September 22, 2019 Norwegian Star Upcoming Trip Report

[nutocruzing]

Hi everyone!

 

I’m going to be boarding the Star in just over one month for our Mediterranean Cruise! This trip has been a long time in the making having made the deposit for this trip almost a year ago as a gift to my mom for her 60^th birthday. I sent my mom and dad off to Alaska on the Bliss last summer for my dad’s 60^th birthday, but this time my dad suggested I go with my mom instead (obviously I did not object!)

 

I was late to the cruising game, going on my first cruise in my mid-twenties. Since then I have converted large swaths on my family to cruising, even completing a Christmas family reunion on the Carnival Imagination back in 2016. Funnily enough, the main reason our family didn’t cruise sooner was because my mom has always been super prone to sea sickness. After my first cruise I managed to convince her to give it a try and lo and behold: no sea sickness on cruise ships! Now my mom is probably my greatest convert to loving cruises.

I have noticed that a lot of people do detailed picture reviews for the newest ships, but the older ships really seem to get overlooked. For this cruise I found that I had to look much harder to find helpful advice and information both for this itinerary and this particular ship. Accordingly, I’m hoping to be able to put together a decent review/trip report upon my return.

In the meantime, since I have been planning like crazy I thought why not get a head start by describing my planning process! It might be helpful for others currently in the process of planning and maybe I could get some tips from people who’ve already done the itinerary or at least some of the ports before. Also, if there’s something in particular you’re wondering about, I’ll do my best to get you the information about it while I’m on board.

 

DISCLAIMER: I make no representation with respect to the accuracy of this information so please cross-reference with your own research!

 

PLANNING

 

Pre-Cruise

 

We’re flying into Venice (VCE) on the morning of the 21^st flying Air Canada Rouge (I know, I’m not thrilled about it either but it is what it is). Pro Tip: Remember there are two airports that get advertised as “Venice” – Treviso and Marco Polo. The Treviso airport is not in fact in proximity to Venice. That being said, it’s a relatively easy train ride to get to Venice, and the train station is located right by the port so it isn’t the end of the world if there’s a cheaper/better/more  convenient flight into TSF – just best to know where it is that you actually are and to plan accordingly for the journey to Venice.

 

Right now the plan is to take the Alilaguna blue line on a bit of a milk run around the lagoon. The tickets are apx 15€ and can be purchased at the airport. Our reasoning for this is that our flight gets in relatively early and we are a bit concerned about having somewhere to leave our luggage. We feel like waiting a couple of hours before stopping in at the hotel might increase our chances that the room will be ready or that they will at least let us keep our luggage behind the desk since we’re obviously not very interested in toting that around all day. I’m fairly confident we could find lockers at the train station but I’m also pretty sure it would really suck if someone stole our luggage so I’m a bit paranoid about that. Note: other options include ACTV Bus Line 5 which goes to Piazzale Roma Venezia (8€) or a water taxi (pricey!). If the weather is crap we might take the bus instead.

 

Our first hotel is going to be the Hotel Al Sole. This hotel was a reasonable price, had a decent amount of character and reasonably good reviews. Note: if you have a horror story about this hotel – I don’t want to hear it! I booked these hotels many months ago and options were already starting to run low. Also, I’m POSITIVE I have stayed at a worse hotel – just ask me about the time I stayed in the Florida equivalent of the Bates Motel in Pensacola in the middle of a Tornado watch – fun times! You guys, the sink was literally held up by a 2 x 4! Ok… moving on. Best of all though, this hotel is located a very short walk from Piazalle Roma which is right by the port meaning we can just walk there on the day of the cruise (and without having to haul our luggage up and down a thousand sets of stairs on the tiny canal bridges).

