anyone back from the STAR - June 6?

[lhall85917]

Anyone just returned from the Star with any new info to post? How was the trip, the weather, etc.? Did you have as many problems at Juneau and other ports as the first trip on the 30th?

We're anxious to hear any and all reports before we leave on July 4th!

[NCmom]

My parents arrived back from the Star on 6/13. They enjoyed the cruise and the people, didn't care for freestyle cruising. They were travelling with a group of about 150. NCL lost ALL of the transfer information for the group members, so they all (150 people) had to scramble to find ways to get to the port. Took my parents only about 30 minutes to board as they were very early. Others in the group took over 2 1/2 hours. NCL did give them a cocktail party later in the week to make up for the problems.

 

Dembarkation was a nightmare. Although they had a 12:30 flight, they were not off the ship until 11:15 and had to search for their luggage. Noone was allowed off the ship until about that time, so everyone was congregating in the halls, etc. They decided not to do the bus transfer, but found a town car which got them to the airport by 12. They barely made the flight.

 

They had high seas and winds which made them late getting to Victoria. The weather was rainy there and they had too little time to do an excursion. Skagway: They were told the train was sold out, then told that they had 50 seats available if you could get there in 15 minutes--they did, but still could only watch the train pull out. Then the bus trip they had planned to do was overbooked so they didn't go on that. It was very windy and rainy in Skagway. Ketchikan was OK weatherwise. Juneau: They docked at the new dock and had diffculty finding out where to go.

 

They loved the trip and the people. It was just the beginning and the end that were difficult.

 

Wonder 10/01; Magic 1/02; Wonder 10/02; Radiance 7/03; Wonder 10/03; Magic 9/04

[Fletch1015]

NCMom hit a lot of my thoughts on the head.

 

Embarking- Nightmare. Took forever. Got there around 12:30, no dockworkers taking bags, so had to wait in line to check bags. That only took about a half hour. Waiting in line to get ID card was the debacle, took over 1.5 hours.

 

Disembarking- Absolutely no organization, nor urgency by NCL. Blamed the whole thing on INS & Customs doing a full crew inspection. Bogus excuse. No one from NCL was helping people with early flights, no one was checking to see if people in line had the proper color tags, and there were no updates. We made our flight, but I imagine those with flights around 12-12:30 did not.

 

I enjoyed Freestyle cruising. Only had dinner in the main dining room one night, and I thought it was very sub-par. Teppanyaki was a Benihana type Japanese hibachi restuarant that I highly recommend. Cagney's was also top notch. La Trottaria & Endless Summer were average, but there was no surcharge at either.

 

Entertainment was OK. Comedian was OK, magician got high marks, but I did not catch him. The live music was hit or miss.

 

The boat was very rocky when we were in open seas. As NCMom mentioned, we were very late in Victoria, and disembarkation in Victoria was also a nightmare, took forever, with zero NCL supervision. We did the train ride in Skagway and that was our best shore excursion. We arrived a little bit late in Juneua, but nothing that disrupted our visit. We did the Mendenhall & Wildlife COmbo, and it last 6 hours, a bit long for me. In Ketchikan we did the Totem Pole tour which was nice until the rain came.

 

Overall I enjoyed Alaska and the Star, but the disembarkation left a bad taste in our mouths.

[alonzo14]

Fletch1015: thanks for the review. What time did you dock in Juneau? Was the new dock very close to town? Did you dock or tender? Pleaes clarify for me. Thanks.

[South Side Mo]

Not good news about the disembarkation - we have a noon flight, and my travel agent told me to just let them know at the beginning of the cruise but it doesn't sound like they care. Their schedule shows getting into port at 7am so I thought 2 1/2 - 3 hrs would be enough time for them to get us off of the boat. I think I've already decided not to ever take this cruise line again. I will not be happy if my miss my flight (to put it nicely)

[lhall85917]

"I think I've already decided not to ever take this cruise line again."

 

How can you decide this before ever taking the cruise yourself? Remember a couple of things - the ship has only gone out twice so far so there will be things that need to be worked out and one person's perception of how things were handled may not be yours. When someone says that they don't think the crew cares, it might be that they were involved with someone that has had a bad day (or doesn't care) but that doesn't mean that the same attitude applies to everyone on the ship.

