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Review of the Star 3/11-3/18


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First a little background, we are in our 50’s traveling with our 20 year old daughter. This was our first cruise on NCL. Previously we cruised on Carnival and RCCL. We had a great time. Nothing was horrible. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn the night before the cruise because they had a great cruise pkg with a good price and they told me over the phone that we could take the shuttle to the port whenever we wanted to. The hotel was very nice and the free breakfast was as much as we wanted, anything we wanted, cooked to order. We had planned to take the shuttle over around 10:00am but when we checked in, they told us we could take it at 10:30 or 8:00. We chose 10:30. The shuttle that morning was running about 30-40 min late so we didn’t get to the port very early. However, the embarkation was quick and easy. Just guessing, I would say we were on the ship within an hour. When we got on the ship, we checked our carry on and headed for the main dining room, the Versailles. My lunch was delicious and the service was excellent. I had the Chicken Milanese and Chocolate Mousse for dessert. We acquainted ourselves with the ship and waited for our room to be ready. The sail away was loud and fun with a BBQ on the deck. Because it was lobster night, we chose not to participate in the BBQ. We walked by and they were grilling chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and steak. It smelled and looked very good.

Our room was small, but I knew this in advance, so was not shocked. We had an inside cabin on the 9th deck with 3 adults. There was a lot of closet, shelf and drawer space which helped. The bathroom was the nicest I have ever had on a cruise ship. I appreciated not being wrapped in a shower curtain every time I took a shower. The beds were not the most comfortable but not horrible either. Our cabin steward was Victor and he was fine. He forgot to put the third bed down one night and forgot to give us three towels a couple times but other than that he was fine. He gave us towel animals every night except the first and the last.

 

Day 1- This was a sea day which we spent relaxing and exploring the ship. We had planned to attend our meet and mingle but I had written down the wrong time, so we arrived as it was ending. They had a lot of activities going on during the day.

Day 2- Roatan, Honduras. We had booked a tour with Tex from Victor Bodden tours. DH and I had been there previously but DD had not so we told him to treat us like first time visitors which he did, He was wonderful. He started out by taking us on a long tour of the island. Then we stopped and saw Victor’s monkeys which was a big highlight of the week. After that, he dropped us off at a beach where we basked in the sun and had lunch at Celeste’s. Celeste’s was ok. Nothing spectacular except the birds and the cats. Tex very patiently waited while we were on the beach and while we ate. He took us to a dock where we could see the people doing the dolphin swim. I think it was his dock and house. He dropped us off at the port a couple hours before our ship left at our request. We wanted time to shop in Coxen Hole and time to stop at the Made in Roatan store which is a store owned by American Missionaries who operate the store as a place for the Roatan people to earn money to support their families. They have all handmade items and will tell you the stories behind the people who make the items. Many are teenagers. One young girl was unable to go to school because she couldn’t afford the uniform. By making and selling jewelry, she was able to buy her uniforms and go to school. They also teach them how to make the jewelry they sell and give them the items they need to make it. After a fun, full day in Roatan, we boarded the ship.

Day 3- Belize. We hadn’t planned a tour and just hung around the port and shopped at the little tents outside the port.

Day 4- Costa Maya. We docked, left the ship and shopped a little bit in the port area to get an idea of prices inside the port. We walked around the stores a couple blocks from the port and then took a taxi into town. This was a beach day for us. We shopped and then stopped at Tropicante but they were full so we sat in some chairs next door. We had lunch at 100% Agave. Fernando was off that day but the service and food was still good. We asked out waiter when they were moving to their new location, but he didn’t seem to know. So, they are not moving soon apparently. The food was just as good as it always is. After shopping some more, we headed back to the port area.

