Other Cruise Lines

[RedSox68]

Well like I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a friend that just returned from NCL Pride of America. I wanted to give a recent take on this ship for everyone. Keep in mind this friend of mine is SUPER picky...love her, but it is always ALL about her. LOL. So keep that in mind with what she commented on, these are her words, not mine:
Ship condition: noticeable wear and tear on carpets and in staterooms, but overall clean and pretty.
Service: sketchy. Some were friendly, some not. Servers in the MDR were not very engaging, but in the pay for restaurants they were more so. (wanted big tip, I suppose)
Stateroom: super small for the three of us. My mom was NOT comfortable on the pull out. I am still ticked at NCL because of the mess up with our booking.
Excursions: We only did 2 with NCL, helicopter in Kauai and Best of Maui tour. Ok, if you like being herded like cats. Helicopter was best (and worst) part of trip! Scary and bumpy, but gorgeous views.
Weather: sucked! We had rain in nearly every port, except Kauai was good one day. Seas were rough. Still better than home and snow and ice!
Food: typical cruise food. Bland and not much changed from day to day. Luckily we were in port overnight in two places so ate there. Loved Duke's in Kauai and hula pie!
Best thing about cruise: seeing my 84 year old mom zip line in Maui!
Worst thing about cruise: super LOUD music by pool, and NCL cruise agents (booking process)
Would you do this cruise again: No, but only because it was a bucket list thing for my mom to see Hawaii and this helped her see it all. For me, I would do a land based vacation and just pick one island.

Hope this helps some that are looking at NCL POA. I can always ask her more questions if need be. I tried to keep it short.

Yeah, those (filthy) staterooms -- nothing like my daughter walking into her interior room and stepping in a puddle of maple syrup! Our biggest laughable moments on this cruise were the waitstaff -- who many times actually looked like they had slept in their uniforms. Some of the men had long hair and it was greasy and unkempt. We were ignored in the one night we went to the MDR because the waiter was catering to a large party. Next thing we knew another waiter showed up and asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu! We left and went to the buffet for dinner. In their 50's diner, the waiter asked if we wanted any drinks - my husband said yes, ice tea. So the waiter brought ONE ice tea! We can look back and laugh at it now, but at the time it felt like a nightmare. Sad thing is, that was our very first non-Disney cruise, too! Sounds like not much has changed since we took her in 2008!

 

[jenf22]

Seems like everyone hates NCL Pride of America. I have honestly never read one good thing about any US-staffed ship. I don't know what that says about us as a country. I think I'll stick to land trips when we go to Hawaii.

 

[RedSox68]

Seems like everyone hates NCL Pride of America. I have honestly never read one good thing about any US-staffed ship. I don't know what that says about us as a country. I think I'll stick to land trips when we go to Hawaii.

It was very embarrassing to watch how that crew treated passengers.

 

[cruiser21]

Seems like everyone hates NCL Pride of America. I have honestly never read one good thing about any US-staffed ship. I don't know what that says about us as a country. I think I'll stick to land trips when we go to Hawaii.

Most ship workers come from third world countries, and they're just happy to have a job. I don't think many American kids grow up thinking I want to work on a cruise ship.

 

[Flossbolna]

Most ship workers come from third world countries, and they're just happy to have a job. I don't think many American kids grow up thinking I want to work on a cruise ship.

The strange thing is that when you travel on land in the US, you still get very good service. Why should Americans not be able to deliver the same level of service once on sea?

 

[wombat_5606]

The strange thing is that when you travel on land in the US, you still get very good service. Why should Americans not be able to deliver the same level of service once on sea?

In the dining areas, that shouldn't be a problem.

But, I'm going to be hard pressed to find very many Americans that are cleaning rooms/cruise cabins anywhere for a nominal salary and a smile on their face.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Yeah, those (filthy) staterooms -- nothing like my daughter walking into her interior room and stepping in a puddle of maple syrup! Our biggest laughable moments on this cruise were the waitstaff -- who many times actually looked like they had slept in their uniforms. Some of the men had long hair and it was greasy and unkempt. We were ignored in the one night we went to the MDR because the waiter was catering to a large party. Next thing we knew another waiter showed up and asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu! We left and went to the buffet for dinner. In their 50's diner, the waiter asked if we wanted any drinks - my husband said yes, ice tea. So the waiter brought ONE ice tea! We can look back and laugh at it now, but at the time it felt like a nightmare. Sad thing is, that was our very first non-Disney cruise, too! Sounds like not much has changed since we took her in 2008!

