Live from the NCL Star July 23-August 15, 2023. Will I survive 23 days without the beverage package?

[cruiseny4life]

Just a quick mention - I'd buy your guide book! Better than the formal, blah, blah turn right here for the stuffed tomato museum. I think you'd make a stuffed tomato museum interesting! 

 

Glad it seems things are going better for you and enjoy the Midnight Sun! What a cool phenomena to observe!

[www3traveler]

Hi Sweetie,

As always, BIG BIG BIG HUG

Turned hot in the Pacific Northwest.  Huge wildfire still burning along the US and Canadian border just West New Westminister.  No idea when they expect to have containment.  300 miles to the South, the Walla Walla Valley is filled with smoke.  Little if any rain in the forecast.

Love and prayers,

 

Mandy

[JIMESOPUS]

On 8/1/2023 at 4:34 AM, TrumpyNor said:

 

 

And this is how to make it yourself..... 😉

https://outside-oslo.com/kvaefjordkake/

Thanks for the recipe, Carol's first attempt, was not pretty but OMG

[KforKitty]

I loved the Shades of Blue Riesling on the Star and hardly deviated from this.  Even my husband, who is not a wine drinker, enjoyed a couple of glasses.  I was dismayed when I got home that we can’t get it in the UK.

 

Catherine

[SenatorsFan]

9 minutes ago, KforKitty said:

I loved the Shades of Blue Riesling on the Star and hardly deviated from this.  Even my husband, who is not a wine drinker, enjoyed a couple of glasses.  I was dismayed when I got home that we can’t get it in the UK.

 

Catherine

It's not available in my part of Canada, either

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Thanks for the recipe, Carol's first attempt, was not pretty but OMG

This is amazing! Do you have a spare bedroom and can I move in?

[YVRteacher]

3 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Hi Sweetie,

As always, BIG BIG BIG HUG

Turned hot in the Pacific Northwest.  Huge wildfire still burning along the US and Canadian border just West New Westminister.  No idea when they expect to have containment.  300 miles to the South, the Walla Walla Valley is filled with smoke.  Little if any rain in the forecast.

Love and prayers,

 

Mandy

Oh that’s awful. Is it smokey where you live?

[YVRteacher]

Alta Museum is a UNESCO world heritage site preserving over 6000 petroglyphs. Extensive research shows they are 7000 years old. 

 

Most of the rocks are covered are covered in lichen and moss. This stone has been cleaned so we can see the petroglyphs. Who knows how many more have yet to be exposed?

 

This large section has been painted to make the petroglyphs easier to see. They tell the story of reindeer, of hunting, using the meat and the fur, of reindeer mating season and of elk coming to Norway. 

We were a large group and I was feeling squished so I left the group to explore on my own.

 

I walked to the Stone Age demonstration centre, explored the waterfront, walked along the beach then trekked up a big hill back to the museum.

The gift shop was lovely and I was tempted many times. 

What did I buy? Left top and left middle. What didn’t I buy? Top right. Cod chips!!!

 

The bakery was even more tempting!

If you saw all of these decadent treats, which one(s) would you select?

 

This carrot cake was laden with rum-soaked raisins, cinnamony cake, dense layers of cream and an exquisite poofy light cream cheese frosting.  You know the mathematical principle of the perfect ratio? Whoever made this cake has clearly embraced the divine proportion in the carrot cake world.

This is the first time I tried a currant.  Holy sour, Batman!

 

Today was the day of pathways, purple and petroglyphs. 

There is so much to do and explore in Alta. I would have loved the hike to the canyon and the power dam and wish I could have seen the slate quarry. If you ever see a cruise where Alta is one of the ports, book it!

 

There are no traffic lights in Alta. Instead there are MANY roundabouts. The closest traffic light to Alta is a 7 hour drive south in Tromsø. It is the northernmost traffic light! Of course I thought of you, @TrumpyNor 

[YVRteacher]

For dinner last night I went to Teppanyaki. It was a great experience with two very talented chefs. Both had great singing voices and their well-choreographed routine was funny. Best Teppanyaki I’ve had on NCL. Thank you, chef Mario!

