NCL STAR not a ship for Alaska cruising.

[razz29]

furluvcats,

 

When you book ANY cruise, YOU NEED TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST.

 

The Norwegian Star was originally designed as a gambling ship for Star Cruises. It was to be called Superstar Libra, and planned to sail the South China Sea (where it is always warm) out of Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

When Star Cruises decided to give it to their new subsidiary, NCL, they made a very few alterations to adapt it to sailing in Hawaii (where it is always warm), and changed the name.

 

A few years ago, NCL found they could make far more profit by sailing the ship in Alaska - and rely on nimrods who don't do their homework to fill up the ship.

 

Very noble of you to tell us how you screwed up. Hopefully you learned your lesson.

 

Name calling....Really? Shouldn't you have outgrown that stage in your life? Do you honestly think people should research the entire past history of the ship before they go on vacation? I'm pretty sure one would presume that if a ship makes regular trips to Alaska, the ship would be suited for those trips. It doesn't make sense that one would have to do a history report before going on vacation. Your just talking nonsense. Think about it!

[furluvcats]

I agree, the Star without a forward observation lounge won't be the best ship viewing Alaska inside. I believe this is her last year of Alaskan itineraries.

 

However, never assume every ship has a forward observation lounge, or for that matter similar deck plans. Your mistake was to assume...

 

It wasnt an assumption..as previously stated I was on the Star previously, and when I booked Alaska..new deck plans werent being shown. I am a pretty savvy cruiser and know my stuff...this has been my only disspointing cruise in 17 cruises

[furluvcats]

furluvcats,

 

When you book ANY cruise, YOU NEED TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST.

 

The Norwegian Star was originally designed as a gambling ship for Star Cruises. It was to be called Superstar Libra, and planned to sail the South China Sea (where it is always warm) out of Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

When Star Cruises decided to give it to their new subsidiary, NCL, they made a very few alterations to adapt it to sailing in Hawaii (where it is always warm), and changed the name.

 

A few years ago, NCL found they could make far more profit by sailing the ship in Alaska - and rely on nimrods who don't do their homework to fill up the ship.

 

Very noble of you to tell us how you screwed up. Hopefully you learned your lesson.

there is absolutely no need for your rudeness...since you apparently need a refresher on what I have said..I sailed the Star previously...all was great as she was...when I booked for Alaska no modifications were released ...I expected the same rooms I had previously experienced. NCL nor my TA notified me of any changes...

 

This thread is to meant to be informative...not a playground for flamers. If you are not contributing something useful, why bother posting? =/

[TNGALOHA]

furluvcats did you notice people staying at the window tables in the buffet even more than usual?

 

 

We were on the same cruise as furluvcats and let me say it was the cruise from hell!!!!!!!

Yes people stayed at the window tables from the minute the buffet opened until late at night! in fact they even SLEPT at the tables and unless you were with their large group of 1500 people you were not allowed to sit there.

They also filled all of the veiwing windows on the main deck and they would sit there all day and night they even laid down to sleep there. Hopefully by the time those of you that are getting on board on the 22nd they will have the ladies bathroom fixed by the theatre.

When we were on the ship the bathroom always had a couple of inches of water on the floor and the toilets wouldn't flush. Yes I did bring it up to the crew and was told that they would get someone to fix it. Never happened!!!

As far as the Spinnaker went we didn't mind the fact that it had been moved inside because we had a balcony cabin, we also knew that with the ship being in such cold water the pool and all wouldn't be something we needed to worry about. What we didn't like is that we weren't told about the big affinity group being booked onboard and for the noise all day long with all of the construction of the new suites.

As you can tell by our siggy we have cruised many cruiselines and we don't expect the crew to keep us entertained but once in a while it would have been nice to have more then 2 trivia games a day planned, no arts and crafts, or any lectures for other ships in their lines, especially when you have so may sea days.

[furluvcats]

well said Gerry. Chloe and I are looking at doing Alaska again later this summer...on The oosterdam! lol

[mew1]

furluvcats,

 

When you book ANY cruise, YOU NEED TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST.

 

Very noble of you to tell us how you screwed up. Hopefully you learned your lesson.

