As we speed-walked up the gangway to board the Pride of America in Honolulu, adorned in leis and puka shell necklaces barely noticeable below our excited eyes and ear-to-ear grins, we had no idea that we were on one of her last sailings before the coronavirus pandemic would halt global cruise travel and lead to the cancelation of our next three cruises scheduled for 2020. That Seattle – the city where we store our stuff, pawn our kid off on a saintly public school teacher, and visit our shaggy-haired shelter dog between cruises – would become the first Covid-19 hotspot in the United States. Or that life as we knew it was about to grind to a stop faster than Mr. Cruise turns 180 degrees upon entering our cabin restroom after my first full day of cruise binging: “who forgot to pack the Poo-Pourri?”
I should have been on my third cruise of the season right now instead of competing for the most incompetent homeschool teacher of the year (see the photo below of me up in a tree with a martini while my pupil is on his third hour of video games today), but I feel lucky to have had this incredible trip to Hawaii aboard the Pride of America before all our lives changed forever.
And while the true prides of America are our coronavirus heroes – the nurses and doctors and other healthcare workers, the delivery drivers and postal workers, the grocery store clerks, the scientists, and so many others – I hope this virtual trip aboard the only American flagged large cruise ship will serve as a brief distraction from any stress, illness, grief, financial hardship, or boredom you may be facing in these difficult and uncertain times. So with that overly wordy introduction (sorry about that – these long days at home don’t necessitate succinctness), join me on the Pride of America!
She’s 15 years old (with her last refurbishment completed in 2016), 920 feet long, weighs in at over 80,000 tons, is adorned in red, white, and blue, and is affectionately known as the “Pride of America” to her 927 crew members and 2,186 guests. And while the rest of us have been wearing the same sweatpants for 53 consecutive days (what, just me?) and revealing our true hair color for the first time in an equal number of years, the Pride of America is fortunate enough to have a trip to dry dock (a ship’s version of a beauty parlor) scheduled for May 2020 (this may be delayed, stay tuned).
I’m perhaps the only Seattle resident who proudly drinks her morning beverage of choice, instant decaf coffee, from a mug that reads “I Work To Fund My Cruising Addiction.”
But I prefer to think of myself as “unique” instead of “weird.” My 7 year-old would disagree: “mom, you’re weird.” Yeah, like I’m the one with underwear on my head pretending to be a superhero. Okay, that actually was me (what? I’ve been stuck at home for months now).
But anyway…
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. 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. 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). 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.
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.
And the third difference, directly related to the second, is cost. You’ll likely pay a much higher per night cruise fare on the Pride of America than other ships that sail to/from Hawaii. Pride of America crew members are paid more, enjoy labor protections foreign workers do not, and turnover is higher, leading to increased cruise fares. 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. In fact, it was our most expensive vacation ever (factoring in the expense of getting to and from Honolulu by air).
We took our first cruise to Hawaii on the now infamous Grand Princess to/from San Francisco in 2018 and it scooted Alaska off to the side when it comes to our favorite place to cruise. Itching for a return trip to these most beautiful and culturally rich American islands, but with only a week off of school for H’s (my teaching/travel assistant and 7 year-old son) mid-winter break, we couldn’t accommodate the 10+ sea days required to cruise to Hawaii from the west coast. So, despite reading mixed reviews of the ship, the Pride of America was our only option.
Here a complete ship tour featuring the best free elevator music money need not buy.
The Pride of America has two main complimentary dining rooms, the Skyline and the Liberty. The Skyline is open for breakfast and they’re both open for dinner. They serve the same dinner menu and are available by reservation or by just showing up. They only differ in decor and dress code. For a more formal dining experience, opt for the Liberty restaurant for dinner. But if, like me, you skipped the prom because it would have required you change out of sweatpants, make your reservation for the Skyline. Either way, I do recommend making a reservation (online, via the NCL app, at the reservations desk next to Guest Services, or by calling reservations) if you know in advance when you’d like to dine. There was a separate podium for those with a reservation allowing them to bypass the (sometimes long) line and be seated quickly.
