Star Tips & Secrets

[dongordon]

Positive: You can do a 360 degree stroll on the promenade deck.

Negative: No observation lounge and very few quiet areas to sit and read.

 

Thank you....that's a good start for some "STAR Tips & Secrets." :)

 

Are there any special areas to relax and take in some sun?

Some ships have areas that are more private or have the more comfortable lounge chairs on certain decks.

 

Some NCL ships have "special viewing areas" for the ship's bridge....does the STAR have something like that?

 

Thank you all the veteran STAR cruisers out there...please provide some more! :D

 

Don

[CrossBluePerchance]

The Star has numerous sunny places to sit on the upper decks - most people seem to congregate closer to the pools. There are a few shady areas adjacent to the upper walking/jogging deck where one can relax on chaise longues.

 

(There is also a fair amount of seating available on the Promenade Deck.)

 

My initial comment pertained to interior locales, or rather the lack thereof, exclusively.

[All-ready2cruise]

 

 

Some NCL ships have "special viewing areas" for the ship's bridge....does the STAR have something like that?

 

I'm not a veteran cruiser by any means but the Star was our first cruise with NCL and we were hooked. We were in a Mini suite, deck 11 of course. The thing which dh loved was the bridge viewing area on that deck. Walk all the way forward, portside and the viewing area is right after the cabins. (if the door is closed, you may have to go another time)

 

I've heard that if you ask, via your M&G contact, for a bridge tour, there's a good chance you'll get it.

[Linda the Book Lover]

I'm not a veteran cruiser by any means but the Star was our first cruise with NCL and we were hooked. We were in a Mini suite, deck 11 of course. The thing which dh loved was the bridge viewing area on that deck. Walk all the way forward, portside and the viewing area is right after the cabins. (if the door is closed, you may have to go another time)

 

I've heard that if you ask, via your M&G contact, for a bridge tour, there's a good chance you'll get it.

 

I am planning on requesting the bridge tour and have my fingers crossed our group will be extended an invitation. It's nice to know there is an alternative way to see the bridge like on the Pearl.

[herdingdogmom]

I'm not a veteran cruiser by any means but the Star was our first cruise with NCL and we were hooked. We were in a Mini suite, deck 11 of course. The thing which dh loved was the bridge viewing area on that deck. Walk all the way forward, portside and the viewing area is right after the cabins. (if the door is closed, you may have to go another time)

 

I've heard that if you ask, via your M&G contact, for a bridge tour, there's a good chance you'll get it.

 

I've been in a mini port side forward on the Star and there is no bridge viewing room/window like there is on the Jade (and other Jewel class ships).

The Captain did offer a tour of the bridge on a sea day morning to those who attended the CC Meet and Greet. It was worth seeing. A tour of the bridge was also part of the paid Behind the Scenes tour on the Star - which isn't usually the case on the ships with the viewing windows like the Jade.

 

For a sunny spot on deck, check out deck 13 forward. There is a hot tub up there and some big chairs.

[dexddd]

I've been in a mini port side forward on the Star and there is no bridge viewing room/window like there is on the Jade (and other Jewel class ships).

The Captain did offer a tour of the bridge on a sea day morning to those who attended the CC Meet and Greet. It was worth seeing. A tour of the bridge was also part of the paid Behind the Scenes tour on the Star - which isn't usually the case on the ships with the viewing windows like the Jade.

 

For a sunny spot on deck, check out deck 13 forward. There is a hot tub up there and some big chairs.

 

I don't recall one either and I've been on a tour of the bridge on the Star twice. You enter the bridge through a locked door on the starboard side and on the port side there is no area to the bridge.

[All-ready2cruise]

Ok, sorry, guess I'm wrong although having only been on 3 cruises... seems strange but...

 

Enjoy your cruises.

[dongordon]

Now we are cooking!! :D

Keep those "tips and secrets" coming!! :)

 

Thanks everyone for finally responding to this thread.

It has been very helpful.

 

I like the Deck 13 Forward tip for sunning....that's probably my hangout on sea days.

Do the waiters come up there to take drink orders?? :D

 

And I am going to suggest that perhaps we can ask for a tour of the bridge at our M&G if there are not too many of us who want that.

