luv2cruise53

Iits GORGEOUS!

So now I am downloading and quite optimistic I can start the Epic review. I only hope that A: I can remember stuff...like I ever could..LOL and If I will have any criticism for the way things are now opposed to then. And B: will people think an almost 2 year old review is relevant.

But I had such a nice time with The Star review and I met so many nice people such as yourselves that I am gonna wing it and try to do the Star review Justice....I will need to pull up all my writing skills not to repeat the style of the Star...so you must bear with me...amd keep an open mind.

It was my first solo ..alone cruise ..since I had lost my partner of over 10 years so I had some moments.

Stay tuned and stay true to Kev.

Kev:cool:

thank you, thank you thank you,

Not only is Kev a great storyteller but he shoots a mean pic as well. I need to download...the go over some NCL stuff so i can be accurate. this review is based on a March 2011 solo cruise so I need to refresh as they say.

Now that I can post big pics...wish I knew for the Star review...hey that rhymes....

Anyways, this is my all time favorite picture. I could not for the life of me get it to work for the review. I have actually won several awards for this including a free trip to Miami from Boston...RT...which I will use for my Epic solo adventure..so I am proud. I think you will see why.

Your review was a pleasure to read. We hope to cruise there at some point. Very much looking forward to your Epic review!

Thank's Great lakes Girl,

I appreciate your loyalty. I am going to begin my Epic soon....I have finally found a good big pic site and now I will download and begin.

Thyank's again.

Kev:cool:

Here's a teaser Big Pic

:DOK, Kev is gonna try a new pic site so he can begin his Epic review.

Photobucket is a $%#$% program and I no longer have the patience for it so:

Test:

Nope

OK but not big enough

Yay I got It...OMG....

Now I can start downloading and begin this new review.

Kev

Kev thanks for the great review. As you can see we will be on the Star in April in the Western Caribbean. Never been to Bermuda but enjoyed your review of it. I now know a lot more about the Star than I did before your review.

 

We will be in NOLA for a week before the cruise. This time I want to see it all, if I have the energy. We can rest on the ship.

 

Thanks again,

Norine

Thank's Norine.

I did the Spirit out of New Orleans last March. I was there 3 days pre and 3 days post. I tried to do it all....and did...and it took me three days to recover on the Spirit...LOL.

NOLA is just down right decadent and you see people, families, Grandparents and yes...even kids...drinking up a storm...anywhere ...everywhere...Crazy Place but I loved it anyways.

Watch for my Epic Review coming soon.

Again, Thank's

Kev:cool:

Kev - As you say, all great things must come to an end! Well, here we are at the end of your saga. To say I enjoyed your saga would be an understatement. I looked forward to your detailed, descriptive story and even liked that you played it out a bit. My friend, I will look for you here on CC and I requested you as a friend, so look for that request. Start getting excited about the Breakway, as I am sure that will be an amazing journey. Thanks again for the laughs, as there were many! :D

 

P.S. With regard to your next story, IMO the Epic would probably be a good choice. I think many would enjoy your version from a studio point of view. Just saying....

Thanks Eileen; You were my biggest fan along with Kim.....who we both know needs help with her planning,but we luv her.

I agree, Epic should be next and I have great pics, and once Kim gets me setttled on big pics I will do the Epic Solo Inaugural Season review.

Luv Ya,

Kev:cool:

Hey Kev, well, it was definitely worth the wait! You did a great job taking us all along on your trip and gave us lots of laughs along the way. Thanks so much for staying with it so that we got to the finale!

I am sure there are many of us that would love to sail with you someday. In the meantime, looking forward to your next review:)

Bluejai

Thank's for being a part of this journey and for sharing with all of my loyal followers. I am definetly planning another review but can't decide between Epic from Miami or Spirit from NOLA. The reason I hesitate on NOLA is because I was so $%%$ faced I can't remember much...LOL...Just like Kev Ha?:D

Again Thank's :cool:

Thank you; SMACE it was nice meeting you through this thread...After Kim Mitsugirly teaches me some photo tricks I will be starting another review. It might be the Spirit or my Epic cruise in her inaugural season as a solo cavin traveler.

Again, thank's for your support and appreciation of my sound effects.

Kev:D

Thanks for another entertaining review! I really enjoyed your writing style and I'm looking forward to your next review!

