Norwegian Star Review - 14 day Panama Canal

[kskelley40]

Here is a review of the Star leaving LA for a 14 day Panama Canal cruise.

First - Suite experience

 

Arrived at the LA port at 9 am - only time available for our shuttle from the Hotel.

Dropped off our luggage and had to wait for the doors to open at 9:30 am.

Went to the suite line and we were actually the first passengers to check in for the whole ship.  Check in agent said we should have received something for being the first passengers but she was joking of course.

After checking in, the agent walked us through security and into the suite lounge.  There were pasties, juice and coffee with very comfortable seating.

Our concierge showed up around 11 with our key cards and information packets.  After meeting each passenger individually, she had one of the butlers escort groups onto the ship and to Cagney's for lunch.

We were on board and seated by 11:30.  Cabins were available around 1-1:30.

 

Cabin - Aft suite

Great size.  Plenty of storage space - didn't even use it all even with 14 days of clothes.

Balcony - great size with 2 full size loungers, 2 small tables and 2 chairs.

One drawback was there was only one outlet we could find that was in the dressing area.

Bathroom good size with tub and nice shower.  Toilet area separated with door.

Coffee maker, mini fridge, double sided closet and dressing area/makeup area.

Plenty of different types of pillows.  So many that we were storing them under the bed.

 

Overall suite service -

Monica the concierge was wonderful.  Very helpful.  Knew you by sight after the first day.  Would stop by at breakfast in Cagney's to say hello.  Stopped by at dinner in the specialty restaurants to ask about your day and see if you needed anything.  Was always available for anything.  Escorted us off the ships in ports.  Especially helpful if you are tendering!  Best concierge we have ever had.  Even though we did not use her much she knew that I had organized several events for our CC group and made sure that I had everything I need for the group.

 

Butler was Jeffrey.  Best butler we have had.  Anticipated all of our needs and made sure whatever we wanted, if available, we had.  Stopped by after the turn down service every night to see if we needed anything and to make sure the cabin was fully stocked with water and our requested juice and snacks.  Had him bring us breakfast and snacks on the Panama Canal transit day.  Thought we would have just small trays of snacks...but no!  He brought us enough food for 10 people and there were only 2 of us.  Needless to say we snacked on cheese/crackers, sandwiches, chips, veggies and dips that whole day and into the next.

 

Room steward  was great.  Everything was clean, organized and well taken care of.  He would get worried if we did not need him for the turn down service, so we would reassure him that we didn't need anything.  

 

Overall the suite experience on this ship was the best yet.  Definitely worth the extra cost.

 

Up next....the ship itself.  Gotta go to work.  Until tonight - Happy Cruising!

[cloud_nine]

We'll be in an aft penthouse on the Star in August so this is a great read! Eagerly awaiting the next part.

[deefer]

Were you in one of the Aft suites on the 9th floor that have a wrap around balcony?  

 

I kept flip flopping btwn the 9th floor (wrap around balcony) and 10th (bigger balcony but no wrap around).    We eventually settled on the 9th floor aft to get the “standing side view”.   Not that we can do anything about it now as the suites are all sold out,  but I am a bit worried the side view may be obstructed by window washing equipment.  I’ve seen photos with and without this obstruction.

 

On the Star through the Panama Canal at the end of March.....very much looking forward for the rest of the review!

Edited January 25, 2019 by deefer

[Gershep]

Following!

[steveweese]

We are on the Star March 1 b2b. Following

[kskelley40]

4 hours ago, deefer said:

Were you in one of the Aft suites on the 9th floor that have a wrap around balcony?  

 

I kept flip flopping btwn the 9th floor (wrap around balcony) and 10th (bigger balcony but no wrap around).    We eventually settled on the 9th floor aft to get the “standing side view”.   Not that we can do anything about it now as the suites are all sold out,  but I am a bit worried the side view may be obstructed by window washing equipment.  I’ve seen photos with and without this obstruction.

 

On the Star through the Panama Canal at the end of March.....very much looking forward for the rest of the review!

We were on deck 10.  #10228 - not a wrap around.  Second from the end.  The end suites on 10 did not have a wrap around balcony.  Not sure about deck 9.  

[kskelley40]

The ship....  these are the areas we visited.  We are not "show" or trivia people so we just hung out around the pool most sea days.

