NCL Star 6-27 Review (Part 1)

[12Cruise]

The cabins are nice size and have a refrigerator and safe. Also doors on

the shower. Blue Carpet in Forward, Green Aft and Red Mid. It helps to find the places you want to go to. Also, decks 7 and 12 go all the way across the ship.

 

The ship was very clean and beautiful. Everyone working there seemed to go out of his or her way to be cordial and helpful. Muster drill went quickly and smoothly.

 

We found the firm beds very comfortable. Our balcony was adequate with nice chairs. Steward very good to keep things up and fresh ice in the bucket in the refrigerator. We took shoe bags to hang over the bathroom door to store all of our toiletries. This was a lifesaver. Bathroom sink is oversized which was nice. Our 4 kids stayed in a handicapped accessible room, which is very adequate and oversized. Each day, our cabin steward spent extra time arranging my younger kids' stuffed animals into cute positions. One day he had them sitting stair-stepped on the bunk ladder watching cartoons on tv. Another, day he had them hanging upside down on the rails of the bunk. My kids looked forward each day to see what he had done.

 

 

We loved our deck 9 inside cabin. The beds were comfy with really nice soft sheets and a duvet cover. We loved the shower with the glass doors. The room does only have 3 drawers though and no medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Plenty of closet space and shelf space in the closet. And our Cabin Stewardess was always extremely nice and pleasant towards us. In fact, as we were walking through the cabin halls, all of the Stewards and Stewardess’s would speak to us and wish us a good day. Without fail.

 

We were first time cruisers and have nothing to compare to. We thought the

ship was lovely, very big and even though there were many people on it we

never felt crowded. The cabins were what we expected in size. Enough room

to move around a little, plenty of space for clothes, and we brought 4 bags!

The bathroom provided enough room and the shower was excellent.

Yes there are some things not so great but I thought that this was a positive, exciting, wonderful experience. To see the glacier calving was the best!

 

The ship, NCL Star, is just beautiful inside and outside. Very modern and

classy. Our cabin was larger than expected for an inside deck 5. Great big

bathroom with shower doors. In fact the shower was so large that two people

could stand in it.

 

The staff on board the Star was very accommodating to our group. The Hotel

and Food Directors actually came to our 1st meeting on Monday, helped with

making our reservations for Wednesday dinner in Versailles. They mentioned

that our group was the largest group to 'actually' attend the meeting. The

Social Director was very nice and efficient in making sure that our Thursday

afternoon meeting went off without a hitch. Thanks to all of the staff of

the Star.

 

Restaurants - Had lunch in Aqua on the first day. It was very good. Also had dinner one night and it was very nice too.

 

We loved the rack of lamb in the Aqua.

 

The Grand Marnier Soufflé was wonderful!

 

LeBistro - $15 co-pay but was worth it. I had Filet Mignon, well done, and you could cut it with a fork, Very good desserts. We had a nice table outside by the piano bar where Ernest Scott played while we at. It was very romantic.

 

Endless Summer - Very good food and service. Tables are by the windows and you can hear ‘The Cruisers’ singing from the atrium while you dine.

 

The food was good but not at all like true Tex-Mex. Enchiladas there were burritos here. Just order the food and enjoy it for what it is; don’t compare and you’ll be happy.

 

The above is good advise from one of our group….Endless Summer was by far our least favorite place to dine. And not because the food was ‘bad’, we didn’t have a ‘bad’ meal all week. But for us the dishes were prepared too strangely so we didn’t return.

 

Blue Lagoon - Our favorites were the Fish and Chips, Shepherds Pie and Chili. Even when it was crowded our food was served very quickly.

 

Versailles - Beautiful Restaurant. We ate there most of the time. Service and food was great. We loved the Beef Wellington, Lobster and grilled chicken.

 

We did do formal night and it was worth bringing the suit! But I think the

rest of dressing for dinner was very casual and I would not have brought so many clothes if I knew this.

 

The food was heavenly and the service was great. We ate in the Versailles dining room for almost every meal. A couple of times we ate

breakfast in the buffet when we needed to get off early for ports.

 

We found service here somewhat slow each time but the food was very goo and it’s a beautiful room.

 

LaTrattoria - Great Chicken Parmesan. We thought service was slow here. It seemed under manned.

