Markanddonna

I had read the criticism about RCL passengers who had these perks, specifically in reference to passengers who were Diamond +. I traveled on a TA where many passengers had this status. I found no one who was at all snobbish or talked much about the perks of frequent traveling with RCL. RCL became my favorite cruiseline after that TA.

We disembarked on May 19th at CPH at Oceankaj 330. The pier was just inaugurated by the Queen in early May and is having some growing pains. The comments from others concerning transportation at the pier seem to differ according to the day of the week and the number of ships at the port. The new pier is the farthest and the city seems to be constantly improving their transportation. We took a taxi, which was readily available, for 190 DK to Nyhavn.

 

Check the ports board with "the Danish Viking" and another well labeled tab for the most up-to-date info. I think NCL is using the new pier for all sailings. It is NOT covered in Rick Steve's book.

We have been on about 5 NCL cruises and the past one (a TA) was the first one where sharing a table was standard and there was a sign upon entering encouraging the practice. I found it works great unless the party is very limited in their English language skills. Those folks were the few who sat by themselves. I met many fascinating people by sharing a table.

 

There is no formal night and even dress or not night is pretty dress down. From now on, I would not have my husband even bring a jacket nor would I bring even a cocktail dress. The airline regulations make packing light an issue.

Sorry...but they tell you officially 9:00 AM. that is when we left but there were still folks sitting around the ship at that time. I heard that the National Museum has lockers for luggage, so you might hop over there. They are closed on Monday.

If you are looking for morning coffee and pastries, here are a few ideas:

Free- buffet and also on the outside deck

Blue Lagoon on deck 8Coffee station on deck 8- right across from Blue Lagoon- used as a game area in the morning

 

extra Cost- Carlos Bakery items and "designer coffees" extra cost on deck 7

We have always been able to use non-chip credit cards for taxis. Just ask the driver first before you get in the cab. Can't remember any costs, though.

 

 

We were one of the "early ones" in May to experience the port- May 19th. The first driver quoted us 120DK to the Bethel from Oceankaj 330. It turned out to be 190DK and he accepted our non-chip card. The driver to the airport refused, absolutely refused our credit card and we had to use our debit card. He thought the other driver was "new" and didn't use good sense...

 

BTW- you will love Hotel Bethel. The taxi drivers were the only thing about Copenhagen I did not like.

I did mention it was a ship tour.

Just off a TA and the captain announced that the ship would be waiting for over an hour because a ship tour to London was caught in traffic. Two busloads of folks were involved but we didn't have a tight schedule. It was well over an hour that we waited.

FYI: We paid 190 DK for a taxi on Monday, May 19 at 9:00 AM from Oceankaj 330 to the Nyhavn Canal area (Hotel Bethel). Yes, that meter keeps going when you are sitting in traffic. It looked like a typical rush hour to me, but not a traffic jam. Just our experience though.

Your point about the crowded ship is right on. That was the fault of NCL turning a few desirable public spaces into penthouses and high priced suites and private restaurants. There is nothing the crew can do to fix that. I would only choose the Star again if I had no other options. I think the PEOPLE made this cruise a very memorable one for me in the most positive way possible.

So, I have concluded that the lunch time menu changed to not offer a change of menu each day about four years ago when we last cruised with NCL. We went to the MDR only two times in fourteen days. They also didn't offer the dessert menu on the first day. This was my first cruise experience where the lunch menu didn't change and to be honest, this would be "the tipping point" for us to select another cruise line as we tend to go on longer cruises and compared to our last cruise on the RCCL, NCL really went down a notch.

 

Some things matter to individuals that might seem trivial to others and I realize that others may think that we are making a big deal over this. We don't care about the bars, the casino, the pools, the basketball courts, etc. We do care about the dining experience and really don't enjoy the buffets as much as I do sit down dining.

 

Thanks for your clarification.

Hey,

 

How did you enjoy the cruise? I was on the TA and enjoyed it very much. Our fellow passengers were wonderful to meet and the weather was great. I thought the crew was friendly and efficient. I will write a comprehensive review as the Star itself has a few issues, but overall it was a great experience.

A TA sails when the majority of students are in school and you see very few young people because of that. Longer cruises in the summer or over the holidays might have quite a variety of ages. TAs are rather unique in that respect. I have been on only one HAL cruise and it broke the stereotype of what I have read about HAL. There were lots of people of all ages and the children loved their children's programming.

I appreciate well written reviews with details. I also appreciate balance and if there was a problem, I would like to know up front. I dismiss reviews that are generalities and all glowing. Conversely, I dismiss reviews that say things like "all the food was inedible".

What a coincidence. We did a TA from Rome to Galveston when I retired from teaching and it was our 40th anniversary too. I would try to find a ship that leaves in the earlier part of Oct. We went on Nov. 2nd and it was pretty chilly and a bit rainy, but not horribly so. We spent four days in Rome.

 

I know others will disagree but I sort of like the east bound TA's better. The big reason is you get more USEABLE daylight in the spring. True, you do lose 6 hours on the way over but it gets dark so early in the fall. Fall is also hurricane season and our TA was almost cut short by Hurricane Sandy. Lots of nail biting on the departure.