Day 5- Cozumel. We headed to Chankanaab park so DH and DD could swim with the dolphins. Chankanaab is beautiful. It has always been DD’s dream to swim with the dolphins so this was the highlight of her trip. DH did it because they were offering a 2 for 1 when I booked it. We left Chankanaab with 3 hours left to shop. We ate at Café Denis. It was ok. The food was not as good as at 100% Agave but better than in Roatan. The service was very very slow. The prices were good. After shopping, we went back to the ship, sad that we were leaving our last port. When we arrived back at the ship, the Pearl was docked next to us and it was fun to see that ship and listen to the two crews singing and dancing, welcoming us back on.

Day 7- Our last sea day. A day of relaxing. They had a lot of activities. But many of them were at the same time, so we had to pick and choose. We went to the crew show in the afternoon which was good. We attended the bridge tour that was offered at our meet and mingle. The captain did the bridge tour. He was very informative, friendly and interesting. It was definitely a highlight of our trip. He did not hurry us, answered all questions and posed for pictures with us.

 

The entertainment was good for the most part. The evening shows were very good. I especially liked the first show, the last show, the 60’s show and the 70’s show. The singers and dancers are very talented and did a good job. DD and DH thought the hypnotist was very good also. We did not attend the Angels show which was an acrobatic show. We were not impressed with the theater. It was small and the seats were very uncomfortable. The guy in the Red Lion pub was ok. The pianists were good but piano music is not my thing. The band in the Spinnaker was poor. The trio in the Java café were good most of the time. The band at the pool was very good, they just weren’t out there very long.

 

The food was good but not great and not awful. I thought the desserts were kind of tasteless. Since I had been on a diet prior to the cruise and didn’t want to gain the weight back, I didn’t eat many of them. DD and DH thought some of the other food was not seasoned well enough. I thought it was fine, but I don’t like anything hot or spicy. We ate in the Aqua two nights, LeBistro one night, LaCucina one night and the Versailles two nights. When we walked up to the main dining rooms, we had to show our card. For some reason, every time we ate in the main dining rooms, we were seated at the same table with the same waiter. This we did not like. The best meal we had was at LeBistro. DD couldn’t decide between the salmon and the duck so the waiter told her he would bring out both. And to my amazement, that skinny little girl ate them both!!! I ordered the filet. It was done perfectly and had a great flavor. Plus, it was thick. The second best meal was the steak and shrimp in the main dining room on Day 5. Our menus were identical to the ones posted a while back for the Jewel. The same menus on the same nights. The only difference is that the menus I saw for the Blue Lagoon were a little different. The Blue Lagoon did not have the brownie sundae. I thought I had read some where that they had boneless wings but they did not. We ate at the Blue Lagoon twice. The breakfast was fine but the wings at night were horrible. I ordered mild wings and thought they were too hot to eat. DH and DD just flat out didn’t like them. She ordered half and half so they were able to try both. DH ordered fish and chips but didn’t say much about them. I thought his fries were good. We thought La Cucina was good, but DH ordered the rib eye and it ended up being the same exact cut that was served in the main dining room for free. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was very good, but I think they had that in the main dining room also for free. DD had the chicken parmesan which she said was good. If I went back, I would

probably just go to Le Bistro as I felt the food in the dining room was good. The appetizers and desserts left a little to be desired but it may just have been the fact that we were not impressed with the choices. The ones we did eat were good except for the calamari. DD and DH were not impressed. All I can say about the chocoholic buffet is that it was wonderful and plentiful. Most of the desserts were good. I only had one torte that I had to choke down. There was a lot of waste however. People piled their plates high and ate very little. We took small samples of things so that we could try many items without wasting food. The buffet in general was fine. Nothing spectacular but nothing bad. The pizza wasn’t too bad either. The first day it was very thin, which is what I like. It wan’t the best I’ve had and it wasn’t the worst. The ice tea (free) was not very good, the lemonade (free) was good according to DH and DD. They were always happy to give me lemons for my water.

