We did enjoy the cruise, stayed a few nights in Waikiki prior where we rented a car and had a good time..Waikiki beautiful but crowded, drive up coast to North Shore was great and really beautiful..embarkation was smooth, went at noon or so. We are first time on NCL, have always gone Celebrity, but it was necessary to see islands in a week and NCL has that wrapped up. The ship itself was very nice, tons of places to hang out, lots of nice bars, lots to see, activities all day if you participate, multiple eating venues.

Food was just OK, buffet was fair, but I'm a healthy eater, so it's not easy for me. I did manage to find salad items, omelets etc, buffet is super crowded and kind of "every man for himself" type vibe. We ate in the aft patio which was very nice, as eating inside in Aloha Cafe was not our thing. Tried both Liberty and Skyline dining at night, not great IMO..just OK..service was good however. We had the specialty dining package and tried Jefferson Bistro, Cagney's and La Cucina. Cagney's & Bistro were best, La Cucina, OK, but family w screaming out of control kids, kind of ruined it for us. Service was always good however..friendly, hardworking staff...drink prices are not cheap, be aware that tip is added on, no need to tip twice as I did once.

We only took one shore excursion, beach day in Maui..was nice, but be advised, we spent over $80 for a pretty average lunch at Wailea Beach Resort..should have brought sandwiches from the ship..or bought something ahead of time..beach was really pretty, warm water..other days we rented cars, which we liked, it allowed us freedom to do our own thing. Shore excursions for us were too long, and very expensive, so car rentals worked out well for us, all ports were good, Captain's stops at Lava Flow on Hawaii and Na Pali coast on Kauai were great. Each island so pretty and unique..lots to see. Read more