Tell me about the Star

[jlat]

We are considering doing the 9 day Baltics sail next year on the Star. Can someone comment on the ship that has sailed on it recently? It is one of NCLs older ships, but we've sailed on the Sun and it didn't seem to be that bad. I've read reviews that it is looking a bit aged. Is the layout of the ship similar to the Sun? Do you have to traverse the casino to get to most places like the Sun? Is there a Spinnaker Lounge? Do they have something like Blue Lagoon? (I know I could look that up on NCL's site, but being lazy right now :D)

 

Thanks for any feedback.

[maspaws]

I have a question about Star also, is there a self service laundry? I too am thinking of booking a cruise on Star.

[cheaperts]

We were on the Star in March, ship was in good condition, well maintained. It does not have the Spinnaker on the front like the Spirit or the Jewel, we were not impressed with pool deck, there is no room, most of the deck chairs are up on the "bleacher" area away from the pool itself. Pools were small and packed, we only swam one day and not for long.

food was fine, dining rooms nice and staff was great, but the ship itself ranks last in our experience with NCL

[valleyvillage]

I have sailed Star quite a bit, love that ship! No rock walls or bowling alleys if that is your thing.

Wonderful crew!

Casino is not in the way of much, easy to avoid.

No self service laundry on any NCL ships any more.

We have stayed on deck 12 twice, love it up there! DOS and Family Suite. Beautiful staterooms!

[shepherdqueen]

You can read my review of our Star cruise last year. The link is in my signature.

 

Yes there is a Blue Lagoon. It was our favorite place for breakfast and an early eve snack so we could enjoy a later dinner.

 

Spinnaker is aft, small and no windows.

 

We enjoyed her :)!

[Cubechick]

I'll be on her in just over three weeks. Not the Baltics cruise, but I'll be sure to note ship condition in my blog and review. ;)

 

I can answer two questions immediately. Yes, there is a Blue Lagoon and a Spinnakers Lounge. However since her refurb, Spinnakers is on deck 7 aft instead of the big lounge with panoramic views she used to have.

[Velvet Teddy Bear]

SHE ALSO HAS SOME GREAT ENTERTAINMENT..... and the Chanpagine Bar is great. and the staff there are a lot of fun...and do remember what you drink, if you are like me, and have the same thing everytime....

 

jus' me....jim......:cool:

[NMLady]

I have a question about Star also, is there a self service laundry? I too am thinking of booking a cruise on Star.

 

No NCL ships have a self service laundry.

There is a bag special about weekly for $24.95 for all that will fit in the laundry bag, and it holds a lot if you roll the clothes and stuff socks in the corners.

[kapoho2]

The Star is maybe my favorite ship. I was disappointed when they moved the Spinnaker Lounge to a windowless area. But, the pool area is by far my favorite. I loved the tiered seating....easy to get a bird's eye view of all the activities around the pool while at the same time enjoying a wonderful ocean view. I guess either you love the pool area or hate it judging by some of the other comments. We especially love the Bier Garten bar high above the pool. Again, a bird's eye view of everything while enjoying a little shade and a cool beverage. The casino is not a "walk-through." And, the crews have always been great on the Star.

[gra2172]

We took the star in June. We did not enjoy it. The ship itself is fine and the service staff is fine. We had problems with the food staff and the excursion staff. Without going into lots of details no one wants to hear, Ill just say neither seemed to be really into their jobs. You know that point at which an employee is just there for a paycheck? There you go.

We've had fabulous cruises where the staff were friendly and really seemed to love to be doing this. This one seemed like it was just a job.

 

Id rate it like this:

Service: 4 stars

Food: 1 star

Entertainment: 3 stars

Cleanliness: 4 stars (-1 because the kitchen staff spent a lot of time screwing around instead of picking up a broom or clearing tables. This included officers.)

Excursions: 3 stars (because of the booking staff). If you get an american girl at the excursions desk with long blonde hair, ask for someone else. :p

 

 

Having said that, the rooms are clean and fresh, the ship was being painted while we were in port and the entertainment was good except for Shout!. You should avoid that show.

[fergusonvt]

We loved the star in 2012. As someone mentioned the entertainment was great and there is a Blue Lagoon with yummy wings.

[tlreze]

We loved the STAR. The pool area is set up so much better than on the GEM that we went on 6 months later. The stadium seating allows everyone to see things going on around the pool. The ship was well maintained and I think the perfect size. You saw some of the same people night after night in the shows/parties. ENJOY, it's a nice ship

[tlreze]

The Star is maybe my favorite ship. I was disappointed when they moved the Spinnaker Lounge to a windowless area. But, the pool area is by far my favorite. I loved the tiered seating....easy to get a bird's eye view of all the activities around the pool while at the same time enjoying a wonderful ocean view. I guess either you love the pool area or hate it judging by some of the other comments. We especially love the Bier Garten bar high above the pool. Again, a bird's eye view of everything while enjoying a little shade and a cool beverage. The casino is not a "walk-through." And, the crews have always been great on the Star.

