Angelo_R

One quick yet useful tip, bring any standard gift card (empty/no balance) to use in your stateroom for the lights. To turn on the lights you need to put your keycard in the slot, and when you leave and take your keycard, the lights go out. It's a pain sometimes using your room key, but it's just a contact and has nothing to do with your specific keycard. Just bring an empty gift card that you can stick in the slot. When you leave the room, just pull it up until the lights turn off and leave the gift card there.

The policy quoted specifically states that there is no limit. There has never been one to my knowledge.

3 years ago when getting ready for the Dawn, it did state a limit of 1/1. As always, things change... but it is truly beneficial to bring what you like on the ship and save some $$. You can buy a soda package for $65 or bring on a 24-pack of your favorite soda (even if you're flying in you can get them the night before near the hotel probably) for $7-8. Just a note, the Star only had Pepsi, so if you want a rum and coke, it will be rum and pepsi which some people don't like. I would imagine that NCL probably has a contract with Pepsi on all their ships, but don't quote me on that statement.

We're booked in an inside room at the moment (one of the square ones on deck 5 - interesting) and are going to try for Vibe passes so if anyone has any experience with those, please do tell. I don't think my parents want to drive us the hour and a bit to the port of Miami at 8 am. Realistically, what time should we try to get there? I haven't really seen too many posts about people getting there around 10 and not getting passes if they headed straight to guest services.

Well they probably won't start boarding until noon, maybe 11:30 at the earliest. But the earlier you get there, the less time you have to spend in the security line and check-in counter. At least you can be comfortable sitting in the waiting area instead of standing in lines. When we went on the Getaway in Jan 2015, we got there early by accident - our ride had something to do at 10 so she dropped us off at 9:30am and we were the first in the security area. We had to sit and wait for 30 minutes before they started scanning people. I'd say get there around 10-10:30am. By the time you unload, go through security, and do all your paperwork at the check-in counter, it will be 11:15-11:30 and you won't wait long to board.

And does anyone have experience in these square shaped cabins on the -away class?

If there's only 2 of you, then the 3rd bed hanging shouldn't be a concern unless you plan on doing some weird things :rolleyes: On our cabin crawl which included 15 cabins, there was not one that was square shaped so I can't comment on that.

Anything amazing at the Garden Cafe we should try?

If something looks good, try it. If something looks bad, try it. It's a free, unlimited buffet so try it all - just take a small portion and go back for more if you enjoy it!

If we're not going to be eating at any of the specialty restaurants and not going to Legally Blonde, as a party of two do we really need to make reservations for anything? I imagine we'll go to the duelling pianos and some of the comedy shows, and I've heard Burn the Floor is great, can anyone explain exactly what the Burn the Floor show is? Do we need reservations for any of these? Should we try to see the dancers in the Tropicana Room instead? What nights do they perform?

From my CC review here of the Getaway, "Burn the Floor" was outstanding, despite the dancers sweaty clothes after 10 minutes... but they danced non-stop for an hour! "Legally Blonde" was good, but if you've seen the movie then you've seen this already!

My opinion, but I recommend seeing all shows on NCL. Even the MEH ones are good. 4 different NCL cruises (Dawn, Pearl, Getaway, Star) and there really hasn't been a "bad" show. You paid for the entertainment, why not watch it. As far as reservations, make them early... like the first day or you will be in the waiting queue! It's probably the most annoying thing on the bigger ships that you need to know what you will be doing all week on the first day. Get the iConcierge App on your phone (see my review about it) and you can do all your reservations from the app. I also suggest you check your account every day on the app to make sure you aren't getting charged for something you didn't get (happened to me twice on the Star). Especially if you have the UDP, you don't get receipts to sign anymore.

Our ports are Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. We'll probably just walk around and "shop" and head to a free beach - ship excursions are just too expensive for us right now with the Canadian dollar being so bad. If you have any cheap recommendations of things to do in these places, please let us know!

We pick 1 excursion to do at 1 port. The rest we just get off, browse, shop, or find a beach as well. But if you can swing it, climbing the falls in Ocho Rios is fun and you get some exercise while wading in cool water!

