Pride of America, the only mainstream large cruise ship sailing under the US flag and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, will restart operations in April. The vessel will sail 7-day cruises out of Honolulu, Hawaii, year-round. She is the only ship to do so without having to spend numerous days at sea because she is registered in the United States.
Guests sailing on the first couple of cruises will be missing out. Pride of America will be operating at lower capacities than usual during the initial start-up period. That has prompted Norwegian Cruise Line to lower the number of crew onboard, resulting in limited dining options.
Initial Start-Up Period Will Have Limited Dining Options
Many people have been waiting eagerly until Pride of America made its return to the Hawaiian islands. The first and only United States flagged large cruise ship will resume operations on April 9. It will be the first time the ship has sailed with guests onboard in more than two years, the first time since the global pause in operations in March of 2020.
While many will welcome the return of the popular cruise ship, there are some downsides. Norwegian Cruise Line recently sent out a letter to guests stating that the vessel will be operating with fewer crew members due to the number of guests onboard. The result of that is that onboard services will be limited as well.
Read Also: Hawaii Cruises One Step Closer as Cruise Lines Sign Port Agreements
Norwegian Cruise Line said the following: “As we make our great cruise comeback from Honolulu, we will be operating at lower capacities for the initial sailings. As a result, our staffing levels will be adjusted to accommodate the number of guests onboard, therefore limiting some of the available dining options”.
Two Venues Closed Entirely, One for Breakfast and Lunch
Guests will notice the differences onboard. First of all, Moderno Churrascaria and Teppanyaki will be closed until further notice. The Skyline Main Dining Room will be closed for breakfast and lunch. All other dining options and onboard facilities will operate as usual.
“Guests will be able to enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the complimentary Aloha Cafรฉ, with dinner available in the Skyline Main Dining Room and in select specialty dining venues including La Cucina, Cagney’s Steakhouse, and Jefferson’s Bistro. In addition, the Cadillac Diner will be open 24 hours a day.”
It is unclear until when the current measures will hold for Pride of America. The lower guest counts will be felt onboard the NCL cruise ship more than any of the other in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, considering the ship must have a crew that consists only of U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
Pride Of America
Although she isn’t the first ship to start cruising in Hawaii, she is the first to start cruising from Hawaii. On April 9, Pride of America will set sail on her regular 7-day itinerary that will see her sail from Honolulu to Kahului, Maui; Hilo, Hawaii; Kona, Hawaii; and Nฤwiliwili, Kaua`i, before returning to Honolulu.
The vessel is the only large cruise ship that adheres to the Passenger Vessel Services Act. This law states that a ship carrying passengers between two US ports must be built and flagged in the United States and sail with US-based crew members. If a ship does not adhere to the rule, the vessel must reroute to at least one foreign port during the voyage.
Pride of America’s hull was built in 2005 at Litton-Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA. The ship was then completed in Germany.
