 Expert Review |  | | | | |
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When NCL America's Pride of America finally made its way to U.S. waters from its German shipyard in 2005, the event marked the culmination of an arduous and heartbreaking couple of years. Pride of America, slated for launch in July 2004, had been swamped in a gale while being built, leaving a good portion of its hull under water. The unfortuante event caused NCL America, Norwegian Cruise Lines U.S.-flagged subsidiary, to rush another ship in its international fleet -- now known as Pride of Aloha -- into service. Now that Pride of America is in Hawaii, the cruise line has two fully-functional U.S.-based ships plying the waters around the islands, with a third, Pride of Hawaii, to debut in June 2006. Pride of America's biggest distinction is its status as the first U.S.-flagged passenger cruise ship to be built in over 50 years. (Pride of Aloha was transformed from the Norwegian Sky.) Both ships, along with Pride of Hawaii, are distinctive in that the crews and officers are primarily American or citizens from U.S. territories. The advantage to both the U.S. registration and the staffing requirement is that the vessels can sail seven-night itineraries around the Hawaiian Islands without having to embark (or disembark) in Vancouver or Ensenada. Nor do they have to travel a couple of thousand miles out of the way to visit Fanning Island. That's because the Passenger Services Act, requiring a foreign-flagged cruise ship to stop at a foreign port when leaving or returning to U.S. waters, does not apply to these ships, creating itineraries chock full of port stops and overnights in the beautiful regions of the U.S.'s 50th state. Unlike Pride of Aloha and Pride of Hawaii, both of which have largely Hawaiian themes, Pride of America is a paean to the United States. Everything onboard this ship celebrates American culture and history, from the kitsch of the Cadillac Diner to the sober statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Liberty Dining Room. You get a feel for the ship as soon as you board: stepping into the marble lobby, you are greeted with a huge seal of the United States embedded in the flooring. It almost feels irreverent to walk across it. At 81,000 tons, and with 1,069 passenger cabins, the ship is big but not too big. It's easy to navigate, and having a largely American crew brings its own rewards to the ambiance. It's fun to hear "Mornin'!" or "How y'all doin'?" while walking the hallways or public spaces. After some unanticipated and fairly disastrous staffing issues two years ago, NCL America has pretty much got it nailed. The staff is bright and cheerful, most love their jobs, and whether they are looking at short-term or long-term employment, they all seem dedicated to bringing the best cruise experience possible to their guests. Does a staff and crew comprised mostly of U.S. citizens offer a different cruise experience? You bet it does. At once familiar and disorienting, it does take awhile to get used to being "served" by people from Plano, Texas, or Eugene, Oregon. And yes, there is less general fawning, which I found refreshing. The service was good, it was fun, and while not always perfect, it was just about right on a ship with such an island-intensive itinerary. The way I see it, the cruise experience was less like going to Morton's or Ruth's Chris or Le Cirque every night, and more like going to Applebee's or TGI Friday's. It was an enjoyable change of pace, and as the week wore on, I appreciated it more and more. | | |  top | | | | Dining
NCL America shares NCL's innovative Freestyle Cruising concept, which basically means dine anytime you want, with whomever you choose. There are nine restaurants on the ship including two main dining rooms, the casual cafeteria and two no-charge alternative dining spots. The other four require a surcharge; reservations are nearly mandatory. The main dining rooms, Liberty and Skyline, are located at the aft, one above the other. Both carry through the Americana themes, with Skyline -- a Deco-version of New York City -- and Liberty paying homage to American patriotism. Both restaurants offer the same hearty menus. Little Italy, one of the no-surcharge restaurants, runs alongside the Lido Deck cafeteria. Reservations are required even though there is no additional charge. The Cadillac Diner, a favorite for family lunching, early dining and late-night snacks, is located at the promenade level with access to the outside. These five restaurants, and the Key West Grill (open during the day only), would be enough for most cruise lines, but Freestyle Dining offers more -- four more, to be precise. All carry a reasonable surcharge and all provide a first-class dining experience. My favorite, on all NCL ships, is the French-influenced Bistro. On Pride of America it's fittingly named the Jefferson Bistro and designed like a little slice of the library in Monticello. For $10, you can dine on scrumptious French-inspired cuisine, for $15 you can have Surf and Turf, and for $20 you can enjoy the unique Star Fire platter, a melange of meat chunks hung on an iron hook, flambeed in brandy and served with savory sauces. The Creme Brulee and Chocolate and Fruit Fondue are worth the price of admission alone. Lazy J's Steak House is dedicated to the Paniolos, America's first cowboys, who continue their traditions today at the Parker Ranch on the Big Island. My friend Michael was in heaven over the butter-soft filet mignon and lobster tail, while I chose