I'd have to look back at pictures and what we did in Grand Cayman but I know we got a taxi and think we went to "7-mile beach"?!? It was gorgeous and I had my own snorkel gear (Walmart - $35) and one of the foldable floats ($15) that were easy to pack. Floated around while snorkeling and looking at the beautiful fish.

Cozumel we usually rent a jeep from the locals (not Alamo) for $60 and drive around the island - first to the south lighthouse Punta Sur (I think it's $4/pp to get in and climb the lighthouse only or $12/pp to do the lighthouse and use the beach by the lighthouse). Then drive another 17 clicks from the lighthouse to a restaurant that we can never remember the name of (sorry). Great food, cheap Dos Equis, and a beautiful cove to snorkel. However, last week the weather was not so great and we walked the strip of stores, got our free charms and jewelry at the shops, and then went to Senor Frogs for about 3 hours with our new friends and got on wifi. Definetely an interesting and fun place. Don't get caught up in the ladies with the whistles and shots - they'll get $20 out of you in a matter of seconds!

Costa Maya we just went to last week. Normally we just peruse the shops, but we made some friends on the ship and they made a reservation at the Tropicante <- follow link. Make a reservation for a table or beach chairs. Steve is the owner and is very nice and informative. Grab a taxi when you get off the ship and tell them Tropicante - it costs $2 per person for the ride. The water is beautiful and the food/drinks are great. Some peddlers are walking around selling stuff. If you don't like what you see just say "No gracias" and they walk away. A great experience. I have pictures on my Google Docs here.

I've heard a lot about the glow party and all the other stuff at Spice at night, what about Bliss Ultra Lounge? Is that fun? I imagine the parties on the open deck finish earlier and then Bliss is open late?

Everything on the ship was extremely loud. We are not old fuddy duddys, but we are not big on loud where you can't talk to others without yelling directly in their ear. Even the Latitudes Rewards party where you should be meeting fellow cruisers and having a drink had extremely blaring music except when the captain was speaking. But hey, if you like loud clubs then you'll love it!

Is the ice bar worth the $20 entry (we have the UBP so the included drinks aren't really much of an incentive and I can be cold in Canada lol)?

It's something different, but it's a gimmick.

Does O'Sheehan's charge to use the skeeball etc?

As stated above, the bowling alleys (which I'm assuming you're referring to as skeeball as it's a small ball to roll on a mini bowling lane at pins on strings) cost $5. If you mean skeeball as in the small balls you roll and try and make the ball jump into the 10/20/30/40/50 target, I think they have those in the video arcade and yes those would cost money too (slide your keycard and it gets charged to your account).

Sorry this totally ended up being a hot mess of random questions but any advice is totally appreciated, about NCL or about the Getaway or about any of the ports.

A mess of questions is good... it means you care about your cruising experience. Enjoy your cruise - you make it what you want. Don't let a bad experience make you upset the whole trip. Take suggestions and comments from others into consideration, but also take them with a grain of salt. While we didn't personally like the Getaway due to all the issues listed in my review, it doesn't mean it won't be your cup of tea. We just enjoy the smaller ships (2k-2.5k passengers). We had the Thermal Spa package and used it quite a bit to get away from all the loudness. We have enough clubs in our area if we want a night of loud music! We want to be entertained, not be deaf ;)

I had meant incorrect when you said there was a limit. ;)

I thought you were saying we couldn't bring water/soda on at all. Be more clear next time... :p

It is the same as the Jewel, and even on the Spring Break cruise last year on Jewel, I had a spa pass (as did DH) and there was RARELY more than a couple of people in there at once.

 

The unisex part has lockers, like 3 showers, a hottub, sitting area, a cold pool, a sauna and a steam room. Not fancy, but some decent real estate. No heated tile lounges in the unisex area though.

Thanks for the info. We may just do day passes 2 or 3 times then since we are making more friends on the ships now and missing out on spa time!

