Despite the many changes in itinerary, and the fact that we never made it to Kauai because of a storm, this cruise was very good. The inside cabin, while miniscule, was clean, functional and very quiet (except for the occasional rolling carts above our heads on the pool deck). We were on Deck 10, which was very convenient in that we did not have to take any elevator to get to breakfast and the buffet line at the Hukila. Every meal we had at the specialty restaurants (we ate at all three) were excellent, although the portions were sometimes pathetically small (1 lambchop as an entree!) The trick is to always order two or more appetizers, or entrees, as well as desert. I know that sounds like a lot, but believe me, it's the way to go. The only specialty restaurant that had reasonably sized entrees was the Italian restaurant, Kahili (which, by the way, was beautiful). The Bistro was also very beautiful, very art deco. The strolling Hawaiian singers were a great touch. We also ate at the main restaurants a few times. They were nice, but often much louder than the specialty restaurants because of the number of people, many groups, and of course, many small children. I preferred The Crossings to The Palace for my choice of main restaurant. It just had more wood, seemed cozier, and was terrific for lunch. (Whale watching out the back windows was a real treat).

Service was good. Keep in mind, however, some of the servers are young and quite chatty. Many like to discuss their personal life with guests, I'm not quite sure why, but some just seemed anxious to reveal personal details about their life in the middle of a meal. However, there were some professional servers who had the maturity to simply take your order and graciously leave unless you need them. All servers were pleasant and went out of their way to make the experience a good one. I like the fact that if you don't finish your wine at dinner, they hold it for you and wherever you are on the boat the next day, you just tell your server and they retrieve it. Very convenient.

We rented a car in each port (Hertz Gold service - well worth the fee) and went sightseeing. We saw everything we wanted to and really enjoyed the freedom it gave us. Of course, we purchased The Entertainment Book for Hawaii because we knew we would not be taking any tours and could take advantage of the lunch coupons. And, because we would be staying in Oahu for pre and post stays we easily saved a few hundred dollars throughout the trip. The special show tickets for Oahu were really super savers. Half off on shows, luaus, great restaurants, ATV adventures, horseback riding, everything. Read more