 

Once we manage to find a place to store our luggage we plan to head toward the Grand Canal (original idea – I know). Our plan is to hit up the Mercato di Rialto (Note: not open on Sundays!) and see the Rialto bridge as we make our way over to San Marco Square. We’re hoping to find somewhere casual to grab some lunch before we get to the Basilica for which we have purchased a reservation (3€ each). You can buy the ticket ahead of time online through their website. This will let us skip the line as long as we arrive in our time slot. We’ve downloaded a Rick Steeves audio tour for the  Basilica so we don’t have to pay for a guide. The Basilica closes at 5 pm so we’ll have a little less than a couple hours to see it. I imagine we’ll be ridiculously jet lagged so our plan is to grab dinner somewhere along the walk back to our hotel and call it an early night.

 

More to follow!

[ollienbertsmum]

Hi

 

I will be on the Star the week before you.  I feel like I have researched for ages, but still a bit unsure what I am doing.  I need to print out my reservations to help focus me.

 

I would be really surprised if your hotel would not store your luggage for you in the morning.  You could email them and ask.  

 

We are flying in to Marco Polo and out of Treviso because I could see a direct flight from Treviso.  I noted the distance but it is doable.  

 

Thanks for the reference to Rick Steves audioguide.  I have used his audio guides in Rome and Barcelona and found them very helpful.  I did not notice the Basilica one.  

 

Keep the ideas coming.  

[All4chaneys]

I will be on the Star in March/April next year on a 9 day Southern Caribbean itinerary.  I too have struggled to find any good information on this ship. Thank you for taking the time and consideration to keep us informed.  I am looking forward to following and reading your review.  Have an awesome cruise!!

 

What room are you booked in?  Thanks.  

[pe4all]

Have a great cruise!  We just debarked Star on 8/11.  Had a wonderful cruise, and this was a great itinerary, imho.   We flew direct from JFK into Marco Polo, took a private water taxi right to our hotel dock (Hotel Canal Grande - amazing but pricey) and had 24 hours in Venice before we boarded the Star.   Can hopefully help if you have any questions about Star, ports, embarking, debarking, etc.  We also did tons of research before our cruise, as we always do.

[ppcox]

We are on the 1st September sailing I was going to mention the bus from Trevino but seems you know. We used it on a previous trip to Venice. Easy and cheap.I’m sure the hotel will store your luggage I’d take the bus to the Piazalle Roma drop the luggage and go and enjoy Venice on foot from there.

I’m looking forward reading your review. Its a shame we wont see Kotor.  Was looking forward to the sail in/out...

 

Her’s a suggestion for food/wine https://www.timeout.com/venice/restaurants/enoteca-al-volto

[mapleleaves]

You might also consider taking the ATVO bus from Treviso to Piazzale Roma.  I think it's 12E pp.

I've used it several times from Marco polo .... comfortable and efficient.

https://www.atvo.it/it-treviso-airport.html

 

From PRoma, it's only 7 or 8 minutes to walk to your hotel and 2 small bridges.  We stayed at the Dalla Mora on one of our visits so we passed Al Sole every day.   The Dalla Mora kept our luggage for us since we arrived early, so I'm sure Al Sole will do the same.

 

The only negative about taking the train is that you will have to cross the Grand Canal to get to the hotel.  You don't have to use the Calatrava Bridge but the other one is pretty big also.

 

[nutocruzing]

18 hours ago, All4chaneys said:

I will be on the Star in March/April next year on a 9 day Southern Caribbean itinerary.  I too have struggled to find any good information on this ship. Thank you for taking the time and consideration to keep us informed.  I am looking forward to following and reading your review.  Have an awesome cruise!!

 

What room are you booked in?  Thanks.  

We're booked in 4501. It's not a great room by any means. We have a couple low bids in for upgrades but overall we aren't too concerned about it. It's technically under the theatre which might be a problem but we don't expect to be going to bed terribly early most nights or anything so I'm hopeful it won't be a disaster. 

 

I'm really hoping to take lots of pictures. There are very few pictures/videos since the recent updates in 2018. Are there specific things you're wondering about?

