joern

Just returned from an absolutely lovely cruise on Norwegian Star, so thought that I would share my thoughts about it:

I was a bit concerned because of the bad reviews here, but maybe only the ones who have negative things to say will take the time to write. i don't know, but anyway here are mine:

First of all. The food. Many bad things have been written, therefore my concerns. We ate at Garden cafe, O'Sheahans, MDR, Moderna, Tepanyaki and Ginza.

Garden Cafe:

Better than expected. Off course it's a buffet, but could always find something that I would like to eat and it tasted ok. Not much place there but we could always find a table. Only thing I missed from the bigger ships was the singing washy washy.

O'Sheahans: Only had the Wrangler burger and it's lovely. Service and food was in top

MDR: We had only delicious food there. We could almost every time find something that we wanted and most of it was really delicious. Only thai dishes were not authentic enough, but being married to a thai, I'm probably used to better 😉 Service was ok and the waiters took the time to chat with us, so felt comfortable all the time.

Moderna: Have tried before and it was just as expected. Go for the lamb, it was some of the best lamb I have ever had

Tepanyaki: Also tried before and it was ok. Show and food was ok but the room a bit too small

Ginza: Food was good but too much noise from the Gatsby bar downstairs

The ports:

Won't go into that because everyone has different opinions about what to expect from a port. We missed the ports in Morroco, but considering the situation in the Middle east I believe that's a good decission NCL took, and having been to Casablanca before I can only say that we didn't miss anything. I was sad that Madeira was cancelled but hard to blame NCL when the pilots were on a strike.

Then overall:

The good:

Being on a small ship makes it much easier to get to know the staff and meet new friends among the other guests. All the staff we met were really kind, always smiling and ready to help. We never had to wait to be served and talked to some of them who confirmed to us that on the small ships they actually are not as busy as on the big ships. Everyone seemed happy with their jobs and when we asked them directly they confirmed that. Many of the bartenders remembered my name and what I prefered to drink and one of them even offered me a drink even though they closed the bar. Our stateroom attendant Lasmi was without any doubt the best one we have had on our now 8 cruises.

Cabin (we had an oceanview) was ok. Could sometimes miss a balcony, but as we were there only to sleep it was ok for us.

Not so good:

Only thing I miss from the bigger ships is the entertainment. Although the Magic White show was probably the best show I have seen on a cruise I found most of the other shows quite boring, but then again, I hate shows with too much dancing. I missed the dueling Pianos, the Liverpool bar and the stand up shows

Wil we cruise NCL again: Definately yes. It's still our favorite cruise line, but honestly our next one is with Virgin to try something different

Hi

Going on Star from Lissabon november 12. Where we go to the Madeira, Canary Islands, Morocco and Spain/Gibraltar. Got this email from NCL:

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

Thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice.

We have important information regarding Value Added Taxes (VAT) applicable on your upcoming European sailing. Travel Partners are asked to please share this information with impacted guests.

We pride ourselves on delivering incredible vacations from beginning to end including the ability to shop at our onboard boutiques, upgrade your experience with our Unlimited Open Bar packages, and indulge in unique culinary offerings available at our specialty restaurants that provide a variety of tastes for every palate.  

Due to local tax regulations, please note that a 21% Spanish VAT will be added to applicable retail items purchased on board for sailings departing from Spain and calling to European port cities. Additionally, a 10% VAT will be applied to all food and beverage purchases made onboard, including purchases made under our Unlimited Open Bar or Specialty Dining packages, for certain sailings departing from Spain or any European itinerary while in Spanish waters.

If you live outside the European Union (EU)*, some purchases may be eligible for a partial VAT refund. In order to obtain a VAT refund, you must request a claim form at the store at the time of purchase and you may need to provide your passport in order to obtain the form. For more information, please visit https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/guide-vat-refund-visitors-eu_en.  

Should you have any additional questions, you may contact us directly at (866) 234-7350. Guests residing outside of the U.S. or Canada should visit www.ncl.com for local information. 

We hope you have an incredible vacation and look forward to creating exciting memories together!