What services are free and what ones do you pay for?? Is the charge per day or for the whole trip? Thank you

I did a write up on iConcierge App here from the NCL Star. I also used it on the Getaway Jan 2015. I don't know if it was our phones (iphone 4s) or the wifi on the Getaway, but on-board calling/texting portion (which is what you pay for) didn't work well at all. We have iPhone 6s when we just did the NCL Star, but didn't try the call/text feature. We just used it for Account Review, What's Going On, and some of the other information only stuff.

Incorrect. No such policy.

I beg to differ... Here's the policy:

https://www.ncl.com/faq#can-i-bring-my-own-water-or-soda-onboard

As I'm carrying on a case of water and soda strapped to the top of my roller bag, everyone looks at me in line and says "how can you do that" and I say "It's in the policy that each guest can take on 1 12-pack of soda and 1 case of water". I guess they took out the limit now, so that's even better!

If you book and sail by Apr 30, 2016, you can use 2 certs at one time, so the person wasn't lying for the "testing" promo. But it is 1 per cabin. Even if you bought the haven cruisenext certs (which the value vs credit seems small) you can only use one at a time.

It is not nearly as big as the Pearl. It is very relaxing though and we have not found it crowded. They only sell 100 passes for the week we were told.

Wow' date=' 100 passes for that little place? Anyone have pics or video of the mens/womens only areas? I just did a writeup and video of the Star Thermal Spa area here. They only sell 60 passes at $119 pre-pay and it has a lap pool and hot tub and therapy spa for coed, but no tile loungers.

We are looking at the Jade on Nov 13th 7-Day Western Caribbean (same as Star right now) for our anniversary. We love the ports and sailing out of Tampa and haven't been on the Jade yet. Wish the Dawn would come back! Getaway's spa was nice and lots of coed amenities but was expensive at $199/pp. Glad we had it though because the weather was not great on deck.

I believe the policy is 1 12-pack of soda and 1 case of water per person through carry-on security. They charge $48 for a 12- or 24-pack of water on board. But a $3.59 case of water at Walmartthe night before and carry it on! We do it each cruise since there is a fridge in all staterooms (unlike Carnival - at least the Victory didn't have a fridge in inside staterooms).

Sorry to say but the pictures do not prove anything else than that the contents were there on the very moment the picture was taken, you can't prove anything after that.

 

A before picture might be good for helping to restock the fridge correctly, but the after picture is completely moot.

The picture is just for us. I could take everything from the mini-bar... Its up to them to prove I did other than the steward saying its not there. Since its a separate charge after the fact with no billing or signature, it is easier to dispute it with the cc to have it removed because there is no documentation. I did nothing wrong here so I have a clear conscious should I have to dispute it.

Sorry, I replied and then noticed that the $9.94 charge is cleared, so it is probably worth making the call. Whether you will get anywhere or not is another matter. I suspect that they have found an additional charge which they have applied afterwards (mini bar possibly). The discussions which you will enter into will probably be interesting. :)

 

The second charge is no problem and will just disappear.

I called and waited 11 minutes for an operator to pickup. I explained the issue of the $9.94 charge. She said it was the mini-bar but had no details. She told me to go to ncl.com, choose 'Help, Contact Us" the. "Post-cruise guest relations" and click the "click herr" and fill out the form with the issue.

As far as the mini-bar, we remove all items from the fridge and put them on the upper shelf above the fridge and put our soda/water in. At the end, we put everything back. We take a pic before and after to verify everything is there.

I just uploaded 92 pictures to my Google Docs Pictures folder. More to come along with more information and reviewed areas of the ship.

O'Sheehans is basically a kid's menu - burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, mozzerella sticks, and fish and chips. The only thing missing is mac & cheese and PB&J!

Nice review so far. I'm doing my own as well from our 1/31-2/7 sailing. Not sure if you got any menu pictures, but I'm recreating all that I have and missing Le Bistro, Moderno, and Teppenyaki. If you have them please let me know.

