Worst Norwegian ship?

[Rob-Bob]

On 11/4/2021 at 12:10 PM, HowardK said:

I didn't like the Jewel ever- liked the megaships better. Seemed really outdated even in 2010.

I'd rather not be on a cruise then go on the Jewel again. Had a horrible time. Yes, it was my fault for not going on the Epic instead and I have to live with it.

 

Boy I hope it is not that bad.  Sailing on her in March 2022.  We did sail on her sister ship (Jade) and were underwhelmed but still enjoyed it.

[The Traveling Man]

16 hours ago, complawyer said:

i dont think  that would necessarily make the star ncl's "worst ship". maybe least reliable, or that would constitute the "worst cruise" experience, but that doesnt make it  the worst ship.

 

as an aside, i hope i'm wrong as we are booked on the star nov 2022 trans-atlantic. 

 

we were also on the star  between 12/2016-1/2017 from hong kong to singapore when the azipods flaked out. while we missed some ports i really wanted to see, they refunded 50% of our money, and a 50% discount on a future cruise,  or a complete refund. since we were already in hong kong   and we were planning on staying in singapore for a few days after the cruise ended, it was kind of a no-brainer. we continued on with the cruise, so i didnt have much to complain about.

 

we had a forward penthouse, and a 14 day cruise for $3750 for 3 people. how can i complain over that?

You make an interesting distinction and I have to agree.  The Star is the most unreliable ship in the fleet, which sometimes results in just about the worst imaginable cruise experience, but on the whole it may not really be the worst ship.  Its sister ship, the Dawn, is one of our favorites and we have sailed on both the Star and the Dawn several times.  I like the design of the ships, though a forward observation lounge would be a real plus.  I've had some great experiences on each of these ships, but then there was that one time in Australia....

[complawyer]

traveling man: once again, having been on a number of ncl ships since 2010, i dont classify any of them as being the "worst" some are nicer than others, some have better features, but to me, the sheer joy and pleasure of being on a cruise ship, sitting on my balcony having a cold beer, having a mojito at sugar cane, or a nice juicy steak at cagney's, far surpasses and outweighs what ever problems might arise with the ship.  even on my so called ill fated southeast asia cruise, i was still able to ride an elephant in thailand, took my wife and grandson to cu chi in vietnam, where i was stationed over 50years ago with the 25th infantry. to those who insist that any of the ncl fleet can be called the worst, maybe you need to reevaluate your expectations, youre on a cruise ship, with so much to see and do, there must be something for you to enjoy.  i refuse to believe that your entire cruise experience was negative.

 

and believe me, im a registered pessimist.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

traveling man: once again, having been on a number of ncl ships since 2010, i dont classify any of them as being the "worst" some are nicer than others, some have better features, but to me, the sheer joy and pleasure of being on a cruise ship, sitting on my balcony having a cold beer, having a mojito at sugar cane, or a nice juicy steak at cagney's, far surpasses and outweighs what ever problems might arise with the ship.  even on my so called ill fated southeast asia cruise, i was still able to ride an elephant in thailand, took my wife and grandson to cu chi in vietnam, where i was stationed over 50years ago with the 25th infantry. to those who insist that any of the ncl fleet can be called the worst, maybe you need to reevaluate your expectations, youre on a cruise ship, with so much to see and do, there must be something for you to enjoy.  i refuse to believe that your entire cruise experience was negative.

 

and believe me, im a registered pessimist.

Well, if we go back to the OP's first post, I think what he was looking for was a red flag, i.e. is there any ship out there to avoid.  Many folks have posted their opinions on the subject here, but I'll agree with you that being on a cruise ship, even a cruise to nowhere, beats sitting on my butt at home.  The "Around the World" tour on the Star in 2016/2017 had such potential for a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Unfortunately, the problem with the Azipods put a real hickey in the enjoyment for many.  It affected about a half dozen cruise segments in a row, with NCL offering varying degrees of compensation for missed ports.  In your case you got half your money back plus another 50% in FCC.  On one of our two segments we got 100% back on our credit card plus some FCC.  Since essentially they paid us to take the cruise, it's tough to complain.  Unfortunately, though, many, many passengers did just that.  I'm not sure that I can blame them.  We were able to return to Australia the following year for a cruise on the Jewel that hit all the ports we missed on the Star.  For some folks,though, the Star was to be a once-in-a-lifetime cruise.  Either they didn't think they could afford another round of airfares the following year, or they couldn't get the time off from work, or their health prevented them from traveling in the future.  Either way, there were a bunch of folks who were heartbroken that the Star had such problems.  My point, and I'm sticking to it, is that NCL made grand plans for a whirlwind tour to far-flung ports that they had never before visited, taking them thousands of miles away from their comfort zone.  And of all their 17 ships, the one they chose to make this arduous journey was the very one that previously had suffered more breakdowns and more missed ports than every other ship in their fleet combined.  That may not make the Star the worst ship in the fleet, but it sure doesn't win any gold stars.  That being said, I do like the look and feel of the Star, the way it is laid out, and I might sail on her again sometime if the itinerary was appealing and not part of another marathon around-the-world tour.