Rob_H

Another code: RR0DG Ambassador Tier Comp Cruise

Yes, both Wines Around the World and Dinner with Officers are back, on the Star. You sign up for both (and Behind the Scenes Tour, if you want that) by joining the long queue at the Cruise Next desk on embarkation night. You usually won't know what day the Dinner with Officers is until later, could mess up your speciality restaurant plans. Wines Around The World is usually very oversubscribed as so many people are eligible. The concept of introducing you to wines with interesting talks about each has gone, now it's "here's the name of the wine, drink up, move on, we've got another group to get through". Speed wine tasting, many call it. Each group is way too large, extremely crowded. We've mostly stopped going (which, of course, is the intention: make the "benefits" of status not worth claiming). Dinner with Officers on the Star is done differently from most ships. On most ships, it's a group of around 4-8 people with one or two officers, so a smallish table, in one of the main dining rooms. Usually good conversion, and we enjoy it. On the Star, it's "Dinner in the same room as an Officer". About 20-24 people sitting around a giant table in a room off the MDR, with one officer (perhaps the HR person, or a junior engineer) and maybe the cruise next manager. None of the other officers want to attend, we were told. Only those sitting immediately next to the officer have any hope of talking with them in the noisy room, otherwise it's basically just a big shared table with fellow guests (worse really as the big table means you can only talk to those adjacent to you). We were back to back on the Star for four cruises this June, we gave up going to the dinner with officers as well. Not just the Star, but many ships will schedule all the events at the same time, to reduce participation. One ship we were on recently, long cruise with multiple sea days, scheduled everything for Day 2: Behind the Scenes tour, wines around the world, sail and sustain (Diamond and up), Latitudes party. Too much alcohol in one day for most!

The Getaway has some seven day cruises out of Athens, to the Greek Islands and Turkey, in July and August 2024. We're very much fans of the longer cruises as well, don't normally look at 7 days, even b2b, but I agree there is room in the market for both.

At Moderno, the meat was ... interesting. On one cruise, the chef didn't know which meat he was cooking, so he'd send the servers (the guys slicing the mear at the table) out with something he told them was beef, but it was actually lamb. When we pointed this out, they went back to try again, and still got it wrong... The next cruise, we gave Moderno another go (we had 3-4 speciality meals each cruise, from Latitudes and Free at Sea). The meat wes generally named correctly, but really poorly cooked, either very raw in the middle, or very crisp all over. Probably cooked too fast. Not good enough for the buffet, certainly not for a speciality restaurant who's whole point is beautifully cooked meat. On the following cruise, we didn't go back to Moderno. We found most of the meals in the MDR to be acceptable, although we had to walk out mid-meal one time when it was simply too slow. Not every meal was exactly what we ordered, but usually edible. Not so much the meals, but cakes (and coffee), yes! 🙂 We're looking forward to being back on the Jewel. Last time we were on her was the cruise that left left Sydney Feb 28, 2020 that ended up wandering the Pacific looking for a port, one of our most memorable cruises! We get on in Seattle on October 3 for three cruises, 39 days, Alaska, transpacific, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore.

Thanks for the amazingly detailed review and great photos! I've been following along with interest (and a lot of sympathy!) as we were recently on the Star. We were onboard from 21 May (Ireland) for four b2b cruises, including Norway, Svalbard, Iceland and Greeland, ending 3 July. During cruise three we did consider whether to just get off at the end of it and walk away from cruise four. We've never, ever, felt that way on a ship before. We're glad we didn't, as the stops in Greenland were great. As well as all the previous ports, especially Longyearbyen. We were on the Star before, Lison to Rio to Buenos Aires at the end of last year. Even then, we didn't like it much, mostly for the structural things (no observation lounge, no great outdoors, uncomfortable theatre) but also for the poor invisible management. Still, we decided to go ahead with the cruises this year, for the itinerary. It's the last time though, we won't be back on the Star, regardless of where it goes. It made us seriously reconsider whether to cruise with NCL again, and we did cancel some future bookings as a direct result. We still have some bookings though, hope the Jade and Jewel are still OK. The Star needs a complete change of culture from the top down. Step one is for head office to provide more crew (there are just not enough trained people), and then for management to start treating the crew well. We did get the Latitudes book in the cabin each b2b cruise (except one where we changed room at the last minute) and mostly got the strawberries. Water quantity and size varied each cruise, no consistency. Stewards were good. Laundry service was the best thing on the Star, spectacular fast service, even same day one time. But you have to tell your steward to go check if it's ready, there is no process for them to be properly notified so they assume it takes days and then forget. You mentioned having no data (so no map) in port. We use maps.me, which works offline. You can download maps for specific countries (or regions) before your trip, w=or when you have wifi. Those maps (based on open street map) can then be used without data (gps doesn't need data, it just receives). We enjoyed all the ports on our four b2b cruises (43 days) but the Star is on an exclusive list: the only ship we've decided never to go back to.

