Review of the Norwegian Star NYC to Bermuda - June 24 to July 1, 2012

[munchkin002]

Loving your review!! Looking forward to the rest.

Going on the Star in November. Your first pic of the ship, the ship looks small, did you find it to be small?

Also, you were near all the new family suites on deck 12, did you happen to get a look at them?

Thanks

[BluMama]

Was on the same itinerary with Star in May and LOVED IT! Can't wait to hear more of your trip to relive mine too! :)

[Waterloomarc]

We're going on this same cruise on 9/02. Tagging along.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tilly84]

Noooooo! I ran out of posts to read, dammit! :( Looking forward to your next post for sure!

[canehdn]

Enjoying your review ... thanks for sharing.

[TerpGirl77]

Day Two: Sea Day One

 

** This post is brought to you courtesy of United Airlines and their two-hour flight delay. So, live from the United Airlines club, I bring you Day Two, Sea Day One!**

 

Breakfast. It’s one of my favorite words in the English language. I am a breakfast girl through and through and it was the first thing on my mind when I woke up at my regular 6am time on Monday morning.

 

Even though there isn’t much culinary variety in breakfast dishes I don’t care. Give me pancakes, French toast, omelets, eggs, hot cereal, cold cereal, toast, whatever and I am a happy girl.

 

With visions of breakfast floating in my head I quickly put on my gym clothes and headed out to the fitness center for my morning workout. As I walked down the hallway I noticed it how quiet it was with no one milling about. The sun had just come up and it felt like I had the whole ship to myself, just the crew and me.

 

There is only one other person in the fitness center at this hour. If you work out, this is a perfectly adequate gym and it has everything you need. Plus it’s pretty cool to be running on the treadmill while at sea!

 

After my workout, I contemplated going to back to my stateroom, showering and doing hair and makeup, but I’d done my gym time and I wanted breakfast! So, I figured I just scare the bejebus out of my fellow passengers and show up to the Market Café in my gym clothes. This is where my “romance” begins.

 

I’ve got my French toast swimming in syrup, eggs, bacon, fruit and OJ and I’m sitting at a table for six engrossed in my Kindle (50 Shades of Grey trilogy. I’m not one for this type of literature, but it was perfect vacation reading.) While I’m inhaling some eggs, I look up and facing me at the other table is a very handsome gentleman. He comments on how we’re one of the first ones here and I reply that my body clock has not reset itself for vacation (Dork.). He then asks how the gym was (then I remember my attire, gym shorts, hair on top of my head, and some old tank top. So gorgeous.) As I start to talk about how it was more than I expected, he gets up and asks if it’s okay to come sit with me (Sure!).

 

Introductions and then we start talking about the basics – where we live, what we do for a living, what other cruises we’ve taken, etc. I even manage to slip in that I’m sailing solo and he does not run and jump overboard to get away from the lonely, poorly dressed spinster. In fact he says: “I feel like I’m solo too, since I’m sailing with my teenage son and his best friend and they’ve totally left me.” This is an important piece of information for later in this review. I am pleased with the natural flow of our conversation.

 

Now I am not a “hook-up” kind of girl but I do believe the one you are looking for comes to you when you least expect it and I’ve had no expectations for a very long time, so when Mr. Handsome asks what my plans are for the rest of the day I tell him that I plan to go to pool deck, have a great dinner and hit the casino later. It’s now 8am and Market Café is filling up. He tells me he’ll come look for me at the pool later in the day. Excellent.

 

I go back to my room shower, apply sunscreen, get into my pool gear (I actually end up liking the Target cover up after all that drama) and head out for a day of sun and doing absolutely nothing except reading and drinking cocktails. As soon as I arrive, I see the dreaded chair hogs have arrived and there is nary a chair to be found.

 

NEWBIE TIP: If you cannot find a deck chair in the immediate pool area head forward to the Quiet Zone or aft to the helipad. Deck chairs are plentiful there.

Also, if you are of the chair-reserving kind, at what time do you get up to claim your spot? I was walking around at 6am and saw no one. Are they ghosts? Do you pay someone on the ship black market to drop a towel down for you?

It’s Monday morning and I’m sitting in a deck chair out on the ocean. I stay there for hours, reading, taking little catnaps only getting up to pop down to the Biergarten for a drink. (Mimosa on arrival, Pina Colada, mid-morning).

