* Background Information We are a relatively young married couple (we both turned 30 recently and we've been married 8 years). We love outdoor physical activities, first rate food, and exciting entertainment and nightlife. We have cruised twice before - on Royal Caribbean (Eastern Caribbean itinerary) and Carnival (Mediterranean itinerary). We love traveling and our most recent trips have been to the Philippines, Jamaica, Japan and Las Vegas. We're going to write extensively about our experiences, and though some of it may be common knowledge to some, we hope it will help novice cruisers like us in making their choices. Hopefully our impressions of this cruise will be helpful to you!

*Before Cruising Before cruising, we stayed at the Aqua Palms and Spa (1850 Ala Moana, http://www.aquaresorts.com/aqua-boutique-hotels-1-80/aqua-palms-spa-home.aspx) which is a 10 minute walk from the Ala Moana Shopping Centre, a 5 minute walk to the beach, and a 20 minute walk from the main part (shops/restaurants) of Waikiki (or a 2 minute walk to the trolley system). We chose this hotel because of the price and because we took a Pearl Harbour Tour with NCL which had this hotel as a drop off point. This hotel cost us about $70/night (which you'll know is an awesome rate if you've looked up the other major hotels). It was nothing too fancy, but it was attractively furnished and it had a 42 inch LCD TV, clean and comfortable washroom, and balcony. The hotel staff members were friendly and helpful. We did not try their spa services or pool. The only downside to the hotel was that the wait for the elevators was sometimes slow.

**BEFORE CRUISING TIPS: - Get a map of the Waikiki Trolley system. It's $2/ride. Fully narrated, it will take you to most of the attractions in and around Honolulu - Try the beach just south of Ala Moana/Hilton Village; it's just as beautiful and slightly less crowded than the main Waikiki beach - Walk a bit further to get some good food (but be aware - food can be expensive!!) Loco Moco is awesome, but don't eat it at IHOP or the Wailana Coffee House. We didn't find it as good as at a local food court (Loco Moco is a traditional Hawaiian breakfast, we're told: easy-over eggs with a special gravy over a hamburger steak and fried rice. It may not sound awesome at first glance, but it's GOOD.) - If you like Japanese food, try Sansei in the Marriot hotel. Sit at the sushi bar and talk to the chefs. It's a bit pricey but very delicious. There are also lots of ramen (noodles in soup) shops all around. - Take the city bus ($2.25/ride). We ended up taking an hour-long ride around the city to get to Sea Life Park, and we got a really good look at the different areas of the city. Very interesting! - If you forgot something, buy what you need at an ABC store. It'll cost twice as much on the ship. - Investigate Roberts Hawaii (http://www.robertshawaii.com/) or Polynesian Adventure Tours (http://www.polyad.com/) for tours and shuttle service. The normal fare for shuttle from the airport is $10 (versus $35 by taxi) and $7 from hotel to cruise terminal. Read more