Are most of the service employees on the Pride of America Hawaiians? Or from the mainland?

 

[MickeyD]

Are most of the service employees on the Pride of America Hawaiians? Or from the mainland?

I believe almost all are from the mainland. My friend said they "seemed" like they were all from the midwest (accents?) I am originally from the midwest, so not sure what accent we have?? LOL

 

[MickeyD]

Yeah, those (filthy) staterooms -- nothing like my daughter walking into her interior room and stepping in a puddle of maple syrup! Our biggest laughable moments on this cruise were the waitstaff -- who many times actually looked like they had slept in their uniforms. Some of the men had long hair and it was greasy and unkempt. We were ignored in the one night we went to the MDR because the waiter was catering to a large party. Next thing we knew another waiter showed up and asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu! We left and went to the buffet for dinner. In their 50's diner, the waiter asked if we wanted any drinks - my husband said yes, ice tea. So the waiter brought ONE ice tea! We can look back and laugh at it now, but at the time it felt like a nightmare. Sad thing is, that was our very first non-Disney cruise, too! Sounds like not much has changed since we took her in 2008!

That is gross. I feel for you all having to endure that! I don't know why the standard is so much lower (seems like) for this ship than others? I will never sail on her, that is for sure.

 

[RedSox68]

Are most of the service employees on the Pride of America Hawaiians? Or from the mainland?

Mainland. I had heard that they had petitioned to be allowed to hire 25% foreign crew and I thought I read that they were granted that -- but not sure if they did as it seems the same problems seem to exist. All I can say is that none of the crew we met seemed happy to be there in any way! Even guest services were cranky.

In our room, the desk was filthy and the wine glasses they placed there were actually stuck to the desk; the coffee cups had lipstick stains; they left the used glasses in the bathroom (with scope and toothpaste remnants) and just put the cardboard caps over them. When we filed the complaint about the two rooms, the director of the room stewards came by with a crew and took pictures of both rooms and apologized profusely. The girl never touched or vacuumed either room and you could not even see out our sliding glass door it was so filthy. We got off the ship while still in honolulu and bought Clorox wipes and did both rooms top to bottom, then told them we did NOT want the room steward anywhere near our rooms for the rest of the cruise. They gave us free specialty dining and free laundry services, but it didn't make us trust them any further. Best thing on the ship -- for breakfast in the buffet, they had the best made from scratch pancakes I've ever had on a cruise. You could tell they were made from scratch because they were all different shapes and sizes and cooked to perfection.

 

[Lita]

Mainland. I had heard that they had petitioned to be allowed to hire 25% foreign crew and I thought I read that they were granted that -- but not sure if they did as it seems the same problems seem to exist. All I can say is that none of the crew we met seemed happy to be there in any way! Even guest services were cranky.

In our room, the desk was filthy and the wine glasses they placed there were actually stuck to the desk; the coffee cups had lipstick stains; they left the used glasses in the bathroom (with scope and toothpaste remnants) and just put the cardboard caps over them. When we filed the complaint about the two rooms, the director of the room stewards came by with a crew and took pictures of both rooms and apologized profusely. The girl never touched or vacuumed either room and you could not even see out our sliding glass door it was so filthy. We got off the ship while still in honolulu and bought Clorox wipes and did both rooms top to bottom, then told them we did NOT want the room steward anywhere near our rooms for the rest of the cruise. They gave us free specialty dining and free laundry services, but it didn't make us trust them any further. Best thing on the ship -- for breakfast in the buffet, they had the best made from scratch pancakes I've ever had on a cruise. You could tell they were made from scratch because they were all different shapes and sizes and cooked to perfection.

OMG! That sounds disgusting!

 

[RedSox68]

OMG! That sounds disgusting!

It was. In all the travels we have taken around the world and country, we've never stayed in rooms that dirty.

 

[MyDisWorld]

That is gross. I feel for you all having to endure that! I don't know why the standard is so much lower (seems like) for this ship than others? I will never sail on her, that is for sure.

It really is sad. Ironically the standard is lower because the NCL "Pride of America" is a "US" Honolulu registered ship. A lot of Cruise Ships are NOT registered in the US, with the Bahamas (Port of Nassau) being the No 1 registry of cruise ships worldwide. Some good reasons, and some....well.... not so good....[that's another topic]

As bad as this experiment went for Norwegian, I have to give them credit. The "Pride of America" [pun intended] is anything but.