Service in the Skyline dining room was fast, friendly, and attentive, with servers checking in often to take our bar orders (I’ve found getting bar drinks in the main dining room difficult on some other NCL ships) and not batting an eye when Mr. Cruise ordered every single appetizer on the menu one night (don’t worry, he tipped an extra few dollars in cash for each item he ordered – thankfully his heart is even larger than his appetite):
As is the case (in my opinion) for all main dining room cruise fare, the food was good, but not great – akin to what you’d find in an American chain restaurant like TGI Friday’s, Chili’s, or Red Robin. Here’s what we ordered each night (with menus to be found here):
In addition to dinner, we loved eating breakfast in the Skyline Dining Room. The food was delicious and it was less crowded and chaotic than the buffet as everyone hurried to eat before getting off at port (they were also serving all food items in the buffet and passing out plates and cutlery which made the lines very long – more on that later). We especially enjoyed the daily specials.
If you have the drink package don’t forget to order a Mimosa, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Greyhound or a shot of Bailey’s with your coffee. Here are some pics (am I the only one who photographs everything I eat on a cruise so I can stare at them longingly once I’m back home and nibbling on carrots so I don’t bust through the floor before it’s even my turn to step on the scale at Weight Watchers?):
In addition to the main dining rooms, there are two additional complimentary full service, sit down restaurants on the Pride of America and we loved them both! East Meets West is an Asian fusion restaurant serving soups, noodles, and popular dishes from East and South Asia. You can preview the menu here. Having spent significant time in both China and Japan, I know (and love) Asian food. And I found the selections at East Meets West delicious and hovering pretty close to authentic for free cruise ship food.
Reservations were not accepted at East Meets West during our sailing and lines could get quite long. Consider eating there on the first night and arriving a few minutes before opening time for the shortest wait.
Here are photos of what we ordered:
Also, if you have the drink package and like sweet cocktails, be sure to order the Wasabi Martini. It was my favorite drink on the Pride of America.
And order the Shaku Shaku Martini if you consider pickles an appropriate topping for pizza and imagine they would be even more delicious in cocktail form.
If you’re thinking, “I did not book the most American vacation possible to eat at a g-darn Asian restaurant,” cool your engine after pulling up to the Cadillac Diner where the menu items are in English: “chicken wings, that’s more like it!” On the other hand, if you think you’re too sophisticated for french fries, you can order the delicious lasagna and pay extra for a premium milkshake. This is a popular spot and housed in a very tiny space, so consider eating there for lunch while at port when it’s less crowded. You can preview the menu here.
Here’s what we ordered (all excellent):
And the best for last, because what’s more American than:
While the photos above portray a serene setting captured while 90% of passengers were at port and the Aloha Cafe was closed, a swarm of locusts on the scent of a bumper corn crop would more accurately depict the buffet on the Pride of America during peak breakfast and lunch hours. Additional health and safety precautions during the first half of our sailing due to a flu outbreak onboard (stay tuned for additional information and thoughts on this) also led to long lines and waits during peak times.
There were some real standouts (the made-to-order pasta, crepe station at dinner and the warm puddings are not to be missed), but I didn’t find the selection or quality of the food as good as I’ve experienced on other NCL ships. I found the international selections particularly weak (I know, I know, it’s the Pride of AMERICA, not INDIA, but I so love the Indian food on other NCL ships).
I’d strongly suggest eating breakfast and dinner at one of the sit-down restaurants if you can spare the time. And if you must experience the buffet (I get it, I’m currently camping outside of Golden Corral, hopeful for an eventual reopening, because what’s American life without warm yeast rolls dripping with honey butter and mashed potatoes topped with cheddar cheese from the taco station), do so at off-peak hours (right when it opens or just before it closes) for lunch.
Extra Credit Pro Tip: head over to the Gold Rush Saloon for overflow buffet seating.
As a generally less crowded alternative to the buffet for lunch, hit the Key West Bar and Grill for serve-yourself burgers, hot dogs, french fries, and deli style salads. It also offers made-to-order veggie burgers for vegetarians. We found the quality of offerings here quite good and never had to wait in line for food or a table. And if you have the Hawaii drink package, hit the adjoining bar for a North Shore Power (one of my favorite drinks onboard) or a red or white Sangria.
We used some of the onboard credit we had – because we sensibly purchased 100 shares of NCL stock right before the coronavirus hit and prices dropped faster than Prof. Cruise chases the ice cream truck – on…ice cream. Well, gelato actually. Try the coconut or Kona coffee if you want to experience my two favs. Just don’t take my advice on investments!