 

General random thoughts: Everyone was very friendly. Even the cabin stewards on other floors greeted us as we walked by. The cruise director, Kyle and his staff did a very good job and tried to make sure people were having a good time. I appreciated the tent in every port where we could get cold water and wet towels. They sprayed us with hand sanitizer every time we walked through the buffet. Even when we weren’t eating. They did not push drinks as much as on other ships we have been on. It was spring break but wasn’t loud and wild like other spring break cruises. I felt like all the staff wanted to make sure we had a good time and enjoyed our cruise. Debarkation was a nightmare the last day and in Roatan. It took forever the last day to get off the ship (we did the easy carry off and were waiting on the deck before they announced that we could get off). Customs in Tampa was a breeze. There was a line but it moved well. Our biggest complaint getting off the ship were the people who felt they didn’t need to wait in line and cut in front of people. After getting through customs, we called the Hilton for our shuttle but it took them between an hour and a half and two hours to pick us up. DH felt like the ship was very closed in. No wide open spaces. He also complained about the smell. I didn’t notice either problem. The officers (senior) were out and about. I felt that if I had a problem, I could find someone to talk to easily. I had a great time and would not hesitate to book another cruise on the Star. DH said he would not book another cruise on the Star. I loved NCL but DH didn’t. So two totally different opinions on the same cruise from the same family. When I asked Becca for her comments, they were: LeBistro was amazing, the ship was very closed in and the food was ok.

DH (Paul), may chime in with his own comments.

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First a little background, we are in our 50’s traveling with our 20 year old daughter. This was our first cruise on NCL. Previously we cruised on Carnival and RCCL. We had a great time. Nothing was horrible. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn the night before the cruise because they had a great cruise pkg with a good price and they told me over the phone that we could take the shuttle to the port whenever we wanted to. The hotel was very nice and the free breakfast was as much as we wanted, anything we wanted, cooked to order. We had planned to take the shuttle over around 10:00am but when we checked in, they told us we could take it at 10:30 or 8:00. We chose 10:30. The shuttle that morning was running about 30-40 min late so we didn’t get to the port very early. However, the embarkation was quick and easy. Just guessing, I would say we were on the ship within an hour. When we got on the ship, we checked our carry on and headed for the main dining room, the Versailles. My lunch was delicious and the service was excellent. I had the Chicken Milanese and Chocolate Mousse for dessert. We acquainted ourselves with the ship and waited for our room to be ready. The sail away was loud and fun with a BBQ on the deck. Because it was lobster night, we chose not to participate in the BBQ. We walked by and they were grilling chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and steak. It smelled and looked very good.

Our room was small, but I knew this in advance, so was not shocked. We had an inside cabin on the 9th deck with 3 adults. There was a lot of closet, shelf and drawer space which helped. The bathroom was the nicest I have ever had on a cruise ship. I appreciated not being wrapped in a shower curtain every time I took a shower. The beds were not the most comfortable but not horrible either. Our cabin steward was Victor and he was fine. He forgot to put the third bed down one night and forgot to give us three towels a couple times but other than that he was fine. He gave us towel animals every night except the first and the last.

 

Day 1- This was a sea day which we spent relaxing and exploring the ship. We had planned to attend our meet and mingle but I had written down the wrong time, so we arrived as it was ending. They had a lot of activities going on during the day.

Day 2- Roatan, Honduras. We had booked a tour with Tex from Victor Bodden tours. DH and I had been there previously but DD had not so we told him to treat us like first time visitors which he did, He was wonderful. He started out by taking us on a long tour of the island. Then we stopped and saw Victor’s monkeys which was a big highlight of the week. After that, he dropped us off at a beach where we basked in the sun and had lunch at Celeste’s. Celeste’s was ok. Nothing spectacular except the birds and the cats. Tex very patiently waited while we were on the beach and while we ate. He took us to a dock where we could see the people doing the dolphin swim. I think it was his dock and house. He dropped us off at the port a couple hours before our ship left at our request. We wanted time to shop in Coxen Hole and time to stop at the Made in Roatan store which is a store owned by American Missionaries who operate the store as a place for the Roatan people to earn money to support their families. They have all handmade items and will tell you the stories behind the people who make the items. Many are teenagers. One young girl was unable to go to school because she couldn’t afford the uniform. By making and selling jewelry, she was able to buy her uniforms and go to school. They also teach them how to make the jewelry they sell and give them the items they need to make it. After a fun, full day in Roatan, we boarded the ship.

