We were a party of three (two adults and a 16 year old) in a balcony cabin, part of a larger group of 31 cruising together. This cruise was booked almost a year in advance and I did due diligence in research. I read reviews so I had a good idea of what to expect. Even so there were a few surprises.

The good:*Greeted with a mimosa on embarkation. I think this sets a bar that NCLA then fails to meet. *The closet in the room, love the shelves, just wish I could have figured out how to get the light to work. *Smoothie card for teens, this worked very well for us and allowed our daughter to "buy a round" for friends without breaking our bank (she just adjusted the number she got for herself). *The hula show before sail away *Maintenance was prompt in fixing our slow draining shower. *At least one server Havier of skyline comes to mind. Also our server at Jefferson's who's name escapes me. ***The Hawaiian ambassadors June and Malulani, miss them and you miss the best part of the cruise. *The lava and napali coast sail by was excellent. *I love the food station on the back deck of Aloha Cafe (as I found the cafe itself chaotic) *The debarkation complete with cookie possibly the best I've experienced. *Easy fly was a big winner for us as we still had a full day in Honolulu.

The Average: Most of the shows we saw, the crew talent show, broadway night, liars club and trivia were OK. People were doing their best with limited resources. Aloha Cafe breakfast, good selection and easy to get what you need, if you can deal with the crowd and the noise (tip go early) The "pay extra" dinner at Jefferson. This food was at least served at the correct temperature with a waiter with personality. Another tip, if you are outside of Jefferson's remember if you are leaning on the window you are giving the folks eating a close up view of you backside. The spa, this was as nice as other spa's on ships. Read the bill, the tip is 18% and included. The gym was nicely equipped and never busy. The pools and hot tubs seemed fine, although I would have loved to see an area that was exclusively for adults. Read more