 

Book your own hotel. Use tripadvisor to get some good hotel advice.

 

Celebrity sounds like a perfect choice for you!

We were just recently on a 14 day TA and the average age was 68. It does depend on the cruiseline. I was told that a typical HAL TA has an average age of 78 and that a good percentage have some type of health care worker taking care of one or more passengers and that the geriatric populations really stands out with lots of walker and wheelchairs.

 

There were folks in wheelchairs on the NCL cruise but half of them were younger people either recuperating from a recent surgery or morbidly obese young people.

 

Longer cruise passengers tend to be retired but in good health and there is a lot of night life into the wee hours without "heavy" drinking.

One poster mentioned that they stopped changing the menu about four years ago. That is when we last sailed with NCL, so now it makes sense that NCL passengers have lower expectations on this issue. I have sailed more recently with RCCL and HAL and they have a varying menu. I agree that port days are not important for lunch, but on a transatlantic, you have eleven sea days in 14 days, so eating at the MDR would be very nice.

 

Pity the Australians who did a B2B2B, from LA to Miami, Miami to Copenhagen and then the Baltic.

I have cruised with NCL several times and don't recall the situation I found on the Star in May. The lunch menu at the Versailles (the Star's main dining room open for lunch) was the same on BOTH sides of the menu every day except for "Item of the day" that changed. The item was not posted but told to you by your waiter at the table.

 

When did this menu policy change? Someone who had been on a 14 day Panama Canal cruise right before the TA to Copenhagen mentioned this to me the first day and I didn't fully understand what he was talking about until I saw it for myself.

 

I think I am mostly surprised that it seems to be accepted by the NCL passengers as no big deal. I haven't noted this policy on any other ship or cruiseline until this one. I realize that I can go to the buffet, but I do prefer eating in the MDR at lunch especially since the Star's buffet area is rather like a school cafeteria atmosphere.

 

I did mention this to the staff and they just responded that the new menu change was coming on May 22nd. It seems likely that the policy to have the same lunch menu day after day probably won't change as they were elusive on this point.

 

The cruise I was on was for fourteen days and I can see why someone who did a B2B would tire of this after a few days. There were, in fact, not many eating in the MDR at lunch.

It really wasn't the quality of the food at issue, but the lack of a menu change.

We just were there a week ago. Here's how we did it:

 

take a taxi to the train station (Dover Priory)

 

buy a round trip ticket to Canterbury - get off at Canterbury East. The trains leave every 30 mins. and the trip is between 16-28 mins. depending on express or not. Not crowded at all.

 

We walked to the Canterbury Cathedral, bought a tour ticket and it took maybe an hour or slightly longer. Wonderful guide and tour. Walked to St. Augustine Abbey (ruins). walked back to train station (1 1/2 mile loop total walk). Lots of shops and places to eat.

 

The people were so helpful and friendly. A great day!

 

If you have the time, walk back from Dover Priory Station to the ship. It isn't a long walk depending on how tired you are. Taxis are all around if you are tired.

 

BTW- we had a group discount that was encouraged by the ticket agent at the train station. It worked out to less than $10 a senior couple!!!! Much less than we anticipated and he was pleased to do this for us.

 

A great day... don't go with the ship- do it yourself. The ship price usually doesn't include going INTO the cathredral.

Just returned from: Portugal (Azores), England, Sweden, Denmark and Poland. I was able to use a magnetic strip card about 80-90% of the time. Be sure to ask ahead of time and not assume. In Copenhagen, our first taxi driver accepted it and then the final driver to the airport refused saying that the first driver "must have been new (stupid)". Also, tell the person, store, company that your card is a magnetic strip because sometimes they assume it is chip and pin and then have to process it differently for a signature.

 

There are some stores that accept NO cards at all, so always have a back up plan (close by ATM).

My husband doesn't consider Lipton's English breakfast tea truly such. We never saw good quality tea on board and true, the Chamomille runs out.

Just looked at the February 2015 NCL web site, I don't see any dates where cruises (panama canal) are not already scheduled. How many days would it be in drydock to do this update ?

 

No clue on the dates. Seems they are doing a lot now. Cosmetic things. They wouldn't give details except to say it will be wonderful...

They were replacing carpeting during our TA. The smell was pretty bad at times. The red carpeting on the stairs looked the same except newer. The patchy hallways received a brown fish swimming to the front of the ship look. A bit classier than the blue. We had lots of sea days so taking away the public spaces was a big deal for that sailing. The crew and passengers were Very nice.

We went by taxi from oceanjag 330 to a hotel on Nyhvn and it was 190 dkk.

Just off the Star on Monday. We were told that the Star will be in drydock this February. The ship is well maintained but just a tad dated. The one BIG issue we had was the much mentioned lack of nice public space and viewing areas. An officer even mentioned it in a public session that the last redo was a mistake. They took several public lounges and turned them into penthouses and private dining. So, the typical forward lounge on the top deck is no longer there. During the day it was like shopping at Christmas time.

 

The crew was wonderful and most of the entertainers were great. Personally, I would not travel on the Star again because of the space issues.