Just returned from the 7 night Hawaiian cruise on POA. Having read some not so glowing reports about this cruise, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised once we got on board. The crew was pleasant and extremely helpful, although not as "fawning" as an international crew. This was not a negative though, they still performed outstandingly in my opinion. The only downside to crew is the fraternization with guests. We went to the ship sponsored luau on Kauai and had 10 or so drunken, obnoxious crew members on the bus back to the ship. The ship itself is in fantastic shape.

Our balcony cabin was clean and everything worked properly. If I hadn't already known that it was close to two years old, I would have sworn it was brand new All of the food was great also. Easily as good or better than what we have had on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruises. The specialty restaurants can be difficult to get a reservation, but are worth the try and even just showing up and waiting for an available table. Aloha Cafe (buffet) was always busy, but the staff kept the food stocked and hot. We did several shore excursions through NCL and a couple through local tour companies. I would suggest doing some research on available tours through outside companies as they were quite a bit cheaper then through the cruise line.

Overall, I would recommend this cruise to anyone who wants to get a good view of the Hawaiian islands. This was the first trip to Hawaii for both myself and my wife and we could not have had a better trip (unless it was longer).