Pride Aloha Lines Discount And Cruise Review

Overview
Is it safe to go back in the water aboard Pride of Aloha?

By "safe" we're by no means implying that the ship isn't seaworthy. But this cornerstone in Norwegian Cruise Lines' all-Hawaii, all-year-round program launched in July 2004 to a firestorm of criticism about onboard service, cuisine and amenities (Hawaii itself remained quite unscathed). In this February visit, our second in six months, we can securely report that those negative factors that made a cruise on Pride of Aloha more trial than travel last summer (and even into the fall) are scarce. Service was very good -- efficient and prompt, and offered with smiles (when encountered in corridors, crew regularly offered warm greetings). While cuisine was already quite delicious in the ship's boutique eateries -- Royal Palm Bistro, Kahili and Pacific Heights -- we found that standards, all around, had risen markedly in Pride of Aloha's surcharge-free dining rooms (Crossings and Palace).

The Hukilau Cafe still offered mediocre buffet-quality fare -- best avoided aside from those times when there is no, ahem, time -- but the servers were much more cheerful, lines moved more quickly, and key foodstuffs didn't run out. We even overheard one server, as she labeled the day's dessert offerings, say to the pastry chef "the desserts are getting much, much better"). Our cabin steward was efficient (if invisible).

NCL ran into trouble last summer with the debut of Pride of Aloha for two reasons. One was that the ship's unique American-flagged status meant (and still means) that something like 99 percent of its employs must reign from the U.S. (and that applies from the captain on down). The U.S. has not, for ages, been a player in the onboard staffing of cruise ships (with crew from the Far East and Europe playing dominant industry roles). As such, in America, there's not the same culture or tradition of cruise work. Another issue was that many initial employees weren't versed in the differences in work and lifestyle of a cruise ship job. Case in point: The line hired a significantly well-respected team of housekeepers from resorts in Waikiki who'd never before been faced with turning over their entire hotel in just one day (and then had to repeat the feat every week).

Secondly, the ship simply wasn't ready. In a stroke of extreme bad fortune, Pride of America, the U.S.-flagged new-build initially slated for the official NCL America launch in July 2004, was swamped while docked at its shipyard during a storm in January of that year and sank to the shallow bottom. As a result of the damage caused, it was delayed for a full year and Pride of Aloha (formerly known as Norwegian Sky) was rushed into refurbishment -- and service.

I was on the ship's first cruise in July, and experienced the problems firsthand, and so can report that it has made such a significant turnaround. Progress is credited to a handful of factors, such as:

Just about the entire pre-launch management team, from hotel director to chef, was replaced with the exception of Jimmy Kovel, the ship's much-loved cruise director.

Dining options were beefed up to accommodate the oft-frenzied tour schedule on this port-intensive itinerary. Main dining rooms are open for lunch three days a week and the Longboard Bar, a sports bar, now serves (quite delicious) pub fare from 3:30 p.m. until 3 a.m.

NCL instituted an innovative new training program at Piney Point, Maryland (home of the Maritime Workers Union) last fall. There, potential officers and crew are put through three weeks worth of training in everything from fire safety to serving passengers. They are even exposed to the rigors of living in the tight quarters of a cruise ship via a mock-up model built by NCL.

Spirits are high. We happened upon a monthly "crew" meeting (it filled the entire Stardust Theater one morning when passengers were ashore) where there was much back-slapping, laughing and even cheering when "employee of the month" honors were handed out. You could definitely sense a tangible pride among the crew and officers.

Clearly, the Pride of Aloha experience has evolved, but what's particularly important is that the ship offers a genuinely unique resort-at-sea cruise; passengers can spend a maximum of 96 hours in ports (that's including time in Honolulu on both ends of the voyage). And onboard, the ship incorporates elements of America's 50th state, into just about every aspect of the journey -- from decor to menus and from enrichment activities to shore experiences.

