Our condo needed some repairs done. Imminently. With less than a week before the work would start, our family needed to find an alternate place to stay. A Waikiki hotel? A North Shore condo? Visiting the grandparents on the mainland?

Suddenly an idea hit me. What about an interisland cruise? A quick calculation showed that staying on the ship would be the most economical option. The only catch was that my husband wouldn’t be able to come because of work, meaning that I would be alone with the kids for a week. I decided to go anyway. Thankfully, the trip aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America exceeded my expectations.

NCL launched the ship in 2005. After the departure of Pride of Aloha and Pride of Hawaii, Pride of America became the only large U.S.-registered cruise ship making the weekly interisland circuit. With 14 decks, a length of 921 feet and a gross tonnage of 81,000, the ship was larger than I had thought. It can transport up to 2,138 passengers and 921 crew members.

It was near capacity when we boarded on a Saturday morning at Honolulu’s Pier 2. There was a diverse mix of passengers, from retired couples to honeymooners, from teens to infants. Most had flown in from the mainland, especially the West Coast.

However, there were folks from as far away as Australia and Japan, and a fair number of kamaaina like us. ("You’re the third person I’ve met from Hawaii," exclaimed one gentleman early on in the cruise; little did he realize he would run into many others.) I even bumped into a family whose daughter was a classmate of my daughter.

Service had been a problem early on with the Pride of America’s staff. So I wasn’t too surprised when it took an hour or so after our arrival for the crew to find a crib. Throughout the cruise the service was mixed. Some staffers had a can-do attitude and went out of their way to help (for example, one waitress gave my son a small toy, making him her instant friend; a waiter voluntarily lifted our stroller onto the tender). Others did what was required and no more, or appeared displeased by special requests. On the whole, however, the service was sufficient. If one person couldn’t help, another usually could.

For our cabin I had booked the lowest-level category, and was pleasantly surprised when I was bumped up four categories even before boarding. We were still in an inside cabin, but in a better and quieter location. At 10 by 13 feet, the cabin was compact, but the space was utilized wisely. Even with a crib in the room, there was more than enough space for all of our items.

Pride of America does not have coin laundry machines available, but there is a clothesline above the shower stall. The bathroom was small but functional, and the beds were quite comfortable. For families traveling together, Pride of America offers various options for cabin arrangements.

There were lots of areas on the ship for the little ones and me to explore. On the top-deck Sports Court, guests can take their turn twisting and rolling in the Gyroscope or participate in one of the many tournaments ranging from basketball to dodgeball. A putting green is nearby. The Santa Fe Fitness Center is surprisingly large, and for a more relaxing experience, there’s the adjacent Santa Fe Spa or Beauty Salon. Pride of America is large enough to sport three swimming pools, four hot tubs and an enclosed kid’s pool. A jogging track encircles Deck Six. There are conference rooms on the second-to-the-top deck for lectures and meetings.

Kid’s Crew (aka Rascal Kid’s Club) was where my daughter spent some time while the baby was napping. Geared toward 2- to 5-year-olds, Kid’s Crew is open mornings and evenings and provides fun activities like face painting, teddy bear picnics and parachute play.

Older children have their own program and activities, while teens participate in the Connections Teen Club. There is even an "Under 2 Zoo" club for the youngest set, although when we visited there were toys but no tots in sight. A kids’ movie theater and the Blast Off Video Arcade round out the kids’ entertainment.

Adults can play their own games in the Shuffles Card Room or log on in the Internet Center. Other quiet areas include the Hawaii Museum, the SS America Library, Chapel, Soho Art Gallery and Conservatory. The quaint-looking Newbury Street Shops sell the usual island-themed items, ranging from kitschy slippah key chains to gold Na Hoku slippah pendants. In the Capitol Atrium, the Pride of America theme is showcased, with the Great Seal of the United States adorning the floor and a bust of George Washington underneath the beautiful rotunda. Star-spangled stained glass overhead enhances the effect.

With 11 restaurants and nine bars and lounges, there is never a shortage of food and drink. The main restaurants include Skyline and Liberty. The two share the same menu; however, Liberty has a more formal dress code, is open only for dinner and has more upscale decor. Aloha Cafe offers a large, diverse buffet which includes everything from Indian curries to Italian pastas, American hamburgers to Japanese sushi. There is even a cleverly designed kid’s buffet, where children can serve themselves favorites such as chocolate milk and pizza, and sit at pint-size tables. ("I feel empowered," joked one youngster.)

For a fun and different experience, there is the 1950s-style Cadillac Diner, decked out in neon and chrome. The Key West Bar and Grill is open all afternoon. While the food in the nonspecialty restaurants is certainly good, with several outstanding items like the pumpkin pie or the Diner’s milkshakes, the quality is still not top-notch. However, the wide variety ensures that even the choosiest of eaters is sure to find dishes to enjoy. For an additional cover fee of $10 to $25, passengers can dine at one of the many specialty restaurants: Little Italy, Jefferson’s Bistro, East Meets West, Mongolian Hot Pots, Sushi, Teppanyaki and Lazy J Steakhouse.

The cruise line’s theme is "NCL, where you’re free to whatever." This includes a freestyle dining policy, where you can share tables or eat individually, make reservations or simply show up, and wear jeans anywhere except in Liberty. Handy screens indicate how full each of the restaurants is at any given time.

Pride of America bills itself as offering a significant amount of time ashore, and indeed, with the islands’ close proximity, every day is a port day. The ship departs from Honolulu on Saturday afternoons.

The next morning it arrives in Kahului for two days. Tuesday and Wednesday are spent on Hawaii island (Hilo, then Kailua-Kona).

On Thursday and Friday the boat docks at Nawiliwili, Kauai, and then departs for Oahu, arriving back in Honolulu on Saturday morning. There is little to do in the immediate vicinity of the port areas where the ship docks, but there are free shuttles to local shopping areas. Kailua-Kona is the only port requiring a tender. It is refreshing to view the islands’ natural beauty from the water, especially Kauai’s Na Pali Coast and Hawaii island’s lava flow.

There are a dizzying number of activities offered on the ship. There is never a dull moment between towel folding and Lego building; sarong tying and lei making; trivia and shuffleboard; a magic class and a Hawaiian language lecture. At night the fun continues with live music, dancing, comedy, karaoke, video games and movies.

The quality of the shows varied, with highlights being the Second City (a talented sketch comedy and improvisation group) and the "Aloha Polynesia" show’s entertaining music and dances. With so much to do aboard the Pride of America, the end of the cruise seemed to arrive quickly. The kids and I waited until the last time slot to leave, carrying the lei we had made along with our memories. Even though the cruise would not be considered five-star, it was an excellent value, fun and an ultraconvenient way to visit the neighbor islands. I asked several fellow passengers what they thought of the trip. Perhaps one local resident summed it up best: "I would go again in a heartbeat."

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Monica Quock Chan is a Honolulu-based freelance writer.