There is no doubt about it my family loves cruising! We are avid cruisers & have been on 15 cruises since our cruise addiction began in June of 2010. We’ve sailed mainly Royal Caribbean, 3 Carnivals, & 1 Holland America. We recently sailed on Norwegian Cruise Line for the first time! Choosing the Pride of America sailing around the Hawaiian the islands.
We arrived in Honolulu on June 30th via Hawaiian Airlines from Los Angeles. Let me just say this airline is top notch! From the moment we stepped foot on the plane, it felt like we were already transported to the Hawaiian Islands! From Hawaiian music playing to the amazing Hawaiian crew, it truly was an incredible experience.
Being this was our first time to Hawaii we loved the open-air areas in the Honolulu airport. It was such a different and more relaxed feeling than most airports. Once we gathered our luggage we headed to the Marriott Beach Resort in Waikiki, cost was $10 per person, but no charge for children. The resort was about a 20-minute drive from the airport.
Upon arrival at the Marriott, we were greeted by friendly staff at the front desk. She quickly checked us in & they upgraded our room, which was a nice surprise! When we booked our trip, Norwegian had a promotion that included a resort stay pre-cruise. The Marriott is the host hotel for guests sailing on Pride of America, which makes it nice for guest sailing as they are familiar with the cruise port and how Norwegian Cruise Line works.
On the morning of the cruise, you are instructed to tag your bags with the tags provided by the cruise line & then leave them in your hotel room. By 10:00 am, the hotel starts collecting bags from the rooms & transports them all to the ship. Guests are then shuttled at 11:00 a.m. to the ship, as a family we found this to be a very efficient process.
Once we arrived at the terminal, we had a super easy security check point. We were then greeted by Polynesian dancers who gave all the girls a lei, & all the guys a shell necklace. It was a nice touch as we made our way directly to the check-in counter. Check in was very quick & we headed right onto the ship with virtually no line.
Upon boarding, we made our way to the buffet, the Aloha Café. There was a wide variety of selections & everything I’d eaten was very good. I’ve heard NCL’s food is not as good as other lines, but honestly, there was nothing bad at the buffet.
After lunch, we went off to explore the ship before having to meet our guide for our 1:00 Pearl Harbor tour. The Pride of America is laid out very nicely & everything is easily accessible. It was recently refurbished, which was noticeable, & easy to see it was very well maintained & updated.
We met our guide, Nicole, promptly at 1:00 pm, to go to Pearl Harbor. She was very nice & accommodating, despite some confusion earlier that morning. We booked this excursion through the Ship Mate app, which goes through a company based out of Florida. I cannot recall the name of the group, but they book excursions from companies at ports all over the world, you pay them, then they pay the third party tour groups. They booked us wrong, which then lead to a potential cancellation. Nicole got everything worked out for us & did her best to make us happy campers. We had a wonderful afternoon at Pearl Harbor & my kids learned a bit of history.
We arrived back at the ship around 3:30 p.m. & those who checked carry-ons, picked them up. That’s one thing I forgot to mention. TIP: NCL knows many passengers check in then head off to an excursion, since the ship doesn’t sail away until 7:00 pm. So, they have a bag check if you’d rather not carry your carry-on around to your excursion.
On July 2, we arrived in Maui! We decided to grab a cab to Baldwin Beach, which was about 20 minutes from the port. We found Baldwin Beach to be a nice and quiet beach which a lot of locals frequent. Not touristy at all, which was nice. The wind is strong in Maui, so the waves were rough. Not being a strong swimmer, I didn’t go in past my knees. We walked along the shoreline & saw a huge turtle swimming nearby. Locals were fishing all day long. We headed back to the ship around 2:00, rested, & got ready for our luau.
Attending a luau was high on our priority list of “must-do’s” in Hawai’i. After a bit of research, we chose to book Old Lahaina Luau in Maui, as it was rated the best in all of Hawai’i. Pride of America has a luau excursion in Kauai, but it is done in a pavilion. We wanted a true Hawaiian experience, so we went with the beach-side luau in Maui.
Old Lahaina was nothing short of amazing! Upon our arrival, we were greeted with a lei & a Mai Tai. The cost was $100 per adult, but was all-inclusive, so all the Mai Tai’s, blue Hawaiians & Island Warriors you could drink! We were escorted to our table, set down our things & went off to explore! There was a traditional pig roast, complete with the unearthing ceremony, there were vendors along the shore who made all sorts of things like jewelry, tiki figurines, & Hawaiian instruments. There was a Hawaiian band playing as guests arrived. Around 7:00 pm, we watched the pig being unearthed, followed by a pre-show that included hula dancers. Shortly thereafter, we watched the sunset over the Pacific. The buffet process was very organized & the selection of traditional, Hawaiian, foods was phenomenal! I can’t pronounce much of what we ate, but I sampled a little bit of everything! One thing they use a lot in Hawaiian cooking is taro, which is similar to a potato. Upon finishing dessert, which was a plate of 4 different items, the show began. It was an incredible experience, telling a story of the Hawaiian people, accompanied by men & women hula dancers. The show was about an hour, & once it ended, we were sent on our way and each guest was given a small loaf of banana bread. We headed back to the ship via a private shuttle.
