luv2cruise53

Eventually a crew member came along who was obviously familiar with the Pub Hop-crawl route and told us we were to got to deck 7 promenade forward. So we did. There up by the forward section on the Starboard side was the rest of the grasshoppers. Whew....So we bitched a little to no avail and the fearless leader who was drinking a green drink chilled us out and we began the first of several games. Needless to say they involved drinking. He had 4 couples come up and the wives had to chug a can of beer...that wait... was between their husbands crotch...Disclaimer. If dirty drinking games is not your thing skip the next 2 sections. They had 2 get on their knees and drink it out of a straw so you know what that looked like...LOL

A couple more games and a few more sips of canned beer all around we headed in and down the stairs to the Casino. Here we snaked in quickly..mindful of who was in front and we grabbed a cup of margarita off the tray and snaked back out to the elevator hall once again.Here we moved to a side alcove and the leader who was as tipsy as all of us began some ditty's and then some dirty floor games that the young fit 20 somethings performed positions they had done and we all laughed until we cried. Now up the stairs to 13...right... most of us waited for the elevators and elevated to the Bier Garten. I was in the elevator with Rodney who was still letting them rip and we all howled all the way to the moon.

Next up: Rodney and the Bier garten

Kev:cool:

So up the stairs to deck 8 we went, a whole conga line of us that as we were going up the stairs the end still stretched to the Red lion and I couldn't see the front. At the top of the stairs we were in Moderno (Not Open) and we turned to the center bar where this next cup looked like a green drink(Midori) and was quite sweet but still strong. I noticed wives giving there husbands or SO's the drinks they couldn't finish from the first round and I said to myself. Hold on....we're in for a bumpy ride. LOL

I grabbed my #2 and followed.....the...couple...in front ..of me...through .......the Blue Lagoon.....slowly....with a whole conga line behind me.....and out into the elevator area and.....NADA....nobody but the couple, me and the entire end conga standing around going duh!

35 of us...We were Lost....had been abandoned standing around lookin foolish yelling up and down the stairs...helloooooooooo! NADA. Oh great...Lost on a pub crawl....Rodney started knocking out jokes about being lost and the goodness of that if you knew his wife. We were all ROFL...but one girl decided to get on the courtesy phone and she was breathless trying to describe the hilarity of the situation to whoever was listening. Some other bright genius decided that it must be deck 12 cause that was where the next bars were so hopper-crawlers started up the stairs....and me..the de facto leader was like.....NO...there are more bars down here.No up...No down. I felt like we were in the middle of the Poseidon Adventure where the purser wants to stay put and the reverend says... to the bottom to get to the top....LOL

Eventually we decided to stay put while the girl on the phone tried in vain to explain..Rodney cracked em left and right and 35 of us were LOST.

Next up: FOUND

Kev:cool:

So by this time we all have our red dots and like I said it seems to be about 70 or 80 of us including Rodney. The Hop-Crawl was led by a crew member who seemed like a very outgoing and humorous guy. Well that makes sense I guess he would have to be. He pumped us all up with a couple of beer drinking type cheers like "heres to the ugly babys born" etc...seriously you really didn't think I would remember any of the several dozen of these we ended up doing...but he sure did and he was loud and funny and also drinking along(he must be the luckiest crew member on board, being paid to get drunk with us...and turns out he deserved it)apparently it was infectious cause soon enough we were all loud and funny. There was a group of 20 somethings on board who were hilarious and reminded me of Spring Breakers, 4 couples...all very good looking and fit and we as a group were thrilled that they were partaking. So the first of 5 began. We were all given a 12 ounce cup of what I can only describe as death with a dash of fruit juice. Yikes we were all looking at each oither with grimaces and fear. We sang a couple more ditties and before we could all finish...if we ever could we were off out the fromt door and through to the atrium...where our fearless leader made it a point that every soul on the ship could hear us.

Next Up: Lost

Kev:cool:

So out of the Spinnaker and down the hall to the rear entrance of the Red Lion Pub. It was rather crowded and I had no idea if there was a line or a table or a place to sign up for the Pub Crawl. So stupid is as stupid does and I hung against a pole and looked confused which was easy cause I was. Eventually a waitress came by and asked me what I wanted to drink, so I was like.....um....Oh she said "you here for the Pub Hop." Oh hop crawl whatever Yes...So she took my card and said wait right here...like I was going anywhere before I hopped or crawled....

