We took the NCL Jewel in '15 to Alaska. The food was great, the staff was great, the excursions were great. The POA is not the same. The food is okay....not great, but not horrible. You need to season everything. We booked 3 shore excursions with the ship, and there was some sort of issue with each one. We were also overcharged on our prepaid service and gratuities. Drinks are not included. You feel quite nickeled-and-dimed to death. The shows were quite boring
However, the crew was great. Our cabin attendant always had a smile on his face. There were some great people in the dining areas (Ahmed and Daniel from the Restaurant Management team and Delvin in the Skyline). The cruise director's quirkiness is quite entertaining as well.
If this is your first cruise, you'll have a great time. If it is not, you may be a bit disappointed. However, it's Hawaii....how bad can it really be??? I'd do it again in a heart beat.
We had a port side balcony. The room was surprising spacious, and the views of the Na'Pali coastline from our room was amazing.
One point of note: The map on the website indicates you'd be able to see the Big Island's coast from this side. The captain switched direction on the trip around Hawai'i to see the lava flow, so we ended up on "the wrong side" for that viewing. Not complaining...seeing this is great, but wanted to note it if you think you can see it from your room.