We went on this cruise for Valentine's Day and it was our first time sailing with this company (we live on Maui and have sailed with several other providers). I always say "any day spent on the water is a good day." For the most part, this cruise lived up to that idea.
Boarding was fairly straightforward, and the couple we were seated with was very nice. The welcoming Mai Tai was ok, but we were lucky enough to see whales almost immediately out of the harbor--a mother, calf, and companion. Great show!
Speaking of great show, the highlight of this cruise was the entertainment. Our one-woman band (Jolette?) has a great voice and an impressive repertoire of songs. Our server, Rachel, also sang on one song and has a lovely voice.
The service was good considering the number of people, narrow aisles, and rolling ship. ;) I had the chicken which was decent--meat was a tad dry--but in an excellent sauce. Carrots were perfect and the only thing wrong with the potatoes is there weren't more of them. The cheesecake was also pretty good.
My only real criticism of the cruise was the request for gratuity at the end. Very awkward and unexpected to receive a "bill" as we're pulling into the harbor, considering how much we'd already paid. I would have preferred being offered the chance to pay a gratuity when I booked online. As it was, the crew received much less than they would have otherwise, because we don't carry a lot of cash on us and we certainly weren't going to wait around for someone to process a credit card. That's a serious flaw that needs to addressed on an otherwise enjoyable experience.