This is my second cruise. The first was on NCL to Hawaii for 7 days. The only thing about the two cruises that was similar was the price. So we booked two category 11 suites and hoped for the best. We loved the Carnival Spirt and all the nice people who work on that ship.
We flew to Honolulu and stayed one night pre-cruise at the Halekulani. If you ever want to go to heaven on earth this is the hotel to try out. The service is 5 star. We stayed around the beautiful pool and had a great dinner in the Orchid's restaurant.
Next day we took a taxi to Aloha Tower to the Carnival Spirit. Since we were in suite rooms we had VIP boarding but no need for that. There was no line and in short order we were on the Spirit. And greeted into the wonderful atrium lobby with glass elevators and a wonderful lobby bar where we were to spend several quiet and happy times.