Thoughts and Tips from recent Star Cruise

[FourUpState]

Overall we had a wonderful trip on the Star (week of 2/19/2012). As there have been many reviews and insights provided on this forum, the following are items I thought might be of interest to future cruisers on this ship.

 

H & I had an inside cabin on Level 9. It was a “sideways” cabin, and was more than adequate for the two of us. We had a “regular” inside on the Gem 2 years ago. The only “odd” thing to be aware of, is if one person is in bed, and another opens the hallway door, anyone in the hall has a clear view of said bed and inhabitant, just an fyi.

 

Our other family members had a handicapped balcony down the hall. The handicapped room did seem much wider than the “regular” balcony on the Gem, and it had a lounge chair and upright chair. Great location near elevator.

 

Overall the floor was quiet, we were never woken up with any hall way noise.

 

The check-in in Tampa was fine, it looks intimidating on first entry, but it moves along. We knew (from this forum) to go to the main dining room for lunch, and not the buffet, as it is more peaceful.

 

We also knew (again from this forum) that a great place for the sail away is the deck near (or at) the Biergarden, and the deck right above it to go under the Sunshine Bridge.

 

We had all of our meals at Buffet (breakfast) and MDRs for dinner. They were fine, some hits and some misses, but overall very enjoyable. We waited one might 30 minutes, but I think everyone on the ship decided to eat at 7 pm that night. They always gave us a pager and coupon for a glass of soda or champagne, and the Red Lion Pub or Spinnaker near Versailles was a fine place to wait.

 

You should be prepared for some lining up when it comes to leaving for the ports, but it is to be expected. We enjoyed all the ports. We took excursions with non-cruise line companies, and they were all fine, very professional. If you are going to stay in one port (and not venture out) than the Costa Maya port seems the most “fun”. Cozumel is just a shopping plaza, no real charm. The one at Roatan is very pretty, not very large though. Tendering to Belize takes about 25 minutes, but the tenders are very large, so while I did get up early to get a tender “1” card, we were still and hour early for our excursion.

 

The counselors at the children’s program seemed very nice, it is a great service if your kids are “joiners”.

 

I would recommend you bring a clock, as our inside cabin did not have one. And pay attention to the notes on the time change. Plus the wake up service was very prompt. I also recommend bringing some type of lanyard for the cards (esp. for kids) and a travel coffee mug if you like to walk with coffee in morning. Also the last show “elements” was very good, worth going early to get a seat at one of the two shows I also thought the Red Lion Pub and Sean the singer were very good, we also enjoyed the white hot party, all ages were there.

 

Overall, I would recommend this cruise if the departure ports works for you. The ship is similar to the Gem, but of course older and smaller. And yes, I did miss the outdoor seating of the “Great Outdoors”, we did enjoy the outdoor buffets on the Star, and the tiered seating at the pool.

 

Last but not least, the Cruise Critic Meet&Greet was very nice and the Bridge tour a real treat.

[2Cruise4Ever]

What a great review!!! Thanks for taking the time to post. We haven't sailed the Sun yet, but plan to at some point. I'm glad you had a good time. Now, it's back to reality! :(

[Cmdr Cody]

Overall we had a wonderful trip on the Star (week of 2/19/2012). As there have been many reviews and insights provided on this forum, the following are items I thought might be of interest to future cruisers on this ship.

 

H & I had an inside cabin on Level 9. It was a “sideways” cabin, and was more than adequate for the two of us. We had a “regular” inside on the Gem 2 years ago. The only “odd” thing to be aware of, is if one person is in bed, and another opens the hallway door, anyone in the hall has a clear view of said bed and inhabitant, just an fyi.

 

Our other family members had a handicapped balcony down the hall. The handicapped room did seem much wider than the “regular” balcony on the Gem, and it had a lounge chair and upright chair. Great location near elevator.

 

Overall the floor was quiet, we were never woken up with any hall way noise.

 

The check-in in Tampa was fine, it looks intimidating on first entry, but it moves along. We knew (from this forum) to go to the main dining room for lunch, and not the buffet, as it is more peaceful.

 

We also knew (again from this forum) that a great place for the sail away is the deck near (or at) the Biergarden, and the deck right above it to go under the Sunshine Bridge.

 

We had all of our meals at Buffet (breakfast) and MDRs for dinner. They were fine, some hits and some misses, but overall very enjoyable. We waited one might 30 minutes, but I think everyone on the ship decided to eat at 7 pm that night. They always gave us a pager and coupon for a glass of soda or champagne, and the Red Lion Pub or Spinnaker near Versailles was a fine place to wait.

 

You should be prepared for some lining up when it comes to leaving for the ports, but it is to be expected. We enjoyed all the ports. We took excursions with non-cruise line companies, and they were all fine, very professional. If you are going to stay in one port (and not venture out) than the Costa Maya port seems the most “fun”. Cozumel is just a shopping plaza, no real charm. The one at Roatan is very pretty, not very large though. Tendering to Belize takes about 25 minutes, but the tenders are very large, so while I did get up early to get a tender “1” card, we were still and hour early for our excursion.

 

The counselors at the children’s program seemed very nice, it is a great service if your kids are “joiners”.

 

I would recommend you bring a clock, as our inside cabin did not have one. And pay attention to the notes on the time change. Plus the wake up service was very prompt. I also recommend bringing some type of lanyard for the cards (esp. for kids) and a travel coffee mug if you like to walk with coffee in morning. Also the last show “elements” was very good, worth going early to get a seat at one of the two shows I also thought the Red Lion Pub and Sean the singer were very good, we also enjoyed the white hot party, all ages were there.

 

Overall, I would recommend this cruise if the departure ports works for you. The ship is similar to the Gem, but of course older and smaller. And yes, I did miss the outdoor seating of the “Great Outdoors”, we did enjoy the outdoor buffets on the Star, and the tiered seating at the pool.

 

Last but not least, the Cruise Critic Meet&Greet was very nice and the Bridge tour a real treat.

 

 

The Star is older but the hull is the same size as the Gem. The layout may make it seem smaller, but the measurements show it isn't.

[stlrboo]

Many thanks for the review!!! We sail the Star and NCL for the first time in 40 some days.. :D

Great tips, as well... We are doing the 12 day repo from Tampa to NYC via Aruba.. :p:cool: Thanx again!!!:) Can't wait!!

[DeeT]

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a great cruise. Looking forward to being on the Star in July.

[fergusonvt]

Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise as much as ours on 1/29. Glad you had a good time. I like the ship a lot but the itinerary wasn't my favorite. I wish they would mix it up some out of Tampa instead of doing just the same 4 ports from their. Much closer and easier to get to than Miami.

[che5904]

The only “odd” thing to be aware of, is if one person is in bed, and another opens the hallway door, anyone in the hall has a clear view of said bed and inhabitant, just an fyi. .

 

:eek: Now that could be em(barrassing), litterly :D

 

Glad it was enjoyable. Didn't do that itinerary but we did love the Star.

[JP4GA]

Thanks for the information. We sail the Star on April 1 and are looking forward to seeing what she and NCL has to offer.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review.