Day 3- Belize. We hadn’t planned a tour and just hung around the port and shopped at the little tents outside the port.

Day 4- Costa Maya. We docked, left the ship and shopped a little bit in the port area to get an idea of prices inside the port. We walked around the stores a couple blocks from the port and then took a taxi into town. This was a beach day for us. We shopped and then stopped at Tropicante but they were full so we sat in some chairs next door. We had lunch at 100% Agave. Fernando was off that day but the service and food was still good. We asked out waiter when they were moving to their new location, but he didn’t seem to know. So, they are not moving soon apparently. The food was just as good as it always is. After shopping some more, we headed back to the port area.

Day 5- Cozumel. We headed to Chankanaab park so DH and DD could swim with the dolphins. Chankanaab is beautiful. It has always been DD’s dream to swim with the dolphins so this was the highlight of her trip. DH did it because they were offering a 2 for 1 when I booked it. We left Chankanaab with 3 hours left to shop. We ate at Café Denis. It was ok. The food was not as good as at 100% Agave but better than in Roatan. The service was very very slow. The prices were good. After shopping, we went back to the ship, sad that we were leaving our last port. When we arrived back at the ship, the Pearl was docked next to us and it was fun to see that ship and listen to the two crews singing and dancing, welcoming us back on.

Day 7- Our last sea day. A day of relaxing. They had a lot of activities. But many of them were at the same time, so we had to pick and choose. We went to the crew show in the afternoon which was good. We attended the bridge tour that was offered at our meet and mingle. The captain did the bridge tour. He was very informative, friendly and interesting. It was definitely a highlight of our trip. He did not hurry us, answered all questions and posed for pictures with us.

 

The entertainment was good for the most part. The evening shows were very good. I especially liked the first show, the last show, the 60’s show and the 70’s show. The singers and dancers are very talented and did a good job. DD and DH thought the hypnotist was very good also. We did not attend the Angels show which was an acrobatic show. We were not impressed with the theater. It was small and the seats were very uncomfortable. The guy in the Red Lion pub was ok. The pianists were good but piano music is not my thing. The band in the Spinnaker was poor. The trio in the Java café were good most of the time. The band at the pool was very good, they just weren’t out there very long.

 

The food was good but not great and not awful. I thought the desserts were kind of tasteless. Since I had been on a diet prior to the cruise and didn’t want to gain the weight back, I didn’t eat many of them. DD and DH thought some of the other food was not seasoned well enough. I thought it was fine, but I don’t like anything hot or spicy. We ate in the Aqua two nights, LeBistro one night, LaCucina one night and the Versailles two nights. When we walked up to the main dining rooms, we had to show our card. For some reason, every time we ate in the main dining rooms, we were seated at the same table with the same waiter. This we did not like. The best meal we had was at LeBistro. DD couldn’t decide between the salmon and the duck so the waiter told her he would bring out both. And to my amazement, that skinny little girl ate them both!!! I ordered the filet. It was done perfectly and had a great flavor. Plus, it was thick. The second best meal was the steak and shrimp in the main dining room on Day 5. Our menus were identical to the ones posted a while back for the Jewel. The same menus on the same nights. The only difference is that the menus I saw for the Blue Lagoon were a little different. The Blue Lagoon did not have the brownie sundae. I thought I had read some where that they had boneless wings but they did not. We ate at the Blue Lagoon twice. The breakfast was fine but the wings at night were horrible. I ordered mild wings and thought they were too hot to eat. DH and DD just flat out didn’t like them. She ordered half and half so they were able to try both. DH ordered fish and chips but didn’t say much about them. I thought his fries were good. We thought La Cucina was good, but DH ordered the rib eye and it ended up being the same exact cut that was served in the main dining room for free. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was very good, but I think they had that in the main dining room also for free. DD had the chicken parmesan which she said was good. If I went back, I would