The cruise port schedule often has port changes before the cruise line advises passengers, I've come to trust them more than NCL. But it has to be the official site for that port, not some third party site that gathers port information for future cruises and doesn't update it. In your case, the official port site is https://gls.portstmaarten.sx/sxm/MainMenu.aspx?ShipScheduleType=2 That currently shows the Viva will be there on the 12th, not 14th.

On the Star this May, we treated two friends to the Teppenyaki. My wife and I each used a Latitudes voucher (one with wine, one without), each inviting one guest. So the four of us could eat there at the same time. Others are right that there's a condition both vouchers can't be used in the same restaurant, in practice that can be flexible if you ask. The free at sea meals are not transferable, you can only invite guests using the Latitudes vouchers.

The charter to Lion was announced a few weeks ago: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/06/norwegian-spirit-to-sail-from-taiwan-in-2024/ NCL can presumably get more money chartering than sending the Spirit back to the very crowded Alaska market again, or risking an Asia season themselves.

That was our experience last year as well, but with the switch to overworked cabin attendants making only one visit to each cabin each day, it's taking at least a day longer (here on the Spirit). Often the laundry isn't picked up till late (if your cabin is later to be serviced), then the attendant doesn't have the time to go check if it's been done. 48 hours or more turn around for "express" is normal now. Previously on this same ship it was excellent.

We're on nearly the same itinerary on the Star from Southampton on May 21 this year (there is also a May 11 sailing). Prices are low. More cruises (worldwide) for the second half of 2025 were added in the past few days. 700 different future cruises available to book is the highest I've ever seen.

Most of the ships already have cruises showing for the first half of 2025. Many have cruises through to October 2025. To find what's available, filter on the NCL search by date and select the months you want. Then if you filter by ship, the ships that are in bold (and selectable) are the ones that have at least some cruises during the time you've selected. This works the other way, to see what dates are available for a particular ship (or ships), filter by the ship then look at the date filter - the dates in bold are the months with cruises already listed. NCL has been releasing cruises further and further ahead recently, over two years ahead for most ships. The demand is there, and it's a good way to raise money, getting more deposits. Just bear in mind some of the cruises and even entire seasons might get changed or cancelled nearer the time.

We were on the Sun in October 2022 that sailed from Seattle to Miami (and then b2b on to Lisbon). A great trip, it went to smaller ports such as Astoria and Catalina Island on the west coast, before a more traditional set of ports in Mexico and Central America. In April 2022 we were on a b2b2b on the Encore, a week in the Caribbean, then 21 days Miami to Seattle, and a week in Alaska. This one was sold with three different options, you could get off in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or Seattle. It wasn't super busy to start, then people got off in LA and SF, so only 800 or so passengers for the final SF to Seattle leg! These Caribbean to Alaska (or return) repositions are great - plenty of sea days to relax, generally good weather, and often a very affordable price per day (since not many people can do long cruises). We love them! Try to add a b2b at either or both ends if you have the time. If you're on the Encore, Bliss or Joy it'll sail through the new locks on the Panama canal. The older more historic locks are used for the smaller ships like the Sun.

Maybe doesn't apply in your case, but Sailaway rates don't get the extra points. Only "free at sea".