I know, the bridge has been off limits lately on the cruise ships because of the "state of the world" we now live in. I can understand if they say "no" to our request.

 

Don

[Eytbol8]

We son't seem to be having much luck on these boards getting the answers we are looking for from your thread.

 

I will pose the question on my Roll Call since several have cruised before on the STAR.

I will share them with you if I get any good "positive" answers. :)

 

Don

 

Thanks, Don. Appreciate your support :)! I will post in my roll call as well, but ours is pretty dead :(!

[herdingdogmom]

Keep those "tips and secrets" coming!! :)

I like the Deck 13 Forward tip for sunning....that's probably my hangout on sea days. Do the waiters come up there to take drink orders?? :D

 

And I am going to suggest that perhaps we can ask for a tour of the bridge at our M&G if there are not too many of us who want that. Don

 

I don't recall seeing drinks being served in the Sun Deck area on 13, but you could always tell them you are up there. Also, you are very close to the Bier Garten on 14 and can serve yourself.

 

For dining tips, we prefer the wine patio area of Le Bistro. The inside décor needs to be refreshed. We have been chosen in the dine with the officers lottery on the Star and really enjoyed the MDR dinner and the 2 officers. Sign up at guest services. Ginza restaurant has several tables for a hot pot menu - very fun and delicious. Cover charge is the same $15 as the regular Ginza menu.

 

The "free" bridge tour is an invitation from the Captain vs. something you request. But, it wouldn't hurt to let the Group Coordinator know your Meet & Greet group would happily accept an invitation. I have heard that on the Star it depends on the Captain and that one offers the tours and one doesn't.

Edited November 13, 2014 by herdingdogmom

[Linda the Book Lover]

I am counting on Don to write a great review and give us the lay of the land. I know I already have one item on your action plan but aside for the martini run let us know about the 13 deck beverages.

 

Perhaps we can have a few hints to the favorite or not so paid Star dinner venue. My DSD is a first time cruiser and we would like her to expereince a little of everything if possible. We tend to love Le Bistro (except the location on the Epic) and Cagney's but wanted to give her a enjoyable time. She is in her 40's.

[dongordon]

This is from Connie on my Roll Call:

 

"We were on the Star in December of '12. The one thing about the Star that was memorable was the crew. They were the nicest ,friendliest crew we've had the pleasure to cruise with. I know the crew will be completely different but I hope that this will be the same. We really like the Versailles Dining room. Our favorite Specialty Dining room was Le Bistro. However Cagney's was excellent as well. I miss the Great Outdoors on the Star but there is a heliport on the rear of deck 13 which will be a great high up viewing area for the canal transit. There are usually chairs in this area. My favorite thing about the Star is the Atrium. It is open all the way up and is very impressive. You can look down on the atrium from all the way up on deck 13 and it is really impressive. The jewel class ships only have two story atriums and are much more closed in. Everyone raves about the wings in the Java Café. They were OK but not great. The other thing about the restaurants is we had a poor experience in Moderno. The meats were over cooked for us and every one was very spicy. We way try it again because my friend loves, loves steak so I'm game to try. Maybe we were just there on an off day.

 

We have also done the Chef's table 2 times and absolutely loved it. It is costly (Last year $89 per person) (OBC helped)but the food and wine are excellent. We would do it again if the menu changes but it has been the same the last 3 years."

 

Pretty good information! :D

My gang on the roll call came trhough for me....hopefully some others there will also join in.

 

Linda....

I will certainly do the review when I return.

Being that I have the Ultimate Dinner Package, I will give you a review of all the Specialty restaurants and my favorite dishes. :D

I can see this being at least a "10 pound cruise gainer!" :(

What the heck...I am going to enjoy myself!! :)

 

Don

_________________

[dexddd]

Now we are cooking!! :D

Keep those "tips and secrets" coming!! :)

 

Thanks everyone for finally responding to this thread.

It has been very helpful.

 

I like the Deck 13 Forward tip for sunning....that's probably my hangout on sea days.

Do the waiters come up there to take drink orders?? :D

 

And I am going to suggest that perhaps we can ask for a tour of the bridge at our M&G if there are not too many of us who want that.

I know, the bridge has been off limits lately on the cruise ships because of the "state of the world" we now live in. I can understand if they say "no" to our request.

