Dining

NCL America shares NCL's innovative Freestyle Cruising concept, which basically means dine anytime you want, with whomever you choose. There are nine restaurants on the ship including two main dining rooms, the casual cafeteria and two no-charge alternative dining spots. The other four require a surcharge; reservations are nearly mandatory.

The main dining rooms, Liberty and Skyline, are located at the aft, one above the other. Both carry through the Americana themes, with Skyline -- a Deco-version of New York City -- and Liberty paying homage to American patriotism. Both restaurants offer the same hearty menus. Little Italy, one of the no-surcharge restaurants, runs alongside the Lido Deck cafeteria. Reservations are required even though there is no additional charge. The Cadillac Diner, a favorite for family lunching, early dining and late-night snacks, is located at the promenade level with access to the outside.

These five restaurants, and the Key West Grill (open during the day only), would be enough for most cruise lines, but Freestyle Dining offers more -- four more, to be precise. All carry a reasonable surcharge and all provide a first-class dining experience. My favorite, on all NCL ships, is the French-influenced Bistro. On Pride of America it's fittingly named the Jefferson Bistro and designed like a little slice of the library in Monticello. For $10, you can dine on scrumptious French-inspired cuisine, for $15 you can have Surf and Turf, and for $20 you can enjoy the unique Star Fire platter, a melange of meat chunks hung on an iron hook, flambeed in brandy and served with savory sauces. The Creme Brulee and Chocolate and Fruit Fondue are worth the price of admission alone.

Lazy J's Steak House is dedicated to the Paniolos, America's first cowboys, who continue their traditions today at the Parker Ranch on the Big Island. My friend Michael was in heaven over the butter-soft filet mignon and lobster tail, while I chose a New York cut. The surcharge here is only $15; if you get the lobster tail, it's $20, and well worth it.

East Meets West is a gathering place for several types of Asian-inspired cuisine, including Asian Fusion, sushi, shabu-shabu and teppanyaki. Teppanyaki is charged a la carte; the other dining options have a $5 surcharge. (You can get sushi a la carte too, with an average price of $2 per order).

The excellence of the surcharge restaurants takes nothing away from the standard restaurants, where the food is uniformly good, if not gourmet. The one thing that I noticed was that there seemed to be fewer choices for entrees in the traditional dining rooms, but considering that so many guests dine ashore, it actually makes sense. Plus, if you aren't entranced with the fare offered, you can order from the "always available" menu, which includes salmon, grilled chicken breast and New York steak. Vegetarian, low-carb, heart-healthy, Kosher and other special diets can be accommodated with advance notice.

The Aloha Cafe, Pride of America's Lido Deck restaurant, has gone to "pods," or kiosk-style self-serve stations. If you know what you want, you don't have to stand in long lines just to get to the one item you crave. At first it's confusing since the stations are spread out all over, but it's easy to learn that hot foods and cold cuts are in the middle' pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches at the long counter' and fruit, salads and desserts off to the sides. Breakfast served here (and out on the back deck overlooking the stern wake) is similarly set up, with the addition of fresh waffles and omelets.

On the starboard side of the Aloha Cafe is a small area created just for kids, with a junior-sized buffet table, small chairs and tables, and adult seating adjacent. It's great fun, and gives kids a place to call their own. Brilliant!

We loved the Cadillac Diner for family fun and great meals, too. Most of the booths are either in or surrounding a Caddy hood or rear end (complete with fins). Menu items run the gamut from Mom's meatloaf to gigantic burgers. The only charge is for a float or milkshake ($3.50 each) or other soft drinks.

Reservations are recommended for the specialty dining spots as soon as you board, but don't go to each restaurant: Check in, then call from your room. If by any chance you are told that a restaurant is full for the whole week, don't despair. Pride of America has nifty LCD-TV's strategically located in public spaces that tell you which restaurants have openings at any given time. If you're flexible, you'll more than likely get to dine where you want.

