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Just Off Star - Reykjavik to Southampton - Random Thoughts

annmarz

By annmarz,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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annmarz

annmarz

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We really enjoyed our cruise. Here are some random thoughts:

 

Itinerary:  Iceland was the main draw and it did not disappoint!  Spectacular and very cold!  Many pax were unprepared for the weather. Took ship excursions in all 3 ports and were very pleased.  The Norwegian ports of Olden and Alesund were just ok.  Not a whole lot to do.  I guess by that time we had seen enough fjords, waterfalls, and glaciers.  The Orkney Islands in Scotland was a fascinating excursion and one can never get enough of Edinburgh IMHO.  2 days at sea was just right.

 

Stateroom - Our midship Oceanview with Balcony on Deck 10 was a perfect location.  Quiet. close but not too close to elevators and no motion.  We requested and received a mattress topper.  Enough storage, a smallish loveseat, a surprisingly large shower and separate toilet (both with sliding doors) a new easy to operate safe and a very cold fridge!  Only complaint was no nightstand on one side of the bed and terrible lighting.  They NEED to put reading lights by the bed.

 

Entertainment:  The production shows were just average but the guest entertainers were stupendous!  Probably the best guitarist - from Chile - I have ever seen, a hilarious juggler, a non-boring illusionist and his contortionist wife. WOW!  There was the usual complement of game shows - pretty fun.  I just could not stand the main cruise staff guy - his assistants were much better.

 

Bars - Great assortment of bars and the happiest and friendliest bartenders ever!  Fast service but since the ship only had 1300 PAX service and seating was never an issue.

 

Specialty Dining - Hands down, Cagney's was the best.  We were very disappointed in Le Bistro.  Mediocre food. My filet of sole was full of bones.  The French Onion soup just had a sprinkling of Parmesan on top.  No lamb chops.  The Chocolate dessert with the long name was just a HoHo in disguise.  La Cucina was ok. We just weren't that hungry that night - weren't feeling too well near the end of the cruise.

 

Buffet - I am not ashamed to admit that I loved the buffet - for all the meals.  Lots of variety.  Unexpected delights like a huge bowl of cashews, gravlax, the best and ripest cantaloupe I have had on a cruise.

 

Ginza - appetizers excellent, entrees meh. (ate here twice).

 

I will add more in the upcoming days.  Meanwhile happy to answer any questions!

 

 

 

 

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Mlake09 "Live from...." Rare

Mlake09

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Thank you for the update! We are on the Star next week and I’ve been following the weather and see lots of 40’s and 50’s. How was the wind on the sea days? We are bringing down coats and hats/scarves, etc, but just wondering if you (or others) were able to be on the decks comfortably. 
 

Thanks again!

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snickers93

snickers93

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Thank you for the information.  We are doing this same itinerary next July on the Prima.  I was curious about the weather.  Thank you for mentioning it.   I looked at excursions for our cruise and not all posted yet.  I didn't expect them to be. Your experiences will be helpful when they do become available.   

Did you arrive in Reykjavik several days prior to your cruise or did you arrive on the day of it?  If so, where did you stay?  What did you do?  How did you get to the port?  We are coming in two days early next year.

Happy sailing!

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annmarz

annmarz

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12 hours ago, Mlake09 said:

Thank you for the update! We are on the Star next week and I’ve been following the weather and see lots of 40’s and 50’s. How was the wind on the sea days? We are bringing down coats and hats/scarves, etc, but just wondering if you (or others) were able to be on the decks comfortably. 
 

Thanks again!

It was very cold and windy in Iceland.  Very windy on decks.  Virtually no one there. The last day, sailing to Southhampton was sunny and people actually went in the pool and hot tubs.

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annmarz

annmarz

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6 hours ago, victory2020 said:

How was LHR? How early did you get there for your flight? Did you do NCL transfer?

LHR in a word, sucked.  Horribly crowded, disorganized. We took the NCL transfer.  You need lots of time to check in, even to find where to check in, clear security (VERY SLOW) and get to gates when they were announced.  Security is very very strict about liquids in bags. DO NOT eat at the Smoke House Taphouse restaurant. It was abysmal.  Bring lots of patience for the airport. I have enjoyed the shopping and dining and LHR in the past but this time I hated the whole thing.

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annmarz

annmarz

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3 hours ago, snickers93 said:

Thank you for the information.  We are doing this same itinerary next July on the Prima.  I was curious about the weather.  Thank you for mentioning it.   I looked at excursions for our cruise and not all posted yet.  I didn't expect them to be. Your experiences will be helpful when they do become available.   

Did you arrive in Reykjavik several days prior to your cruise or did you arrive on the day of it?  If so, where did you stay?  What did you do?  How did you get to the port?  We are coming in two days early next year.

Happy sailing!

We were with a group and arrived two days prior with a tour package in Reykjavik.  We stayed at the Fosshotel and did the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle Tour. We had a group bus transfer to the ship. Embarkation was fast and efficient BTW.

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annmarz

annmarz

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More Random Thoughts:

 

O'Sheehans.  Love the venue. Large and comfortable with views of Atrium. A bustling bar.  Just wish the quality of the food was a bit better. But it is open 24 hours and is free.

 

Room Service Breakfast - Free until 11 am.  Very nice assortment of choices.  You can phone your order in the am or fill out the card in the room.

 

Internet Cafe - Not sure why they devoted so much ship space to this venue when everyone has their own devices now. But the crew member staffing it was very knowledgeable and competent and went the extra mile to help people get connected.

 

"Secret" Uncrowded Bars. If you want to grab a quick drink with no waiting, try the Casino Bar and the Juice Bar in the Buffet which also is a full bar.  

 

Sundries - The gift shop does not sell cough medicine or even throat lozenges.  Many people needed these items. They direct you to the medical center which has very limited hours.  Bring your own!

 

 

 

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mingo

mingo

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Keep the information coming...   Were on the STAR starting the 25th - Iceland/Greenland.  We have a Club Balcony (Mini-Suite)  Any idea how those were?

 

Thank you!

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cassie55

cassie55

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26 minutes ago, romalley99 said:

 

The Concierge is Amit Chauhan ... amazing!! 

Thanks. I don't know him.  Glad he's good. The last one we had was spectacular and it was a difficult cruise.  Singapore to Hong Kong just as covid started. We sailed in a circle for 2 weeks and ended up back in Singapore 🤦‍♀️

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yyhay

yyhay

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Thank you so much for sharing the Norwegian Star details.    We will be on the same sailing on August 14 about a month away! We are thinking of getting the SPECIALTY DINING just for dine in the Moderno Churrascaria and/ or Teppanyaki? Does it worth $49/pax?  We still haven't book the shore excursion at Alesund and Haugesund at Norway and Edinburgh, Lerwick, Kirkwall at Scotland. How's the quality of those offered by NLC?  Any feedback for the gym and thermal spa facility?  Thank you for any recommendation and information you provided.  

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