Norwegian Star Was Shining Brighter than ever - Western Caribbean 3-25 to 4-1

[titanguru]

The six of us had a great cruise to the West Caribbean on board the NCL Star. This was our third cruise on the Star and by far exceeded our expectations.

With the Star moving in couple of weeks to New York and Bermuda, I will not be providing a lot of information on the port of calls but feel free to ask and I will try to answer your questions.

If you don’t want to read the whole review here is the executive summary:

Logistics such as embarkation, tendering and such went without a hitch. Even in Belize, they were boarding two tenders at a time each one holding about a hundred passengers. The only area that they could improve on is on embarkation day, they had some band playing in the Atrium which was very loud. As passengers came to the Service desk with questions or issues, you could not hear yourself think. That made communications very difficult. In the past two cruises they had the Manila Trio (now the Manila duo) playing which was very warm and welcoming not to mention added a touch of class to that great Atrium.

Food: We enjoyed the food and it was either excellent or outstanding. Prime Rib was served one time at the MDR and it was cooked to perfection. Even the Lobster which was served the first night was good (according to my son) compared with our last cruise. We had two dinners at the specialty restaurants and both were outstanding. My sister and BIL who did not cruise on NCL before but had experience with Royal Caribbean and Princess said the food was better than both lines. I know we always say that food is subjective and I even said that on other posts but come to think of it, if someone can’t find something to their liking to eat then it is their fault. There were omelet stations, waffles, crapes, carving stations, salads, hot and cold soups, cold cuts, fish grilled, fried, stuffed, chicken, beef, and pork. There was Asian station, pasta station and this is just the buffet. We did not go to Aqua but we ate most of our dinners at the Versailles and the six of us were always happy with the food and service. The two specialty restaurants were outstanding (Le Bistro and Teppanyaki). BTW, we found lemonade in the buffet during lunch and dinner. I don’t recall seeing that in our past cruises. They had three different fruit juice available during breakfast.

When we went to the MDR early or late we were seated right away. We had to wait couple of times when we went between 6:30-7:00 PM. One time waited for 10 minutes and the other time 30 minutes. The smiling Ana Maria handed us a pager and we were called when our table is ready.

Cabins: We had three cabins. A Balcony (BA) on Deck 10 for me and DW, an interior for the kids just across the hallway, and an interior on deck 11 forward for my sister and BIL. The cabins had lots of storage areas and were clean and well maintained. We booked the same cabins we had on our last cruise and were looking forward to seeing our cabin steward Christopher but he was on vacation. Our cabin steward was Joseph and he was wonderful. We saw him a least three to four time a day and he was on top of things and all of our requests were done promptly and with a smile. We had him empty the fridge so I can stock it with my Coke Zero.

Entertainment: We attended all the shows with couple of exceptions. We missed Shout and the Crew show. All the shows were top notch and we enjoyed them with the exception of the magic show. You might enjoy it if you were 10 or younger. If the assistant wasn’t cute I would’ve considered jumping over board. NCL must’ve got that magician from some cheap rent a clown outfit. Angels was outstanding and not to be missed. Second City was great. Oh, don’t forget Shark Bait. I laughed so hard my eyes were watering. These two guys are nuts and very talented. The Star Production staff was really good and 100 times better than last year.

The officers were very visible and you could not throw a pretzel role without hitting one. They stopped and chatted with passengers and were very accessible. Toward the end of the cruise we were wondering if they got enough sleep if at all. The Captain was much engaged and took the time to talk with folks and was at most functions such as the M&G, Latitude, and VIP etc... Not what we have seen and experienced in past cruises.

[NJ Johnny]

Welcome home! Now more than ever, I can't wait for July to be on the Star.. Thanks for your summary. Carol

[www3traveler]

Who was the Captain? I am going to be on The Star over Christmas plus doing Her Trans-Atlantic next spring.

[titanguru]

Disclaimer:

- This is our third cruise on the Star and we like the way it is set up and we feel that it has one of the best crew in the business. Always smiling, direct eye contact and as always paying great attention to the smallest of details.

- We are on vacation and we don’t let the little things bother us. So we are half way there to being very happy with our cruise.

- With three cruises on the Star (March 2010, April 2011, and now March 2012) I will be doing some comparison between the three cruises.

Day One (embarkation):

Dropped my sister, BIL and our seven bags about eleven (a porter was there in seconds and the bags were gone. I Rushed to the hotel to pick the wife and my twin DS and DD (18), dropped the rental car at the Tampa airport and taxi had us at the port by 12:30 and we were checked in and on board by 12:50. The only bottle neck was at TSA but even that was moving quite well. We used the Latitude lane to check in but there were few lines and the process seems to move pretty well. I used one credit card for both cabins with no issues and that worked up good as they combined the charges to both cabins which mean I did not have to keep track of two accounts and it combined our onboard credit.