Sincerely,


Norwegian Cruise Line
I'm pretty sure that the Canary Islands are tax free area, so I assume that the VAT only applies in Malaga and Cadiz. Can anyone confirm if I'm correct in assuming that?

Hi
On our next cruise we invited my parents. We all have oceanview cabins and Free at sea, but because of the benefits my wife and I have, our travelagent booked the cabins with me sharing cabin with my mom and my wife with my dad. He told us that we can just go to guest service once we are on board to have them make new keycards so that we can we can move around so that my wife and I are in the same cabin. Anyone have experience doing something similar? and do we have to wait till we are on board or can we request it at the check in desk?

19 hours ago, scottca075 said:

Del Amo Fashion Center is one of the largest malls in the U.S. It is about a 15-20 minute Uber ride.

 

https://www.simon.com/mall/del-amo-fashion-center

Is Del Amo an Outlet Mall? We were considering going to Citadel afteer cruise and before flying home, but this seems more on the way to LAX

On 1/10/2023 at 3:59 AM, SSBrickNJ said:

Please tell me more about the "overnight DFDS ferry to Copenhagen".

Is this ferry only available overnight?

I'll search for the website on my own but I'd enjoy hearing more from you as well.

https://www.dfds.com/en/passenger-ferries/ferry-crossings/ferry-to-norway/copenhagen-oslo

Cruising on Norwegian Joy feb 5 to 12.

We fly in from Europe and arrive at LAX at 18.00 so we booked a hotel near the airport and will take a taxi/Uber/lyft to the port next morning.

Our flight home is also at 18,00 and don't feel like spending a whole day at the airport, so any suggestions to what we can do to spend the day? We have been to L.A, so don't have any big desire to go in there. Usualy when we are in the USA we go to outlet malls as all clothes are much cheaper than here in Denmark, but seems like a long way to Citadel outlets. We plan to use ship transfer to LAX or Uber/Lyft

Are glass bottom boats as good as the specific whale watching tours? It's our first time there and we would really love to see the whales. What are the odds/changes to see them? Will be there feb 7 on Norwegian Joy. 

Hi

Just booked Norwegian Joy feb 5 to Cabo San Lucas - Puerto Vallarta - Mazatlan - Ensenada.

Being an european we always go to outlet malls when we are in the US. We go there primarily for Levis jeans and Nike shoes. This time we don't have the time for it before the cruise, so does anyone know if there are similar malls in any of these ports? and are prices equal to the ones in USA?

Hi
Now that the covid issue is almost over, does anyone know if or when NCL will remove the restrictions in Europe? Don't feel like wearing a mask when inside on a cruise ship

Planning a Dubai cruise, but how is it about Covid restrictions?

are masks required and do they enforce it?

Hi

Considering a Dubai cruise, but have a few questions:

Drinks package:

My wife barely doesn't drink alcohol, but I like wine for dinner and 3-5 drinks at night. Is it worth it to buy a drinks package or should I just buy whatever I want?

Covid:

Is it required to wear masks on the ship? 

Thanks

Hi 

Seen a lots of reviews of sloths and monkey places, but wondering. Are the animals drugged? 

Ask because we some years ago visited the Tiger Temple in Thailand and thought we were doing a great thing to help the animals. Only to find out later that the place where closed due to the fact they drugged them and did illegal trade. Won't have that experience again, so should we stay away from these places?

Hi
Assigned to this room. Anyone know anything about it?

The cabin is very compressed, but didn't find it a challenge. When I woke up, I went to 15 for a cigarette and when I came back my wife was up. We had the bed close to the balcony. If you have the same, I don't think it will be a problem

I used them on our visit in Naples last week. We did the Pompeji and Amalfi coast tour. Our guide Valentina and the Pompeji guide Maria did an amazing job and we had a great tour. Price is much less than booking on the ship and it's a much more personal tour, so i highly recommend them

Back home after a nice cruise. Weather was fantastic and overall we had a great cruise.