I think we all need to read posts carefully and take all information into consideration, but then form our own opinions based on our own experience. Yes, I want to hear from others about the good, the bad and everything inbetween, but I also realize that not everything will go perfectly. If you go on the cruise and things aren't to your satisfaction, then it would be fair to say you'll never take this cruise line again, but to decide before even going seems a bit harsh. Is there more to this story that we don't know??!!

[fabnsab]

I will say that I had a phenomenal time on this cruise and the little kinks just don't bother me usuually.

 

Embarking was long but I expect that when there are 2300 people checking in within a few hours time of eachother. They offered orange juice and water in line so that was nice. Latitudes members go to the front so that was nice for those who were. The whole process took about an hour from start to finish. Alot of times, the hold up is people not prepared with their tickets and ids out. They wait in line an hour then start hunting for their documents at the end.

We booked our excursions online and our tickets were waiting for us at our room when we got there. No lines for us!

 

We did whale watching by jet boat in Juneau and loved it!! I highly recommend it. I liked our boat alot better than what I saw of Capt. Larry's. Ours seemed to have more outside room to it.It was a bit cold but if you bundle up, you'll be fine. no sunshine. about 52 degrees.

 

We tendered at first then "parked" a little later. They told us which dock the shuttle bus would be at to take us to our ship when we were done and it was there like clockwork- no confusion, IMO. The excursion dropped up right at the ship but we went into town before that so we used the shuttle then.

 

In Skagway, we took the Yukon Scenic Drive and it was breathtaking. Our guide was awesome. He let us out for many photo ops and took the pictures for us every time. A little rain here and there, about 54 degrees.

 

We also did the White Pass train later that day and that was lovely as well.

 

We decided to do our souvenir shopping in Ketchikan. It was rainy and chilly, no sun. The line to get back on the ship was dreadful. Everyone decided to come back at the same time and we waited about 30 minutes in the rain to get back on.

 

Glacier bay was the best!! It was so serene and lovely. It was just nice, everyone was up early, out on deck and bundled up. There wasn't any hustle and bustle, no PA messages trying to sell bingo- just scenery and serenity. Have your binoculars handy. This was the day you'll need them. We had hot cocoa on the deck while watching whales. You can't beat that!

 

We were late getting into Victoria by about 90 minutes. They didn't cancel the shore excursions but they did give folks the option of cancelling themselves for a full refund. We stayed on and spent our time in the indoor pool area all to ourselves.

 

Freestyle was definately for us. We loved it! We never went to the cover charge restaurants because we felt we had enough variety for free. One night we even went to dinner twice! Endless summer is now a Tex Mex with a great salsa and guacamole.

 

Service was very good, if not a little aloof. The servers didn't skip a beat but they didn't often smile. We don't need them doing cartwheels but they could have been more friendly. But we never wanted for anything. We always left a few bucks on the table at all restaurants.

 

We did the all you can eat sushi the one day and I recommend it. You get your $10 worth for sure.

 

The 25 cent slots do not pay out at all!! The wheel of fortune dollar slots are pretty darn good. we watched 3 different people hit $1000 on those.

 

The beverage card is $29.75 or something like that. We had a sail away BBQ with ribs and steak. The line was huge but the food was good.

 

I did a spa treatment. Wait a few days and you'll get the "seduction of the senses" package offer for a 55 minute treatment for $75- a mini facial, a massage, and a camelia rub. It was very worth it. The offer was good for 3 days.

 

The shows were amateurish. We didn't enjoy them. The magician was a little hokey but good enough. We did watch a few movies in the theatre and enjoyed that with fresh popped popcorn- a nice treat.

 

Disembarking was a nightmare. They gave everyone colored tags and called us according to that color but there was no way to check so if you were in the last group, you could go through anytime and noone would care. We didn't get off till nearly noon- we were the 3rd of about 7 groups. I heard some people who signed up for the Seattle shore excursion complain about not knowing where to go because they were supposed to meet in the theatre and noone was there so shore excursion people were confused. They did the color codes according to who had early flights but it still didn't pan out in their favor. I heard of a few people who missed their flights. We got off around the same time we were getting on the week before so I know those new people were waiting a long time.

