NCL Star Dec 9 - 16, West Carb, out of N.O.

[Da-Painter]

I have not seen any comments about our cruise, so here is my quick review.

The cruise was great, NCL does a great job, the fellow cruisers are fun, the crew, entertainment, ports were all great.

 

First, our Meet & Greet; the Captain and officers showed up, and also sent us all an invitation for a bridge tour, which occurred on Saturday morning. The Captain explained the operation of the ship, the officers on duty, controls for handling the ship, etc. They had drinks and horderves, we were allowed to ask questions, have our pictures taken with the Captain, we were not rushed, this was really appreciated by all.

 

We ate in the MDR's, Aqua once, didnt find it as appealing as Versailles, the service and food, and selections were all good. No complaints at all. We ate in the Blue Lagoon once, wasn't as good as it use to be.

They had the chocolate buffet, very good, helped maintained my waistline. We just didnt get around to dinner before that, but after the chocolate buffet, there was no need for any additional food.

They now offer a Strawberry-Kiwi and Mango drinks in the buffet, in addition to ice tea, and milk, and water.

We went to dinner at various times, only one time did we get a beeper, when they could not seat us immediately. It went off within 5 minutes. But I never noticed a long line.

We never ate at any speciality restaurants, didnt have the desire to. I never noticed any lines for the speciality restaurants. We were in a suite, so we had Cagneys for breakfast and lunch, it was delicious.

On the tv in the cabins, and on monitors around the ship you can see what, if any wait times are at all the restaurants, which is very handy.

 

We went to a few shows, Band on the Run, Shout!, Elements, and a few others. They were all very good. Went to Deal or No Deal, only 30 minutes long, kinda poor.

 

We did shore excursions to the Ruins, they are long 1-2 hour rides there, and the same back, so made for a long day, but worth it. Went to Maya Key Private Resort in Roatan, it was very worth it to spend the day. They have a good representation of the various ruins, with a lot of history. Many cages animals, cool cats, lunch, swimming pool, as well as swimming in the ocean, snorkeling, and only 3 minutes away from the ship.

 

One of the enjoyable times was when we were docked at Cozumel, we didnt do a tour, but just strolled through town shopping. We were docked next to the Dawn, so a walkway between the two ships. We came back about 3PM, and they had music, a 'Welcome Back to The Star" banner, and crews from both ships, including officers, dancing to the music, welcoming everyone back. About 5 people on stilts, various costumed characters, dance lines, etc. We watched from the 7th deck as the party went on, and the fun the crew and guests had coming back to the ship. I guess this is what makes a cruise so special, everyone was having a fwonderful time.

 

We found the crew very friendly, the room attendants great, other employees, waiters, waitresses, officers, everyone to always have a smile on their face, and friendly. You can not force people to do this, they are treated well, and enjoy working on the ship.

 

They still offer purchasing cruise rewards, for $150 you get a $250 reward, and now you can buy up to 4 at a time. They are good for 4 years. We of course bought another one.

 

So no real complaints, NCL does a great job, and thats why we will continue to cruise with them, we had a great time. :)

[lostone65]

I'm in the process of my review. We also had a wonderful time. I can't say how impressed I am by the staff on the Star! I am planning our next cruise as I type! I haveto say coming home to the PNW was a system shock, cold and then snow yesterday. Give me the Star and 85 and I will be happy forever!

[Izzybeff]

Thanks for the review! Did you happen to bring the dailies back with you that you could post?

[Da-Painter]

Sorry, no one wanted to keep the dailies, so we didnt. But we kept them from all of our other cruises. :eek:

[jdvmd]

Glad you had a great time! Thanks for your comments! The Dawn is a great ship!

[kwbound]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Star in February. It will only be our 2nd NCL cruise. Can you explain a little more about the Meet & Greet? How does one obtain an invitation?

 

Thanks!

[camz]

Welcome Back! Glad to hear you loved the Star as much as we did in Sept/Oct. Being docked next to the Dawn with the crews from both ships out and about must have been exciting. The Dawn and Star both have the friendliest crews at sea. I totally agree that the crew on the Star love what they do as you can see it in their faces.

[Da-Painter]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Star in February. It will only be our 2nd NCL cruise. Can you explain a little more about the Meet & Greet? How does one obtain an invitation?

 

Thanks!

Go to the Cruise Critic Message Boards, scroll down to "Roll Calls", click on NCL, click on your ship, and look for a M&G set up for your travel date. Then reply to have your name added, there should be one set up. Make a note of the meeting time and place. And attend. They usually have refreshments & other goodies available.

Hope you can find it. Have fun!!! ;)