My husband and I had never been to Hawaii, and thought a cruise would be the best way to see the most islands, a sort of "overview." The plusses: the ship was usually on time, docking at port around 7 or 8 am, so we'd be in a rental car within 15 minutes and off to see the sights. We would return just before the ship set sail, unwind a bit, have dinner, and call it an early night so we could get up and go the next day. Our inside cabin was clean, but if it were any smaller, it would have been unbearable. The food was excellent. The views of the ocean and islands were spectacular, especially when the captain cruised past the Napili coast and narrated what we were seeing. The negatives: we don't need the rediculously excessive food offerings (a quarter of the choices would have been more than adequate), objected to the pre-paid tipping policy (because we ended up tipping waiters, stewards, etc. anyway as it would have been awkward not to), and the exhorbitant charge for alcoholic beverages and the internet. We also could do without the entertainment and activities and have no need for bed turn-downs, animal-shaped towels, personal steward, and other forms of pampering and excess. But that's American cruising, the trade-off for getting to see four islands in seven days.
Inside cabin--not recommended because it is so small.
We did not take a shore cruise.