 

We had a redeye flight so we stayed in Seattle all day. We took in a mariners game, went to the market, and to the Space Needle. When we passed the dock at 5:30 the Star was just leaving so they did get off to a late start. Disembarking was the one major thing I feel they need to work on.

 

We had a great time and I would recommend them in a heartbeat. We don't need much to be happy though...lol. sorry this was so long. I meant to say a few things...I'll be happy to answer any questions too.

 

We took ten rolls of film and the pictures are so wonderful!! Just keep snapping, its too ebautiful to miss anything!

[Fletch1015]

Alonzo,

 

We arrived in Juneua at about 12:30, and they had tenders until about 2PM. When the Spirit left, then the Star docked, and people disembarked at about 3-3:15. I would recommend tendering for 2 reasons; 1-You never know when the ship will be docked and cleared, 2- The Tender brings you right downtown, while the dock is a 10-15 walk, although they do have shuttles.

[deb1835]

fabnsab, did you get a credit for your tours in Victoria? My mother went to the excursion desk to cancel that afternoon and was told that you could cancel up to 24 hrs. before but not after. She did not go on the tour as we too were late getting into port and she was charged for the excursion.

 

STAR gazing in Alaska

 

NCL Star 5/30/04

Carnival Destiny 4/02

[didan]

Fabnsab,

Thanks so much for your review! Can't wait for our turn. Couple of questions - what time did you arrive in Juneau? And did you have long waits for the restaurants?

[zimmerjulie]

Fabnsab,

thanks for the info! This will really help in our planning for next week!

 

South Side MO,

I hope you make your flight.

It sounds like this is a major issue for you, so you might consider booking a late afternoon flight in all future cruise situations. I have found that, although I often have to spend a few extra hours in the airport, my stress level is a lot lower if I allow myself extra time to make my way through all the time consuming obstacles that can (and DO!)present themselves in those last hours.

 

2 1/2 - 3 hours should be enough time to get off the ship under normal circumstances, but the cruise line can not made any guarantees to that you will not have delays. There are unpredictable elements that could easily make you miss a noon flight: late arrival, U.S. Customs delay in clearing the vessel, TRAFFIC, taxi acquisition troubles, long delays at airport security, etc. Any of these possibilities, in addition to the difficulties they seem to be having with disembarkation, could put a wrench in peoples plans.

 

 

I hope that the friendliness of the crew, the amenities of the ship, and the beauty of Alaska make all the mundane details fall far into the background. I also hope you make your flight with no troubles.

 

[This message was edited by zimmerjulie on 06-16-04 at 12:57 PM.]

[deb1835]

We had an 11:45 flight and got off of the ship at 8:45. We arrived at the airport at 10:15 and had to wait in longer lines at the airport than to get off of the ship!

 

STAR gazing in Alaska

 

NCL Star 5/30/04

Carnival Destiny 4/02

[fabnsab]

Deb, we didn't book a Victoria tour but when it looked like we were going to be late, they offered anyone who wanted to cancel to come down and drop their tickets in the excursion drop box and they would get a refund. They had from around 6:30 till 7:30 to drop them off.

 

didan, We arrived in Juneau around 12:30, like fletch mentioned above. We went around town before heading back for our tour.Not much to see but there is a post office. Our postcards from Juneau made it home before we did, which was a miracle!

 

The longest we waited for a table was at Versailles one night. It was about 15 minutes and they were very apologetic. We went at all different times and never waited once after that. We didn't make a reservation for Endless summer one night but called and asked if they could have us in about 15 minutes and it was no problem.

[HB]

I meet one of the workers who works at the dock in Seattle and have been intouch with her since we came home from the 5-30 cruise, she said it was not NCL'S fault about getting the people off the ship in time, it was because immigrations were checking the crew from the ship, and I guess with all the problems going on in the world they can't be too safe. Like Deb said we had no problems getting off on our trip. It was just another bad thing that can happen but you don't let that take away all the good things that does happen. We have never had a perfect cruise where everything goes the way it should but we still always have a good time and don't let the things that do go wrong bother us.

[littleboy]

thanks for your great review fabnsab. You took the excusions we are taking in skagway I am glad that you enjoyed it. Only two days till we leave packing is underway. If if would make anyone feel better Princess is having the same problems getting passigers on and the ships in Seattle. So it is not NCL it is what is happen on shore. So if we know that a head of time June 20 cruisers we will be prepared.