If you reprice a cruise before final payment, you normally get the offers available at that time. So if you have a booking with double points and then call to get a price reduction, you might lose the double points, if the offer has already expired. This works the other way as well. Although the terms say "for new reservations", if there's a new offer when you reprice, you should get that. For example I called recently to get an updated (lower) price on one of our cruises coming up this summer. As well as the lower price, the points went from one extra point ("LATITUDE") to three extra points ("LATRIPLE") per night.

The standard cabins have one US socket and two European sockets on the desk area. A (weak) hair dryer is provided in the bathroom.

It's like dial-up: you have to log in at the start, and log off when you're finished. The minutes between login and logoff are deducted from your 150 total, until you have none left. It's like dial-up another way as well: speed (or lack of).

We've done many back to backs. Often you have to wait till everybody has left, then go ashore, get herded into another area to wait with uncomfortable chairs, then get back on once the ship has been cleared. It's a very tedious and timewasting process. So most of the time we treat the turnaround port as a port day, sometimes just for shopping. We leave early along with the self-assist people, mention to immigration we're back to back if they ask, have a day enjoying the port, and head back to the ship well before the all aboard time. By this time the terminal is near empty so with the "still on vacation" sticker (and the new keycards) they provide we just walk straight through and get on. No need to bother with check in. You'll be able to get your new keycard at guest services onboard the night before (when you keep the same cabin), or the arrival morning if you are moving to a cabin that was occupied on the first cruise (you have to wait for those people to leave). You may also get given a keycard which just lets you back on the ship, but not to your new room, in that case you'll need to get another new keycard after getting back on board. Take with you everything you need for a port day, plus your passports. Luggage is not a problem. Just leave everything in your room if it's the same room. If you're changing room, pack everything up and attach the tags you were provided in the "back to back letter" that is delivered to your room a couple of days before arriving. Your bags will be moved to the new room by the stewards, before you get back.

There's not usually anything on any long Norwegian cruise, but on rare occasions we've had a guest lecturer. Quality varies a lot, to be kind. BTW, the Jewel Tokyo to Seward will have five sea days in a row, not four. The Tuesday marked "cross international date line" is a sea day - twice. You'll get another Tuesday as you travel eastbound.

That's an editing error by NCL, they've copied over wording from Food Republic and similar places. Everything is included at Teppanyaki (except alcohol or speciality coffees). Even a good Japanese green tea, if you ask for it (most people don't know it's available).

Winning a bid won't affect any of your promotions, including the extra points.

When were on the Sun for Seattle-Lisbon in November/December last year, the Sports Bar on 11 Aft was the late night spot, 5.30pm to 5.30am according to the Freestyle, with an Local style comfort food menu. On those cruises the Great Outdoors was open for late snacks from 9.30-11.30pm, but that seems to have been stopped on all ships from early December (our three cruises since, on the Star and Joy, have had no late night buffet snacks). There are no restrictions on taking food out of the buffet, you just have to get there earlier before they close! We found The Local in the Star was super busy and slow after the late show turned out, as the closed buffet meant there was nowhere else to eat. The speciality restaurants will also still send the dessert to your room if you ask (or you can carry it home), I don't think there's any restriction in the MDR either. There are no more snacks in the gift shop than before, it's not a paid replacement for the late buffet.

The UK (and EU I think) doesn't have refundable deposits. NCL has different deposit terms, cancellation terms and final payment dates for each region of the world.

The app and the website both show it limited to Diamond and Ambassador. There wouldn't be the capacity to extend it further, it's limited to the number of seats at the bar.

Same here, it's a free drink, and often interesting people. But on a recent short cruise with only one sea day it was scheduled just two hours after the wine tasting, too much for one day... It would be nice if there was some benefit to Diamonds (like free internet!) that wasn't just another way to promote alcohol sales (which doesn't work for us, we have no intention of paying for more of the same). Really once you reach Platinum (free meals, laundry) there's nothing significant added as you move up.

It's for Diamond and Ambassador, not Sapphire. On a sea day, one of the bars (like Great Outdoors or H2O) is set up with a selection of eight cocktails made from recycled food ingredients (like coffee grounds). The bartender explains how each is made as you taste each in turn. OK a couple of times, but the novelty soon wears off. We just go as a way to meet other Diamonds and above, there's usually only 4-10 people present.