Apologies in advance for the length of this review. I hadn't intended it to be so long, but the POA and Hawaii are a very different kind of cruise, and as I went on, I found there was a lot to say about both the ship, the crew, and the cruise. Hope you find it helpful if you're considering booking this cruise.
Our group:
Just the two of us, late middle aged (she's 50's, I'm 60), active, and we enjoy doing our own thing when we travel. We aren't big “joiners”, and don't generally do tours or excursions unless it's something we feel can be best done that way. We are long time NCL cruisers, and have been on about two-thirds of the ships in the fleet. Our preference is for the smaller ships, with the Pearl being our favorite. We've had cruise experience on other lines as well, principally Royal and Carnival.
A fantastic OS: very large, very comfortable, with a huge balcony, easily the best OS we've been in on NCL.The balcony has a hot tub, two chaise lounge chairs, and a dining table. The suite has all the usual comforts of an OS: separate bedroom and bathroom with dual sinks and separate jacuzzi tub and shower, large walk-in closet, large living area with a dining table and desk, mini-bar, and a half-bath for guests.This room is excellent for the sail-by on the Na Pali coast, but not for the overnight view of any volcanic activity between Hilo and Kona, as that shore is on the other side of the ship.