[nutocruzing]

13 hours ago, ppcox said:

We are on the 1st September sailing I was going to mention the bus from Trevino but seems you know. We used it on a previous trip to Venice. Easy and cheap.I’m sure the hotel will store your luggage I’d take the bus to the Piazalle Roma drop the luggage and go and enjoy Venice on foot from there.

I’m looking forward reading your review. Its a shame we wont see Kotor.  Was looking forward to the sail in/out...

 

Her’s a suggestion for food/wine https://www.timeout.com/venice/restaurants/enoteca-al-volto

I know! I'm bummed about Kotor too since it seems unlikely we'll ever go out of our way to get back to Montenegro in the future. It sounds like it's worth sending an email to the hotel to give them a heads up we'll be in early and ask if we can store our luggage. Here's hoping you have a wonderful trip - so close now!

[nutocruzing]

Day 1

I think our plan for this day is to maybe wander around for a bit and grab something for breakfast before we check out. I plan to then check in at the ship or at least drop off our luggage before we head back out to explore.

 

There are a few museums we might check out. Mom and I have both been to Venice before and that included visiting Doge’s Palace so we may or may not elect to do that again. However, as we have almost 3 full days in Venice, we think it will be a good deal for us to get the Venice Museum Pass: One Reservation which includes 11 museums for 32€. This includes Doge’s Palace, Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum, Monumental Rooms of the Marciana Library, Ca ‘Rezzonico, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa di Carlo Goldini, Ca’ Pesaro, Murano Glass Museum, Burano Lace Museum and the Museum of Natural History. This allows one entry to each museum and no waiting in line. Seems like a good deal to me if you aren’t so pressed for time that you have to choose just one. We plan to go through a museum or two before heading to the ship.

 

Once on board there will be the obvious necessities of exploring, unpacking, muster and dinner. BUT I also got my mom and I spa passes. I know many people would not think it would be worth it for such a port intensive cruise but the reality is that while we’re in port every day, we’re also only in port for a few hours each day. Also, the spa on the Star is located on one of the highest decks and at the front of the ship which should make it a good place for viewing sail in/sail out from each of our ports. Plus the passes were actually cheaper than they generally are ($145 CAD) so it seemed like a good deal to me.

 

Day 2

I’m a little bit bummed to hear that we might not end up making it to Kotor. Montenegro would be a new country for me and is probably one I’m unlikely to go out of my way to get back to again in the future. If we do make it to Kotor our plan is to climb the wall and/or wander Old Town. From what I understand it’s only a few euros (3) to climb the wall so it shouldn’t be an expensive day excursion wise. Worst case scenario we’ll really get our money’s worth out of that spa pass!

 

Day 3

This is another day we don’t have overly exciting plans for. We intend to just wander around Old Town in Corfu. While they’re out of date, I highly recommend taking a look at Tom’s Port Guides for some of these European ports. The great thing about Europe is that things like ruins and old fortresses don’t tend to up and move over time so the must-see sites will always be wherever they are making even old maps and guides somewhat useful. Obviously you should compare with online current information, but in our case we’re not too caught up in what we intend to see in this port so it won’t matter if we get a bit lost. Anyone have any recommendations for Corfu? I’ve seen some pretty mixed reviews about the Achilleon Palace, would you recommend? Is it something you need a tour to appreciate? If so, what do you suggest?

 

Day 4

I am so excited about Santorini! I’ve been to Greece before but only Crete (highly recommend, especially if you’re on a budget) and Athens. Santorini is the epitome of Greece in my mind and I can’t wait to take it all in. I’ve read that it can be a really long line to get up the gondola especially when there are lots of ships in port as there will be when we’re there. So mom and I are hoping to take a speedboat over to Oia (which we wanted to see anyway) and then take a bus back to Fira.

Can anyone give me some info about this option? Do we have to book it ahead of time or will there just be speed boats there for hire? How much will this cost?

