Star Hints

[DieHard]

Just off the Star and this might answerw a few questions.

 

Boarding:

If you get there early don't look for a baggage handler as they are too busy unloading. Take your baggage to the drop off area at the right of the main entrance.

Don't wait at the main entrance to board the ship. You enter at the side entrance between t5he main entrance and baggage drop off.

You use to be able to put items in your closet but not anymore. You can't get in your cabin until 1:00 PM unless you are in a wedding party.

Boat drill is at 3:30PM and all quest services cease at 3:00PM

 

Coffee Pot & Hot Chocolate:

There is a four cup coffee pot, folgers regular and decaff and cream in the fridge.

There are chocolate packs at the buffet and Blue Lagoon Cafe.

 

Drinks:

Unlimited soda package costs $71.50 for adults and $23.78 for children.

Helmet of beer you get 6 beers for the price of 5. I didn't get one but believe there was a refundable $5.00 deposit for the helmet and beer was about $19.00.

Daily drink specials were--Drink of the day $8.00, Fruit Smoothies $9.00 with alcholol and $6.00 non alcohol, Shooters $3.00, Martinis ran from $7.50 to $9.75 on different days.

 

Shows::

Day l----Welcome aboard show.

Day 2----Second City Comedy.

Day 3----Music Of The Night (Cross between Light Opera and Disneyland

Music).

Day 4----Mexican Folkloric Show.

Day 5----Band on The Run (70's Disco music)

Day 6----Magic Show

Day 7----Talent Show

Day 8----Cirque Pacific (Chinese Acrobats).

 

Latitudes Party:

Party was at 1:15PM (Lousy time for a party). Dress suggested resort casual . Almost everyone had shorts on.

 

Lobster:

Another cost cutting effort. It is now a seafood dish with a small piece of lobster tail. The waiters don't cut the meat out of the tail anymore.

 

Ice Cream:

Take a glass with you. The ice cream is half melted and good luck with a cone.

 

Luggage Tags:

If you want an early departure time pick up you tags early in the morning.

The red tags goes fast (8:30 AM departure) and when they are gone that's it.

 

Dress Code:

Wasn't enforced most of the time. Signs stated no shorts or t-shirts but

no one prohibited you from wearing them in almost all eating places. On the subject of shorts, I consider pedal pushers long shorts. Some men were refused entry to the dinning room but women behind them in pedals

were admitted.

 

Food:

The food was lousy most of the time (this is only my opinion as some people enjoyed it). I found the best food in the Blue Lagoon Cafe. I don't want to see another Burger King for awhile. The daily specials were hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken and I mean every day.

 

Disembarkation:

We had red tags and was trying to catch a shuttle about 9:15AM. Do not take the elevator to the Aqua Restaurant to go thru customs. Walk down the stairs. People were taking the elevator down and expecting people to let them to cut in front of them. After standing in line for a half hour people were like me and wouldn't let them.

 

There are dozens of other suggestions people can add so have fun and enjoy your trip.

[Tucsoncruisers]

DieHard, thanks for the tips! Very good information for us, we will be going in December. We have sailed out of LA many times, and never knew there was a "drop off" area, always waited until the porters were finished with debarkation! Thanks a bunch!:D

[TXRed]

Just off the Star and this might answerw a few questions.

 

Boarding:

If you get there early don't look for a baggage handler as they are too busy unloading. Take your baggage to the drop off area at the right of the main entrance.

Don't wait at the main entrance to board the ship. You enter at the side entrance between t5he main entrance and baggage drop off.

You use to be able to put items in your closet but not anymore. You can't get in your cabin until 1:00 PM unless you are in a wedding party.

Boat drill is at 3:30PM and all quest services cease at 3:00PM

 

Coffee Pot & Hot Chocolate:

There is a four cup coffee pot, folgers regular and decaff and cream in the fridge.

There are chocolate packs at the buffet and Blue Lagoon Cafe.

 

Drinks:

Unlimited soda package costs $71.50 for adults and $23.78 for children.