 

We had very quick service here....probably quickest of all of the sit-down

restaurants.

 

I wasn’t quite sure about this restaurant when we arrived. During the day it is part of the Market Café, but at night it is an Italian Restaurant. We had the best Caesar salad here and the best salmon on board, it was excellent. And the service was prompt and cheerful.

 

Cagney's Steakhouse - We both had filet mignon and it was good. Service was very good. Not sure though I would pay $20 per person cover to try again.

 

Ginza – We ate sushi twice in Ginza and found it to be wonderful. We ate off of the ala carte menu versus the all you can eat sushi because we wanted raw fish and the all you can eat didn’t offer this. Loved it!!!!

 

Market Cafe was buffet and my family was happy with the selections here since there was something for everyone, including the young ones. The traffic flow was interrupted by the long line to the desserts however. The views are nice from the large tables.

 

Pool areas - The outdoor pool was very warm, not cold like most cruise ships. Loved the indoor pool and hydrotherapy pool and nice lounge area that overlooks the ocean.

 

My husband loved the spa area. I went twice and it was very nice.

 

 

One of the best parts of the cruise was using the spa area. Everything we did there didn’t cost extra money. There was a hydrotherapy pool, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, sauna and showers. After you used all those, you could sit

on an indoor lounge chair with a huge view of the ocean. The spa was aft on the ship. There was a great exercise gym as well. We used it twice. Normally we try to get into the gym every day, but being on the 5th deck forced us to walk stairs so many times a day (up and down to the 12th deck), that we decided we’d had our daily exercise.

 

Entertainment - Sail away party by outdoor pool was fun.

 

The food was good as well. The grilled steaks were very tender.

 

The singers "Ironics" are very good.

 

The shows on the ship are excellent. We loved Andrew Lloyd Weber and Jane Powell. She has a beautiful voice and is a great entertainer.

 

We enjoyed the shows by the Jean Ann Ryan Co., a very talented group who received standing ovations at each show we saw, including A.L. Weber. We also enjoyed the magic and card tricks of Farquhar & Lori.

 

Casino - We noticed a lot of people winning the first night, including us. Mostly the 5 and 25 cent slots. $100 - $200. On the last night (not day) we saw a lot of people win the dollar Wheel of Fortune machines. $500 - $1000.

 

Red Lion Pub is nice with popcorn and Big Screen TV. There is a bar hopper card on the ship where you can get a free drink.

 

Free ice cream from 1-5 at juice bar by the spa.

 

My family thought this was the best-kept secret on the ship!

 

Cinema is very nice.

 

The card room and game room have great ocean views as well as Spinnaker. One of our favorite places to look out at the ocean when we were not on deck.

 

We played a lot of Bingo in the Spinnaker because our older kids really enjoyed it. The library has a nice selection of books if you have the need for them.

 

There is also a nice chapel.

 

And one that is used as well. During my first look-around on the ship, my kids and I popped in and interrupted someone who was on her knees praying. Just a note to be a little more thoughtful than we were when walking in.

 

Any entertainment we saw was good. Jane Powell was excellent!

 

(To be continued)

 

Submitted by: 12Cruise, pazooter, curlstavel, anitapoint, okfarmerswife,vi,WickedWitch.

[curlstravel]

I can't believe we have already gone on our cruise and are back home again. I can't help but read the review again and dream.

[pazooter]

I feel the same. I have incredible memories from the Star to Alaska cruise, but also feel a little let down without all the activity we had on the ship. I'm still on summer vacation, 3 more weeks. Usually we come home to another booked cruise in the distant future, but not so this time. I'm going to start looking around for something short (3-4 days) and start dreaming again. Cathy

[littleboy]

It has been a wonderful review so far I really enjoyed it. I LOVED the star it was lots of fun and the staff was great also.

[WCAB]

Will be on the Star in September and am really pleased to see that so many of you had a positive experience on the ship. I am really getting excited. How was the kids program, we will have a 9 year old and 11 year old with us this time around.

 

Carol

[alonzo14]

Thank you all so much for the nice reviews. I have four more weeks to go before ours!!!

