So what do we think of the Star?

[Pianoman6582]

Hello all,

 

My Lee and I are pondering a cruise on the Star.... Just wondering what the general feeling was on the "New and Improved" Norwegian Star? Do you miss the (proper) Spinnaker Lounge? Is is that big of a deal?

 

I'm on the record as hating the concept of a ship without a Spinnaker Lounge. I want to see for myself if you miss it. If we do go, expect to hear how I feel about it at length.... Me? Opinionated? NOOOOO!

 

And, for your horror, I hear they're thinking about doing it to the Dawn AND the Jewel....

 

But for all you people that just got off the Star, how was it?

 

I'm talking to you Oceandreaming2... I noticed your countdown clock....:D

 

And I thank you

JWK: Star Curious....

[Hikini]

Did you notice MY countdown clock?:D

 

I will be on here loud and clear when we return from the Star.....but then we are mighty privileged to be staying in one of the new suites.....

[jagergirl55]

We just got off the Star, and I can say I'm 50/50 split on it. I looooove the new blue lagoon location (not a fan of the old) and love the new suites (they are GORGEOUS!).

I'm not really a fan of the new spinnaker, it feels like it's in a basement, not like the old spinnaker at all. Also, the carousel lounge is gone, and we used to have a lot of fun there.

Those are really the 2 negatives I can think of. But I have a solution!!! Book one of the new suites up at the front of the ship, where the old spinnaker was, and you'll have the best view on the ship! Then throw a little party and make it your own Spinnaker! =)

 

All in all, I love the Star, she has an amazing crew and is a beautiful ship. Those 2 negative changes (imo) will not deter me from sailing on the Star again... I already have 2 more cruises planned on her!

[OceanDreaming2]

Like JaggerGirl, I thought Spinnaker's felt like it was in the basement. It was nice though and they used the space well. We sat in the back a few times and could still see what was going on on-stage. The soundsystem was pretty good (with the booth off to the side of the room). They have 5 or so large circular mirrors on each side of the lounge which give the appearance of windows. And we did hear there is some talk of putting windows in someday. It was nice to get from the Stardust to Spinnaker's without having to go up 5 flights of stairs and walk the entire length of the ship to get from one show to the next. (The CD appreciates it too!) The room was packed when they had some of the Jean Ann Ryan singers in there one night. And, it's the place for the daily gameshows and BINGO!

 

I liked the new location of Blue Lagoon. Even the food seemed fresher although the portion sizes were a bit smaller. My DH had the wonton soup and it was a tiny bowl - seems it was a much larger serving in times past.

 

We weren't lucky enough to have a suite this time around, but I'd book one of the new staterooms on Deck 12 if we have a chance. Since we love the Star, there's no doubt we'll cruise on her again.

 

Now some of the things I wish they'd worked on during the drydock and other random thoughts ...

• Theater seats are in bad shape. Some arms are missing, some seats are broken - they don't flip up when you stand up.
  
• Elevators are nasty. Of course, when 30+ people cram into a box, things aren't going to be pristine but they just seemed to be dirty. A good excuse for using the stairs.
  
• Tile floors in the spa are slippery. Non-slip tiles are available and they should be used in wet locations. (And it would've helped if I'd remembered to pack flipflops.) And the dispensers with the lemon and orange water were plugged in using long cords. Seemed dangerous.
  
• Bring back the game room - at least one! The library always had (loud) kids down on the floor playing board games and they didn't use their "indoor" voices. (But neither did the parents!)
  
• The monitors showing wait times for various dining venues would've been appreciated.
  
• Newer TV's would've been a nice touch, too. Hard on my old eyes to see a 13" screen from any distance.
  
• LaCucina's new location (old Soho) was great as was the food. Loved the carpet in there - looked like tile. Very comfortable seating too.
  
• Is it just me but do some people talk louder when they're on a ship? Seriously, I didn't need to hear the conversations of people 2-3 tables away from me. Even in the spa area - which should be a quiet zone - some people were way too loud!
  
• Chair hogs - do exist even in Alaska. Except they were in the spa.
  
• Main dining room - food is subjective but the one meal we had in Aqua was pretty bland. My DH said it was tasteless and we left before desert and he got chicken tenders at BL to supplement his meal.
  

If you do this cruise, absolutely, without hesitation, book the Tracy Arm Glacier Explorer! To be that close to Sawyer Glacier has to be one of the highlights of my cruising lifetime!

 

Seriously, the Star is one of our favorite ships. I can't say we miss the Carousel Lounge (our first cruise on the Star was right above it), Spinnaker's is OK as a showroom, the crew is wonderful. As I told Jean-Michel, I truly do feel like family when I'm on her.