Now while waiting for my entry whatever...turned out to be a red dot... I think I should fill you all in on a very cool character on our cruise. He was tall and husky and wore wild clothes, smoked cigars and was louder than me. He also resembled to a tee RODNEY DANGERFIELD. This was good because he actually was.....a Rodney dangerfield impersonator working the NY NJ and Catskill areas. The resemblance was uncanny and when he started in with my wife..my wife is etc...the voice was impeccable. He was a howl and truly enjoyed entertaining all of us for free. I hoped he was gonna hop or crawl or whatever with us because he would double the fun...turns out he was and he had a red dot...and I got my red dot and within a 1/2 hour 70 of us had red dots and we were ready to begin.

Next up: We Hop We crawl We get lost We fall

Kev:cool:

Great review so far, Kev and I'm enjoying it!!

 

A few things:

 

- it's hurricane Rafael not Raphael - fortunately it brushed by Bermuda and we were away.

 

- Epic does hold Latitudes parties but not for Bronze.

 

- we were just on the TA on Epic and learnt that Epic held 2 Latitudes parties - one for Silver and another for Gold and Platinum - there were sooo many repeats and loyals on the TA cruise.

 

- we were on the Star in Jan and had a good time - we were in a SJ suite therefore we never went near the Market Cafe. The Epic's Garden Cafe is the best - we even went there for dinner a few times!!

 

- there are things we liked better on Star than on Epic but we prefer Epic overall.

Thanks....I know where Raf went but I was building suspense. When I sailed the Epic in 2010 there were no latitudes parties AT ALL. Perhaps they have adjusted. The Breakaway also claims that there will be no latitudes but I can't remember where I either heard or read it so again I could be wrong.

The Market was OK for Breakfast and iffy for lunch. Nightime was a no time.

I am so jealous you live in Bermuda. If you continue to follow and I make mistakes in Bermuda please feel free to correct me because the only thing worse than no information is misinformation.

Thanks

Kev:cool:

I woke up early to read this most entertaining of a review I have ever read. I am hoping for more installments today! You truly make me laugh and I am so looking forward to my cruise on the pearl (ever reviewed that one?) in Dec. Thank you so much! You are truly gifted!

Thank you very much. No I have not sailed on a Jewel class Ship, hell I can't even tell the Gem from the Jewel as you know. I had every intention of doing so until they innovated to EPIC and now the Breakaways.If a Jewel class ship ever goes out of Boston or NYC that fits my time and desire I will hop on it, but since the Breakaway is homeported in NYC starting Spring, it seems unlikely in the near term. too bad though. My next two cruises are on the Breakaway thru 2014.

Again Thanks.

Kev:cool:

So off the promenade at the aft of the ship and into the Spinnaker Lounge. Now I have mentioned before about the sheer size and utility of this space and I can tell you I was amazed at how crowded it was. I would say that the capacity must be around 600 people and it was past that as I entered with many standing around the sides and rear.

I have heard many people lament to the fact that the EPIC and the New Breakaway classes do not have Latitudes Parties. It is not because NCL is cheap...it is simply a matter of logistics. As time goes on and NCL becomes more and more poular they tend toward many repeat cruisers. This cruise shows that about 1/4 to 1/3 are repeat cruisers based on 600 or so to 2300 capacity. The EPIC and the new Beakaway classes are seeing huge reservations from past customers. 1/3 of a 4000 passenger ship amounts to...here comes the mathematical genius grad student...about a lot of people...

Since they can't fit that a lot of people anywhere we have no event. NCL should give all latitudes passenger a free drink coupon, which would allay some dissapointment...