 

The Star is a smaller ship that just went through a refurbish.  Our first time on this ship so not sure what it looked like before.  There were a couple of places where it showed it's age but nothing major.

We like the smaller ships and the layout was similar to the Pearl so we felt like we knew the ship already.

 

There are a couple of decks where you "can't get there from here".  Mostly Aft on deck 5 and 6 where the restaurant is.  But once you get the hang of it, it is not a big deal.  I did find myself even on day 13 going the wrong way and ending up at the restaurant.

 

The pool is smaller than most ships but nice.  There were 4 hot tubs around the pool that sometimes were not very hot.

Plenty of lounge chairs as long as the wind cooperates.  We had some really windy weather one day and they closed the upper decks for safety.  That took about 5 layers of lounges away and people were pretty steamed about it.  But the wind was outrageous.  There are plenty of tables for dining around the pool and a really small smoking section at one end.  We Vape so we had to do so in the smoking section.

 

Spice H2O is a nice area with 2 hot tubs, chairs, sofas, tables and is adjacent to a bar.  There was a beverage server who waited on the tables, intermittently.   The area is covered so it was a nice area to get out of the wind and sun.  They also have large screen TVs showing sporting events, but no sound.  The view is also very nice since it is AFT.  We had our sail away gathering there and really enjoyed the space.  Spent many late afternoons hanging out playing cards or reading in Spice H2O.

 

Casino - yes I am a casino person.  All of my cruises are comped by the casino so I try to get playing time in whenever possible.  This casino was DEAD!  There were nights were there might have been me and 2 other people playing at the tables.  Even the slot machines were quiet.  This was a long cruise so the average passenger age was older than most of our other cruises.  I did not play much during the day so not sure if the slots were busier during the day but at night it was empty.  Needless to say, Beverage service was awesome.  Never had to wait for a drink so that was a plus.

 

More to come....dinner time!

[kskelley40]

OK.  To continue.....food.  Seems to be such a big conversation starter here on the boards so I will touch on the restaurants we ate at.  And no, did not take any photos of the food or menus.  We are not big foodies and have actually been on the Keto diet for the past 6 months.  We went off of Keto for the cruise though.

 

We had 5 specialty dinners - 4 as a perk and 1 from our TA

 

Cagney's - ate here twice for dinner and twice for lunch.  Food was good.  Had steak all 4 meals and it was always cooked perfectly.  Tried the truffle fries and really do not see why people rave over them.  Service was spot on. 

 

Le Bistro - ate here for dinner once.  Escargot was my favorite dish the whole cruise.  Especially when you take the bread and soak up the garlic butter in the little holders.  Rest of the meal was good with great service.

 

La Cucina - ate here twice for dinner.  Again, the food was good and service was great.  Never felt rushed and really enjoyed our meal.

 

Specialty restaurants in general - food and service was always good.  However, if I had to pay for the dining package or for each meal, don't think I would.  But since the dining package was part of our suite, figured we might as well take advantage of it.  Atmosphere in all three places was nice and it was a nice way to spend the evening.

 

Why not Tappanaki or Moderno?  Been to both before and was not impressed enough to do them again.

 

Main dining room - never made it here.

 

Buffet - we ate at the buffet a couple of times.  But we always just fixed a plate and then took it down to our balcony to eat.  Only 2 floors down so it was convenient for us and a lot quieter. Plus there is nothing better than having dinner with my hubby while watching the wake of the ship from our private balcony.   Some of the best cruise buffet food we have had - especially the curry dishes.

 

Shenanigans - ate here for lunch a couple of times after port visits.  Very convenient to grab a quick meal on our way up to the cabin.  Wings were good - did not care for the Buffalo style though.  Seemed too sweet and ketchupy (I know, not a real word)  the Thai chili ones were the best.  Fish and chips though....yum!  Service was very good and never really busy.

 

Pool side lunch - they had hamburgers, sausage and hot dogs with all of the fixings every day by the pool.  Hamburgers were pretty good.  Husband liked the sausages.  Nice to be able to grab a quick lunch poolside.  Not Guy's burgers (which I love) but still pretty good.  Right next to the lunch buffet was the ice cream station.  This wasn't the self serve ice cream (which is at the regular buffet) but hand dipped.  Seemed like there were 4 - 6 different flavors.  Strawberry was awesome!