[Luanne]

Great reviews fabnsab.

Did you get to see whales from the ship and it looks like you took the afternoon train in Skagway. Who did you book your Yukon Scenic Drive with? We would like to do both too if there is time and we have booked the afternoon train and wondered about the Yukon Drive. Any info on times and price would be great. Thanks.

 

Luanne

 

Norwegian Star June 20,2004

[littleboy]

luann

we are taking the youkon scenic drive we booked with the ship it is about a 6 1/2 trip starting at 8:30am we did the train last time and I wanted to do something different this time and was happy to read that someone else took it and liked.

[curlstravel]

Thanks for all the great information. I can't wait until our 6/27 sailing.

 

NCL Star 6/27/04

[fabnsab]

I agree about the disembarking being a crew immigration problem. As we were getting off, there was still a line of crew members outside although we were supposedly cleared. They looked like they may have been having problems getting them cleared. We waited in line at the airport for over 35 minutes for security check so I think this city takes their security very seriously. There was a girl in line whose plane was leaving in ten minutes and the guard basically said, "oh well. thats why we say to get here early."

 

We did see whales from the ship the day we went to Glacier Bay. We saw a harbor seal, bald eagles, and bears too. It was a great day! We also saw a big chunk fall off of the one glacier- very cool.

 

We booked all our excursions through NCL.

 

We took the 8:30am scenic drive, came back around 2:30 and took the 4:30 train ride. Both were about $100 each person. If I had to choose, I would go the scenic drive. You see mainly the same stuff but it is more detailed, you go into the Yukon and see Emerald Lake, and if you get Tim, the guy is a great guide. I am glad we had the opportunity to do both. Nothing beats our pictures from the drive though. We stood on the outside platform of the train the whole time. Sitting down watching scenery go by isn't our thing. It was fun to feel a part of the scenery out there.

 

We packed very heavy and I am so glad we did. We went through most of it. I brought a hat and gloves everywhere I went just in case of a chill and it sure came in handy. It averaged a very gray 52 degrees all week with rain here and there. I didn't see sun till we got back to Seattle but it was great.

 

I hope you all have as wonderful a time as we did. Don't let the small things ruin a great trip. Lifes too short to complain about waiting in lines. The alternative is no alaska at all so I'll take the lines.

[fabnsab]

Sorry, I keep remembering things...we called and asked if they had any softer pillows because the pillows were a little too firm for hubby and me and within 15 minutes, we had two feather pillows brought to our room. It was very nice of them. Also, you get a safe in the room that comes in very handy and a mini fridge which is a great addition. The steward put fresh ice in there every day. The shower is huge!! It also has a soap and shampoo dispenser in it thats filled. We were very pleased with the size of our room.

 

The Chocoholic buffet was on friday night, i believe. It opened at 11:30pm and the line started before 11. It was gorgeous. I think it looked better than it tasted though but thats just me.

 

A nice thing about the soda card was that alot of places that only had cans still gave you a free pop with your card. I don't think they were supposed to but they did all week. I know they definately didn't on Royal Caribbean.

 

Bring a travel iron because they don't have any to borrow nor do they sell them. We spent about $15 sending things out for pressing because we forgot to bring an iron.

 

Ok, enough for now. Sorry that I keep rambling!

[Luanne]

Thanks for the info fabnsab. I hope we get to see all in Glacier Bay that you did.

 

Luanne

 

Norwegian Star June 20,2004

[12Cruise]

Could you look in your Daily Patters and see what day the All You Can Eat Sushi at the Ginza restaurant was?

 

Thnx!!

 

12Cruise

 

Norwegian Star 06-27-04

 

 

[littleboy]

all you can eat sushi in Ginza for $10 is on Mon from noon to 2pm

[12Cruise]

Thank you! A note has been made of the time...I'll be there!!!

 

12Cruise

 

Norwegian Star 06-27-04

 

 

[curlstravel]

Does anyone remember if they had a laundry special the last day of the cruise? The last time we were on the Star they did all the laundry you could fit in the bag for 25.00 I think.

 

NCL Star 6/27/04