Spring Break Cruise in Hawaii - Day 2 (Pride of America)

 

March 30, 2024

This morning, we checked out of Aston Hotel and did something out of our comfort zone a bit - we joined an internet stranger to participate in an escape room challenge! This escape room required a minimum of 2 people so the internet stranger Julie who loves escape rooms, couldn't do it by herself. She found us through a group for our cruise. She had been on the cruise the week before so she would be disembarking when it's time for us to embark. The escape room is VERY close to the ship port, which is also very close to our hotel. We simply walked and met up with her. Everything went very smoothly and due to her skills, we ESCAPED from THE TEMLPLE!

We had SO MUCH FUN!! Thank you Julie!! Next, we walked to the cruise ship. Pride of America is part of the NCL line up and is the only ocean cruise that doesn't leave US waters. It's not cheap, but nothing in Hawaii is cheap. It visits Kahului, Hilo, Kailua Kona and Nawiliwili every week, all year round.

The Ship - NCL Pride of America

This ship was built in 2005 so it's showing its age, but beautiful nonetheless. Pride of America has several features that you can't find on any other NCL ships, such as the lack of casino or duty-free shopping, the patriotic decor, and the fact the staff are 75% Americans. Our captain for the ship is Ron Chrastina. Our concierge is Christopher Torbik. Our butler is Maria Ayap. Our cruise director is Kevin Patrick Sweeney, an energetic man who proudly admitted he owned way too many shoes. 

Our Room - 12010 Category SL

We boarded the ship for lunch and the whole experience was fast and painless. The waiting room for suite guests at the port provided nice snacks but we hardly had any time to enjoy them. Our room category is called Penthouse with Large Balcony, which is part of the suites, thus it comes with its own butler and concierge. Our room is centrally located on the 12th floor and our balcony is indeed, very large.

Our Balcony - 2 large lounge chairs and a table for 4

Our Bedroom (we have a living room as well)

Jefferson's Bistro

Inside Jefferson's Bistro

The French restaurant, Le Bistro, is named Jefferson's Bistro on Pride of America. This is where we had our dinner, a free perk from American Express Platinum card. The menu is exactly the same as Le Bistro on other ships.

Lobster Thermidor

Night Entertainment

Like all of the NCL cruises we have been on, there are always so much to do around the ship. At 5:30pm, there's a special hula show and blessing. We didn't make it because we were at dinner. Then, at 7pm and 9pm, there's the live tribute show to Elton John and Billy Joel. We didn't make it to that either. We did however, attend the Welcome Aboard show at the Hollywood Theater (main theater). It featured the Hawaiian Duo, Lei Aloha, pianist and singer Kyng Bea, guitarist Doug Walker, and house band The Wave!. 

Inside Hollywood Theater

What a wonderful day we've had. I'm SO excited for all the stops we will be making at all the different islands coming up. See you tomorrow!