 

[www3traveler]

58 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Oh that’s awful. Is it smokey where you live?

Yes, you can see and taste the smoke.  Will be happy for cooler temperatures and some rain.  May not happy for awhile yet.

[cruiseny4life]

47 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Alta Museum is a UNESCO world heritage site preserving over 6000 petroglyphs. Extensive research shows they are 7000 years old. 

 

Most of the rocks are covered are covered in lichen and moss. This stone has been cleaned so we can see the petroglyphs. Who knows how many more have yet to be exposed?

 

This large section has been painted to make the petroglyphs easier to see. They tell the story of reindeer, of hunting, using the meat and the fur, of reindeer mating season and of elk coming to Norway. 

We were a large group and I was feeling squished so I left the group to explore on my own.

 

I walked to the Stone Age demonstration centre, explored the waterfront, walked along the beach then trekked up a big hill back to the museum.

The gift shop was lovely and I was tempted many times. 

What did I buy? Left top and left middle. What didn’t I buy? Top right. Cod chips!!!

 

The bakery was even more tempting!

If you saw all of these decadent treats, which one(s) would you select?

 

This carrot cake was laden with rum-soaked raisins, cinnamony cake, dense layers of cream and an exquisite poofy light cream cheese frosting.  You know the mathematical principle of the perfect ratio? Whoever made this cake has clearly embraced the divine proportion in the carrot cake world.

This is the first time I tried a currant.  Holy sour, Batman!

 

Today was the day of pathways, purple and petroglyphs. 

There is so much to do and explore in Alta. I would have loved the hike to the canyon and the power dam and wish I could have seen the slate quarry. If you ever see a cruise where Alta is one of the ports, book it!

 

There are no traffic lights in Alta. Instead there are MANY roundabouts. The closest traffic light to Alta is a 7 hour drive south in Tromsø. It is the northernmost traffic light! Of course I thought of you, @TrumpyNor 

This post makes me so happy. What a perfect day!

[YVRteacher]

Apparently the time change has mixed up left and right! I bought the top right and middle and did not buy the top left.

[YVRteacher]

6 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

This post makes me so happy. What a perfect day!

Alta is amazing!

[YVRteacher]

Last night the entertainment was excellent. First we had the Broadway Cabaret in Bliss Lounge. The talented cast of 8 (plus the show band) did songs from Rent, Hamilton, Little Shop of Horrors, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and (my favourite!) Wicked! I have lyrics from Wicked tattooed on the back of my neck. This was a stellar cabaret and I think about 400 passengers attended. Great show!

 

Then we had the Three V Strings. I sat with friends from the Netherlands and Spain and we chatted. The sailaway through the fjord from Alta was gorgeous 

 

 

 

 

then this happened 

 

 

 

 

What a night!

 

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

August 2

Honningsvåg

 

Imagine this:

The year is 1553.  You have been on board your vessel for so long the hardtack has weevils that are producing larvae and you consider this a bonus because you get more protein with your daily rations. The Garden Cafe is closed for a private function and the crew mess has zero fruits or vegetables. You are constipated from all the salt beef and have gas from all the ale.  You are tired of the non-rotating menu in the MDR. The bar on board has no need for a menu since they only serve ale.  Your buddy bumped your elbow and spilled some of your precious ale so you dumped him overboard and now you’re lonely and you have no trivia partner for the 5:30 session. Heck, you’re not going to make it to the 5:30 session since it’s cloudy and you can’t see the sun so not only do you not know where you are you also don’t know what time it is. You started out in a flotilla but now you are alone since the other two ships got lost and sank somewhere in Lapland and never made it to your rendezvous in Vardø.  You haven’t showered in months because your soap dispenser is only 1/4 full and the flimsy shower curtain that used to flap against your body was commandeered when the mainsail snapped and the on- board gift shop has been closed for the whole journey. Your complaints to the person in charge go unheard since he died on one of the other ships in Lapland.  You try to register your dismay in the online survey but you don’t have a laptop or a smartphone.  You are, however, a loyal cruiser so you keep going, determined to make the most of your Free at Sea shore excursion per port discount when you reach Russia.  You signed up for the luxurious, panoramic, let’s take a selfie 2.5 hour tour but that excursion was cancelled with no notice.  Instead, you go ashore and meet the Tsar of Russia.  His name is Ivan and he’s a burly guy who smells like fermented potatoes. You want to buy souvenirs but the shops are all closed for the season.  There’s not even a Diamonds International or a place selling bamboo towels.  You try to figure out where you’re going to get your polar bear charm of the day and your Made in China fridge magnet but all you see is snow. However, Ivan does give you a paper granting England favourable trading rights with Russia. 

