meanjean80

All time favorites:

Brunch fire roasted tomato soup and bacon mac and cheese

Escargot

The Indian Vegetarian meal

grand marnier souffle

Only thing I would positively never order again:

"lite" pumpkin pie. seriously the worst food ever. like pumpkin jello.

My experience is that on any shorter cruise, during school break time, on any cruise line, you are going to experience a good number of young adults who are planning to party.

I have sailed many longer cruises on Carnival, and in my experience the longer the cruise, the fewer issues you see with heavy drinking.

Hi MeanJean80, I am considering this cruise for next July on the Getaway and was wondering about your Tallinn shore excursion...was that the NCL Medieval Experience? If so, can you please tell me what food was provided for lunch? Also if teens would be interested in this tour? I read that Rakvere Castle has weapons, dungeons, etc. But since it's such a long excursion the lunch is important for us, as my teens are both picky eaters and always hungry. Thanks for any info you can give me.

Yes, that was the tour. The castle was very interesting, the section with the dungeons was a bit hokey in a way...the tour guide apologized for it being "our little bit of Disney world". We'd have spent more time exploring it and walking around had it not been a very rainy day.

Lunch in Estonia was very good. Excellent bread, salad, and I think roast chicken...it seems to be the one meal I didn't take a photo of, but I remember enjoying it very much.

I would say it would depend on the teens as to the level of enjoyment. They had folks demonstrating archery and a bunch of stuff that could be climbed on and over, and they fired the cannon at noon.

You're welcome.

In St.Petersburg on our day 2 tour we met a woman who had applied for a visa in advance and arranged a tour through the museum directly. She however at least read Cyrillic, which nobody in our party did. Still, it seemed like she had an entirely different experience of the Hermitage than we did.

With a 6pm flight you could do a tour through the cruiseline that includes airport transfer. Unfortunately not an option for us because you could only book if your flight was after 3pm.

A brief, belated review of my July 4 cruise on the NCL Star.

Greetings all. I’ve been meaning to do this for some time, but I wanted to pass on my thoughts, experiences, and observations on my NCL Cruise in the Baltics from July 4.

Me: I’m an experienced cruiser, primarily on Carnival. Sailed with my older sister Donna and my friend Karen in a mini-suite. First time on NCL for all of us. We chose this cruise primarily for itinerary…Karen and I have traveled a lot of Europe, we both wanted to go to St. Petersburg, but neither of us wanted to actually fly in to and stay in Russia.

Pre-cruise. A lot of ugliness, nothing to do with NCL. Had the misfortune of flying (or trying to fly) on Delta on July 1 from JFK to Copenhagen. Flight took off 16 1/2 hours late. No, that’s not a typo. Worse, Delta didn’t do anything handy like tell us up front that the flight would be that late, they just kept postponing it an hour at a time until 3am when they finally admitted we wouldn’t leave until 12 noon July 2nd. (We actually left at 2:30pm). My first life experience of this vacation was sleeping on the floor of JFK Terminal 4. Let’s just say that Delta set the customer service bar so low that the rest of the trip could only go uphill from here.

Once in Copenhagen, we stayed at the Hotel Alexandra. Wonderful little place, reasonably priced, centrally located. They were very kind as we kept in touch with them about the uber late flight and immediately brought us to our room when we arrived at 4:30am on the 3rd. Would definitely recommend them.

So at some point as we are in a jet lagged haze walking around Copenhagen on the 3rd, Karen gets a text from NCL…the Star has had a technical issue and will not be arriving until 2pm so do not head to the port until 4pm for boarding. Coming off of the Delta debacle, this was almost an official “our vacation is cursed” moment. Then we laughed and had more wine, because, what else?

(My only issue with the NCL boarding notice was that the only notification we received was by text. Karen was the only one of us who had international calling. I was using my phone with wi-fi to access email but could not get phone or text. No emails were sent. And for my sister, who has a “dumb” phone, if she weren’t with us, she’d have been at the port at 10am. I actually logged on to cruise critic to confirm that Karen's text wasn't some hoax.)