We headed directly to the Versailles for lunch where we met my sister and BIL who said it took about 15 minutes to get on board. We were seated quickly and we placed our orders. All of a sudden one of the waiters comes over and says to my son “I remember you” That was Nelson who waited on us couple of times last year. We had two of the staff approach us during lunch welcoming us back to the Star. Now since we were on board a year ago, they must have seen over 100,000 faces and still somehow remembered us. The food was excellent and we were done quickly and headed to our cabins to check if there were ready because my sister said her cabin was ready when they boarded.

Muster Drill was done about half an hour before we set sail from Tampa. We did not have to take our life jacket with us. Although we had a balcony cabin, we went to the pool area for the sail away party and Barbeque and they had steak, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, all the fixings and fruit and cake for desert. The weather was good but windy. So we went inside only to discover the Crapes Station at the Buffet. What the heck, lunch at 1:00, Barbeque at 4:00 and Crapes at 5:00 just to put us in the mood for dinner. Now to be clear I did not eat all of that food as there were six of us (that’s my story and I am sticking to it). At six we headed topside to see the ship pass under the bridge which is something you do not want to miss. According to the captain, we had 12 foot clearance under the bridge but it seems like you can touch it.

Now considering that I have not eaten in the last couple of hours we headed to the Versailles for dinner about seven and were seated right away. Sri was our waitress and we told her about some foods we did not eat and she not only handled that for dinner but she stopped by every time she saw us at the MDR even when she was our waitress and told us what not order off the menu. She was great. We were in shorts and sandals and were told that this is the only night they will not enforce the dress code as they know that we are still unpacking our luggage. But my son was told to go and change his sleeveless shirt. No problem, he changed and was back in couple of minutes to join us.

Next we went to the welcome aboard ShowTime which was good with the Star Production Cast which sang ABBA songs which I like (that should tell you my age) but the kids were not impressed until the Shark Bait Comedy started their act. OMG, I haven’t laughed this hard in so long. Don’t miss their show.

After the show, and to keep with our tradition on board we went to the Atrium to visit the Java café and listen to some music. The wife used to order one of her Foo-foo coffees with some mixed liquors that we ordered on our past cruises which she enjoyed (about $6-$7). And as you know a happy wife makes the cruise that much better. Looking at the menu, none of the coffee mixed drinks were listed and the server had no clue what we were talking about so the wife ended ordering an espresso at 10:30 at night. With a wired wife hipped up on caffeine we decided to call it a night. More on the coffee mixed drinks latter.

[t-and-t]

Thank you for your review! We sail on the Star a week from tomorrow. :D

 

~ Tanya

[DDMau]

Glad you liked the Star, it is my favorite NCL ship. I think NCL has the best Entertainment and the Shark Bait guys are great.

[titanguru]

Who was the Captain? I am going to be on The Star over Christmas plus doing Her Trans-Atlantic next spring.

 

The Captain was Kostas Fafalios. During our bridge tour he said that the Captain is on a four months cycle. So not sure who will be the Captain when you cruise. This is the third different Captain on the Star we meet but by far the most engaged with the passenger. Usually the Captain came and said hello and handed us over to his Officers. Captain Fafalios not only stayed for the whole M&G but he stayed through the whole bridge tour and he walked us through the different stations on the bridge.

[Journey11]

Very nice review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. Glad you and your family had such a good time.

[russianmom]

Can't wait for the rest. I'm on the Star in Feb

[halos]

The officers were very visible and you could not throw a pretzel role without hitting one. They stopped and chatted with passengers and were very accessible. Toward the end of the cruise we were wondering if they got enough sleep if at all. The Captain was much engaged and took the time to talk with folks and was at most functions such as the M&G, Latitude, and VIP etc... Not what we have seen and experienced in past cruises.

 

OK, that totally cracked me up!! :D

 

I agree NCL has the best, hands down crew and officers of any mass market line!!!! The difference is amazing.

(How many times have I said this??? :p)

It bears (bares??) repeating

 

So glad you had such a great time :)

[knitlady037]

Your review is going to make the next week go so slow! We are on the Star one week from tomorrow in the DOS for 12 glorius days!:D Can't wait!

[Mrs. H.]

