Pride of America

[TryingCruising]

I am looking into this cruise for my honeymoon next year. However, I am concerned about many mixed reviews and rumors that it may leave the fleet. Please share any thoughts and/or experiences. I have never been to Hawaii, and with flights only increasing I may never get back! A cruise seems like a perfect opportunity to see the islands and this is the only ship sailing in July. Thanks in advance for your input :)

[Addictedtwo]

I am looking into this cruise for my honeymoon next year. However, I am concerned about many mixed reviews and rumors that it may leave the fleet. Please share any thoughts and/or experiences. I have never been to Hawaii, and with flights only increasing I may never get back! A cruise seems like a perfect opportunity to see the islands and this is the only ship sailing in July. Thanks in advance for your input :)

 

 

We were there in Jan and we just booked 2 days ago to go back in 2010.

The prices for 2010 over jan. are up $700 pp and the flights look like they are up $400pp.

As for the rumor about ship being sold may or may not be true however NCL has the dates posted up till Jan 2011 so If they do sell it they will lease it back to finish up their bookings

As for the reviews you have to take them with a grain of salt.This ship holds over 2000 passengers so if you look at % the positives far out way the negatives.

The only negative to the this ship is that it is run with an american crew which means they are not use to working like the non american crews that work 7 days a week and 10/12/14 hour days. The american crew for the most part are unionized(need I say more).

 

With you just getting married I'm going to guess that you haven't cruised before, If I'm correct you won't notice the difference between this cruise verses the more traditional cruises. And thats why there are negative reviews because the majority of cruisers are expecting more traditional cruise.

The main advantage to the NCL cruise is that it starts in Hawaii which means you get to spend more time seeing the islands and no sea days verses all other cruise lines. Having said that, there are a lot of people that like the sea days.

Hawaii is an expensive holiday and is very port intensive so you want to make the most of it.

[avalanche2]

The Hawaiian cruises most likely will be gone next year. NCL is losing so much money that they had to deploy their other ships elsewhere. Don't believe them that they are posting cruises well into 2010 as that is a ploy. They also said after they sent the Pride of Hawaii to Europe that they were committed to two ships in the market. They tried to sell the Hawaii operation to anyone including Disney and when the books were shown, everyone passed. It's a shame as the concept and business model are there, but NCL could not execute it.

 

If you can,however. take the chance I would recommend the Pride of America. It is a beautiful ship and the American staff does a wonderful job.

[smeyer418]

The Hawaiian cruises most likely will be gone next year. NCL is losing so much money that they had to deploy their other ships elsewhere. Don't believe them that they are posting cruises well into 2010 as that is a ploy. They also said after they sent the Pride of Hawaii to Europe that they were committed to two ships in the market. They tried to sell the Hawaii operation to anyone including Disney and when the books were shown, everyone passed. It's a shame as the concept and business model are there, but NCL could not execute it.

 

If you can,however. take the chance I would recommend the Pride of America. It is a beautiful ship and the American staff does a wonderful job.

The single ship left is making money. If it had been continuing to lose money it would have been gone by now. Its not just NCL that has been unable to make US flagged ships work in Hawaii they have all gone out of business. My personal bet is that the one ship will survive. It will take a change in hawaii's attitude to allow for the businesses to be competitive(they will have to allow gambling)...but the maarket can sustain one upscale ship.

[brettsmom2004]

My girlfriend and I are taking this cruise in October, can't wait to go! I'm not gonna let rumors ruin my vacation this year....Book it GF!.....I'm sure you will have a blast...I know we will!:)

[Addictedtwo]

The Hawaiian cruises most likely will be gone next year. NCL is losing so much money that they had to deploy their other ships elsewhere. Don't believe them that they are posting cruises well into 2010 as that is a ploy. They also said after they sent the Pride of Hawaii to Europe that they were committed to two ships in the market. They tried to sell the Hawaii operation to anyone including Disney and when the books were shown, everyone passed. It's a shame as the concept and business model are there, but NCL could not execute it.

 

If you can,however. take the chance I would recommend the Pride of America. It is a beautiful ship and the American staff does a wonderful job.

 

I I captain! Show me it in writing!

[DAGVBSB]

As for the rumor about ship being sold may or may not be true however NCL has the dates posted up till Jan 2011 so If they do sell it they will lease it back to finish up their bookings.

 

When Apollo investments bought part of NCL in August 2007, they did not include NCL-America and the "Pride" ships in the deal. The contract between Apollo and NCL states that a decision on the NCL-America branch will be made within 16 months which puts the decision at the end of 2008. The agreement says that Apollo will take NCL-America if it is shown that it can be profitable. If it cannot become profitable, then NCL-America's assets will be "liquidated" (exact word used in the agreement). As part of the Liquidation, the Pride of Aloha was to be turned over to Star Cruises and the Pride of America was to be re-flagged into NCL's International fleet. Now, the Pride of Aloha has been leased back to NCL and is now the Sky, leaving just the Pride of America in the NCL-America fleet.