 

Normally I do not speak up about people, but you are being SO MEAN, I was on that cruise, and spent over 1 year researching planning my cabin and dreaming of the cruise. I splurged on a PENTHOUSE, deck 8. When I booked spinnakers was in the front of the ship, a lovely place to hang out have a drink, meet with friends for sailaway. Then things changed, I ended up above the spinnaker, and nightclub, some nights it was noisy, the bass would rumble the bed. The group spoke of was very territorial, and claimed many areas, traveled in LARGE groups so no one stood a chance. The original poster was not just stating facts. And just so you know I am a NCL cheerleader, and even I was upset by this cruise.

Mew1

Mary

[Budget Queen]

Try the Pearl next time. Just got off her on May 9th and the viewing of

what Alaska has to offer was terrific. She's a gret ship with a great crew.:)

 

Actually having sailed both the Pearl and Star to Alaska, the Pearl has the crappiest front deck viewing space with the Star Grossly superior.

 

So depends- IF you choose to spend time outside, the Star forward viewing is the winner. IF you want inside viewing then the Pearl wins. :) Neither counting on any cabin viewing. Just public space.

[Budget Queen]

Those who have returned- did the ship sail up inside Vancouver Island?? Southbound outside Vancouver Island? Did you make the Tracy Arm transit- get up to the South Sawyer Glacier??

 

 

Yep, I'm taking a "survey". :)

[neuron0864]

Hi, we are planning on August Alaska cruise and see this thread. After some research on the Internet it seems the original Spinnaker Lounge (on deck 12) is replaced by a set of new Family Suite (AJ) class, according to NCL site. I'm thinking either trying other ship or booking cabin that has balcony on Star. Anyone know if this new Family Suite has balcony, or just floor to ceiling windows, since it is on deck 12. It is the only economical suite that allow up to 6 accomodation, and my family has 2 adults, 1 teenager, 2 kids, so it look promising for us if the new suite has good view.

[mew1]

NONE of the new cabins will have balconies.

[seastheday]

This is really sad news. Our first NCL cruise way back in 2006 was to Alaska on the Star. It sold us on NCL. We spent so much time in the Spinnaker just sitting at the windows and watching the scenery go by...more time probably than we spent on our balcony. We're going to Alaska summer of 2011 and will most likely go Princess.

 

Bad move NCL. If you wanted different cabin arrangements, it would have been wiser to change up some of the existing ones. Quiet, multi-use public spaces with great views are hard to come by and highly appreciated by your customers. Star already lacks a Great Outdoors...can't think of a single reason I'd go on her now. :rolleyes:

[SeaShark]

NONE of the new cabins will have balconies.

 

Not sure where you got that information...but it is incorrect. This has been addressed ad nauseum in other threads.

 

We spent so much time in the Spinnaker just sitting at the windows and watching the scenery go by...more time probably than we spent on our balcony.

 

I'm sure that we all understand that NCL is a business and, much like any other business, NCL must show a profit to be successful and survive.

 

While there may be an appeal to "sitting at the windows and watching the scenery go by", unless that translates to income, I can't see how any business could support it.

 

NCL made the decision to replace a large amount of space where they were not making money with space that would increase the bottom line. It really seems like a no-brainer. NCL has to make money from their passengers above and beyond the cruise fare...they cannot afford to fill their ships with passengers who stare out windows.

 

As for not having a reason to sail this ship...we'll have to see how reality treats that opinion. Like the Star, the new Norwegian Epic does NOT have a forward Spinnaker lounge where passengers can sit all day looking out of windows. They have TWO levels of cabins in the front with the full length window set-up that you will find on the Star. If you think the Star's set up is so terrible...how do you think the Epic will fare without the forward observation lounge....and double the passenger load?

[ieatchickens]

While there may be an appeal to "sitting at the windows and watching the scenery go by", unless that translates to income, I can't see how any business could support it.

 

NCL made the decision to replace a large amount of space where they were not making money with space that would increase the bottom line. It really seems like a no-brainer. NCL has to make money from their passengers above and beyond the cruise fare...they cannot afford to fill their ships with passengers who stare out windows.

