After reading reviews of POA we were concerned not only that we had booked for ourselves but that we had also booked my elderly parents and my mobility challenged brother. The reviews we read prior to leaving did not offer us much hope and so we anticipated at best an average experience or at worst a less than pleasant experience. My husband and I are Platinum Plus with NCL and we generally enjoy the NCL experience (our favorite ships are the jewel class with the Jade being a standout). My brother booked one of the Studio cabins and he loved it. It was nicely appointed and very modern, My folks decided on an interior room and liked the room once the beds were separated giving the room or a more spacious feel. We booked an interior exterior (7177) and for as far as inside cabins go it was spacious and spotless. The bathroom was tight but oh well. The cruise was expensive when compared to the Caribbean but after all it is an American ship with large portion of the crew being American.

From embarkation to disembarkation we had a WOW experience! The ship was beautiful and is now one of our favorites, the food in the MDR was very good and we found Cagney's to be excellent, Jefferson's Bistro excellent, and La Cucina - excellent. Every staff member was gracious and welcoming. We had waiters (Margarita) who greeted us elsewhere and onshore with warm hugs and genuine smiles. Kelani , the secretary to the Hotel Manager (Kai) was wonderfully hospitable and really exhibited the Aloha spirit. The crew and the service was a standout for us, far better than what we have received on large mega ships plying the Caribbean. We were treated so very kindly, special care was paid to my parents and brother - we did not request or pre-arrange - the staff did this naturally and we were touched and very pleased at this display of true hospitality! On the last night the family decided to have dinner in Cagneys, we were seated at a bad table near the kitchen well in earshot of a loud and obnoxious VIP female passenger - my 86 year old father was getting more and more agitated and vocal about his displeasure - the maitr'd saw what was happening and when I got up to ask to be moved quickly, she informed me it was already arranged and we would move as soon as they set the new table well away from the nuisance - extremely well handled and turned what was starting out as a horrible experience to a fabulous one. The ship was spotless and in excellent repair - she gleamed like a classic Hawaiian resort and we loved the décor and furnishings. The shows were ok but the best was the guitarist/soloist that played on the back deck under the awnings - Aloha deck - he was fabulous and this was a wonderful place for sail away from each island and late breakfasts in the morning. The sail away from Kauai was spectacular and sailing the coastline was one of the most memorable parts of the trip. We have been to HI many times but this was amongst the most memorable. We booked excursions from the ship in Maui, Hilo, and Kauai - my father was physically unable to go on the pre-booked excursions and the excursions staff went out of their way and did far more than we expected to assist and accommodate him. We have been on 80 plus cruises and have seldom experienced the level of genuine hospitality and warmth we received on POA. They greatly endeared us to them, the POA, and NCL. From having such low expectations - came such a surprising and wonderful experience for our family - I cannot thank then enough nor tell them how very much their kindness meant to us. I would highly recommend this ship as well as the Hilo Crater bike tour and the Movie Tour on Kauai - really good way to see the island's most scenic spots.