 

Don

 

Bridge tour, as others have said, really seems to depend on the captain. We've been pretty lucky and have gotten them either through the M&G or through being in a suite (or both so we got to go twice on some trips). However, on the BA we didn't get the offer via either route.

 

I can tell you capt Hoyt did not on BA but some people on the BA posted they got one with a different captain recently. Capt Myre also didn't at the time when we were on the Sun.

[4774Papa]

Deck 13 has the Star Bar (inside) and the Bier Garden. The Bier Garden was closed for our cruise due to cold temps and winds.

 

Also, regarding a place to sun (we don't lay in the sun on the advise of my Dermatologist), the pool deck has tiers running from deck 12 up to 13 with more deck lounges.

[mein18]

This is from Connie on my Roll Call:

 

"We were on the Star in December of '12. The one thing about the Star that was memorable was the crew. They were the nicest ,friendliest crew we've had the pleasure to cruise with. I know the crew will be completely different but I hope that this will be the same. We really like the Versailles Dining room. Our favorite Specialty Dining room was Le Bistro. However Cagney's was excellent as well. I miss the Great Outdoors on the Star but there is a heliport on the rear of deck 13 which will be a great high up viewing area for the canal transit. There are usually chairs in this area. My favorite thing about the Star is the Atrium. It is open all the way up and is very impressive. You can look down on the atrium from all the way up on deck 13 and it is really impressive. The jewel class ships only have two story atriums and are much more closed in. Everyone raves about the wings in the Java Café. They were OK but not great. The other thing about the restaurants is we had a poor experience in Moderno. The meats were over cooked for us and every one was very spicy. We way try it again because my friend loves, loves steak so I'm game to try. Maybe we were just there on an off day.

 

We have also done the Chef's table 2 times and absolutely loved it. It is costly (Last year $89 per person) (OBC helped)but the food and wine are excellent. We would do it again if the menu changes but it has been the same the last 3 years."

 

Pretty good information! :D

My gang on the roll call came trhough for me....hopefully some others there will also join in.

 

Linda....

I will certainly do the review when I return.

Being that I have the Ultimate Dinner Package, I will give you a review of all the Specialty restaurants and my favorite dishes. :D

I can see this being at least a "10 pound cruise gainer!" :(

What the heck...I am going to enjoy myself!! :)

 

Don

_________________

 

How do you book the Chefs Table? I have looked online and do not even see any referance to it let alone making reservations.

[sjbdtz]

We son't seem to be having much luck on these boards getting the answers we are looking for from your thread.

 

I will pose the question on my Roll Call since several have cruised before on the STAR.

I will share them with you if I get any good "positive" answers. :)

 

Don

 

 

Don, do you know the expression "you catch more flies with honey"?

 

I've also spent 2 weeks on the Star, and as of January will have been on every ship in the fleet, except for PoA.

 

But I'm not intending to share any tips or tricks in this thread, because I found that throughout it you have been (in my opinion) pushy, demanding, demeaning to people (like 4774 Papa) who have tried to help, judgemental about whether the help you received was the help you wanted.

 

The OP asked for tips & tricks.... having one person's opinion that on THEIR cruise, at one time, the lasagna wasn't as good as the lamb, is not a Tip or Trick about the ship.

 

 

 

Now, and only because there is an OP who asked for this:

 

- The Star has dead-end hallways on deck 8. On other ships you can walk down deck 8 to where they used to have the TexMex (now Moderno). On Star you cannot.

 

- The Star Casino does not have a no-smoking section.

 

- If you are in a suite, the reserved seating section is on Deck 7 port-side, along the side balcony.

 

- The Star Bar on deck 13 mid also doubles as the Concierge Lounge in the mornings, if you need to locate your concierge

 

- Blue Lagoon is open for breakfast too! It's quieter and less crazy than the buffet.

 

- The Art Gallery is basically the deck 6 hallway, unless you're exiting Le Bistro, when you can see the Gallery's official entry-way.

 

- Carlos' Bake Shop goodies are available for purchase at the cafe in the main atrium.

 

- There are only 2 Teppanyaki tables, and they're tucked-away in a windowless room.

 

- If you have food allergies at Teppanyaki, they can cook your food in the galley on a sanitized teppan. Of course if you're at the first seating, then the teppan you're seated around should be sanitized already.