 

Not trying to be a smart bottom here or anything but isn't the Spinnaker a bar? My guess is most cruise lines make revenue by having their passengers stare out the window with drink in hand. Bars must be a fairly good revenue generators since there are so many on these ships.

[alaskacruiser2010]

We just got back from our Alaska cruise May 8 - May 14 on the Star and are extremely disappointed. We had to stand in line for 2-3 hours on May 8th in Vancouver to go through customs before we could board the ship. I understand this was not NCL's problem but it really irked me when we finally got on board there was a guy holding out a tray of drinks, which I assumed were complimentary due to the long wait, but no sooner had I taken a drink off the tray then the guy was asking for my cabin number and giving me a reciept to sign.

 

Alaska was beautiful and we enjoyed our shore excusions but on our two days at sea there was not much to do but sit in our cabins. The planned activiites like art auctions and wine tastings always involved spending more money. Quite honestly I felt like I was being hustled for money the entire cruise.

 

I have been on other cruises including Royal Carribean, Carnival, and Celebrity and don't remember feeling so nickeled and dimed like I did on NCL. I don't expect to get drinks and shore excursions for free but could anything be complimentary other than the food?

 

We went on this trip with another couple that was celebrating their anniversary and I ordered a package for them which included champagne, which was never delivered to the cabin.

 

I like the idea of freestyle cruising but to eat in any of the restaurants it cost between $15-25 per person. Then when you sat down to order there was another upcharge on certain dishes which was added to the cover charge.

 

The decor in my cabin, 11118 was old and dingy, the cabin was dusty and the bathroom was a joke. The toilet stall was so small my husband could not pull up his pants after using the toilet. Twice the shower would not turn off and we had to call someone to fix it. Calls to "00" seemed pretty useless because one day our shower ran all day because noone came to fix it after a call to "00".

 

We only went to the Spinnaker a couple of times but each time we did we were badgered to death by the waiters asking us if we wanted drinks.

 

The elevators were always crowded as was the market cafe. The food was not worth the hassle of having to find a seat.

 

If you are considering a cruise on NCL be sure to double whatever you spend on your cabin for all of the incidentals like drinks, photos and shore excursions. So although I thought paying $2,000 for a balcony cabin was pretty reasonable we ended up spending $4,000 after all the extras. I would never cruise on NCL again.

[SeaShark]

Not trying to be a smart bottom here or anything but isn't the Spinnaker a bar? My guess is most cruise lines make revenue by having their passengers stare out the window with drink in hand. Bars must be a fairly good revenue generators since there are so many on these ships.

 

 

That is a very good point...IF those people are sitting there with drink in hand.

 

However, don't forget a few other points:

 

1] The Star did not lose the Spinnaker Lounge...they just moved it. So anyone who wants that drink still has a place to buy one.

 

2] The new location has more seating than did the old location...so there is more capacity for scheduled events....like bingo.

 

3] The Star did not lose the viewing windows, either. The major difference is that there are many people that will now pay a premium price to have those views.

 

4] You are correct in your observation that bars must be good generators of revenue based on their numbers on ships. However...one should then agree that "viewing lounges" are NOT good generators of revenue based on their numbers on ships. Most ships have only one....and some have none.

[wg6530]

I'm sure that we all understand that NCL is a business and, much like any other business, NCL must show a profit to be successful and survive.

 

While there may be an appeal to "sitting at the windows and watching the scenery go by", unless that translates to income, I can't see how any business could support it.

 

NCL made the decision to replace a large amount of space where they were not making money with space that would increase the bottom line. It really seems like a no-brainer. NCL has to make money from their passengers above and beyond the cruise fare...they cannot afford to fill their ships with passengers who stare out windows.

 

As for not having a reason to sail this ship...we'll have to see how reality treats that opinion. Like the Star, the new Norwegian Epic does NOT have a forward Spinnaker lounge where passengers can sit all day looking out of windows. They have TWO levels of cabins in the front with the full length window set-up that you will find on the Star. If you think the Star's set up is so terrible...how do you think the Epic will fare without the forward observation lounge....and double the passenger load?