When we were on the Getaway, we had our first experience with O'Sheehan's and they always scanned our card. Same on this trip. I'm assuming it's mostly to keep track of tables and business to see when they would need to add/remove staff. They do the same at the MDRs, Ginza, and Specialty restaurants. As far as the wings, I had a total of 50 on the Getaway over the course of a week. I only had 12 on the Star. Also, O'Sheehans on the Getaway had Fried Mozzerella Sticks on the menu and 2 prime rib nights, the Star does not have the sticks and only has 1 prime rib night.

Was one if our favorite spots. We watched the sunset while DH had a cigar almost every night. Great bartenders, good drinks. Only time there was a 5 min wait was during sail away , but an orderly line was formed, with quick service . Great spot to watch poolside activities too

Safe sailing

Just got off the Star. Every time I looked toward the Biergarten it was packed so I avoided it like the plague. I never waited more than 4 minutes for a drink at Topsiders Bar if I was in that area.

I was on the Star from 1/31-2/7 and saw the price of a 750ml bottle of Lindeman's wine that i can get at Walmart for $3.64 and my wife likes... on the ship it's $48! So needless to say if she wants wine and we don't have the UBP, I will bring a few bottles and pay $15 corkage per bottle and save $30 + 18% gratuity!

By the way, I took a picture of what the corkage fee should be - $15 for 750ml and $30 for 1.5L - see attached pdf. If you're getting the larger bottles corked at $15, you're getting a deal! I don't know if they recently changed it with all their a la carte pricing, service charge increases, and other fees.

NCL Corkage Fee.pdf

When I got home off the NCL Star this past Sunday, I checked my CC and saw a charge for $1,700 which was a hold, and the $724 which was the actual charge ($500 of that was for four $250 CruiseNext credits, the rest was the daily $13.50/pp service charge, a couple of shirts, and port taxes on drinks in Tampa). I have the final paper bill, and seeing this thread reminded me to check my account again. The $1,700 hold is gone, the $724 is cleared, I now have a $9.94 charge that cleared which I have no idea what it is, and I have another $724 in pending... I hate when companies can't get billing correct and I have to stay on hold waiting to resolve it. Guess I'll be doing this tomorrow!

Hey Angelo' date=' quick question....I am curious if your friend got the upgrade to the GV for free or was there a upcharge? I am booked for owners suite and maybe we will get lucky also! thanks for your answer and amazing review[/quote']

 

If I remember correctly, she said she called about the upgrade and it was available for $1,800. Considering it's around $8,500/pp for the GV, I think she jumped on it quickly!

Angelo, could you verify the cost of the unlimited internet package on the ship? On My NCL it is listing for $209.93 ($29.99/day) and waives the connect fee. If it is definitely $178.88 on ship I will wait. I guess if they have changed for my March cruise all it will cost me is the $3.95 fee to wait and see.

I took a picture of the flyer in the Garden Villa sitting next to the laptop on Saturday 2/6. It was the first time I had even seen that there was an unlimited internet package. It has no date on it and could not have been updated if a newer one exists - or as on most documents they say "prices subject to change". Click on the link to my Google Docs above and you can see it and possibly use it to call them and ask why it's different on MyNCL versus what is advertised on the ship's flyers.

Norwegian iConcierge App

The Norwegian iConcierge App is basically like having all the Freestyles in your hand at once. It also allows you to call/text others on the ship for $7.95/per device using the ship’s wifi.

Informational: This FREE part of the app I would give a 4 out of 5. It gives you the Freestyle for the entire week in your hand, ability to reserve venue times (paid or free on larger ships), see and reserve dining options (no hours of operation or specialties like Prime Rib night, but all restaurants and most of the general menus), buy CruiseNext Credits, and a host of other features. The best feature is being able to review your stateroom account at any time. Be sure to do this because if you're not signing for a drink on the UBP, you may get charged for something you didn't get like a bottle of water which isn’t included in the UBP (story on that above). I recommend loading the app before boarding, then put your phone in Airplane mode but turn on the Wifi and connect to the ship's wifi. You can only use the features while on board the ship and connected to the wifi. There are no internet charges to just connect to the ship's wifi and use this app.