 

We had snacks waiting in our suite every afternoon so between those and the specialty restaurants we were always full

 

Breakfast was in the suite restaurant every day.  Food was good but I really wish they would change up the menu sometimes, especially on a 14 day cruise.  I ended up trying everything on the menu, some several times and my favorite was the crab Benedict.  Nice buffet to go along with the menu selection.  It was nice to relax away from the crowds and start the day off with a good breakfast.  Oh - the steak and eggs were awesome!  Same steak that we had for dinner at Cagney's!  Never had steak and eggs for breakfast before but one of our excursions involved hiking up a volcano so thought we need the protein.  More on the volcano to come....

 

That's about it for the food....proud to say that I only gained 5 pounds in 14 days (a lot of pina coladas will do that) but once back at home and back on Keto - lost the extra 5 pounds in a week!

 

Time to call it a night.  Tomorrow - bar service around the ship.  Happy Cruising!

[kskelley40]

Bar - Beverage service around the ship.

 

We had the Ultimate Beverage Package with our suite.  I don't think I will cruise again without the beverage package.  So convenient and we always get our money's worth.  Plus as a "free at sea" perk you only pay the gratuity so for me, definitely worth it!

 

Pool bar and service - there were 2 bars by the pool.  One on the pool deck and another one up a deck.  Service was pretty good at both bars.  The upper deck bar was less crowded most of the time.  As long as you got a "made" drink - not one pre-made in jugs or a machine - the drink was very good.  The pre-made ones, Bahama Mamas specifically, were weak.  Highly recommend the frozen Miami Vice!

 

Servers at the pool.  If you were sitting at a table on either side you received better service than if you were on a lounge chair in the sun.  I think a lot of the slow or sometimes poor service had to do with the wind factor.  But once you got a server to come to you once, they always returned to checked on you.  Sometimes it was just faster to go to the bar.

 

Restaurant bar service - at the specialty restaurants I was quite surprised with the bar service.  On past ships, it was hard to get a drink with your dinner, not on the Star.  The beverage server was generally the first person to the table.  If not, then the waiter would take your drink order and pass it on to the beverage server.  Refills were plentiful.  One time at La Cucina it was busy and the Manager noticed my empty wine glass, granted I had just finished it right before he saw it.  He immediately came by and refilled it.

 

Casino - as noted before the casino was quiet all of the times we visited.  Therefore, bar service was awesome!  I think the bartender was bored most of the time.  My poker table was close to the bar and he would frequently send me drinks that he was creating to try out.  He wanted some feedback and I was happy to oblige.  Made poker playing quite interesting.

 

The beverage server, Ryan, was outstanding.  He knew after the first night that I wanted bottle water with my alcohol.  Since I also had a casino drink card, the bottle water was no charge.  He would bring me 2 bottles with every drink.  Needless to say we had plenty of water in our cabin.  I also like caffeine occasionally so he would bring me a Pepsi whenever he thought it was time for one.  The only time I had to wait for a drink was when Ryan was on break.

 

Spice H2O AFT deck 12- the bar for Spice is right before you get to the main area.  They also have TVs there playing whatever sports is showing.  This is a smaller bar but with great service.  Our cabin was on 10 Aft, so we were only 2 decks right below.  Made it very convenient to go up 2 flights of stairs to get drinks at night when we were hanging out on the balcony.  Found that these drinks were MUCH better than the pool bar.  Never really crowded so service was good.

 

Shenanigans bar - we stopped here whenever we were walking around to get a drink or on our way up to the cabin.  Never really busy when we were there and the service was good.  

 

Overall bar service - service and drinks were good.  Pool service could have been better but again I think a lot of that had to do with the wind and weather.   No issues with the beverage package and I love the fact that NCL does not make you sign for the drinks or give you a receipt when they are on the package.  One note though - watch out when you are still at the port on embarkation day.  There is a sales tax that will show up on your account.  Not much, but since you don't sign for them, you are not aware of this until you get your bill.

 

Next - ports

[kskelley40]

Ports - since we had not been to most of the ports we visited we decide to do the NCL shore excursions.  We have been to most of the ports in the Caribbean so we generally go off on our own there but wanted to be safe and stay with the ship's excursions on this cruise.  These are not necessarily in the order taken....

 

Cabo San Lucas - we did the Whale Watching Coastal Cruise.  Nice way to spend the day.  Saw some whales - not a lot though.  Nice excursion which included plenty of margaritas.  We really enjoyed it.  Got back to the dock with plenty of time to walk around and shop.