While cold breakfast items are complimentary (although I always tip delivery crew a few dollars), all other items will incur a $9.95 service charge per delivery (you can order as many items as you want). We used room service for coffee and once so we could avoid the buffet prior to an early morning excursion. Go here for the menu.
Extra Credit Pro Tip: for those who are lactose intolerant or who prefer non-dairy milk, soy milk is available via room service even though it’s not listed on the menu. Just write it on the order card or request it when you call in your order.
There are six specialty restaurants on the Pride of America, but we didn’t eat at any of them, instead choosing to splurge on our favorite Hawaiian specialties while at port (think shave ice, not spam).
But should you be interested in dining at them, here are some photos and a brief description of each. You can also find all the menus here.
If your vacation at sea has you craving sushi, hit the sushi and sashimi bar on deck 5, in the same area as East Meets West and Teppanyaki. While this small bar and dining area is separate from East Meets West, you can also request the sushi menu while dining at East Meets West (which I’d recommend if you want to order off both menus). Sit at the bar though if you want to watch the talented chefs prepare your rolls. Either way, prices are a la carte.
For $39 per person (unless you have a dining package), you can watch a masterful teppan chef prepare meat, seafood, vegetables, noodles, and rice on a flat grill around which you will be seated with your family, friends, and fellow passengers. Think a floating Benihana, which makes the egg trick even more impressive (don’t worry if it lands in your hair, it will add a nice shine for your elegant night photos).
A snooty Frenchman in slim-fit jeans, a cashmere scarf, and horn-rimmed glasses would so forcefully scoff at a French restaurant named “Jefferson’s Bistro” onboard an American flagged cruise ship that he might pass out cold having forgotten to take a breath between insults: vous, imbéciles d’Américains, vous vous êtes surpassés cette fois quelle insulte à ma culture et à mon peuple n’as-tu pas honte?
But if you’re looking for a romantic spot to celebrate a special occasion, consider this French themed restaurant. And while your waiter is more likely to be Dave from Birmingham sporting a mullet than Jean-Pierre from Bordeaux sporting a beret, at least he won’t attempt to throw you overboard when you complain, “what do you mean you don’t serve fries? Aren’t you a FRENCH restaurant?!?”
Jefferson’s Bistro is on deck 5 midship and pricing is a la carte.
If you’re looking for a more premium cut of meat than is available in the main dining rooms, along with some outstanding sides and desserts, you’ll want to reserve a meal at the Pride of America’s steakhouse: Cagney’s. Pricing is a la carte without a dining package and it’s located on deck 6 midship near the Liberty main dining room.
Located on deck 11 aft, Moderno Brazilian steakhouse offers twelve meats carved right at your table and a large salad bar. It’s currently priced at $39 per person if you don’t have a dining package (but double check pricing in your online reservation or when you get onboard as things change frequently).
If counting down the days until the Never Ending Pasta Pass goes on sale at Olive Garden is a tradition dearer to you than the New Year’s Eve ball drop, you’ll enjoy the Pride of America’s Italian restaurant, La Cucina. It’s located on deck 11 aft and pricing is a la carte without a dining package.
There are nine bars on the Pride of America, each with either a Hawaiian or American theme (Although I still haven’t figured out “Pink’s.” Maybe it’s in honor of the raspy-voiced American singer/songwriter, but a quick Google search doesn’t suggest an obvious link to champagne.).
Hit the Gold Rush Saloon for the best selection of beers on tap, the Waikiki bar if you’re a smoker (it’s the only place onboard you can smoke), the Napa Wine Bar for a W.I.N.O.S (Women In Need Of Sanity) support group, the Ocean Drive or Aloha Lanai bars for a cocktail by the pool, Pink’s for fancy martini’s, Key West for a burger with your beverage, John Adams for espresso coffee drinks (for an extra charge and not included in the Hawaii Beverage Package) or an Irish coffee with a shot of Bailey’s (included in the beverage package), and Mardi Gras Cabaret Lounge for drinks and a show.
As a martini lover, my favorite bar was Pink’s (although the service was slow at times), but I also loved several of the drinks unique to the menu at Key West.
And stay tuned for my review of the Hawaii Beverage Package, coming soon.
Awe, the good old days when we could pack into a cruise ship theater only to complain about people arriving late, chattering children, and how “the entertainment isn’t what it used to be.” Now days, after being stuck at home for roughly a million years, I’d consider an off-key, nose picking, tights pulling, stoney-faced, wilding out 1st grade music program quality entertainment if it meant I got to congregate with human beings I’m not legally bound to: “which child is yours?” “The one off to the right singing the wrong song while he practices his cartwheels.” Bravo, bravo!