probably just go to Le Bistro as I felt the food in the dining room was good. The appetizers and desserts left a little to be desired but it may just have been the fact that we were not impressed with the choices. The ones we did eat were good except for the calamari. DD and DH were not impressed. All I can say about the chocoholic buffet is that it was wonderful and plentiful. Most of the desserts were good. I only had one torte that I had to choke down. There was a lot of waste however. People piled their plates high and ate very little. We took small samples of things so that we could try many items without wasting food. The buffet in general was fine. Nothing spectacular but nothing bad. The pizza wasn’t too bad either. The first day it was very thin, which is what I like. It wan’t the best I’ve had and it wasn’t the worst. The ice tea (free) was not very good, the lemonade (free) was good according to DH and DD. They were always happy to give me lemons for my water.

 

General random thoughts: Everyone was very friendly. Even the cabin stewards on other floors greeted us as we walked by. The cruise director, Kyle and his staff did a very good job and tried to make sure people were having a good time. I appreciated the tent in every port where we could get cold water and wet towels. They sprayed us with hand sanitizer every time we walked through the buffet. Even when we weren’t eating. They did not push drinks as much as on other ships we have been on. It was spring break but wasn’t loud and wild like other spring break cruises. I felt like all the staff wanted to make sure we had a good time and enjoyed our cruise. Debarkation was a nightmare the last day and in Roatan. It took forever the last day to get off the ship (we did the easy carry off and were waiting on the deck before they announced that we could get off). Customs in Tampa was a breeze. There was a line but it moved well. Our biggest complaint getting off the ship were the people who felt they didn’t need to wait in line and cut in front of people. After getting through customs, we called the Hilton for our shuttle but it took them between an hour and a half and two hours to pick us up. DH felt like the ship was very closed in. No wide open spaces. He also complained about the smell. I didn’t notice either problem. The officers (senior) were out and about. I felt that if I had a problem, I could find someone to talk to easily. I had a great time and would not hesitate to book another cruise on the Star. DH said he would not book another cruise on the Star. I loved NCL but DH didn’t. So two totally different opinions on the same cruise from the same family. When I asked Becca for her comments, they were: LeBistro was amazing, the ship was very closed in and the food was ok.

DH (Paul), may chime in with his own comments.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!

 

We were on the Star last month. I understand exactly what you are saying about experiences and opinions. We talked with several people who enjoyed it while others did not (and that may be putting it mildly) to the point of making us wonder if we were even on the same cruise.

 

We had a great time and would not hesitate to cruise the Star again!

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Thanks for the review... we are boarding in three weeks!

I have one odd, specific question... you mention free lemonade- this is the first I've heard of it being offered on NCL- was it in the dining rooms? Buffet? Bars? All of the above?

thanks!

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Love the review... Thanks. We set sail on the Star on April 1. I almost wonder if the Captain might play an Aprils Fools Day joke on us and make an announcment that we can't sail....

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Love the review... Thanks. We set sail on the Star on April 1. I almost wonder if the Captain might play an Aprils Fools Day joke on us and make an announcment that we can't sail....

 

I am on that cruise a well and hope nobody thnks it is funny to lose all my luggage or anything.

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HI. I have a question about debarking in Tampa. How long did it take? We have a 12ish flight and am wondering if we should carry our own luggage off. Also, do they have the service at the port where you can check in for your flight and check your luggage there as well?

We have only cruised one RCCL and Disney. Disney is always a breeze to get off the ship but RCCl had us sitting around in the halls for hours before they called our color. It was horrible. Just want to avoid that and not miss our flight.

 

Thanks

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HI. I have a question about debarking in Tampa. How long did it take? We have a 12ish flight and am wondering if we should carry our own luggage off. Also, do they have the service at the port where you can check in for your flight and check your luggage there as well?