However, the delay did mean we were able to make up touring time in Copenhagen which was lost to JFK Terminal 4, so we spent the morning and early afternoon at Tivoli Gardens before heading to the port.

Once there, we learned it would be even later than originally texted, and we were offered a chance to take a free shuttle bus back in to downtown Copenhagen and be transported back at a later time. Now, we all looked at each other, and pretty much thought the same thing…head back to town, then arrive back here with other busloads of folks all trying to board at the same time. Or stay in the terminal and be one of the first on line to board. So we pulled up chairs and hung out, played a few games, and relaxed. (Our decision would be validated when, from our balcony, we watched the shuttle buses returning well after 8pm and the lines out the door to get on the ship).

Once the Star pulled in there was a bit of disorganization between where boarding passengers should go as opposed to the streams of angry folks trying to get off at the same time. However, I will say once a line was formed NCL was incredibly efficient in getting people through the terminal…once there we were given a zone number, and there were an ample number of folks walking around with beverages and sandwiches. However, NCL was so efficient our zone was called before we could even get near a server.

Boarding was painless at that point and we were on board by 6pm (and may I say I am stunned, stunned at how quickly they turned the ship around).

ON BOARD.

Understandably our room was not ready yet, and I am pretty sure our only dining option was the buffet. I would have pushed harder to attempt Sheehan’s, but Karen and Donna were two steps ahead of me and hungry. So for the only time this trip I broke my cardinal rule: I ate at the buffet. Now, this isn’t a cruise thing, it’s a me thing…I don’t eat buffets on Carnival, or on RCL, or when I’ve been to Vegas…and I certainly never touch a buffet table in a NY Deli. No matter how clean the establishment, the buffet is only as good as the people in line in front of you. I’ll get an omelet from a station, or a sandwich or burger from someone making it and handing me the plate, but never touch the hot food, or worse yet, the salad bar. Total paranoia and I admit it. But as a result, I can’t say if the buffet was better or worse than Carnival’s…I wasn’t terribly impressed that evening but that could be just as much a result of the scramble for provisioning than anything else. It was edible and we didn’t get sick. :)

The room was excellent. We had a mini-suite, a bit bigger than a standard Carnival balcony, with a much better bathroom overall (we had a tub). It was perfect for the three of us. Karen took the pull out sofa because there was a room dividing curtain which gave her some privacy, important because Donna and I are morning people and Karen emphatically is not. The blackout curtains also worked quite well, helpful given that our sunset most evenings was around 11pm and the sunrise was around 3am.

(Note: if you are a Carnival regular and book a mini-suite, the one issue I had with the bathroom was less storage than I am used to. There were no glass shelves for holding toiletries that are the carnival standard. Having the tub more than made up for this, but it did cause us to have to get creative, because, well, three women, you know?)

Our room steward was wonderful and did a great job keeping our room clean and stocked. I would like to give you his name, but I swear I never did get it. He may have told us when we first got there, but in our still travel weary haze we never heard it, and kept trying to find it out for the rest of the cruise, but he moved too fast for us to catch his name tag, and we were too embarrassed to ask him. But he was terrific.

We loved the “fishies” on the carpet, and after a couple of days realized that the doors on one side of the ship were red, the other side, blue. So “red doors against the fishies” became a thing.

FOOD/BEVERAGES/ENTERTAINMENT

So, maybe because we were three adults in a room, but the only perk we got was the 200 internet minutes. No UBP or meal plan. We did pre-purchase a 3 meal package because we figured we’d want to try some of the specialty restaurants, but didn’t do more than that because we knew the trip was port intensive.

I am a big proponent of set time dining, and I actually love sitting with more than just my sister at dinner, so the freestyle concept was certainly NOT a selling point for me. However, I missed set time dining less than I thought I would. I made reservations in advance for the Steakhouse one night, Le Bistro one night, and La Cuccina one night. We would end up booking one more night at La Cuccina (we LOVED their food) and the remaining nights were in Versailles. The main dining room I found comparable to Carnival…neither better nor worse. Our second time in Versailles we found a waiter we loved and successfully requested him for our third time. Service was good, but yes, I missed the silly song and dance routines from the wait staff. The steakhouse was solid, as was Le Bistro. We also ate at Sheehan’s several times for lunch, found it to be solid pub food, but often quite slow. Still, it was nice to have a casual non-buffet option for lunch.

