We choose to cruise on NCL as it is the only cruise line that travels 4 Hawaiian islands in 7 days starting and ending in Honolulu. We have been used to personalized service on other cruise lines like Princess or Holland America to name 2 out of the 5 cruise lines that we have sailed with on more than one occasion. The service in the dining room on the 5th floor is significantly lacking with delayed wait times and staff who lauder around the main area where they food comes to from the kitchen before it is delivered to you (for both breakfast and supper). In spite of having a pre-set dining time, you are set at a different table each night at the service is mediocre. There was one male server (David) from Long Beach, California who was great but other than that the rest of the staff need significant training in customer service, how to change table clothes in a dining room and overall interaction with guests.

NCL limits the amount that you use your soda card and has no centralized spot on the ship to use your card - only in the dining areas. They do not offer a complimentary cup like all the other cruise ships with the soda card. You can not get regular coffee at the coffee bar on the 5th floor but need to go to the 11th floor. There is no charge for regular coffee so that this why it is not on the 5th floor coffee bar as they want you to buy lattes and specialty coffee drinks.

We rarely saw the steward to clean our room like in other cruise ships when they were available all the time. We were in/out of room various times in the evening and our room was cleaned during the day and then later in the evening. There is no on turn service of the bed in the evening. Read more