We were on the 8-22 to 8-29 sailing of the POA. I was both apprehensive but optimistic for our cruise. I felt that I was well armed with information gleaned from previous passengers to weather anything the ship threw at me. I thought some of the negative reviews may have been over the edge, boy was I wrong.

The ship is every bit as bad as these recent reviews have indicated and I have a new found respect for those that have written them. Don't attack them, in my opinion they are right.

First, the ship itself: it is a beautiful ship. Very nice decorations. The Blue Hawaii was a personal favorite of mine with its vibrant colors. Even the main atrium where the Palace restaurant and the reception and shore desks are are pretty. They kept much of the older wood background in the atrium, but with the new Hawaiian murals, they have made it look wonderful. The Palace restaurant was the most pretty of the restaurants in my opinion. Don't miss the Outrigger Lounge on Deck 11 at the front. Great place to sit and enjoy the view, especially at night. Hint: don't miss the front outside deck area of this lounge. Many people don't realize that you can get out there. There is a door leading to this secluded deck area near the front left of the Outrigger Lounge. Read more