Top Ten Reasons to Sail NCL's New Hawaii Cruises

July 19, 2004 -- Last week, Norwegian Cruise Line's new U.S.-flagged operation, NCL America (tel. 800/327-7030, https://www.ncl.com), offered its inaugural sailing aboard Pride of Aloha, the first modern U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed cruise ship in decades. The main draw? It's the only vessel offering cruises that concentrate entirely on the Hawaiian Islands, cruising round-trip from Honolulu year-round and brings a lot of real plusses to the table:

1. All Hawaii, all the time: Because Aloha is U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed, it's in compliance with U.S. cabotage laws, which forbid foreign-flagged vessels from sailing itineraries composed only of U.S. ports. And since Hawaii's islands are all relatively close together, an all-Hawaii itinerary means you're in port every single day, visiting Oahu, Kauai, Hilo and Kona (both on the Big Island), and Maui.
2. Overnights in port: Most cruise itineraries have passengers reboarding by 6pm so the ship can sail to its next port, but Pride of Aloha stays overnight in Kauai and Maui, giving you an opportunity to sample nightlife ashore and get a better feel for both of these beautiful islands.
3. Volcanos: On the Big Island, passengers can explore Volcanoes National Park, with its enormous Kilauea Iki Crater and network of cave-like lava tubes. At night, Pride of Aloha cruises off the island's coast, in an area where molten lava cascades down to the sea. On Maui, tours visit Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano, topping out at 10,032 feet.
4. Hula classes: Dance classes on cruise ships are often a snore, but on Pride of Aloha 100 or more participants might show up for daily hula classes, culminating in a hula talent show at week's end.
5. Ukeleles, ukeleles, ukeleles: Well, OK, you only occasionally hear a real ukulele onboard, but you will hear Hawaiian music everywhere. Unlike other ships, which tend to use only safe, proven pop songs in their onboard entertainment, Aloha is absolutely full of Hawaiian sounds, from the piped-in background music to the solo guitarists in the lounges. Even the pool band - two tanned guys with electric guitars - play rock and pop favorites with a decidedly Hawaiian tinge. The emphasis on keeping the Hawaiian mood extends to the ship's decor, which is full of bright floral-pattern carpeting, traditional artwork, and photos and art depicting both old and new Hawaii.
6. Men can wear beads: You might show up as a jewelry-averse macho man, but after two days aboard you'll be sporting a lei or two, maybe the flowery kind, maybe the ones made from seashells or kukui nuts, available in every port for $4 to $8. It's almost guaranteed you'll splurge for a classic Hawaiian aloha shirt, too. Best news: It all fits right in with NCL's Freestyle dress code, which is basically "where what you want, when you want" (though jeans and shorts are frowned on at dinner).
7. All-American: Experienced cruisers know that American crew are as rare as dodo birds on today's ships. Not here. Aboard Aloha, practically everybody's American, save a handful of passengers from Asia and elsewhere. The first time an assistant waiter comes to fill your water glass at dinner and says, "Hey. How're you doin'?" you get a weird little jolt of unreality, like going to a foreign country and finding that everyone looks and sounds just like you.
8. One of the better embarkation ports in the U.S.: Pride of Aloha sails round-trip from Honolulu's Aloha Tower complex, a convenient jumping-off point for walking tours around the historic downtown and just a short taxi ride to nearly everything else. The Hokulea Hawaii Maritime Center and an excellent shopping complex sit just outside the pier entrance, and Waikiki Beach is about three miles southeast along the coast.
9. Enough shore excursions to choke a horse: NCL offers nearly 150 excursion options in port, allowing you to create a Hawaii itinerary to suit your preferences, from easy bus tours to adventurous excursions to golf outings at some of the islands' best courses.
10. Coconut monkey heads: For $9.95 you can get your jungle juice, coco colada, or daiquiri served in a coconut carved to resemble a monkey's head, with the words "Have Fun" burned into the bottom in case you weren't sure you should. Refills are $7.50. You know you want one.

Now for some of the downsides of the Pride of Aloha experience:

• Slow, inexperienced service: A number of guests on the inaugural sailing complained of sloppy service, slow replenishment of food and other items in the buffet restaurant, and extremely long waits for dinner in the restaurants. Chalk it all up to a totally inexperienced staff, a consequence of the line's bold (and politically necessary) move to crew Aloha entirely with Americans, a large percentage of them from Hawaii. Though it's little consolation to passengers on the first few sailings, that kind of first-month sloppiness is almost to be expected from a team that's not only new to each other and to the ship, but to cruise work in general. Management is acutely aware of the problem. Aloha is "a work in progress" as far as her crew is concerned, according to president and CEO Colin Veitch, "They have the aloha spirit and they're willing to work hard, but what they lack is experience." A few more sailings worth of practice should get them in shape, and it's only up from there.
• If you like quiet, calm ships, don't go here: In summer and at holidays, hundreds of kids may be sailing, but even without them along, things can get tight -- out on deck; in long lines at the buffets, restaurants, and to get on and off ship in port; and in the cabins, which are among the smallest in the industry.
• Lots of extra costs: Unless you're willing to forego seeing some of the most celebrated sights in the islands, you'll be spending extra dough on shore excursions or renting your own transportation. Also, drinks and Internet access onboard tend to be pricey, and gratuities aren't included in bar tabs, as is usual on other ships. Overall gratuities (for waiters, cabin stewards, etc.) are tacked onto your final bill in the form of an automatic $10 per day service charge.

Pride of Aloha sails every Sunday from Honolulu. In summer 2005 she'll be joined by Pride of America, and the following year by Pride of Hawaii, at which point the line will likely begin spicing its weeklong itineraries with some land/sea packages: 3 or 4 days at sea paired with 4 or 3 days on land. Seven-night cruises currently start around $799 per person.