dongordon

I agree with all of the posts in comparing both ships.

Breakaway has much better entertainment and outdoor dining in the specialty restaurants.

But the Gem with the Great Outdoors (located in the aft) for breakfast in the morning is one of the nicest parts of the ship.

The Gem also has the Spinnaker lounge which is my favorite for the bands and passenger shows at night. I really missed that on the Breakaway.

Been on both and aside from ports, I would choose the GEM....mainly because it is smaller and more into my style of cruising.

That being said, you can't go wrong with either!! :)

Don

I'm in Cabin 9736 on the Star for the Baltic Cruise on July 3rd this year. I'll be happy to give you any info on the room when we get back.

Thank you...

I am looking forward to hearing about the room and the Star when you return.

Please take a few photos.

Have a great cruise!!

Don

The size of the balcony is relatively large. It doesn't have the wrap-a-round which only adds a stand-up view of the side (no seating could fit), but it does have a lounge chair and a small table as well as a regular chair. It isn't as large as the deck-ten Jewel class ships. They are huge! But it is much larger than a mini-suite or balcony-class cabin. 9736 is the cabin that my dad was in, so I did get to see the balcony. I think you will enjoy it and I'm sure you will love the view!:D

 

Yes, I LOVED the Lavazza coffee machine! Cagney's was always available for breakfast and lunch. If you like chocolate, be sure to try their warm brownie with ice cream. YUMMY!!

 

Bruno was wonderful! We had purchased the UDP, so we needed reservations every night at a specialty restaurant. We were traveling with my father and his friend, so we needed reservations every night for 4. We didn't plan ahead too much, so he was frequently finding a place 2-3 hours before we needed it.

 

We wanted to see what an SJ suite looked like, because we are booked for the British Isles trip in 9/2015 followed by a trans-Atlantic trip in an SJ which has no balcony at all. (I'm still not sure I can be as happy without a balcony.:confused:) Anyway, Bruno arranged for us to see it as well as the garden villa (as a bonus) on a port day when we planned to stay on the ship. He escorted us through them and allowed us to take numerous pictures.

 

Tipping is such a touchy subject on this board. We only had breakfast and lunch in our cabin the day we went through the Panama Canal. We didn't eat any dinners en suite, but we asked for cheese and crackers as our afternoon snack. Our butler also took our request for and picked up our Panama Canal t-shirts, so we wouldn't have to stand in the huge crush of people wanting them. He did all of the other usual things like regular afternoon snacks, emptied our fridge when we first arrived, re-stocked our wine glasses and coffee needs, brought sliced limes and pitchers of cranberry juice, etc. He probably would have done more, but we didn't ask for anything else. I think we tipped him $10 a day, plus some extra for a total of $200 for the 15 days. We also tipped Bruno $100 plus, and the room steward $75. For a lot of people, that might be on the low end, but it was appropriate for us.

 

It was an awesome cruise!

Debbie...

Thank you for all that wonderful information...greatly appreciated!! :)

I just hope the weather is nice, but at at least I have a nice cabin to enjoy! :D

Don

We went on the Star for 15 days on a Panama Canal transit in the AF suite 9732 just last month. In a word, it was fabulous! The corner suites on deck nine have a fantastic wrap-a-round balcony. All of the suite perks were present and as usual outstanding. Bruno was our concierge and he was fantastic, too!

Yes, there was a little wear on the ship due to age, but she is going into dry-dock in Feb. 2015. (I think) They were also replacing carpeting and fixing things all during the cruise to make it look good.

 

I haven't been on any of the new mega ships, but the Jewel class ship's suites have always been my favorites, but we loved the aft corner suite on the Star, too. Have a great cruise!

Hi Debbie...

I am in cabin 9736 on the Star....I hope my balcony is large.

Do the suites have an espresso machine and is Cagney's available for breakfast as a suite cruiser?

What kind of services did Bruno provide?

Suggestions for tipping the Butler seems varied....what is your opinion on the amount for a 14 day cruise?

Thanks.

Don

Was your Aft Penthouse on the end?

I do not believe we have the end cabin, but we are in the middle.

Our balcony would be much smaller.