 

Here’s what I’ve found in terms of the schedule for the bus to Fira and the gondola schedule:

 

Bus Schedule: 07:10 , 08:50 , 09:35 , 10:20 , 10:50 , 11:20 , 11:50 , 12:20 , 12:50 , 13:20 , 13:50, 14:20 , 14:50 , 15:20 , 15:50 , 16:20 , 16:50 , 17:20 , 17:50 , 18:20 , 18:50 , 19:20, 19:50,  20:20, 21:20, 22:15 (2€)

 

Gondola: From 7:00 til 22:00 every 20 mins. (5€)

 

I'm so excited that we're going to get to be in port for sunset! I’ve made a reservation at a restaurant called Argo for dinner. It looks like it has good reviews, proper Greek food and spectacular views. It also happens to be located right at the top of the donkey trail.  I’m really looking forward to this as I LOVE Greek food. Our plan is to be able to catch the sunset at the restaurant before heading back toward the gondola. I know there will likely be quite a line to get back down but if we’re headed back by 8 or so I think we’ll be safely on board well before 9:30.

 

More to follow!

[All4chaneys]

Hi nutocruzing.  I am in room 12020 a family suite.  Hoping to take our son and his family with us on their first cruise. I agree that there aren’t many photos or videos since the refurbishment and I’m just curious about everything.  I am a planner and like to have a sense of what to expect.  Any pictures would be most appreciated.

 

Your itinerary sounds amazing and I hope to be able to see that side of the world one day!  Thanks so much.  

[simpson168]

11 hours ago, nutocruzing said:

Day 1

I think our plan for this day is to maybe wander around for a bit and grab something for breakfast before we check out. I plan to then check in at the ship or at least drop off our luggage before we head back out to explore.

 

There are a few museums we might check out. Mom and I have both been to Venice before and that included visiting Doge’s Palace so we may or may not elect to do that again. However, as we have almost 3 full days in Venice, we think it will be a good deal for us to get the Venice Museum Pass: One Reservation which includes 11 museums for 32€. This includes Doge’s Palace, Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum, Monumental Rooms of the Marciana Library, Ca ‘Rezzonico, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa di Carlo Goldini, Ca’ Pesaro, Murano Glass Museum, Burano Lace Museum and the Museum of Natural History. This allows one entry to each museum and no waiting in line. Seems like a good deal to me if you aren’t so pressed for time that you have to choose just one. We plan to go through a museum or two before heading to the ship.

 

Once on board there will be the obvious necessities of exploring, unpacking, muster and dinner. BUT I also got my mom and I spa passes. I know many people would not think it would be worth it for such a port intensive cruise but the reality is that while we’re in port every day, we’re also only in port for a few hours each day. Also, the spa on the Star is located on one of the highest decks and at the front of the ship which should make it a good place for viewing sail in/sail out from each of our ports. Plus the passes were actually cheaper than they generally are ($145 CAD) so it seemed like a good deal to me.

 

Day 2

I’m a little bit bummed to hear that we might not end up making it to Kotor. Montenegro would be a new country for me and is probably one I’m unlikely to go out of my way to get back to again in the future. If we do make it to Kotor our plan is to climb the wall and/or wander Old Town. From what I understand it’s only a few euros (3) to climb the wall so it shouldn’t be an expensive day excursion wise. Worst case scenario we’ll really get our money’s worth out of that spa pass!

 

Day 3

This is another day we don’t have overly exciting plans for. We intend to just wander around Old Town in Corfu. While they’re out of date, I highly recommend taking a look at Tom’s Port Guides for some of these European ports. The great thing about Europe is that things like ruins and old fortresses don’t tend to up and move over time so the must-see sites will always be wherever they are making even old maps and guides somewhat useful. Obviously you should compare with online current information, but in our case we’re not too caught up in what we intend to see in this port so it won’t matter if we get a bit lost. Anyone have any recommendations for Corfu? I’ve seen some pretty mixed reviews about the Achilleon Palace, would you recommend? Is it something you need a tour to appreciate? If so, what do you suggest?