Great review, titanguru!! Thanks a bunch. :D

[titanguru]

Day Two: At Sea

Got up to a nice weather day and looking forward to our M&G. We headed to the Buffet for breakfast and went outside to the pool service buffet where we ordered some waffles and omelets. Had a nice breakfast and went around to see if we can locate my sister who is a sun worshiper (that’s why she book an interior room as she tend to spend all of her day outside and only uses the cabin to shower, change, and sleep). There were a lot of chairs with just towels on them with no one in sight but there were still some available so it was not an issue except if you wanted to sit in the shade then you were out of luck. Located my sister who said she saw a whale early In the morning (I am on vacation and the only thing I saw early in the morning was the inside of my eye lids).

At 11:30 we went to Le Bistro to attend the Cruise Critic M&G and to my surprise the restaurant was almost full. I usually attend M&G where we get about 20 to 30 in attendance but we had more than fifty in the room. Cookies and juice were available and we started to put some faces with names. The event coordinator passed cards with the name of all the officers, their functions on the ship, and their phone numbers. We were encouraged to contact them if we have any questions or issues. The Captain and officers showed up and we spent the next 15 minutes getting to know them and the captain welcome us on board. The Captain invited us to tour the bridge on the last sea day and that was the icing on the cake. Great M&G.

Here I asked about the Moderno Restaurant and was told by the Hotel Director that it will be done in June. Latter in the cruise I was approached by one of the officer and was told that they got the word that the Moderno will be done by April 27.

I also asked about the mixed coffee drinks in the Java Café and was told they will look into it. More on that latter.

The officers left and we went through the room and had everyone introduce themselves. After that a couple approached and said they walked into our M&G by mistake and were thankful for the information. They were not aware they can eat anywhere beside the Buffet. So couple of our CC members offered to take them around the ship and get them familiar with what’s available. That was great as we ran into the couple few times at the MDR after that and I bet that improved their cruise experience. I checked with them toward the end of the cruise and they said they had a wonderful time.

We had lunch at the MDR (had the steak) and then my sister and BIL went to get some more sun while our family went to the Stardust to attend the Matinee show “The World Class Magic of Fabien Solaz”. NOT. I am glad NCL don’t allows guns on the ship so the only other option I had to end my misery was to jump over board. Not going to dwell on that show but I think a nap would've been more productive. Finished the show and needed a moral booster. So we went walking around the ship and then went to one of the get together (don’t recall if it was latitude or VIP or something similar). The Officers were there and they visited with the guests. Two officers approached us and said that NCL changed the Java menu. They asked us to ask for the bar tender at the Java Café and she remember how to mix some of these drinks and she will take care of us. Great. It looks like We are back in business.

From there we went up to the buffet for a crapes (I had mine with beaches, chocolate and cream). They had a table set up between the buffet area and pool with all the menus from the specialty restaurant so I signed the six of us to go to Teppanyaki and Le Bistro. Went to our cabin so the girls can get all dressed up for dinner while I went outside to take some amazing sunset pictures (and if someone can tell me how to post them I will share them with you).

Got to dinner a little late, close to 8pm, and were seated right away. Dinner was OUTSTANDING. My body was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the two hours feeding schedule so I only ordered the steak. My DD ordered some chicken rice curry and she was in heaven (it is not usual for my 90 pounds 18 years old picky eater to finish her plate but she cleaned it). I don’t know if it was the sea air or the atmosphere (probably both) but we enjoyed our dinner and discussion so much the next think we know it was 10PM. That’s why we missed the show Shout.

Two officers stopped by during our dinner to check on how things are going. I complained about the lack of food of course.

 

After our great dinner, we go to the Java café for the wife drink and asked for the bar tender so she and my DW can figure out the drink she had last couple of years. Sure thing she know what she was talking about. My son ordered some other drink, I handed my cabin key to her and she was off to prepare the drinks. Drinks showed up and my card was returned to me and I was informed that this was a compliment drinks form the beverage manager. That is in my book what I call going over and above. With the officers busy with all the get together and addressing other passenger issues, they tracked a bar tender that knew the coffee mix. Now that is customer service. Best of all, the wife was extremely happy. Great day and we turned in to rest for the next day in Roatan.

[jasperess]

Yay, glad to see your review, Titanguru! :) We had a fantastic cruise as well - will probably be posting a mini-review in the near future when things calm down a bit.

[DMH15]

Loved hearing how the NCL crew were superlative during your cruise. There really is something extra special about them. That comes from the top down the chain!

 

And it amazes and delights me to experience or hear of crew remembering pax... Like you said they see thousands of us but somehow remember. Wow!

 

Glad you and your family had a great time. I LOVE READING HAPPY REVIEWS LIKE YOURS!

[peg013]

The Captain was Kostas Fafalios. During our bridge tour he said that the Captain is on a four months cycle. So not sure who will be the Captain when you cruise. This is the third different Captain on the Star we meet but by far the most engaged with the passenger. Usually the Captain came and said hello and handed us over to his Officers. Captain Fafalios not only stayed for the whole M&G but he stayed through the whole bridge tour and he walked us through the different stations on the bridge.

