Hawaii was amazing. There is no way better to see it than cruising around the islands. However, NCL had terrible customer service, nobody cared that we were on our honeymoon. Wait staff was rude and always seemed annoyed. Entertainment severely lacked. Everything shuts down early. It felt like a floating motel 6.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
We embarked later in the day, when there was no crowd. Yet, it was still disorganized. There were no signs indicating where to go and the first few employees we asked to help direct us, all kept directing us incorrectly. We walked back and forth with our luggage multiple times before we found a helpful employee to direct us on the process!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Cruise food has been steadily declining over the past few years. So, it's nothing to be excited about. This cruise, however, shuts down the food and ice cream pretty early. The ship is asleep before 10pm. No bars, no late night station. At least Carnival keeps food and ice cream open 24/7.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Not much to do, but gave 3 stars because you don't need much to do onboard since there are no days at sea. We spent all our time on the islands!
Entertainment
1 out of 5
Our favorite cruise entertainment is the comedy! Comedy shows are usually multiple comedians and include adult only shows. This cruise had one comedian, who did a family show. It wasn't very funny...
Children's Programs
Did not bring children
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
Terrible contrast from Carnival cruises. Absolutely no customer service. The waiters were rude, especially if you didn't order wine ($$). The room steward was rude and seemed bothered when we asked him to turn down our room for the night. Every single day the room wasn't cleaned until late afternoon. Even if we left on an excursion at 7:30 am, the room wouldn't get cleaned until 4 pm!!! This is insane!! Also, it was our honeymoon...and not a single employee on that boat, from embarkation to disembarkation ever asked if we were celebrating anything.... CARNIVAL always asked us. Now that we finally were celebrating something, nobody asked or even seemed to care. They offered nothing special for us. The employees didn't care. They were there to get paid doing the minimum. Carnival spoils its guests. You feel important on carnival cruises, even your room steward knows you by name on day 1!! NCL never learned who we were. And they didn't seem to care.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship itself was great. It was clean. The decor was a little dated, but that seems normal for older boats anyways.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
It's a standard inside cabin. The bed isn't as comfy as carnival cruises. The sheets are more scratchy than soft. But, I didn't expect much from an inside cabin. As always, the shower seems to get tinier and tinier.
Ship tip
This cruise around the Hawaiian Islands attracts the older crowd... If you're looking for a party boat, this is not it. So, wake up early, eat early and go to bed early. Everything shuts down early anyways...
The process was fine. No issues. For the first time ever, we weren't sad to leave the cruise boat. Highly disappointed in NCL. But, Hawaii will stay on our hearts forever!
That's such a shame. We loved that cruise, the ship, and the staff when we did it two years ago. We found the staff to be the most friendly on any of the cruise lines we've cruised with. The entertainment was also fabulous.
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