 

Day 4

I am so excited about Santorini! I’ve been to Greece before but only Crete (highly recommend, especially if you’re on a budget) and Athens. Santorini is the epitome of Greece in my mind and I can’t wait to take it all in. I’ve read that it can be a really long line to get up the gondola especially when there are lots of ships in port as there will be when we’re there. So mom and I are hoping to take a speedboat over to Oia (which we wanted to see anyway) and then take a bus back to Fira.

Can anyone give me some info about this option? Do we have to book it ahead of time or will there just be speed boats there for hire? How much will this cost?

 

Here’s what I’ve found in terms of the schedule for the bus to Fira and the gondola schedule:

 

Bus Schedule: 07:10 , 08:50 , 09:35 , 10:20 , 10:50 , 11:20 , 11:50 , 12:20 , 12:50 , 13:20 , 13:50, 14:20 , 14:50 , 15:20 , 15:50 , 16:20 , 16:50 , 17:20 , 17:50 , 18:20 , 18:50 , 19:20, 19:50,  20:20, 21:20, 22:15 (2€)

 

Gondola: From 7:00 til 22:00 every 20 mins. (5€)

 

I'm so excited that we're going to get to be in port for sunset! I’ve made a reservation at a restaurant called Argo for dinner. It looks like it has good reviews, proper Greek food and spectacular views. It also happens to be located right at the top of the donkey trail.  I’m really looking forward to this as I LOVE Greek food. Our plan is to be able to catch the sunset at the restaurant before heading back toward the gondola. I know there will likely be quite a line to get back down but if we’re headed back by 8 or so I think we’ll be safely on board well before 9:30.

 

More to follow!

you mention on day one that you might check in on the ship them go back out. Can we do that? I had assumed that once you went through all of the check in and security that you couldn't leave and come back. Very interested to know if you have done this bef ore.

[Stealthdog]

We did the museum pass this summer for our stay in Venice post cruise.  Definitely worth it.  They have several options for museum passes.

 

My partner had a good time with the spa on the Star.  It was one of his favorite spas on NCL.

 

Kotor is very easy to do on your own.  Walking to the city walls and buying the tip separately is definitely doable.  Hope they port there on your cruise!

[lepidoptera]

For Santorini there were boats to Oia selling tickets when you arrived on the pier. Our ticket included the trip by their bus back to Fira. It was not a lot, maybe 15-20E pp? 

 

Also I wanted to say when we went we got the 3 transit pass for Venice (it was cheaper for us because we were under 30 years old, but I found it was worth it both for this and being able to get in any water bus)  and took the bus from the airport to Piazzle Roma and then walked to our hotel the Dalla Mora. On our 3rd day in Venice we took a self guided tour of the lagoon using the public transport and went out to Burano, Murano, Venice Lido and some where else. It was a lot of fun and got us away from the mad crush of people. 

[nutocruzing]

10 hours ago, simpson168 said:

you mention on day one that you might check in on the ship them go back out. Can we do that? I had assumed that once you went through all of the check in and security that you couldn't leave and come back. Very interested to know if you have done this bef ore.

Interesting! I hadn't really necessarily considered it might not be an option. I assume they keep track using your card of your comings and goings the same way they would at any port of call. I think I especially assumed this would be the case in Europe where people won't want to tote luggage around but might want to actually explore the embarkation port more than say Port Canaveral. I suppose it's worth asking them at the desk but certainly I see no reason why we couldn't leave our luggage with a porter. 

[cuterlmt]

We loved the Star last year for our Venice cruise. We did a  little bit of a different itinerary. To Drubovnik, Olympia, Athens, Kotor and Split. I may be missing one port. But it was fantastic. We stayed in Venice for a few days before. We loved the water bus, and the unlimited ticket was the way to go because we took the wrong bus a few times, and just toured, and got on the next one! 

As far as going to the port and checking in and then going back out, we found the trip in to the ship was time consuming (not the wait, but getting to the ship from the people mover), and we were exhausted. But I'm not sure that you'll be docking at the same place any more.

I spent a lot of time on deck 6 or 7, just walking around and looking.