How was your Butler? Did you use him for many things?

That being said, I see you like the aft view as we do.

We always try and book an aft cabin....love the view!! :)

Thanks for your response.

Don

Has anyone recently had an Aft-Facing Suite on the Star.

Being that the Star is fairly old compared to the rest of the NCL fleet, I was wondering if anyone recently experienced cruising in one and how it compared to other NCL suites?

We are booked on a Transatlantic cruise in April 2015.

Thanks.

Don

It was his decision. I think he expected more $$$$ to renew.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

Too bad that NCL could not renew his contract.

He has a huge following on the NCL ships that had watched him perform. People sometimes spent every night in the longe being entertained by him and drinking lots of drinks (SRO)!!

IMHO, bad move on NCL's part. Short sighted.

Don

I am sorry he is gone from the Breakaway. I was hoping he would be onboard in August but I knew the odds were long. He had told friends before this contract it would be his last :(

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

He was the best!!

Why did he say that this contract would be his last? Was he unhappy being onboard the ship entertaining, or was NCL just dumb no to renew it?

Too bad that those who did not see him perform will miss this great talent. :(

Don

Those ice cream machines on the Breakaway were my nemesis!!!

The chocolate flavor ice cream was absolutely delicious and unfortunately "forced" me to have 4 ice cream cones per day and helped contribute to my one pound per day weight gain on the Breakaway!! :D

Don

I am sure this has been posted before, but since the search function is 'disabled'..

Does anyone have pictures of the aft penthouses on the Star? We will be sailing in October to Panama. Have always stayed in suites but never an aft penthouse before, so would love any info available! Thanks in advance.

What is the difference in the Aft Penthouse and Aft Facing Suite on the Star?

Hi Don. It's only for the Breakaway and Getaway for Quarters 2 & 3 of 2014.

Thanks Peg.....hope all is well!!

Don

Not sure about forum rule... but this deal will apparently be from NCL directly as flyers with hotline to NCL is posted on some forums today.

I don't think i am allowed to post links. but here are the details.

 

from 27th-10th

 

Book any balcony on Breakaway/Getaway

Get Ultimate Dining package for FREE for the 1st and 2nd guest

Book any suite

Ultimate Dining Package and Ultmate Drinking Package FREE for the 1st and 2nd guest

 

So guys gotta check NCL and maybe call in see if previous bookings can get that similar deal.

 

I dont think i am breaking any forum rules over this... as I posted no links and this will be from NCL directly, just giving everyone a heads up. :eek::eek:

Is that suite offer for only the Getaway and Breakaway or any NCL ship?

Don

$49pp per day times 2 for 7 days $686

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I guess that includes wine as well as spirits.

If so, does anyone know what Pignot Grigio is offered.

With wine (and drinking 2-3 glasses at dinner, it might not be a bad deal, especially if your cruise has a lot of sea days (thinking about a 9 or 12 day out of NYC or even a Transatlantic) :).

It might be worth it!

Don

It is salt water.

Don

Where can we find the perks with NCL ships without the Haven?

Don

They sure are heated!!

I was in the adult pool on January 16th (last sea day before arriving back in NYC)! :)

Don

Thank you....

 

I guess $10 / day for the Butler $5 for the concierge is a good place to start.

 

My DW will probably have breakfast each day in the suite, but I don't. I prefer the restaurants and being that we can have breakfast in Cagney's, that might change with her as well.

 

We will probably use the Concierge for reservations for specialty restaurants.

 

I agree, the cruiselines should provide some guidelines.

There used to be a suggested online gratuity chart for each cruise line that has that information.

Perhaps I saved it on my favorites. :)

 

Don

I could not find the suggested tip for the Butler on the "Tipping Calculator", but I did find this on Cruise Critic's "Insider on Tipping":

Butlers

For attentive service by butlers who have served as valets, brought trays of tea or hors d'oeuvres, and kept the liquor closet filled, I tip $5 a night at the end of the cruise.

I think I will use this as a start and go from there.

Don

I had heard that it would be sometime in 2015 on these boards, but not sure when?

I am hoping it is before I do my TA in April 2015.

I wonder where do they usually do this refurbsihing?