 

If Apollo decides to end NCL-America, then the Pride of America will become an International ship and no longer be able to do inter-island Hawaii cruises because of the PVSA. (Passenger Vessels Service Act). So this may be your only chance! (the whole NCL-America situation took a hit just last week with the announcement that the US Government was not going to strengthen the PVSA to stop the LA-Hawaii cruises by the other lines. A rule change that NCL said was desperately needed if NCL-America was to stay afloat.)

 

If the decision is to shut down NCL-A, don't think they will wait until the current bookings run out...2 years of losing cruises is not something Apollo will allow. They put out the cruise bookings that far as part of the deal to prove that NCL-A could become profitable. NCL has cancelled already booked cruises and changed itineraries 3 times in the last few months in spite of the fact that bookings already existed. (just ask the Pride of Aloha passengers for this summer or the Norweigan Jade passengers who were booked on Carribean itineraries for winter 2008-09. The Jade is staying in Europe for example.) A booked cruise on NCL does not guarantee that that cruise will still be sailing that itinerary when the date rolls around. NCL has proven that time and time again.

 

If NCL-America ceases to exist, NCL could still keep the re-flagged Pride of America in Hawaii and either do 7 day cruises which include Fanning Island and 3 stops in Hawaii (the Star did this run for 4 years) or change to 10 or 11 day Hawaii cruises with the Fanning Island run included. I think NCL will keep one ship in Hawaii regardless.

 

As for the reviews you have to take them with a grain of salt.This ship holds over 2000 passengers so if you look at % the positives far out way the negatives. .

Agreed. Two things to remember when reading Cruise Critic Reviews:

1.) Cruise Critic Members only make up about 2% of the passengers on any cruise... a very small minority.

 

2.) Those who have something negative to say are more likely to write a review or tell about the situation than those who had a wonderful time. A statistics professor once told me that to see a true relationship between positive and negative experiences, take the number of negative reviews/comments and divide by 3 to get the true ratio of positive to negative.

 

The only negative to the this ship is that it is run with an american crew which means they are not use to working like the non american crews that work 7 days a week and 10/12/14 hour days. The american crew for the most part are unionized(need I say more)..

The American Crew being lazy is probably the number 1 complaint in reviews of the Pride of America. There are some great crew members and, like in any business, some lazy ones.

 

With you just getting married I'm going to guess that you haven't cruised before, If I'm correct you won't notice the difference between this cruise verses the more traditional cruises. And thats why there are negative reviews because the majority of cruisers are expecting more traditional cruise.

The main advantage to the NCL cruise is that it starts in Hawaii which means you get to spend more time seeing the islands and no sea days verses all other cruise lines. Having said that, there are a lot of people that like the sea days.

Hawaii is an expensive holiday and is very port intensive so you want to make the most of it.

You know, I never thought of the traditional vs. new concept of cruising as being a reason for so many negative reviews of the POAm, but it makes perfect sense.

 

I would add that a Hawaii cruise on NCL-A is like no other cruise. It is extremely port intensive. You spend very little time on ship. Think of the ship as you transportation between islands, your restaurant for meals, your place to sleep and your place for evening entertainment.

 

I agree, if you are thinking of a Hawaii cruise, go ahead and book now. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

If they re-flag the Pride of America I'm not sure if they would keep it in Hawaii. Full time I doubt it. They can make the same if not more on a 7 day cruise somewhere else then a 11 day Hawaiian cruise (ticket pricing). I could see them do that for a few months then Alaska the other months. I think they would want a casino in that ship for half of the year.

 

I could picture them taking out Mardi Gras nightclub from deck 6 fwd up to where Diamond Head is on deck 13 and put the casino in there. It would be a nice location.

[MommyJamiex4]

Dh and I were aboard the Pride of America last November and I can honestly say to you it was the BEST cruise and vacation I have ever had. You will not be dissapointed! Hawaii is magical and the PoA made it even better. Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

[ksmaage]

We were on the POA last January and had a great time. I agree with a previous poster that many of the negative comments appear to be from people who do not realize that this is not a traditional cruise. In most cruises, the ship itself is one of the main attractions. Don't get me wrong, POA is a beautiful ship. You will have a great time if you keep in mind that on this cruise, the ship is really transport to the islands. There is still alot to do on the ship but most people are off ship during the day and the night life is pretty quiet since everyone is exhausted from exploring the islands all day. We were a little disappointed as we expected to sight see all day and party into the night. But the dance clubs, karaoke bar etc were pretty empty after dinner. Add the fact that there is no casino, you get the impression that nit much is going on.

 

We never had any problem with the crew. In my opinion the bad reviews have actually created bad experiences. It seems that many people, after reading some bad reviews go on the ship expecting it to be bad so any little thing that goes wrong gets magnified. We actually saw some pretty rude passengers demanding things that were just silly.