I highly recommend the Santa Chiara hotel right in P.Roma. I felt like we got a great deal with the hotel and air. And it was just a beautifully luxurious place to stay close to transportation and to the port. 

 

I know you will have a wonderful time. I didn't have much time to plan as I working like crazy and my husband is not a planner. We ended up doing ship shore excursions for Olympia and Athens. Kotor and Split we easily did on our own. 

 

Enjoy the planning and the trip!! 

[ollienbertsmum]

On 8/23/2019 at 7:01 AM, nutocruzing said:

We're booked in 4501. It's not a great room by any means. We have a couple low bids in for upgrades but overall we aren't too concerned about it. It's technically under the theatre which might be a problem but we don't expect to be going to bed terribly early most nights or anything so I'm hopeful it won't be a disaster. 

 

I'm really hoping to take lots of pictures. There are very few pictures/videos since the recent updates in 2018. Are there specific things you're wondering about?

 

I will be in a cabin the floor above you.  I thought long and hard.  The plan is to try to get accustomed to cheaper cabins as I move towards retirement.  I am pretty sure it will work out.  The shows don't go into the small hours.  I would have been more worried  if I was beside a venue that stays open late at night. 

 

I have put in for an upgrade anyway, but the ship looks mostly sold out so I am not holding my breath.  

[nutocruzing]

Day 5

Mykonos!

For this day we don’t have terribly formal plans. According to Rick Steves it’s a good port to just wander around so I think that’s the plan. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, we might take a ferry over to Delos. Has anyone done that? Is it worth it? I’m always a little leery of doing non-ship excursions to locations I can’t relatively easily walk back from but I’d rather not spend a ton of money in every port especially if they’re entirely enjoyable to experience without spending big money.

 

Ohh! One question I thought of that isn't just related to this port, but how do we know which ports we will tender at? Or is it all somewhat dependent on how many ships, order of arrival etc.?

 

Day 6

For Argostoli we’ve opted for the Drogarati Cave and Melissani Lake tour. Our tickets are through Viator with Avalon Kefalonia Travel Services. It was about $60 CAD per person for a four hour tour. We’ve given them our cruise info and will apparently receive confirmation of pick up by email but the tour does include pick up and drop off at the port. I’ve seen kind of mixed reviews for these kinds of tours (Cave and Lake) but it looked too beautiful to me to pass up. Any other recommendations for Argostoli? I’m not sure we’ll have much extra time anyways.

 

Day 7

Dubrovnik might be the port I’m most excited about! A couple of years ago I made my mom sit down with me and watch the entire series (up to season 7 at the time) of Game of Thrones. For this port we’ve booked the Game of Thrones Tour from Dubrovnik Walking Tours. I think it cost about $56 CAD for the both of us. This port stop is actually a relatively short one and a relatively early one. Our tour starts at 9:30 and is two hours long. I think we need to be back on board by 1:00 so even with a tender this should leave us enough time to wander a bit and do the tour, but not really much else.

 

Day of Debarkation

This will be my mom’s birthday!

We’re staying in a different hotel on our return to Venice – Hotel Arlecchino which seems to have a good deal of character. In my mind I can’t imagine wanting to stay in a modernized hotel in Venice – give me the authentic experience! Hopefully we can drop our luggage off here again first thing in the morning. Then, depending on the weather, the plan will be to visit Murano and Burano. I have also made reservations for dinner at Caffe Centrale which is relatively close to San Marco Square. It had good reviews and the right kind of ambiance and I was able to make a reservation online through a website called The Fork. I received immediate confirmation from The Fork and shortly thereafter was contacted directly by the restaurant concerning my request for a canal view table (they aren’t able to accommodate my request at this time but will let us know if they have a cancellation for a canal view).

 

September 30

Our flight leaves around noon on the 30th which is great timing - still leaves us time to sleep to a reasonable hour and get to the airport ahead of our flight.

