NCL Pride of America Cruise | Day 1 - Embarkation Day and Exploring the Ship | Honolulu, Hawaii
We had an amazing stay the The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort on Waikiki Beach. If you missed my last episode I highlighted our stay here and showed a sneak peek into a couple of the rooms.
After checking out, we ordered a taxi and we were on our way to Pier 2, which is the main cruise terminal in Honolulu, Hawaii, to check in for our cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America.
After we received our leis, we checked in at the priority desk and received our cruise cards and our Boarding Card “A”. I will say that this sailing we were hosted on was on May 14th, 2022, so please keep in mind things and requirements might have already changed by the time this video has been posted. They had everyone seated socially distanced and masks were required in the terminal at the time of our sailing.
I also really enjoyed the live entertainment of the Hawaiian music. By 11:30am, we were able to board the ship!
It was then time for lunch on the Pride of America! We grabbed a table out at the very aft of the ship, outside to enjoy the fresh air and views.
Unfortunately some of the speciality restaurants, such as Moderno's which is the Brazilian restaurant on board the Pride of America was closed for our sailing.
The buffet was called “Aloha Cafe” and it had some good choices and it was self service. Here they also had water, juices, tea and coffee stations.
Skyline Restaurant on Deck 5 and Liberty Restaurant on Deck 6 are the main dining rooms on board the NCL Pride of America located at the aft of the ship.
Jefferson's Bistro or better known as Le Bistro on other Norwegian Cruise Line ships is one of the speciality restaurants and is located on Deck 5 and serves delicious French cuisine.
It was then time to check out our cabin! We had cabin 9630 which is a balcony cabin on the Pride of America. We did have to ask our room steward to make the queen bed into two twin beds as I had brought my aunt along with me on this sailing. But it's no trouble for them at all. The room was quite spacious with a separate small couch. The balcony was also a decent size with the chairs having leg rests which were a plus. There was a fair bit of storage, a mini fridge, including a safe which was on the smaller size and did not fit my laptop. The outlets in the room were also all North American outlets and a few USB outlets by the bed in the lamps. The bathroom was also a decent size, the corner mirror also opened which provided some additional storage which was handy. The shower was great, however it was a shower curtain and not a door.
It was then time to explore Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America. We headed up to Deck 12 for views of the Ocean Drive Bar and two main pools below.
Pulse Fitness Center is located at the aft of Deck 12.
Afterwards we did a quick spa tour of the Mandara Spa & Salon at the aft of Deck 12, next to the fitness center. I was able to take a peek into the Thermal Suite which included a sauna, steam room and of course a few heated loungers.
We then explored more of the aft of the Pride of America outdoors, where there is another hot tub with more comfortable lounge chairs.
The Waikiki Bar on Deck 13 which overlooked the Oasis Pool on Deck 12.
It was then time for our very special sail away party!
As we passed by the night lights of Waikiki Beach, it was time for dinner at Jefferson's Bistro, or Le Bistro.
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Пікірлер: 59
Hi Ariane We are travelling on Pride of America in August, and I found your vlog to be informative and helpful. You are so pretty and personable and so easy to relate to, thanks and look forward to checking out your other work ❤
What a great way to see the islands of Hawaii by unpacking once on a cruise ship!!
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
One of the MANY perks to cruising lol! Thanks for watching!
What a fabulous episode! Looked like a great embarkation day :)
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching David! Yes it was a great day!
I was actually on the Pride of America the week before. Very cool to watch your video! Looking forward to cruising Pride of America again in near future! Best cruise I’ve ever been on! Thanks for a beautiful reminder of the best vacation I’ve ever been on! Mahalo!
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching Susan and happy to hear it brought back some beautiful memories! 😊
We just booked today for July 2023. Can’t wait! Your video gave me a really good idea of what to expect and served to further enhance my enthusiasm.
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching Steven! I really hope you have a great cruise next year!
Fellow Canadian here! I will be on this cruise for my honeymoon in a month and this video is making me so excited. We're flying from Toronto to Vancouver, then Vancouver to Hawaii. Staying at Aulani for 3 days and then going on this cruise. Thank you for this!
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching Diana! I hope you have an amazing honeymoon cruise! If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to ask 😊
Looks like they've really done some great updates to the ship! The balcony stateroom looks like a good size too!
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! Yes, she was in great shape and smelled like a brand new ship!
The ship looks beautiful.
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
It really was! Thanks for watching!
Great video!! We're hoping to do this cruise for our honeymoon late 2023
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching Amy! If you have any further questions about this cruise, don’t hesitate to ask! 😊
I cruised on Pride of America some years ago with my husband and we did all the stops you did plus we made a side trip to an island nation by the name of Kirabati. Unfortunately I can't find any ship that stops there now. On the way back to Hawaii we encountered a terrible storm. The ship was really rock'n'roll that night. Anyway enjoyed watching your video. My adult children and I are cruising next on the MSC Meraviglia in September, can't wait. This will be my first cruise without my husband as he passed in February 2020.
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching and your comment! I’m so sorry for your loss of your husband and hope you have a lovely cruise in September.
Thanks.
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Will be on it In May looks great! Interesting to see how different it will be from my Alaskan cruise I was on end of July
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! Did you cruise to Alaska on NCL as well? They have done some updates to mirror some of the colours and styles they have on some of their other ships, but the Pride of America is very unique 😊 I hope you have a great cruise in May!