 

Did the Captain say when his 4 months are up? We sail on the Star 4/27 and 5/27 and wonder if he'll still be there?

[valleyvillage]

Thank you for your wonderful review! Some CCers, I don't know what it is, but I just want to cruise with them!:D

[titanguru]

Loved hearing how the NCL crew were superlative during your cruise. There really is something extra special about them. That comes from the top down the chain!

 

And it amazes and delights me to experience or hear of crew remembering pax... Like you said they see thousands of us but somehow remember. Wow!

 

Glad you and your family had a great time. I LOVE READING HAPPY REVIEWS LIKE YOURS!

 

They were great. They were definitely more active this cruise around. More on that in the rest of my review.

[titanguru]

Did the Captain say when his 4 months are up? We sail on the Star 4/27 and 5/27 and wonder if he'll still be there?

 

Wow, I am jealous. I wish I can take off from work for that long to do two cruises though they might have to role me out of the ship as cargo from all the weight I would gain.

 

If I recall I think he said he was two months into his rotation but can't really say. Maybe Jasperess can answer your question.

[titanguru]

Thank you for your wonderful review! Some CCers, I don't know what it is, but I just want to cruise with them!:D

 

Thanks. I think it is all in the attitude. I don't let anything bother me and if life serves me lemons I will make lemonade. Though no need for that as NCl now is serving lemonade.

[peg013]

Wow, I am jealous. I wish I can take off from work for that long to do two cruises though they might have to role me out of the ship as cargo from all the weight I would gain.

 

If I recall I think he said he was two months into his rotation but can't really say. Maybe Jasperess can answer your question.

 

Thanks for your review. I love reading happy people's reviews! The 4/27 cruise is only a 2 night Cruise to Nowhere, but I agree we are lucky to be able to cruise! We generally walk so much on a cruise that I don't gain weight from all the exercise. One cruise I actually lost 10 pounds and ate very well all week.:)

[DeeT]

"We did not go to Aqua but we ate most of our dinners at the Versailles"

Thank you for your wonderful review. Will be our first cruise on NCL on the Star in July. Can you tell me what the difference is between Aqua and Versailles Dining Rooms? Do they have the same menus each night? Is one less crowded than the other? Thanks!

[titanguru]

"We did not go to Aqua but we ate most of our dinners at the Versailles"

 

Thank you for your wonderful review. Will be our first cruise on NCL on the Star in July. Can you tell me what the difference is between Aqua and Versailles Dining Rooms? Do they have the same menus each night? Is one less crowded than the other? Thanks!

 

I think they do have the same menu though somehow others posted that they have the ribeye steak in the aqua while I think it is New York Strip in the Versailles. The menu has two sides. One is the same every day which has steak, chicken, salmon, and a veggie entree while the other side changes daily.

 

We tried the Aqua on our first cruise and the wife did not like it much. The ceiling is low and as such it tend to be a little noisy. Also, I understand it is a little more relaxed in the dress code than the Versailles but can't say for sure. The Versailles is very elegant and nicely appointed. We tend to go there all the time though others seems to enjoy the Aqua too.

 

If there is a line in one you can always go and check what the wait is in the other. We only had to wait twice and if you go early or late then no wait. For us, waiting for few minutes is not an issue. It is not like we are in a hurry to go anywhere. Oh BTW, We wanted to make one of the shows and let our waiter know and he got us served and out on time. Otherwise it will be a leasury experience (ie. they won't serve the next course until everyone has finished and their plates were picked up and the table reset for the next course)

 

You will love the Star. Enjoy your vacation.

[Mrs. H.]

"We did not go to Aqua but we ate most of our dinners at the Versailles"

Thank you for your wonderful review. Will be our first cruise on NCL on the Star in July. Can you tell me what the difference is between Aqua and Versailles Dining Rooms? Do they have the same menus each night? Is one less crowded than the other? Thanks!

 

 

We went to Aqua on our last cruise and were happy we did. Very nice, quiet and not such a big place.

 

We also tried the main dining room on our last night, it was late and empty and we really enjoyed it very much.

 

Same menu.....just different size rooms.

 

We always eat at LeBistro, Tex Mex & Italian place. One night we usually have dinner served to us in our suite.

 

Then there's the lazy night where we just eat at Blue Lagoon.

 

Loved all the placed we've eaten at.

 

Great, now I have to go re-heat left over macaroni and sausage for our dinner tonight. :mad:

 

Can't wait to get to those restaurants in 4 more weeks!! :D

[crusinmama22]

Great review

 

We sail on the Star Feb 2013

 

can't wait.