This cruise is the best way to see all of the islands of Hawaii. The cruise line does not cruise the coast on the final day so be aware of this issue. After speaking with other cruisers we realized rental cars are the way to go. So if you plan correctly renting cars will afford you the best opportunity to see the islands at your pace. The road to Hana was driven at our pace and after speaking with cruisers that took the tours they were somewhat disappointed that not all stops happened. We choose the Volcano Park and only saw a small portion. Again cruisers that rented cars talked about seeing a ton more than we did. Best advice I can give is book an aft cabin and rent cars at every stop that is available and plan accordingly and it will be a trip of a lifetime.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy process and was on the ship in no time
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room was a disappointment and we ate buffet and Cadillac Diner for most meals. We ate at the skyline restaurant once and it was a disaster the waiter was not interested in serving or doing their job. We decided after this experience to just eat at the buffet and Cadillac diner.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools were typical ship pools. Nothing great or bad either way.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Musicians and comedian were on point and an enjoyable break from island activities
Children's Programs
No Children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Waitstaff as mentioned earlier were non existent, room steward was excellent and kept the room tidy and spoke with us daily to ensure our needs were being met. The ship personnel were always welcoming and ready to help if needed.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship seemed choppy as on most floors the port side was closed off because of restaurants, spa and gym.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Aft cabin was awesome and allowed us to see many things without worrying about being on the correct side of the ship. As we passed islands we always had an excellent view. Only thing that would have made it better would have been a floor above. The cabin above us could see onto our balcony but were great with ensuring we had our privacy if needed.
Ship tip
Skip the shore excursions and rent a car as much as possible. You can still go to all locations and you can have the freedom to stay or leave at your leisure.
We did take the grand tour on our return trip and this was excellent. Our flight did not leave until 8pm so this was a great way to spend the day without worrying about luggage or traffic knowing we would get to the airport at the appropriate time.
Volcano Park was a bust on the bus off the bus then the bus broke down so did not get to see downtown Hilo and wasted half of the trip waiting on the side of the road for bus repairs
Great port should have rented a car so that we could have seen more. Uber driver was awesome and took us many places to ensure the trip was successful.
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