Travel: Embarkation and debarkation were very efficient and easy, about 45 minutes at 1:00 to get on. Getting off was simply swiping your card one last time and walking off ship. Shuttles were waiting outside. We found at times it was challenging to navigate the streets due to not knowing how to read or pronounce the names of the streets. Kauai was the easiest island to navigate. A GPS would have been very beneficial. Many of the locals we ran into did not speak native Hawaiian and can not pronounce the names of the streets to give directions either. Many (not all) of the well known sights, Bonsai Pipeline, many famous beaches, are not marked on any island, definitely have a good idea of where you are headed. Besides navigating, it is very easy to do the entire trip on your own with a rental car Baggage storage is available at the pier after the cruise for $5 a bag. You can store bags until 8 pm. "Easy Fly" is also available (post-cruise) through NCL for $25 per person (plus airline fee if any). You will get your boarding pass and luggage tags for up to 2 bags per person. Put your bags out at midnight and you will not see your bags until you get off the plane at home. This basically eliminates the need to store anything at the pier so depending on your number of bags it is not a very expensive add-on. Overnight parking is VERY limited. Especially in Maui!!! In the winter it is dark by about 6:00. There is nothing to see off your balcony unless until you are getting into port in the morning. In the winter, Wednesday and Friday night's can be pretty rough sailing.

Shuttles / Ports: Every major car company has a shuttle right at the pier to take you to get your car. They are all very short rides to the airports to get your cars. Wal-mart, K-mart, and several other free shuttles are located at all the piers. Parking is limited at night. If you have some slowpokes in your group you can easily get off the ship and get your car and be back to pick them up by 8:30 - 8:45 if you want. Ship: The entire staff was extremely friendly, almost overly friendly. It seems like management has been reading their own bad reviews, because it everyone was making it a priority to speak to you or ask if you needed anything. Food and dining services onboard ranged average to excellent depending on where you ate. (Details to follow). Freestyle cruising is very easy and accommodating to your schedule. The rooms, though small, have ample space and storage. We were in a balcony room deck 8 way up front. We had a larger than normal balcony about 11' deep. It was very nice to have the extra space. The ship had lots of amenities, but not having any sea days makes you fairly tired and we did not see all the ship. Hand sanitizers were everywhere! The Aloha cafe was usually "busy" but never a long wait. I all depends on your timing, if you are going anywhere at "peak" time it is going to be crowded...Just like being off the ship. If you are a little early or a little later there is not much of a wait. In the morning the omelet lines were fast if you got there a little ahead of the crowd. I'm amazed at the people who complain about a wait, but choose to get there when everyone else wants one too.... There was always a good selection of average to pretty good food.

Suggestions: Each port has several magazines available with coupons for shopping and tours. You can save substantially looking through the magazines. Also, there are maps and magazines available at the car rental places with similar coupons. Bring plenty of hangers; there is more hanger space than drawer space but ample storage either way. No plug in bathroom for normal hairdryer or razor. Hairdryer and coffee makers are provided in the room Bring an over the door shoe organizer +/- $7. They are great for placing all the little things that you want to find easily and quickly. Cell phone, card key, camera, all the little stuff, etc.. Bring a GPS if you have one. Don't try to do to much....There is so much to do and see you can drive your self crazy trying to see it all. Have a general plan and organized itinerary and make the most of what you see. We took 50% more clothes than we needed. I was in a bathing suit and T-shirt 90% of the time. Dining can be very casual. Ladies were wearing Hawaiian dresses everywhere. Hawaiian dresses are very cheap to buy. If you are planning on hiking the NaPali coast, a good pair of those "Reef" brand or suitable hiking sandals or shoes is highly recommended. The hike is very muddy and 90 %of the trail was wet. Hawaii is not as expensive as I thought it would be. Most of the island meals were big enough to split portions. Bring binoculars!!! You can rent camera excellent camera lenses for your digital SLR's online. Get a good one zoom fits all for your general shots so you are not lugging around lots of camera stuff. Learn to use the lens before you go....You will be too far from the coast to get a good camera shot of the lava with out a pretty big zoom. If you are friendly to the staff they will really try to work with you and help. We did hear some complaints about cabin stewards, but we had a very good steward.