 

Acapulco - did the ship's Bay Cruise with Cliff Divers.  OK excursion.  Wanted to see the Cliff Divers which was interesting but hard to see.  Would have been better if we had taken one of the other excursions where you drive there and get closer.  Three of the divers did swim to the boat and board.  They hung around and took photos (for tips of course) and stayed with us for awhile.

The Bay cruise was a little interesting, just a lot of houses, buildings etc....with narration.  Not one I would do again.  They did serve plenty of drinks and a nice buffet.

 

Guatemala - PACAYA VOLCANO HIKE  - Ship's excursion.   We "trained" for this excursion for 6 months.  OK, our training was just starting a daily walking program but it definitely helped!   Be aware - this excursion is definitely a work out.  Not a stroll or casual walk.  At times this was quite strenuous over rocky paths and going straight up (or so it seemed).  Plus the air starts to get thinner the higher you climb.  The locals do follow you with horses that you can rent for $20 each way if you find that you are getting tired or just can't make it.  Once you start the hike, it is either walk or ride, no backing out.  We had a group of 40 so the pace was slow, but that was a big help.  We would stop along the way for the group to catch up and for everyone to catch their breath.  We also made the mistake of not going to the shore excursion talk the day before.  If we had, we would have known to dress better.  We thought it would be hot so we wore shorts and t-shits.  Boy were we wrong.  It was cold and windy.  If we kept moving it was ok but once we stopped it was COLD!   It took about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to reach the top.  Unfortunately,  it was so cloudy that we could not see much and the wind was strong.  It was like - "OK we made it to the top, can we go down now?"

Going down was harder than going up.  We took a different path down and the view was amazing.  The view was better than at the top!  But there were sections that the cross winds were so strong you really had to watch your steps.

Overall - I am glad we took the excursion and I knew it would be strenuous but even I was surprised at how hard it was.

 

Cartagena -  we have been here before so we just took the Ship's catamaran to The Walled City.  Much better than a taxi.  The only drawback was that there was only one return trip back.  So if you wanted to stay longer, you had to get a taxi.  We just walked around the city.  Glad we did the catamaran transfer as traffic was horrible.  I would had been worried to take a taxi and risk missing the ship.

 

Costa Rica - we had been here before so we did an outside tour.  GioTours 8 in 1 tour.  This was ok.  They picked us up at the pier and there were 14 of us in a large bus.  They took us to different stops and on the river.  You can see the agenda on their website.  Glad we did it but there were several stops that we had either done before or were not interested in.  Would probably had been happier if we had just walked around on our own or stayed on the ship.

 

Nicaragua - did not see any excursions that we were interested in so we just walked around for a while and returned early to the ship.

 

If you have any questions about any of these ports, just let me know.

 

Up next....our CC activities

[kskelley40]

Cruise Critic activities....

 

Just a note - I like to plan and organize things so I volunteered to organize several activities for this cruise.

First was a sail away gathering at Spice H2O.

 

Sail away - we had a decent size group for the Sail away gathering at Spice H20.  Everyone wore Mardi Gras beads and I did let them know to bring their own refreshments as this was not a NCL sponsored event.  I also brought along the schedule hand outs for everyone and we had some Key Card Holders that we gave away.  It was a nice way to start our cruise!

 

Meet & Greet - our meet and greet was the first sea day at 11 am.  NCL set us up at Le Bistro and provide a nice selection of pastries, coffee and juice.  Several crew members also joined us and introduced themselves.  I had made a trivia sheet that we passed out which made everyone get up and talk with each other.  The questions were about the attendees so to get the answers you had to talk with people.  It was a big hit!  The crew even commented to me afterwards that they had not seen such an engaging crowd before at a Meet & Greet.  I had prizes that a cruise merchandise company donated so we had several raffles.  We also had sign up sheets for the Slot Pull and Cabin Crawl.  We only had an hour and then time flew by!  Thanks to everyone who attended and made this the best M&G yet!

 

Slot Pull - we held the slot pull right after the M&G.  We had 34 people participate.  Unfortunately, the machine we wanted was taken when we arrived.  I had talked with the casino host the night before and I thought they were going to hold it for us.  It was the only Wheel of Fortune $1 machine in the place.  But we picked out a different one and started.  Well, we didn't win but we had a good time.

