Sailing to Bermuda on the Star on Sept. 9

[RiverheadLady]

and I'm nervous about so many things. We are retired and funds are always an issue for us. I impulsively grabbed the rates offered for this cruise and, although too late to do anything about it, I would like to have a few questions answered.

 

We will be in one of the end rooms on the rear end of the 9th Deck. It is an inner cabin and I am anxious to hear the good and bad about this choice. Of course, stormy seas are uppermost in my mind.

 

Is anyone else on this cruise? Are you worried about hurricanes or tropical storms turning your vacation into a nightmare? I've recently read of people getting so sick they couldn't eat and chose to fly home from Bermuda instead of cruising back.

 

Free dining is new to us as we have already sailed on RCC and Celebrity where we had the same time and table each night. Which dinner options are cost-free on the Star? Do you just show up and wait? Can you make a reservation in the free restaurants?

 

How much do wine and cocktails cost? Our children gave us a wine plan the last time at sea so I don't know what to expect.

 

I also heard about compulsory gratuities. I remember receiving suggestions for each of the staff members who helped us in the past - not a flat fee. Is this the case now? When is this collected?

 

How early can you board the ship? I would like to avoid the lines but then what.... Is lunch immediately available?

 

 

I'm sure I will have a lot more questions but I've already made this thread long enough.

Thanks very much!

[Sauer-kraut]

Welcome to the Norwegian forum! I can't address your Star specific questions, however I can help on some of the others.

 

Freestyle dining is just like on land. Both Main Dining Rooms are free of charge, as well as the buffet and the lido deck grills if they do some stuff out there. There is also a comfort food area that is free of charge, there you will find fish & chips, chicken wings and many other things.

 

You will have to pay for Cagney's (steak house) Le Bistro (French) Moderno (Argentinian) and the Asian place. Your Freestyle Daily will have the list of what is a surcharge restaurant.

 

The cocktails are appros. $8-$10 per drink -- Keep an eye out for the 2-4-1 drink specials that MIGHT be offered. Also look for martini tasting seminar, you can share the martinis and they offer about 6 different kinds. A good deal for the price.

 

The compulsory gratuties are call Daily Service Charge and is assessed at

$12 per day per person, once that is paid there are no other tips necessary. You may if you wish, tip personnel who have gone above and beyond something a bit 'extra'.

 

As for making reservations in the free venues, yes of course, however why not play it by ear. The beauty of freestyle dining is that you can adjust your dining time to suit YOUR schedule. If you are out late in the town, no need to rush back.

 

Boarding begins around 11:30 a.m. depending on crowds you might have to wait. One of the Main Dining rooms will be open for lunch. The staff might try and herd you into the buffet, but just ask which MDR is open.

 

Don't be worried about the hurricanes, the ships will steer clear of dangerous seas, which might mean you might not make the port but that is the chance one takes sailing at this time of year.

 

Just go and enjoy yourselves! Happy cruising.

[Ilovesailing]

I think you should cancel immediately, if there are storms the seas will be so ruff y'll need buckets not bags. LOL

 

Go and have a good time!

[WaldosPepper]

I'm glad you've found us, so we can help allay your fears, and get you ready to enjoy every minute of your cruise!

 

You asked about your cabin location: I think you made an excellent choice, because you will have cabins above and below you, which means you won't have noise issues. Excellent choice!

 

On Embarkation day there will definitely be lines, but you will be amazed at how quickly they often move. Use any down time to just relax and get ready to step aboard and enjoy 7 days of cruising/relaxing/eating/laughing/going to shows, and just generally enjoying yourselves.

 

If you are concerned about rough seas causing seasickness, I urge you to speak with your physician and ask if you are able to take Meclizine. It is a very effective seasickness medication, with very few potential side effects, and it is ridiculously inexpensive. I won't sail without it, and as someone who is extremely susceptible to ANY form of motion sickness, I find it allows me to thoroughly enjoy myself even in the roughest of seas (and I've been in some extremely rough seas :eek: )

 

If there is any danger due to storms, you can rest assured that the Captain will do everything in his power to keep you not only out of danger, but in seas that are as calm as he is able. Don't let those "Drama Queen Reviewers" put fear in your heart! Lots of folks like to find anything and everything to complain about, and have been known to embellish the tales they tell. ;)

 

If it is utterly impossible and unsafe to stick with the scheduled itinerary, the Captain will make the decision to re-route the cruise to some other port or ports, and the decision where to go will be based upon not only where the bad weather is, but where are there ports that can accomodate the ship. They do not take that decision lightly, and will do anything they can to abide by the schedule, within reason.

 

Even if they have to go to other ports, the staff will help make sure there are excursions to take, and will do everything they can to make sure your cruise is as wonderful as possible.

 

Relax, start dreaming about sailing away, and have an absolutely wonderful time. Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. Be sure to keep the ship in good shape, though... we'll be boarding on 10/14! :D

[Hikini]

Relax and enjoy yourself - we live the Star and we totally love NCL and freestyle cruising!