Booo Booooo Booop Thank you so much for enjoying the Beautiful Norwegian Star along with me.

Kev:cool:

Ditto. I am really going to miss reading you. I enjoyed your style so much.

Take care. May your seas always be smooth, and the wind at your back.

Thank's Mary Kay...I'm glad you enjoyed it.

It was nice meeting you through this thread.

Kev:cool:

Ahh Kev....I will miss you! Please post a link here to your next review so I can follow along (truth be told I will probably cruise critic stalk you anyway). You entertained me more than you know and the day will come when we cruise together, somehow someway. Until then take care of yourself and know you have gained a friend in me.

Until next time, Tammy

 

Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk 2

Thank's Tammy....we definetly will cruise someday. Kim Mitsugirly is gonna teach me how to download and post bigger pics and then I am gonna figure out my next review and you will find it and hopefully enjoy another journey.

I appreciate your kindness.

Kev:cool:

The weather wasn't great, but it wasn't a disaster either. After a quick trip down to 5502 I decided to revisit all my favorite spots and generally recover and relax, so with a book in hand I headed up two flights of stairs and out to the promenade. it was probably in the low to mid sixties with very little wind so it wasn't so bad being out here in the enclosed promenade. I was able to scoop a lounger and I sat back, smoked a cig and read my book while napping for several hours and enjoying the motion of the ship and the views of the sea. Of course people watching and schmoozing was also a big part of this heavenly last afternoon.

Around two O'clock I headed on up to deck 8 for a last meal in the Blue lagoon. Others must have been thinking the same and it was quite crowded but I managed to snag a balcony table...that is a table that overlooks the atrium. There was a band playing, not xcite but a trio type and the atrium was crowded as well. There seemed to be a show with kids doing circus tricks and all in all it was festive and fun.

I ordered the wings of course and the cream of tomatoe soup of course ...ask for xtra bleu cheese for the wings... and this time I ordered a chicken sandwich...diet and all ya know.

All came...all looked good...all tatsed good and all were consumed...or rather scoffed since I had not eaten since 9:00 AM and ask anybody...thats a long time on a cruise ship...LOL

I had checked my bill at Guest services this morning and I owed close to $400.00 with Daily Service Charges pre-paid so I was rather happy at that. For what I did and what I drank this was well below what I had budgeted.

After lunch I elevated down the glass elevator one floor to deck 7 and the atrium. I headed to the Red Lion pub and it was packed. There was a whole crowd also standing and everyone was listening...lookimg around...laughing and lapping cocktails and popcorn and nachos and hot dogs so I joined in. My motto...when on a ship...sip...and I did....sip that is..... Soon an impromptu or planned trivia round started and I had a blast watching and trying to guess the answers...which I was good at but not part of a team.

Around 5:00 I headed down to 5502 for a replenishment nap and to just relax. The end was near and I was beat.

After my nap I dressed in cold weather gear, khakis, button down, boat shoes and I headed to the Champagne Bar for a Mr. Kevin happy hour.Everyone was there and everyone was happy and I guess that is why they call it happy hour, so kev decided to get happy as well. The end was near but not quite here and one should never end their cruise until they pass customs on Sunday Morning...so I put on a smile and bought several drinks for those who had done well by me and we all ate pretzels and nuts and exchanged e-mails etc...

For tonite I only neede to go to Elements. Everything else was superfluous as I had drank and eaten myself to death.

As a recap seems poignant I will do one here as we are close to nigh.

• Ship was clean, clasy and Beautiful 9.5 out of 10
  
• Bier Garten was Great for outdoor fun 10
  
• Star Bar was awesome 9
  
• Buffet was OK 5
  
• Breakfast buffet 8
  
• Lunch buffet 6
  
• Dinner buffet 1
  
• Red lion pub 9
  
• Champagne Bar 10
  
• Stardust theater 5
  
• Spinnaker lounge 4
  
• Nightime Dancing Disco 0
  
• Atrium 10
  
• Promenade needed more loungers 8
  
• Cabin with not flat screen 8
  
• Comfort level of bed 10+
  
• Pool Area useless unused slides 5
  
• Crew Friendliness 10+
  
• Officers visibility 10+
  
• Entertainment all around ship 10
  
• Stardust entertainment 7
  

I enjoyed the shows for the most part except shout

• Deck party 10
  
• White Party Indoors 6 should have been on deck
  
• Poolside grill Pulled pork burger 9
  
• Coffee 7
  
• Blue lagoon 10
  

Overall ship rating 8.5

Overall Bermuda Rating 10

Overall Weather 9.5

So I headed over to the duty free and grabbed a bottle of gran marnier for like 18.00....35-40.00 at home. I brought it to 5502 and headed up two flights to the Stardust for Elements.

