Live from the NCL Star July 23-August 15, 2023. Will I survive 23 days without the beverage package?

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

Hi Sweetie,

As always, I pray that your world is going a little better.

How is Dad doing?

BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

Love and prayers always

Hi Mandy. I’m doing great. I promise! Norway is energizing me with all her beauty. 
 

My dad is fine. The heat is hard for him. He sends me daily weather reports. I think he is probably a little bit bored right now because I’m the one who takes him out for adventures. He goes on the bus to the mall every two weeks and buys himself a doughnut plus he has weekly bus trips. He could be playing BINGO each evening but he doesn’t have the patience for the older people who can’t hear.

[www3traveler]

6 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi Mandy. I’m doing great. I promise! Norway is energizing me with all her beauty. 
 

My dad is fine. The heat is hard for him. He sends me daily weather reports. I think he is probably a little bit bored right now because I’m the one who takes him out for adventures. He goes on the bus to the mall every two weeks and buys himself a doughnut plus he has weekly bus trips. He could be playing BINGO each evening but he doesn’t have the patience for the older people who can’t hear.

It is slightly cooler today with bit less smoke where I live.  Has Dad had to put up with smoke from one of the worst wildfire seasons in British Columbia history.

I have a friend who used to be a Captain with Norwegian now a B.C. Ferry Captain, North Island-- says it is really tough up there.

 

BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

 

When is you next grand adventure??

[kitkat343]

Sorry - just realized grilled cheese isn't on the kids menu. Families please note the following since in specialty restaurants your kids meals will take awhile:

 

I was told by several of the specialty restaurants that the kids menu is made by one kitchen, and then he kids meals are sent throughout the ship.  Some restaurants stated that because it was easier for them if we'd be wiling to order an appetizer for our children instead. of ordering something off the kids menu.  At other restaurants, they told us that to warn us the kids meals would take longer than the adults because the kids kitchen was far away, so it is possible that this was a language issue.  

Edited August 5, 2023 by kitkat343

[QuattroRomeo]

Glad to see cake is still involved!! And that pooch looks like a real sweetie..

[Rob_H]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

The big “misses” were the Garden Cafe, meats not being cooked properly and food being over or under salted. Another miss is how often mistakes were made.

 

At Moderno, the meat was ... interesting.  On one cruise, the chef didn't know which meat he was cooking, so he'd send the servers (the guys slicing the mear at the table) out with something he told them was beef, but it was actually lamb.  When we pointed this out, they went back to try again, and still got it wrong...  

 

The next cruise, we gave Moderno another go (we had 3-4 speciality meals each cruise, from Latitudes and Free at Sea). The meat wes generally named correctly, but really poorly cooked, either very raw in the middle, or very crisp all over.  Probably cooked too fast.  Not good enough for the buffet, certainly not for a speciality restaurant who's whole point is beautifully cooked meat.  On the following cruise, we didn't go back to Moderno.

 

We found most of the meals in the MDR to be acceptable, although we had to walk out mid-meal one time when it was simply too slow. Not every meal was exactly what we ordered, but usually edible.

 

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

@Rob_H excellent summary! I 100% agree with you.

43 days on the Star! Did you do what I am doing and enjoy some treats and meals ashore?

 

Not so much the meals, but cakes (and coffee), yes! 🙂

 

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

The Jewel is my favourite NCL ship. Top notch management and crew. Which itinerary are you doing?

 

We're looking forward to being back on the Jewel.  Last time we were on her was the cruise that left left Sydney  Feb 28, 2020 that ended up wandering the Pacific looking for a port, one of our most memorable cruises!  

 

We get on in Seattle on October 3 for three cruises, 39 days, Alaska, transpacific, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore.   

 

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Rob_H

[InfrequentPNWCruiser]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

There is a grilled cheese sandwich on the kids’ menu and it is available in all restaurants. 

Yep, and it's good too. We've ordered these for room service multiple times, so there's standards for what a grilled cheese sandwich is. A deconstructed poutine-wannabe is not it...

[slavetoabunny]

On 8/4/2023 at 3:07 PM, YVRteacher said:

Grilled cheese sandwich. Bread, cheese, butter. Simple and delicious, right?