Anyways getting back on track and having been accustomed to a room with this set up (Chairs that dont move but swivel ...in aisles that allow waiters to serve from behind) I summed up the possibilities and pounced on the best real estate for an optimum outcome. What is the best real estate you might ask? Well I'll fill you in on the secret, but don't tell anyone else. In a columnar service set up you must choose the outermost aisle. Closest to the aisle in the middle. Never on the fringes because...well your then a fringe. Choose an endcap...as they say in marketing, the end or beginning of a row. Why all this strategy you may ask. Well prime service focuses here. So if the drinks, which were beer, champagne and some fruity concoctions were to have any chance of replensishment, well you are in prime real estate. Location Location Location....LOL

I glided down the center aisle till the row ended. There were 2 people sitting in the 4 grouping. A nice looking elderly couple. It's polite to ask if you may use that chair or if its taken but how you go about it is key. You enter their zone, smile broadly, and as your ass is hitting the empty seat you ask if it is ok. Not much they can do at this point so keep looking at em a few more minutes grinning broadly and if they seem like bores then turn and ignore them for a bit, but if something funny is said on stage, reswivel and smile broadly....See you learn something new every day and I am sitting in Prime Real Estate...uhgain!

With this seat secure I manged 2 scoff 3 glasses of champagne, a beer and 2 fruity concoctions without asking or batting my gorgeous eyes. LOL Once in a while you must hold up your empty champagne glass to nothing in particular and because you are in prime real estate it magically gets filled, just like the ship steers itself when all the officers are off visiting like they just filed in to do now. LOL

So we had the officers visit, there was lots of raffles based on the latitudes invitation and it was 1:45 and I was ready to Pub Crawl.

Next Up: The begining of the End.

Kev:cool:

Went back to 5502 to get towel and beach stuff. Turned on the TV and Bridge chanel said 79 degss. Yessssssssss Movie Chanel had Amazing Spiderman at the part where spidy discovers how to use his webs and trounces the city bldgs...I kid you not.

 

Kev:cool:

Thanks for your kind words. If there is a scientific formula, as you know this brilliant analytical grad student will ponder it and find the solution....LOL

Keep reading...this may take some time and its gonna be a bumpy road at times.

I cannot believe the enthusiasm and views this humble little misive is receiving. If there are any travel writers or companies out there that appreciate this style let me know, I'll have my secretary call your secretary and we can huddle...LOL

Kev:cool:

So now I am on the promenade deck after scooting up one flight of stairs. I really must take a moment and comment on the ever present artwork on the Star. I have been told that NCL has the worlds greatest collection of their own artwork for a cruise line and has a great partnersship with a major gallery(Park West) so that artwork of very impressive stature is abundant. The stairways contain some truly unique pieces and should always be viewed while climbing or descending.

There are also quite a bit of gallery showings and art talks and art auctions etc... And I was impressed to say the collection this week was eclectic, and colorful as well as peppered with the names of masters such as Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh amongst others.

This is my particular favorite and it reminds me of the time when flying from Boston to London we watched Executive Decision.

I must tell you that physically I am not in shape nor out of shape. I occasionaly do do the gym gym, but I had no intentions of doing it on the ship. So with three full plates in the tummy and 2 danishes I deemed it prudent and responsible to walk around the promenade a few times, and since I had almost an hour it might be more than a few...yeah right. So off I plodded and manged to get around 3 times. Then I decided to stop my abundant and physically straining escapade and saunter into the Spinnaker for Lattitudes.

Up Next: The Lattitudes party.

Kev:cool:

So it's 11:00 AM and 30 mins till Meet n greet. I really am looking forward to this because I have been chatting with many nice people for 6 weeks now and I hope to make some friends and be more sociable. I elevated down to trusty 5502 and my trusty TV movie channel had on Rock of Ages where Alex Baldwin is kissing Russel Brand. Great music and same song as always...LOL. I tossed my sun gear on to my plush bed which had been made up by my stalwart cabin attendant whose name I forgot but knew it then. As you will notice in these pages I do not remember anyones name, any venues names or any ships names that we encounter.(I do remember Raphael, but thats a later story) and OMG by 5:00 today I won't even remember my own name and that's the truth.

I quickly showered to be refreshing looking as if thats any more possible than I always am. JK. I walked up one flight of stairs turned right to starboard and walked down the alley and passed the Casino....Open and bustling and smoky, so I had 10 minutes and popped in for a smoke.

Finished that and went a few more yardarms to the lower second hidden atrium and into my meet n greet venue, Le Bistro.