This show that focuses on earth, wind water and fire,...duh ...elements was amixture of great song and dance, magic, acrobatics and just overall high energy and sheer talent. I stood by the bar area and was mesmerized. This show is what sets NCL apart from all the others. Epic does not have elements but the Spirit did.

Elements 10

So after the show I decided to end my week at the Star Bar. It was the perfect setting for a last night relax and a drink and a great jazz piano. many people were in and out and I got to say goodbye to a lot of nice people.

I was in bed by 11:30 with a wake up for 7:30. I did not bother to turn on the movie channel as I knew two 5 minute scenes by heart and I turned to the ships channel and that line was getting ever so closer to New York.

I slept like a baby and maybe cried like one to.

At 7:30 I got a bzzzzzzzzzz and I woke up, showered and changed into traveling gear. We were in New York. ...Not Bernuda...New York. Oh well...all good things...I had a 10:30 train to Boston so all along I had planned on self disembarkation so after packing, leaving my steward another $20, I took one last look around and headed out the door, down the hall left to the elevator andp to deck 7 and out the side door and down the ramp and smack into a line of passengers with their luggage, kids, grandparents, people movers and customs forms.

All in all it took about 30 minutes to get through and then I exited and grabbed a Taxi to 8th Avenue Penn Station.

I was well on time for my train and at 10:30 I reluctantly draged myself and my luggage onto the train, down the aisle...past the farting lady and into the next car and plop...I be done.

And that was my wonderful week on the Star

I Thank you for your loyalty, your participation and your kind words.

I met a lot of nice people through the ship and through this thread as well.

Again Kev thanks you.

Here's Kev in case you see me on a ship someday. God bless you all.:)

So Kev woke up with a hangover....seriously...a rip roaring hangover....no idea why....But I stumbled around and found my freestyle daily....I perused and saw a lot of cool things but was too tired to highlight and decided to wing it. I opened the curtain to the porthole and it looked kind of gray out and the water was no longer aqua blue but a dull gray green....

So I carefully pulled an outfit together...still shorts but a long sleeved button down and I went with boat shoes instead of the flip flops.

I showered and donned my outfit, brushed my cotton mouth 3 or 4 times and ventured out and down the hall and elevated to deck 12.

I passed the library and headed out onto the pool deck. it was rather cloudy and much cooler than I would have hoped for....maybe 50's approaching 60. I plopped down for a smoke, lots of tables open, and no people movers about.

After I relaxed a bit I went into the Buffet for my last Star Breakfast (I was doing self-embark at 9:00 AM or so) To say the buffet was packed would be an understatement. Thankfully and for the first time all stations (4)appeared open. There was a line everywhere and a major people mover Jam up by the Bacon station...who knew? Anyways I contemplated Versailling it for sit down but really wanted my sausage and eggs benedict so I decided to wait it out a bit. So I grabbed a cofee and a chocolate milk and elevated down to 7 and hit the promenade for another smoke and a walk off the hangover stroll.

After 3 complete transverses I headed back up to 12 and again hit the buffet. It was much clearer now although the people movers were still glommed at the Bacon Station.

I tried all my favorites, hash browns, sausage links, eggs benedict (not dry today) some toast and I grabbed a table way up by the exit for the kiddie pool.

It was good, and I went back for some bacon at the bacon station which you can grab what you like with no bacon police ...thus the mover congestion.

I felt much better and decided to stroll the inside venues for the fun of it and to pass the time before the 11:00AM bingo and Cruise give away and buy buy buy more pull tab cards.

At 11;00 I headed to Spinnaker and was told that the give away was in the Stardust so I hoofed it down to that venue on the opposite forward section.

