[7] A letter of intent was signed on October 6, 1998, with Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi to construct two passenger ships for Hawaii inter-island service with options to build up to four additional vessels.

[6] The ship was to feature a four-deck-high atrium, a 1,060-seat dining room, an 840-seat theater, a 590-seat cabaret lounge, and a "uniquely Hawaiian" outdoor performance stage, with interiors by designer John McNeece and his company.

[8][9] Work on the ship would be suspended on October 25, 2001, after the United States Maritime Administration decided to cease all funding for the vessels' construction, leaving the shipyard no choice but to stop production.

In June 2005, it left Lloyd Werft Shipyard in Germany, passing the retiring fleet mate SS Norway (which had been used to house workers for Pride of America) and sailed for New York City for its christening.

[17] The naming ceremony was significant as the first new U.S.-flagged cruise ship in nearly fifty years, and would fly the American flag donated from the U.S. Capitol Building on its inaugural voyage.

[15] The Pride of America's pre maiden voyage was an East Coast publicity cruise June 18–24, 2005, with Live with Regis and Kelly broadcasting their morning show from onboard the ship.

[15] The ship was assigned to a weekly itinerary around the Hawaiian Islands with roundtrip cruises from Honolulu, and stopping at Kahului, Hilo, Kailua Kona and Nawiliwili.

[20] Pride of America entered a 24-day dry dock period in February 2016,[21] at the BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair facility.

[25] Following the suspension of cruise operations to mitigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pride of America did not carry passengers after 14 March 2020, and docked at Honolulu Harbor, her homeport, with a complement of roughly 500 crew members.