We booked this trip as a mother-daughter getaway to celebrate my daughter's high school graduation. Was not initially intending to book a cruise, but when we heard about Norwegian's itinerary, this looked like the best way to see a little bit of each of the major islands - and the trip did not disappoint! We booked a package through a local travel agent, who was very helpful in answering our questions as we had never been to Hawaii (and I have only been on one prior cruise, nearly 25 years ago). The package included 2 nights in Honolulu prior to the cruise, transfers, and a half day tour of Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. Hotel was very nice (Park Shore Waikiki), transfers were prompt and drivers friendly, and the Pearl Harbor/Arizona tour was very moving and informative. We also had decided to go to a luau in Oahu before getting on the ship, so we had heard the luaus booked through the cruise ship were very crowded. We booked the Diamond Head Luau in Waikiki - perfect, as it was just a short walk from our hotel to the location at the Waikiki Aquarium. Food and drinks at the luau were plentiful and very good, and the musicians and dancers were excellent. Nice interactive sessions with the performers as we arrived too.

We spent the morning before embarkation walking around Waikiki and shopping before our transfer from the hotel to the cruise pier. Embarkation area was crowded and there were lines, but no issues and things went smoothly. They took our pictures with a couple Polynesian dancers - who actually recognized us from the Diamond Head Luau the night before! We did have to wait quite a while for our cabin to be ready, but we took the opportunity to have lunch on the ship as we waited.

We had an inside stateroom, which was small but very nice. If I were to do another cruise, I think I would opt for a stateroom with at least a window/porthole, as it was very dark all the time. As we were still adjusting from East Coast time, it was difficult to know what time of day it was when in the room. We did not meet our cabin steward, but the room was always cleaned, fresh towels provided as needed, and the cute towel animals were fun to find on the bed when we returned after each day in port. Read more