There was a lot of people sitting and standing but I saw nothing to indicate Bingo...and I did not have raffle tickets or pull tabs for a free cruise. so I left...line danced out,....headed through the Duty free and decided to pick up another 40.00 carton of cigs... and went back to 5502, left and down and then back and right and down to my room to drop off the cigs and check out that freestyle daily again.

Next up: The last afternoon

Kev:cool:

So I rejoined the group at the Champagne Bar...I know ther was a Judy and I am sure there was a Ron and A John because I remember saying OK...Ron John surf..LOL..But truly I did not remember their names then and I certainly do not now...But we all bellyed up to the bar and Mr. Kevin was served not only a frozen mudslide, but also a dirty banana something..both compliments of somebody and both appreciated.....like I needed more alcohol at this point.

About 30 minutes later the nice girl at the La Cucina desk yelled over, hey Mr. Kevin...your table is ready and we all went in and sat.

Menus and foccacia funnels came and I perused and decided on The beef carpaccio for an appetizer and a more traditional Chicken parm. I urged others to try the some italian City Rib eye that turns out was 14 0z not 12. I was tempted but I had a steak at 5:00 and to be honest I wasn't even hungry but was in a social mood so I stayed and I ate and I drank and I socialed. What fun!!!!:eek: Everyone enjoyed everything and we were quite fun and loud and fun.

The La Cucina on the Star is a very well done restaurant and is highly reccommended. Do not miss La Cucina on the Star.

That said, beware on other ships and ask fellow passengers before venturing, which is essentially what we all did on the Star.

After dinner we all split up... some to catch the end of the crew show... some to change... some to stroll... some to drink and some to roll the dice.

I chose to hit the Promenade for a smoke and to chat with my smoking friends. I was stuffed and tipsy and the night was so beautiful I decided I would stroll. One of my favorite smoke couples said they were going up to the Bier Garten around Ten and asked me to pop up...so after strolling I did.

The night was perfect and I plopped down at a table that my friends had secured and in 2 seconds I had a drink in front of me. Thank you very much.

Well I could say that I was a good boy or I could say I was a wise boy or I could just tell the truth and say I got $%& faced. But it was fun and at some point I crawled down to 5502 and crawled into bed. I put on the TV and it was on Rock of Ages ...the part where Alec Baldwin was kissing Russel Brand....Who Knew????:D

Up next: The Final....finally....final chapter Day 7

Kev:cool:

Kev - The Majesty was a great smaller ship with lots of charm. In fact, it too got me hooked on cruising in 2007 and an NCL fan. It was exciting entering the cut into St Georges. WOW look how far we have come since the Majesty era, I have been on the Gem and you are about to board the Breakaway in a few months! :D I have enjoyed your writing style and I like the fact that you took some time between thoughts.

Eileen, as always you are one of my most loyal fans:rolleyes:. I am currently trying to condense the last of my review to a few good witty posts:D and then a finale.:eek:

Be patient and you will enjoy I hope.

Kev:cool:

Searching for "Star" reviews, and voila! -- we found U:)

 

What -- no stopping in The Swizzle Inn?? We have been signing "The Book" since our honeymoon in 1962 -- yes, we are old (LOL) and very washy-washy/happy cruisers:) -- having returned yesterday from the Pearl.

 

We feel like we were not only travelling with you on the Star and re-visiting Bermuda, but we were hanging on beside you -- we also were hooked on your wonderful narratory and photos.

 

Our last visit to Bermuda was on the Majesty out of Charleston in 2009 and we are ready to cruise again ther again. I (The Wife) can relate to the vroooooooooom experience hopping on the motor scooter - LOL; that happened many years ago:)

 

Love your joyous outlook -- what about writing a Prologue??

 

Happy Cruising . . .

Thank you, I also traveled on the Majesty, In fact it was my first cruise out of Boston to Bermuda in 2006. This is the cruise that hooked me. We docked in St George as I am sure your cruise did as well. That was such a nice port to dock at, yet I think that the mega ships need more room as the Dockyard provides. The ideal port for Bermuda would be of course Hamilton, but alas it is not big enough either.

I always rent the scooter so even though I have been to The Swizzle Inn, it is not advisable per my personality to hit this famous Hurricane drink spot. Too much temptation.

This review will end tonite or tomorrow, I have played it out too long but this will not be my last missive.