Room service is available at all hours, but the menu for guests in standard accommodations is limited. The pizza and children's grilled cheese sandwich are good, as is the chicken Caesar salad. Suite guests can choose menu items from the main restaurants during meal times; those in upper-level suites have a butler to deliver it.

For me, the crowning glory on this ship is the espresso/cappuccino/cafe au lait makers available to guests in both the Aloha Cafe and at the Aloha Cafe's aft stations. There is a coffee bar/patisserie, where you have to pay for cappuccino and espresso, but these machines are gratis, and so, so welcome!

It’s common knowledge that Americans like to eat…and eat, and eat. In that spirit, the Pride of America is justly proud of the number (8) and variety (7) of her restaurants. You can dine at a different restaurant every night of your 7-night cruise and never see the same menu twice!

Since the dining experience is so much a part of American cruising, here’s the rundown of your choices aboard the Pride of America. This first group of restaurants is included in your cruise fare at no extra cost.

Restaurants

Skyline:
This is one of the two “main” restaurants aboard the Pride of America. True to its name, the Skyline is designed with a 1930s Art Deco skyscraper theme (think Empire State Building and Chrysler Building). There are no interior columns in this large room – they’ve morphed into skyscrapers! Cuisine is traditional and continental with all-American favorites in abundance, too.

Liberty:
This “main” restaurant gives justice to all the Founding Fathers. Paintings depicting important historical moments in American history line the walls of this Early American Colonial and Federal Period-themed dining venue. As with the Skyline restaurant, Liberty focuses on hearty traditional favorites, including fish, chicken, turkey, roast beef, potatoes, and hot apple pie!

Cadillac Diner:
Car fins were king in the late 1950s and none rose taller than those of the 1959 Cadillac. Find a seat in the shadow of those fins and enjoy burgers, fish and chips, and ice cream sundaes while listening to your favorite Rock ‘n Roll stars of the era – courtesy of the high-tech video juke box! And, as with any true, respectable diner, the Cadillac is open 24 hours a day!

Aloha Café:
This indoor/outdoor buffet/bistro-style restaurant is just around the corner from the South Beach Pool so the mood here is always casual. Hawaiian artifacts, outrigger canoes and Polynesian wood carvings decorate the spacious (seats 322 indoors/310 outdoors) 50th State-themed eatery. And catch this – kids have their own buffet and kid-sized tables and chairs!

Little Italy:
Pasta, per favore! Hey! What’s more “all-American” than Italian food, anyway? This restaurant is a take-off of an easy-going Italian eatery you might see in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City. Pizza, calzone, spaghetti, pasta and friendly attitudes are served in abundance here. Bring your mother and show her you love her.

The following three “specialty restaurants” incur either a flat cover fee (usually between $10.00 and $12.50) or are priced a la carte. Seating is limited and some nights can be very busy; reservations may be recommended.

Lone Star Steakhouse:
Your certified Angus Beef steak is on the grill waiting for you! Lamb, veal, pork and seafood are on the menu here, too. On the walls are Texan artifacts and memorabilia of the Dallas Cowboys, The Texas Rangers, wagon trains, cattle roundups and the Houston Space Center. (Accommodates 106 guests. An extra fee applies.)

Chinatown:
This elegant restaurant is divided into three main areas: the main, Asian fusion/Pacific Rim dining room; a sushi and sashimi bar; and a Teppanyaki room with two, 16-seat tables for guests who enjoy the “show” of tableside food preparation. The theme, of course, is Asian. (Accommodates 98 guests. An extra fee applies.)

Jefferson’s Bistro:
This a la carte restaurant makes a proud salute to Thomas Jefferson who, before he was president, was the US Ambassador to France. Hence, the French connection here at this elegantly-styled restaurant that serves both classic and nouvelle cuisine. The décor is inspired by Monticello, Jefferson’s hilltop Virginia home. (Accommodates 104. Extra fee applies)