To see it first and in full sunlight, book port side! 5. While the captain will turn the ship around so that those on the starboard side can see it too, that will happen well into dinner hours. On the last day of your cruise, you’ll spend the early evening cruising along the spectacular Nāpali coast of Kaua’i. In the event that you end up booking a balcony cabin, be sure to choose one on the port (left) side of the ship. After pricing out an inside cabin and paying for flights, transportation, and gratuities on our own, it actually ended up being significantly cheaper to book the package, including the balcony cabin, through NCL.
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However, the significant expense involved in getting to and from Honolulu makes booking the Pride of America unique.Īt the time we booked, NCL offered free airfare (note that there are significant downsides to booking NCL EZ air, but that’s a topic for another time), gratuities, and transfers for those booked in a balcony category or higher. My regular readers (hi mom and gigi!) may have been surprised to learn that we sprung for a balcony cabin on the Pride of America – we normally book the cheapest cabin category available, allowing us to cruise more often. We elected to stick with a less expensive cabin and spend more on excursions.
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Take that into consideration when deciding what to book – for example, we opted out of bidding to upgrade to a suite from our balcony cabin knowing we wouldn’t do much more than sleep in it. You also won’t have as much time to enjoy your stateroom, drink and dining packages, the spa, and other ship activities. Hawaii, not the ship or the sea, will be the main attraction for most.Īs such, you won’t do much lounging around the ship in your robe with a cocktail in one hand and a soft serve cone in the other, turning the pages of your book with an elbow. You may have heard the Pride of America described as a “floating hotel” for that reason. The ship even remains docked at port in Maui and Kaua’i overnight and travel between ports mostly takes place after dark. Unlike most cruise itineraries that include a mix of port and sea days, every day on the Pride of America is a port day. Consider The Implications Of Such A Port Heavy Itinerary In fact, it was our most expensive vacation ever (factoring in the expense of getting to and from Honolulu by air). Our total 7-night fare on the Pride of America was nearly double what we paid for a 15-night sailing on the Grand Princess round-trip to Hawaii from San Fransisco. Pride of America crew members are paid more, enjoy labor protections foreign workers do not, and turnover is higher, leading to increased cruise fares. You’ll likely pay a much higher per night cruise fare on the Pride of America than other ships that sail to/from Hawaii.
Second, because the Pride of America has to abide by all American labor laws, the majority of crew members will be Americans, unlike other cruise ships that employ mostly foreign workers.Īnd the third difference, directly related to the second, is cost. If you only have one week off work and want to cruise Hawaii or don’t like sea days, the Pride of America is your only option. All other cruises to/from Hawaii will call in a foreign port (usually Canada or Mexico), adding on many sea days and at least one non-Hawaiian stop to their itinerary (not a bad thing in my mind, but a significant difference).
First, the Passenger Vessel Services Act does not apply to American registered ships, so the Pride of America isn’t required to stop at a foreign port. So what makes the Pride of America so weird, I mean, “unique?” As the only American flagged ocean cruise ship, you’ll notice three major differences between the Pride of America and other ships that sail to/from Hawaii. Cruise (that’s me!) in the main dining room: wow, she’s weird (I am) and smells like she forgot deodorant (without fail). Sailing on the Pride of America will be an experience nearly as “unique” as sharing a table with Prof.
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