Wished the ship had some competition as this is the only cruise ship that visits all four islands starting and ending at Honolulu. We found this cruise incredibly overpriced and not a good value in comparison to other cruises. As most of our time was actually spent on land (there are no sea days) we rarely ate on the ship or participated in activities. Overall, the service, entertainment, and food was very average. We expected much more considering the price point of this cruise. If you do the math, it would probably be less expensive to stay on each if the islands and book a hotel. Flights between islands are about $15O.00 per person. For my Canadian friends, there are also direct flights from Maui to Vancouver.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arrived around three pm and there were no lineups. Very easy to embark at that time. Present with a lovely lei.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Had breakfast at the buffet each morning. Lots of high carb and high fat foods. Poor selection overall. Low quality breads. One section offered capers, lemon, and onions for smoked salmon. When I asked about the smoked salmon the server pointed to a tiny container containing salmon mousse. It was a joke I thought.Dinner in the dinning room was also very mediocre. Nothing special. However, dinner at the specialty restaurants was amazing. We tried three but then there is a fee for these.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
No comment as we were too busy doing shore activities. Pools are small and the fitness centre lacked many things. For example, no cleaning wipes to clean off machines when done.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Saw a few shows but they paled in comparison to other shows we had seen on other ships. The magician was terrible.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Our cabin steward was wonderful. Service overall by other staff members was good but not exceptional. I call Jamie the invisible cruise director. You could hear her voice over the intercom but she never seemed to be around. It’s been the first time I’ve experienced a cruise director not being present to introduce the shows. She was not very interactive. Perhaps she is shy.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Overall not bad with the exception of the public bathrooms. They were run down and not carefully monitored. Layout of ship was good and easy to find most areas. The only exception was the fitness area as the signs were not clearly labeled. It was really confusing to find.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Loved our balcony as it was larger than what we had on previous ships. Our steward consistently kept our cabin clean. Surprisingly, the interior of the cabin was in much better shape than I anticipated.
Ship tip
We only booked one excursion from the ship: The Director’s Cut. Very worthwhile. Other excursions were far too costly. Consider taking renting a car or booking excursions when you arrive. There are also free shuttles or Hop on Hop Off buses. Do your research beforehand.
Very expensive city and extremely commercialized. We spent two days here before the cruise and four days afterwards. We purchased a four day ticket pass for the Hop on Hop Off bus. We were able to see many interesting places as they have six lines. The blue line was the best as it took you out of the city for some incredible views. As our hotel was near Waikiki Beach and shopping areas, we were able to walk to most places. Be sure to eat at Duke’s and Tommy Bahama. Excellent food!
We rented a car here for two days. Our friends, who own a condo in Maui, took us sightseeing. Road to Hana is overrated. There are so many other beautiful places to see and things to do that spending 9 hours driving down a curvy road didn’t seen worthwhile.
One of our favourite islands. We did the Director’s Cut excursion. Kaleo our guide was amazing! The entire excursion was very scenic and we visited many locations where famous movies were filmed. A wonderful lunch at a restaurant was also included. Stunning scenery at Opaekaa Falls. A must do. Book early as this excursion sells out quickly. The following day we took a free shuttle into town and walked around. Bring your swimsuits as the beach is right there.
In my humble opinion, this cruise was far too expensive when compared to the price point of other cruises I have taken. When I choose a cruise it is always about the itinerary. Hawaii is lovely but do are many other places. For this cruise, we paid $595.00 CDN each per night for a balcony suite which did not include the mandatory tips. The room was very ordinary and smaller than what we had on other ships. Not to mention, other cruises had better quality food, better entertainment and service, as well as nicer accommodations. Yes, Hawaii is expensive, but I felt NCL really took advantage of their customers. What I really found offensive were all the taxes and additional charges added to our bill.
Disagree. For a family of four, taking flights all over the islands and paying for food would get quite expensive. Waikiki charges $42 for a large pepperoni pizza at the Hilton and hotdogs are $10. Not to mention my hotel on Waikiki was $400 for one night. I felt like I was bleeding money there....
I paid $416 total for the entire trip to rent a minivan on Oahu, Maui, Hilo, and Kauai ($64/day)
For our first time to Hawaii, there was no better way to see the islands! I also had an owner’s suite, which I absolutely loved. It was room 13500 and it was perfect for the extra day at sea that we got when we missed port in Kona and sailing the Nepali coast. Deck was so large I could have fit 50 people on it and the room was incredible!
I now know exactly where I want to come back and vacation in Hawaii and have found several AirBNB rentals in the areas that we liked. This cruise was absolutely worth it, in my opinion.
This cruise is all about the itinerary and not about the ship. Being able to see multiple islands in Hawaii without having to spend time packing, unpacking, taking multiple flights and checking in / out of multiple hotels is definitely an advantage. There are a couple of small ships that do a similar itinerary, but they start at $ 5,000+ for a week. The other alternatives for mainstream cruise lines are 14-16 day itineraries from the mainland that usually have only 4 ports in Hawaii and spend 9 - 10 days at sea.
Yes the same review as thousands of previous ones. The cruise itself is way overpriced for a less than average ship, service, food, etc. I'm surprised guests are still surprised when most every review is similar.
You nailed when you said there is no competition so they can charge whatever they want. Research the Jones Act and you will know why that is. Planes and hotels may be cheaper if you are willing to spend your time in airports, checking in hotels, and packing suitcases instead of enjoying a sub par cruise ship which is still pretty good.
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