As NCL is kind enough to always do, a nice venue, and a station with coffee, juices and pastries was set up. There looked to be about thirty people and the obligatory name tag station was set up with my name among them. Rip pat toss. done. First things first, complimentary goodies and bev's. Next I made it a point to talk to all kinds of people and chat up everyone. It was fun. I met Chuck and Phil who I had met the previous evening and we all chatted and laughed at putting faces to names...mostly screen names at that, so not only learning a face but a name to go with it.

Like I said 5 minutes after I left I couldn't remember a thing. People say I am highly educated and dumb as a block of ice at the same time. I can't disagree.

Soon a whole procession of ships officers marched in and lined up for introduction. It appears that everyone from the Captain, First officers, Hotel Directors, Cruise Directors, Engineers, well....everyone was there and I marveled at how the ship kept going, but going it did, so my analytical mind determined that this was a function of eeriness and magic and seemed all quite diabolical.(Can you say bermuda Triangle)

After saying my goodbyes I departed with the officers feeling very nautical and very important and I followed them a few feet before feeling stupid and hit the promenade deck.

More to Come: latitudes party...

Kev:cool:

Oh Drat and double drat! We miss each other by a month again! We're booked on the Sun's Southern itinerary in Feb...maybe 2015???? Our paths are bound to cross one of these days! And I'm truly loving your super Star review!

Well now that I know I will watch for you on these boards and we can chat

Kev:cool:

We were on the Spirit last Valentine's Day - we just barely missed you! Maybe we'll meet on a cruise one day - you sound like someone I'd love to travel with.:D Keep feeding me funny and wonderful details to last me a few months!

heres a thought. I am doing this cruise on the new and huge Breakaway on Januar 5, 2014

It's not badly priced at all for 12 days.

+12-Day Southern Caribbean Round-trip New York

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Embarkation port: New York City

Embarkation: Jan 5, 2014 or January 19th 2014

Disembarkation: Jan 17, 2014 or Jan 30, 2014

Ports of call: New York City; San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; St. Lucia; Barbados; St. Kitts

View itinerary detail 3071662 22161

Total Price: $1,865.43 Price for a solo cabin

Which is great for a 12 Day cruise

USD 1865.43

Number of guests: 1

Stateroom type: T1

Stateroom: 11507

Think about that Winter Break

Kev:cool:

We were on the Spirit last Valentine's Day - we just barely missed you! Maybe we'll meet on a cruise one day - you sound like someone I'd love to travel with.:D Keep feeding me funny and wonderful details to last me a few months!

Will Do Lena B

Kev - I'm loving your review! Can you join us out of NOLA in Feb? I'm gonna post this link on my roll call.

What a nice offer but no I can't, and trust me when I say I really really wish I could. I went out of NOLA last March on the Spirit and spent 3 days pre and 2 days post in The Crescent City and had the time of my life. I have never ever ever seen such decadence and trust me when I say I have seen a lot of decadence. Seriously, I love New Orleans for all it is and I enjoyed the Western Carib Itinerary, however; I am booked on the Breakaway June 9th and am going back to Bermuda. I am a grad student so money is tight but I love that you offered.

Kev:cool:

I also said the Gem was next to us going to Canada and I got in the Gem line earlier. Well it was the Jewel going to Florida and the Bahamas....As my old Jewish Grandmother use to say...Who Knew!!!:o

Off to bed...Have a great week everyone. I will try to add periodically and get us to Hurricane Raphael and Bermuda ASAP.

Kev:cool:

Hi all;

Thanks for all your kind words on my review. It should be noted that I keep messing up on names of venues on this ship. I can never remember which buffet I am in. On the Epic it was the Garden cafe, On the Star it was the Market cafe, on the Dawn..no clue...and I forgot what it was called on the Spirit. Same with the Versailles. Seriously..Versaille?...anyways I have been calling it the MDR LOL.

So if I get names of venues wrong...forgive..I think you get the gist of what I mean.

Kev:cool:

So it is only 9:00AM and I have gathered my sun gear. I elevated to deck 13...and I walked on the port side up towards the bow.(see how good all my nautical vocabulary is) There were several tiers and levels and I walked up a little set of stairs and there was this truly plush and delightful area with couches and loungers and chairs made of brown whicker with plush cloth pillows etc....Very South Beach. But I was alone so I skipped the plush and went up some more stairs to another area that had the over sized hot tub and about 30 loungers(Note: the Star Loungers are abundant and actually almost have a padded feeling...very comfortable.