When you return to your ship, you are disappointed that your cabin steward has not been by for the once a day cabin cleaning.  You go to guest services to explain that you have been ashore all day and would like your bunk made up and yesterday’s Freestyle Dailies removed from the floor.  The person at guest services offers you an extra serving of dried cod and extends the ultimate beverage package (two servings of ale that night) for your convenience. You go to bed tired and full of burps and find the bed lacking in plushness since the extra mattress topper you ordered never arrived. You can’t set an alarm because the stars aren’t visible that night and your sextant broke when the third mate sat on it.  Plus, you have so many cords for your CPAP machine and your chargers but there aren’t enough outlets in your meagre cabin, let alone electricity. You can’t sleep because you don’t have a nightshirt to wear since you filled a bag of laundry for 29 pieces of dried fish tail and even though you duct taped the whole entire bag  you haven’t got your laundry back in the basket with the nice tissue paper.  The whole damn ship is creaking so you make a note to record the sound to post on Cruise Critic and you vow never to choose this cabin again. You give the cruise 2 stars for food, 1 star for excursions, 1 star for the cabin and 1 star for the overall experience. You swear never to set foot on this cruise line again but in 1556 you get a BOGO deal with the Free at Sea package and an extra stockholder onboard credit plus 12 cartons of Flow Water so you once again return to Moscow on a trade mission. The issues on this next cruise are abundant but the worst thing is they close part of your outdoor Observation Lounge which is the only place you can pee overboard in peace and see the Big Dipper by yourself and have even one moment of joy even though Alexa is not on this ship to entertain you nightly. You are determined to escalate this situation to head office but your ship sinks off the coast of Scotland on the return journey and you miss the opportunity to expose the flaws of this wretched vessel to the world. Your name is Richard Chancellor and you are the first person to “discover” (keep in mind the Sami people have been here for thousands of years) the Nordkapp (North Cape) on the northern coast of the island of Magerøya in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway.

That’s where we are today. 

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

That's some darn-good story telling!!

[slavetoabunny]

On 7/28/2023 at 6:52 PM, YVRteacher said:

Sea day part two

 

So dinner.

This starts out hopeful, gets quite sad but ends happily.

 

So as you all know NCL markets Freestyle cruising.  Dine where you want, when you want. Normally when I cruise with my dad I make most dinner reservations in advance then we have a concierge to assist with any additional plans. (Just adding here that Carlos is the concierge on the Star! Carlos!!! He gave me his business card and said to contact him if I needed anything.)

 

I was so unsure what each day and port would hold and when I would be eating breakfast lunch and dinner that I didn’t make dining reservations for this cruise. I assumed (hoped? Stupidly thought?) that as a solo cruiser I would be able to put the free in Freestyle cruising and dine when and where I wanted.

Ha!

Tonight at 6:37 I went to see if there was room in Le Bistro.

They said come back at 9:00.

Then I went to Moderno. I could see the empty tables. Actually see them.  With my eyes. The hostess said there were no cancellations.

I asked the Cagney’s host and she said they were full.

