Pretty nice

We were on the April 29 sailing, and based on the mixed reviews I had read, we were pleasantly surprised.  Both our cabin and the public areas of the ship were well-maintained.  Our cabin was the size and arrangement we would expect, based on other cabins on other cruise lines.  The dining rooms were nicely decorated.  We ate only in the two complimentary dining rooms and the food was generally good.  The variety was a little limited, for instance most of the desserts were the same every night with two or three different desserts added.  Not the most exciting food, but always something that satisfied.  The service in both dining rooms was generally very good, with a few exceptions being either a little too informal or very proper, more the service we have seen on other ships.  With freestyle dining we did not end up with the same wait staff most times, so we missed the attention you get from someone learning your preferences.  Surprisingly to me, the service was a bit better in the more casual dining room.  We ate the buffet only twice, once in the morning when we needed to get off the ship fast for a tour.  That was a nightmare, so crowded and people rushing and grabbing food, and no place to sit.  If i had to do it again, I'd just have the continental-type breakfast that can be delivered by room service.  Except for the last day of the cruise, I don't think lunch was served in the dining room.  We were not there for lunch several days so it didn't matter too much, and the two times we were, it was not as chaotic as breakfast.  Breakfast in the dining room was great, excellent service and good food in a relaxed atmosphere.  One hint, the day of embarkation, we stumbled onto the small buffet served at a bar (can't remember the name) on the pool deck.  Not many people were there and it was a good place to relax, eat a burger or hot dog, and catch our breath.  I'm sure the buffet would have been very busy.  Our room steward did an excellent job, our balcony was great with the Hawaiian scenery, and the cabin had good storage.  Two of the three shore excursions we booked were cancelled due to bad weather, I'm supposed to get a check in the mail for reimbursement.  The one shore excursion we did was a catamaran snorkel and sail at Kona.  It was okay.  Nice crew,  snorkeling was just okay, but at least it was not one of those huge boats with lots of people.  We had about 20.  The shore excursion staff was helpful about explaining about taxis, etc. in the various ports.  We did an independent tour at Hilo which I would recommend looking into, we were in an 8-passenger van instead of a large bus.  And on Kauai we rented a car and the rental shuttle driver was extremely informative about where to go and how to get there, so don't hesitate to consider that option.  All in all, this was a pretty nice cruise, and really the best way to see Hawaii. 

One last note, we took NCL's "free" night in Waikiki before the cruise, stayed at an Aston in Waikiki Beach, and it was a great choice, right in the middle of the area, very close to the water, nice restaurant on property for a sunset dinner.