No chair hogs up here. Maybe 1/2 dozen people so I picked a spot, towel out, book ready...no sunscreen...still have a deep tan...MISTAKE YES. Kindle fire (That was me by 3:00 Kindle Fire)with music ready to go and PLOP. Thats it folks.....I have 2 hours...went into the Hot tub several times...People are always friendly in the hot tubs. Probably cause your 1/2 naked and sitting an inch from them LOL. Stayed here till 11:00 and then had to do the day. There will be plenty of time for sun but half these parties today are either free or dirt cheap...Me Like Dirt Cheap. LOL

Up Next: meet and Greet and Lattitudes Members Party

Kev:cool:

I am so loving this review. But your reference to the porthole resembling one on a submarine sounds scary...was the porthole submerged?

 

~ La Princesa

Not yet Princessa. Not yet.....and the mystery continues:rolleyes:

Kev:cool:

So I woke up at 7:30 with bright sunlight coming from my tiny porthole. I turned on the TV to the Bridge chanel and it showed us a little ways from NYC.

Note(on a Bermuda 7 day it takes 2 sea days to get to Bermuda and one sea day to get home. The ship has a max speed of 24 Knots so ever the brilliant grad student....I have mathematically and systematically pondered this anomaly and brightly as always have determined the ship goes slower to Bermuda and faster home to NYC....Brilliant Ha?)

It also showed the air temp at 76 degs at 7:30 AM....I actually thought the 1st sea day might be cooler but an apparent high pressure system has todays forecast according to the daily as 84 degrees. Yum.....

So I took out my trusty highlighter and started in on the daily Freestyle.

1st off, I had my CC meet and Greet at 11:30 in Le Bistro. Then at 1:00 was the Lattitudes member cocktail party in the Spinnaker and then 2:00 was the famous/infamous pub crawl.....Highlight...YES. The at 4:00 the Martini tasting in Champagne.....MAYBE but give it a highlight anyways. I decided to stop here and wait to highlight the night based on whether I can still walk. LOL (Why do you think I call it the day of the liver?)

So Shower and change into shorts and Tee and flip flops. As a solo and not much fancy stuff this will be my official uniform through Saturday.

So I elevated up to the 12th deck, Walked by all the fancy suites and by this beautiful gorgeous and NCL classy as always, Star LIBRARY.

Then out the sliding glass doors....lots of doors slide which can be quite cool when carrying plates and coffee or drink etc.

Then out into the sunshine and warmth of the aft pool deck area. I sat under the smoking alcove for a few minutes and took in the views and had a smoke. Lot's of people movers laden with the family' breakfast whizzed by. So with no small amout of fear and with great trepidation I got up...slowly....and made my way to the great buffet. So I will bullet from here so I do not get to crazy.

• Seems at least 4 stations open ..2 on each side....
  
• Place was semi-crowded but not much line so I guess 4 is enough
  
• Breakfast fruits and cereals plentiful
  
• danish and muffins etc...looked good
  
• Cream of wheat and oatmeal station...hot and piping with all the fixins
  
• Scrambled eggs...Lots, good fluffy hot
  
• Bacon plenty, both rare and crisp on the platter. (You use tongs and take as much as you want. I have heard on some ships they have the bacon police who dole out what you need according to them)
  
• Waffles...very nice station...French toast fluffy with raisins
  
• Sausage NOTTTTTTT only brown n serve...no real links no patties(Major dissapointment but the only one so far)
  
• Omelets station...Excellent many add ins....
  
• Eggs Benedict and Eggs florentine in a saute table pan.....not good at all....stale dried muffin...eggs cold but had hot holondaise so you could if you wanted pull the english and toast your own if you wanted and that was next...toast, english, breads muffins and a quick toaster...
  
• milk, skim, regular and if you were quick enough chocolate.
  
• Coffee not bad
  
• Juice both OJ and Apple from the dispenser were both good and tasty (A guy with a cart comes around and squeezes it fresh at your table ..for a fee...not sure how much.
  

