Man, reading the reviews prior to our cruise, I was worried that the staff was going to be rude, the food was going to be horrible, and the ship was going to smell. DON'T WORRY... You're going to have the time of your life! First, let me say that I've worked in the Hospitality Industry for 20 years, and I won't stand for poor service. There was nothing to worry about on this trip. Every, single staff member that I had the pleasure of speaking with could not have been more polite, engaging and helpful. In all honesty, they were SO nice. We ate the breakfast buffet each morning at the Aloha Cafe, and it was perfectly fine with lots of options to choose from. My two children really enjoyed the "kids buffet," so that they could be independant and serve themselves. For dinner, we went to the Skyline, the Liberty Room and the Cadillac Diner, and all were great. Seriously! We never went hungry, that's for sure. Each night, the entire family went to the show and were thoroughly entertained. My five year old daughter went to the Splash Academy on our final night, and I was regretting not allowing her to go more often once I saw & heard how much fun she had. There were plenty of activities on the ship for small children (pool, checkers, arcade, basketball, etc.), but, the main reason this cruise is so great, of course, are the beautiful islands that you get to visit. Each one gets more and more beautiful, with Kauai being our favorite (take a taxi to Poipu Beach... you won't regret it)!