NCL Star - suites

We have been in suites before on NCL and love them but this is our first time on the Star.

We are sailing out of Los Angeles for 14 day Panama Canal.

Just wondering how the service is for suite passengers on the Star?

Mainly wondering where the suite breakfast and lunch is?

How is embarkation for suite guests in LA?

Tender in Cabo? Other ports?

On some ships the suite service is great. Embarkation is easy and fast, tendering and port service is great etc...made you feel that the extra price for the cabin was worth it. But we were on one ship that left a lot to be desired as far as the service for suite guests, and this is the same type of ship as the Star.

Any experiences or tips to help make our trip that much better will be greatly appreciated. Especially Butler service....we never know what to ask for or to expect when it comes to the Butler service so I am sure we are not fully using the service.

we sailed in an SJ family suite (just 2 of us) for our 14 day on the Star this past April.

Breakfast is in Moderno; Lunch in Cagneys. You get full suite services - butler, concierge, priority disembark/tendering, etc. we had an amazing time and incredible service, adn we were thrilled with the extra space (didnt miss the balcony at all, as it was HOT and HUMID every day). we normally like the balcony so we can open the door at night while we sleep but it was just too hot for that and it was AC all the way.

as for the Butler, he emptied our minifridge and kept it full of pitchers of water and lemons at our request. he brought us dinner one night in the room, and he delivered a cheese plate every night at our request. he also brought the regular daily treats.

we sailed in an SJ family suite (just 2 of us) for our 14 day on the Star this past April.

 

Breakfast is in Moderno; Lunch in Cagneys. You get full suite services - butler, concierge, priority disembark/tendering, etc. we had an amazing time and incredible service, adn we were thrilled with the extra space (didnt miss the balcony at all, as it was HOT and HUMID every day). we normally like the balcony so we can open the door at night while we sleep but it was just too hot for that and it was AC all the way.

 

as for the Butler, he emptied our minifridge and kept it full of pitchers of water and lemons at our request. he brought us dinner one night in the room, and he delivered a cheese plate every night at our request. he also brought the regular daily treats.

Thanks for the info. Ours is in January and we have the Aft Penthouse suite. 14 days at sea....so I definitely want to utilize the butler service. Love the cheese trays and the sandwich trays. I am going to pre-order a cheese tray for sail away just to make sure we have it along with a nice bottle of wine.

Just off the star penthouse aft deck 10. Loved the size of the suite compared to other cruise lines' suites. Balcony size was good with two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. Lots of closet space.

Perks of suite - made to feel very special by Monica the concierge. Getting on and off ship with her assistance was a plus. Also felt was treated differently by staff on board at various places when they saw the suite colored ship sailing card. Our butler didn't seem very good at all. He really did nothing for us and we never saw him (except when neighbors had to call for help for us because our balcony door slammed shut and we were locked out on our balcony). He showed up day one and told us we had no choice about snacks, you get what you get. When we got back from port each day there were perishable snacks on the table in the cabin (cheese plate, tuna sandwiches, mini tarts, chocolate covered strawberries) but they were very warm by the time we got back. We were afraid to eat some of them because it appeared they had been sitting in the room for hours. Our room was not hot - cool actually.

Lunch was in Cagney's and it was good. Only thing is that it was the same menu each day.

Would we do a suite again on NCL. Absolutely! Just the two minor issues with the no show butler (but to be honest we didn't seek him out for things) and the balcony door issue.

We have been in suites before on NCL and love them but this is our first time on the Star.

We are sailing out of Los Angeles for 14 day Panama Canal.

 

 

Just wondering how the service is for suite passengers on the Star?

 

Mainly wondering where the suite breakfast and lunch is?

 

How is embarkation for suite guests in LA?

 

Tender in Cabo? Other ports?

 

 

 

On some ships the suite service is great. Embarkation is easy and fast, tendering and port service is great etc...made you feel that the extra price for the cabin was worth it. But we were on one ship that left a lot to be desired as far as the service for suite guests, and this is the same type of ship as the Star.

 

 

Any experiences or tips to help make our trip that much better will be greatly appreciated. Especially Butler service....we never know what to ask for or to expect when it comes to the Butler service so I am sure we are not fully using the service.

I've been in a family suite (12506) on the Star (pre-May 18 refurb) and on the Star for the 14 day from Los Angeles through the Panama Canal. Unfortunately not in a family suite for the Panama Canal though.

There is a room for Suite and Platinum guests (after check-in) at the Los Angeles Port. It was a bit crowded when I had the suite (March 18) but embarkation was late that particular cruise so that maybe the cause of the crowding. Suite guests were called first and led on by the concierge (Suzanna on my suite cruise) ahead of all the other guests. We went directly to Cagney's and chowed down away from the crowds.