Helmet of beer you get 6 beers for the price of 5. I didn't get one but believe there was a refundable $5.00 deposit for the helmet and beer was about $19.00.

Daily drink specials were--Drink of the day $8.00, Fruit Smoothies $9.00 with alcholol and $6.00 non alcohol, Shooters $3.00, Martinis ran from $7.50 to $9.75 on different days.

 

Shows::

Day l----Welcome aboard show.

Day 2----Second City Comedy.

Day 3----Music Of The Night (Cross between Light Opera and Disneyland

Music).

Day 4----Mexican Folkloric Show.

Day 5----Band on The Run (70's Disco music)

Day 6----Magic Show

Day 7----Talent Show

Day 8----Cirque Pacific (Chinese Acrobats).

 

Latitudes Party:

Party was at 1:15PM (Lousy time for a party). Dress suggested resort casual . Almost everyone had shorts on.

 

Lobster:

Another cost cutting effort. It is now a seafood dish with a small piece of lobster tail. The waiters don't cut the meat out of the tail anymore.

 

Ice Cream:

Take a glass with you. The ice cream is half melted and good luck with a cone.

 

Luggage Tags:

If you want an early departure time pick up you tags early in the morning.

The red tags goes fast (8:30 AM departure) and when they are gone that's it.

 

Dress Code:

Wasn't enforced most of the time. Signs stated no shorts or t-shirts but

no one prohibited you from wearing them in almost all eating places. On the subject of shorts, I consider pedal pushers long shorts. Some men were refused entry to the dinning room but women behind them in pedals

were admitted.

 

Food:

The food was lousy most of the time (this is only my opinion as some people enjoyed it). I found the best food in the Blue Lagoon Cafe. I don't want to see another Burger King for awhile. The daily specials were hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken and I mean every day.

 

Disembarkation:

We had red tags and was trying to catch a shuttle about 9:15AM. Do not take the elevator to the Aqua Restaurant to go thru customs. Walk down the stairs. People were taking the elevator down and expecting people to let them to cut in front of them. After standing in line for a half hour people were like me and wouldn't let them.

 

There are dozens of other suggestions people can add so have fun and enjoy your trip.

 

thanks you for your info on the Star.... how does one get the red tags?? What other hints can you give about the Star? I gather you were not impressed with the food at all? Did you eat at any of the specialty restaurants??

[blondblueeyes]

diehard-

Were we connected at the hip?!. Everything that you said was right on! The other things that I would add-

Better idea when the outdated movies are playing in the movie theater

Finding another route so that you DO NOT have to walk thru the buffet to get to the pool area or the front of the ship. Stinks bigtime!

Need drink holders in the main theater

Should not have to wait for 1/2hr for reservations - for that matter shouldn't have to PAY for the nicer places totally wrong

Ice machines broken, juice machines broken all the time

Breakfast selection in the buffet the SAME EVERY DAY yuck

I love cruising but this one did not cut it

[mortysmama]

Diehard...wow! that's a real negative review. I've sailed NCL 4 times and altho I was never impressed with the food I didn't think it was all that awful. Does this review pertain strictly to the Star...or to the entire fleet? If it's the fleet....things have really changed the last 2 years. I'll be sailing on the Dawn to Bermuda in May 08. Please tell me I can look forward to the cruise!

[jayzee]

Thanks for all the info. I didn't find it too negative unlike Mortysmama, just informative. I actually hope the food isn't so great this time so I don't gain a ton!! LOL!

 

We are hoping to get early disembarkation so we will hurry down for red tags! We have an early flight back to catch.

 

The ice cream, ice and juice part from blondblueeys - that parts gonna suck! Do the fridges in the cabin have a freezer? We usually bring a cooler for our soda's anyway - do you think the room steward has access to a working ice machine? Well - hopefully they will have those three things fixed before we leave in 5 weeks. Not that I don't realize something else could be broken and probably will - with my luck it will be the hot tubs since I always look forward to a little time in one on one of the sea days!!