 

Cabin Crawl - we had 7 cabins that volunteered to show their cabins.  Had about 30 people participate in the tour.  I had mapped out the route a couple of nights before to get the best and easiest way to navigate the ship.  We had several cabins that provided snacks and drinks during their cabin tour.  It was a great success and a wonderful way to see other cabins on the ship.  We ended up in the casino and did a poker run.  At each cabin, the host passed out playing cards.  By the time we were done touring, each person had 7 playing cards.  The best 5 card poker hand won.  We actually had 5 winners, the cruise merchandise company donated 5 prizes, so we started with the highest hand and worked our way down until all the prizes were awarded.

 

Group Roulette Spin - I had seen this idea before on these boards but had never done one so I was interested in doing so.  This is something that can't really be planned ahead of time.  You need to get with the casino host/manager once you are on board and see if it is something that are willing to do.  Fortunately with the casino being so quiet we had our pick of days and times.  I choose a sea day late in the cruise at 11 am.  The night before I went to the internet cafe and printed up the information sheets - thanks to NCL for not charging me to print.  I then passed out the sheets to all of those who not only expressed interest but had attended the cabin crawl.  We had 12 people participate.  Each paid $30 entry fee.  We ended up breaking even.  Won't go into all of the details about how to do a Group Roulette Spin here, but if you are interested let me know and I will post the information.

 

That was all of the scheduled activities.  With a long cruise such as this one, these activities were a nice way to meet up again and have some fun.  It you want more information or tips about any of these activities, just let me know.

 

A BIG thank you to Premier Cruise Gear.com for providing us with the numerous prizes we awarded.  Pictured are the Key Card Holders and Door banner that they donated along with numerous tote bags, key chains, note pads and more.

 

That's it for now....next up -  Disembarkation and overall thoughts

[kskelley40]

OMG - I almost forgot the most important part of the cruise.  The Panama Canal!  We went through the old locks which was my choice for the history and technology involved in building it.  We could see larger ships going through the new locks.

 

We had done a partial transit with NCL December 2016.  After doing that I knew that we wanted to do a full transit.  For the partial transit we had a Forward Suite which was great for the transit.  However, for the other days I did not like the forward balcony.  Too windy and the bulk head door to go out onto the balcony was heavy and noisy.  So this time I selected the AFT suite.

 

We loved the AFT suite.  It was great for all of the days but for the transit it was perfect.  They had the bow camera showing the forward view and had a Canal Transit employee on board doing narration over the public speakers and on the TV.  The night before the transit we received a small information brochure about the Canal in our stateroom.  They also had a time schedule printed in the Daily activity sheet that we received.

 

We crossed under Bridge of Americas around 7 am.  We turned our TV to face the balcony and turned up the volume.  This was perfect.  We could see what was coming and see the aft view at the same time.  It was really interesting as the aft view is almost straight down and you can really see up close.

 

After the first set of locks, we had some time before the next one so we went down to deck 7 to get an even closer view.  You could almost reach out and touch the walls.  I was tempted but didn't.  They did close off part of the deck AFT on both sides of deck 7 because this is where the Mules in the middle of the ship were tethered to.  

 

The also opened up the Bow to passengers which is normally the crew area.  They set up tents with refreshments provide for those who wanted to go out there.  We went out after the second set of locks just to experience it.  It was a little windy as we were in the middle section of the canal so our speed was increasing.

 

For the last set of locks we went back up to the cabin.  Our butler had brought us numerous trays of snacks so we hung out eating, drinking and being totally amazed by the Canal!   

 

One note - during the section before the Gatun Locks, the narrator went to the Theater and invited everyone for a question and answer session.  We did not attend but heard it was amazing.  Once the narrator came back on the TV he did repeat the questions asked and answered them for all to hear.

 

It has been mentioned several times on these boards to get out and roam the ship during the transit.  I totally agree.  If you are doing the full transit, there is plenty of time between locks to move around the ship and get a different view.  We notice that the Atrium would be busy during the non-locks part of the transit and when we got closer to a set of locks, everyone would move outside.  That was smart and it was very humid even in January.

 

The whole transit took about 8 hours.  I would definitely recommend reading some of the numerous books available about the building of the canal before your trip to really appreciate the history and struggles.  There are also several wonderful documentaries on YouTube.  Once you know what went into building this amazing structure you will really appreciate the transit that much more.