Indeed, the ship has been "Hawaiian-ized" from bow to stern, with few details left unattended to. Even the wrappers on the chocolate pillow mints have a Hawaiian design on them. The most striking decorative touch is on the ship's exterior. Its white hull is adorned with a huge floral "lei" of pink, yellow and green that's visible for miles from each island stop. Inside the multi-story lobby atrium, passengers are welcomed with a lei greeting, and a Hawaiian fantasy of enormous, colorful tiki poles flanked by Gauguin-inspired murals, pots of Hawaiian plants (real and otherwise) and painted tiles with Hawaiian designs. Overhead, windsurf sails hang suspended in the air.

The ship's decor is heavy on hot pink and other neon-bright colors, which purists may argue are not traditionally Hawaiian. And there are a few puzzling decorative touches, such as large monkey figures in one of the lounges (there are no monkeys in Hawaii). But the turquoise blue carpets with vibrant images of tropical fish, sea turtles, pineapples, shells, starfish and island flowers do grow on you after a while. And it's fun to discover all of the framed images, paintings and murals scattered throughout the ship. There's nary a wall without a hula dancer, surfboard, Polynesian explorer or ocean vista.

Public Rooms
The central focus of Pride of Aloha is its three-deck-high atrium (it actually rises to the top deck of the ship, and so sunshine floods in during the daytime). On each level it is basically a place to pass through on the way to another part of the ship, though reception and shore excursion desks are located here (plus a reservations desk for the boutique restaurants).

But the most important public room -- and even after two cruises I haven't spent as much time here absorbing the decor as I would like -- is the fabulous Kumu Cultural Center. Housed in the space that was formerly home to the ship's casino (casinos are illegal in Hawaii), the Kumu Cultural Center features a variety of exhibits from modern day Hawaiiana via gorgeous quilts, surfing memorabilia, ukuleles, and movie posters to a gallery that tells the story of the islands, from their volcanic origins to early Polynesian settlers. There are also video showings on different topics each day.

The Mark Twain Library is a lovely if cramped place; you can borrow from its rather moldy collection of books only when a staffer's on hand to unlock the cases. It's next to the card and game room (a great place, incidentally, to connect to the Internet via wireless).

The Stardust Theater is the main venue for Pride of Aloha's elaborate evening shows -- if you're not too tired from the day's adventures to attend them, that is! There's a charming coffee bar/Internet center (with wireless access); though the windowless space could feel grim, the ambiance is light and airy with the help of a ceiling mural of blue sky and puffy clouds. It adjoins the ship's Galleria, which offers a complement of interesting and typical-for-ship-shops merchandise (lovely Tommy Bahama clothing, for instance, and lots of NCL t-shirts and tchockes). One omission: duty free items (due to the ship's all-America sailings, the shop cannot offer them). Just down the corridor is the ship's golf shop -- it's elegant and well-stocked with everything from rentable clubs to sporty fashions.

Entertainment
Pride of Aloha has 13 different bars and lounges. The Outrigger Lounge, on Deck 11 forward, features panoramic views, polished wood floors and wicker furnishings. On more than one night, passengers took to the baby grand to give an impromptu concert. The Plantation Club on Deck 12 aft is also surrounded by windows, and is a convenient (and peaceful) gathering spot for a pre-dinner drink before heading for the nearby Royal Palm Bistro. Captain Cook's Bar on Deck 6 midship is a pub-like watering hole, with dark wood paneling, sturdy leather furnishings, framed etchings and models of great schooner ships all around (tucked away in the back is the Cigar Bar, with an excellent selection of aged Cognacs). It's pretty dead until the after-dinner crowd shows up -- then it's a fun spot. A pianist plays pop and show tunes.

During the day, the Blue Hawaiian nightclub on Deck 6 looks a tad ridiculous. A plexiglass statue of Elvis Presley, adorned in Hawaiian shirt and leis, guards the entrance. Banquettes in eye-popping pink, purple and green floral patterns crowd the vast space, and the walls are lined with images of Hollywood stars dancing with Hula girls. But at night the Blue Hawaiian makes infinite sense. There's a great DJ who manages to get baby boomers, teens, kids and seniors out on the dance floor together. Disco hits are especially popular with the multi-generational throngs.