 

I love NCL, but I'm not crazy about this renovation. I think the OP made good points that will be valued by prospective future cruisers.

 

I think the Star's revenue math is complicated. Think of all those passengers in the Star's in 359 inside cabins (no view) and 250 OV cabins (not that great view in general). On a scenic itinerary like Alaska, many of them want to be able to sit somewhere bright and with a pretty view. Plus half the balcony cabins may be on the wrong side for a particular sight at a particular time. If it is cool, rainy or windy, many people will seek an indoor space, even if they have a balcony. If many of those passengers park themselves by the windows in the Garden Cafe (perhaps spending less $ than in a bar), they will frustrate diners (and staff). It may seem noisy, crowded, less clean. Unhappy passengers=less onboard revenue, less loyalty and worse reviews. Worse reviews will probably lead to less demand and decreased fares on future cruises. Can the fancy new rooms really pull in enough to increase total revenue? NCL must think so, but I'm not so sure. I will not be shocked if total revenues decline if the ship contiues to sail scenic itineraries. Maybe fine for the caribbean, but Star did not make my short list for Alaska this year.

 

Epic is a whole different animal, probably drawing a different crowd for a different reason. She will not be sailing the scenic itineraries of Alaska and Panama any time soon (too big). She'll have views, I presume, from Spice on 15 and 16 rear, Garden Cafe 15 forward, and perhaps LaCucina 14 forward. That should be enough views for the caribbean.

[mew1]

Not sure where you got that information...but it is incorrect. This has been addressed ad nauseum in other threads.

 

 

 

I'm sure that we all understand that NCL is a business and, much like any other business, NCL must show a profit to be successful and survive.

 

While there may be an appeal to "sitting at the windows and watching the scenery go by", unless that translates to income, I can't see how any business could support it.

 

NCL made the decision to replace a large amount of space where they were not making money with space that would increase the bottom line. It really seems like a no-brainer. NCL has to make money from their passengers above and beyond the cruise fare...they cannot afford to fill their ships with passengers who stare out window

 

1. was on the ship, spoke to hotel director, also was taken past some of the cabins, all they had was big picture windows, maybe others will have balconies.

 

2. spent much time in spinakers on windy cold days, and also spent money on drinks there.

[terrymtex01]

We just got back from our Alaska cruise May 8 - May 14 on the Star and are extremely disappointed. We had to stand in line for 2-3 hours on May 8th in Vancouver to go through customs before we could board the ship. I understand this was not NCL's problem but it really irked me when we finally got on board there was a guy holding out a tray of drinks, which I assumed were complimentary due to the long wait, but no sooner had I taken a drink off the tray then the guy was asking for my cabin number and giving me a reciept to sign.

 

Alaska was beautiful and we enjoyed our shore excusions but on our two days at sea there was not much to do but sit in our cabins. The planned activiites like art auctions and wine tastings always involved spending more money. Quite honestly I felt like I was being hustled for money the entire cruise.

 

I have been on other cruises including Royal Carribean, Carnival, and Celebrity and don't remember feeling so nickeled and dimed like I did on NCL. I don't expect to get drinks and shore excursions for free but could anything be complimentary other than the food?

 

We went on this trip with another couple that was celebrating their anniversary and I ordered a package for them which included champagne, which was never delivered to the cabin.

 

I like the idea of freestyle cruising but to eat in any of the restaurants it cost between $15-25 per person. Then when you sat down to order there was another upcharge on certain dishes which was added to the cover charge.

 

The decor in my cabin, 11118 was old and dingy, the cabin was dusty and the bathroom was a joke. The toilet stall was so small my husband could not pull up his pants after using the toilet. Twice the shower would not turn off and we had to call someone to fix it. Calls to "00" seemed pretty useless because one day our shower ran all day because noone came to fix it after a call to "00".

 

We only went to the Spinnaker a couple of times but each time we did we were badgered to death by the waiters asking us if we wanted drinks.

 

The elevators were always crowded as was the market cafe. The food was not worth the hassle of having to find a seat.