Kev:cool:

Kev - Awaiting the Final Chapter of the saga. I am sure it will be a good one. :D

Final chapter Today Eileen, I think people are over the wait, and I am played out with humorous anectdotes. I enjoyed writing this ...but it really is rather impolitic to stretch out so long...so I will finish this today and then gather pics and thoughts on my Spirit and New Orleans review.

Thanks for being so loyal.

Kev:rolleyes:

So we all enjoyed each others company (these are the same people who I fratenized with all week and whose names escape me..Who Knew?) on the deck in the Bier Garten. Where we put this copius amount of alcohol is as big a mystery as the Bermuda Triangle, which we were now in. The night was positively balmy and the stars were vivid and bright. We all had another hour of great camraderie and then we decided to head downstairs to la Cuccina at about 8:00....Prime time for dining with a group of 8 Kev? Like they say in the song "High Hopes"...

So elevate down to 7 and then head down the alley to the Queen's Staircase and then quickly pass The Champagne Bar area regardless of the 1/2 dozen shouts of Mr. Kevin and bartenders smiling and holding up shaker glasses...LOL and to the reception desk for La Cuccina. The hostess looked at us as if we were nuts with no reservations, but after peeking inside and assesing the damage she determined we would have a 45 minute wait. I politely blanched and said, I was not going to wait because I wanted to see Elements. She also politely responded and said Elements is not until tomorrow night and tonite is the Ship crew show. Oh...duh.. OK. Even though I liked the ships crew shows, many are very talented, I decided I had seen enough of them and decided to wait. The others in our group were of a like mind. So where do you think Kev and the group went next...???? Any guesses?...Yep the Mr. Kevin Champagne Bar...where else? But I also opted to run down to 5502 to change from my sailaway clothes into a little more appropriate evening outfit, Khakis, white button down and sandals.

Then past a few dozen pizza boxes and back up to 6 and past the casino which was making up for lost Bermuda closure and into The Champagne Bar...Again....

Up next: Italian in la Cucina with a group of 8 ship friends

Kev:cool:

So the sun has set, the band has stopped playing, the BBQ is being dismantled....yet nobody seems in any hurry to leave the Bier Garten or even for that matter the tiers and pool area. The stars came out and the breeze was warm and gentle and people were laughing and chatting away.....all with a drink or two and a good sense of carmraderie.

Everyone discussed the options for later, Elements was playing in the Showroom,....There was a chocoholic buffet....but many not sure if tonight or tomorrow. There was also a group of 7 who were intent on returning to La Cucina and they insisted I join them.....Well this place is so good, it did not take much arm twisting.

We discussed going down to our haunt the Champagne Bar, but consensus seemed to be that we were all so comfortable here that it would be a waste to leave this tropical vibe. So we did not. A great soundtrack of pop music was playing. It was also that point in the cruise where good ship pals were buying rounds and drinks faster than the farting lady, and Kev had no intention of passing that up. The drinks...not the farting lady. So we drank and we laughed and men hit the head and ladies hit the head and the waiters were having a ball adding up their contributions to their families in the Phillipines.

Next up:

Maybe la Cucina Maybe not

Elements

Kev:cool:

So you ask; what could get Kev so emotional?

Goodbye Sweet Paradise.

Next up:

Return to La Cuccina:

Elements

Under the stars

Kev:cool:

So here I am at the Bier Garten. It is nearing 5:00 and at this time of year sun sets around 6:00 so we have a lot of daylight. The temp is 85 degrees and no wind. I have my pulled pork cheeseburger, a front and center barstool and table and no cocktail....YET, though I have had a dozen Mr. Kevin waiters stop by. Kev is pacing himself. Looking down, the tiers are filling up and the pool deck is sporting quite the crowd. The band Xcite is set up but for now we are getting some delightful dancy type music from our DJ Grl.Whose name has escaped me all week....who knew?