 

Thanks again for the advice!!

[carontori]

Wow! sorry you found the food so bad. We were on the Star in September and quite enjoyed it.

[AussieKathy]

Just off the Star as well.

 

I loved the food on the Star although they are right the breakfast was the same every morning we didn't try the dining rooms for breakfast.

 

We went to the following restaurants and the food was fanastic.

 

Cagney's

Teppanyaki

Endless Summer (my favourite)

Blue Lagoon

Ginza

Versailles

Topside grill

 

The bistro is your typical bistro!

 

For the restaurants if you ring first thing in the morning around 7-8am for next day you could usually get a booking. If you don't have a booking go up to restaurant around 9.00pm and see if you can get a table. I noticed the Endless Summer had alot of empty tables and they told people on the phone that they were fully booked.

 

Free popcorn in the Spinnaker Lounge

[Chipster2]

Just recently off the Star as well and had a great time. No problems with the food or service with one exception. One evening I could not find anything on the menu in the main restaurant I liked and was able to order a steak without any problems.

[GROOVERS]

Been on the STAR twice in the last year, the food was great, and the service was great, unless you expect fish eggs, and grew up in the Waldorf..cruises are all about fun! Do get those red tags early, they are just laid out on a table near the excursion office, and when they are gone...THEY ARE GONE!

[judykcbob]

We were on the 9-29 sailing and completely agree the food was really bad, this was our 1st & probably last with ncl because of several different things.

[Wirral Girlie]

We got off Star this Monday and had great time. Food was great, staff all worked really hard and were lovely. It really annoyed me that a lot of people didn't even say please or thank you to the staff, it was very rude, it doesn't cost anything to be polite and these people work their socks off for very little money.

 

This was our second cruise with NCL and we will definitely be going again. Really good value for money (especially for those people who appeared to be eating all day, every day!!):)

[carontori]

I guess you can't please everybody, all I know is ncl is my cruise of choice and I can hardly wait for the next one! I just have to lose the 5 lbs. I gained first!:D

[carontori]

We got off Star this Monday and had great time. Food was great, staff all worked really hard and were lovely. It really annoyed me that a lot of people didn't even say please or thank you to the staff, it was very rude, it doesn't cost anything to be polite and these people work their socks off for very little money.

 

This was our second cruise with NCL and we will definitely be going again. Really good value for money (especially for those people who appeared to be eating all day, every day!!):)

 

I hear you, I think some people feel that because they are paying for service it is just expected and don't understand the use of common courtesy. I take off my hat to the ncl staff. They are awesome and make my vacations special!

[DieHard]

Been on the STAR twice in the last year, the food was great, and the service was great, unless you expect fish eggs, and grew up in the Waldorf..cruises are all about fun! Do get those red tags early, they are just laid out on a table near the excursion office, and when they are gone...THEY ARE GONE!

 

No I didn't grow up in the Waldorf. As I stated some people liked the food and some didn't. We drank the coffee and also used it to kill athlete's feet (learned that at the Hilton).

I agree the service was great and no problems there.

The only problem we had was the people that didn't learn how to tell what time it is when in school (I took a course at the Holiday Inn). 7:30PM showtime means 7:30PM. It doesn't mean 7:45PM or 8:00PM. If you are not there on time go to the next show. People kept coming in late looking for seats disturbing everyone.

[TXRed]

Diehard....you posted this in your review...I was wondering of you might be ore specific...you say the food was lousy most of the time...what was lousy about it?? Besides the Blue Lagoon Cafe...where else did you eat? what did you order? And what was good or bad about it?? I have read very good reviews of the Tex-Mex restaurant...did you eat there?

 

 

Food:

The food was lousy most of the time (this is only my opinion as some people enjoyed it). I found the best food in the Blue Lagoon Cafe. I don't want to see another Burger King for awhile. The daily specials were hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken and I mean every day.

[2cruiseagain]

What night was Lobster night?