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What can you tell me about NCL Star?

ottawapuppy

By ottawapuppy,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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ottawapuppy

ottawapuppy

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We're contemplating a Mexican Riviera cruise on Norwegian Star. Our only other NCL experience was on Norwegian Sky in Aug. 2008 (just when it was moved back into the Norwegian fleet to do short Bahamas cruises).

 

How does the Star compare with other ships in the fleet? I noticed it's last refurb was in 2004. How is the ship holding up? How are the facilities compared with the newer NCL ships? (for example, what NCL treats would we miss out on with this ship?)

 

Any info will be appreciated!

 

Mike

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lambs2

lambs2

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We're contemplating a Mexican Riviera cruise on Norwegian Star. Our only other NCL experience was on Norwegian Sky in Aug. 2008 (just when it was moved back into the Norwegian fleet to do short Bahamas cruises).

 

How does the Star compare with other ships in the fleet? I noticed it's last refurb was in 2004. How is the ship holding up? How are the facilities compared with the newer NCL ships? (for example, what NCL treats would we miss out on with this ship?)

 

Any info will be appreciated!

 

Mike

 

In my opinion you will LOVE the STAR. We did a 13 day Panama Canal cruise in a BA balcony cabin on deck 10 in December and thoroughly enjoyed cruising on her. She has been "redone", and may still be in the process, since we sailed on her, with the addition of more upper level suites on deck 12, the change of Spinnaker's Lounge from its forward location and some other changes like the removal of the movie theater (that was a really nice perk on the Star). We have previously cruised on several other NCL ships: the Pride of America, Jewel and Jade. We will be taking a transatlantic on the Sun in less than a month, so we really seem to have found a niche with NCL lately!

 

Here is a link to our review of our sailing on the Star (some things will no longer apply): http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=63489

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ottawapuppy

ottawapuppy

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She has been "redone", and may still be in the process, since we sailed on her, with the addition of more upper level suites on deck 12, the change of Spinnaker's Lounge from its forward location and some other changes like the removal of the movie theater (that was a really nice perk on the Star).

 

Oh, so this update to the ship is that recent? I am glad to hear that!

 

Here is a link to our review of our sailing on the Star (some things will no longer apply): http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=63489

 

 

Very well written and complete. Thank you for pointing it out to me.

 

Mike

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

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We're contemplating a Mexican Riviera cruise on Norwegian Star. Our only other NCL experience was on Norwegian Sky in Aug. 2008 (just when it was moved back into the Norwegian fleet to do short Bahamas cruises).

 

How does the Star compare with other ships in the fleet? I noticed it's last refurb was in 2004. How is the ship holding up? How are the facilities compared with the newer NCL ships? (for example, what NCL treats would we miss out on with this ship?)

 

Any info will be appreciated!

 

Mike

 

Mike, it went through some upgrades when freestyle 2.0 was put into place. They got new beds and I think new drapes and spreads. I don't know if they have done much else.

 

It is newer and nicer (in my estimation) than the Sky plus has a very different feel. No, if you are truely looking for glitz you might be disappointed, but I have clients that cruised her about a month ago and has now booked 5 cabins for the family in June. I guess that is saying something.

 

Oh, I completely forgot about the new refurbation that was just completed.

Nita

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ottawapuppy

ottawapuppy

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No, if you are truely looking for glitz you might be disappointed.

 

Trust me...I'm not looking for glitz!!

 

Oh, I completely forgot about the new refurbation that was just completed.

 

Just found a whole thread about the refurb, but it was difficult to find out exactly what was done. I am happy to hear it has been updated since 2004 though. That's a long time for scratches and dents to accumulate! (hee-hee)

 

Mike

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Mangos

Mangos

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I heard that the sauna/steam room is now only included if you buy a spa package. What about at the gym? Do they have these facilities there? I know that use of the steam room has always been free, at least on Carnival. What about the Norweigian Star?

 

Thanks!

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vcgeno Great Review Rare

vcgeno

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I heard that the sauna/steam room is now only included if you buy a spa package. What about at the gym? Do they have these facilities there? I know that use of the steam room has always been free, at least on Carnival. What about the Norweigian Star?

 

Thanks!

 

We got off the Stare a couple of weeks ago and the use of the very nice Gym is free.

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terrymtex01

terrymtex01

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OP.. we have sailed on the Sun, Star, Pearl and Dawn, and of those, and all the other cruise ships we have sailed on, the Star is our favorite. I am sure the main reason has to be her terrific crew, but we always just get a great sense of "being home" when we step onboard. You know what I mean by that? Like you are being welcomed back by an old friend. And we felt that way the first time we sailed on her.

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ottawapuppy

ottawapuppy

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OP.. we have sailed on the Sun, Star, Pearl and Dawn, and of those, and all the other cruise ships we have sailed on, the Star is our favorite. I am sure the main reason has to be her terrific crew, but we always just get a great sense of "being home" when we step onboard. You know what I mean by that? Like you are being welcomed back by an old friend. And we felt that way the first time we sailed on her.

 

I absolutely do know what you mean by that. I am always surprised by how much a great crew can add to the experience. We often talk about how we were not crazy about Celebrity after our first sailing on Constellation but the entire line was redeemed by how well we were treated on a short sailing on Century. Celebrity is now one of our favourite lines. If the staff on Century hadn't been as fantastic as they were, we might never have sailed with them again.

 

We've booked the sailing on Star based on what people have been saying, so thanks for all the feedback. Now we have to wait 332 days...(I hate that part!)