 

Overall, we loved the ship and the cruise. Just remember that you are on your honeymoon so dont fret the small stuff.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding

[Addictedtwo]

When Apollo investments bought part of NCL in August 2007, they did not include NCL-America and the "Pride" ships in the deal. The contract between Apollo and NCL states that a decision on the NCL-America branch will be made within 16 months which puts the decision at the end of 2008. The agreement says that Apollo will take NCL-America if it is shown that it can be profitable. If it cannot become profitable, then NCL-America's assets will be "liquidated" (exact word used in the agreement). As part of the Liquidation, the Pride of Aloha was to be turned over to Star Cruises and the Pride of America was to be re-flagged into NCL's International fleet. Now, the Pride of Aloha has been leased back to NCL and is now the Sky, leaving just the Pride of America in the NCL-America fleet.

 

If Apollo decides to end NCL-America, then the Pride of America will become an International ship and no longer be able to do inter-island Hawaii cruises because of the PVSA. (Passenger Vessels Service Act). So this may be your only chance! (the whole NCL-America situation took a hit just last week with the announcement that the US Government was not going to strengthen the PVSA to stop the LA-Hawaii cruises by the other lines. A rule change that NCL said was desperately needed if NCL-America was to stay afloat.)

 

If the decision is to shut down NCL-A, don't think they will wait until the current bookings run out...2 years of losing cruises is not something Apollo will allow. They put out the cruise bookings that far as part of the deal to prove that NCL-A could become profitable. NCL has cancelled already booked cruises and changed itineraries 3 times in the last few months in spite of the fact that bookings already existed. (just ask the Pride of Aloha passengers for this summer or the Norweigan Jade passengers who were booked on Carribean itineraries for winter 2008-09. The Jade is staying in Europe for example.) A booked cruise on NCL does not guarantee that that cruise will still be sailing that itinerary when the date rolls around. NCL has proven that time and time again.

 

If NCL-America ceases to exist, NCL could still keep the re-flagged Pride of America in Hawaii and either do 7 day cruises which include Fanning Island and 3 stops in Hawaii (the Star did this run for 4 years) or change to 10 or 11 day Hawaii cruises with the Fanning Island run included. I think NCL will keep one ship in Hawaii regardless.

 

 

Agreed. Two things to remember when reading Cruise Critic Reviews:

1.) Cruise Critic Members only make up about 2% of the passengers on any cruise... a very small minority.

 

2.) Those who have something negative to say are more likely to write a review or tell about the situation than those who had a wonderful time. A statistics professor once told me that to see a true relationship between positive and negative experiences, take the number of negative reviews/comments and divide by 3 to get the true ratio of positive to negative.

 

 

The American Crew being lazy is probably the number 1 complaint in reviews of the Pride of America. There are some great crew members and, like in any business, some lazy ones.

 

 

You know, I never thought of the traditional vs. new concept of cruising as being a reason for so many negative reviews of the POAm, but it makes perfect sense.

 

I would add that a Hawaii cruise on NCL-A is like no other cruise. It is extremely port intensive. You spend very little time on ship. Think of the ship as you transportation between islands, your restaurant for meals, your place to sleep and your place for evening entertainment.

 

I agree, if you are thinking of a Hawaii cruise, go ahead and book now. I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

The American Crew being lazy is probably the number 1 complaint in reviews of the Pride of America. There are some great crew members and, like in any business, some lazy ones.

 

 

Not being American is was being polite. lol

[TryingCruising]

Thank you all for the your responses. I think we may do the cruise and a week on land in Hawaii. After what I may pay for airfare I should make the most of it! Thanks again-I may be back with more questions as we look into booking :)

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We were on the PoA in April and loved it. It is definitely the best way to see HI. Read my review for more details.

 

I would do it again any day.

 

Was it perfect? No, but no cruise is. Anyay, you'll be honeymooning so you won't even know anyone else is on the ship!

[flag fan]

My cruise on the Pride of Hawaii was great--no problems at all with the service and it was the perfect way to see Hawaii. I'm disappointed they moved that ship out of Hawaii; I think it was just poor marketing. I think you'd have a great time on the Pride of America.

[love2relax]

I love the Pride of America. I've sailed her twice for two different itineraries. The decor definitely evokes American pride.

The balcony cabins are smaller than some ships, but if you pick your cabin carefully, you can get a larger balcony: nice!

I'm partial to Deck 11 forward myself: bigger balconies, close to the pool, a bar, and the buffet. Lower decks forward would work too.

I don't think I'd choose a cabin aft due to the heat. Some fellow Cruise Critics sweltered back there on one cruise due to lack of any breeze..also little privacy due to lookers from above.

For Hawaii, I chose port so I could see the Napali coast from the balcony: beautiful! I guess I've gone off topic, but I would sail that ship again if the price were right.