[curlstravel]

WCAB - We did not have children with us, but others in our group did. I heard positive comments from all of them. One family said their son liked it so much they hardly ever saw him on the ship. He was always with his group.

[mommysshopping]

Hi, I really enjoyed your review. We're going next week with our three teen and tween kids. I was reading about the three mile hike that you took - are tennis shoes okay, or should we bring hiking boots? It also sounds like it was quite warm - do you suggest a sweatshirt or a heavier jacket? Can't wait to see the ship. We are new to cruising, so any replies or other suggestions will be gretly appreciated!

[pazooter]

You can grab a shuttle bus to the Glacier right at the port. Cost is $10 round trip for each. But the girl who drove our bus did charge less for bigger family groups. For example, one family of four she didn't charge for the littlest member. We rode the Blue Bus and thought that the driver was absolutely charming. She tells stories and entertains on both trips, out and back.

 

We wore tennis shoes on our 3 mile hike. It did not rain and tennis shoes were just fine for hiking. I suggest, that you bring a lightweight jacket or windbreaker and tie around the waist if you become too warm. There are parts of the hike where we were cool, especially coming down the mountain. Also, and this is very important, bring a bottle of water for each of you and a snack, trailmix or granola bars or something to eat. You can easily pick up something from the buffet before leaving the ship. We were not prepared for beng so warm, thirsty and hungry.

 

About the trail. We hiked for about 35 minutes to the first waterfall. This was fairly easy climbing. Then we hiked another 30 minutes to the lookout over Mendenhall Glacier. This portion is more strenous with many switchbacks, but well worth the view and photo opportunity. My timing may be off because Bruce stopped often to take photos.

 

From there we were concerned about not having enough water and retraced our path down the mountain. Other hikers continued the rest of the way on the trail which they said eventually is steps cut in the side of the mountain. If you are not comfortable (this would be hard on the knees) taking steps down the side of a mountain, then I suggest retracing your path.

 

P.S. Do not drink water from the waterfall. We were warned by a local resident that while it looks pristine, there are "bugs" (as in making for tummy aches) in the water.

[agehman1]

Thanks for the review on the star. My partner and myself will be doing the Mexican Riviera this fall and are looking forward to it. Your review made me feel we had made the right choice. Too often the reviews are too negative. We were on the Sky for the initial Hawaii cruise a few years ago and enjoyed it. Room too small. But not that much time in room anyway.

[mommysshopping]

Thanks so much for your quick reply! Will we need heavier jackets at any time on the trip? I assumed Alaska and the glaciers would be cold, but friend who cruised with Celebrity a couple of years ago said a sweatshirt was fine for the entire time. We are very excited - we leave on Thursday for a couple of days in Seattle before we board.

[pazooter]

mommyshopping - we needed our jackets, gloves and hats during the hour or so that we spent with the ship broadside Margerie Glacier. That was just us. 12cruise wore her longjohns for much of the cruise. I highly suggest you bring a jacket/windbreaker for each person. Then they can layer clothing/sweatshirts underneath.

 

We preferred observing the Inside Passage and the Glaciers from outside the windows. There ARE times on the ship when you want to be outdoors and the wind is really strong because of movement of the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Cathy

[mommysshopping]

Thanks, Cathy. I just talked to a friend who got home from a Princess cruise today - she told me the same thing. Very helpful information!

 

Priscilla aka mommysshopping

[seashore]

Thank You for such a fun review to read! I am now even more excited about our upcoming cruise on the Star.

[WICKED WITCH]

MOMMYSSHOPPING...

I brought a warm fleese jacket which I hardly wore. If you have room bring one but if you pack sweatshirts or warm sweaters and bring the wind breaker/rain jkt that worked for me. Mine was heavier material but with something under it it kept me warm. I am from FL. so get cold easy. I think the big thing was the wind...I have a picture of me with my hair up straight...so if you keep warm with the wind you should be ok. I had no hat but had a hood on my jacket. I had gloves, and I would say bring a pair. I had them in the room and didn't want to run down to get them so I kept my hands in my pockets as much as possible but for the inside passge glacier watching they would be great to have. Everyone is different, 12cruise was cold...I usually am but I was not that bad. Maybe it was the excitement of the glaciers...and the enormous calving we saw..the highlight for me.

 

You will have a great time.