But harkening back to my slightly higher pre-coronavirus standards with the hope that eventually I’ll return to them, I’d consider the entertainment on the Pride of America perfectly fine, but not great. I’m a huge fan of the full-length Broadway-style shows on the larger NCL ships, but those aren’t offered on smaller ships. Instead, the Pride of America main theater features loosely plotted singing and dancing shows (such as Lights, Camera, Music!) performed by the ship’s production cast, a magician, a comedian, and a special guest vocal group (on our sailing it was These Guys Worldwide). We enjoyed the performances, but they weren’t anything I’d have payed extra to see pre social distancing days. Now I’d almost consider giving up my epic bag of quarantine snacks for one.
In addition to the larger shows in the main theater each night, there was also ample live music onboard and a variety of activities during the day (although slightly fewer than on a more traditional sailing with a mix of port and sea days, since we were at port every day and the majority of guests were off the ship). We particularly enjoyed the Hawaii themed activities offered by our Hawaii ambassador, China. She taught daily hula lessons, gave port lectures, and led lei making classes with all materials (including gorgeous fresh flowers) included for free.
If mine is the 20th review of the Pride of America you’ve read today – because you’re trying to avoid another video chat with your grandkids where they remind you for hours at a time how ill advised it was to send them a joke book during quarantine (I can say with authority that your daughter-in-law really does hate you now) – that’s unfortunate because my reviews are far more palatable before you have any others to compare them with. But you’ve probably also read mixed reviews, some positive and some negative, of the service on the Pride of America. And that’s how I’d describe the service too: mixed.
Although not as friendly and warm as on other ships, the service in the main dining room was fast and attentive. We missed learning about the countries where our servers were from, since they were all Americans, but minimal small talk and the lack of language barriers seems to really speed things up. We were encouraged to order as many items as we wanted and were regularly asked about bar service, which was appreciated since we had the beverage package and enjoyed trying some different cocktails with our meals. At dinner we were generally in and out in about an hour, which is extremely fast for a cruise ship main dining room dinner. Having a young child with us, we really appreciated this.
Service in the buffet was poor (especially during the first part of our cruise while increased health precautions were in place – more on that in a minute) due, I think, to it being understaffed. Tables were not cleared quickly, lines were long at times, and crew members seemed stressed. It was an extra challenging week for them though, so this may not be typical.
Bar service was also spotty. There were a few bartenders who were bordering on rude and service was very slow at times. But most were working hard and doing their best to be friendly and attentive.
Our room steward was excellent. He knew our names before we even introduced ourselves and made sure to ask about our room preferences. He was fast and thorough and friendly. We missed nightly towel animals, but understand these are being phased out fleet wide and never requested one.
Because I’ve cruised to Hawaii before, some of these hits and misses serve partly as a comparison of my two experiences, the other being a 15 night round-trip sailing from San Fransisco on the Grand Princess. And some are stand-alone observations of the Pride of America, teased apart from the overall Hawaii cruising experience.
We had excellent service in some areas and less-than-ideal service in others. I never observed anything egregious and most crew members were working very hard and doing their best under stressful circumstances, but I’d still describe the overall service as “spotty.”
I certainly can’t blame the Pride of America for this one, since I got exactly what I booked – an itinerary packed with port days with most sailing from island to island taking place at night. But man oh man, as a gold medal, five star, world champion relaxer I sure missed long days at sea spent reading and walking the promenade deck and eating every 15 minutes.
If given a choice I’d take a 15 day cruise over a 7 day cruise any day. Disagree? Well, as your Cruising 101 professor, I’m going to have to flunk you and strongly suggest you reevaluate your direction in life.
And what if I told you it’s possible to book a 15 day cruise to Hawaii for half the price of a 7 day cruise to Hawaii? Well, it is! And I know this because we did it! For the reasons I spoke to earlier, sailings on the Pride of America can be much pricier than other cruises (even other cruises to Hawaii). There are certainly things that are unique to the Pride of America cruise that you won’t find on another line (I’ll speak to those below), but I’d still book a longer roundtrip cruise from the west coast to Hawaii versus the Pride if America if it were possible.
No need to purchase an expensive lei at the airport, you’ll receive a beautiful free one at embarkation!