[soazlaney]

Did you notice MY countdown clock?:D

 

I will be on here loud and clear when we return from the Star.....but then we are mighty privileged to be staying in one of the new suites.....

 

I am counting on you for some really good pictures please. We will be in one of the new suites but not until Sept. 11. I am really excited. We love the Star and can't wait. I know you are going to have a great cruise.:D

 

Thank you OceanDreaming2 for your great review. Did you get any pictures of the new areas?

[OceanDreaming2]

Thank you OceanDreaming2 for your great review. Did you get any pictures of the new areas?

 

Unfortunately, no pics of the new areas. I asked about a possible tour of some of the suites on disembarktion day but it was appearently forgotten. :rolleyes:

 

Some of the others on our rollcall did have these two suites so I'm hopeful they will come back and post pics.

[Pianoman6582]

I am counting on you for some really good pictures please. We will be in one of the new suites but not until Sept. 11. I am really excited. We love the Star and can't wait. I know you are going to have a great cruise.:D Thank you OceanDreaming2 for your great review. Did you get any pictures of the new areas?

 

Unfortunately, no pics of the new areas. I asked about a possible tour of some of the suites on disembarktion day but it was apparently forgotten. Some of the others on our rollcall did have these two suites so I'm hopeful they will come back and post pics.

 

Hi there, there was a thread on the boards back in early August.... Here is a link to it. There are some nice photos of the new suites and Captain Lars cutting the ribbon and whatnot....

Click here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1240316

And I thAnk yOu

JWK: You call that a Spinnaker Lounge?

[jagergirl55]

I took a video of our friends A2 suite, 12502, but I don't know how I could post it. =/

[kruzkid]

I like the dawns layout a lot better as I sailed both this summer, it isn't really the spinaker placement or anything, the sawn is just more convieniant to walk around

[jagergirl55]

I like the dawns layout a lot better as I sailed both this summer, it isn't really the spinaker placement or anything, the sawn is just more convieniant to walk around

 

Ok, ok, you talked me into it... I guess I'll just have to book a cruise on the Dawn and see for myself! lol ;)

[Pianoman6582]

I like the dawns layout a lot better as I sailed both this summer, it isn't really the spinaker placement or anything, the sawn is just more convieniant to walk around

 

When I first heard the plans they had for the ship, I thought they were going to stick a courtyard behind the garden villas. THat not withstanding, I never thought they would up heave the ship the way they have. Until they refit the Star, she was identical in design to the Dawn.

 

I just hope they get enough bad ratings and realize this was a bad idea, so they don't do this to the Dawn and the Jewel.

 

GADS! Stop messing with the ships, NCL!

 

And I ThAnK YoU:

JWK: Cruise Ship Crusader

[rsohn65820]

Okay these are my thoughts. We cruised on the Star last November and then we just returned from the Star today. First time on the Star we had a deck 11 AB suite, this time we had an aft AE suite on deck nine. In November we embarked in LA this time in Seattle. There have been a lot of changes since we cruised in November and I am not sure if they are due to leaving from Seattle this time or if it had to do with all the new suites on the Star, or the fact that there is a new conciege, new hotel director, etc. Things did not go as smoothly in Seattle.

 

We arrived at the pier at about 10:15 they opened the doors early and we stood in line to go through security. Once though security we asked at the top of the esalator where to go for check in for suites. We were directed over to a table where several people where sitting to check people in, it was just the regular check in area. It was not a problem for us though because there was no line we walked right up. After the girl checked us in she walked us over to the VIP waiting room. It did not take long and the room was full, lots of people milling around. About 11:15 Patrick the new conciege announced that the cabins were not ready but they would take us aboard to have lunch at Cagney's. It was a little to early for us to want lunch so once we were on board we and some others took off to just walk around the ship. About noon we decided to try and get to our cabin to drop off our carry on bags and the doors to the hallway were closed off. We went back up to the pool deck to enjoy the sunshine and wait for a while. About 12:30 we went to the Spinaker Lounge because they had a bag check area there for carry on bags. I mentioned to the young guy working there that needed to check my carry on and I was a little disappointed that our suite was still not ready. He told me that NCL no longer gives priority to the suites in getting them ready that they now do it by deck. About 1:00 they announce that all cabins on decks 12, 11 and 10 were ready. So we figured our suite would be done but the doors on deck nine were still closed off. We finally just opened the door and went on back to our room and it was ready.

 

About Spinaker Lounge we enjoyed it more this time than last time. It was really nice to be able to just get on the elevator and go down two floors to a lot of the activities that were going on, when we were on in November we only went to Spinaker just to walk though and look out the window we never attending any activities there. Another thing about Spinaker Lounge is that we talked to the people in the AE directly below us on deck eight and they said that they could hear noise from Spinaker until all hours of the night, so they are still having noise issues with the deck eight suites. I loved the new location of the Blue Lagoon and the food there was good. Loved the new shops and spent lots of money there.