 

we loved the pool tiered/stadium type seating at the pool as well. It allowed everyone to see and be more involve with activities around the pool area during the day

[weltek]

I have a soft spot for the Star. My favorite memories of cruising have been on there. I've sailed her twice, most recently in Jan. 2013. My thoughts:

 

• Yeah, she's a bit older and if you really look for it, you might notice some signs of aging carpets and furniture, but it's not that obvious. I think now that NCL is rapidly launching new ships, it just feels more obvious. But I never felt like I was on an "old" ship.
  
• No fancy bowling, rock climbing, etc., but that's not something we care about.
  
• I love the tiered seating on the pool deck. Easier to see if chairs are available and a great view of everything.
  
• Staff have been fantastic. Captain often offers CC meet & greet attendees a tour of the bridge if you ask the group coordinator nicely to inquire with the Captain.
  
• Food isn't the best I've had on NCL (that honor goes to the Dawn), but isn't the worst (Sky).
  
• Newer suites are great-near the library and pool deck.
  
• So while I like the new suites, I did NOT like the Spinnaker's new location compared to ships where it's still a nice big lounge with great views.
  

[Brighton Line]

We did the Star to Bermuda last year though prefer the Jewel class ship we were fine with the Star.

As posted the biggest difference for us was the lack of the Great Outdoors and Spinnaker being a black hole with seats jammed in rows.

Otherwise the smaller ship is great IMHO.

[mitsugirly]

We were on the Star less than a year ago (in December) and although we did notice some wear and tear there were other little things that we noticed while on the star as well as far as what we experienced compared to other NCL ships was that they just didn't seem to be on top of the cleaning as the others. All NCL cruises we have been on you can't even get up for a minute before they are cleaning anything you have on your table. They are constantly sweeping and wiping things. They are constantly varnishing and polishing. The Star was the only ship we noticed that they just didn't seem to be doing the things the others did.

 

Now I'm not saying it was run down or dirty by any means. It was perfectly fine. However, we did notice "little" things here and there, like the floor, carpet, broken locks on the stalls and such. Now I do have to say that others on the SAME cruise as us did not notice these things. I guess I only did because of my avid photography and I have a eye for seeing things that others might not notice.

 

Now, the ship is BEAUTIFUL and I love the atrium. Absolutely gorgeous! Also I have to say that we had the BEST time at the shows this time around...the absolute best! It more than made up for anything negative we experienced (which I really wouldn't consider it "negative", just not up to par that cruise). The CD was AMAZING and very friendly and he also took the time to talk to us every time he was around (TALK, not a simple hello either). The service was amazing as always and they went out of their way to show us a GREAT time (they actually arranged for us to have our very own private Indian dinner). Now that's service!!!

 

If you want to read my full review (which will include TONS of pictures) then you can click on the link in my signature line. :)

[kirsty_r]

I didn't like her, but mainly because the cruise director staff disn't respond to comments from a number of 18-30 year olds just wanting a meet/greet, and something more fun than bingo, ballroom dancing etc etc. She is an older ship but no reason why we couldn't have DJ music/modern dance tracks earlier than midnight, even in another venue... very geared towards the older generation on my last cruise. We even tried to join in with the older teenagers... but were pushed away by cruise staff.

 

And definitely were not upto scratch with cleanliness, and even hand hygiene We were pretty much attacked with sanitiser on the EPIC, whereas the attitude on the star was more like it was optional.

[Sizzlechest]

I enjoyed my Bermuda cruise on the Star, but I don't think I would do another on the smaller/older ships like the Star again. Gem class or better for me.

[RJ2002]

We were on the Star this year, on a Baltic cruise.

 

The ship is certainly not new, and is showing her age in some areas. Our cabin was a little worn around the edges. However, the crew keeps everything very clean.

 

Some people have commented about the pool area. It does seem a little compact, but the Baltic itinerary is very port intensive, with only 2 sea days. We didn't use the pool area at all so the size wasn't an issue for us.

 

I thought the worst part of the cruise was the quality of the food.

 

Service onboard was good.

 

Given all the choices around, I would not sail on the Star again.

[dexddd]

The Baltics are a great spot. The pool area probably won't be too crowded based on the weather being generally cooler and so many ports.