a New York cut. The surcharge here is only $15; if you get the lobster tail, it's $20, and well worth it. East Meets West is a gathering place for several types of Asian-inspired cuisine, including Asian Fusion, sushi, shabu-shabu and teppanyaki. Teppanyaki is charged a la carte; the other dining options have a $5 surcharge. (You can get sushi a la carte too, with an average price of $2 per order). The excellence of the surcharge restaurants takes nothing away from the standard restaurants, where the food is uniformly good, if not gourmet. The one thing that I noticed was that there seemed to be fewer choices for entrees in the traditional dining rooms, but considering that so many guests dine ashore, it actually makes sense. Plus, if you aren't entranced with the fare offered, you can order from the "always available" menu, which includes salmon, grilled chicken breast and New York steak. Vegetarian, low-carb, heart-healthy, Kosher and other special diets can be accommodated with advance notice. The Aloha Cafe, Pride of America's Lido Deck restaurant, has gone to "pods," or kiosk-style self-serve stations. If you know what you want, you don't have to stand in long lines just to get to the one item you crave. At first it's confusing since the stations are spread out all over, but it's easy to learn that hot foods and cold cuts are in the middle' pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches at the long counter' and fruit, salads and desserts off to the sides. Breakfast served here (and out on the back deck overlooking the stern wake) is similarly set up, with the addition of fresh waffles and omelets. On the starboard side of the Aloha Cafe is a small area created just for kids, with a junior-sized buffet table, small chairs and tables, and adult seating adjacent. It's great fun, and gives kids a place to call their own. Brilliant! We loved the Cadillac Diner for family fun and great meals, too. Most of the booths are either in or surrounding a Caddy hood or rear end (complete with fins). Menu items run the gamut from Mom's meatloaf to gigantic burgers. The only charge is for a float or milkshake ($3.50 each) or other soft drinks. Reservations are recommended for the specialty dining spots as soon as you board, but don't go to each restaurant: Check in, then call from your room. If by any chance you are told that a restaurant is full for the whole week, don't despair. Pride of America has nifty LCD-TV's strategically located in public spaces that tell you which restaurants have openings at any given time. If you're flexible, you'll more than likely get to dine where you want. Room service is available at all hours, but the menu for guests in standard accommodations is limited. The pizza and children's grilled cheese sandwich are good, as is the chicken Caesar salad. Suite guests can choose menu items from the main restaurants during meal times; those in upper-level suites have a butler to deliver it. For me, the crowning glory on this ship is the espresso/cappuccino/cafe au lait makers available to guests in both the Aloha Cafe and at the Aloha Cafe's aft stations. There is a coffee bar/patisserie, where you have to pay for cappuccino and espresso, but these machines are gratis, and so, so welcome! | | | | top | | | | Public Rooms
With a ship-wide theme as broad as the U.S., the public rooms have a range of subjects to display, some of them strictly sentimental, some Yankee Doodle Dandy patriotic, and some just kitschy, funky Americana. I think my favorite spot onboard is the Chicago-style speakeasy Pink's Champagne Bar, partly because it's located so perfectly for people-watching and partly because the piano player/vocalist had me swooning. The Napa Wine Bar is elegant, coolly lined with faux limestone walls; the Hollywood Theatre features life-sized Oscar statuettes at the entrance, the Mardis Gras Nightclub is glittery and the Gold Rush Saloon is ... saloony. If you're getting some idea of the themes here, beyond the obvious there are some brilliant turns. NCL America has recognized Hawaii's appeal for the meetings and incentive market. If groups can go to land-based resorts, why not to a ship? As a result, Pride of America has one of the best meeting and small convention facilities on the seas, with a circular auditorium and several conference rooms all at the front top portion of the vessel, easily separated for private use if the need arises, but also quite useful for larger lectures and lessons. Its Hawaiian Cultural Center, basically a series of displays along one of the passageway walls, gives an overview of Hawaii's history through photos and artifacts. I loved looking at the iconic bobblehead hula dancer kewpie dolls from the 1950's; I never realized that they had a real place in popular culture. The library is well stocked, especially with books about the region. It is open during very limited hours, so make sure to check the schedule if you want to access any reading material. There's also a great Internet center; rates for both wireless (using your own laptop) and on-site connectivity are reasonable, starting at the standard .75 cents per minute with package buy-downs to as low as .50 cents per minute. I had my own laptop and was able to access the wireless network from my room. NCL ships usually have fabulous shopping opportunities, but the shops on Pride of America are small and expensive. There is no duty-free option, and all of the local (Hawaiian) items carry hefty price tags. I did find, though, a lovely large bottle of White Ginger cologne