• This was our 5th cruise after 2 with MSC and 2 with Celebrity, so we were excited to see if NCL can compare to Celebrity. In short: no. Food and wine in MDR and overall standard is much better on Celebrity, but the big win for NCL is the entertainment.

Ship: it is  a big ship but we liked most of it. The odd bathroom set up in the cabin was not a problem for us, however the cabin (balcony 9043) is very compact. We loved the H2O adult only area.

Smoking: As a smoker you're in for some challenges. They have very few smoking areas. I thought the port side on deck 7 was smoking area, but no, so if you want to smoke after dinner you have 2 choices: The casino or up to deck 15. I know we are not many smokers left, but this is too ridiculous.

Food: As mentioned, I was not excited about the food in Manhatttan and Taste (Manhattan was slightly better) but we had Free at sea and booked dinners at Cagney, Moderno and Tepanyaki and they were all very good. Wine selection was very poor if you have the drink package. Not many served per glass under USD 15.

Entertainment: Only issue here is the DJ in Bliss. He really likes house music, which made us and several others leave early. Beatles were fantastic and Howl at the moon is really not to be missed. Went there 3 times and they are amazing. One night there were Motown celebration with a Soul something (sorry but I don't remember their name) and this was the best show I have ever seen on a cruise. The theater was packed and literally everybody was dancing and singing along. Don't miss it

Will we go on the Epic again? yes we probably will if price and itinary appeals to us. It's not our first choice but still quite good

Can I buy cruise next certificates on board and use them right away to book our next cruise? Going first time NCL in late october and considering a cruise in january, but will not book untill I have the cruise next certificates (and experienced the ship), so might book it while we are still on board

We are booked on the Epic, October 27 and have a balcony (9043). I received offer to bid on upgrade and mini suite with balcony starts at 50€. Is it worth it?

Thanks for all your replies.

We are flying in from Copenhagen, så it's within the EU and therefore no customs/imigration issues 😉 Have used Norwegian several times before and was never delayed, but off course it can happen. I talked to the TA again and we have now decided to stick to the flight, but in case it is delayed, we shall contact the TA who then will contact NCL and let them know that we are on our way but slightly delayed

How strict are NCL with the "Must be onboard 2 before sailing"?

Are booked on the Epic, oct 27 and talked to my TA about flight into Barcelona. I was looking at a flight with Norwegian from Copenhagen with ETA Barcelona 14,30. The TA said that it should be time enough, but now I am unsure if it was the right decission to book that flight. It will be very expensive to change it as I', affraid that the tickets are non changeable, but on the other side it will also be a bummer if we are denied to come onboard even though the ship hasn't sailed yet.

So anyone tried to arrive last minute? 

Hi

we’re booked on Epic October 27 from Barcelona. Have adult beverage package as one of the Free at sea perks. Just wondering if I will be able to get fever tree when I order Gin/Tonic?

I just took the tour with JNJ Tours and I defineately second the review. We had a great day and the price of USD 50 was very reasonable. I highly recommend Stan and his crew

A year ago we were on Constellation in the Mediteranean. Great cruise and we had an extremely good experience with our sommelier in the MDR. He knew what he were talking about, knew when to serve and which wines to combine with the meals chosen. Also the wines were excellent.

Because of this experience we decided to book Celebrity again and has just returned from the Summit in the Caribean, but what a disappointment. The first sommelier we had, didn't come to our table before I had the waiter call for him. Just asked if we wanted white wine for the appetizer and then served it when we where half done eating the appetizer. Same thing happened with the main course. He didn't care what meals we had chosen and definately not which wines to pair with them.

Next day I asked to be moved to another section. The sommelier we had there was nice and she paid a lot of atention to us, but the knowledge was not good and the selection of wines were not better than standard wines on other lines.

I don't know if this is just a new standard on Celebrity (or maybe they just serve better wines in Europe) but i was very disappointed and my intention of staying loyal to Celebrity is gone. I will probably book with them again, but only if it's a good deal

Hi

we have 3 nights at Double Tree by Hilton in San Juan. Can anyone recommend some good authentical lokal restaurants within walking distance from the hotel?