 

A couple of things I didn't mention earlier that have to do with planning/travel:

 

1. I always travel carry-on only for cruises. This helps prevent over-packing and lessens the risk of lost luggage. In cases like this one where I worry that I may want to bring home some souvenirs, I pack with luggage that is expandable so that I can always choose to check it on my way home. I try to buy liquid alternatives to limit my liquids (think face wipes instead of cleanser, sunscreen in stick form, stick deodorant etc.) and can always buy full shampoo/ sunscreen etc. once I get to my destination and then check my luggage on the way home. Added bonus for Venice: less weight to carry over numerous bridges!

 

2. I highly recommend looking into a travel friendly credit card. Mine comes with all kinds of travel insurance (health, car rental, cancellation etc.), no foreign exchange rate charges AND (my favourite part) lounge access! My mom and I will have several hours in the Toronto airport and you might as well do that with access to comfy chairs, phone chargers, and free food and alcohol! I also get points on purchases that I can either use to buy flights through my credit card company or apply to travel related charges on the card. It easily pays for itself (annual fees).

 

I don't think I have too much more to share at this point in time but do let me know if you have specific questions you want answered and I will do my best to see what information I can get for you while on board!

[jvswine]

The Star, departing today 9/1/2019, will be going to Bar and not Kotor

[nutocruzing]

Just back from this trip today and will shortly be putting together a detailed review. Overall I was thrilled with the cruise but I am surprised that the review from the week before implied there weren't many lines. I've been on the larger NCL ships before and never encountered the lines I did on this cruise. Anyway, lots of information and hopefully photos to follow!

[ollienbertsmum]

4 hours ago, nutocruzing said:

Just back from this trip today and will shortly be putting together a detailed review. Overall I was thrilled with the cruise but I am surprised that the review from the week before implied there weren't many lines. I've been on the larger NCL ships before and never encountered the lines I did on this cruise. Anyway, lots of information and hopefully photos to follow!

 

Isn't it funny how different people have such different experiences.  We encountered multiple crowds in Venice and Dubrovnik - but the ship seemed quiet.  We like to eat between 8:30 and 9 pm so we would go at 8.30 and secure a table.  One evening we went in without a wait.  We sort of 'budgeted' for the wait and used that time for a pre-meal drink.  Leaving and boarding the ship we never waited for more than 5 minutes - apart from one port.  Possibly Argostoli.  

 

Did you see sea turtles and the pelican?  I loved Venice, Santorini and Dubrovnik, but Now I look back they are my highlight photos.   LOL

[simpson168]

On 8/22/2019 at 5:14 AM, pe4all said:

Have a great cruise!  We just debarked Star on 8/11.  Had a wonderful cruise, and this was a great itinerary, imho.   We flew direct from JFK into Marco Polo, took a private water taxi right to our hotel dock (Hotel Canal Grande - amazing but pricey) and had 24 hours in Venice before we boarded the Star.   Can hopefully help if you have any questions about Star, ports, embarking, debarking, etc.  We also did tons of research before our cruise, as we always do.

Does NCL provide  shower gel or shampoo in the cabins? We are on the Star in November.

[ollienbertsmum]

Generic stuff - so your own conditioner is recommended.  You don't need to bring soap though unless you are allergic.  

[simpson168]

8 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

Generic stuff - so your own conditioner is recommended.  You don't need to bring soap though unless you are allergic.  

Thanks

[njkate]

On 8/22/2019 at 6:43 AM, All4chaneys said:

I will be on the Star in March/April next year on a 9 day Southern Caribbean itinerary.  I too have struggled to find any good information on this ship. Thank you for taking the time and consideration to keep us informed.  I am looking forward to following and reading your review.  Have an awesome cruise!!

 

What room are you booked in?  Thanks.  

I think I'm on the Star right after you in April for a trans Atlantic. I will be following this thread as well because don't find much info on Star most of the posts are for the mega ships

[ollienbertsmum]

The Star is lovely.    OK so no whistles and bells, but lots of windows and views.