We were overnight in Maui, so the next morning we decided to rent 2 cars & drive the Road to Hana (Hana Hwy). If you have not heard of the Road to Hana, do a Google image search. It’s a long, winding, road, that takes you from Paia, up to Hana. There are many stops along the way with incredible views & waterfalls. The last of the attractions is a stop at a black sand beach in Waianapanapa State Park. Truly amazing to see, made mostly of lava rock, down to the actual black sand.
[metaslider id=828]
On day 4, we arrived in Hilo, on the Big Island. We booked an excursion through NCL for this one, as we figured it’d be more beneficial to us than renting cars & exploring on our own. We opted for the Rainbow Falls/Volcano tour & let me tell you, our tour guide did not disappoint! He shared a lot of information throughout the tour. We began the tour through a park near the port where banyan trees were planted long ago from famous people in history; Richard Nixon, Amelia Earhart, & Babe Ruth, to name a few. There are parks lining the water in this area, due to the huge tsunami that destroyed many homes back in the 60’s. Once that occurred, they decided to have parks there instead of houses. While we were there they were setting up in one area for a big Independence Day festival, since we were in this port on the Fourth of July. There were vendors & bounce houses. We proceeded through town, to Rainbow Falls. Legend has it, that if you stare at the center of the water for 10 seconds, then slowly look to the right, you will see Madame Pele’s path she took to rise from the water. I didn’t see it & I also did not see the rainbow at Rainbow Falls. My father saw the rainbow, however. After leaving the falls, we headed off to Volcanoes National Park. We literally drove onto a volcano! We got to the welcome center/museum there, where we could touch different types of lava rock & were able to see into the caldera where steam was billowing out. We proceeded to a couple of overlooks to see the steam, as well as to a couple of steam vents. It was really neat to stand next to the steam vents as my sunglasses steamed up! It gets chilly on top of a volcano, since the elevation is so high, so it was nice to also feel some warmth from the vents. After leaving the Kilauea Caldera, we stopped at Lua Manu, which is the upper most crater in a chain of lava-formed craters. If you’ve ever been to Hell in Grand Cayman, this is the lava formation equivalent, although much larger than the Hell coral formations. We then traveled to the Thurston Lava Tube which is within a rain forest. We were very fortunate to have no rain that day, which is very unusual in Hilo, as they receive 146” of rain per year. We walked through the darkness of the lava tube, then back to the bus, which took us to an orchid farm. There were so many orchids! Some even had different scents like chocolate & root beer! It was pretty neat! After the orchids, our last stop took us to Mauna Lua macadamia nut farm. I love macadamias, so it was truly a treat to stop & see where they are harvested, sample different flavors, & purchase some fresh from the farm, to take home.
At approximately 9:45 pm, we sailed past the lava flow of off Kilauea into the ocean. It was the Fourth of July & though I didn’t see fireworks, this was even better! The captain turned off the lights on the starboard side of the ship & the Hawaiian ambassador on board gave us a narration of the history of the lava flow. It has been flowing into the ocean for 34 years & is forming another island, which is predicted to surface 10,000 years from now. I feel so lucky & blessed to have gotten the chance to witness this amazing feat!
On day 5, we were on the other side of the Big Island in Kona. Kona is completely different from the Hilo side. Kona does not get much rain, although, ironically enough we did have a very light drizzle for only a few minutes. We opted for the Captain Zodiac excursion through NCL, only because they book the ship first, then book outside the ship once all ship spots are filled. This is a good thing, as we got to be on the very first tour out to the Kealakekua Bay. The Zodiac boats are the same ones the Navy Seals use. It was a high speed boat ride about 20 min to the bay. Upon arrival, we stopped in 200 ft water where about a dozen dolphins greeted us! It was amazing to see them up close in the wild in the crystal clear blue water. We then traveled just a little beyond the dolphins, closer to the shoreline, where the water was more like 10-12 ft deep & we got the chance to snorkel for well over an hour on the coral reef. The water is so salty there, that you do not need a life preserver, but most of us used a water noodle for extra safety. Me, being Miss Hydrophobic, requested a life vest AND a noodle. I hate deep water, but did this excursion for my family. Boy, am I glad I did! After lots of coaxing from the captain & his first mate, I finally got in the water. They kindly moved the boat closer to shallow water so I would not be so afraid, & off I went! For you Disney buffs, this bay was inspiration for Finding Nemo! The writers wrote the Drop Off after snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay since there is none other than a drop off! That shallow area we snorkeled in drops off to 200 ft. where the dolphins are. Past that area, it keeps going for 18,000 ft. or more! I’ll stick to the shallow water, please. This area is also the death place of Captain Cook back in 1779.
