The Only reason I rated this cruise with 4 points rather than a barely average "3" is due to the wonderful enrichment activities developed and run by TikiDave & his wife Alohalei. I was one of the lucky 70 cruisers who got in line early enough on the first day to participate in Dave's progressive ukulele classes throughout the duration of the cruise. Given a loaner uke to keep for the entire trip, this was the most enjoyable activity I can remember having on any previous cruise! Dave is an incredibly masterful teacher and made the classes so much fun. Even practicing during down-time in my cabin was enjoyable. Dave also was the Cruise port expert who gave the port talks in great & helpful detail Alohalei gave progressive hula lessons throughout the cruise; and the 2 classes combined to give a performance on the last day before Ensenada. On sea days, the 2 of them provided a daily Hawaiian craft activity for nominal fees depending on what craft you chose.

The most strikingly negative thing about this cruise (reflected in my subject line) was that for a ship dedicated to an itinerary with just 5 ports and a whopping 9 sea days, the main theater is simply too small to accommodate the passengers attending 2 evening shows. The previous reviewer correctly stated that all seats were completely filled 30-45 minutes before the start of most every show. This is a LONG time to sit and wait every night. And there seemed always to be about 50-60 people packed standing in the back or along the side stairs. This situation really needs to be fixed. Obviously, the sea days are when everyone is looking for entertainment opportunities. And the Explorer Lounge and Piazza were similarly packed unless you arrived way early and waited for 30+ minutes.

The ship seems dated to me, with the smallest shower stall I've had in a long time in a standard verandah cabin, and just 2 electric outlets with no recharging USB ports. The bamboo chair frames in the buffet dining area are worn out and grimey. Very expensive wifi was worse than dial-up speed, and often completely non-functional for any internet task. I have been on many cruise ships with many different lines, and have Never had wifi this bad. It wasn't funny, but I had to laugh at the signs in the Internet/Computer room that read "Faster than ever Internet Wifi"!! The rate charged for this abysmal "service" is disgusting. Read more