That being said, I heard the crew has done a great job in keeping the ship in very good condition.

Don

It is up to you, tip as you feel you should. We have researched this here before, and there is no set answer. We too hope the cruise line gives them a higher base pay... But I dont think anyone knows for sure. We like to have meals in our suite and use our butler once a day or so for this... We pre plan and hardly have a thing for the concerge to do for us... So for us we tip our butler more. We do tip both thou. We start at a pre set amont (ex. 10pp per day for our butler and 5pp per day for our concierge)in an envelope but we add or subtract from them based on our service... And so far it has been adding.I think that it would be nice if the cruiseline gave us a reccomended amount so we would hsve a clue... In the past begore the daily charge they did give suggestions for each level of crew but I dont know what it was for butler/concierge...

Thank you....

I guess $10 / day for the Butler $5 for the concierge is a good place to start.

My DW will probably have breakfast each day in the suite, but I don't. I prefer the restaurants and being that we can have breakfast in Cagney's, that might change with her as well.

We will probably use the Concierge for reservations for specialty restaurants.

I agree, the cruiselines should provide some guidelines.

There used to be a suggested online gratuity chart for each cruise line that has that information.

Perhaps I saved it on my favorites. :)

Don

How are the Aft-Facing Balcony Regular Suites on the Star?

They look smaller in the NCL phoos than the other Suites on the Star.

Does anyone have any photos?

Don

Is the Star going to be refurbished in 2015?

If so, does anyone know what month in 2015 that will be?

Don

One of the nicest things Ravi our Butler on the Jewel did for us was to get us a huge bowl of freshly popped popcorn for the Jets playoff game we were going to watch in one of the bars. I just happened to mention to him that we were going to watch the game and asked if he could tell me where i might be able to pick up some popcorn.

 

Right before we left for the game he knocked on the door and handed me a huge bowl full of popcorn. We were very popular at the game.:D

 

As for tipping: On our cruise we set aside $40 per day ($20pp) to split between the Butler & Concierge. We ended up giving the Concierge a bit more because he really went out of his way for us.

 

We also gave our Steward an extra $125, as he did a lot of little things for us and was so sweet. During the week we also left him a couple $5's & $10's when we asked for something extra.

 

We tipped at all restaurants. We usually left $10 for breakfast or lunch at Cagneys (all the staff in Cagneys are wonderful), and $20 or so for dinner at all Specialty restaurants.

We left $10 for dinner in the MDR the 2 times we ate there and in the Blue Lagoon.

 

Tipping is a very personal decision. Some I'm sure tip more and some less,but these amounts are what we were comfortable leaving.

 

Everywhere we went, the staff was polite and smiling and couldn't do enough for us.

MMMD....

Do you believe that your tipping habits are the average for the Butler and Concierge.

On my upcoming 14 day TA cruise, I was planning on a $100 for each.

How do others feel about the average tip they should receive?

Do they receive any other compensation from NCL other than gratuities from the suite guests since they are not part of the "ship pool"?

Given what you and some others (Cabincop) have commented, I am wondering if this is enough. Also, is it wise to provide the gratuity periodically throughout the cruise so they do not feel they may not receive a tip for their efforts during the cruise? Perhaps Cabincop could answer this having the facts on how the system works and the particular butler she has corrsponded with.

Typically, I give my room steward $20 at the beginning of the cruise and $20 at the end.

My wife and I leave a $5 gratuity for both lunch and dinner and sometimes $10 for outstanding service.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Don

I just thought I would share my picture album with you of the Star. We were on her in Dec 2012.

 

Wonderful photos of the Star....the atrium looks so nice!!

Does anyone have any photos of the Star's Aft - Facing Suite?

It looked small in the NCL photos.

Don

Is the Outdoor pool heated on the Star?

Don

We have been on the Star twice. She is in ok shape. We like the size and the crew and officers. Sailing in a suite is the way to go on the Star - particularly if you have tender ports and want dinner reservations at 7:00pm. The family suites without a balcony are a bargain!

Does anyone know how the Aft-Balcony Suites compare to the other suites on the Star?

Are they as large and as nice?

They looked small in the photo.

Don