At the pool area on Deck 11, there's an assortment of musical entertainment with Hawaiian flair throughout the cruise. On Monday evenings, a regional dance troupe, Tahiti Productions, performs a "South Seas Spectacular" in the ship's Stardust Theater. Two Las Vegas-style production shows round off the entertainment week in the Stardust.

Mother Nature also puts on a spectacular show for Pride of Aloha's passengers. On Tuesday afternoons, the ship does some scenic cruising along the velvety green cliffs of Kauai's Na Pali Coast. On Wednesday, Pride of Aloha takes a nighttime pass by the awesome Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. Waitresses serve glow-in-the-dark "lava flow" drinks to passengers assembled on the outside decks. In the pitch black, under a star-filled sky, there's nothing quite like the scene of the fiery orange-red lava flowing down the mountain, and hitting the ocean in a plume of steam.

And Pride of Aloha's shore excursion program -- on both this cruise and my first one -- is exceptional. There are hundreds of offerings covering all the islands and they range from more sedentary fare to daredevil adventures. While it's fairly simple to book your own independent tours with off-ship operators, we appreciated the convenience and the high quality.

Fellow Passengers
The ship's demographics vary with the season. During school-holiday periods there were quite a few kids and multi-generational families. At other times, the crowd skewed significantly more mature. Pride of Aloha's also won quite a bit of honeymooner business.

One interesting note: We met a handful of Hawaiian travelers -- some of whom rarely, if ever, visited any other island beyond the one on which they lived. They told us that inter-island flights are so expensive, that Pride of Aloha offered them a reasonably priced and very convenient way to check 'em out.

Dress Code
Resort casual is the recommended attire most of the time. As a practical matter, that means passengers run around in shorts, bathing suits with cover-ups, and lots of flip flops (or slippers, as the Hawaiians call them). The ship has a rule against jeans, shorts, T-shirts or athletic wear in the main and specialty restaurants after 5:30 p.m., except in the Hukilau Cafe. There's one optional formal night per cruise.

Family
During the inaugural voyage, kids of all ages were hanging out in groups by the pool, on the basketball court, and even on the stairways, into the wee hours of the night. Fellow passengers didn't seem to mind dodging beach balls in the hallways, either. On our follow-up cruise, which occurred while kids were in school, there were only a handful onboard.

NCL offers Kid's Crew programs for kids ages 2 - 12 in the Kids Korner, located in an odd and out-of-the-way spot, all the way forward on Deck 7. If you've cruised on any of today's new mega-ships (including NCL's own newer ships), you'll find the facilities quite provincial, though the participants seemed to enjoy activities such as "Pirate Night" and family pizza making.

Teens have a few hangouts of their own. The Club, on Deck 7, is a teen center with beanbag chairs and tables set up for board games. At night, it becomes a teen disco. The Zone, on Deck 11, features karaoke, comfy lounge chairs and a close proximity to the pizza oven. The line is planning to add additional counselors for programs in the teen areas (which is a way of saying that on our voyage, the teens pretty much entertained themselves). There's also a video arcade onboard.

There is a group baby-sitting service while the ship is in port called Port Play. It's available from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. while ship is in port, and every evening from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. The fee is $5 per hour, per child, with a reduction to $3 for other children in the same family.

Gratuity
There are no mandated gratuities on this ship (as opposed to the rest of the NCL fleet) though general guidelines -- $10 per day per person (adults), $5 (kids 3 - 12) -- will give you an idea of how to budget. You can't put gratuities on your shipboard account and there's no auto distribution, which can make tipping in the dining room a confusing affair -- we saw a number of people slipping servers cash on a meal-by-meal basis in the main dining rooms. We tipped our cabin steward $6 per person, per day.

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 Carolyn Spencer Brown, Editor of Cruise Critic.

