I have spotted a special for NCLs Pride of Aloha for the month of June. I read some recent reviews on cruisecritic and it seems they have improved there service. There were many negative reviews in the past. I know a young couple getting married and would love to go to Hawaii for there honeymoon. With wedding costs etc. this would be a great way to do so, from an economical standpoint. I am going to suggest it but I hope the cruise will be nice for them. So MANY negatives reports!

read the reviews on www.cruisereviews.com

Clients just came back from this cruise despite my recommendations. They said they will not do it again. Food, service, etc, all disappointed.

They did a week on the NCL Wind after the POA, also in Hawaii and called me to tell me how very much more they enjoyed it.

Keep in mind the excursions in Hawaii are very expensive so the cost of the cruise is not their only expense.

We cruised on Celebrity and it was great. Hawaii is definitely expensive, we didn't do any of the excursions, we rented a car instead and saw sooo much more! It wasn't very expensive to rent a car.

Some recent reviews are saying this specific line NCL has improved. You say you rented a car? You mean you went island hopping, on the cruise then at each port you rented a car for the day or several hours? Typically shore excursions are very $$$ no matter where you are so I think. I am sure they are more in Hawaii. I forgot to mention they would be coming from the east coast so factoring in air etc.

I Just got back from a Pride of Aloha cruise. We had a great time. The ship was very nice, including cabin, food and service. I'd seen lots of negative reviews, too, but either the ship has improved or I have very different standards. This was my 36th cruise (many different lines), and the ship compared well to most of them.

We also rented a car for at least part of the time in each port, mostly for the purpose of getting ourselves to whichever beach looked the best for snorkeling. The ship's excursions were fairly expensive, but not out of line with what I've seen on other lines and itineraries. There are also many private operators offering excursions so you can look for lower priced ones if that matters a lot to you.

JP,

Thanks for your opinion. I am glad and thankful to hear your positive thoughts. Well believe it or not I began researching for my friends kids, and they were not interested and my husband and myself booked it along with 4 other couples. We leave the end of June. So I am Hawaii bound. We are all excited about the trip.

JP,
If you return to this site, you state you rented a car. How did you go about that doing that? Was it prior to your going on the cruise or just when you got to the port? Are there many people who can take you places for a lot less money when you get to port? I know on the caribbean cruises this is true. I have no idea yet what I want to do but more than likely anything totally
Hawaii will work for me. Typically volcano type sightseeing as I would not see that anyplace else. Thanks.

I arranged all of our cars in advance, either with www.discounthawaiicarrental.com (which plugs in a good corporate ID for you) or www.alamo.com using the visa.com ID 7013310 (has to be paid for with a Visa card). Either way, you don't have to pay in advance and there's no problem if you have to cancel at the last minute.

Most of the rental companies have free shuttles that pick you up at the dock.

You won't see as many tours offered on the dock in Hawaii as you do in the Caribbean, and more popular tours do sell out so if there's one you really want to do you should book it in advance, either with the cruise line or with a local operator.

We had no problem walking off the ship and getting tours, just past where the ships tours were. They cost about 1/2 of what the ship charged, and were often identical. We were ususally with about 4 other people.

We cruised on that ship last January. The food on the ship was okay but not out of this world. We rented a car at each stop, only about $40.00, used Fodor's day trips listed on line and saved a fortune in comparison to the cruise ship's shore excursions. We were able to pick what we wanted to see and stay at different stops for the period we wanted to stay there. We really enjoyed the cruise as we were able to get to see 4 islands in depth and do it economically because the ship was our hotel, entertainmnet, and restaurant.

Food examples that I can remember from the Pride of America, 2006. Tasteless almost raw prime rib. Why eat something that has no taste? People who ordered the steak said it was tough and dry. Creme Brulee. Grainy and not like any creme brulee I have ever eaten. Chicken breast-just thrown in the oven and was a little dried out. I can do better than that on a busy night cooking at home. Baked Alaska- They took a small pancake and threw some icecream and whipped cream on top of it. Not what I would call baked alaska. Lobster night--some little tiny things that tasted strong and old, even with melted butter. This was all in the main dining room, we could never get into the specialty ones. This is about a year ago, so maybe things have changed. I hope so. We met some people from the Pride of Ahoha back in Honolulu after the cruise, and they also said the service and food were not good. We did enjoy Hawaii, but won`t go with NCL again, and we are not picky eaters. Food on all other ships we have ever been on was quite good. They didn`t have enough help and so service was poor. We had a great cabin stewart, unlike some others, but he was ready to quit. Don`t want to turn you off, but be aware. As I said we did enjoy Hawaii and did manage to have a good time. We got a $250 off per person future cruise credit, but didn`t use it.