@ESowder24
Жыл бұрын
@@WanderlustJourney was on celebrity eclipse for Alaska will be first cruise on NCL
We had to do the safety briefing on the deck with everyone in 2017 on the Pride of America. Exactly when we were settling in haha Every single person had to attend it as well. Very annoying, but it didn’t take too long, thank god….
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Yes, NCL has gone back to the traditional muster drills where everyone is required to check in at your muster stations for the emergency drill.
Very informative video. I'm sailing in July 2023. For that ship and route, would you recommend that port or starboard side? I'm having second thoughts with booking the starboard side.
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching. My balcony cabin was located on the port side, which to me was preferable due to the scenic cruising of the Nā Pali Coast. Either side will have good views, when cruising Hawaii. Hope this helps!
Hi. Thanks for sharing . We are going in December. Did you use an u ER to your hotel ? And a taxi to cruise ship ? Also do they have a luau show on the ship ?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. I took a Lyft from the airport to our hotel (recommend just taking a taxi as we had to wait well over an hour for an available Lyft) and took a taxi from our hotel to the port which worked out at a better price. We didn’t have any Polynesian shows on our sailing, however I have been advised they’re back. Hope this helps!
I am leaving this month on my first Norwegian cruise to Hawaii, I can't wait! Did everyone boarding get a lei, or just certain boarding groups?
@WanderlustJourney
2 ай бұрын
Hi there! I’m not sure if they are still doing leis, hopefully they are, everyone was receiving them when I did my cruise back in 2022.
@tinawimberley5035
2 ай бұрын
@@WanderlustJourney thanks!
You can have a picture of your vaccination card correct? They dont have to see the physical card do they? Was that part difficult or they just did a quick glance at it?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Hello Eric, I’m Canadian so I used a digital version of my federal vaccination certificate. It’s always best to check with the cruise line directly or your travel agent, for the specific cruise you booked as to what they require as things are changing rapidly in regards to boarding requirements right now.
How did you get the gifts from NCL? Did you pay for a balcony room or did you upgrade? Do you have to make reservations for dinner or just the specialty restaurants?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Hello Cyndi! As mentioned I was hosted onboard as part of a special invitational group for travel advisors by NCL on an “inaugural” sailing of sorts for the Pride of America. With ships now filling up, I always suggest to book the category of stateroom you’re looking to travel in, as upgrades on certain ships are becoming harder to come by. You do not have to make reservations for the main dining room, however once onboard of you are planning to dine in the specialty restaurants, I make those the moment I get onboard the ship. I hope that helps!
Can you let me know , where can you leave your luggages and belonging after the cruise while exploring Waikiki beach until we fly out that night?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much for watching! We had a hospitality room arranged for us on our way home as our flight was in the evening after we left the ship, however this is something you can arrange yourself or have your travel agent arrange this for you at one of the Waikiki hotels. You will have to pay for them to hold your luggage, you can even pay at some hotels a “day rate” to have access to a hotel room (which is great to store luggage and have access to a bathroom, shower, etc) for the day and use the beach. I hope this helps!
Very informative video. Did you have to go through Immigration and customs at the end of your trip?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Because this cruise is a Hawaii inter-island cruise, you clear customs when you land into the US (so either at the Honolulu airport or where you arrive into the USA), there is no US customs to clear on the Pride of America sailings. Other cruise lines that visit Hawaii there are US customs to clear as they come from other countries such as Canada, etc. I hope this makes sense, and it’s always best to check with your cruise line as to the entry requirements.
@lubnanaqvi5271
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for your reply. This makes it clear
Sorry to ask you, but i didn’t see you go trough immigration. That’s mean you don’t need to do it?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! Because this particular cruise is round trip Honolulu, Hawaii, there is no US customs as we already cleared it when we travelled to Hawaii from Vancouver. It’s an inter island cruise so you don’t leave the USA. Hopefully this makes sense 😊
did you order the water boxes?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
If you order a “water package” with Norwegian Cruise Lines, they have boxes water instead of water bottles. This cruise was a hosted experience and the water was part of that (it was a surprise to me lol). It did take up quite a bit of space and had to store them under one of the beds.
I currently only have my California Drivers License and i do not have time to obtain my US Passport can I embark and disembark the Pride of America Ship with only my California Drivers License?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Hi there, it’s best to call NCL directly or chat to your travel agent about your situation and what is required. US citizens from my understanding do not require a US Passport to board the Pride of America as you are not leaving the US, what is required can be found on Norwegian Cruise Line’s website. As I am Canadian we need passports to travel to Hawaii from Canada.
Did you need a passport?
@WanderlustJourney
2 жыл бұрын
As a Canadian I needed a passport to travel to the US, however for this cruise specifically if you are traveling from the USA you just need valid government ID. If you aren’t coming from the US then you will need a passport. Hopefully this makes sense?
All inclusive?
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Hi there! Norwegian Cruise Lines does offer an “all inclusive promotion” typically called “Free at Sea” for the cruise. However if you do purchase drinks onboard while in port there are some State taxes that are payable. I hope that helps.
Nice ship, terrible video quality. Not sure of equipment or who is the videographer but is very poor quality. Commentary and music is fine but much room for improvement with video.
@WanderlustJourney
Жыл бұрын
Hi Jeff, thanks so much for your feedback. I’m still learning videography.