During our cruise through the Panama Canal we were given the opportunity to place a deposit on our next cruise and given a $100 credit off our account. The cruise to be taken within two years. Too good an offer to refuse. Subsequently we booked the Hawaiian cruise.

We decided to book a balcony suite on the starboard side in order to see the lava flowing into the sea after we left Hilo. I also booked the air flights so that we would arrive on the morning the cruise left and we would stay two weeks on the islands following the cruise. Three days before we were due to leave we received an email from NCL offering us an upgrade to a Penthouse with a Large Balcony for an additional $830. It was to be on the starboard side which was not going to be a problem because the lava had ceased to flow following an earthquake earlier in this year.The added bonus was that we would have an view of the Napali coast after leaving Lihue.

This upgrade has spoilt us for all future cruises. The first thing was the priority boarding after lodging our baggage ( no queuing), a glass of champagne while waiting for lunch in the Lazy J Restaurant, the location for our breakfast and lunch for the duration of the cruise if we wished. We were introduced to our concierge and butler. Read more