Entertainment
Pride of Aloha has 13 different bars and lounges. The Outrigger Lounge, on Deck 11 forward, features panoramic views, polished wood floors and wicker furnishings. On more than one night, passengers took to the baby grand to give an impromptu concert. The Plantation Club on Deck 12 aft is also surrounded by windows, and is a convenient (and peaceful) gathering spot for a pre-dinner drink before heading for the nearby Royal Palm Bistro. Captain Cook's Bar on Deck 6 midship is a pub-like watering hole, with dark wood paneling, sturdy leather furnishings, framed etchings and models of great schooner ships all around (tucked away in the back is the Cigar Bar, with an excellent selection of aged Cognacs). It's pretty dead until the after-dinner crowd shows up -- then it's a fun spot. A pianist plays pop and show tunes.

During the day, the Blue Hawaiian nightclub on Deck 6 looks a tad ridiculous. A plexiglass statue of Elvis Presley, adorned in Hawaiian shirt and leis, guards the entrance. Banquettes in eye-popping pink, purple and green floral patterns crowd the vast space, and the walls are lined with images of Hollywood stars dancing with Hula girls. But at night the Blue Hawaiian makes infinite sense. There's a great DJ who manages to get baby boomers, teens, kids and seniors out on the dance floor together. Disco hits are especially popular with the multi-generational throngs.

At the pool area on Deck 11, there's an assortment of musical entertainment with Hawaiian flair throughout the cruise. On Monday evenings, a regional dance troupe, Tahiti Productions, performs a "South Seas Spectacular" in the ship's Stardust Theater. Two Las Vegas-style production shows round off the entertainment week in the Stardust.

Mother Nature also puts on a spectacular show for Pride of Aloha's passengers. On Tuesday afternoons, the ship does some scenic cruising along the velvety green cliffs of Kauai's Na Pali Coast. On Wednesday, Pride of Aloha takes a nighttime pass by the awesome Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. Waitresses serve glow-in-the-dark "lava flow" drinks to passengers assembled on the outside decks. In the pitch black, under a star-filled sky, there's nothing quite like the scene of the fiery orange-red lava flowing down the mountain, and hitting the ocean in a plume of steam.

And Pride of Aloha's shore excursion program -- on both this cruise and my first one -- is exceptional. There are hundreds of offerings covering all the islands and they range from more sedentary fare to daredevil adventures. While it's fairly simple to book your own independent tours with off-ship operators, we appreciated the convenience and the high quality.

Cabins
No question -- whether you've booked an inside or a suite, cabins on Pride of Aloha are small ... especially the inside units, which at 121 square ft. recall the oft-told joke about having "to go outside to change your mind." Outside and balcony staterooms both measure 152 square ft.; the latter's balcony adds another 50 square ft. to the total. That balcony can be a lifesaver in such cramped quarters although the furniture is so incredibly uncomfortable it's hard to spend much time there.

Regardless of size, cabins are quite cheerful with bright neon-like pink and green color schemes. Some enhancements noticed since our first sailing include mattress pads on the beds (no need to ask for egg crates to relive the experience of sleeping on those hard mattresses) and duvet covers stuffed with lightweight down comforters. A huge improvement!

Bathrooms on the other hand are quite desultory. Our small, shower-only bathroom featured dingy lighting (making us wonder: Do we really look this pallid?), flimsy nylon shower curtains that were forever ripping away from their rungs, and minimal water pressure (and a water temperature that typically fluctuated from steaming hot to cold). Shampoo and shower gel are provided.

Suites come in two varieties. There are 10 penthouses, which feature two separate rooms and a luxurious bathroom with whirlpool tub in about 311 square ft. Televisions have VCRs and balconies are outfitted -- thank heavens -- with furniture you can actually sit on. There are just four Owner's Suites. These are about twice the size of the penthouses and also feature living rooms with a dining area and balconies with private hot tubs. All suite passengers are entitled to butler service.