 

We went up to deck twelve to take a look around I can't say that I am a fan of what I did see. We didn't get a chance to look at any of the new cabins but the hallway was such a light color that it just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the ship and with carpetiing that light in color it will be really hard to keep clean.

 

I know food is very subjective so this is just my opinion. When we were on the Star in November we had no problem finding something to eat. We are not foodies and we don't really care for the type of food served in the Speciality resturants. So that being said we mainly eat either the suite room service, the buffet or the Blue Lagoon. Like I said before in November we had no problem finding something to eat at any time. This time we would walk through the buffet and I would end of with just some salad and some fresh fruit. The suite breakfast was not as good this time either, last time I had the scrambled eggs every morning, this time the scrambled eggs were watery. My DH liked the sausage last time, this time he said it was a different kind and wasn't as good. In November we had breakfast in our suite about every other day this time we did it twice. We liked the chicken sandwich in the Blue Lagoon and the fish and chips. I don't know if they have a new food and beverage manager or if they are just trying to cut corners and save money by cutting down on the quality of the food. With the way most people on here rave about the food on NCL ships I have got to believe that it must be just a problem on the Star. Any way we love the Star and her crew and will be back on her in April.

[newmexicoNita]

We just got off the Star, and I can say I'm 50/50 split on it. I looooove the new blue lagoon location (not a fan of the old) and love the new suites (they are GORGEOUS!).

I'm not really a fan of the new spinnaker, it feels like it's in a basement, not like the old spinnaker at all. Also, the carousel lounge is gone, and we used to have a lot of fun there.

Those are really the 2 negatives I can think of. But I have a solution!!! Book one of the new suites up at the front of the ship, where the old spinnaker was, and you'll have the best view on the ship! Then throw a little party and make it your own Spinnaker! =)

 

All in all, I love the Star, she has an amazing crew and is a beautiful ship. Those 2 negative changes (imo) will not deter me from sailing on the Star again... I already have 2 more cruises planned on her!

 

great objective opinion.

 

Nita

[jagergirl55]

great objective opinion.

 

Nita

 

Thanks Nita!

[angelsonefive]

I took a video of our friends A2 suite, 12502, but I don't know how I could post it. =/

 

Ok, jagergirl.......we need that video!!!:D If need be post to youtube then send us all your link. My biggest question, did you have fun???

[jagergirl55]

Ok, jagergirl.......we need that video!!!:D If need be post to youtube then send us all your link. My biggest question, did you have fun???

 

We had an amazing time!!!! I loved there suite too, but just don't think I could deal with not having a balcony! I'm a sun worshiper :cool:

[marelind]

jagergirl55, does 12502 have a door between the bedroom and the living room? we are considering this cabin and have a strong preference for separation between the rooms; DH is night owl and I'm not. :rolleyes:

[jagergirl55]

jagergirl55, does 12502 have a door between the bedroom and the living room? we are considering this cabin and have a strong preference for separation between the rooms; DH is night owl and I'm not. :rolleyes:

 

 

Yes 12502 does have a pocket door that seperates the living room and the bedroom.

 

I will try to upload the video I made to you tube and post the link. :D

[coffeebean]

Our first cruise in 2001 was on the Star and she hooked us on cruising. We haven't been back on her but have cruised on her sister ship, Dawn three times.

 

I understand that the old space for Spinnaker Lounge are the new suites. What were in the spaces that now occupy the Spinaker Lounge and the Blue Lagoon? What are they using the previous Blue Lagoon space for?

[jagergirl55]

Our first cruise in 2001 was on the Star and she hooked us on cruising. We haven't been back on her but have cruised on her sister ship, Dawn three times.

 

I understand that the old space for Spinnaker Lounge are the new suites. What were in the spaces that now occupy the Spinaker Lounge and the Blue Lagoon? What are they using the previous Blue Lagoon space for?

 

The new Spinnaker Lounge is where the old shops were, deck 7 aft. The new shops are now deck 7 midship, where the Carousel Lounge used to be (Carousel lounge is gone).

The new blue lagoon is on deck 8, opposite the Endless Summer restaurant which used to occupy the both sides. Now they split it into 2, Endless summer on 1 side, Blue Lagoon on the other.

The old blue lagoon location is now where the photo gallery is.

 

I think that's it. =)

[tgd711]

Hi We would love to see pics of the suite 12502 as we have it booked for Alaska next year.

Could you ask your friend to post for you.

Thanks so much tgd711

[keyworker]

Hi Jagergirl55, I would love to see the video of 12502. That is the suite I have booked for May 2011. If I give you my email addy would you forward it to me?