NCL Star Review 3-10 to 3-17

[lenaris]

This is not a narrative review, but rather a list of observations/notes as bullet points.

 

Bottom line. I had a good time, but will probably not take another NCL cruise unless it is a very good deal.

 

Good:

 

 

Statetoom (inside on 5th floor) was always clean and well maintained.

 

Steward (Collin) was efficient and friendly, but he always seemed a little sad or tired to me. He was very nice and friendly. It may just have been his personality or was having an off week.

 

We enjoyed Roatan. It is tropical with hills and is a departure from other places

in the Maya Riviera.

 

We ate Le Bistro and enjoyed it, but we should have great dining experiences at all venues whether they are premium or not.

 

Getting on and getting of the ship were both easy.

 

NCL staff (Oscar and Sean) tried to address our concerns verbally and by checking in about our dining experience. They were very good about checking in with us.

 

Not so good

 

MDR dining is mostly a failure. Food quality is subpar compared to other lines. Most MDR staff seem preoccupied. Some of them were even visibly unhappy to be waiting on me. Food was often lukewarm and on almost every service the waitstaff brought incorrect orders to at least one diner. The buffet was often as good as the MDR which is not saying a lot.

 

I do not like the layout of the Star. I like to be able to walk from front to back on most floors. I like more public indoor space with windows. The Star lacks these features.

 

I did not like Cruise directory Kyle's personality, though he probably appeals more to seniors. He was a competent announcer. Other cruise staff were great.

 

The ship seems to list a LOT- it could have been the weather (it was somewhat windy days 2-4), but it seemed to us that the ship was not using its stablilizers. It was the rockiest cruise I have taken and I have taken all of them out of New Orleans.

 

 

In short - If you get a good deal, why not book this cruise? It was fine, but others I have taken have been so much better. I think I might prefer Carnival and Princess to NCL. It could be that all budget cruise lines have devolved in order to remain competitive.

 

I would be glad to offer opinions based on the experience if you're interested.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[camz]

Welcome Back! Sorry you were not so happy with my favorite NCL ship, the Star. I had to laugh, I am not a senior by a long shot, and I thought Kyle was a good Cruise Director. He had some pipes on him when he sang at the Captain's Cocktail Party. We had a smooth sailing on the Star, however, that was different waters at a different time of the year. A word of warning, maybe you should check the Carnival Cruise Lines Headlines this week before you consider booking a cruise with them. :eek: Unfortunately, the freestyle dining concept is not for everyone. However, it was good of you to give NCL a try. :)

[david_sobe]

Welcome home

Thanks for the review!

[Love my butler]

I thought Kyle was a bit smarmy, like a car salesman. However, he seemed to know his job very well and I cannot fault him. We had him B2B so was a bit of a letdown hearing the same exact jokes the second week.

 

The MDR staff are simply overworked. They don't have nearly as many waiters working as they did a few years ago.

[jdvmd]

Thanks for your comments and welcome to Cruise Critic.

[Macadian]

I thought Kyle was a bit smarmy, like a car salesman. However, he seemed to know his job very well and I cannot fault him. We had him B2B so was a bit of a letdown hearing the same exact jokes the second week.

 

The MDR staff are simply overworked. They don't have nearly as many waiters working as they did a few years ago.

 

Not meaning to hi jack your post regarding the 'Star', but the last part of your post struck a chord with me. We sailed on the 'Sun' in '08' and again last month. We did feel that the number of MDR Staff, and those looking after the state rooms had been scaled back compared to '08'. They too seemed overworked and tired. Such are the pressures on cruise lines these days to make the cruise 'pay' I fear but they may be taking 'economising' too far? Better to raise the fair a few bucks than cause 'service' to the customer to suffer. Time will tell.

[lostone65]

I have to agree with ypu on the MDR. Our experience in December on the Star was similar. However that is where the similarities end. We loved Tue Star and her crew. We had Pedro as out cruise director so I don't know Kyle. We loved our cruise so much we have 2 more cruises booked with NCL right now. You couldn't pay me to cruise Carnival these days.

 

Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk 2

[lenaris]

I think right now might be exactly the time to book CCL unless the whole company is sinking. Who would let more problems fester in the face of all of this scrutiny? I think it was just some very bad luck and perhaps they were cutting costs on engine maintenance. It is impossible to know for sure, but if I were cruising right away, I would give them a look.

 

I do appreciate the cheap fares, but I would much rather pay several dollars a day more and have less tired staff, less upsell, and better MDR experiences. It all comes out in the wash.

[camz]

I think right now might be exactly the time to book CCL unless the whole company is sinking. Who would let more problems fester in the face of all of this scrutiny? I think it was just some very bad luck and perhaps they were cutting costs on engine maintenance. It is impossible to know for sure, but if I were cruising right away, I would give them a look.

 

I do appreciate the cheap fares, but I would much rather pay several dollars a day more and have less tired staff, less upsell, and better MDR experiences. It all comes out in the wash.

 

Sorry but we have to agree to disagree on this one. :D I would much rather have the staff be a little tired, and the ship try to upsell items than to worry about whether the cruiseline was cutting corners in other important venues such as the ENGINE ROOM. :eek: But that's just my opinion, for what it is worth. On another note, I never encounterd tired crew or high pressure sales on any of my NCL cruises.