[kskelley40]

Ship and service in general.  Overall we were pleased with the ship.  As noted before, there were a couple of areas that showed the age of the ship, mostly the carpet on the stairs.

 

The crew was constantly cleaning and polishing the public areas.  Every crew member we encountered was friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy their work.  Service was impeccable, with the exception of the pool service.  This is definitely a ship I would sail again if the itinerary was  right.  

 

Although we do not participate in a lot of events such as trivia, the spa, shows etc....we always enjoy ourselves and this cruise was no exception.  There were a lot of activities available according to the daily sheet.  Deck 7's outdoor promenade was a favorite for relaxing, reading and wave watching.  There were plenty of areas for sunbathing when the weather was nice and the ship never really felt crowded.

 

Disembarkation - thank goodness for suite priority disembarkation!

The day before the concierge had a meeting for all suite guests about getting off the ship and our priority luggage tags.  The usual information, bags outside your door by midnight, restaurant available for breakfast etc....

We had a late afternoon flight so decided to leave at the last minute.  Had to be out of the cabin by 8:30 am so we headed up to Cagney's for one last breakfast.

Monica (concierge) said to meet her in the Bliss lounge when we were ready to leave, but no later than 9:30.  So at 9:15 we head to Bliss.  

The line for others to leave stretched all the way down deck 7, in the opposite direction we were headed, and back up deck 7 on the outside.  After making our way to Bliss, Monica escorted us out the door right by the lounge and right to the key card checker.  We were on the opposite end of the deck and could see the massive line others were in.  After about a 10 minute wait, the gangway was full, we were off the ship.

The rest was the normal wait....gathering your luggage and getting to customs.  All in all, it took us about 30 minutes to get to the taxi stand.  I heard others around us state that they had waited about an hour or more to get off once they got into the line.

It seemed that everyone had a late flight and all decided to leave the ship later than normal. Also saw a lot of people dragging all of their luggage through the line so that slowed things down.   Go figure!

 

I hope this review has helped with your plans.  I know it is not as thorough as other reviews but after 18 cruises, we know what we like to do and skip the rest.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  I will answer to the best of my ability (and memory).  Thanks for reading and Happy Cruising!

[Gershep]

Thank you for your review. Do they allow cigarette and cigar smoking in Spice H2O?

[hannibal54]

Thanks for your review, I will be doing this cruise on 1-15-19 going from Fl. to Ca.

[milolii]

Thanks for the review.  This is very helpful.  

[kskelley40]

9 hours ago, Gershep said:

Thank you for your review. Do they allow cigarette and cigar smoking in Spice H2O?

No, no smoking in Spice H2O.  We were able to Vape discretely and no one noticed but they will notice cigarette or cigar smoking.

 

The only smoking area we saw were the small area by the pool and one side outside on Deck 7 and of course the casino.

[donrob]

On 1/25/2019 at 1:46 PM, kskelley40 said:

We were on deck 10.  #10228 - not a wrap around.  Second from the end.  The end suites on 10 did not have a wrap around balcony.  Not sure about deck 9.  

Good to hear all that. We board the Star Friday, aft suite 10728 mate to yours it would seem. Have a couple cousins in the balcony rooms in between, figured the extra room would come in handy in the penthouse.. 

[kskelley40]

1 hour ago, donrob said:

Good to hear all that. We board the Star Friday, aft suite 10728 mate to yours it would seem. Have a couple cousins in the balcony rooms in between, figured the extra room would come in handy in the penthouse.. 

Yes, 10728 is just like ours with 2 balcony rooms in the middle.  This suite was not as large as the Forward suite was a couple of years ago but still plenty of room.  Especially the storage!  We didn't use any of the drawers in the main desk or in the dressing area.  But granted, we hung up most of our clothes in the large closet.

Enjoy!  Hopefully you will have Jeffrey as your butler - he is wonderful!

 

Also, I highly recommend the Bahama Mamas in Spice H2O and the escargot in Le Bistro.

[Shippy]

   You mentioned a great ice cream area that is not self serve.

Is that complimentary ?

[kskelley40]

On 1/30/2019 at 6:27 PM, Shippy said:

   You mentioned a great ice cream area that is not self serve.

Is that complimentary ?

Yes, it is complimentary.  It is on the pool deck between the bar and the outdoor buffet.  It is not 24 hours, not sure about the exact open times but it was open every sea day.