 

Lovely view, no?

 

Around 1pm Mr. H has found me; he sits down on the end of my deck chair and we talk some more. There’s some mild flirting on his part. He tells me he’s off to find son and friend for a late lunch and I decide to do the same. I opt for The Grille, (read: I’m too lazy to go back to my room and change into decent clothes to dine in the MDR). The Grille has hamburgers, hot dogs, a fixins area as well as French fries, onion rings and ice cream! I have a delicious hamburger that is topped with bacon and pineapple and some fruit. Head back to my deck chair for a bit more but it’s getting really windy so I check out my Freestyle Daily and find something to do – Martini Tasting at Gatsby’s!

 

I head back to my stateroom, change and head down to Gatsby’s. There are three martini tastings during the course of the seven days, each featuring a different set of four flavors. The bartender and leader of the tasting says he’s going classic today, serving up a gin martini with olives, Cosmo, green apple and chocolate. It’s $15, and he mixes, shakes and serves them right in front of you.

 

NEWBIE TIP: If you are not a drinker BEWARE! These are not tiny little sips, my martini glass was nearly full for each of the four martinis. It was fun to watch the antics of the two moms who admitted at the beginning that they didn’t drink that much. If you do drink you’ll be feeling good after this tasting. The chocolate was my favorite. Not too heavy and just enough sweetness to make it delightful. NOTE: Drink the water they provide to you!

 

Two hours and four martinis later, I head back to my room and take a shower and prepare for dinner. Tonight I decide on the main dining room but first I decide to stop back by Gatsby’s for a pre-dinner cocktail (don’t worry I can hold my liquor). Now that it’s almost two weeks since my cruise I don’t remember what I had for dinner that night, but I know I enjoyed it.

 

NOTE FOR SOLOS: I know the main dining room and the prospect of dining alone is a common reason people don’t sail solo. I think NCL Freestyle Dining is one way to alleviate that stress. The maître d was very good and perceptive about asking what type of table I wanted. One simple, but really effective tip I have is to bring something to read. You’ll get so engrossed in your book you won’t notice the time that passes or the people around you. And finally, remember most people are not that observant – they are so engrossed in their own meal and conversations that they aren’t really watching you. So get out there and do it!

 

After dinner I headed over the Stardust Casino. I’m a Catholic girl and we don’t believe in the supernatural but I will say I have some sort of mental knack for playing roulette. I always end up winning! Once when I was in Las Vegas, the supervisor came over to observe a game I was playing because I kept winning. I don’t have any strategy, I just look at the table and think about numbers I like and off I go. I’m on a streak and well, guess who? Mr. Handsome. He saw “a pretty girl across the room” and decided to break from Black Jack to come join me.

 

We play some rounds and we start to learn more about each other. His birthday is on X so I play that number. Twenty-two was a great age for me so he plays that number. I notice that with each turn of the wheel he’s becoming a bit touchy --we go from high fives to him patting me on the lower back and arms around the waist to quick hugs when I lose. When he goes to get us drinks (I’m having club soda at this point), the woman next to me asks “where did you husband go, you two are cute together?” Hmmm…I’m just mildly ok with this and others have noticed his actions.

 

A little after midnight, the cigarette smoke in the casino is getting heavier and is starting to bother me. I tell Mr. H that I’m retiring for the evening and he suggests that we go for a walk on deck 13.

 

Call me uptight, but I am not ok with this. Something about this request just tipped off my instincts and all I can hear in my head is the voice over guy from Dateline announcing the “Vanished at Sea: What Happened to XXX?” special. I politely say I’m soooo tired and I’ll see him bright and early tomorrow morning. Of course as we’re getting into the elevator we realize we are both on deck 12 but he’s on the port side so there is no awkward moment since we are going opposite ways.

 

I’m all washed up and cozy in my PJs and when I sit down on the edge of my bed I realize the ship is really rocking. Kind of like a car on a very bumpy road, back and forth, side to side. I take another Bonine, the second of the day, and climb into my cozy bed. I feel totally relaxed, I didn’t even think about anything but relaxing today. I had three great meals, made three times my initial casino investment and laughed with complete strangers over fabulous cocktails. This is bliss.

 

Next Up: A rough sea day #2, a rescue, Spaaaah, Ginza and more of Mr. H…

[Thunderwoods]

I like it - I love it - I want some more of it!!!