 

I ordered a grilled cheese once back on board from a fantastic day in Tromsø. This arrived:

 

 

This photo has not been altered in any way. This is what I was served.  You bet I asked for the Restaurant Manager to come and take a look.  I think he almost cried! I also showed him my omelette from this morning. He said “it looks like they didn’t care.” 

 

In who's world does this even come close to a grilled cheese?

[wynkys]

I'm another one thoroughly enjoying your report and I thought that your #420 contribution was a classic.

I cruised Iceland and Norway with Crystal over ten years ago and whilst I have trouble these days remembering where I have been let alone what I did whilst there, cruising Geiranger Fjord remains

imprinted on my mind.

 

[Fredrik]

On 8/5/2023 at 12:28 PM, djasinsk said:

Seeing that photo of the grilled cheese, I initially didnt think it was accidental or due to incompetence.  
 

Then I realized.   Grilled cheese is not on the osheehans menu. 
 

So basically you have people for whom English language is second or third.  Western food is not their normal diet.  
 

So it’s most likely it’s a communication and training issue. Your waiter didn’t know what “grilled cheese” was, and communicated to the line cook what he or she thought you meant and it went horribly wrong. 
 

yes, very incompetent and they should of course have asked you or asked for help.  But the fact is cruise lines are still having trouble filling jobs.  So enforcing good service via losing their jobs or having contracts not renewed doesn’t really work like it used to. That’s most likely why your talks with management are not getting results. 
 

I think my own plan for my upcoming cruise is to just bribe all staff I encounter with extra cash.  I shouldn’t have to, but frankly I just think that to have a good experience that’s what I will have to do. 
 

 

I completely agree with your thinking here. Staying in MSC Yacht Club I once asked for an avocado toast. It wasn’t on the menu, but they promised to arrange it for the morning after. In came a stone cold sandwich with the worst possible fake guacamole smear in the middle. The server was so embarrassed to bring it from the kitchen but he said it was the best they could do. To me this sums up my week in the Yacht Club. Never really good.

[www3traveler]

Hi Sweetie,

On this 1st Sunday of August, I pray that your world is going as well as possible.

How much will you have between when you get home from this adventure and the 1st day of the new school year.  Yes, I know you do not want to think about it.  

BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

Love and prayers always

 

[YVRteacher]

Huh. I didn’t even know it was Sunday!😀

[YVRteacher]

We don’t go back to school until the Tuesday after Labour Day so I will have three weeks of vacation time left when the cruise ends and work begins. I’m taking my dad to Parksville on Vancouver Island for a week. 

[YVRteacher]

Today is our one and only Sea Day and you know what that means! Behind the Scenes Tour. The Cruise Next rep, Mario from Serbia, provided an excellent tour.

 

We started in the Stardust Theatre where the production manager talked about her job (managing, directing and calling for the three on board production shows: Band on the Run, What the World Needs Now and Paradis, organizing two shows in Bliss-the Glow Party and the Broadway Cabaret- and managing all the guest entertainers who come on board for a week or up to 4 months.) In Tromsø a singer boarded, rehearsed for one hour yesterday then performed two shows in Stardust last night. I stopped going to the shows in the theatre due to the smoke effects and the uncomfortable seats. Something I learned on this tour is that the house band members all wear what’s called a click track in their ear. This is like a metronome and is digitally programmed for each song and actually coordinates with the lighting and the special effects as well as the beat of the music. Very cool. That would drive me nuts, though. It would be like a cricket living in your ear.

 

We saw the men’s dressing room and how the costumes are designed for quick changes with velcro instead of buttons. There are two complete sets of costumes for each of the three production shows on the Star. One set is always on board and the other is in Miami being cleaned and then used during rehearsals for the new cast. When a cast leaves the costumes go to Miami and when a new production cast boards the costumes board with them. At this time production cast members are staying on the Star for 7.5 months. As we were leaving the theatre portion of the tour the cast was warming up for their rehearsal of Band on the Run. They were doing all sorts of bendy stretchy moves that I can’t do. I’m really going to try to attend the three production shows on this cruise.

 

Next we hit up the laundry room. Today all departments are doing cabin inspection (crew cabins are inspected weekly on all NCL ships) so the laundry master was not available to do the tour. One of the laundry workers stepped up and he did a great job. Public speaking in your second language is not easy and he deserves recognition! He said there are 17 laundry crew on the Star with 7 people working the day shift and 8 working the night shift. I don’t know when the other two people work! I saw my clothes hanging on a rack next to the pressers but they wouldn’t let me take them.

