Hawaii was a "bucket list" item for me and my wife, and this cruise seemed a very good way of seeing a lot of the 50th state without having to unpack. We arrived in Honolulu the Wednesday prior to our Saturday departure, and were pleased to be upgraded to an oceanfront room at the Embassy Suites. After resting up on Thursday we toured Oahu and visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. I will post a review of that attraction over there.
Saturday, embarkation was a breeze. We checked in at the pier at noon and were seated in the Skyline Dining Room by 12:45. Or cabin was ready by mid-afternoon, although our luggage did not arrive until after dinner. The cabin was a large balcony cabin on deck 11. Neither of us found it confining. Our cabin stewardess was inconsistent. She griped when I asked her to empty the mini-fridge; sometimes coffee cups were not replaced or a bathmat not found in the bathroom. I give her a C-.
We ate all evening meals in the Liberty Dining room (included in the cruise price). We had continental breakfast most mornings in our cabin. Meals were acceptable, but certainly unspectacular. We never had any problems with food arriving cold. The first evening, the maitre'd asked if we would like to join another party. We said sure. We were seated with three Japanese women who spoke no English. On the way out he apologized profusely. Service in the Liberty varied depending on the server. Some were spectacular - friendly, prompt and very personable (ask to be seated at Shelby's table!). Other wait staff were indifferent seemed at care less. We requested to be seated at Shelby's table after the 3rd night, and our request was honored. We varied our dinner times based on our shore activities.
The cabin was snug, but more than adequate. The balcony was indeed "large".