 

Mike

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flowerchild

flowerchild

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I sailed on the Star to Alaska and have an upcoming Panama Canal repo booked for 1/2011. We loved the Star, the crew was wonderful, the food was better than on any other NCL ships I have been on. We sailed on the Dawn last year out of NY to Bermuda and I felt like it wasn't as taken care of as the Star, even though they are sister ships and almost the same.

 

To use the steam and sauna areas, which are in the Spa, you have to buy either a day pass or a week pass. Sometimes you can use the facilities if you book a spa treatment.

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ottawapuppy

ottawapuppy

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To use the steam and sauna areas, which are in the Spa, you have to buy either a day pass or a week pass. Sometimes you can use the facilities if you book a spa treatment.

 

That's too bad, we've become accustomed to getting access to the sauna and steam for free.

Do your remember what the passes cost?

 

Mike

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STARFISH*4

STARFISH*4

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the STAR was our FAV but due to the changes specially our BELOVED BLUE LAGOON and the moving of her to Tampa we are GLAD that we had our BEST CRUISE EVER on her for our Panama Canal sailing...FANTASTIC TIME

and GOOD MEMORIES we 'left' with her and took with us!!

but i am SURE you will LOVE sailing on her and with NCL:)

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  • 3 weeks later...
swedish weave

swedish weave

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I have the same questions :)

 

NCL supplies beach towels, and you are responsible for them or face a $25 dollar charge per towel if you lose them.

 

There are no self-service laundry rooms on the Star, but the steward will get you an iron to use. They also have a special on the first day and for 1 dollar per item, they will iron your clothes.

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OceanDreaming2

OceanDreaming2

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Does NCL supply beach towels like carnival does? Also, are the irons only available in the laundry rooms?

 

You will have beach towels in your cabin when you arrive. You can check out more at the pool. Never really did that so I'm not sure how it works.

 

Self-service laundry facilities were taken out of all of the NCL ships. (Star never had them.) Irons and ironing boards can be requested upon arrival but you can't keep them in your stateroom. It's sad to see when someone has used an iron inappropriately (like used the bed for an ironing board and scorched the bedding or burned a hole in something).

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STARFISH*4

STARFISH*4

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You will have beach towels in your cabin when you arrive. You can check out more at the pool. Never really did that so I'm not sure how it works.

 

 

you sign for them out by the pool area...make sure YOU RETURN them back or YOU will be CHARGED for them...keep an EYE on them...keep TRACK of them!!!

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OceanDreaming2

OceanDreaming2

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How much is laundry service ? Do they ever run laundry specials? We are staying an extra week after our cruise and will need our clothes cleaned!

 

Trying to remember - I think the "all you can stuff in the paper laundry bag" special was $24.95. It could very well been less than that. You can get a lot into the bag - especially if you reinforce it with tape. (I brought a roll of blue painters tape and it was used quite often.)

 

If you're staying at a hotel afterwards, you may want to consider using their laundry facilities.

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terrymtex01

terrymtex01

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Trying to remember - I think the "all you can stuff in the paper laundry bag" special was $24.95. It could very well been less than that. You can get a lot into the bag - especially if you reinforce it with tape. (I brought a roll of blue painters tape and it was used quite often.)

 

If you're staying at a hotel afterwards, you may want to consider using their laundry facilities.

 

OceanDreaming.. that is my memory as well as far as what the cost is.

 

Here is a list of the regular laundry list. While prices may have changed since we sailed, these were the cost as of last November:

 

Laundry:

 

Undergarments and Socks $1.95

Pajamas, Nightgowns, Bathrobes, Shorts, Tshirt, Polo Shirt, Sweat shirt and tank top $4.95 ($2.95 press only)

Jeans, Pants, Slacks, Dress/Casual Shirt, Formal Shirt and Blouse $5.95 ($3.95 press only)

 

There are two on my list that are marked through where they put my room number so I am not for sure how much they are. One of them was swimsuit and my memory is it was $3.95

 

 

Dry Cleaning:

 

Two Piece Suit $11.95 ($5.95 press only)

Tie, Scarf and Vest $4.95 ($2.50 press only)

Dress shirt or blouse, Pants, Slacks, Skirt $7.95 ($3.50 press only)

Sweater, Shorts, Sport Coat and Ladys Jacket $6.95 ($3.95 press only)

Evening Gown or dress $12.95 ($6.50 press only)

Dress and Winter Coat $9.95 ($4.95 press only)

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big green

big green

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I cruised to the Mexican Riviera on the STAR. We did not like the Star compared to the other NCL ships we have been on--we thought the food was not as good as other NCL ships specifically the oriental restaurant, the MDRs and the buffet. The service was ok and the entertainment was ok.

Now that it does not have a forward observation lounge we will not cruise on her again. Our next Mexican Riviera cruise is coming in a few weeks on a different cruise line --be watching for comparison review in six weeks or so.

 

Also the new 9 day Mexican Riviera itinerary on the Carnival Spirit staring this next December looks real good.

 

 

Big Green

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tiyana4

tiyana4

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We have sailed on the Star, the Sun, the Sky, and the Gem. Of all the ships, I must admit that the Star was my least favorite. The crew, service, food, and the shows were all fine. But the layout of the ship was really weird. I hated the winding corridors on Deck 8. It was so easy to bump into someone coming around corners because of blind spots (thank goodness no one was carrying hot liquids). I guess I'm too accustomed to looking down one long hallway.

 

I had mixed feelings about the atrium. It was great when there was live music, but when the big screen was in use, not so nice. It is very difficult to enjoy your meal when whooping, hollering, and cheering are going on. The other thing was that even after a week, I still had a hard time trying to access/locate certain areas. Maybe this was just on Deck 8, but it had a really odd setup. On a positive note, I loved the fact that the Tex Mex and Blue Lagoon were just down the hall from our cabin.

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  • 5 months later...

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