 

Before we walked through I-95 to get to the galley Mario talked to us about life on board and some of the rules that are in place.  He said in his country it is common for people to make jokes about other people but that jokes that insult different culture, religion and sexual orientation are not allowed on NCL. He also said many people have military experience before coming on the ship and they understand how to make their bed every bed and adhere to the rules. For other people it can be a hard transition. Mario said he now makes his bed every day when he is at home in vacation. 

 

On the Star there are crew members from 70 countries.

There was a crew member on board from Indonesia. She is a lawyer there and works as a waiter here. She earns more money on NCL than she did as a lawyer. We also learned about a crew member from the Philippines. He is from a wealthy family who owns many restaurants. His family wanted him to work on a ship so he could develop his skills (hopefully) in managing large restaurants.

 

Now we are in the galley. Chef JoJo from the Philippines spoke to us. There are 150 crew involved in food prep and 80 people work in sanitation. That number might be 18. It was a little hard to hear. My favourite part of the galley tour was the cold food prep for lunch at the Garden Cafe. There were several dishes lined up and chef JoJo was about to taste test the food. Everything looked good to me. The Star is using a 15 menu rotation (there are 21 MDR menus from which the F and B manager and the executive chef can select.)

 

I didn’t eat breakfast before the Behind the Scenes Tour which was over an hour so zipped up to the Garden Cafe for something quick. There were no seats available.  Since there aren’t any lounges with windows people who aren’t eating are gathering in the Garden Cafe. I totally understand this. My advice to the Star is to open up one of the main dining rooms for brunch on sea days. I know they don’t do this, but it would be nice.

 

The reason I had to rush through breakfast was to attend the Cruise Critic meet and greet at 11:00am in Le Bistro. Thank you so much for organizing, @TrumpyNor!

 

I wanted to meet @Norwegianprincess and did! So lovely to meet you and talk about the world’s best cake!

 

While the officers and senior management didn’t speak or stay to mingle, GM Manny stayed, talked about the gangways yesterday and took a few questions. Someone asked about the elevators and wheelchairs. That is the kind of question you ask in private, not in a large Cruise Critic gathering. I finally, after 14 days on board, had a chocolate chunk cookie. These cookies are not easy to find on this ship! Yum.

 

After the CC meet and greet I went to Starbucks for a coffee and smiles. Both were warm and lovely.

 

The second officer did some navigational updates. 

19 knots per hour.

300m deep!  

That’s incredible! 

The wind is 10 knots per hour but the relative wind speed is 22 kph.

 

We are heading to Olden.  I am excited for the long sail in through the fjord. Actually the chances of me seeing the sail in are slim so I am looking forward to the long sail out of the fjord tomorrow evening. Our ice pilots that were on board for 5 days left the ship about 10:30pm last night and we pick up a different pilot at 12:30am for Nordfjorden. 

 

Trying to walk through the buffet en route to Spice H2O for Sail and Sustain was harder than crossing the street at a roundabout in Tromsø! People were blocking narrow walking aisles with strollers, converging in this space like vultures to a fresh kill. 

 

Sail and Sustain was at 1:00pm so I was disappointed to miss the Q and A with the captain and senior officers. I asked for Munchy Crunchy mix and was told it isn’t available at this bar.  It’s interesting because there seems to be a “no” mentality on this ship instead of a “yes, you are the customer, we will help you” mindset. I’ve been told “no” so many times on the Star.  Every other time I’ve done Sail and Sustain bar mix has been available. Sail and Sustain was ok. I always enjoy it. The bartender gave me a full Café Replay at the end.  The experience took 24 minutes and felt rushed and lacklustre. When we did it with Aan on the Jewel it was much longer because his knowledge was so extensive and his personality and passion for his job shone through.

 

When I stopped by the cabin this afternoon the room steward came to say he didn’t have my laundry yet. (It’s been three days.) I told him I pack very lightly and really need those clean clothes. He said “ah, you need your fancy dress for dinner.”

I said no, I need my hiking pants and warm shirt for Olden tomorrow!

 

[YVRteacher]

I don’t have any internet minutes left and am waiting for the price to drop before purchasing the unlimited internet package. I have posts to share from the afternoon and evening in Tromsø as well as Harstad.