After snorkeling, we hopped back on the boat where the crew had fresh pineapple, Hawaiian chips, & Hawaiian juices for us to drink before heading back to shore. We stopped at a few other places along the way, such as a grotto formed by lava tubes, the “End of the World” which is famous for cliff diving, & a lava formation, which is said to be Madame Pele lying on her side. If you saw Moana, when Te Fiti lies down in the beginning, this is what the lava formation looks like, only with the Lava Monster’s face; Madame Pele. Very cool site to see!
Once we were back on land, we grabbed some Kona coffee from the Kona Coffee Co, as well as some shaved ice from a stand with all real fruit juices. Just a note about Kona coffee; the only place to get 100% Kona coffee is in Hawai’i. Labels in the continental US may claim to be Kona, but they only contain about 10%. Kona coffee is like no coffee I’ve ever tasted in my life & I am a huge coffee drinker. It is so smooth, even when black. Absolutely delicious!
We tendered back to the ship (no dock in Kona, so they tender you over to shore), grabbed a quick lunch, & relaxed for a bit before dinner.
On day 6, we docked in Kauai, our last port of call. This was another overnight port, so we had a full day of exploring & didn’t have to rush to get back to the ship. We rented 2 Jeeps & off we went to explore. We traveled up to Waimea Canyon, which is the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Let me tell you, after seeing that, I certainly don’t need to go to the actual Grand Canyon. I’m sure this place was much more “grand” than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There were so many dips & crevices, & even a really cool looking waterfall! We went to the Waimea National Park overlook, then to another one a little down the road. Once we turned around to come back down the mountain, enjoying scenic beach views along the way, we stopped in town for some Jo Jo’s shaved iced, where even the small sizes are ginormous! We ate lunch at Wrangler’s Steakhouse, which served delicious Hawaiian beef. Here’s a little fun fact: Hawaii produces more beef than anywhere in the world & in Hawaiian, beef is called “pipi”. There is no B or F in the Hawaiian alphabet, so that is what they called it.
We returned the Jeeps & took a free shuttle back to the ship. There are free rental car shuttles, as well as free beach, Kmart, & Walmart shuttles coming into the port every 20 min or so.
On our last day, we were greeted with a beautiful rainbow outside the ship at breakfast. It ended right in the water next to our ship! We got off the ship early & took a short walk to the Kapapaki beach. It is the closest beach to the Nawiliwili cruise port in Kauai. There are some shops, restaurants, & the Marriott right along the beach. At the Beach Boys hut, you can actually use your ship card to pay for beach chair rentals, which was convenient. We spent several hours on the beach, enjoying our last day in Hawai’I, before heading back for lunch.
Our children had been working on some circus tricks in the kids club all week long & had a circus performance at 4:15 in the Mardi Gras nightclub on board. We watched that, then headed to my brother & sister in-law’s balcony to check out the Na Pali Coast. One thing NCL did was made sure we got the most out of our cruise & got to see some pretty big highlights of the islands. The only way to see Na Pali coast is by hiking there, by boat, or by air. Our Hawaiian ambassador once again narrated the history of the coast, which was featured in many Hollywood movies.
The morning we docked in Honolulu, I was pleased to see a full buffet in the Aloha Café, quite early. On most ships, they only do a continental breakfast up until about 7:00 or 7:30 a.m., then bring out the full buffet. Pride of America had the full buffet, I believe at 6:30 a.m. We did the early bird departure & carried off our own luggage, since we had an early flight back to LAX. We were able to eat a nice breakfast, then disembark to head to the airport. I found that it was easy departure from the ship. The line to the gangway moved quickly, with no trouble exiting. I have to say, check-in & departure were both smooth sailing (no pun intended).
If you ever get the chance to go to Hawaii, I’d say doing a Norwegian Cruise is the best way to do it, as you get to see a lot of Hawaii, which makes it a great value and experience. This is certainly a different type of cruise, compared to most and is not your typical cruise, I would say that it mostly like is a once in a lifetime experience. Hawaii is truly like no place in the world, it is complete paradise. It was the trip of a lifetime & I am so blessed to have gotten the chance to go and to share it with my children!