 

- You can order from the Asian restaurant menu while seated at the sushi bar.

 

- You can order sushi while seated in the Asian restaurant.

 

- Crepes are in the buffet in the evening only.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[jenf22]

- The Star Casino does not have a no-smoking section.

 

Really??? :( This makes me sad.

[ohiotek]

To book the Chef's table You need to go to the Restaurant Reservations desk IMMEDIATELY upon getting on the Ship. (Only 12 people at the Chef's table) If you are in a Suite you can ask the Concierge to make the booking for you. I did that last time when contacting the pre-concierge and the concierge then informed us when we arrived that we would indeed be attending.

 

Even though the cost seems high, you do get plenty of food and as many refills of wine as you can handle( or for some, more than you can handle):D

 

Hope you can grab a reservation.

[rajones007]

- If you are in a suite, the reserved seating section is on Deck 7 port-side, along the side balcony.

Thank you for an interesting post. We were on the Star in Nov 2011 and are just preparing to board her again in 4 days. We're in a 2br family suite.

 

Is the reserved seating in the theater for ALL suite guests? On the Dawn we were in a DOS and the reserved seating was for DOS and GV pax only. I have to admit we were spoiled by that perk. Very very spoiled.

 

We're fully prepared to sit with the masses again ;) , but boy oh boy would it ever be nice to get a decent balcony seat and never have to rush to get there early.

[Eytbol8]

I am counting on Don to write a great review and give us the lay of the land. I know I already have one item on your action plan but aside for the martini run let us know about the 13 deck beverages.

 

Agree - looking forward to a great review, Don!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thank you for an interesting post. We were on the Star in Nov 2011 and are just preparing to board her again in 4 days. We're in a 2br family suite.

 

Is the reserved seating in the theater for ALL suite guests? On the Dawn we were in a DOS and the reserved seating was for DOS and GV pax only. I have to admit we were spoiled by that perk. Very very spoiled.

 

We're fully prepared to sit with the masses again ;) , but boy oh boy would it ever be nice to get a decent balcony seat and never have to rush to get there early.

 

I am also wondering about the theater perk and if it would change because of the dry dock. Are changes in the theater also on the list during the dry dock?

[sjbdtz]

Thank you for an interesting post. We were on the Star in Nov 2011 and are just preparing to board her again in 4 days. We're in a 2br family suite.

 

Is the reserved seating in the theater for ALL suite guests? On the Dawn we were in a DOS and the reserved seating was for DOS and GV pax only. I have to admit we were spoiled by that perk. Very very spoiled.

 

We're fully prepared to sit with the masses again ;) , but boy oh boy would it ever be nice to get a decent balcony seat and never have to rush to get there early.

 

 

The 'sign' said GV & DOS, but any suites were allowed, in our experience...both on the Star, and on the Dawn.

 

 

 

.

[Linda the Book Lover]

The 'sign' said GV & DOS, but any suites were allowed, in our experience...both on the Star, and on the Dawn.

 

 

 

.

 

Perfect thanks!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks Don for being both our drink and food taster:D The DH who tried to watch what he eats said he will be going all out on the cruise. Funny thing for me is that I actually lost a few pounds even with enjoying everything the last few times. I think it is the walking around the ship and in port that balanced it out for me. But thene there was not a Carlo's baked goods to tempt me either...LOL

[dexddd]

Thank you for an interesting post. We were on the Star in Nov 2011 and are just preparing to board her again in 4 days. We're in a 2br family suite.

 

Is the reserved seating in the theater for ALL suite guests? On the Dawn we were in a DOS and the reserved seating was for DOS and GV pax only. I have to admit we were spoiled by that perk. Very very spoiled.

 

We're fully prepared to sit with the masses again ;) , but boy oh boy would it ever be nice to get a decent balcony seat and never have to rush to get there early.

 

We've been on Star and Dawn and in both cases the seating was on both sides - it depended on where the concierge would sit you each particular night. On both sides there are placards saying "GV and Owners Suites" only. On the Star, the concierge kept that seating to exactly those folks - GV, DOS, and OS.

 

On the Dawn, the concierge kept that seating for those same folks but she also had an aisle behind that - all the way to the entrance - for all the other suite guests.