Let me start out with a few disclosures: • We have never been anywhere alone as a couple-this was our first big vacation (10th anniversary!) • Neither of us had ever cruised before. • Neither of us had ever been to Hawaii. • We are fairly budget conscious but felt like we had just as much fun as the people that were dropping hundreds a day on shore excursions.

With that said, one could assume that we are fairly easy to please. I will break down our trip day by day.

Day 1-Arrival and Embarkation- We flew in the morning of embarkation. We arranged a shuttle through VIP to take us to the pier from the airport. DO NOT pay the cruise line to transfer you. We paid $18 and the cruise line wanted over $50. VIP does a straight shuttle to the pier so you don't have to stop at every hotel in Waikiki. Embarkation was easy. Waited in a 30 minute line but they have live music playing to pass the time. On board, our cabin wasn't quite ready but again, they were handing out drinks to pass the time. We wandered the ship for a bit until our room was ready. Thoughts on the room-Everyone had told us to beware how small the rooms are. I found them to be more than sufficient for two people. We had an inside cabin and had plenty of storage room. The bed was bigger than expected as well and oh, so comfy. I slept like a dream on the ship. Read more