It's an enjoyable cruise and a great venue for any kind of get together or to just enjoy with someone special.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We went in at our assigned boarding time and it wasn't too bad. The ship holds a little over 2400 passengers, but it didn't seem to be too long a process to get through the boarding. I'd say we were done with everything and relaxing at a lunch table having a meal in about 25 minutes from Taxi to lunch.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
This was my 5th cruise and it was my favorite food of all the cruises I've been on. The lead chef really has great feel for bringing out the flavor in the food.
Skyline Restaurant
5 out of 5
This is a sit down place where the service is really great. It's nice to have something special and freshly cooked when you're on board and this is a place that is included in the price of the cruise.
It's really good and feels great to sit at a seat with a table cloth. The food is great.
Aloha Café
4 out of 5
This is the Buffet and is open for every meal.
The food was very good for this style of venue. There was something different everyday and the flavors were very good.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There are plenty of things to do and there's always something you can do or not do. It's perfectly fine to just enjoy the ship.
We went out off the ship when we were in port and went to a show every night. The shows are fun and worth going to. We enjoyed them every night. It's a different show everyday.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I actually talked about the shows in my onboard activities section.
There are multiple shows and music in different venues all around the ship everyday and every night. Just take your pick. You can't do them all so you'll have to decide which ones you will do and which ones you'll do some other time.
If you just went to the main showroom every night, you'll feel you've been entertained. We went to this show every night and put in a secondary show at another venue several times during the trip. They were all enjoyable.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff is all very nice and helpful. You'll enjoy the service.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is a little smaller than the other ships I've been on, but it still was big enough to be fairly smooth on the water and to have enough of everything to not feel smaller.
About the time you finish your cruise, you finally know where everything is. That's a fact on each and every ship, so it's not something to down grade any ship on. The ship is comfortable.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a nice balcony cabin and it was enjoyable. The only thing I would say about this cruise is that with all the cruising done at night, the balcony is not really as useful as it is on cruises with days at sea. We used the balcony, but it was almost with the feeling of we have it, we should use it, rather than it being a place to be.
When we were in port...."the daytime," we were enjoying the island, so it was a cruise that a Oceanview room would have been a better deal. You could still see out, but you wouldn't miss not having the balcony.
Ship tip
Enjoy yourself anyway that makes you happy. There's plenty to do and there's plenty of places to relax. That's what's important.
We went out on tour in each island, and we were able to take a tour on each island. Those really are a good way to get a feel for each island that is a little different from the others.
We spent a week in Honolulu before our cruise and have been there every year for 20 years. We always enjoy it even if going for a walk is the only thing we do. It's good to stay there a couple of days before your cruise because if you've come from anywhere else, a couple of days will help you recover from the Jet Lag that is unavoidable.
Doing nothing in Honolulu is still a very enjoyable experience.....now, when you do something, it's even better.
If you go to the beach, be careful with the tropical sun. It can burn you very quickly. Try to avoid going swimming in the very middle of the day.
Went on a Whale Watching excursion and it was our choice over about 4 desirable activities we wanted to do. It was a pleasure.
There are many choices, but you only have time to do one. I don't think you can really do more that one excursion per day.
We went on an excursion to visit the Hawaii Volcano National Park and Rainbow Falls.
Very enjoyable all day experience. It's great to see the ground steaming around you.....made me feel about as small as I've ever felt before. That was a really great feeling as my ego can be a bit too much sometimes. It really puts things into perspective.
Took the day off at this port. Just enjoyed a relaxing day around the ship and it was wonderful.
That's not to say there wasn't anything worth doing. There's lots of stuff....we just preferred to relax after a big day the day before.
Went on a full day tour to the Waimea Canyon. It's a beautiful place but this day was rainy and stormy and the canyon was filled with fog. That was a disappointment but luckily we had both seen it before.
Due to the storm which is certainly no fault of the tour, the last half of the tour was cancelled and we were returned to the ship.
Our bus diver/guide was very knowledgeable and fun to listen to during the drive around in the rain. He was very good. It made the time enjoyable even with the bad weather. The river was flooding and a bit dangerous so our boat ride was cancelled.
The tour was partially refunded due to being unable to complete the tour. This was to my satisfaction and I didn't have to even ask for it. They refunded half the tour price and we only missed about an hour and half of the full day.
Hi AuntPuddy,
We booked thru NCL the Haleakala Sunset Tour and the Kona Submarine Tour.
Others we booked by ourselves. Many local providers can be found in the internet.
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