I liked the idea of visiting four Hawaiian islands in seven days and cruising at night. Apparently Norwegian is the only cruise line that currently does this. Having a monopoly may help explain a lot.

Firstly, I want to state that this is only my second cruise, so I only have one other cruise line to compare Norwegian to, and this is what my comments are based on. Cruising from island to island at night is great. The sound of the water and the rocking of the ship makes for a wonderful night's sleep. The rooms are clean and our room steward was fantastic. Most of the staff are very friendly and helpful, and the ship has most of the amenities that the other cruise ship offered, but less activities during the day, which is to be expected, since the vast majority of folks (including us) spend their day exploring the islands.

But compared to our Alaskan cruise, it became obvious that not all cruise lines are created equal. The ship layout is less than desirable. For example, on some decks you can't get from one end to the other without going outside, there is only a couple of elevators that go directly to the third deck, which is where the access to docks are most of the time, etc. The food service is not nearly as good as our Alaskan cruise. The buffet is smaller, so there is much less variety and sometimes it is very difficult to get a seat during peak times. Food quality is spotty; for example the prime rib was cooked well done, which made it tough, the brisket was cooked medium, which made it very tough, etc. I would be nice if the cooks would know how to properly prepare the food they're serving. Also, no food is available during specific times, which means you have to eat on the ship's schedule, not your own. They seemed to try and "nickel and dime" us more that usual by charging for most things other cruise ships provided at no cost (things other than alcohol, which I understand). Not as many activities offered early morning or later in the evening when most people are on board. Read more