[YVRteacher]

This afternoon I had a sea day nap then ate sour cream and onion ripple chips while watching Top Gun Maverick. 
What drinks should I request at the Latitudes party tonight?

[QuattroRomeo]

Something strong...!

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

What drinks should I request at the Latitudes party tonight?

Will they make you a Matador? Otherwise, don't you like those chocolate or Black Forest martinis?

[YVRteacher]

Those chocolate and Black Forest martinis they served on the Spirit at the Latitudes party were such a special treat! They were generous and kept them coming.

 

I did have something strong: 2 Old Fashioneds. The first was great, the second was definitely not made well and did not taste good. The company was more important than the drinks as I sat with two new friends.

 

2 cruisers (well known on these boards) became ambassadors on this cruise and I heard from Manny that there would be a special presentation for them at the Latitudes party. I thought the Cruise Next Manager would do something nice and present them with ambassador name tags. She called all the tiers then named the 8 ambassadors on board, including the two new ones. That was it. Has anyone seen or experienced something different for ambassadors?

 

The Excell (their spelling, not mine) band played and I enjoyed their songs and their sound. I’m not a party person but the people from the last cruise loved partying with these guys late at night in Bliss lounge.

 

I had an excellent dinner in Ginza before heading to the 9:00pm show with one minute to spare. I sat at the counter with a family from Canada and truly enjoyed talking with them. During dinner Garry came to check in and he said I seem to like eating at Ginza. I told him the waiters listen well here. I order the same thing each time I eat at Ginza: vegetable spring rolls, small bowl of vegetable fried rice and a small bowl of veggies and tofu with the tofu not fried. Dessert is the panda salad with extra lychee, hold the panda. Yum. I have quite a few specialty meals but really I’m happy with Ginza.

 

I did it! I went to the theatre and stayed for the whole show. Band on the Run is a fast-paced, high energy music-based show with a large cast and a lot of costumes. Kudos to the production cast and show band for such a fun evening. I really wish the Star would throw the smoke machine and the stage spotlights that shine into the audience overboard. Does every show really need smoke? Really? Every show?

 

The cast came to greet and interact with passengers in the corridors after the show and one guy said to another,”oh, there’s a gorgeous sunset!” I said yes, then he told me he hasn’t seen the moon in two months. He misses the moon. 

[LauraAnneC]

5 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

This afternoon I had a sea day nap then ate sour cream and onion ripple chips while watching Top Gun Maverick. 
What drinks should I request at the Latitudes party tonight?

Chocolate Martini and keep them coming!!!!

[YVRteacher]

We crossed the Arctic circle today with no ceremony or acknowledgement. When we sailed on the Jade and crossed the Arctic circle it was so fun and memorable with the Viking baptism ceremony. Sometimes a special little touch goes a long way and given that today was a sea day they could have arranged an Arctic circle crossing event.

 

[Norwegianprincess]

So nice to meet you, @YVRteacher, hope to be able to chat a little more later.

The sunset yesterday evening was really gorgeous! 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Norwegianprincess

[cruiseny4life]

17 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The cast came to greet and interact with passengers in the corridors after the show and one guy said to another,”oh, there’s a gorgeous sunset!” I said yes, then he told me he hasn’t seen the moon in two months. He misses the moon. 

It's amazing how we miss those things in life we take as routine. I see the moon, but I don't notice it. I wonder how long it would take for me to miss the moon and the stars if I cruised so high up in the world. 

 

Also, thank you for sharing the news about Yohannes! A promotion he absolutely deserves! I hope he gets it.

[caitlynambrai]

@YVRteacher Have you happened to hear what show, if any, will be replacing What the World Needs Now? It will no longer be offered on the Star after October 11, 2023. 

[SpainAlien]

10 hours ago, caitlynambrai said:

@YVRteacher Have you happened to hear what show, if any, will be replacing What the World Needs Now? It will no longer be offered on the Star after October 11, 2023. 

I board on 12th November and What the World Needs Now still shows but does state that it won't be offered after 11 October. I expect it will be an entertainer like a musician, juggler, singer or comedian rather than a full show certainly in the short term

 

[Cruisewilm]

YVRteacher

You were able to fit everything into those small bags.....I have never been able to do that....can you tell me what people are wearing to dinner in the evenings?  Do I really need to bring something nicer to wear each night (which means extra clothes and larger suitcase needed) or can I wear jeans and nice tops?