Boooo Boo Booop Welcome back aboard the beautiful Norwegian Star, The Captain will be weighing anchor and untieing momentarily. Remember those ridiculous $1.00 waste of money pull tabs are still available....like they would run out....and we will begin our Lido deck BBQ in a moment....Steaks, salads, chicken in a rice bowl(big Bowl like wok) corn on the cob, etc.....Very Nice Spread.:D

And away we go, ...we first go sideways then we go backwards...then Baaaaawmp..... Baaaawmp...... bawmp.. bawmp.. bawmp... we go forward hugging the coast and heading around Ireland Island towards the North Coast of Bermuda.:rolleyes:

Mr. Kevin... Mr. Kevin....Oh Ok....bring me one of those Banana Monkey dirty banshees whatever you call them. Many of the people I parlayed with all week were up and around me and we all had a nice time. In fact it was the nicest sail away I ever experienced.:p

And so we sailed around Bermuda and an hour later as the sun set we sailed away, but not before having circumnavigated the entire Island, not before doing the BBQ, not before dancing by the pool, not before listening to Rodney throw out a few zingers and not before having another Banana monkey,and most of all...... not before a tear escaped for the fact. We be gone.:(

Kev:(

So Kev I've been wondering about spending 3 days in Bermuda. Your review makes me want to go there but 3 full days not underway seems odd to me. I think I love the cruising aspect more that the ports. I know I'm weird. :p

Is everything open and running as usual every evening even though the ship is docked?

 

Tammy

Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk 2

3 days in port is one of the reasons many of us want to do this cruise again and again. The only thing closed is the casino.....Deck parties and shows and trivia and everything else is normal....Bermuda is so beautiful and has such a variety of things to do that it is a pleasure to be there. Imagine adding the flexibility of taking your time exploring this paradise. Imagine having dinner on board at 7:00 PM then taking a stroll off ship through The beautiful Royal Dockyard. Then stroll back on board and catch a show at 9:30. then go to a deck party.

Imagine having done a whole days worth of activities on land and then saying....too bad we never got to thet other beach......TODAY, thank god we can hit it tomorrow.

Bermuda 3 days is why most of us go back. it is one of the worlds most expensive land vacations in the world both lodging and dining wise. Yet we have our gorgeous ship restaurant hotel right on the dock.

if it was some other non-safe at night port...or limited activity port it would never work...But for Bermuda, it works very well. You'll never be bored in Bermuda.:D

I laughed, I cried, I annoyed the slumbering cat on my lap, and I burned dinner....all because of this thread! Thanks!! Perhaps I will order a pizza!!

I have taken to reading reviews of ships and itineraries I am not even going on in the near future (I read Kim/mitsugirl) the other day because i Still have an eternity to go until my next cruise.

 

Wish I could cruise with all of you in the cold months...guess I have to wait for more fabulous reviews!

Thank's Betty, If I may call you Betty. I have read many a review and always wanted to post my own, but I did not want to do it without throwing in some of my writing style and perhaps a little humor. I often had the idea that I may come off as offensive when what I intended was more tongue in cheek humor, so with this review I finally said...Just go for it and hope that people get the humor..

Thanks for your support.

Kev:cool:

Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a fabulous review! I've really enjoyed it and your photos. Thanks for the various links - more reading to do. Our family of 12 will be joining you on the Breakaway and I'm trying not to get palpitations planning the logistics of activities and traveling around Bermuda for all of us. See you in June!

Thanks Donna,

I read here on CC of all the wonderful gifts you gave to your whole family....imagine 12 of you all on the new Breakaway. Of course I knew you were coming as you are on the manifest. It will be nice to meet the whole gang in June.

Keep Reading and chime in on our board.

Kev:cool:

Nice. Waiting for a finale. :) Kev - we were aboard the Star a couple of weeks before you. I remember the last few moments in Bermuda all too well. We were in an Aft Facing Balcony Penthouse Suite and were on the balcony looking at the last views of beautiful Bermdua. The RCC ship docked behind us was leaving a half hour before us. I noticed they kept blowing their horn and they were leaving a little later than scheduled. Anyway, they just pulled away from the pier and they were right next to the Star. I heard some commotion and I saw a couple were running towards the pier, yelling at their departing ship. :eek: WOW~ Can you imagine? What a way to end your vacation being stuck at the port without your personal belongings. I wonder what happened to them? :confused:

That's drama at it's finest.

Too bad for them....I have sympathy for some who are in a day port, who may have been hung up by taxi or traffic....St Thomas can have vicious traffic...but after 3 full days in port, there really is no excuse....Most people are in the dockyard area by noon, and wander around till boarding but to miss is...well their own fault.

Kev:D