

 

Anyway...again thank you for the review. One question...what was your favorite port and why?

 

Ciao and aloha!

 

W A W W

[cruiselove-7]

thanks for the nice review i leave on the pride of aloha next sunday,im really looking forward to this cruise.my cabin is on deck 10 inside also was there any noise from the pool and resturant up above?how was the weather? and did you do any tours? thanks :)

[kapoho2]

bobcatmomma....the guides said that the highest zipline was about 200 feet above the treetops. Hanging in that harness..it felt like 200 miles high.

 

whatawonderfulworld....I really don't think I have a favorite port. We can always find something new to do on each island. I think that Kauai is very beautiful. On past cruises we have done the Hollywood in Hawaii tour and the tour to Waimea Canyon on Kauai. Both of these tours gave us a great overview of the island.

 

cruiselove-7....Our cabin was very quiet. I did hear a few thuds from above at times, but none of this bothers us. We are rarely in the cabin except for sleeping and we tend to be up and out early. We did take the tour to Haleakula Crater. It was a beautiful clear day and from the top we could see forever. We also had a terrific tour guide/driver who kept our interest throughout the entire trip.

 

The weather was good. The only wet day we had was in Hilo. This did not bother us as we just went to the airport, retrieved our car from the parking lot, and ran around and did some errands. Another couple with us drove home, checked email, and did some laundry :D

[cruiselove-7]

kapoho2 -thank you for the answer,im counting my days till i leave,cant wait:)

[kapoho2]

cruiselove-7...can't wait to hear your impressions when you return from your cruise. I will wave to you and all the other folks aboard the Pride of Aloha when you leave Hilo and are on your way to the volcano viewing. Have fun!!!

[KarlaC]

Just curious, but how does the tipping work on the American flagged ships.

I remember awhile ago there was some controversy regarding the whole tipping thing.

Just booked the 2/13 10 day. Mom and I are going and looking forward to it. We are spending 2 days at the Marriott in Honolulu prior to leaving on the cruise. Any suggestions on what to do or see?

Thanks

[Dale&Joan]

Thanks for the recent and detail review kapoho2.

 

We are going on the POA and look forward to it.

[marcyjane]

Wow, really enjoyed reading your review. Sailing on the 20th of May and it's so nice to hear a good review for a change.

One thing, I hope there is not a lot of people except those of us here on cruise critic that has the hints and tips that we get here, like the smaller buffet at the back of the pool deck and the hot tub and the front of the ship.

Thanks

Marcy

[kapoho2]

KarlaC....I am not sure how other folks work the tipping, but we like to give a little extra when excellent service is provided. As I said in our review, our cabin steward was great...slipped him some cash on the last day. The bartenders and servers we usually added a tip when we signed for the drinks. My husband did find one bartender in Capt. Cook's who he thought was exceptional. She remembered his name and his drink of choice..so on the last evening a cash tip was slipped to her. I might also add that all of the cocktail servers in that lounge were very professional and remembered eveyone's names, etc. A classy place to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail.

 

I never felt like anyone was looking for extra...we just like to reward good service. These folks work very hard and deserve rewards.

[KarlaC]

Thanks for the info!!!!

I too like to tip above and beyond. I think I will definitely try out the bar you went to. Sounds great!

Did the menus in the dining rooms change nightly? I looked at some of the menus online and it appears they didn't change much. Just wondering your experience with that.

[ChelleMMS821]

Happy to hear the great review!! I've booked the Kauai Canopy Zipline for an excursion as well... I'm excited!!! Can you tell me if they are able to take pictures of you while you are ziplineing or do you just get to remember the experience? Thanks for your help.

[kapoho2]

They do not take pictures of you while you are zip lining. The guides are too busy ensuring your safety!! However, they do encourage you to take your cameras with you. Just slip the camera strap over your arm. While zipping, you only have to hold on with one hand...so you can use your camera with the other hand. Yeah right!! I was hanging on for dear life with both hands!! And, because you zip one at a time, you can get some great shots of others in your group while they are zipping. Our friend got some great shots of all of us...and even used the video function in his digital camera so now we have videos of all of us. If you would like to see them, go to Youtube.com and do a search for Marvin zips, Tim zips, Kathy zips and Laurie Zip Lining in Kauai. My husband just put these four little videos up on Youtube yesterday. Enjoy it...you will love the experience.

[bobsynth]

Thanks for the great detailed and POSITIVE review. We are going in Sept. and although I hate to wish away my summer and most favorite season of the year, I CAN'T WAIT!!

We are also scheduled for 9/29. Is there a forum for the 9/29 sailing?

[Glamourgal]

Hi Bob, I'm happy to see that you found our Roll Call. WE are having so much fun before the cruise I can only imagine how much fun we will have on the cruise!! I am so excited, especially after reading reviews like this one!!