In January 2007, Diane sailed 7 days on the brand-new NCL America "Pride of Hawaii". This ship has been redesigned and is now sailing European waters, and this same 7-night Hawaii itinerary can be experienced on the Pride of Aloha and on the Pride of america. These ships are totally American ships, visiting only American ports, and staffed primarily by Americans (including the Captain). The ships are beautiful, decorated in bright Hawaiian themes on Pride of Aloha and American themes on Pride of America. The itinerary is wonderful for anyone wanting to see all of the islands. The ship departs from Honolulu, and then spends 2 days on the big island of Hawaii (one day in Hilo and one day in Kona), 2 days on Maui, and 2 days on Kauai, before returning to Honolulu. The cruise line offers shore excursions on each island, or you have the option of renting a car for the 2-day stay, parking it at the pier overnight.

These ships are part of Norwegian Cruise Line, which offers "Freestyle Cruising", which means lots of flexibility and choices. For example, there are many themed restaurants onboard, and you simply choose which restaurant you wish to eat in and then go whenever you're hungry. This works well if you like to eat early (like 5:30pm or 6pm) because you can usually get right in if you're there when the restaurant opens, but if you wait until later, you may have to wait for a table, just like eating in a restaurant in your hometown. The food was good in all of the restaurants we tried onboard.

Entertainment onboard was very good, although it would have been nice to have more Hawaiian-themed entertainment.

The staterooms onboard are nicely appointed, with the same bright and cheery decor. My favorite staterooms onboard are the Garden Villas. These are 4,390 sq ft. complete with living room, dining room and three separate bedrooms each with king- or queen-size bed and private luxury bath. One bedroom also features a full bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower. Access to exclusive concierge lounge and private courtyard area with pool, hot tub and sundeck. And can you say "Butler, please refill my drink?" You've got it!

Overall, I think this is a great way to see Hawaii. I have been there before, staying in resorts and doing a bit of island-hopping. The cruise is a bit more relaxing, and since you sail between the islands at night, you spend more time on the islands and less time in airports and packing and unpacking. In addition, the fact that your food on the ship is included means that you may save money by not having to pay for all of your meals on the islands.

This was actually my second time onboard Pride of Hawaii. Debbie and I were two of the lucky travel agents who got the opportunity to be onboard the ship for it's inaugural sailing in May 2006, and to attend the official christening of the ship. Take a look at some of our pictures below!