 

Sauer-Kraut has answered your questions well, so I'll just tell you to have a great time and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back. (We'll be on the Jewel until 9/8 so I really won't be thinking about you too terribly much!) LOL!

[RiverheadLady]

Thanks so much for the great responses. I can't wait for this cruise... I'm just guilty of listen to too many negative people. To you with cruises coming up, have a great one!

[LifeNJ]

I will be cruising the week before you on the Star. I know someone who was on the Star in May and is going again tomorrow. I love the freestyle dining. I can eat when I want to. I can eat at 5 or I can eat at 10, depending on when I am hungry. Go and enjoy!!! When I get off you will be getting on.

[susan0000]

Dont worry we have been on the star before last year out of tampa and had to deal with an oncoming hurrican and the captain moved the ports around in order to take us out to smooth water. We did miss one port but it was a beautiful day at see because he took us out to where the storm was not. Enjoyed every moment. I have also taken the NY to Bermuda but when it was with the Dawn and loved it so much we are now doing it again on the Star. Money is always an issue with us too and we try to do it on the cheap with an inside cabin and we buy the 2-1 drink specials or just a bucket of beers buy 5 get the 6th free you can take them back to your room and put in the fridge for the next day. So just enjoy!!!!

[BIRDMOM7]

Welcome! Please check out the Roll Call forum for this sailing & you'll see you've got lots of company. Perhaps it's not too late for you to sign up for our Meet & Greet! Sure, there are concerns about being redirected due to storms. My destination of choice is Bermuda & not cruising up the coast to the NE states; I can drive that. But, safety first. This is my first NCL sailing & DH & I are very excited. We booked 2 specialty dinners, which you can do now & pay for now.

[RiverheadLady]

Thanks so much. I asked to join the Meet & Greet and hope to hear there is room for us. What a fabulous idea.

How do you sign up for the specialty dinners? Can you see the menu first? Are these dining rooms open for breakfast or lunch as well?

 

Is anyone besides WaldosPepper taking anything with them for seasickness? I actually do have Meclizine in the house right now because I recently had a bout with vertigo. Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing to help my dizziness. I've read about Dramamine, Bonine and even Benadryl as OTC meds. Does one take these drugs each night as a prevention or what? I know they make you drowsy.

[camz]

IMO you made an excellent cabin selection. The aft area is very quiet and you get to see amazing views. Recently, on the Star, the Spinnaker Lounge was moved to the aft area on deck 7. That being said, the aft cabins on deck 8 are having noise difficulties. However, deck 9 and 10 have no issues. NCL's Freestyle Cruisng Concept is virtually stress free. No clocks, no schedules, no worries. The Daily Service Charge of $12 per person is charged directly to your onboard account so you need not worry about tipping, unless you want to reward a crew member for outstanding service. You can save money by bringing your own wine and pay a small corkerage fee upon boarding. You can also bring your own bottles of water, soda or tea to help save onboard expenses. Have a great cruise and don't let the worry of hurricanes concern you. Here's to blue skies and calm seas......:)

[Beyondships]

Just sailed to Bermuda. A few clouds but calm seas.

[roger001]

Thanks so much. I asked to join the Meet & Greet and hope to hear there is room for us. What a fabulous idea.

How do you sign up for the specialty dinners? Can you see the menu first? Are these dining rooms open for breakfast or lunch as well?

 

Is anyone besides WaldosPepper taking anything with them for seasickness? I actually do have Meclizine in the house right now because I recently had a bout with vertigo. Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing to help my dizziness. I've read about Dramamine, Bonine and even Benadryl as OTC meds. Does one take these drugs each night as a prevention or what? I know they make you drowsy.

 

Bonine and meclizine are actually the same thing, Bonine being over the counter. My wife takes one meclizine the night before we cruise and then 2 or 3 a day during the cruise. Be sure to start taking them before you feel motion sickness. She can be easily affected by motion sickness, but has had no trouble at all with that while using meclizine. It does not make her drousy at all. The speciality restaurants are only open for evening dining (except Cagneys is available during the day for suite guests only). A restaurant reservations desk is available on the ship, usually in or near the lobby area. You can look through all the menus there and make reservations. However, speciality restaurants are seldom full and you can usually just walk up with out reservations. One of the ship's no charge (free) main dining rooms is open for breakfast and lunch for all guests and one will be open for lunch on the day you board. Of course additionally the large buffet and outdoor grills will also be open and available then. Plenty of food available all day and night either free or speciality for a charge if you prefer. .

[WaldosPepper]

Thanks so much. I asked to join the Meet & Greet and hope to hear there is room for us. What a fabulous idea.

How do you sign up for the specialty dinners? Can you see the menu first? Are these dining rooms open for breakfast or lunch as well?

 

Is anyone besides WaldosPepper taking anything with them for seasickness? I actually do have Meclizine in the house right now because I recently had a bout with vertigo. Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing to help my dizziness. I've read about Dramamine, Bonine and even Benadryl as OTC meds. Does one take these drugs each night as a prevention or what? I know they make you drowsy.