Did I like the breakfast buffet...I had 3 plates so YES. Was it better than the EPIC or Spirit...NO. Because my choice for sauasge and eggs benedict.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Ate and ate and ate cause I figured I needed the energy for my day.

Went back to 5502 to get towel and beach stuff. Turned on the TV and Bridge chanel said 79 degss. Yessssssssss Movie Chanel had Amazing Spiderman at the part where spidy discovers how to use his webs and trounces the city bldgs...I kid you not.

Up Next: The forward sun deck and hot tub.

Kev:cool:

If you go Early (5:30-6:30)then you will usually snag a window. Lets see......Bear with me...and I could be wrong so not a done deal. MDR has huge and many windows...good chance here. Aqua has some but not as many...some on the left and some on the right. Ginza has lots of windows opening to the Port Side promenade. Cagneys...Dunno...Le Bistro no windows but an outdoor cafe seating area.La Cucina...I believe so but not sure.

 

Kev:cool:

Drinking Like I said the Star Bar is superb. The red lion pub has semi booths with large windows facing the promenade...Champagne Bar ..NO but in the delightful hidden atrium so open and great atmosphere. Bier garten...14th deck open air....Great spot day or night. all of the buffet has great windows as well.

Kev:cool:

Great job on the review...funny, witty, smart and informative. Can't wait for more! Quick question...I really love a view when I dine, so, must one arrive early so as to be seated at a great table (we're a party of 3)? Which dining venue offers the best views while seated? Which drinking establishments? Waiting for the breakfast review, Luv...keep 'em coming! :)

If you go Early (5:30-6:30)then you will usually snag a window. Lets see......Bear with me...and I could be wrong so not a done deal. MDR has huge and many windows...good chance here. Aqua has some but not as many...some on the left and some on the right. Ginza has lots of windows opening to the Port Side promenade. Cagneys...Dunno...Le Bistro no windows but an outdoor cafe seating area.La Cucina...I believe so but not sure.

Kev:cool:

Thanks again for this wonderful review! So, when I go on Epic, if I eat in the MDR, or O Sheehans, and dont have a drink, but I have exceptional service, I cant just leave a few dollars on the table? If that so...I will just have to order a drink:D Chances are that I would order a glass or two of something with dinner anyway. But if that is what I have to do, to leave an extra tip, it works for me! Thanks for the info.:)

As far as I know there is no cash allowed anywhere except in the casino's

I have been told that the reason for this is they must still split

OH OH OH....The exception besdides Casino is your Cabin Steward. I always and did give my cabin steward 20 at start and 20 at end of cruise because they deserve it regardless of the DSC daily service charge.

Maybe the restaurants and bars can take cash but I have never heard or seen anything to that effect.

Kev:cool:

So after that delightful meal, I had the option of going to the 1st Night show or the Star Bar at 9:00. From past experience I have found that except for the EPIC it has generally been a synopsis of what shows were going on all week. The freestyle daily said as much so there was no yellow highlight here.This is not to say they were my only option, God NO there was stuff going on evreywhere and much sounded great. That is why I bring the highlighter so I can find my best and not get overwhelmed. Quite frankly I was pooped, not (booped) and by the way the boo booo boooop's had diminished considerably and were no longer heard in the cabins. So I opted for the Star Bar on deck 12 in the same area as Cagney's. I entered and found this to be gorgeous. All I can say is Gorgeous. A space for say maybe 60-70 people. Comfortable low tables and leather chairs. A nice Bar andd a Grand Piano(heres those pianos again.) The best feature were floor to ceiling windows overlooking the pool deck, which at night is quite attractive lighting wise(exception here is when they make the palms go schizoid i.e flashing and chasing white lights)

The Piano Player had just started and he was running through some seriously good jazzy numbers. This was heaven at the top of the ship folks. (Do not miss)

So I sat down with a group of like minded and like aged folks in the corner and introduced myself. A waitress hurried over and asked me what I wanted to drink. So of course I ordered......a gran marnier snifter and a double espresso. Got ya again didn't I....Variety folks...thats me.

Very nice time. Eventually by 9:30 it filled up and the piano player thrilled us all with his talent.