Cruise Lines Prefer Bahamas Registry [or Panama registry] over USA simply because for a "Bahamian" registered ship US labor laws do not apply. Ships registered in Bahamas have no regulations about the number of hours "on ship" employees may work or his/her days off, no minimum wages, staff can be punished by the captain in case of complaining about issues (such as safety or food quality, for example). In other words, while on the ship, the captain has the absolute authority. There are also some tax advantages, but this topic is more about the "service" on NCL Pride.......

As of 2017, the ONLY Cruise ship registered in the US is the NCL Pride of America. [not including River Cruise Lines]. So, the Pride of American is unfortunately at a disadvantage [in a business sense] since it is bound by US regulations, while all other Cruise ships are able to take advantage of the less restrictive regulations by registering in the Bahamas.

For this reason, most employees on Cruise ships are Foreign, and many times come from countries with very low wages and/or limited employment opportunities. Although they may get paid minimum wage [or less], combined with the "gratuities" we provide after our cruise, they can earn a far better wage than they could in their homeland. They are grateful for the job, and it is reflected in their work ethic. The better your treated, the better you tip!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Mainland. I had heard that they had petitioned to be allowed to hire 25% foreign crew and I thought I read that they were granted that -- but not sure if they did as it seems the same problems seem to exist. All I can say is that none of the crew we met seemed happy to be there in any way! Even guest services were cranky.

In our room, the desk was filthy and the wine glasses they placed there were actually stuck to the desk; the coffee cups had lipstick stains; they left the used glasses in the bathroom (with scope and toothpaste remnants) and just put the cardboard caps over them. When we filed the complaint about the two rooms, the director of the room stewards came by with a crew and took pictures of both rooms and apologized profusely. The girl never touched or vacuumed either room and you could not even see out our sliding glass door it was so filthy. We got off the ship while still in honolulu and bought Clorox wipes and did both rooms top to bottom, then told them we did NOT want the room steward anywhere near our rooms for the rest of the cruise. They gave us free specialty dining and free laundry services, but it didn't make us trust them any further. Best thing on the ship -- for breakfast in the buffet, they had the best made from scratch pancakes I've ever had on a cruise. You could tell they were made from scratch because they were all different shapes and sizes and cooked to perfection.

This is so sad to hear. That ship has been on our radar because of the theming and, well, Hawaii. What a missed opportunity for ncl.

 

[cruiser21]

Friends of mine sailed Pride of America for their very first cruise 2 years ago and said it was the best vacation of their lives. I hope you have a similar experience.

This next comment isn't directed at you @kylmac, just a general comment. I think it's really funny that the biggest complaint coming from Pride of America is the horrendous service and that staff is mostly US citizens. All other ships are mostly non US citizens and everyone loves the service.

My inlaws and my millionaire Aunt and Uncle sailed on this ship and loved it. This was last year. Maybe it's gotten better.

 

[RedSox68]

This is so sad to hear. That ship has been on our radar because of the theming and, well, Hawaii. What a missed opportunity for ncl.

Funny (and odd) thing is - they had three ships over there: The Pride of Aloha, Pride of America and (I think) Pride of Hawaii. Anyway, the two of them were Hawaiian themed and from the pictures I'd seen, just beautiful inside. The POA is themed on a Williamsburg type Colonial America thing. They removed the two Hawaiian themed ships the year or so before we went and left the POA. Personally, if I'm cruising Hawaii on a ship based in Hawaii, I'd prefer the ship to have a Hawaiian theme. Seemed like an odd decision because they had to completely strip and redo those ships to use them elsewhere -- whereas if they had moved the POA, they probably could have left that theme for east coast sailings.

My inlaws and my millionaire Aunt and Uncle sailed on this ship and loved it. This was last year. Maybe it's gotten better.

That would be awesome if they finally got their act together. If I could trust it in the future, I'd do it again as I loved seeing all those islands in 7 days. I'll have to check out Cruise Critic to see what the new reviews are.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Funny (and odd) thing is - they had three ships over there: The Pride of Aloha, Pride of America and (I think) Pride of Hawaii. Anyway, the two of them were Hawaiian themed and from the pictures I'd seen, just beautiful inside. The POA is themed on a Williamsburg type Colonial America thing. They removed the two Hawaiian themed ships the year or so before we went and left the POA. Personally, if I'm cruising Hawaii on a ship based in Hawaii, I'd prefer the ship to have a Hawaiian theme. Seemed like an odd decision because they had to completely strip and redo those ships to use them elsewhere -- whereas if they had moved the POA, they probably could have left that theme for east coast sailings.




