This was our 5th NCL cruise and was booked "spur of the moment". The price was about right, we love Honolulu and the Hawaiian islands, so what could we lose? We had heard numerous negative critiques about earlier sailings of this particular ship because NCL, in order be in compliance with the Jones Act which requires that only US citizens may be hired as crew members when no foreign port is part of the itinerary, hired only Americans. People told us that both cabin and dining room service was poor, crew members rude, lazy, etc. because the college age Americans simply refused to work the very long cruise ship hours,(no 8 hour days for the staff members as all cruisers know). Reading Cruise Critic members' positive reviews helped us make our decision to give it a try. Fortunately, that earlier situation has changed. The crew is still American, but many were naturalized citizens, or older, or eager Hawaiians willing to work when jobs are scarce in Hawaii. We were very pleasantly surprised with the customary excellent service of our cabin steward and the dining room waitstaff. Anyone who has sailed on NCL ships knows that they are not stuffy. Life was particularly laid back on this Hawaiian island Thanksgiving week cruise. We enjoyed our 7 days very much and certainly would recommend this cruise. Embarkation was the best we've ever experienced on any of our cruises.

We got upgraded from an inside cabin to a balcony cabin for an additional $50 per person once for the entire cruise. However, the cabin actually seemed smaller because we had the balcony. It would have been nicer if the occupant in the cabin next door hadn't smoked cigars or been on his cell phone a lot. It is too bad that smoking is permitted in cabins and balconies.