I don't know about you, but I always get excited to explore the ship when taking a cruise! The restaurants, pool, bars/lounges, shops, sports complex, fitness center, spa, activities, and special features are what make the days on board more enjoyable. In this post, I'll share my Hawaiian cruise experience aboard Norwegian's Pride of America including some tips to make your own travels more seamless. All Aboard as we set sail to Hawaii!
View of Norwegian's Pride of America on the water - Photo Courtesy of NCL
Check-in Review:
On the day of embarkation (Saturday sail date), we arrived at the Norwegian Pier 2 dock in Honolulu around noon (our slotted time was Noon to 12:30pm). With the pre-boarding check-in process through the Norwegian app, the process for boarding the ship was smooth and the lines weren't long. There was a shell lei welcome along with festive photo ops with "Hawaiian locals" to kick-off your adventure (see photo below)! I think the Pandemic has truly given companies the opportunity to explore more lean processes and services because this was by far the easiest boarding process I've ever had on a cruise. The two major changes I noticed was that the key card had a different identification technology for getting on and off the ship and the LIVE muster station drill (typically held a few hours after setting sail) has been eliminated. This saved time in the boarding process.
My Mom (right) and I before boarding - This was a Mother/Daughter trip!
Travel Tip #1: Be sure to have your printable cruise luggage tags on your suitcases prior to arrival to save time at the dock. You will be able to head straight to security and bypass the luggage check-in line.
Travel Tip #2: Expect to be without your tagged luggage for several hours. With that in mind, if there is anything important that you will need, be sure to carry it with you through security. Our cabin (located on deck 7) wasn't available until 4:30pm and the luggage didn't arrive until 7:30pm... We had plenty of time to hang out at the bar!
Travel Tip #3: If you plan to indulge in alcoholic beverages for the duration of the trip, consider purchasing a beverage package as the drinks were at least $10 to $15 each.
Restaurants Overview:
Overall, the food on the ship was quite tasty. The Skyline is your best option for a nice sit-down breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Menu options varied each day with a few standard options as well. There is something for everyone too...including burgers, pizza, steak, fish, shrimp, and pasta. If you are a chocolate lover, the Chocolate Lava Cake is amazing! If you want to dress-up with a classier dinner atmosphere, the Liberty Restaurant, one floor above the Skyline Restaurant, has the same menu options.
Travel Tip #4: It tends to be colder on the cruise ships with the A.C. running so be sure to wear layers especially in the restaurants and theaters. If you are temperature sensitive, you'll thank me later!
Travel Tip #5: Although there are no reservations required for either of these restaurants, your best bet is to get there right when the restaurant opens or a few minutes before to beat the crowd.
Me Waiting to Be Seated at the Skyline Restaurant
When you are in a rush to grab a bite to eat head to Aloha Cafe, the buffet style restaurant on Deck 11, or visit the 24/7 Cadillac diner on Deck 6 (similar to Johnny Rocket's). Both are great options. At the Aloha Cafe expect to see a salad bar, fruit bar (the fruit was sweet too!), pasta bar, pizza bar, Asian bar, cutlery bar, and dessert bar daily. This is a great spot for picky eaters. The Cadillac diner is perfect if you have a taste for burgers, fish and chips, chili dogs, or a snack...try a delicious milkshake or nachos!
One of our perks included with the booking was credit for a specialty restaurant. Since we both love Italian food and pasta, we opted for La Cucina on the second day of the cruise. The service was great with Karl. He brought out each course in a timely manner and was able to accommodate a slight spice modification to our shrimp pasta entree. I can talk to you about bread and pasta all day! The bread and pasta tasted very fresh. The pizza was also delicious.... yes, I know why in the world pizza?! It was the best tasting pizza on board.
Norwegian Pride of America - Visual Food Gallery:
Disembarkation Review:
You don't have to schedule a disembarkation time from the ship. The general allotted timeslot to exit is 7am to 9:30am. We headed to the line around 7:45am and waited about 15 minutes in line. Just after 8am, the crowd begin to roll-in to exit the ship. The earlier the better is always best to bet the crowd! The exit process is a simple final swipe of your keepsake room key.
The luggage is unloaded in stations by color, and you are given the expected delivery time of your luggage to the station based on your flight departure if that is applicable. We waited an extra five or ten minutes for our luggage station to be filled. We purchased a Norwegian group transfer from the dock to the Honolulu airport. This was convenient as there were a number of transfers available that filled-up without a long wait.
Travel Tip #6: When traveling to and from the Norwegian Pier 2 dock in Honolulu, be sure to consider rush hour traffic. It can be double or triple the travel time. We took a taxi getting there and was charged more money just because the 10-minute drive was 30 minutes due to heavy traffic.
Conclusion:
Overall, I enjoyed my stay on Norwegian's Pride of America. The food and drinks were great and so was the service. I didn't touch much on the entertainment, but the Sexy Leg contest by the pool was a highlight! The entertainment was very comparable to other Norwegian ships. There was plenty of fun and games...Did I mention I was the Scrabble Champion during this trip?!
My Travel Scrabble Board is always a great accessory - This is what my family does!
Purchase your own Travel Scrabble at Amazon.com.
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Part #2 of this post is coming soon to share my excursion reviews! Weeks after this beautiful Hawaiian cruise, I had Hawaii still on the brain. And today I still do for a more unfortunate reason due to the wildfires taking lives and destroying the breathtaking Maui area. Please consider donating to help the effort to stabilize and rebuild the Maui I'll always remember. Updates and donation opportunities can be found at Maui Rapid Response.
Mahalo...hoping for happier Fridays in Hawaii!
-Nina