Comparing two Hawaii Cruises is like comparing Apples to Oranges

 

NCL Pride of America

Holland America Konigsdam

A common theme comes up in Facebook's NCL Pride of America 7 days in Hawaii group - why does this cruise cost so much and is the cruise worth what is charged for it?  As I see it, you get what you pay for with a Pride of America (POA) cruise.

To compare "apples to apples" as much as possible, I will compare two separate Hawaii cruises which will be cruising the islands at the same time in October 2024. One is a typical POA cruise out of Honolulu, and the other is a typical non-POA cruise from the mainland. However, I have chosen the only cruise from the mainland which includes 6 port days in Hawaii to give as a good comparison as possible.

Example:

10/05/24 - HAL Konigsdam cruise, Vancouver, BC roundtrip. (17 nights) Inside Cabin Fare: $1700/pp (Base) / $2799 /pp ("Have it All")                  Two days each on three islands: 
2- Oahu, 2- Hawaii (1 - Kona & 1 -Hilo), 2-Kauai.
vs.
10/12/24 - NCL Pride of America cruise, Honolulu, HI roundtrip. (7 nights)                  Inside Cabin Fare: $1849/pp (Both Base & "Free at Sea")
                 Two days each on three islands:  2- Oahu, 2- Hawaii (1 - Kona & 1 -Hilo), 2-Kauai.

The HAL cruise has to take an extra 10 days to cruise from the North American mainland over choppy seas to reach Hawaii then return to its home port. This is due to requirements imposed by the US Jones Act and the US Passenger Vessel Services Act. These acts require ships sailing solely between US ports be American built, flagged and staffed. The NCL cruise allows a person to bypass these extra sea days because it meets these requirements and it allows the cruiser to book extra land time in Hawaii - which is what I'd do on Oahu, so I could see sights on Hawaii's most populous island.. Additionally, on POA, one gets to spend 2 days in Maui, an island that the HAL cruise bypasses.

Unlike a foreign flagged ship, all American safety and labor laws apply on this ship. This explains (in part) why a 7-day cruise on POA costs more than a similar 7-day cruise on a foreign flagged ship sailing another route, such as in the Caribbean. Since POA also has to provision itself in Hawaii, all of its food, fuel, and other supplies cost more, as these goods must be shipped from the mainland (on American flagged ships) making them cost more than if they could be provisioned at mainland ports.

POA is an older ship, and is very well maintained for ships built in the mid '00s. It doesn't have a casino to subsidize cruise fares. It's a blessing not to walk through a smoke-filled casino to get to other parts of the ship. POA oozes America through its pores. (I won't go into many of the little details that justify this statement. People who have cruised on POA will understand this.) Unlike the ships coming from the mainland, POA should be treated as a floating hotel (with free meals). It is not a resort that floats from port to port. As such, POA provides good value for money spent. But it is not cheap. One is able to get a more Hawaii-intensive cruise on POA, especially when coupled with 2 or more land days before or after the cruise.

It may be cheaper for people to fly to Vancouver than to fly to Honolulu, but one will need a passport to do so. Even with more expensive airfare, I think two people could still have more Hawaii time for the extra $950/pp difference in the premium rates, if they were to take some of the savings to spend an extra 3 days in Honolulu and see the sights there. (10-Day POA Cruisetour anyone?) Please note that most cruises from mainland ports (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego) are usually shorter and spend less time in Hawaii. Does it make sense to spend more time at sea than one would spend in Hawaii?

I have been called a very frugal person. Would I choose the POA cruise over one from the mainland? YES! YES! YES! Anyone taking the POA is making a trade-off, exchanging money for more Hawaii. Hopefully, I'll be able to go there again soon, this time with my girlfriend.

Why people shouldn't cruise on some cruise lines and ships

 

It is just as important to know what you don't want in a cruise as what you do want.  In my case, I do not want to go on "Booze Cruises" or cruises catering to families with children.  So I have learned to pick my cruises very carefully to avoid going on trips on which I would feel I've wasted my money.

Avoiding booze cruises is relatively easy.  Think of a typical long weekend.  It's usually 3-4 days long.  When I see a cruise which lasts less than 5 days, I assume that the cruise will be filled with young adults who want to party - and hard.  Yet, they may be perfect for some people.  I see them for what they are and avoid them like the plague.   There are exceptions to this rule of thumb.  For example, if Disney offered a 4 day cruise, I'd bet that it would cater to a family friendly clientele, and that one would rarely see anyone who is three sheets to the wind.

Often, people do not want to be on a cruise that will have families with children,  As a result, many in this demographic avoid cruise lines such as Disney, avoid cruises during school vacation periods, and avoid cruises of less than 10 days.  Additionally, they may choose to cruise on cruise lines such as Virgin or Viking (adults only lines) to ensure that they do not bump into children while on the cruise ship.

Many people like to gamble and smoke on cruise ships.  Many others do not.  If I wanted to gamble, I'd avoid ships like the Pride of America, or cruise ships from Disney which do not have casinos onboard.  In general, finding ships without casinos is a little bit more tricky, as most major cruise lines' ships have some sort of casino.   Unfortunately, to get from one place to another on the ship, one will need to walk through the casino area, an area which is usually smoke-filled, as it is one of the few areas where one can smoke on a mainstream cruise ship.  So, if one wants a tolerably smoke-free journey, one may want to avoid older ships which do not have a closed off casino area for smokers.

The larger the ship, the fewer the number of ports where it can dock.  Although this isn't important to that many people, it can be important to people who want to travel to more exotic places.  Many ships use tender boats to reach small ports, which means that mobility challenged people may not be able to get off the ship and enjoy the port.  If one falls into this category of cruisers, one should contact the cruise line to find out whether the ship uses a tender boat to bring people to/from the shore.  On many of the cruises I've been on, at least one of the ports requires tendering to go ashore, making it impossible for the wheelchair bound to enjoy the port.  Why is this important?  There are many destinations that can only be reached by tender boat, and mobility challenged people would be advised to avoid cruises that are tender boat port intensive.

There are so many things that turn people off from cruising, many of which are having the wrong expectations of a cruise before it sets sail.  The best thing one can do is to be careful in selecting a cruise, making sure that the cruise fits one's needs as well as possible.