 

If you are considering a cruise on NCL be sure to double whatever you spend on your cabin for all of the incidentals like drinks, photos and shore excursions. So although I thought paying $2,000 for a balcony cabin was pretty reasonable we ended up spending $4,000 after all the extras. I would never cruise on NCL again.

 

I'm sorry your cruise was so disappointing to you. I really am. The only thing I really have to comment on is that you did not name one thing you had to pay for on the Star that you don't have to pay for on the other cruiselines you mentioned sailing on. So I don't see how you were nickeled and dimed. I am surpised with you sailing Carnival that you were not used to the waiters in the bar areas badgering you. They were the worst on Carnival that I have ever experienced. I was not aware of other cruiselines in the same class as NCL that offered Speciality Restaurants at no extra cost, so if there are those that do I would love to know which ones so we can consider them the next time we cruise.

 

I will say that as far as the Market Cafe you didn't miss anything there. I love the Star but she has the worst buffet I have ever been too. Consider yourself lucky it was too busy to eat there.. LOL.

 

One really good point I feel you made is about the "activites". If someone is looking to book a cruise and wants to be entertained on sea days (for free) NCL is generally not the cruiseline they need to choose. That much is for sure as far as our experience. That is one reason why NCL is actually a good choice for us because we usually like to just hang out and do our own thing.

 

Again, sorry your cruise was not what you expected it to be.

[terrymtex01]

Not trying to be a smart bottom here or anything but isn't the Spinnaker a bar? My guess is most cruise lines make revenue by having their passengers stare out the window with drink in hand. Bars must be a fairly good revenue generators since there are so many on these ships.

 

You would think what you posted is right.. I would have thought that as well. But from the few times we went to Spinnaker Lounge for drinks the place was almost empty and of those of us who were in there, Doug and I would be one of the few with drinks in front of us.

 

Personally I feel NCL should have just left it alone. I thought Spinnaker Lounge was a great space. But from a revenue point of view I can see how they thought they would make money by doing what they did. They are still going to sell inside cabins, believe me. I do think the Star isn't long for Alaska though. When she is not sailing Alaska, having so much inside view areas isn't such a big deal. There are now other ships that could take her place, but then NCL is back with the same issue.. a forward looking observation space not generating much revenue.

 

I'm starting to not believe it is going to make that much of a difference in folks booking the Star anyway. Up until last week there were tons of balcony cabins, inside cabins and two suites left for our cruise this saturday, and as of today it shows the GV and six balcony still available.

[SnootieTootie]

We just got back from our Alaska cruise May 8 - May 14 on the Star and are extremely disappointed. We had to stand in line for 2-3 hours on May 8th in Vancouver to go through customs before we could board the ship. I understand this was not NCL's problem but it really irked me when we finally got on board there was a guy holding out a tray of drinks, which I assumed were complimentary due to the long wait, but no sooner had I taken a drink off the tray then the guy was asking for my cabin number and giving me a reciept to sign.

 

Alaska was beautiful and we enjoyed our shore excusions but on our two days at sea there was not much to do but sit in our cabins. The planned activiites like art auctions and wine tastings always involved spending more money. Quite honestly I felt like I was being hustled for money the entire cruise.

 

I respect your opinion, and I am sorry that NCL as not a pleasant experience for you.

 

 

I have been on other cruises including Royal Carribean, Carnival, and Celebrity and don't remember feeling so nickeled and dimed like I did on NCL. I don't expect to get drinks and shore excursions for free but could anything be complimentary other than the food?

 

We went on this trip with another couple that was celebrating their anniversary and I ordered a package for them which included champagne, which was never delivered to the cabin.

 

I like the idea of freestyle cruising but to eat in any of the restaurants it cost between $15-25 per person. Then when you sat down to order there was another upcharge on certain dishes which was added to the cover charge.

 

The decor in my cabin, 11118 was old and dingy, the cabin was dusty and the bathroom was a joke. The toilet stall was so small my husband could not pull up his pants after using the toilet. Twice the shower would not turn off and we had to call someone to fix it. Calls to "00" seemed pretty useless because one day our shower ran all day because noone came to fix it after a call to "00".