However;

I was now falling asleep in my Gran Marnier. I had been up since 4:00 AM so I said my goodnights and elevated down to 5502. I turned on the TV and Rock of Ages was on, the part where Alex Baldwin was kissing Russel Brand....LOL..I had an elephant for a towel animal and I went to take a picture...push ..whir in...LOL

What a day...

Up Next: Day 2....the day of the liver

Kev:cool:

I call this The Blue Lagoon Redemption (like a Robert Ludlum book title) because I was 110% fully impressed.

As many of you may know the Blue Lagoon is a 24 hour light meal type restaurant. They are usually known for their wings. On the EPIC and new ships it is O'Sheehans pub but essentially the same thing.It is full service and not a buffet.

At a little after 8:00 PM I decided to give it a whirl. I had thoroughly enjoyed this venue on past ships and the Star did not disappoint. It is located on deck 8, overlooking the atrium and is across form Moderno Churascaria. I approached the hostess stand and was immediately greeted with a smile and a welcome. I noticed there were about 20 tables dining, about 1/2 full.I saw that along the rails overlooking there were a few step down alcoves. I asked for a table there and was led there in style by a hostess, the waitress and the busboy.(What great service). The Hostess gave me a menu. The busboy filled my water and cleared the extra service and the waitress asked me if I would like to start with a drink. What do you think people out there? Did Kev need a drink? Double yup. and you all know what I ordered. That's right a frozen Banana Banshee!!! I got ya didn't I? I do have some variety in my life.

Anyways I glanced around and I cannot tell you how aestetically pleasing everything was. The decor of the atrium, the lights and the jazz combo playing. It was like being in a 5 star hotel in their finest lounge areas.

So I opened the attractive menu and perused the offerings. There is not a great deal of variety but it seemed appealing so I decided on my order.

There were about 4-5 appetizers including

Tomato Basil Soup I'll Take that please! and

Buffalo Wings I'll Take that please! mild small order

Grilled Hot dog I'll Take that please!

There were also standard comfort food choices and all in all a good variety from Spinach and artichoke dip to fish and chips and grilled chicken sandwiches and burgers.

No rush here, my drink came by my waitress and the hostess brought my soup. Soup and drink were superb. Both were creamy and one was hot and one was cold. duh.

The soup had a great slightly tangy flavor and was topped with croutons.

Delish as always on an NCL 24 hour.

Soup was cleared by busboy and waitress placed the wings. I saw one small ramekin of bleu cheese for about ten wings so I begged for more, which arrived in a large ramekin in a jiff.

What can I say about NCL wings. Well they are about the best I have ever had, anywhere, hands down. They bake them first then quick fry em befor brushing not dunking on the sauce. What you end up with is a crispy, but juicy and very meaty and perfectly sauced piece of bird.

Nuff Said.

The Hot dog arrivede when I was half way finished with my wings which I consider perfect timing.

It was not your standard dog. It was a little bigger and fat and juicy. It had sauteed onions on it but I brushed em aside. It's not that I don't like sauteed onions-just not on a dog. It was accompanied by shoestring french fries. (Can you say Mc'Donalds)

All I can say is everything was exccelent from the service to the ambience to the food. Kudos...Blue Lagoon

I turned down dessert even though they practically begged me to try it

I would not have been able to tip had I not had a drink but I did have a drink and I tipped generously more for the service overall than the drink itself, which was great. (Note) If you do not have a drink in an MDR then you will have no bill and thus no opportunity to tip extra. Cash is forbidden and by this point your wallet or purse should be in the safe unless you are planning on the casino.

Next up: The Star Bar Not the StarDust

Kev:cool:

I am enjoying your fun review so much. Too bad your camera broke. I'd have loved to see your pictures.

 

I'm sorry the buffet sucked. I'm hoping things get better for you.

Thank you NY Girl. I follow your posts all the time. I know we both love NCL and are loyal. I am sorry if I rant about some things. I only rant if something in MHO is rantworthy.

Things can't get any better. I love the Star. I just find some inconsitencies from other NCL...but if you wait a little bit and follow along you will see some really high praise for the Star that lacked on other NCL ships.

When I review I hold nothing back, either rant or rave and in the end you will see the Star as all NCL ships ends up a rave.

I notice the Staten Island Tag on your profile. Are you OK? I hope you are....It is devastating to see the destruction of your island. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your friends and family.

Kev