at a most reasonable price -- about $15 -- and a Pride of America hat for around $10. Smoking is allowed in limited areas onboard, but not in any restaurant nor in the showrooms. Even outside, smoking sections seem to be quite limited, and since there is no casino, there really wasn't any area that got particularly smoky during my cruise. While it did seem a little odd to go from the John Adams Coffee Bar (overlooking the aforementioned seal of the United States and a silly-looking replica of the Washington Monument) to the Waikiki Bar -- or for that matter to dine under the New York skyline while moored in Maui -- the ship's public spaces celebrate all that America is, including Hawaii. It's fitting to have a ship that is American-flagged, -staffed, and -themed sailing the waters around one of America's most glorious states, and the overall effect -- with no pun intended -- is pride in America. | | | | top | | | | Cabins
I had toured this ship before and had seen the standard staterooms, so I warned my friend Michael to be prepared. "They're really small," I had mentioned to him. "We'll need to adapt ... " What the cheerfully decorated cabins lack in space, however, they more than make up for in convenience and efficiency. Within minutes, we had our stuff put away and organized. The tiny space has so many drawers and cubbyholes, shelves and closets, that we had no problem arranging everything. My laptop went onto the small desk; Michael's cell phone was plugged in; books and lotion were placed on the small night stand; toiletries put in the bathroom, cupboard or under the sink; and clothes hung, put in drawers, or stored on shelves. And even after we had unloaded everything, there was still room aplenty for NCL America's standard room stuff too, including the tray with ice bucket and glasses, room book and other reference material, and especially NCL's signature -- not to mention much appreciated and well-used -- coffee maker with complimentary coffee, cream and two heavy ceramic mugs. Standard rooms are decorated in colorful tones of turquoise, fuchsia, yellow, lime and orange. But rather than feeling garish, these hues exude tropical good cheer. The addition of a balcony extends the "living space" to the outdoors, and since 62 percent of all cabin categories have balconies, even the smallest spaces expand into the Hawaiian atmosphere. There is nothing in the world like sitting on your own private verandah and watching the lava from Mt. Kiluaea flow into the Pacific at night, or, if your stateroom is on the other side of the ship, gliding past the breathtaking beauty of the NaPali Coast, with its jagged outline rising directly from the sea. While this ship has neither NCL's celebrated Garden Villas nor the newest Courtyard Villas, there are a wide variety of suite accommodations, including several with verandah hot tubs. We love the cheery, breezy decor of the suites; no pretentiousness, just pure island fun. There are a wide range of ADA-compliant staterooms in all configurations. | | | | top | | | | Entertainment
NCL has always been at the forefront of entertainment options, and while this ship is different (no Jean Ann Ryan troupe of singers and dancers, for example), the entertainment is still excellent. On several of the nights, Hawaiian entertainers are brought onboard. This does not imply that the onboard entertainers cannot hold their own. The house bands and musicians throughout the ship are top-notch. The Hollywood Theatre is fairly small and just one story, with excellent sight lines for most guests. There is a bank of chairs set aside for wheelchair and other mobility-impaired guests as well, which we thought was a nice touch. Entertainment in the theater usually consists of a magician, a juggler and other individual performers, but there are a couple of Broadway or Vegas type shows as well. Karaoke is hot onboard Pride of America, whether it's taking place in the Gold Rush Saloon late at night or in the Mardi Gras Nightclub just after the main entertainment. And the Mardi Gras is a great venue for all night dancing and for the funky parties it hosts: New Year's Eve Bash, Disco Night, and other various themed evenings. Note: Kids are allowed in the Mardi Gras and can take part in the fun until 11 p.m., at which time it's over 18 only. Drinking alcohol is strictly limited to those over 21. Hawaii allows no gambling, so there is no casino, and there is no bingo, either. There are plenty of art auctions, dance classes, and arts and crafts classes with Hawaiian themes (make a lei, make a hat, make a seed or shell necklace...). When the weather is good, there's a deck-side luau. The absolute best though, is the crew show. I love these on all ships, but I am, of course, accustomed to the multiple nationalities showing off their country's culture. Pride of America has one nationality, American, and the range of talent is astounding. An opera singer, a couple of crooners, a guy who does a fire dance with two glo-sticks, country singers ... and one production number, Fountains, that is so genuinely funny it brought tears of laughter to the entire audience. I cannot and will not explain Fountains; however, let me just say that I will never again listen to Enya in the same passive way, and further, that I would take this cruise again just to see a repeat performance. | | | | top | | | | Fitness and Recreation