 

At this point I took my slightly disappointed self to the Garden Cafe. This is what I found that wasn’t baked in a casserole dish:

There were ZERO vegetarian protein options. The Indian food, which I normally love on NCL, is inedible. I had some on day two and it was super salty. It also made me sick. Tonight’s Indian food was a potato dish. Not that I’m eating the Indian food on this ship.

 

As I was taking my first bite of sad food,

Garry (restaurant manager) came to my table. He said he wanted me to meet with the Executive Chef.  Garry sat with me and we chatted more about the food and service on the Star.  Garry boarded the same day I did.  I told him there was tofu at lunch today! I also told him about my experience trying to get into a restaurant tonight. He said that shouldn’t have happened.  He called up to Moderno and told the Maître d to have a table ready for me. Garry asked me if I’d had the veggie burger on board.  I said I had but it wasn’t the same as the ones on all the other ships.  It’s just a big ole hunk of textured soy protein.  He said these ones come wrapped in plastic and get really hard when they’re cooked.  I told him I couldn’t eat it.  He said the chef knows how to make veggie burgers from scratch. To be honest, I’m trying to avoid bread-based meals.

The executive chef, Nelson Fernandes, came to the Garden Cafe. I know him! He knows me! He apologized and told me some of the vegetarian options they can make. They prefer me to preorder so I will do that moving forward.

 

Garry and I walked up to Moderno where I was seated at one of the empty tables I had seen 20 minutes earlier. The maître d came to meet me. The chef of Moderno and Cagney’s came to meet with me. Then the GM came to apologize for my experience in La Cucina yesterday. While I understand that meals are a logical time to connect with a passenger, this was overwhelming for me as I’m pretty introverted especially when stressed or upset and this was just a lot. I know that I’m the one that raised a concern, but I would have preferred to work toward a solution when I don’t have a mouthful of asparagus and someone in a uniform is standing over me.

 

All I ate at Moderno was the salad bar, some cheese bread and dessert. The dessert was excellent. Truly delicious.

The salad bar was hit and miss. The potato salad was extremely salty as was the tabouleh.  Are the cooks not tasting the food? There was no vegetarian cucumber roll sushi which I always enjoy and the couscous was undercooked.  Again, the cooks need to be tasting the food. 

Oh, I also had one piece of the pineapple. You’ve got to have the pineapple when you dine at Moderno. I did enjoy most of the salad bar as the ingredients were fresh and nicely presented. I also appreciated the quiet space to eat and the wonderful server, Joanne.

 

After dinner I went to the atrium and listened to Nikola do an amazing set of Tom Jones music then watched Paula do her beautiful thing. Paula is on the Star for the next 4 months. Talk to her-she is a delight!

 

I really really believe that cruising it what you make of it. Yes, I’m struggling with the food AND the restaurant manager is working closely with me to make things better. I will preorder and prearrange all dinners from now on.  I will not let the food ruin my overall cruise experience. I met some great people today, the musicians are fabulous, the team in O’Sheehan’s are all excellent and, wait for it, one of the sea day activities tomorrow is a brush seminar. How many people get to come on a cruise and learn about brushes?? (That was sarcasm!)

I don't eat meat and when I ate at Moderno on the Dawn with my husband, the server offered to have the kitchen prepare salmon for me.  I wish they would have offered to fix you something special.  I'm sorry you have been having such horrible food issues.

[QuattroRomeo]

Ps all of these bakery offerings jusf look too too good!

[YVRteacher]

24 minutes ago, slavetoabunny said:

I don't eat meat and when I ate at Moderno on the Dawn with my husband, the server offered to have the kitchen prepare salmon for me.  I wish they would have offered to fix you something special.  I'm sorry you have been having such horrible food issues.

Things are much, much better! I love the Moderno salad bar and there’s enough there for a lovely meal (for me.) The chef at Moderno did come and offer to make something else. I told him how much I enjoy the salad bar. He said “but everything is cold.” That didn’t matter to me!

I had Moderno booked again for tonight (August 2) but then booked an evening shore excursion so had to cancel the reservation.

[Happy fool]

Great pictures. I’m loving the shore excursions descriptions.