Adult beverages…one of the few places I have issues with NCL on. Remember, we didn’t have UBP…but it seemed like everyone else and their mother did. I have never had such a hard time getting a drink on a ship in my life as I did on this cruise. Some nights we would sit in a lounge for half an hour before a server got to us. Most often we would have to go to a bar rather than be served. I wasn’t entirely unprepared for this…there was a lot of scuttlebutt about this on the boards here. But it was still surprising at how few servers we saw. I felt like we should have held a sign over our head with “Extra Tips Here.” Additionally, one morning my sister and I decided to get mimosas…and had one heck of a time finding a bar to get one at. No bar service at breakfast in Versailles that I saw, no central bar in the lobby (coffee bar), pool bar not open at 10am, bier garten not open…we ended up at Sheehan’s. Mind you, were not THAT big drinkers…we’ve never bought the beverage package on Carnival because it’s a 6 drink minimum to break even, and we would never get to that point. But still, it was peculiar, and sometimes frustrating.

Also…the drinks on NCL are significantly higher than Carnival. By significantly, I mean my $5.50 glass of Sambuca on Carnival became a $9.50 Sambuca on NCL. So if I ever NCL again, it will be if we get the UBP package thrown in.

I found the Entertainment somewhat lacking. Again, “me” quirks…I do not do Vegas style shows. I live in NYC. I see a lot of Broadway. Lip Syncing dancers aren’t my thing. No big deal, because I usually prefer the smaller venues like the piano bar or the lobby singers. But there was no piano bar on this ship…there was often a Piano player, sometimes singing, in Gatsby’s, but he was clearly not there to entertain the crowd…no attempt to get folks singing. Ditto the guitar player, who was little better than background music. There was a classical/jazz trio who were very good, and a band called Exotique who were excellent and who I would pay to see again.

Overall, I do have to say that I feel like the Star in particular was lacking in public space. Not nearly as many lounges, not nearly as much variety as I am used to. It seemed as if the placement of specialty restaurants significantly cut in to potential lounge areas. But that’s probably more a function of this ship than NCL as a whole.

I would say, I would NOT book this ship in the Caribbean. For a ship this size with this number of passengers to have only one adult pool? Not a problem in the Baltics, where there was exactly one afternoon where sitting on a deck chair was comfortable. In the Caribbean? I can’t even imagine.

PORTS OF CALL

Yes, I am one of those cowards who book ship tours. So all of the following are via NCL.

Germany…Warnemunde. We did not tour Berlin. None of us saw any appeal in taking a two hour train ride to the capital and then two hours back as part of our day. Instead we booked “Enchanting Wismar and Brewery.” Had a very nice tour of a medieval town, got a fair bit of history, got rained on (NCL poncho best $3 bucks I spent on this trip) and drank beer. The beer was excellent. Getting on and off the ship was quite easy, in fact easier than most Caribbean ports.

Tallinn, Estonia. Loved this place. These are a people with a great sense of humor. We went to a medieval town, and Rakvere Castle. Interesting facts that Estonians do not consider that they have anything in common with Russia OR the other “Baltic” states (Latvia and Lithuania). Our tour guide had very vivid memories of their revolution as well. I think I learned more European history on this trip than I did in all my years of schooling. Lunch was included, as well as a shot of vodka and a choice of beer, wine, or mead. Food was quite tasty and filling, and the vodka was warming (we were both wet and cold by this point). For anyone considering this itinerary, pack as if for Alaska.

St. Petersburg, Russia. This was the entire reason we booked this trip, and is the one place we have zero desire to go back to. Not that the city wasn’t beautiful, but the bureaucracy was worse than anything I could have imagined, and I imagined a lot. Customs was a royal pain. Staying with the tour group (a must unless you’ve procured your own visa) felt like a forced march. “Here’s a painting…let’s go to the next room now!!!!!!” For my friend, who is in the museum field, this was agonizing. I cannot understand how a tour couldn’t drop you off at the Hermitage, give you two hours to wander, and set a meeting point for return, I don’t know , but apparently not possible. Seven cruise ships in port probably did not help, either. Day one was Pushkin/Hermitage, day two was the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood and waterway tour. This was better than day one, but still felt rushed and forced (it is however one of the most beautiful Cathedrals I’ve ever seen).

