Hawaii Cruise Reviews

We were not even informed at check-in that the ship was not departing until Sunday. NCL should have done a much better job communicating that information, They were quick to email all sorts of solicitations prior to the cruise, but failed to email the important information. I understand that NCL had no control over the volcano, but they handled it very poorly for their guests. I paid for 4 ports and only really experienced 2 ports. The port in Maui where we moored, Lahina, we had already covered with our rental car. Changing the scheduled days in Maui could have easily been a real problem. I had reservations for a rental to be picked up on Sunday and was able to get that changed to Monday, but once again that cost $85 dollars extra. I also had reservations for Mama's Fish House that had been made a month prior. Since we already had the reservations and just needed to change the date, the restaurant worked with us - they understand customer service. I paid full price, for 5 guests that is, for half a trip. The extra day in Honolulu, cost me money because we spent it off the ship - transportation, food, etc. The whole itinerary change saved NCL a ton of money (food, fuel, port charges, etc.) and cost the guests dearly. The prices of everything onboard were so overpriced that NCL could have easily offerered each guest $200 onboard credit. This would have cost NCL very little and been a gesture welcomed by the guests. The shore excursions endorsed by the ship were average at best for the prices charged. The availability, for the number of guests onboard, of excursion choices was very limited with only 2 ports. The excursions that we took on our own were much better. I could not recommend NCL shore offerings to future guests. NCL tried hard on the little things and really blew it on the bigger, more important things.

We were not notified of the last minute port changes until we checked in. All of the first 5 days of ports changed, therefore canceled the excursions that were originally booked. Then when on board, the excursion desk did not have the new ports excursions set up (nor did they have a sign telling us) so we waited for 45 mins only to find out we had to come back the next day and they were not clear on time, so literally had to stalk the desk to figure out when they were available. When they were available, all excursions were sold out. The food was mediocre and the service in the buffet was horrendous. Cabin steward was awesome!

We should have been offered a partial refund due to the fact that we had 2 ports removed from our itinery and they were not replaced. VERY disappointing!! Not sure ee will ever cruise NCL again.

This cruise was better than the same one we did 12 years ago. The staff was more professional and the food was better. Our only complaint was a consistent bad odor in the room that the staff tried to take care.

Booking process excellent. Kimberly Lindsay is a gem...Itinerary changes were no one's fault, but very disappointing. Spent way too much time in two few ports, Food mediocre. Menus in main dining rooms boring. Crew amazing! Great service! Shows, with the exception of Fred Bevell, Toby Beau and Divas 3( all great, and we live in the land of great, Las Vegas), nothing special...

Loved the cruise, Was disappointed since were unable to visit the big island but totally understandable due to the volcano. Hawaii is beautiful. Would recommend this cruise.

My previous three cruise experiences was on Disney and NCL does not come close to meeting them. Only reason we tried them was their itinerary. Did not want to spend for days cruising to Hawaii. They want to charge you for everything in addition to their cruise price (which is not cheap). The food in the main dining rooms is just OK, nothing outstanding. They want you to spend the extra money and buy meal packages to their specialty restaurants. We tried their Asian restaurant and they had four choices and one was a vegetarian selection. Appetizers were good. Their attention to their public areas (restrooms) is lacking and very noticeable. We will not use NCL again.

LeeAnn puts together an amazing package for our group. Everything was great from boarding the airplane to boarding the ship including our place together in the dining room and even our trip back home.

This cruise was a fun way to get back to the mainland from Hawaii. The ship was beautiful and the entire crew was wonderful. The 12 days went way too fast! I highly recommend Celebrity as a cruiseline and hope to sail with them again!

This was our 18th cruise (fourth on NCL). They really have it down to a science getting people on & off. In all of our previous cruises, this one wins! There was NO crowding, NO confusion, No jamming people on decks and in stairwells to get off for port calls or disembarkation. Very impressive. The comedian and the comic-magician were hysterically funny. Of the minor "irks", I had bought 250 minutes of Wi-Fi, arrived on Sat. but couldn't see the person needed to show me how to use it until Mon. , so I lost minutes. The food was varied and the usual fare on ships. The Cadillac Diner was good. Several others we met agreed with us that we had cabin stewards but didn't see them for several days. They kept the rooms clean somehow. Take as many shore excursions as you can. We would have liked an area with music for older couples' dancing and not the loud stuff late at night. There is so much to see, and so much variety. You'll sure need rest before & after!

This was a very relaxing cruise because of the amount of days at sea. Perfect way to wind down after we spent a week in Hawaii in a rental house.

We were disappointed with this cruise after taking a HA cruise to South America. This ship was much larger but there were not much to do aboard except eat and shop.

My husband and I have done about 20+ cruises, including others on Carnival. This particular cruise was the worst we've ever done. When you go on a cruise you expect to do many different activities, to have great food, and probably gain a few pounds in the process. This did NOT happen. We spent a lot of our time in the casino because there wasn't much to do.

The ship needs some touching up. We were late disembarking in Ensenada and San Francisco but otherwise it was a very good time and we are glad that we went on it.

The cruise went well after we got something straightened out with management. An elderly women on a motorized scooter ran into the back of my daughter's leg 3 TIMES because of not being familiar on how to drive the scooter and because of so many people being confined in such a small area for the muster drill. The ship's personal didn't want to take any responsibility for the incident. Of a matter of fact they were very rude about it until I called my daughter who is an attorney. After that things were settled and the rest of the cruise went well. My daughter still experienced pain at times, but we all got through it.

Our cabin was suppose to have 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, but, instead had 1 bedroom and 1 bath. This was a huge setback and really hard to get past. The trip was in celebration of my mother's 80th birthday and we were traveling as 3 adults and 1 child. Ever effort had been made to confirm the layout of the cabin with both our BJ agent and NCL agent. We have taken a cruise with NCL every year since 2013 and the accommodations have always been 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. NCL's response to its mistake was to disappointing, as well. NCL basically said, hope that there were things that you enjoyed about the trip and next time check with our agent....which we did, so we know that doesn't guarantee anything. We will not longer be cruising with NCL.

It's an enjoyable cruise and a great venue for any kind of get together or to just enjoy with someone special.

The time in Hawaii was hurried each day. We enjoyed the ship and dining experiences. The shows were OK. The enrichment briefings were helpful.

Not happy with amount of sea days...not enough to do on board.....very cold temperatures, did not have enough time in Islands. Should be longer in islands as that is why we took the trip. Felt cheated as far as land time available.

Big disappointment for a big money. This is the last time my friend and I are going to sail with this particular ship. The biggest problem (I have already the FOOD PROBLEM couple years ago on the cruise to Mexico resorts) is an adequate chefs. It looks you are having the problem to find the right chef for Grand Princess.