Text/Calling: This is the part you pay for. It costs $7.95/per device (for the entire trip) to use to text or call others with the app on the ship including calling directly to staterooms. Also, you can call outside numbers (and others can call you) for $0.79/minute (whereas using your stateroom phone will cost you $4.99/minute). You get a unique phone number to call/text while on wifi that shows up in the app as ‘Your Number’ which you can give to others to add to their app (all occupants in your stateroom are quick listed in the phone portion of the app). However, we did not use the feature on this trip. We were on the Getaway January 2015 and had poor experience with trying to contact each other around the ship. Thankfully they refunded us the fees. When we thought about using it to text our new peeps on the Star (and make it easier to find/meet them), we didn't get the package. On a side note, my wife lost her iPhone for a day and we tried calling it from my phone. We would have found it had she not put it in complete silent mode. We ended up locating it in the Garden Villa where we were the prior evening. It fell out of her sweater and slipped into the couch cushions.

Internet Packages

I have added the NCL Internet Fees flyer to Google Docs. When we sail, it is the only time I truly disconnect from the world, so unless there is an emergency, I don’t take part with the internet fees. On occasion while in ports we have a drink at a bar/restaurant that has wifi.

You can access the internet from any of your devices or at the internet café (Garden Villas and I think Owner Suites come with a laptop on the desk for your convenience). I can’t say how fast the internet is on the Star, but listening to others it is slow but steady. You can choose from the following plans:

Time Plan 1 – 250 minutes for $125.00 ($0.50 per minute)

Time Plan 2 – 100 minutes for $75.00 ($0.75 per minute)

Unlimited Cruise Plan - $24.99 per day ($178.88 including activation fee) – must be purchased by 10pm on 2nd day of cruise and is for entire voyage – no single day packages available.

There is a $3.95 account activation fee for first time login with any plan. You can print documents for $0.50 per document. The Internet café on deck 9 Mid is open 24 hours and until 10:00pm on the last night of the ship.

Hi, thanks for this info. Was it possible to buy the day passes online in advance or is that only available if there is room on the day?

No day passes available online, only the $119/pp package. They are only available at the spa reception desk on deck 11, and I believe they offer the day pass based on occupancy at the time or expected occupancy for the day (sea day, weather conditions on deck, etc).

Also, a tip to get to the Mandara Spa on deck 11. The aft elevator only goes from deck 7-13 and deck 11 is a bit hard to maneuver with the Kid Zone blocking the port side. Either get to deck 7, go to the aft elevators, and go up to deck 11; or go up to deck 12 from fwd/mid elevators, walk all the way through the market cafe on the starboard side, then go down the stairs next to the fitness center, or take the elevator down to 11.

Here is the 2015/16/17 (through April 2017) Cruise Itinerary Guide that they had on the ship. I'm sure many of you have seen it already, but for those that haven't it's a good summary of each ship...

It is uploaded to my Google Docs NCL Star trip under 'Other Documents' folder:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bx2uAjHxV3p4RjRGMFNGLTNhQk0&usp=sharing

Thermal Spa Package

The Mandara Spa on the Star offers the Thermal Spa package. It is the best way to "get away" on a sea day or after an excursion. It's a serene location to relax for an hour, or all day! It's great for bad weather days on deck to still enjoy a pool/spa. For those that don't like kids running around screaming (they're having fun, but they are loud to say the least), there are no children allowed. We loved the Mandara Spa on the other ships, and we wanted to make sure we got it this time again. I pre-paid online to save $20/pp and make sure we had our spot. After getting some food at the Market Cafe, we went to the spa and looked around and got the stickers on our key cards.

When you go to the Mandara Spa on Deck 11 Aft, you give them your key card and they give you a wrist band so you don't damage your card in the water. Go back to the desk when you're done and swap again for your key card.