 

:D:D:D

[TerpGirl77]

Loving your review!! Looking forward to the rest.

Going on the Star in November. Your first pic of the ship, the ship looks small, did you find it to be small?

Also, you were near all the new family suites on deck 12, did you happen to get a look at them?

Thanks

 

Hi Munchkin002:

Thanks for your question. No, I didn't find the ship to be small at all. That's just a really bad photo take through the window at port. When we docked in Bermuda the Celebrity Summit was right behind us and we were the same size.

 

In the morning I could just see into the suites because the cabin stewards had them open to clean. They looked really spacious to me and the decor is very nice -- those muted beige tones with darker wood accents. I was jealous of your daily canapés and strawberry delivery. Enjoy!

[HowardK]

Excellent review so far- I did the Jewel solo 2 years ago and it was okay- I did especially enjoy the freestyle eating and you are right- no one cares if you are leaving alone and if they did- why are they wasting their precious vacation time thinking about it?

 

I did enjoy the Epic a lot more as there were many other solos to spend time with

[shepherdqueen]

Thanks for a great review so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

:D In less than 3 months we will be on the Star as well. :D

[TerpGirl77]

Day Three: Sea Day Number Two

 

It’s 4am and I wake up from a dead sleep to this rattling sound in my room. Luckily the room is not that big, so I quickly found the culprit -- unused clothes hangers in my closet that were moving back and forth because of the rough seas.

 

I turned on my TV and looked at the deck camera -- it was windy and rainy. Flipped over to the next channel, which is the “Captains Report.” It gives a summary of the ship’s location, miles travelled, miles to the next location and sea conditions. Our sea conditions were “gale force winds ”and “10-12 foot waves.” At this point, I actually found the ships rocking to be a bit soothing, so I settled down and went back to sleep.

 

This morning I slept until 7am and woke up to more rocking on the ship. I got up and got dressed for the gym and noticed while I was brushing my teeth I had to hold onto the bathroom rail to stay steady. This ship was really rockin and rollin!

 

During my late night Target trip before departure, I perused the trial size aisle and purchased some sea bands in a hard plastic case and included them in my emergency medicine Ziploc bag before leaving. I decided to put these on as an extra precaution and headed off to the gym.

 

I’ve notice the ship starts to “wake up” a little after 7am, but not today. You could hear a pin drop. I got on the treadmill, but the back and forth of the ship and the forward motion of the treadmill was making me feel really dizzy, so after 20 minutes I had to stop. I figured I’d do some weights, but bending over to change the weights made me even dizzier and I was starting to feel like I was going to be sick to my stomach.

 

On my way back down the hall to my stateroom, I ran into Amazing Aramando, who was just setting up to clean cabins and I mentioned to him I wasn’t feeling well. Two seconds later he was knocking on my stateroom door to retrieve my ice bucket and brought it back full. I crunched on some ice and sipped on a Pepsi from the mini-fridge in my room and took off the sea bands since the pressure they were applying inside my wrist was uncomfortable. I decided to lie down for a few more minutes and noticed that within moments of removing the sea bands I was feeling better! Maybe it was the Pepsi and ice, but I think the combo of sea bands, Bonine and no breakfast was causing my equilibrium to go haywire. I decided to stick to medication over sea bands for the rest of the trip and took another Bonine mid-day.

 

Feeling much more stable, it was off to the Market Café for breakfast. On the way back down the hall, I noticed the majority of cabin signs were turned to “Do Not Disturb.” Guess a lot of passengers had a rough night. I also noticed in the Market Café people were looking a little green and many darted in, loaded up a plate of food, grabbed some green apples and headed back to their cabin.

 

I’ve only had a total of seven measly days at sea as a result of my previous cruises and this was the first time I’d experienced bad weather. What to do? Outside it was blowing rain and wind so no pool. The Grille was closed for breakfast and a lot of the decks did too because of high wind. I had a light breakfast of fruit (green apple for upset stomach), cold cereal and hot tea. While I was waiting for my tea to steep, I hear “Good Morning” behind me and then two hands on my shoulders. I turn around and there is Mr. Handsome.

