annmarz

More Random Thoughts: O'Sheehans. Love the venue. Large and comfortable with views of Atrium. A bustling bar. Just wish the quality of the food was a bit better. But it is open 24 hours and is free. Room Service Breakfast - Free until 11 am. Very nice assortment of choices. You can phone your order in the am or fill out the card in the room. Internet Cafe - Not sure why they devoted so much ship space to this venue when everyone has their own devices now. But the crew member staffing it was very knowledgeable and competent and went the extra mile to help people get connected. "Secret" Uncrowded Bars. If you want to grab a quick drink with no waiting, try the Casino Bar and the Juice Bar in the Buffet which also is a full bar. Sundries - The gift shop does not sell cough medicine or even throat lozenges. Many people needed these items. They direct you to the medical center which has very limited hours. Bring your own!

We were with a group and arrived two days prior with a tour package in Reykjavik. We stayed at the Fosshotel and did the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle Tour. We had a group bus transfer to the ship. Embarkation was fast and efficient BTW.

LHR in a word, sucked. Horribly crowded, disorganized. We took the NCL transfer. You need lots of time to check in, even to find where to check in, clear security (VERY SLOW) and get to gates when they were announced. Security is very very strict about liquids in bags. DO NOT eat at the Smoke House Taphouse restaurant. It was abysmal. Bring lots of patience for the airport. I have enjoyed the shopping and dining and LHR in the past but this time I hated the whole thing.

10 days from Reykjavik to Southhampton

The Atrium cafe is a Starbucks.

It was very cold and windy in Iceland. Very windy on decks. Virtually no one there. The last day, sailing to Southhampton was sunny and people actually went in the pool and hot tubs.

Sorry. I don't have this info.

Not sure what you mean by Concierge. There is a Guest Services desk open 24 hours. Unofrtunately not all of the crew here were knowledgeable.

You can bring a full water bottle onboard. I just did.

We really enjoyed our cruise. Here are some random thoughts: Itinerary: Iceland was the main draw and it did not disappoint! Spectacular and very cold! Many pax were unprepared for the weather. Took ship excursions in all 3 ports and were very pleased. The Norwegian ports of Olden and Alesund were just ok. Not a whole lot to do. I guess by that time we had seen enough fjords, waterfalls, and glaciers. The Orkney Islands in Scotland was a fascinating excursion and one can never get enough of Edinburgh IMHO. 2 days at sea was just right. Stateroom - Our midship Oceanview with Balcony on Deck 10 was a perfect location. Quiet. close but not too close to elevators and no motion. We requested and received a mattress topper. Enough storage, a smallish loveseat, a surprisingly large shower and separate toilet (both with sliding doors) a new easy to operate safe and a very cold fridge! Only complaint was no nightstand on one side of the bed and terrible lighting. They NEED to put reading lights by the bed. Entertainment: The production shows were just average but the guest entertainers were stupendous! Probably the best guitarist - from Chile - I have ever seen, a hilarious juggler, a non-boring illusionist and his contortionist wife. WOW! There was the usual complement of game shows - pretty fun. I just could not stand the main cruise staff guy - his assistants were much better. Bars - Great assortment of bars and the happiest and friendliest bartenders ever! Fast service but since the ship only had 1300 PAX service and seating was never an issue. Specialty Dining - Hands down, Cagney's was the best. We were very disappointed in Le Bistro. Mediocre food. My filet of sole was full of bones. The French Onion soup just had a sprinkling of Parmesan on top. No lamb chops. The Chocolate dessert with the long name was just a HoHo in disguise. La Cucina was ok. We just weren't that hungry that night - weren't feeling too well near the end of the cruise. Buffet - I am not ashamed to admit that I loved the buffet - for all the meals. Lots of variety. Unexpected delights like a huge bowl of cashews, gravlax, the best and ripest cantaloupe I have had on a cruise. Ginza - appetizers excellent, entrees meh. (ate here twice). I will add more in the upcoming days. Meanwhile happy to answer any questions!

I know that you can upgrade your "free" internet minutes onboard, and that it is best to wait till the second day of the cruise before logging in - thanks to all the posters on this board. What I want to know is that are better discounts offered as the cruise progresses?

Only been on Getaway and Bliss. Preferred the Bliss - the Observation Lounge was awesome!

Thinking of upgrading to the Family Suite on Star. Does it have a balcony? I have received conflicting info on this. Would the upgrade include free wifi for the duration of the cruise? What other amenities would we get? I really appreciate your answers!

We will be sailing on Star this summer. Have been on Bliss and Getaway. Anything special, not-to-be missed about Star?