 

We only went to the Spinnaker a couple of times but each time we did we were badgered to death by the waiters asking us if we wanted drinks.

 

The elevators were always crowded as was the market cafe. The food was not worth the hassle of having to find a seat.

 

If you are considering a cruise on NCL be sure to double whatever you spend on your cabin for all of the incidentals like drinks, photos and shore excursions. So although I thought paying $2,000 for a balcony cabin was pretty reasonable we ended up spending $4,000 after all the extras. I would never cruise on NCL again.

 

Our family is the flip side. We can have a GREAT time and spend almost no money at all.

 

I wish you better luck the next time on whatever cruiseline you choose.

[wg6530]

You would think what you posted is right.. I would have thought that as well. But from the few times we went to Spinnaker Lounge for drinks the place was almost empty and of those of us who were in there, Doug and I would be one of the few with drinks in front of us.

 

Personally I feel NCL should have just left it alone. I thought Spinnaker Lounge was a great space. But from a revenue point of view I can see how they thought they would make money by doing what they did. They are still going to sell inside cabins, believe me. I do think the Star isn't long for Alaska though. When she is not sailing Alaska, having so much inside view areas isn't such a big deal. There are now other ships that could take her place, but then NCL is back with the same issue.. a forward looking observation space not generating much revenue.

 

I'm starting to not believe it is going to make that much of a difference in folks booking the Star anyway. Up until last week there were tons of balcony cabins, inside cabins and two suites left for our cruise this saturday, and as of today it shows the GV and six balcony still available.

 

 

If the number of available cabins suddenly dropped, guarantee bookings may have just received cabin numbers. And even if Star bookings are still going OK, it may be an information deficit. Non CC cruisers may not yet know about the renovation. The deck plans are on NCL.com, but many other travel websites still have the old plans. People who think they know the ship might not even think to look at the deck plans...

 

You may be right about Star not being long for Alaska. If another ship with good indoor viewing areas (like Spinnaker) is moved to Alaska, I hope NCL remembers the value of the space more than just drink sales.

[wg6530]

Our family is the flip side. We can have a GREAT time and spend almost no money at all.

 

I wish you better luck the next time on whatever cruiseline you choose.

Were you just on the Star to Alaska? Or are you referring to your Dawn cruise to Bermuda? If the later, kinda apples and oranges.

[SnootieTootie]

We were just on the Dawn. The only money that we spent was on the transportaion vouchers, and a private taxi tour.

 

We have sailed the Star to Alaska, and the Mexican Riviera. As a matter of fact, we were on the Star with Terry and Doug who posted above.

 

We just completed our 37th cruise, so we have already been on many different excursions over the years.

 

We usually do not spend much but sometimes, if we take the grandchildren, we will take excursions that we normally would not take if we were alone. We want them to have learning experiences. We have taken the gold panning excursion, White Pass railroad, and the dog sledding adventure in Alaska. DH and DF also went out on a private fishing charter in Alaska once, which they LOVED.

 

I am not against taking excursions, they are fantastic. The memories that they provide are priceless.

 

We are not drinkers, so a bar bill is never something that we have to come home and regret.

[georgiajersey]

Reading this thread is making me very nervous about our group cruise on the Star in June 2011 - we have 30+ people and have the Garden Villa and some penthouses, so it's not the view I'm worried about, it's what happens to our reservations if the cruise is actually canceled - if we transferred to the Pearl, I guess we would have to pay the difference - big cost for 10 cabins!:(

[Kruisenut]

We booked this cruise LA to Vancouver and I'll be honest I booked it primarly for the price. Our owners suite was almost 1/2 half off as most cabins were a great deal. If I was really looking at doing a full Alaska trip we would not have done the repo. We had a great time on this sailing and had no problem avoiding the Asian Invasion tour.

I would like to add something of enterest ... there is still a slight possiblity of the Start remaining on the West Coast and here is what I learned ( from a very reliable source ) the Star underwent a extensive shore power upgrade to meet the new requirements, the Port of Los Angeles is currently finishing up on there end. These upgrades were quite expensive and it may not make sence to move the Star out of Port that they have invested so much. Like I mentioned this is only a slight chance but thought I would share.