We stayed at the Double Tree Hotel in San Pedro wonderful hotel we got the cruise special which allows you to leave your car in their parking lot the full cruise time with a free shuttle to and from the dock. We booked the cruise & park deal on our own which also came with free continental breakfast, it's your standard eggs, bacon, potatoes etc. Great deal as you can come up a day before your cruise for the same price as parking in the cruise lot. Embarkation in San Pedro was quick and efficient. Once we arrived at the port we were checked in and started walking the decks. Our room was on Emerald deck aft with a window, it was ready when we boarded around 1:00 pm. We got a stamp card which is a card to get you acquainted with the ship what you do if you want is go to every area posted on card get it stamped and then deposit it in a drawing bin. At sail away they will pull out the winners you might want to do this, because you can win some great prizes. My husband won $20 certificate for the slot tournament, total prizes are $1500. We then went up to the Horizon court and had nice lunch. Our room steward Allan did a great job and our waiter and his assistant (Marlo & Santi) did an awesome job. The food overall was very good, there is something for everyone. Everyone has their own opinions on the food but if you want 5 stars then you should be booking with a high end/5 star cruise line and pay their 5 star prices. We really enjoyed the sea days because it gives you some time to unwind and relax before your big days on the islands plus there are plenty of things to do on the ship. It's really up to each person to enjoy all the things/activities cruises have to offer, your vacation is as good as you make it. There were lots of craft classes, lei making, Ukeleili classes, hula classes and much more. We went to the gym each day, watched movies in the Princess theater, miniature golf, played cards/games and just relaxed. The entertainment was good the singers and dancers were good. They had a ventriloquist that was just awesome; he came in second on Brittan's got talent show. There was also a comedian from LA and he was great, he had in tears. Hilo; I had read about 'Marylou's Big Island Guided Tours' on a previous cruiser's review, so I emailed her and set up a private tour for four. For the price of one cruise ship excursion, we got five or six. She picked us up at the dock at 7:30 am and we started our adventure which lasted until 5 minutes before we had to be on the ship or 3:25 pm. We had an awesome time, Marylou took us to every place on our list; Volcano, Rainbow falls, Akaka Falls, Orchid farm, Mauna Loa Candy farm, Black sand beaches, Sea Turtles and she even stopped by Wal-Mart for us to get some water and other items. Marylou mentioned that Wal-Mart carries lots of Hawaiian gifts for friends back home at much better prices. Wal-Mart also carries Mauna Loa products, all the flavors you find at the Mauna Loa factory but for a few bucks less per package.

Honolulu; We booked our own tour with CNOA tours, via the internet. The pricing was much better and they had a bus stop 200 ft from the dock. The tour was called Royal Circle Island Tour and was about 8 hours long. This tour took us all over Honolulu/island, we saw great beaches, Beverly Hills of Hawaii, Japanese Temple, look out points and we still had time to shop when we got back to the dock.

Kauai: We booked an excursion with the cruise ship to see Waimea Canyon, it was awesome. The tour also stopped by a blow hole with a great beach and a great shopping area with great prices. When we got back to the ship we then took the free shuttle to Wal-Mart to purchase some items we needed and got back in time to board the ship before it sailed. They have two free shuttles one for Hilo Hatties and the other for Wal-Mart that comes to the dock to take passengers and crew members to their stores. Read more