 

I was also introduced to Meclizine during a horrible bout with vertigo, and while it did little to help me with the dizziness, it kept me from barfing my brains out. :eek: The dizziness, just like motion sickness, all starts in the middle ear, and I discovered that if I took original sudafed it helped tremendously, because it is a vasoconstrictor, which reduced the swelling due to congestion. That being said, now that the vertigo issue is gone, with the exception of occasional mini-bouts, the Meclizine works wonders keeping me in balance on the ship. Have a chat with your MD, and see what s/he recommends. ;)

[Shelli]

How do you sign up for the specialty dinners? Can you see the menu first? Are these dining rooms open for breakfast or lunch as well?

 

Another poster was kind enough to post this link to all the Star menus. It should help you decide where/when to go. You can make reservations online at ncl.com, but then you'll get the charges directly put on your credit card at that time. Many cruisers wait till they're onboard, and then you can either make a reservation or even just show up and take your chances, which are excellent from everything I've read.

 

Suite passengers get to have breakfast and lunch at Cagney's, but the rest of us don't! The choices for us lowly folk :) are the buffet, the main dining rooms, the poolside grill (lunch), or Blue Lagoon. Not a bad number of choices!

[RiverheadLady]

WaldosPepper, thanks so much for the additional information on Meclizine. I will definitely call my Dr. about it.

Shelli, you are so sweet to give me the info I couldn't find on my own. Do you know what time the shows are? I really want to book Le Bistro in advance so I can surprise my husband with his favorite dinner. I saw the menu and they have French Onion Soup and Bouillabaisse. We went to Paris and found out we had to go to Marsaille for it - which we did! For other reasons as well, I guess I should add.

[valleyvillage]

Mary, you are going to have a wonderful time! The Star is our favorite ship and her crew is fantastic. You will feel so welcome.

The Roll Call is imperative! There will BE room for you at the M&G, you can count on it!

Also, see if they are having other events like a cabin crawl or slot pull. These things can really add to the fun on sea days and they are completely voluntary.

The Versailles is the main dining room open on embarkation day. We love it so much that we tried to eat there for lunch the first time we sailed in a suite. Our butler had to drag us to Cagneys! :D

Have a terrific cruise!

[Lubbock2006]

Have a good time. We prefer the aft on the Star. BIL & SIL had a handicap while we had an aft balcony on deck 9. Walking was a problem for BIL and our location being close to elevators was great for him. Pickup some ginger and start taking several days before boarding . We had no problems getting reservations at LeBristo, so online reservations I don't believe are required and we preferred Versailles as our mdr. I wouldn't worry about hurricanes, a large staff, on shore and on board are looking after your safety. NCL simply won't take chances and will re-route as needed to be safe. Just be flexible with your travel plans when sailing during hurricane season. That's the main reason we cruise in October.

Dick

[Shelli]

Do you know what time the shows are? I really want to book Le Bistro in advance so I can surprise my husband with his favorite dinner. I saw the menu and they have French Onion Soup and Bouillabaisse. We went to Paris and found out we had to go to Marsaille for it - which we did! For other reasons as well, I guess I should add.

 

The big production shows are at 7:30 and 9:30, but times for other shows during the week vary. From Dailies other cruisers have posted, it appears that the big shows are Day 3 (Tuesday) and Day 7 (Saturday). Some of the other shows during the week are also done twice (7:30 and 9:30), but others are at 8:00 only.

 

Can you tell I'm a cruise research freak? :)

[RiverheadLady]

Thanks for the great information. I love these Boards! I only booked the cruise two weeks ago but I'm making up for lost time with all these questions coming to my mind.

Dick, when you say to start taking ginger a few days before, do you mean chew on fresh ginger, make ginger tea or what exactly? Unfortunately, Oct. was not an option for us so it was this or nothing. Once I got it in my head to cruise to Bermuda I decided to go for it. Have kept my fingers crossed ever since.

Shelli, cruise research freaks are my best friends right now. Please pass along any tips or info you think I may enjoy hearing about.

Thanks ValleyVillage. So you won't be on this one? I did see that my name was added to the M&G and I am very excited about meeting people the first morning. Are onboard activities organized? Do we get refreshments or get to eat lunch together? What exactly happens at the M&G?

[hawaiilvr]

Freestyle dining and Bermuda are made for each other! We were there last year on the Gem, and alongside us was the Celebrity Summit. We rode the buses and took many ferries with passengers who were constantly planning their day and schedules around their set dining time. We just went about our business in Bermuda, often not returning until late in the evening and we just went to the MDR like it was a land restaurant, sometimes 9:00 or 9:30 at night. We never even gave our dining time a second thought.

 

Have a great trip. We loved Bermuda and the Gem was the perfect ship for us. I hope the Star is that way for you as well.

[disfan13]

Hi Mary - the M&G is really just a chance to meet other folks from Cruise Critic - we have always found / made a few friends there and would see each other throughoout the cruise - have cocktails - or play poker :D I'm not sure if there will be any refreshments at the M&G - we will see.

 

By the way you are added - it's at 11:30 AM on Monday in Le Bistro! ;)