my_god_its_full_of_stars

Coming late to this (have been away for about 1 1/2 years, but will be trying for Alaska on the Star in May), but I guess I'm confused about the difficulty some folks have had in finding the FAQ's on the NCL website .... They are readily available at the bottom of pretty much all of NCL's web pages.... about four lines up from the bottom, usually the first clickable link.

Thanks Doug.

Although we've seen all the pictures and read all the reviews, we're still a bit apprehensive given the last NCL (Starward) cruise.

We kind of have an idea of what the new "megaships" offer since we took the Carnival Miracle [great ship, wrong crowd] out of FLL 1 1/2 years ago, but that old NCL image is still in our heads.

I appreciate you taking the time to answer and ease my concerns. :o

We're really looking forward to this Alaska trip since it's somewhat out of the norm for us --- we're die-hard Hawai'i lovers, with the occasional Caribbean and European trip thrown in.

For me, it's not going to be so much about all the excursions and "seeing" Alaska, as it is exploring and enjoying the "journey" aboard our floating hotel. I'm hoping we'll enjoy the new "freestyle" dining (it sounds tailor-made for us), and all that the new NCL Star has to offer.

Just happened to spot this thread..... We sailed the Starward twice ..... our very first cruise back in 1983 (and we actually thought in our naïveté that the ship looked "new"!!! haha). We had an inside cabin, and I can remember that my very first thought upon seeing our cabin was "oh no way.... this HAD to be a mistake.... we reserved a CABIN, NOT a closet!!!" But, the trip turned out to be a blast. We were quite the "odd" table at dinner, but by the time the cruise was over, everyone was exchanging numbers and addresses.

We decided, after taking some other cruises, in 1988 to sail her again after a supposed "retrofit"..... not the same feeling about her. She was smaller than other ships for sure this time. But some of the crew (especially the casino employees) were the same from before.

We didn't have such a great time on her the 2nd time, and unfortunately, at that time, we decided not to cruise again...... We waited again until two years ago (2003) to sail again (another line), but we are looking forward to trying out NCL again in August 2006 on the Star in Alaska.....

Somehow, I think the experience may hit the same note as our very first on this old Starward....