We are a couple on our 50's and this was our 4th cruise (second with NCL). We enjoyed our first freestyle cruise so were really looking forward to visiting several ports in Hawaii with NCL on this trip. Given the range of the reviews, I was a little apprehensive about the cruise but happily we were not disappointed and had a perfect holiday except for our trip home.

BEFORE THE CRUISE: We flew United from Winnipeg to Honolulu via Denver and had arranged for transportation and a traditional lei greeting with VIP Transportation who met us at the airport. We decided to stay in Honolulu three nights prior to the cruise to adjust to the 5 hour time change and the travel day. We stayed at the Aqua Waikiki Beachside in a 'deluxe' oceanview room. The location and million dollar view were truly exceptional but this did not compensate for the shabby condition of the hotel, the lack of amenities and indifferent service. If location is your priority and you are planning only to sleep in your room then give this hotel a try (and pay extra for the view room as the inside rooms have no windows and would make this stay even worse). If you have allergies to dust or mildew, then definitely plan to stay elsewhere as this hotel is truly in deplorable condition.

We went for a walk after checking into our room and found ourselves at Duke's in the Outrigger Waikiki for our first Mai Tai and ended up staying there for supper on the beachside patio. It's a great location and has terrific service and food. We returned there a couple more times for the fabulous breakfast buffet and lunch. Read more