On Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 3:00 pm "Hawaiian Time" I boarded the gangplank for a week's cruise around the islands on NCL's Pride of America.  Since this was my very first cruise, I was giddy with glee and the anticipation was palatable.  Due to an inept travel agent, my mother and I had arrived in Honolulu rather late Friday night.  What should have been a 13-hour trip turned into a 25-hour flightmare.  God Bless the ticket agents at American Airlines!  However, four hours of sleep at the Wakiki Sheraton in Honolulu (Oahu), a beautiful sunrise on the beach, and a chance meeting with one of my dearest friends, who naturally happened to be walking by me at 7:30 am, buoyed my spirits and recharged me.

After a leisurely lunch of fish tacos with my mother and my friend Kelly, we took a taxi to the ship.  I was too busy yelling at my mother in the taxi, since she had misplaced the document which would allow us on board the vessel, to look at the Pride of America as we pulled up.  However, once the taxi driver had helped my mother out of the taxi, put all four suitcases 25 yards from the security gate, and scolded me for being "the worst daughter ever," after taking my hefty tip, I could see what a beautiful ship the P of A is.

The security staff was thorough but very pleasant.  My mother did have the proper documentation afterall, so checking in was hassle free.  The crew of the Pride of America made a fantastic first impression.  We found our way to our stateroom on Deck 7, and what a view--of the tops of several lifeboats.  Oh, we knew we were going to have an "obstructed view" stateroom, due to the fact that aforementioned inept travel agent had waited to book our cabin, but this was hilarious.  My mother was very upset, and went to the Desk.  The young man who listened to her, David, was most gracious, comforting and accommodating.  He told Mom to return on Sunday, when more passengers would be boarding on Maui.  Perhaps, he suggested, a better stateroom would become available. 

While Mom was gone, I surveyed the scene.  She had the larger room, with the King-size bed, the couch, coffee table, and various other luxurious offerings.  I had two bunk beds, and a much, much smaller room, but, hey, we were about to set sail around Hawaii! 

When Mom returned, I had relaxed a bit, and she seemed more at ease, and then....(Opening of Beethoven's Fifth)  we had our safety drill!  We grabbed our life vests and made our way to the appropriate deck.  Of course, being from New York, we took our handbags with us.  Oh, sure, the stateroom had a lock, but you just never know, right? 

We found our proper drill area, but, oh, the humiliation of being placed at the front of the line since lines were arranged height ascending.  I'm 5'3.  My mother was on the next line, and stuck out her tongue because she's 1/2" taller than I am.  The other passengers were happy, and friendly.  I realized that most of them were closer to my mother's age than my own, but that was fine.  I had expected that most of the crew would be seniors and retirees.

After the drill, during which I nearly strangled myself with the velcro belt which was to have gone around my waist but had made its way around my neck, we decided to head up to Deck 13 and have a cocktail as the ship pulled away from the dock in Honolulu.  We met a couple from Sasketchewan, Albert and Betty, who each were 78, and had been married for 53 years.  I invited them to join us for a drink, and joked with Albert about when he was going to make an honest woman out of Betty.  Albert laughed.  Betty....not so much.  Then we were at The Wakiki Bar having frothy, fruity tropical beverages, and talking and laughing, and seeing how beautiful life on sea was going to be.  My mother downed her two Virgin Pina Coladas like a pro.  (I overheard another passenger referring to my dear sober mother as "that lush," but we laughed about it.)  When our waiter Fish came by to check on us, and see if we wanted another drink, and asked if we had left our stateroom card at the bar, Albert said, "Yes" to another few drinks, and "Yes" that his card was at the bar.  How strange, I thought.  I knew my card was at the bar, and I had offered to pay for their drinks.  Then, Albert pointed to his front-facing fannypack, unzipped it, took out that stateroom card, and grinned broadly, like a naughty boy.  They left us soon after downing round two, and when I went to pay the bill, I learned that Albert and Betty had ordered two more drinks on US!  These were pros, these Saskatoons were grifters!  I realized that, yes, indeed, there are some rough characters on a ship!

My mother left the deck at sunset to freshen up before dinner.  I met another bunch of Canadians, from Vancouver, B.C., two couples (one husband was the brother of another's wife) who were gas characters, really sweet, fun, and articulate.  They took away the sour taste which Albert and Betty had left.

Our first  "Free-Style Dining" experience was at The Cadillac Diner, a 50's-themed, well, diner.  Ian, the waiter who sat us, was so welcoming and so professional for such a young man.  He could work at any four-star restaurant.  His manager Kevin also was a great guy.  However, there were several tall, blond surfer types who came over to the table to flirt (huh?) and tell the two of us inappropriate stories about their personal lives.  Actually, any time a waitperson is telling you a long personal story, I believe that's inappropriate--unless the customer may have asked them.  Even then, that customer is keeping the waitperson from doing his or her job.

My mother had too-salty soup, and a bad hamburger, and I ate the small portion of chicken fingers with barbecue sauce.  However, we loved The Cadillac because during the hours it was open, we always could stop there and get a cup of hot tea, or coffee, and--best of all--soft serve ice cream!

After the grueling journey to Hawaii, the excitment of boarding, the drill, the drink con artists, and the circus of The Cadillac Diner, my mother was ready for bed.  Not me!   I went to The Mardi Gras, a discotheque and bar, on Deck 6, and had another cocktail.  The last of the pub crawl members were pouring out of this bar, and there were but a few patrons left.  I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to a couple on their 15th Wedding Anniversary cruise.  She originally was from Surrey and London, and he was a New Zealander who had the luck to meet her on his Big Trip About.  They had 3 beautiful children, and now lived in Australia. We spoke at length about travel, and about the state of the world, and about love and relationships.  

Lastly, I went to Deck 13 for one more look at the sea.  However, the night was dark, the sea was rough, and it was freezing!  A security guard suggested I retire, but not in any patronizing way.  So I did, and I slept like a baby, eager to face the new day, begin new adventures, and meet new friends.  Who knew what would happen next!?

Tags: Criticism & Praise