I normally go to the Spa every morning after working out in the Fitness Center. I have a gym bag with all my stuff for a shower and change of clothes after enjoying the spa. We would also try to go in the afternoon/evening. Trying to do the many parties, shows, eating, and other "freestyle activities" AND fit in the spa is challenging. If you do dinner at 5:30 and see the show at 7:00, you can go to the spa from 8-10pm. You want to get the most out of your $20/pp/pd and actually get to use the spa! We only ended up using the spa 3 or 4 times this trip – we found so much to do this sailing, and also the added alcohol is not a good mix with a hot tub.

The number of people they allow to buy the package on the Star is maximum 60 because of it's smaller size. Be sure to purchase the Thermal Spa package online before embarkation and save $20/pp. It's $119/pp online, and $139/pp on the ship. There is also an option for a day pass which is $20 or $25/pp.

Each NCL Thermal Spa is different and we always want to know what we will be enjoying while on the ship. Watch my 4 minute Video Tour of the Thermal Spa.

Thermal Spa operating hours during the sailing:

Day 1 (Sunday Embarkation) - 5pm - 10pm

Day 2-6 (Mon - Fri) - 8am - 10pm

Day 7 (Saturday) - 8am - 9pm

Closed Debarkation Day

You could probably get in earlier (7am) if you're coming down from a morning workout from the fitness center and ask nicely if someone is walking around. I did it twice to take a shower in the locker room so I wouldn't wake up my wife.

Included amenities for the NCL Star Thermal Spa:

Common (Co-ed) Area:

- Heated Lap Pool (2.5 ft shallow, 3.5 ft deep end)

- Therapy Pool - Seats 4-5 - Lounge chair bars with bubbles from underneath - Temp 100-105 degrees.

- Hot Tub - Seats 5-6 - Standard hot tub with jets for back, bottom, and feet - Temp 100-105 degrees

- 12 Lounge chairs facing aft windows

- 1 table with 6 chairs near the aft area

- 3 shower stalls to rinse off before/after

- Flavored ice water, hot water, many teas to choose from

2 "Quiet" rooms that can be shared:

- Either side of the lounge chairs that you can enter from the main area or the men's or women's locker rooms

- Has 6 chairs with ottomans in each quiet room, more comfortable than the wooden lounge chairs in the common area.

- Look out the aft windows, read a book, or there is a TV that can be turned on (be sure everyone else in the room won't mind the TV).

Men's Locker Room:

- Hot and Cold tubs - 1 person hot water and cold water tubs

- Sauna

- Steam Room - seats 3-4

- 3 stall showers with doors

- 3 open showers

- 30-40 electronic code lockers (you pick the code)

- Towels and Robes

Women's Locker Room:

- Steam Room - seats 3-4

- 3 stall showers with doors

- 30-40 electronic code lockers.

- Towels and Robes

As a comparison, other ships offer some of the following as well:

- Heated stone lounge chairs

- Co-ed Sauna/Steam Room

- Salt Room (Getaway, Breakaway)

- Pressure jets in the pool for neck/back

Another Helpful Tip

- Get a lanyard to hold your key card (for adults and kids). You can get one with a plastic pocket that can hold other cards/money, but you have to pull it out each time you use it. We just have a clip on the lanyard, and after boarding go to the guest services to have them punch a hole in the card. Having the lanyard around your neck makes it easier to get off and on the ship at ports, give it to the bartender or waiter for drinks/food, and easier to find in the room (hang it on the coat hook near the door).

Wow! Great review! I'm looking forward to reading more. We leave on the Star March 20th and it can't get here fast enough [emoji1]

Thank you. I thought I could go back and edit the main post, but I guess the forums only allow for a 5 or 10 minute edit, then lock it. Kinda messes up my whole mojo.

Love this review. Great reading and so informative.

Thanks. I try to put information that I would want to know about or research before going on a ship. I did forget to take pictures of some of the menus in all the excitement (and drinks).

Quick question--how do you get to your files saved on Google docs? Anxious to see the menus.

The link is in the first post near the top, but I didn't make it stand out. Here it is again:

Google Docs Link

I have the folder publicly shared so you should be able to get to it. I tested it on another machine I wasn't logged in to Google and it worked. If you're having trouble, let me know.