We choose this 7 day cruise and a pre-cruise stay on Oahu as a college graduation trip for our two soon to be graduates. Winter break turned out to be the best fit and travel is a bit more affordable and less crowded after the holidays so that is how we arrived at our travel date. Embarkation was a breeze; after arriving around 1 pm. We had booked the family suite with large balcony on the aft port corner of the ship. This was an extravagance but it came with suite privileges The balcony was HUGE with two loungers, a small table and four chairs. Cabins are compact and with the couch and love seat pulled out there was no where to sit in the evenings except the beds. But honestly, we were always so tired we just crashed anyway so it wasn't too much of an issue.

A cruise ship allows you to travel between islands at night; saving lost days at airports and check ins at hotels. The ship décor is Americana. We did not experience much of the negatives recorded about the ship and service. One minor episode of "smell" deck 6 midship but very localized and avoidable and not noted at later times. There was no odor along passenger corridors. Crew were very pleasant and helpful at almost every turn. There were a few exceptions but it far exceeded my expectations after reading Cruise Critic reviews.

Dining: We tried almost everything. We had the 4 night specialty dining package as a promotion and used it to try Cagney's, Teppanyaki, Modernos, and La Cucina. Our favorite restaurant was Cagney's. We had excellent service there for breakfast and lunch options as suite privilege and it was a highlight. We tried Teppanyaki's for the experience and have never eaten that style before so can't really compare the performance or food in any way. Moderno's was excellent - make sure to try the grilled pineapple with brown sugar. La Cucina - the food was good but this was the last night after Na Pali coast sail by and there seemed to be problems with either the kitchen or service; very uneven but the food was good. We also tried and liked Cadillac Diner, Liberty, Skyline once each and the Aloha buffet here and there. As a footnote - if you leave at 3 am for the Haleakala Sunrise, Cadillac has grab and go items out that morning for the early departing guests. Read more