You don't want to turn me off? I would hate to see what you would write if you did!!

The point is we are hawaii bound and it is the most economical way to do so. I know someone who lives in hawaii who has said yes NCL did have issues but it seems to be much better now. For the price we are all paying we will just make the best of the situation. We will be on the Aloha, not the Pride.

I was on the ships and many mid customers on NCL Hawaii ship. They never hear any complain from my customers at all. They come back every year. Yes, there are many problems when the ships start(specially for pride of Aloha). They try very hard to make it better. All the ships are ALL AMERICAN FLAGS(all American workers). Tips are 1.Make reservations for specality restaurant when you get on the ship. 2. do not go to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner when people are going(8am, 12noon,530pm), service will be slow. 3. rent a car in Maui and Kauai, will save some money on activities.
There are 2300 people on the ship, always have some one is not happy. Just enjoy the time you have with your friend and family and everything Hawaii can offer.

Diann, you might go to www.cruisereviews.com and read some recent reviews. That last few sounded positive. My favorite parts of the cruise were seeing the volcano from the sea, and also, drinking coffee in our bathrobes out on the balcony. Hawaii is beautiful.

Also go to www.cruisecritic.com for reviews and information. It's a very informative site.The chat boards are always buzzing!

We just got back from a cruise to Hawaii on the NCL Pride of Hawaii, on 1/ 15. I would not recommend this ship to anyone! The service and food were terrible! We ended up eating alot off shore. We got our room cleaned after 4 days, had to go hunt someone down for bathroom tissue and towels. All I got was "we are so sorry" Still room not cleaned, finally on Thursday, they got someone to clean and vaccum and of course, tissue for the bathroom. but they never changed the sheets??? The room was not cleaned when we boarded either! had to get someone to clean it before we could unpack, it was down hill from there on! Hope you like green beans with you eggs in the morning! That is what was on the main dining room line the last day we docked. They were also on the dinnner line the night before!!We love Hawaii, visiting the islands, and we found alot of really get places to eat on shore, that was totally delightful!! I work at a school, and that food is even better than, what we had on the ship!

Hi everybody!

I'd like to add my two cents regarding this discussion but not from the perspective of a costumer, but of an ex NCL employee.

The main reason the service at Pride of Aloha is usually unsatisfactory is simply because their employees are treated very poorly. That's it in a nutshell. And as far as I understand, it's the same thing with the other two ships, Pride of America, and Pride of Hawaii.

I used to work in the Galley department at the Pride of Aloha and I can assure you that I have never been treated so unprofessionally before at any workplace, ever.

First of all, NCL works its crew like slaves. (A very little known fact even among crew members is that one of the dishwashers on deck five had a heart attack one day and almost died right then and there... I believe he is suing the company now.)

The pay is so low, and the turnover rate so high, that NCL is willing to hire just about anyone with a pulse who is willing to wash a pot, sweep a floor, or wait on a table. And they really don't care who.

Very soon, you have a whole crew of amateurs with almost no training and notion of what to do running about and yelling at each other.

Many jump ship and are never seen again. One of my cabin members did it. One week, almost 20 newly graduated crew members (class 80) simply walked off the ship and were never seen again.

But everybody who quits has to be replaced somehow, and fast. That makes the whole operation to be in a perpetual state of improvisation.

NCL is always short of hands. Everybody works overtime to compensate (10 to 12 hours a day...) seven days a week and to exhaustion.

In the end, it's an environment that creates despondency. Nobody cares. Management has problems with payroll since they don't really know what they are doing. They make mistakes with paychecks; they are rude and snappy. After all, they are overworked, too.

And how do you think this will affect you, the costumer? Well, what do you think? An unhappy crew in an enclosed environment, working seven days a week for six months straight and not one day off... What do you expect? Smiles?

Good like with that.

Does NCL care? Of course not. They just replace the discontented ones, and go on counting the millions of dollars they make a year.


As for me, I'll never work for that company again. No, siree. And if I had to advise anyone about going on a cruise with NCL, I would tell you to try something else. I don't know. It's not worth it.

Rickyrom, one question. Our cabin steward said he got very little of the gratuity that was already included in your bill. What is the story there?

Pat, it is divided up amongst wait staff, stewards and cleaning crew.

I alwyas opt of the auto tips and hand them cash directly.