NCL America - Pride of Hawaii
Fast Facts
Vessel: Pride of Hawaii
Cruise line: NCL America
Star rating: Not yet rated
Tonnage: 93,500 GRT
Max passenger capacity: 2466
Entered service: June 2006
Description:The ship features an array of accommodation, ranging from the luxurious Garden Villas to family-friendly cabins that can interconnect to create multi-bedroom areas.
Other options include Mini suites with private balconies, Ocean View staterooms with a picture window or porthole and Inside staterooms. Even the cheapest of the cabins has a good-sized bathroom, rich cherrywood finishing, mini-bars, tea and coffee makers and internet connection.
There are also 10 restaurants, 12 bars or lounges and the Stardust theatre, all decorated in a mix of classic style with a lively dash of tropical colour.
Other facilities include a fitness centre, internet caf, health spa and beauty salon, sports deck, two swimming pools, four hot tubs and a teens and a kids club.
Pride of Hawaii
Garden Villas on Pride of Hawaii offer a resort experience.
Imagine sitting in your private hot tub, looking out on your private garden while your very own butler brings you a cocktail. Meanwhile, Honolulu disappears in the distance as Pride of Hawaii steams towards its first stop of your seven-day cruise around four Hawaiian islands. If you can afford it, this unique resort-style experience can be yours in one of the two stunning Garden Villas on board Hawaii.
This new category of luxurious accommodation is just one of the many impressive inclusions in NCL America's latest offering, Pride of Hawaii. The ship was modelled on the magnificent Norwegian Jewel and joins sister ships Pride of Aloha and Pride of America to complete the US-flagged fleet servicing the mostly American market cruising Hawaii.
Speaking at a media event after the ship arrived in Honolulu for the first time, the managing director of NCL America, Robert Kritzman, said that only seven per cent of passengers were drawn from outside the US. But the Japanese and Australian markets "have potential to grow".
He also emphasised that the design of the new vessel, along with NCL's signature Freestyle Cruising, was aimed at creating a "resort atmosphere". Kritzman pointed out the itinerary of Hawaii and her sister ships had been arranged "so first time visitors can see all the islands and only have to unpack and pack once".
Hawaii, christened in a ceremony in Los Angeles on May 20, began her regular schedule of seven-day round-trip voyages from Honolulu on June 5. The ship, displacing just over 93,500 tons, carries more than 2400 passengers and 1000 crew. Built at a cost of more than $700,000 million, she offers a huge range of accommodation from the Garden Villas down to inside staterooms. But whether you're seeing the Hawaiian islands from the splendour of your private hot tub or one of the many bars, there is much to enjoy on Hawaii.
The Garden Villas set the tone. Each contains three stylishly appointed bedrooms with a king- or queen-size bed and luxurious bathroom stocked with L'Occitane products. The villas also boast panoramic views as well as a roof terrace and private garden featuring open-air dining, a hot tub and private sun deck.
The next level down, the five Owners Suites are just as impressive, as are the 10 Courtyard Villas. Each villa has a living area, private balcony, dining area, separate bedroom with queen-size bed, spacious bathroom and separate shower. All have access to an exclusive courtyard with a pool, hot tub and sundeck. It's filled with tropical plants, wind chimes and sun beds, and a misting system refreshes you at regular intervals with a light spritz of water. Little wonder two women passengers were enjoying the private courtyard by singing show tunes and sipping champagne as Honolulu disappeared over the horizon.
Villa, suites and staterooms all have rich cherrywood finishings, a mini-bar, tea and coffee maker, television and internet connection. In addition, most feature a roomy bathroom unit with WC, shower and washstand compartments separated by a sliding door.
The staterooms are decorated in tropical colours - lots of orange, turquoise, hot pink and lime. The overall effect is cheery rather than garish and definitely Hawaiian. The public spaces feature the same mix of classic style juxtaposed with tropical exuberance and holiday fun.
For example, at first glance the Spinnaker lounge looks like any other stylish venue with its panoramic windows, stage and dance floor. Then you walk past the bar and the sedate tables surrounding the stage to discover huge gold velvet chaise lounges, and purple velvet tub chairs shaped like flowers straight out of Little Shop of Horrors. And this isn't even the nightclub.
That's located on deck seven - the Medusa lounge and nightclub includes three private karaoke rooms. The startling orange, purple and turquoise colour scheme is guaranteed to put you in the party mood.
If you want to see a show then head for the Stardust theatre. Cleverly designed so almost every seat has a great view, this elegant European opera-house style venue can hold 1040. Shows are in that colourful Las Vegas, full-production style.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. You'll want a pre-dinner cocktail and something scrumptious to eat before all the singing and dancing.
Another new concept for NCL found on board Pride of Hawaii is Bar Central. First unveiled on Norwegian Jewel, this is a clever positioning of a martini bar, a champagne and wine bar, and a beer and whiskey pub all connected but with three totally different personalities.
At Magnum's champagne and wine bar you can enjoy a French Art Deco ambience and listen to the resident piano player. From there you can move to the James Bond inspired Mixers martini and cocktail bar and funk it up a little or perhaps you'd prefer the low seating and mood lighting of the contemporary Tankards beer and whisky bar which is themed around famous whiskys.
Or if you'd prefer to sip your cocktail under the stars there's Topsiders near the pool. In all there are 12 bars to choose from and nearly as many restaurants boasting scrumptious cuisine.
NCL's Freestyle Cruising program includes freestyle dining aided by a state-of-the-art restaurant reservation and table management system. You'll find 17 screens, placed in high traffic areas, which show the wait time in each restaurant and the table sizes available. If the restaurant you want is full, make a reservation and you'll be issued with a pager that works throughout the vessel. This means you can retire to a bar for a cocktail until you are paged when your table is ready.
The largest of the restaurants, with seating for 556, is the Grand Pacific, decorated in the elegant style of the historic Matson's liners' first-class dining rooms. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here. The next largest room, Alizar, accommodates 310 for lunch and dinner. The menu offers a variety of Hawaiian-influenced dishes such as grilled ahi tuna and macadamia nut creme brulee.
If it's Asian flavours you seek, the Jasmine Garden offers a teppanyaki room along with a sushi and sashimi bar. There's a $26.50 cover charge for teppanyaki and $13 for the rest of the restaurant. Cuisines on offer in other restaurants include French, tapas and Tex Mex, Italian and barbecue options.
After all that food you'll need some exercise, so venture to the fitness centre for an extensive array of exercise equipment and classes in aerobics, spin, Pilates, yoga, step and kick boxing. There are also golf clinics conducted via the Golf Pro shop and you can rent equipment and book tee times on all four islands. Time allowed in port means you can play up to eight rounds of golf on a week-long Pride of Hawaii itinerary.
Other shore excursions to tempt you include a visit to Volcanoes National Park or Kona Cloud Forest on Hawaii Island, touring a tropical plantation or snorkelling at Kahului on Maui, and taking surf lessons or visiting the botanical gardens on Kauai Island. And after you disembark in Honolulu take the Pearl Harbour tour.
If doing nothing is more your speed, on board you can laze by the Waikiki Beach pool where the children will love the waterslide. You'll also find a teen and a kids club, both offering computers, and there's a video arcade stacked with the latest games.
While the children are occupied you'll be able to indulge in the Ying and Yang health spa and beauty salon operated by renowned Mandara Spa. Or just find a comfortable spot and relax with a good book, because there's something about this ship and Hawaii - perhaps it's the hypnotic roll of the surf, or the friendly Aloha spirit - but you'll find yourself drifting into island time and loving every minute.
Words Toni Eatts - Issue 25 Spring 2006