It was so fun having a Hawaii ambassador onboard to lead activities and lectures. This wasn’t unique to the Pride of America (we had a wonderful Hawaii ambassador on the Grand Princess too), but we thought the programming China led was particularly good (especially the beautiful fresh flowers for lei making classes).
With sharp emerald ridges towering above the Pacific Ocean seeming to touch the sky, steep, plunging waterfalls, and beaches so remote I kept expecting to see Tom Hanks and Wilson, cruising along the spectacular Napoli Coast was my favorite part of my Pride of America sailing.
The opportunity to add on a land portion to your trip to Hawaii either before or after your sailing, as well as overnights at several ports is a huge advantage to the Pride of America.
Because we were off the ship at port during the day, it was very helpful to have a gym open 24 hours to squeeze in a few workouts so I could still squeeze into my stretchy buffet cruise pants. This is the first NCL ship I’ve ever sailed on with a 24 hour gym.
These complimentary alternative restaurants were two of the top reasons I needed the gym and worth every calorie!
The Pride of America has a large, well-stocked library. Libraries on cruise ships are more endangered than ivory-billed woodpeckers as more and more ships are phasing them out. And even though I didn’t have nearly enough time to relax on my balcony with a novel on this trip, I’d walk through the library in the evenings to breath in the faint vanilla smell of old books – a smell I love almost as much as the ocean.
If you know me at all, you know that I was hacking off my own hair and forgoing makeup and real pants long before quarantine. But you also know that walking the promenade deck while listening to an audio book and watching for ocean life is one of my favorite cruise activities. And while, again, I didn’t have nearly enough time to do this on the Pride of America, the wide, wrap around promenade deck was my favorite feature of the ship. It even had two drinking fountains available (not that my pace ever necessitated hydration)!
As we boarded the Pride of America we were subjected to an additional health screening form and notified that there had been a concerning number of flu cases on the prior sailing. I was also quizzed on the Chinese visas in my passport book (when was the last time you visited China?). Even though there hadn’t been any known coronavirus cases in the United States yet, it was clear the cruise line was already concerned and there were restrictions on passengers who had recently been in China.
There were strict additional health precautions for the first half of our sailing that included:
While we’re now learning that cases of covid-19 may have arrived on American soil far earlier than we first thought, I’ve wondered if there were actually cases aboard the Pride of America in February that were being mistaken for flu (to be clear, there is absolutely no evidence of this that I’ve seen – it’s only speculation on my part).
Either way, I imagine that the future of cruising, at least in the short-term until a vaccine is widely available, will look much like the first half of our Pride of America sailing, but with the possible addition of masks, covid-19 testing and/or temperature checks and/or additional heath screening forms and fewer passengers. It will be interesting to see how the industry continues to respond to these challenging times and you’d better believe, even though it may not be the exact same experience, I’ll begin cruising again as soon as it’s safe and available.
Perhaps the only thing more America than tater tots, baseball, and divisive politics is apple pie. With cruising rounding out the top five. But ironically enough, nearly all cruise ships are registered outside the United States (this fact has been used to argue against any federal coronavirus bailout money going to cruise lines), with the majority of crew members coming from other countries. But NCL’s Pride of America is the exception! She’s American through and through, from her abundant opportunities for consumption, to her crew, to the stars and stripes adorning her exterior. And just like America – where the American dream eludes so many and democracy can be messy – she isn’t perfect. But she’ll provide a comfortable place to rest your weary bones after a long day of adventuring and safely ferry you from one tropical paradise to another while feeding your body and soul. Is she perfect? No. Does she live up to her name? Absolutely! And with that…
Class Dismissed.
Homework: See my top 35 tips for the Pride of America, all Pride of America drink and restaurant menus, and my Hawaii port reviews here (stay tuned, I’ll be adding many more in the coming months). Also, go here for my complete guide to the Hawaii Beverage Package.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog (scroll up to the top right if on a computer or keep scrolling down if on a mobile device) and follow Prof. Cruise on social media:
Five things I'm looking forward to on my Holland America holiday cruise.
Carnival announced the return of midnight buffets to all ships. See the late night buffet…
Booked on or considering a cruise on NCL's Jewel? Read my full trip report and…
Looking for the December 2024 Carnival Dive-In movies? See all the movies coming to Carnival…
A complete guide to cruising from Seattle in 2025 written by a downtown resident. Includes…