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We took this trip to celebrate one son graduating from college, the other graduating from high school and our 25th wedding anniversary.
Having cruised before, we knew what to expect. The cabin was a little smaller than on other cruises, but comfortable and well designed with plenty of storage space. Per recommendations on Cruise Critic, we emptied and stored all the goodies in the 'fridge and put in our own to avoid the high prices.
Our cabin steward was unobtrusive and met all our needs. The first night, he made a towel animal and left it on the bed. My husband dressed it up in a comical way. The steward got the joke which started a "top this" creative contest with the animal towels! We looked forward to each day's new creation.
We loved the buffet set up in the Aloha dining area. The kiosk method of presenting different courses made even busy times seem less chaotic. Much better than the traditional cafeteria-style line. There was always plenty of seating. There is an open deck on the aft end of the Aloha cafe, complete with its own buffet. We ate there every morning. It was never crowded. The food was typical of what it takes to feed hundreds at one time. Some things were outstanding, others just adequate, but we don't expect gourmet food in this setting.
We did not try any of the other restaurants on board, but my 18 year old became a big fan of the milk shakes ($3.50) from the Cadillac Diner.
This was the first time we experienced free style cruising and enjoyed it. This particular cruise is packed full of activities and we appreciated being able to have meals per our schedule. Many times in the evening we were tired from an active day and were content to grab something at the Aloha Cafe and spend the evening relaxing by the pool.
Disembarkation was organized very well also. There were several choices, guests could leave anytime if they carried their own luggage. Two days before the cruise ended, guests could pick up luggage tags for the time they wanted to disembark. We took an after-the-cruise tour and had special tags for our luggage. It all went very smoothly.
The ship is older, but is well maintained. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful.
My husband and I had been to Hawaii before, this was a great way to take our sons and see as much of Hawaii as possible in a short time.
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