Although my husband and I have cruised and visited Hawaii many times, this was our first on NCL, and was chosen because we wanted to visit all the major islands. We'd only been to Oahu and Kauai before. Let me begin by stating that 'mixed' is the best way to describe our reactions to this ship, it's staff and it's amenities. Rather than a day-by-day recap, I'll cover different aspects of our experience.

Check-in/out: About average for any full ship (this was a holiday sailing), with a long line (both times) that moved at decent speed. No issues. I DO highly recommend Roberts Hawaii (gorabbit.com) for all transfers; airport to hotel to ship to airport or any combination. Taxis to Waikiki from HNL cost over $40.

Cabin: Smallish, but we expected this from other reviews. We brought only casual clothes, the closet was adequate (about 5' long), shelf/drawer space was adequate. Tip for 1st-time cruisers - toss out excess paperwork DAILY! Otherwise you'll soon be drowning in a sea of sale offers, daily schedules, receipts, etc... The bathroom was small, but by keeping hair products on an upper shelf in the cabin (blow dryer was on a wall above the desk), we had enough counter space. Bathrooms have dispensers for hand soap, shower gel and shampoo. We picked up a cheap bottle of conditioner at Wal Mart in Kahului and left it when we checked out, something I often do when traveling. Another tip - I always travel with a folding, collapsible, springy basket into which all my cosmetics and loose grooming items go. It keeps them corralled and folds flat in luggage. A lifesaver in small cabin bathrooms. Linens were good, but not opulent. Mirrors were a plus, well-placed and useful, we even had a full-length one. Water pressure was excellent, but it was difficult to get hot water around 8 in the morning. It was warm enough, but not quite hot. Showering earlier or later, no problem. Read more