We have only cruised one RCCL and Disney. Disney is always a breeze to get off the ship but RCCl had us sitting around in the halls for hours before they called our color. It was horrible. Just want to avoid that and not miss our flight.

 

Thanks

 

I'm not the OP but got off the Star the week before. I think you should have no problem getting to the airport for a noon flight even if you have them take your luggage. We had a 10h25 AM, made sure we were early so at the beginning of the line, did a walk off with luggage, took taxi to the airport and were through security and sitting at our gate by 9h15 AM.

 

Taxi flat fare to the airport is $25

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We were on this same cruise, the same week. We enjoyed the entertainment, especially the acrobats, Elements, Mod Musical, Band on the Run. We ate at Aqua every night excpet 1 at Versailles and 1 at the Sail away bbq. Food was good! Food is very controversial, someone else was cooking and cleaning up so no complaints from me.

 

Embarkation was a breeze, we arrived via Residence Inn (downtown) shuttle about 11:15 and were checked in (Lattitudes Line) and on the ship within 15 min. Disembarkation wasn't bad, we did easy walk off. Once they announced disembarkation, we were off, thru customs, and outside within 10 min. We called Residence Inn for our shuttle, they came right away. We were in our vehicle on the way home by 9:45.

 

We had a great week, we have traveled the Jewel, Sun, and Star. I wish I could put the Great Outdoors of the Sun on the Jewel or Star and I would be a happy camper. We love the bigger theatre that the Jewel & Star have. One (sorta) negative, we had to carry our own case of water and soda on and in the past we could check them at the curb.

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I was on this cruise, too, and had a great time! We also attended the bridge tour and it was definitely one of the highlights of the week. This was my 5th NCL cruise and it was one of the best. We had a mini suite up on deck 11 and it was great. The extra room was definitely welcomed, since we had 3 adults in the room.

 

I was on the Spirit last summer and I can't begin to tell you how much better this cruise was...

 

I would sail on the Sun again in a heartbeat!

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I'm not the OP but got off the Star the week before. I think you should have no problem getting to the airport for a noon flight even if you have them take your luggage. We had a 10h25 AM, made sure we were early so at the beginning of the line, did a walk off with luggage, took taxi to the airport and were through security and sitting at our gate by 9h15 AM.

 

Taxi flat fare to the airport is $25

 

Perfect! Thank you!

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HI. I have a question about debarking in Tampa. How long did it take? We have a 12ish flight and am wondering if we should carry our own luggage off. Also, do they have the service at the port where you can check in for your flight and check your luggage there as well?

We have only cruised one RCCL and Disney. Disney is always a breeze to get off the ship but RCCl had us sitting around in the halls for hours before they called our color. It was horrible. Just want to avoid that and not miss our flight.

 

Thanks

 

We did the early walk off/carry your own bags or whatever it was called and we were off the ship before 10:00. The longest part of debarkation was waiting in line to get off. The customs line was quick.

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Thanks for the review... we are boarding in three weeks!

I have one odd, specific question... you mention free lemonade- this is the first I've heard of it being offered on NCL- was it in the dining rooms? Buffet? Bars? All of the above?

thanks!

 

I was on the same cruise as OP and my DD ordered lemonade in MDR & LaCucina with no problems. I believe they just have to go somewhere else and get it so it may not be as quick as other drinks.

Enjoy your cruise as we did!

Sharon

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I was on this cruise, too, and had a great time! We also attended the bridge tour and it was definitely one of the highlights of the week. This was my 5th NCL cruise and it was one of the best. We had a mini suite up on deck 11 and it was great. The extra room was definitely welcomed, since we had 3 adults in the room.

 

I was on the Spirit last summer and I can't begin to tell you how much better this cruise was...

 

I would sail on the Sun again in a heartbeat!

 

How was the mini suite with 3 adults? And was the pull out comfy or should we ask for an egg crate?

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We book it directly through the Chankanaab website. We then clicked on the live chat button and asked them if they had the 2 for 1 on the dolphin swim. They did have the 2 for 1 available and we booked directly online with them.

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