There is a contextual thing about this event that may have been discussed above. Some of us who booked this cruise long ago were slated to go to Lahaina. We were really disappointed when the sail by Kauai was announced in lieu due to the tragic fire in Lahaina. Not X’s fault for sure but we saw the substitute as just another sea day after 5 in a row. I asked Celebrity for compensation for the lost port and they denied it.
Other ships like the Solstice got another night somwhere (on the big island?) but not Edge. Several RC ships were accomodated it seems with an extra port night too but not Edge. Hence our disappointment was high and our expectations low about the Na Pali coast sail by. We thought we would be 5 km out and say to each other “Which island is that again?”.
Another thing is Captain Matt’s personality - extremely confident, almost cocky. He said in the talk on board about his career how difficult it is becoming captain. The years of study, the personality vetting, the understudy work etc.. But one thing he made very clear is if he deviates from the approved cruise plan significantly he would be relieved of his duties at the next port. Hence I find it hard to believe he knowingly violated the cruise plan or safety regulations etc. by sailing too close to Na Pali.
So perhaps he just wanted to exceed our expectations and give us a thrill. The whole cruise from Sydney to Honolulu exceeded our expectations so why not end it with a bang! Ironic too because X’s new slogan is “Nothing comes close” (except the Edge lol!)
Our expectations were greatly exceeded. Sorry those currently on board suffered the consequences by staying an extra night in Honolulu which is ironically what we had hoped for before the sail by. Expectations have been increased.