JulianB

Interestingly the NCL website list 4 departures for next winter (2024/25) and 5 for the following season (2025/26). All of which have the same advertised itinerary as this year along with the following description: Calling all penguin and nature enthusiasts-come aboard Norwegian Star for a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to Antarctica. Outside of Ushuaia, experience unparalleled landscapes few are fortunate enough to see as you explore Tierra del Fuego National Park - the world's southernmost national park that features soaring mountain peaks, glistening glaciers, ancient forests and a rich array of wildlife. Cruise through Paradise Bay in Antarctica and witness a pristine frozen wonderland of glacial mountains and azure icebergs that a colony of adorable Gentoo penguins call home. Then head over to the remote destination Elephant Island where legions of tuxedoed-looking penguins waddle across the rocky terrain whilst giant elephant seals lounge on its shores. In Stanley, lace up your hiking shoes for a guided Falkland nature trek through scenic terrain to see possibly of upwards of 30 species of birds. 🤐

That is what an old boss of mine once refers to as a “content free email”. NCL - you need a better communications department.

I was on that same cruise and loved it from start to finish with some big irritations with the Shore Ex department but most things came good in the end. One of the attractions of this part of the world is that it’s hard to get to and yes it’s unpredictable. Stops get cancelled for ships like the Star and also the smaller expedition ships. I know someone who was on an expedition ship that had made not a single landing or port on its previous cruise! I went on the cruise with the hope that we would make all the ports and destinations in good weather, not the expectation of it. Ultimately this farce comes down to communication and NCL’s wasn’t good on my trip and appears to have been appalling on this and the current one. The passengers do have the right in my opinion to know the truth and NCL needs to handle things far better or people will go elsewhere, it’s a very competitive industry now.

I was on the Jan 7th cruise and we missed Punta Arenas for weather reasons and got nothing (except my excursion money back).

Great news that you had a good time despite the changes that were forced on you. Come back with happy memories that will last a lifetime I hope.

Would love to hear from anyone who has just finished this cruise as to how it ended up and did you have a good time in the end. Your first hand comments I think would be useful and could compare them to my experience on the Star in January.

Why do you need to set foot on Antarctica? By staying at sea 2,400 people get the chance to see whales, icebergs, penguins all kinds of other amazing wildlife while being a couple of hundred meters off the actual shoreline. By landing you risk the spread of diseases like bird flu and start physical damage. Expedition ships have to take huge precautions to preserve Antarctica, something that is just not practical to do for a ship with thousands of visitors. The more people who see Antarctica for real and see what an amazing place it is will hopefully understand and spread the word that makes it so important we preserve it. On the Star this year there was a full course of lectures and I came back feeling I knew so much more about the place and had seen it up close. It's not just a tick in the box trip.

I was on the second sailing and missed Punta Arenas. To be honest I was not that bothered (and even less so now I have read this report as I had the same substitution shore ex) and we got to see the Beagle Passage and all it's hanging glaciers in daylight. The crew launched the tenders but then the weather worsened very quickly and we could see the tender pilots not happy. The captain came on and told us he was cancelling the port. In my view, good call, well communicated and I never heard anybody grumble as we all accepted that this is a reasonable risk that you have to accept heading to this part of the world. In total I booked 5 excursions. On day 1 I got to my cabin to find 1 cancelled, 2 with major changes. All of these changes were known about before hand and could have been communicated to me so I had the option of making other arrangements. I am definitely looking to avoid NCL's overpriced and underdelivered excursions in future.

I was on the second sailing and missed Punta Arenas. To be honest I was not that bothered (and even less so now I have read this report as I had the same substitution shore ex) and we got to see the Beagle Passage and all it's hanging glaciers in daylight. The crew launched the tenders but then the weather worsened very quickly and we could see the tender pilots not happy. The captain came on and told us he was cancelling the port. In my view, good call, well communicated and I never heard anybody grumble as we all accepted that this is a reasonable risk that you have to accept heading to this part of the world. In total I booked 5 excursions. On day 1 I got to my cabin to find 1 cancelled, 2 with major changes. All of these changes were known about before hand and could have been communicated to me so I had the option of making other arrangements. I am definitely looking to avoid NCL's overpriced and underdelivered excursions in future.

This time last month I was on the Star and really feel for the people who have had their itinerary changed and certainly not enhanced in my opinion. It's similarly disappointing that this thread has descended into a slanging match as to who said what in some post and gone away from what I think would be useful in exploring:- Why NCL made the change and How they communicated it to their paying guests. To those on the Star now ....... hope you loved the Falklands, well done for getting into port and have a beer for me in Cagney's.

Excursions are available on the cruise for ports on the South American continent and the Falkland islands but NOT for Antarctica which was originally two days of cruising the Peninsula and Islands (specifically Paradise Bay and Elephant Island). Paradise Bay has been switched to a Bay close to Elephant Island and happens on the same day.

As someone who was on the early January sailing I can say that having researched the cruise Paradise Bay is a significant step up from Admarity Bay. What they are doing now is essentially last year's itinerary and I delayed my cruise by a year to do the currently advertised one. Antarctic is very hit and miss weather wise with many ports cancelled and the Falklands being missed a lot by larger ships. What worries me most is not the changes (of which NCL seems to be making many at the last moment right now) but the way they are communicated. Their statement to the passengers is utterly patronizing and insulting. Just come out with the reason (we had speed restrictions added and had port times changed with loss of time in port) and tell people what's really happening and not try an spin it as anything else but what has been forced on us or mechanical issues. When you come up with this poor announcement people just assume it's to save money at the expense of those that have already paid. In closing ....... it was just a fantastic trip despite changing port times and loosing a port in Chile due to weather.

Weather makes or breaks so many holidays especially so in Antarctica. I should have added that that their revised itinerary (and I do feel for them) now appears to be the same as last years itinerary. I nearly booked to go last year but then saw this year's was better. Maybe they thought they could stretch the distances and go further south and now find that they can't and stay with the limits. Again ..... if that's the case stand up and tell people.

I was on the Star the sailing before last (early January departure). We too were hit with some extra speed restrictions and lost port time but no ports (well we did loose one due to weather) or sea stops. It was a fantastic voyage but the changes before, and some were during the cruise, were very badly communicated and the communication from the Sore Ex team was terrible. Having said that I do not believe what the passengers are seeing now is anything but what has been forced on the company. However the communication appears to have been even worse than on my sailing. Come on NCL, get some with a spine in customer service to put their head above the parapet and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to the people who pay your slary!