I appreciated the afternoon snacks although the vegie ones would be wilted by the time we got to them. Our butler brought us V-8 juice and tonic water and put in the refrigerator at our request. We had the refrig emptied so there was lots of room in it. The butler also brought us dinner one night, I wanted to try that experience but probably won't do that again. He also kept the coffee machine well stocked. Our cabin steward, Rollie, was very personable, efficient and funny. We choose to use the murphy bed and leave the couch area as is during sleeping hours. The couch was long past the end of its useful life. So Rollie had to raise and lower the murphy bed each day.

On the Panama Canal cruise the only tendering I remember is Cabo. Hey, April is a long time ago and I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast.

While everything was great and I appreciated the service/attention, I most appreciated the breakfasts in Moderno and the lunches in Cagney's. Getting the same waiters each time made the experience seem more personal. Smoked salmon at breakfast certainly started my day.

Enjoy your cruise!

Mike

We were in a deck 12 family suite with balcony on the Star a couple of years ago. By far the best butler we have ever had!! Great concierge too. It was our first suite and they set a high bar that has not yet been met again. Not to say we have had bad service since, just that it was especially good on that trip.

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Just off the star penthouse aft deck 10. Loved the size of the suite compared to other cruise lines' suites. Balcony size was good with two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. Lots of closet space.

 

 

Perks of suite - made to feel very special by Monica the concierge. Getting on and off ship with her assistance was a plus. Also felt was treated differently by staff on board at various places when they saw the suite colored ship sailing card. Our butler didn't seem very good at all. He really did nothing for us and we never saw him (except when neighbors had to call for help for us because our balcony door slammed shut and we were locked out on our balcony). He showed up day one and told us we had no choice about snacks, you get what you get. When we got back from port each day there were perishable snacks on the table in the cabin (cheese plate, tuna sandwiches, mini tarts, chocolate covered strawberries) but they were very warm by the time we got back. We were afraid to eat some of them because it appeared they had been sitting in the room for hours. Our room was not hot - cool actually.

 

 

 

Lunch was in Cagney's and it was good. Only thing is that it was the same menu each day.

 

 

 

Would we do a suite again on NCL. Absolutely! Just the two minor issues with the no show butler (but to be honest we didn't seek him out for things) and the balcony door issue.

We have a aft penthouse also on deck 10. What cabin were you in? We are in 10228 for 14 days so I hope our Butler is better than the one you had....

We were in 10726 - I posted a review of the cabin in the main review section.

We departed from Miami last November. When we got to the pier, we droppedoff our bags, and headed for the line. Seeing the room for suite guest westopped someone from the cruise line and asked if that was for us, being in asuite. We were told in was for the Haven only. Later we found out the Stardoesn't have a Haven. When we finally got through the line and checked in,someone quickly came over and took us back the Haven/suite check-in room. Wewere in the last group of suite guest to check in and almost didn't get anyfood in the suite dining room. I can't remember the name of the restaurant.Suzanne took us there from the waiting room. We are going on the same cruisethis November, to the southern Caribbean, just after the TA, and we'llknow where to go this time. I'm going to miss the hour waiting in line,not really although like most things in life, attitude determines if it's agood experience or not. The suite waiting room in Miami had cool drinksand some snacks while waiting for Suzann, the concierge, to take us in groupsto the dining room, Moderno maybe, next to Cagney's, on deck 12 or so. That'swhere they had breakfast and lunch. We only made it there a few times as welike to stay up late, missing most breakfasts and being on excursions duringlunch.

One of the posts mentioned that they seemed to be treatedbetter when the staff saw the suite designation on their key card. We noticedthis too, or at least it seemed so. In the theater, the port side upper tierseating is reserved for suite guests. There is a dedicated sever for that area.Suzann was always there greeting each guest, and checking key cards until sherecognized them, usually after the first time. Actually, I think there wassomeone else checking key cards but she greeted us with a friendly smileletting them know we belonged there. How's that for special service, gettinginto the reserved area without having to show key card for access. We had theUBP and ordered a drink as soon as we walked in and had it in hand oftentimes as soon as we choose our seat. This was also when we would ask Suzannabout reservations, excursions and other things since this was our first suiteexperience. She was always helpful, friendly and kind. Last time we were in aforward facing suite. This time we are in an aft facing suite, deck 10.

Last time there was a nice couple in the owners suite with twobalconies next to us that let us look inside. That would be the one to be inbut, cost almost twice what ours did. We were in a mini suite on the Gem out ofNew York this last spring. It was nice and comfortable but nowhere nearthe level of service that we had on the Star, in a suite. On embarkationnight our butler brought some snacks into our room and a bottle ofChampaign. We opened it, each had a drink, went and did something, showprobably, and came back finding the rest of the first bottle and a secondbottle on ice as well. We found afternoon snacks in our room every day.

Lisa here now...I enjoyed our butler, Jamal I think. After one shore trip I really got my shoes too dirty to wear and within a couple of hours, clean shoes. He was very good with waiting on us. This trip spoiled us and it might be hard to get me back into any other type of cabin.

The staff on the Star really makes you feel special when you are in a suite.

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