This cruise was our first and will not be our last. After what we had been reading about the Pride of Aloha, we were a little bit worried what we might find. We worried for nothing. Everything from beginning to end was a happy time for us. We traveled with cousins and spouses and each set did their own thing. NCLA has done what they can to fix things and they have done a wonderful job with a great staff that works very hard to please everyone.

We rented cars at each port except Kona, which I had an email friend I had met while planning this trip meet us. We rented from Thrifty, which was wonderful except in Hilo, where they did not have our car selection (convertible). Sounds like the supply in Hilo of convertibles is low, so we got a Jeep Cherokee, loaded for $35.99 only because of no convertible promised. I found it very helpful to keep checking prices of the rental cars ... especially online. The convertibles online were a deal, while on the phone were twice as much. For sure splurge and rent convertibles in the ports. Worth every penny. Cousins went to Hana with a rental, took about 6 hours and they still made it to Lahania afterward. They loved it, next trip for us.

My only excursion from the boat was ziplining in Kaui, which I would recommend to anyone. Very organized and was wonderful. You can book cheaper yourself, but you do need to transport yourself. But, if you are renting a car Backcounty Outfitter is good, which one set of cousins did. My husband and cousins went on an excursion to Lahina for a decent cost, while I and another cousin used our rental car to go scuba diving with Ed Robinson Diving Adventures in Maui, which were a superb diving group. Also tried to book diving in Kona but the group we wanted left earlier then our ship got to Kona. But if in Kona, try Dive Makai Charters. Read more