Helsinki. I fell in love with Helsinki. We initially planned on an architecture tour, but that was cancelled, so we did Traditional City and Highlights. Loved the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum…wish it hadn’t been raining for the first half of the tour, because we would have loved to just wander the island and enjoy the nature. Also got to see the Rock Church…it was Sunday, and wish we’d had a chance to attend the service earlier in the day. But overall, just a very mystical and natural place, clean and beautiful. (More history…did not realize that the Finns were left with a choice of siding with Germany or the USSR in World War 2. Talk about damned if you do…)

Stockholm. As I’d expected, vacation exhaustion was beginning to set in. We chose a later “highlights” tour because we weren’t sure what to do, and that almost came back to bite us when the driver nearly forgot to show up, so all we’d have seen of Stockholm would have been the immediate port area. Fortunately, we did end up getting to the Vasa Museum (absolutely fascinating and a must see) plus a scenic drive. But I am not insulting Sweden when I say the best part of Stockholm is leaving it. The ship sails through an archipelago of islands, very slowly, almost gliding. The beauty of this defies description. It didn’t hurt that this was the one fully sunny day of the cruise.

Debarkation:

Efficient. Too efficient. We were off the ship by 8am, and at the airport before 10. Unfortunately our flight was at 2:30 and CPH seemed completely unable to handle this…we could not check our bags until 11:30 when Delta posted our flight. Not checking bags = not going through security = way too many folks wandering around trying to find somewhere to go. We got lucky and secured spots at a bar that was selling coffee and rolls against their will (seriously, the manager did nothing but complain that the airport made him make coffee).

Overall, I’d grade this trip a solid B+/A-. My experience on NCL was very positive. As I am platinum on Carnival, it would probably remain my top choice, but NCL would be a more than viable option based on price and itinerary.

As a New Yorker, I know something about bed bugs...you would have cluster bites all over and multiple red bumps, almost rash like. Not saying something didn't bite you, but not bed-bugs. (And other posters are right...the cleanest establishment in the world can get bed bugs if they are brought there by a single traveler, and the little devils are a pain in the butt to get rid of...we had a problem in my OFFICE of all places).

We all have our different preferences. I believe you when you say that the buffet was not up to snuff...but then, I don't eat at buffets, anywhere. Again, no matter how clean the establishment, that buffet is only as clean as the passengers in front of you in line.

I just got off of my first ever NCL trip, chosen specifically for itinerary. Had a Carnival option been in the Baltic, it would have been my first choice. But it wasn't. I was not sure what to expect, being a seasoned Carnival traveler. Here's what I found...there was a lot I liked about NCL, a few things I didn't care for, but overall, nothing that made it exceptionally better (or exceptionally worse) than Carnival. So the next time I am looking at a particular time and location, my first choice would be Carnival, my second would be NCL.

I've sailed Royal twice...and did not find them to be up to what I expected from Carnival. Yes, both times on older ships...but both times I felt the rooms were about half the size of what I was used to at the same price. Found the food to be virtually the same as Carnival. Granted, should an opportunity come up to sail Royal on one of their newer ships on an itinerary I am looking at, I might consider it...but I would research things like room size and common areas very carefully first.

Any experienced cruiser is going to have certain preferences. This board and a few other google searches are invaluable to let you know if you will be getting what you are looking for before boarding the ship.

It's not a Carnival "rule" or in their control...and I agree with others that Carnival was probably trying to negotiate with the powers that be for some kind of accommodation during that 3 hour window.

My last cruise, on NCL, there was a family of four not far in front of me waiting to board in Copenhagen for a Baltic cruise. Suddenly noticed a bit of a commotion...one of the daughters (looked to be in her late teens) was absolutely flush with tears and pleading with a woman from NCL. It seemed that somewhere between the airport and the cruise port (they sounded like fellow Americans) her passport had gone AWOL. There was a flurry of discussion but in the end the young lady and her father did not board; the mother and the other daughter did. I am pretty sure once you have no actual photo id you are screwed, on any cruise line, because of border controls.