[cjngranny]

Where on a cruise ship is the best place to view going thru Canal, Upper deck or lower deck?

Thanks

[milolii]

On 1/26/2019 at 5:08 AM, kskelley40 said:

Bar - Beverage service around the ship.

 

We had the Ultimate Beverage Package with our suite.  I don't think I will cruise again without the beverage package.  So convenient and we always get our money's worth.  Plus as a "free at sea" perk you only pay the gratuity so for me, definitely worth it!

 

Pool bar and service - there were 2 bars by the pool.  One on the pool deck and another one up a deck.  Service was pretty good at both bars.  The upper deck bar was less crowded most of the time.  As long as you got a "made" drink - not one pre-made in jugs or a machine - the drink was very good.  The pre-made ones, Bahama Mamas specifically, were weak.  Highly recommend the frozen Miami Vice!

 

Servers at the pool.  If you were sitting at a table on either side you received better service than if you were on a lounge chair in the sun.  I think a lot of the slow or sometimes poor service had to do with the wind factor.  But once you got a server to come to you once, they always returned to checked on you.  Sometimes it was just faster to go to the bar.

 

Restaurant bar service - at the specialty restaurants I was quite surprised with the bar service.  On past ships, it was hard to get a drink with your dinner, not on the Star.  The beverage server was generally the first person to the table.  If not, then the waiter would take your drink order and pass it on to the beverage server.  Refills were plentiful.  One time at La Cucina it was busy and the Manager noticed my empty wine glass, granted I had just finished it right before he saw it.  He immediately came by and refilled it.

 

Casino - as noted before the casino was quiet all of the times we visited.  Therefore, bar service was awesome!  I think the bartender was bored most of the time.  My poker table was close to the bar and he would frequently send me drinks that he was creating to try out.  He wanted some feedback and I was happy to oblige.  Made poker playing quite interesting.

 

The beverage server, Ryan, was outstanding.  He knew after the first night that I wanted bottle water with my alcohol.  Since I also had a casino drink card, the bottle water was no charge.  He would bring me 2 bottles with every drink.  Needless to say we had plenty of water in our cabin.  I also like caffeine occasionally so he would bring me a Pepsi whenever he thought it was time for one.  The only time I had to wait for a drink was when Ryan was on break.

 

Spice H2O AFT deck 12- the bar for Spice is right before you get to the main area.  They also have TVs there playing whatever sports is showing.  This is a smaller bar but with great service.  Our cabin was on 10 Aft, so we were only 2 decks right below.  Made it very convenient to go up 2 flights of stairs to get drinks at night when we were hanging out on the balcony.  Found that these drinks were MUCH better than the pool bar.  Never really crowded so service was good.

 

Shenanigans bar - we stopped here whenever we were walking around to get a drink or on our way up to the cabin.  Never really busy when we were there and the service was good.  

 

Overall bar service - service and drinks were good.  Pool service could have been better but again I think a lot of that had to do with the wind and weather.   No issues with the beverage package and I love the fact that NCL does not make you sign for the drinks or give you a receipt when they are on the package.  One note though - watch out when you are still at the port on embarkation day.  There is a sales tax that will show up on your account.  Not much, but since you don't sign for them, you are not aware of this until you get your bill.

 

Next - ports

Where did the Star come from the day you boarded? Through the canal as well? 

[deefer]

On 1/26/2019 at 6:22 AM, kskelley40 said:

......They had the bow camera showing the forward view and had a Canal Transit employee on board doing narration over the public speakers and on the TV.  The night before the transit we received a small information brochure about the Canal in our stateroom.  They also had a time schedule printed in the Daily activity sheet that we received.

 

 

This schedule on the daily....is it when the narrator is on the public speakers?  Was he/she on for most of the time (except during the scheduled q & a)?

 

Even though we have done some research on our own I am really hoping to be spoon fed information during the transit!   Only one a few weeks left! 

 

Thanks again for this great information!

[kskelley40]

The Bow camera is on all of the time.  The narrator joined up with us right before the Bridge of America.  He was on the majority of the time.  There were a couple of little breaks, maybe 5 minutes each,  when there wasn't a whole lot to talk about.  But during the actual locks he was on talking about the building of them, facts and other interesting tidbits.   He gave some really interesting information.  We did a lot of research too before this cruise even though we had done the partial transit  a year before.  Watched several documentaries on youtube, read several books etc....but the narrator provided information we had never heard before.