Overall, a great way to travel around the islands. Plenty of things to do off the ship and the ship overall is relaxing.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Calm, streamlined, comfortable experience
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Cagney's and The Jefferson were excellent. Quality steaks and dinner options. Very tasty. Love Moderna's salad bar. Their filet is very good but the rest of the meats are average in my opinion. Enjoyed Skyline/Liberty for sit down breakfasts and the buffet at Aloha was very nice as well. Did not appreciate that they shut down the ice cream machine between 3-5p daily. Typically 3p is about the time returning from an excursion so was disappointed to not be able to grab a treat mid-day.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Although, like other cruises, this cruise had a daily schedule of activities, but it seemed much less than other we've been on. There was no bingo or casino (Hawaii does not allow gambling). There was no big dance production as seen on other ships. Went to see a Hawaiian dance-type show and a comedian. Both were good. There was only one main pool area (had 2 pools) and a small pool at the front of the ship. There were 3-4 Jacuzzis. Nice library. The shopping area was adequate. Not much to do that I could see for children/teens. They did have a large gym, place to play basketball, and your standard life-size chess/checkers.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Only saw 2 shows, the Hawaiian dancers and a comedian. Not over the top fantastic but entertaining and good enough.
Children's Programs
No children with us on this cruise.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Norwegian's staff is top of the notch. Waitstaff is always accommodating and personable. Guest service staff were helpful and attentive. Our room steward was always upbeat and kept our room in great shape.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Design was okay. Our rooms were towards the stern and when we went to the main dining rooms, we were unable to get through to the rest of the ship (had to travel up or down a level). All of the areas were clean and well-maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was clean and well kept. Decent size. Had plenty of space for the 2 of us to store our belonging. Shower fit us well enough but may not have been comfortable for larger persons. We had a partial obstructed view which wasn't bad at all. Very small bump out to our right side (another cabin's balcony) but didn't inhibit privacy.
Ship tip
This cruise seems to be geared more towards an older clientele. Would not recommend if traveling with small children (not much for them to do or so it seems).
Did our own excursion here and it was excellent. We mapped out one day where we visited Diamondhead, Makapuu Lighthouse, Tropical Farms, Waimea Valley, Dole Plantation and other scenic stops along the way. Another day we spent at Kauloa Ranch (a must see).
We spent 2 days in Maui and did the Pa'ia Town & Twin Falls excursion, and the Maui Downhill Bicycle Adventure. Both tours were extremely enjoyable. Pa'ia is a great area for shopping and dining, and the downhill biking was exciting and refreshing.
On this island, we booked the Best of Big Island & Volcanoes National Park tour with American Airlines. Great tour and much less expensive than what NCL was charging. Got to walk through a lava tube, saw Rainbow Falls, stopped for Kona coffee & macadamia nuts, walked on a black sand beach and saw sea turtles.
Kauai is a beautiful island. We did 3 tours here. Day 1) The Director's Cut tour and Day 2) Bike Explorer and Jungle Falls Hike. Day 2 was amazing. The bike tour was self-guided and at your own pace. Absolutely stunning views of the coast. Only wish we had about an hour more time-wise (3 hours was just not enough as I would have liked to spend more times in the shopping area). The ride overall is about 13 miles if you choose to do the entire patch. The Jungle hike tour was challenging but the swim and waterfalls was well worth it. I would not recommend the Director's Cut tour. Basically just a bus ride watching videos of movies filmed on the island but not really sure where. A couple of photo stops but nothing breathtaking.
Well done. You did exactly whatvthe cruise is designed for, experiencing the uniqueness of Hawaii and not a party cruise. We love it and have the same experiences. Doing eighth POA cruise in a couple of months.
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