Norwegian Cruise Line - Pride of America - Full Review!

Our family traveled to Hawaii for the first time a few weeks ago. If I had to choose one word to describe it, amazing, fantasic, cool, phenomenal, incredible, beautiful, fun, would all be on the list. One thing is for certain, we made a lot of core memories on our trip! 

It was my husband, my mom, my son (10 years old), and me. We traveled in January. When we began thinking and dreaming about Hawaii, we started making a MUST SEE list. On that list, we realized that there were a few things on each island. So, we needed to island hop. So, I began looking into island hopping.  As I did, I realized that packing up, spending time traveling, and switching hotels sounded like a nightmare for a mom who is in charge of everyone's packing. 

INSERT - Norwegian's Pride of America! The moment I read about this ship, I got excited! Why? Because we traveled to a different island while we slept.  No packing up suitcases, no additional airports, no juggling the family! This sounded easy. And it was! It was a moving hotel! And that was exactly what a busy mom needed! 

Itinerary

This cruise departed from Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Oahu is the popular island, the majority of the local population lives on Oahu. Oahu is known for surfing on the North Shore, beautiful beaches, The Dole Plantation, Kualoa Ranch, Waimea Falls, and Pearl Harbor. Because we knew this island was a big one, we spent a few days on the island before boarding the ship. 

We left Honolulu and woke up the next morning in Maui! We spent 2 days in Maui. Maui is beautiful. This island is known for its culture and beauty. This was my personal favorite of all the islands. Maui is home to Haleakala Crater, Molokini Crater, and so many whales during the winter months. The whales were what was so shocking to me. As an East Coaster, I just hoped to see one or 2 whales. Boy, I had no idea what I was thinking! We saw dozens, just from the ship! And I can't even tell you how many we saw on a whale watching excursion! 

Then we started our trek to the Big Island where we stopped at 2 different ports over the course of 2 days - Kona and Hilo. The Big Island is the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands. The Big Island is home to 5 volcanoes - Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kohala, and Hualalai.  The Big Island is known for its Volcanoes, volcanic steam vents, diverse landscapes, and black sand beaches. The terrain isn't like anything I've seen before, being from the East Coast. The volcanic rock is all over the island. The majority is so young that there isn't much vegetation. There are a few spots where you can see some greenery growing on the dark black rock. It's so cool! 

Our last 2 days were spent in Kauai'i. Known as the "Green Isle" it is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands. The terrain at one time was volcanic rock, but over the decades, the rock oxidized, leaving it a rusty red dirt. The locals say the island is so old that it is rusting! This island is home to Jurassic Valley, lots of waterfalls, Waimea Canyon, and Poipu Beach. 

Rooms

Like many cruise ships, the rooms were small. Most cruise lines have a stigma of having small cabins. The Pride of America is no exception to this stigma. 

We had a basic balcony cabin. In all honesty, we didn't spend a lot of time in our cabin. Because of the nature of this cruise, there were NO at sea days. During the daytime hours, we were at port and off the ship. But I did enjoy our balcony. Because of the time difference, we found ourselves waking up VERY early, like 4-5am. So, we would be able to watch the sunrise from our balcony in the morning.  The balcony also does make the tiny room feel more open and manageable. 

The cabin is small, the bathrooms are small, and the shower is small. Yes, that is true. But is was also clean and comfortable. For the time spent in your room, it was fine! 

Ship Activities and Amenities

The Pride of America is a smaller and older ship. The amenities are more limited. There is a theater, spa, fitness center, basketball court, and pools. There is a small area with a few shops. There are some nice bars including a sports bar. But that is about it. There isn't anything fancy on this ship. The ship amenities and activities are very basic. We found that the crowd was, overall, an older crowd. So, there was some water aerobics classes, some trivia, some port information talks, and some shows. The activities and amenities they did have, didn't fill up. The pool was fairly empty, the hot tubs had plenty of seats, there were tons of open chair. 

We found while the amenities were minimal, the crowd on the ship didn't long for anything more. Us included. We found ourselves out at port during the day. Then, in the evening we were tired from the time difference and the long active days. So, we would relax in the evening. 

Food

Hawaii is expensive, that is for sure. Most resorts on the Hawaiian Islands are NOT all inclusive. So, the cost of food can add up quickly, especially for larger families. One of the major perks when cruising the Hawaiian Islands is the food on the ship is INCLUDED! Yup, you read that right. It is all included. So, unless you purchase something from a specialty restaurant, you don't even need to pull out the wallet! We found that we would eat breakfast on the ship before we left and dinner when we got back. Often, our longer tours included lunch. So, from the time we stepped on the ship until we got off, we didn't spend much on food. Welllll, except for my specialty coffee addiction at Starbucks! 

Overall, there were a lot of food choices at the buffet. However, they stayed pretty much the same nightly. At the main dining room, it was standard menu items. The food quality was good. I've certainly had worse on a cruise ship before. I also have had better. It was about the middle of the road. 

Service

The service was good. During the boarding process, our whole family commented on how it was the quickest, easiest, and least amount of waiting we've ever had while boarding. Same is disembarking. This statement held true both when we were boarding for the first time and when we were boarding before/after our tours. The staff was and moved us right through.

The food service and waitstaff was kind and quick. We heard many other guests on the ship making comments that it wasn't like other cruises they've been on, but we had no issues. 

Our room attendant was kind, attentive, and very helpful. He remembered our names, assisted with luggage, and said good morning every day and followed up on tours he remembered us having. He was wonderful and kind! 

Kids Club (Splash Academy)

My son has been in a bunch of different kids clubs, but the ones on Norwegian are his favorite. Yes, you heard that right. I was surprised by that too! He tends to spend more time in the Splash Academy on Norwegian ships than he does any other ship. The kids club is simple, they have some video games, crafts, and active games. There aren't a ton of toys. 

The staff was fantastic! They remembered the kids names and said "hi" to them when around the ship. They even had a high five competition where they were collecting and counting high-fives from the kids around the ship! 

And the highlight was their last night tradition. They do a late night pillow fight with the counselors! We have been home for 2 weeks now, and my son still talks about this! 

Why should you not go on the Pride of America?

Overall, this ship is smaller and older. It is a simple ship. If the most important thing to you about your vacation is the quality and glitz of the ship, this is not the ship for you. If you are planning on staying on the ship when at port or if you hope to have fun on the ship on at-sea days, this is not the itinerary for you. If you are hoping for lots of activities, ship days, and at-sea days, you should think about a Caribbean cruise on a larger and newer ship. 

Why should you go on the Pride of America?

If you are looking for a cool itinerary and the most important thing to you is seeing all of the Hawaiian Islands in a manner that doesn't waste time or create stress by moving hotels, this is 100% the itinerary for you. If you are a person who will spend your days off the ship at port and you are using the ship to sleep, eat, and as a vessel to get to the next island, this is absolutely the ship for you! 

Still have questions? You can get in touch with Amber to let her start planning your next cruise today!