 

He survived the night and was feeling okay today. We talked for about 40 minutes and by then I had formulated my plan for the day – go to the spa! As I was wrapping up with Mr. H, suddenly his son and friend walk up to the table! He introduces me as the “pretty friend I told you about.” I shake hands and ask how their cruise is going so far and excuse myself. Ladies and Gentleman, the word of the day is AWKWARD.

 

After that little escapade I headed for the spa to see if there were any appointments. I’m in luck, there is an opening for 11:45 and a spa special. $169 for a brush scrub, hot stone massage, scalp and foot massage and facial. I’ll take it! I extended my hot stone massage for a few extra dollars and as an added bonus there were day passes left for the spa therapy room. What’s another $30? I was going to make this a true spa day.

 

I started feeling a little dizzy again and had time to kill before my spa appointment, so I headed back to stateroom to lie down and shower. Of course, Mr. Amazing had already cleaned up my stateroom. I got back in bed, sipped on my Pepsi and ice and watched TV.

 

NEWBIE TIP: If you miss any of the talks in the Stardust Theater, they replay them on the internal TV channel. On the first sea day I had contemplated going to the port shopping talk, but was too enthralled by my Pina Colada to actually go, so I skipped it. I got to watch it on the internal TV channel from the comfort of my bed.

 

Took my time getting showered and dressed in spa clothes, when I heard the Captain on the address system. Uh oh, what was happening? Here’s what I remember him saying: “Ladies and Gentleman: Norfolk has instructed us to turn back to assist a sailboat in distress with six passengers on board. They have been stranded at sea for one or two nights. Thank you for your patience, we will still arrive in Bermuda on time tomorrow morning.”

 

A few minutes following another announcement came over asking the “stretcher team” to please report immediately to the medical center for a briefing. What an interesting development!

 

About an hour later I headed out to the deck to see if I could learn more about the sea rescue. Lo and behold when I arrived they had started! First, two officers went out to the sailboat and handed over a bunch of life suits. It was nerve wracking to see stranded passengers try to put them on. Their sailboat had a broken rudder and due to the ship’s wake and the sea conditions, it was just tipping from side to side. Then two by two, each passenger took a leap from the sailboat and onto the little life raft. Again, so nerve wracking. There were so many people up on deck recording and taking pictures. Every time someone made it on the raft all of the onlookers started to clap and cheer. This was a true act of bravery by two officers and all involved. Remember, it was still windy and drizzling when all of this was taking place. After the rescue was over a lot of people hung around to watch the sailboat float away (so sad!) and before we knew it the skies opened up and there was a downpour.

 

The rescue!

 

Sailboat going out to sea...sad.

 

Went back to my room and re-dried my hair and dried off. By now it was almost time for my spa appointment so collected what I needed and was off to the Mandara Spa

 

My spa treatment was fantastic, particularly the hot stone massage. The product pitch at the end was a little off-putting especially after such a relaxing experience, but I was able to dodge the pressure and made it out without purchasing any products. I then spent the majority of the day in the therapy room. There is a cold plunge pool, a hot tub, hydrotherapy pool, steam room and sauna. Wooden deck chairs wiyh cushions and cool ice water with fresh fruit is provided. I spent all day in the spa therapy room taking frequent dips in each of the pools and one trip each to the steam room and sauna.

 

Not bad for a rainy day

 

At 6:30 I headed back to my stateroom for a shower and got dressed for the evening. Went back to my old stomping ground Gatsby’s for entertainment and pre-dinner cocktails and then it was off to Ginza to eat.

 

Ginza is very nice upscale Asian food. I started with the steamed pork buns and hot and sour soup and then had the Szechuan beef. All really delicious, well prepared and the service was very good. For dessert, I asked my waiter for his favorite and he recommended the crème brulee trio. I’m not a big fan of this dessert usually, but since I asked and he answered with such enthusiasm I decided to go for it. He was absolutely right! It was divine. I don’t remember the three flavors but I absolutely cleaned the plate and contemplated ordering another.

 

After dinner, I went to Stardust for the evening show. This was a one-night only performance featuring a married couple from Russia. They were previously dancers with the Russian ballet before going out on their own. This show mixed some ballet with Cirque-style acrobatics and I enjoyed it along with a glass of champagne. At this point the ship was still rocking, but it seemed like people were feeling a little bit better. Though walking into the theater, I heard a wife say to her husband, “I’m just ready to park this ship and get on land.”