Have no idea however if NCL offered something. I suspect not since half the party sailed.

I am partial to the Spirit class myself (Spirit, Legend, Miracle, Pride).

Not sure if those are options for you however.

Dear meanjean80, how does the ballroom dancing (a couple in some sort of embrace) on the NCL Star compare to the other ships you were on? Thanks in advance.

They did have several events where you could learn steps (I did not attend) and there certainly was ballroom dancing going on in the Spinnaker lounge. Compared to most of my Carnival trips I'd say I saw more ballroom style on NCL...the exception being my Panama Canal crossing.

I will say that I found the Star somewhat perplexing in many ways and I understand that she is not perhaps representative of NCL overall.

As clearly indicated by my sig line, I've been a pretty frequent Carnival customer. In size/tonnage/passenger load, the Star should seem to be equivalent of Carnival's Spirit class (Legend/Miracle/Spirit/Pride). However, the layout was quite different...Carnival seemed on this size ship to have more in the way of lounges and public outdoor areas. I suspect that some of this area was carved away on the Star for the specialty restaurants, which is not a Carnival "thing".

That said, I found her to be the perfect ship for THIS ITINERARY (Baltics). First, the sailing is very port intensive and designed to be exhaustive during the day. It was rare when coming back to the ship we had any energy to do more than eat and get a nightcap in one of the lounges or catch a show. Likewise, it was an area of the world where you're not necessarily looking to sun yourself, so the single pool set up was not an issue.

For me, not so much a dancer but I am a piano bar fan, and I did miss that kind of element on this ship (which has no "howling at the moon"). I wish we'd caught on to Exotique earlier in the cruise as they were not just very talented, but extremely engaging with the audience, something which was lacking in some of the other live talent.

I did end up liking the specialty restaurant concept much more than I thought I would...I suspect we might have eaten in them less however if we had a set time dining in the principal dining rooms...we are fans of group seating and same waiter each night and that hasn't changed.

But if anything I've probably realized that itinerary is my most important factor in booking a particular cruise...we wanted to do the baltics, NCL was going, Carnival wasn't, hello NCL. Had a great time and didn't encounter anything that would make me say I wouldn't sail NCL again, but likewise didn't encounter anything that would make me sail ONLY NCL again.

Just off the Star (July 4 Baltics cruise).

-Primary lounge for dancing would be Spinnaker.

-Agree with previous poster that Exotique was best band on the ship, however, they got off the ship when we did for an 8 week vacation. (Actually flew on our same plane).

-Overall really enjoyed the ship but don't think I'd book her on a Caribbean cruise as the outdoor pool area seemed inadequate (but worked fine for our partly cloudy, often rainy, occasionally sunny but never more than 75 degrees outside Baltics trip).

-Emptiest Casino I have ever seen, but that may be a function of the itinerary

-Usually was a classical music trio in the atrium. They were quite good but not what I suspect you are looking for in dance music.

Happy to answer any other questions.

I'll be able to answer that question (one way or another) in a couple of weeks...I'm leaving on my first ever NCL cruise on July 4.

As you can see from my sig line, I'm a pretty committed Carnival cruiser. My sister, friend and I went with NCL this time entirely based on itinerary (Baltics). I'm going in with a very open mind and hoping to be wowed. That said, from where I stand at this moment...

1-I didn't get the free UBP even offered on this trip. It wasn't an option for us, not sure if it was because 1-Europe, or 2-3 Adults in 1 room. We have the internet package.

2-However, that wasn't a deal breaker for me. I've never purchased Carnival's unlimited drink package because my 2 or maybe 3 drinks a day didn't make it pay.

3-Research, however, has told me that NCL's base drink prices (without the UBP) are much higher than Carnival's, so I would probably look for the free UBP if I were to sail NCL again because I will definitely drink more than the cost of the gratuity charge.

