I wrote the following about a year and a half ago for a newsletter after taking a 2-night inaugural cruise aboard Pride of Hawaii, which is now to be re-named Norwegian Jade. There will be a few decorating tweaks, but she should remain essentially the same ship. One big bonus for people who find the American staffing on NCL America ships disappointing in Hawaii will be foreign staffing once she becomes Jade. While I don't think American workers are inherently inferior to foreign workers, personnel from third world countries certainly see working on a cruise ship as a terrific career opportunity and treasure their jobs far more than Americans who enjoy so many other options, which has lead to high turnover and personnel shortages for NCL America. Hopefully with fewer ships to staff with Americans in Hawaii, NCL will put that matter to rest permanently. Anyway, here's the beginning of what I wrote about Pride of Hawaii immediately after that inaugural cruise:
A few years ago, glossy brochures and incredibly low pricing flooded Norwegian Cruise Lines with ill-informed passengers disappointed when they found themselves aboard ships that were not aging gracefully and served by a beaten-down staff weary of waiting on ill-tempered guests. How the times have changed!
Beginning around the time that Y2K threatened to destroy life as we know it, NCL re-imagined itself, and the Pride of Hawaii is another stride forward. The ship has a sort of Disney-does-Hawaii motif, with that same homogenized, slightly hyper-reality feel as Disney's New Orleans Square compared to the real French Market. If you're looking to be enveloped in the elegant ambiance of Celebrity or Crystal, this isn't your ship.
Come to think of it, the Grand Pacific Dining Room and Star Bar have an upscale feel, and if you peel off a few more Franklins from your roll of cash at the time you book, you can get really elegant in a Courtyard Villa, which comes with a deluxe private courtyard and pool with access limited to a handful of guests. Actually, if you want ultra-exclusive, there are two 4390 square feet Garden Villas where you can while away your time between ports without associating with the riff-raff like me. Your butler will even deliver your meals. If your taste runs toward Celebrity steaks, for less than a Jackson you can enjoy a 14 ounce Fillet dinner with all the trimmings in Cagney's alternative restaurant, so maybe this actually is a ship for the upscale minded after all.