 

Post-show I was inspired to see if I could win some shopping money for my days in port, so I decided to go back to the casino. At the roulette table there was a sweet older gentleman whose wife had already retired for the evening. He was betting $5 chips, had a lot $25 chips stacked up and was definitely a high roller. He started following me around the board since I was winning again. It was exciting to see him win so much money and I was winning too! A waitress showed up and asked us both if we’d like a drink. I ordered another glass of champagne and my winning companion asked for bottled water. When the waitress came back I was ready to pull out my card to pay and she said they were on the house!

 

Before long, Mr. Handsome was by my side fresh from the black jack table, watching me play. Again, more friendly flirting on his part. Then an interesting thing happened. When Mr. H left to go play some more black jack, the older gentleman turned to me and said: “Is that your boyfriend?” I replied he was someone that I’d just met and then he said: “I’d steer clear, I think he’s a bad egg.” An interesting comment that stuck with me for the rest of the night.

 

After several hours in the casino I was once again driven out by the smoke and ready for bed. As I was leaving the casino, Mr. H caught up to me at the entry and once again asked me to go on a walk. I declined again saying the weather probably meant the deck was closed and told him I need to go check on something at guest services first. We said goodnight and he was off. My antennae was up again, especially after the comment by high-rolling friend from the roulette table. On my way back I stopped at the Market Café for a quick snack. It was nearly ready to close, but I indulged and had a small plate of nachos before bed.

 

Another wonderful day came to an end with my pocket full of cash, a great meal and some serious pampering.

 

Next Up: Beautiful, wonderful Bermuda!

[redpatti]

I'm sorry but you really need to write faster! It's like a book I cannot put down! :D

 

Thank you for your review. I am sailing on the Star next month and cannot wait!

[Shelli]

I'm really enjoying your review! It's almost like reading a romance novel (although with little romance). You're a terrific writer-- it's a pleasure to read. And you have plenty of ship-related info for me (I'm going on the Star in Sept.), as well. Thanks!

[manny500]

I am really looking forward to finding out why Mr. H was so toxic. I love your story. Makes me wish I was going on my cruise alone!!

[DeeT]

Like the 2 previous posters I feel like I'm reading a novel, a good one that I can't put down. Please, please more soon!!!!

[Denlin]

I can't wait for the next installment either! :D

[Tilly84]

Ach, out of reading material again! I swear I will totally put this as a PDF/e-book and send it back to you so you can sell it as a novella! :D Brilliant writing, engaging, humorous, and really gives the feel for being on the ship.

 

If your insane stressful job doesn't work out, you could totally be a writer!:D

[donnabonna]

Thank you so much for posting this review! I am on the Star next month and reading your review is helping the time pass quickly and building up exctiment! You are a great writer and I am looking forward to your next installment.

 

Thanks for indulging us all!

[lexanna02]

Oh no!!!! Don't stop now!!! And I totally agree with the other posters about your amazing potential as an author! Keep it coming!

[NYGoose82]

Definitely feels like a novel!! I'm so loving it! :D:)

[lexanna02]

Where is my DVR???? I SO need to fast forward through all these commercials! LOL! I am an avid reader and this is a GREAT read! Do you think you could publish a book for me to read on my next cruise? :D

[elbodans]

i'm not finished reading this review yet--i just got to sea day two--but i wanted to say thanks! love it! i did this same sailing solo on the gem back in october--we are kindred cruise spirits, you and i. i also loved freestyle dining (and took my kindle) and i also did the martini tasting (and felt it was a LOT of alcohol--fortunately i'm ok with that!) i also found an inside cabin to be perfect for a solo traveler. and i was also awakened by the clicking of hangers. ;-)

 

i'll be on the star on sunday (this time with my husband so not solo--boo...) and this is making me even more excited for our trip. thanks!!!

[sbt518]

Excellent review!

 

I agree, you really are a great story teller.

 

One question though, did you buy a day pass for the spa or were you allowed to use the facilities because you had gotten the massage?

[Ramrac]

Where is my DVR???? I SO need to fast forward through all these commercials! LOL! I am an avid reader and this is a GREAT read! Do you think you could publish a book for me to read on my next cruise? :D

 

Ha ha ha...I was thinking the same thing! It feels like I am reading a very exciting book.

[OceanDreaming2]

It's hard waiting for the next installment! ;)