Above is an image of the Pride of America (POA). This is the only major American flagged and staffed cruise ship that I expect to be on. (I'm excluding river cruising, as those vessels are smaller and cater to a different type of traveler.) POA replaced another ship that was built in 1951 (SS Independence) which had outlived its usefulness, but was living on simply because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.
The Hawaiian cruise I'll be taking will be on POA. I'll be able to spend the better part of 11 days in Hawaii, instead of the 4 or 5 I could spend on a foreign flagged vessel. But I'll pay twice as much for a POA inside cabin for half as much time at sea on a foreign flagged vessel. Is it worth the extra cost? Everyone I know who has taken this cruise says "Yes!" And it is this cruise that I wanted to take before the pandemic, a cruise that a former girlfriend from a more than two decades ago would have been on. Could you imagine what she would have said if she saw me as Marian on this cruise?
Right now, I intend to take this cruise in Marian mode. I feel much more comfortable in a dress than I do in a pair of shorts. Hawaii is the place where a woman wearing a brightly colored floral dress blends in with most other women. So I fully expect that women will see me as a fat woman, and not a man in a dress. Yet, this trip may get cancelled - but not because of anything I do. NCL is cancelling cruises for some POA cruisers, so that can serve those who actually get to sail with all the attention they would normally get on a normally staffed ship. NCL is offering generous compensation for those people affected by these cancellations, and I won't cry much if this happens. Not only would my $8500 be refunded to my credit card, but I'd receive future cruise credit (FCC) as well.
Keep your fingers crossed. I'll have a lot to say about it as we get closer to sailing date.
