This was our second time to do this cruise. The first time was back in 2005 on Pride of Aloha and at that time we had already been on 4 cruises with other cruise lines. We were used to the big dining experience and were not too happy with the "freestyle cruising." But this time was different because it was our 11th cruise overall, and our 2nd with NCL. The first time on NCL was in Jan 2014 on the Jewel. We went with two other couples and really enjoyed being able to have dinner whenever we felt. Also, there was not pressure to dress or bring formal attire.
So, back to this cruise: We really enjoyed boarding the ship in Honolulu and cruising the islands, and then flying home. We live on the west coast and there are 13-15 day round trip cruises to Hawaii, but you never know what kind of seas you're going to get while crossing the Pacific (both ways).
There were 8 of us and getting to the ship from the airport was easy because we split up and took two taxis which cost about $27 (including tip) for each vehicle. The check in process went smoothly and we were on board in less than 30 minutes. The ship was clean, the food was good, and we saw the islands (2 days Maui, 2 days Big Island, 2 days Kauai) in 7 days. Our cabin steward was great, and because we had a large party, we were able to reserve the same table for dinner every night and had the same server (Mercy)which made our dining experience very nice and personal. When we debarked on our last day in Honolulu we were able to take a shore excursion to Pearl Harbor which then took us to the airport.
We enjoy being towards the back of the ship and 7666 was a basic balcony cabin. The cabin was clean and the bed was towards the closet. There was a coffee maker, but we had pastries and coffee delivered via room service every morning. The bathroom was basic, with your typical little round shower with the curtain that tends to want to stick to your body. The balcony was a basic size with 2 chairs and a small table.