That would be awesome if they finally got their act together. If I could trust it in the future, I'd do it again as I loved seeing all those islands in 7 days. I'll have to check out Cruise Critic to see what the new reviews are.

I didn't know that about the other two ships. Tell me more! You are right that a hawaiian themed ship would be better in hawaii. The early american history theme really appeals to us, but it does make more sense somewhere else. We like themes in general. The move seems to be towards blander ships like the breeze or vista, nice but plain. I wonder if ncl lost market share in Hawaii? Or if less people are cruising or going there in general. I suspect it is the latter if dcl couldn't fill ships to Hawaii. We had some friends go to Hawaii recently and they said that even though hawaii is beautiful it is very dysfunctional and not such a great place to visit.

 

[RedSox68]

I didn't know that about the other two ships. Tell me more! You are right that a hawaiian themed ship would be better in hawaii. The early american history theme really appeals to us, but it does make more sense somewhere else. We like themes in general. The move seems to be towards blander ships like the breeze or vista, nice but plain. I wonder if ncl lost market share in Hawaii? Or if less people are cruising or going there in general. I suspect it is the latter if dcl couldn't fill ships to Hawaii. We had some friends go to Hawaii recently and they said that even though hawaii is beautiful it is very dysfunctional and not such a great place to visit.

Sorry, but I have to strongly disagree with your friends. I don't know what they mean about dysfunctional, but we loved it so much, and the people so much, we wanted to go back every year (if I could stand that long flight). From the minute we got off the plane in Honolulu and checked into our hotel, we felt so welcomed. Everyone seemed happy and the fragrance of flowers was everywhere -- even as you walked through the airport you could smell the Plumeria. we paid for a car service who greeted us at the airport with leis and started us off right. Everywhere we went on the island was stunning and we felt we had truly entered a different land (I felt the same way when we went to Alaska).

After the cruise we flew to Maui (a whole 25 minute flight) and stayed for 5 nights, renewing our wedding vows in a Hawaiian ceremony on the beach (under the cliff where Oprah Winfrey and Clint Eastwood houses are), and had our celebration "reception" at the Lahana Luau. The place we stayed was a local resort -- on eo fhte originals (Ka'anapoli and they literally welcomed us with open arms. The only problems we had that whole three weeks was the American crew on the ship. The people on land were awesome. We rented cars at two of the ports and even the car rental people went out of their way to make sure we had all the information we needed to enjoy their island. My husband had a co-worker who fell in love with it so much they moved there.

This article has a picture of Pride of Aloha. The front of it was so gorgeous. http://www.cruiselines.us/cruiseline_norwegian.html

 

[jenf22]

We had some friends go to Hawaii recently and they said that even though hawaii is beautiful it is very dysfunctional and not such a great place to visit.

Ok, I have to disagree too. We've been to the Big Island 4 times, Maui twice, Oahu once, and Kauai once. I wasn't crazy about Kauai. For me it wasn't touristy enough and we didn't think the people were very friendly. We went to a waterfall there and in the parking lot there were teenage boys shooting chickens with a BB gun and then picking them up and tossing them in the bushes. You could tell they were doing it to get a rise out of the tourists. That was over 10 years ago and my most vivid memory of that island. But we LOVE the Shearton Ka'annapali on Maui and the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island. We'd go every year if we could!

 

[RedSox68]

Ok, I have to disagree too. We've been to the Big Island 4 times, Maui twice, Oahu once, and Kauai once. I wasn't crazy about Kauai. For me it wasn't touristy enough and we didn't think the people were very friendly. We went to a waterfall there and in the parking lot there were teenage boys shooting chickens with a BB gun and then picking them up and tossing them in the bushes. You could tell they were doing it to get a rise out of the tourists. That was over 10 years ago and my most vivid memory of that island. But we LOVE the Shearton Ka'annapali on Maui and the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island. We'd go every year if we could!

UGH, what an awful memory of Kauai. Our memory is renting a car and driving the whole length of the island and seeing the gardens at the end -- well worth the whole trip. We thought the island was very pretty and luckily did not see any of what you described -- that for sure would have really set me off.