Pride of America 12/1 - 12/8 (A little late)

[mprcruiser]

There were four of us on this cruise. DH & I were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary and our daughter and SIL were with us.

I will preface this with stating that the weather was beautiful in Honolulu. The sun was out and there were the usual few clouds but it was typical Hawaii weather. You will find out the reason for this statement as the review proceeds. We arrived at the dock about noon on Saturday, December 1. There was no line and it took us about 10 minutes to sign in and board. Of course cabins were not ready so we proceeded to the Aloha buffet for lunch. Just as we finished lunch an announcement was made that all cabins were ready. We walked to our cabins and, to our surprise, our daughter and SIL had purchased the anniversary package for us. There was a big wedding bell and a balloon on the cabin door. Inside the cabin there was a string of wedding bells hung across the cabin, Happy Anniversary across the mirrors behind the bed, and glitter scattered on the floor. There was a bottle of sparkling wine in the refrigerator. We also had a letter stating what else was in the package.

After checking out the cabin and unpacking our carry on luggage, we left the cabin to explore the ship and take pictures. Overall, the ship is beautiful. We have cruised on several cruise lines, and the ship is not as luxurious as some but it is very nice. After wandering around, we made a reservation for our anniversary dinner at the Lazy J and went back to the cabin to check on our luggage.

A word about the cabin – it is probably the smallest cabin we have ever had on a cruise. However, that said, it is adequate for 2 people. We had enough storage room and the hairdryer was the first one I have found on a ship that was comparable to my personal hairdryer. Our cabin steward was Josie, and our cabin was cleaned daily. One thing I did notice was that on other cruises there was a cabin steward and an assistant cabin steward. Josie had no assistant. I would hope that, if they do not have assistants, they don’t have as many cabins as other ones do who have assistants. Josie was always smiling and greeted us happily.

There have been reviews that have stated the crew was rude, etc. We never found any member of the crew who did not greet us with a smile. Of course we always greeted them smiling. The most contagious thing in the world is a smile and it is so easy to give. The members of the crew always seemed happy when you stopped to talk to them for a minute and they were especially happy when they found out you were from their state. We had no complaints about the crew's attitude.

We had dinner in the Skyline restaurant several times. The food was good, not spectacular, but definitely edible. Several times the service was a little slow. We also ate in the Aloha buffet, Cadillac Diner and Lazy J. The buffet, I think, is set up nicely with different stations. It was very easy to find what you wanted and not have to wait to go through a long line. We enjoyed our meals in the Cadillac Diner and enjoyed good service and especially the brownie. Our meal in the Lazy J was very good and the service was excellent.

Our Cruise Critic gathering was on the second night. Even though it has been stated that Norwegian does not have an official "Meet & Greet" they went overboard for our gathering. The Captain and Hotel Manager came in and introduced themselves and asked if we had any questions. It was truly enjoyable and was very nice putting faces with online names.

Now, to the cruise itself and the weather – Hilo was beautiful. It was the typical Hawaiian weather. It was sunny and then a shower would pop up and the sun would come out again. When we arrived in Maui, the skies were overcast and showers were frequent. We arrived back at the dock a little after noon. Went to the buffet for lunch and then back to the cabin. I noticed there was a tug outside our balcony that stayed there all afternoon, which seemed to be pushing the ship. The ship's thrusters were also running. We were supposed to overnight in Maui however, about 4:30 p.m. an announcement was made that the ship would be setting sail in 30 minutes. It seemed that the wind was blowing so hard that the ship broke several mooring lines and the Captain deemed it necessary to take the ship out of port for safety. There were quite a few passengers and crew left on the island but the ship provided them hotel rooms and meals. I also heard an announcement that anyone who knew of someone left on the island, who needed medications please go to reception immediately. From listening to the passengers who were left on the island they were treated very well, and I heard no complaints. After a night of pretty rough seas, we went back to port and docked. We spent the rest of the day in Maui. The weather was, again, sunny and rainy. We were going to Haleakala, but didn't because of the reports of high winds. The ship left port as scheduled. We awakened the next morning and noticed we were sailing along at a pretty good clip. No Kona in sight! An announcement was made that, due to high winds, we would not be anchoring in Kona. We were heading back to anchor off the coast of Lahaina, Maui, and would have a "sea day". This was due, again, to high winds and rough seas. It was a disappointment to us but it was easy to understand. Anyone who has ever been in a tender with just a little amount of wind would definitely know how difficult it would have been in seas such as we were experiencing. At the end of that day, we set sail for Kauai. We sailed into port and the sun was shining!! It was going to be a great day. The weather was the typical Hawaiian weather until we sailed at 2:00 p.m. to sail by the NaPali coast. The rain started. When we sailed by the coast it was raining quite heavily, and we didn't get to see the coast with the sun shining on it.

Oh yes, on the morning of our last day in Kauai, I received a call from the Conceirge stating that they were getting in touch with the members of our Cruise Critic group for a farewell get together that evening. I thought it was a very nice gesture on the ship's part for our group. I have never been on a cruise where they had a "Meet & Greet" and also a farewell gathering. I attended but didn't stay long because our family had previous plans.

We arrived in Honolulu on time and the sky was beautiful. We opted to keep our luggage and walk off with it. We disembarked around 8:30 and had no problems at all.

Overall, it was a good cruise. Norwegian had no control over the weather and the crew did so much to make the cruise enjoyable for the passengers. Of course, we didn't get to see a lot of the sights due to the weather but, as my family says, "It was quite an adventure". The safety of the passengers, crew and ship were at the top of the Captain's mind and he deemed it necessary to take the precautions he did.

I would definitely recommend the cruise and say to people that if the weather doesn't cooperate to make the best of it and enjoy!

[whale-watcher]

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear that NCLA handled all of the weather related issues so well....Better a week of bad weather in Hawaii than another week of winter back home!!

[moonchild]

I’m sorry you missed some of the ports and the weather was bad.

But look at this way, You’ll just have to try it again someday!!:rolleyes:

[moonchild]

double post

[mprcruiser]

moonchild - you are so right.

We had a great vacation and we were away from the stress of everyday life.

jimanne1

[watsup]

Our Cruise Critic gathering was on the second night.

 

 

Who gets invited to a "Cruise Critic" gathering and how does one recieve an invitation?

[mprcruiser]

watsup:

You have a roll call for your cruise date on the roll call forum. Someone on the forum contacts NCL about the Cruise Critic meeting and sets it up for the group. I believe you give NCL the approximate number of people so that they can have an appropriate place for the group.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Thanks for the review! It was a pleasure to see you that week of crazy weather. Glad you enjoyed the Cruise critic M&Gs.

[mprcruiser]

It was great meeting you. You were a big help to all of us both on this forum and on the ship. You are definitely an asset to the Pride of America. Hope to see you again on another cruise.

Jimanne