This ship (and this itinerary) is a fitness buff's dream. Not only is there the well-equipped Santa Fe Spa and Fitness Center, there are also plenty of spots for walking, jogging and sports. The South Beach pool, located in the center of Deck 11, is appealing and active ... so much so that many people overlook the fact that there is a smaller, quieter pool, the Oasis, at the aft on Deck 12. Shhhhh! Perched above the Aloha Cafe's aft section, at the rear of the spa, this little pool is ideal for a quiet break. The main pool is surrounded by four hot tubs; the smaller Oasis pool area has one, off to the side. There may not be rock-climbing walls or ice-skating rinks on this ship, but there is a bungee trampoline located on the pool deck, open during specified (and attended) hours. One of the best fitness and recreation aspects of this cruise is the range of golf programs offered. Imagine golfing in paradise every day, sometimes more than once, at each of the islands visited. You can choose your courses from an array of municipal and private greens, from reasonably priced to outrageously expensive. You can even take a day trip to Lanai to play there. There is a full golf shop onboard, catering to even the most finicky of duffers. Note: You can bring your own clubs or rent onboard, but you cannot take your clubs with you to your stateroom. There is a $40 charge for storage, but this also includes cleaning/conditioning and transport directly to and from the courses you choose to play. The Santa Fe Spa, located at the aft of the ship, is big and elegant. Run by the Mandara division of Steiner Leisure, it offers the usual at-sea spa treatments, but the destination also allows it to creatively provide themed services like Hawaiian ginger and lime scrubs, or hot lava-stone massages. Port days (and there are a lot of them) mean discounts, on everything from manicures to teeth whitening. Note: Almost all signage indicates that you have to use the aft stairs to get from Deck 11 to the spa, but non-mobile guests can access it by using one of the aft elevators. There's a jogging track and sports court on Deck 14, Ping Pong available just outside the Aloha Cafe, and Pilates and yoga classes (at a surcharge) available at the fitness center. | | | | top | | | | Family
NCL is one of our absolute favorite lines for family cruising, and Pride of America is no exception. This ship has designed family staterooms in multiple configurations (some with two rooms, some with an alcove) to accommodate the family in comfort. There are also several adjoining cabins. Rascal's Kid's Club is bright, cheery and well attended. Potty-trained kids from 3 years old are welcomed; there are age- and destination- appropriate activities available for children up to 12 years old. The Connections Teen Club, a "mom and dad-free zone" for the 13 to 17 year olds, is comfy and relaxing with its leopard-print couches and bean-bag chairs, music library, and computer stations. We saw young adults in there at all hours (parents might not be allowed but you can see into the space through the windows). Pride of America also encourages family togetherness by way of family craft activities, pizza parties and the like. Programs for the kids are free of charge; some late nights are included. Other times, you can arrange for private child care through the front desk with advance notice; expect to spend about $6 to $8 per hour. | | | | top | | | | Fellow Passengers
NCL America's guests run the gamut from multi-generational family groups to honeymooners and everyone in between. This is a relaxed, destination-intensive cruise designed for people who want to experience Hawaii; while the ship offers everything you need and want, NCL America wisely knows that it plays second-fiddle to the islands' allure. | | | | top | | | | Dress Code
If you've been hoarding those Hilo Hattie Muu-Muus or surf shirts that were popular in the 60's, bring 'em along. Dress is tropical-casual, with one discretionary formal night (you are not required to dress up). There are several "Polynesian" and "Hawaiian" nights if you have the duds; otherwise, nighttime dress is resort casual. Shorts, bathing suits, tank tops and jeans are not allowed in the dining rooms after 5 p.m. For dining in the Jefferson Bistro or Lazy J's Steakhouse, cocktail attire is appropriate. | | | | top | | | | Gratuity
NCL has the most tortured gratuities program in the industry. First, it levies a "fixed service charge" on all onboard accounts; it's $10 a day for adults and $5 per day for kids ages 3 - 12. Folks unhappy with the charge should bring their issues to the reception desk for resolution. Beyond that, there's no recommended tipping. Except.... The line does not automatically charge a 15 percent gratuity on drinks so cruise passengers are encouraged to leave cash or add the tip to the receipt. As well, on NCL America many folks using the main dining rooms (where no extra service surcharge exists) say they leave cash tips after each meal. Also confusing (and quite frankly tacky) is the spa's practice of charging a 10 percent service fee which is not the tip (and the treatment therapists receive not a penny of it) -- which meant I tipped an additional 20 percent, making my spa treatment somewhat more expensive than anticipated. --by Cruise Critic contributor Jana Jones, who has also written for a variety of publications, including Vacation Agent, UK's Travel Holidays and Ocean Drive Magazine. | | | | top | | | | | Expert reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community. This objective information can help you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation. | |  | |
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