So ask me again in 3 weeks as to whether or not the UBP is a deal maker. :-)

I'm on this cruise leaving July 4...can't wait for any and all details. Have fun!

WOW!!!! :eek:

Are these the standard bar prices in all ship bars?

Sailing in Europe this summer, for whatever reason the UBP was not an inclusive offer when we booked. Would not have expected to need it, but these prices are HIGH. Much higher than what I paid comparatively on Carnival last summer.

i go by my middle name and booked under middle name/last name out of habit. even my house deed is first initial /middle/last

 

i have yet to get my passport but of course it will have first/middle/last on it

 

will this be an issue getting the ship if the reservation is just middle/last name?

The name on the booking has to match the name on your legal id. Drives my brother Frank crazy because all the staff address him as Francis.

I don't think it's necessarily an issue in this case of the corporate offices being open on Monday. I think the Guest Services Desk manager should have been empowered to fix it for you, when you had irrefutable proof of what the order was. There are two possibilities: the manager did have the ability to fix it but just didn't want to, or, the company hard line that the manager can't fix it is in the hope that you'll get too busy to dispute it once you get home and they get the extra $s.

Supply in NY has dwindled down. We use to have Princess and Carnival. Now it just Celebrity to Bermuda and RC & NCL to the Caribbean. Queen / Princess for transatlantic cruises.

Assuming you mean demand for parking is down. Apparently not down enough for the parking facility to change it's rates. If they start having empty spots, the rate will go down.

(Isn't Carnival seasonal?)

Not really trolling the forums.

Been around for 9 years and 5000+ post.

I was pointing out that it cost the same for a week in TX as it does for a day in NY.

Many people probably do not know this.

It seems others cannot handle it very well..

Well, yes. It's capitalism at it's finest. Supply vs. Demand. In Galveston, you have a lot more supply than demand. In NYC, it's the opposite.

Sailed in to New York last summer on the Splendor and we were docked before 7am. However, due to customs, the first groups off the ship didn't start until 8:30am. Not sure if the ship's transport to LGA at that time, but they generally wait to "fill" the bus before going. If you were planning on doing a cab instead, count on twenty minutes from stepping off the gangway in the terminal just to get to a place where you could hail a cab. (You would think cabs would be lined up to pick up passengers. They are not).

And then hope there's no traffic. :rolleyes:

Any chance there is a NYC based excursion which includes transport to the airport at the end? It would certainly dovetail much better with a 4pm flight.

Right, I meant eat at the MDR for lunch on embarkation day. Much nicer atmosphere than the zoo that will be the buffet. You can eat wherever you like for dinner. ;)

This is really good to know since Carnival does not have any alternative dining options for embarkation day; it's lido or bust.

You didn't provide any specific items of interest, but I will try to respond in general.

Thanks for the response...I've been reading over the board to get a feel for Norwegian.

I guess if I had one specific item I was curious about it would be entertainment. On Carnival my sister and I would usually gravitate to the piano bar or to whatever live act might be playing in the lobby lounge. We tended to avoid the big shows, in her case because she's been there, done that, and in my case because I am just not a fan of Vegas styled shows with mega technology and minimal live singing. What is the usual entertainment lineup on Norwegian?

I am definitely partial to the Spirit class on Carnival, which is pretty much mid-sized. I just love the layout, they never feel too crowded, but at the same time are big enough.

Greetings. I'm a Carnival regular about to take my first cruise on Norwegian this summer (Norwegian Star, July 4, Baltic Capitals). I should note I'm not unhappy with Carnival, we chose this cruise for the itinerary.

Can the Norwegian regulars offer me any tips/strategies for how to make the most out of my Norwegian cruise? Any suggestions are welcome. :D

I'm perplexed...I've sailed the Legend and other Spirit class ships multiple times, and part of the charm is that there AREN'T any decks where you can't get there from here. Unless they've changed something in a dry dock that I'm not aware of...?

Heading on a European cruise this summer. Mentioned it to my doctor, and he told me to call the office before I go and pick up an extra prescription for my hypertension meds just in case. Of course, nobody is going to be hitting the black market with lysinopril, but still, he doesn't want to see me without a drug I clearly need.