First time cruiser with questions about the Star to Alaska

[JokerJack]

On the Star, there are two main dining rooms (Versailles and Aqua). Versailles is quite large, Aqua much smaller. Since the dining rooms are open for an extended period (vs. 2 fixed seating times on a traditional cruise), people end up eating at different times, so it gets spread out between 5:30 and 10. There IS a peak time, somewhere around 7 or 7:30 when it does get more crowded. That's when it's most likely that you'll run into a line to be seated.

 

Also, there are numerous, alternative dining venues, which spreads out the cruiser population.

 

Here's a rundown:

 

Included, no reservations necessary

Versailles main dining room

Aqua main dining room

Market Cafe (buffet)

Blue Lagoon (24/7 diner)

The Grill (on-deck grilled favorites)

Red Lion Pub (snacks)

Ice cream parlor

Late night snacks (casino)

Room service (24/7)

 

Included, reservations required

La Trattoria (Italian)

Endless Summer (Tex-Mex)

 

Surcharge, reservations required

Le Bistro (French)

Cagney's Steakhouse

Ginza (Asian Fusion / Sushi)

Teppanyaki (Benihana-like)

Soho Room (Pacific Rim)

 

My recommendations? From soup to nuts, Le Bistro is probably the best alternative restaurant (great filet mignon, mushroom soup, chocolate fondue). Cagney's Steakhouse offers excellent steaks. And I loved the entrees in Teppanyaki (along with the entertaining food preparation show) but I found the side dishes just okay. I thought the Soho Room was good but not any better than the main dining rooms.

 

Sorry, I meant to reply to KeystoneCruiser about the Chocoholic Buffet...Still trying to figure out how to work the command buttons...

[JokerJack]

Chocoholic Buffet is held one night during your cruise at about 11:30 p.m.. They take the Versailles Dining Room and set up all these ice sculptures and chocolate designs and there are TON of chocolate items to eat. You go through like a buffet and fill your plate with chocolate....mmmmmm

Does it get pretty busy and packed if everyone is trying to get into one restaurant?

[zimmerjulie]

Sounds like you've got some great plans!

 

I don't know how old the kids are, but there are a couple of combo tours that involve the railroad trip in Skagway. You go one way by bus, the other by the railroad. This breaks things up a bit and gives you a slightly different view and tour commentary on the way. We took the White Pass Railroad, Bus, and gold rush trail camp excursion. We took the bus up the pass, stopping at the reconstructed gold rush camp on the way. The camp stop was highly entertaining, with people dressed in period costume, music and poetry of the time period, and panning for gold. It was corny at times, but we enjoyed it. Also, the bus was air conditioned, so that was nice, as it was in the high 80's that day. We also stopped along the way to take pictures outside of the bus.

 

The train ride portion was spectacular. The up side of our clear, hot day was perfect visibility. Wonderful sights, both natural and man-made, along with a bit of history of the railroad.

 

originally posted by JokerJack

I've come to understand that planning a first cruise takes quite a bit of work

I smiled when I read this. For my first cruise, I did the work of booking the cruise, paying for it, then packing. That's it. Had a wonderful time, it was so great!

 

With all of the information available now on sites like Cruise Critic, you can do a TON of pre-cruise preparation. None or a ton, I think you would have a great time either way. It is fun to get all of the inside information and choose your tours ahead of time, though.

 

On our cruise in late June, it was light until almost midnight. It was great to look out at the ocean during dinner while it was still light. After that we were busy at the show, casino, photo gallery, lecture, or whatever inside the ship. It was weird to be walking back to the cabin at 11:00 pm and see daylight out the windows! We had an inside cabin, so the extra hours of light made no difference to our sleeping patterns. Seems like the curtains usually have a thick layer anyway, that almost completely blocks out the sun.

[zimmerjulie]

Yes, the Versailles gets very busy and packed when everyone is trying to get in for the Chocohaulic buffet. It is not for the faint of heart or mere dabblers in the realm of chocolate. You must be devoted to the quest or have someone willing to face the lines to retrieve some for you (my approach;) ).

[Bennett'sCruise]

After 4 cruises, I have yet to make it to the Chocoholic buffet ... which was always held about midnight. I'm just too pooped from the day's activities to stay up that late (even for CHOCOLATE!!). I've heard tales and seen friend's pix, it looks gorgeous....

 

YES! The sun is up late .. and then again early! Fabulous! For those of us who are early risers, it is wonderful to stand on the balcony and watch the sea below.... The curtains on the outside/balcony staterooms are very thick and if you decide you want to sleep while it's light outside, it's no prob.

 

WINE: you can find NCL's wine list on their web site ... very comprehensive.

 

~D

[JokerJack]

Sounds like you've got some great plans!

 

I don't know how old the kids are, but there are a couple of combo tours that involve the railroad trip in Skagway. You go one way by bus, the other by the railroad. This breaks things up a bit and gives you a slightly different view and tour commentary on the way. We took the White Pass Railroad, Bus, and gold rush trail camp excursion. We took the bus up the pass, stopping at the reconstructed gold rush camp on the way. The camp stop was highly entertaining, with people dressed in period costume, music and poetry of the time period, and panning for gold. It was corny at times, but we enjoyed it. Also, the bus was air conditioned, so that was nice, as it was in the high 80's that day. We also stopped along the way to take pictures outside of the bus.

 

The train ride portion was spectacular. The up side of our clear, hot day was perfect visibility. Wonderful sights, both natural and man-made, along with a bit of history of the railroad.

 

originally posted by JokerJack

I smiled when I read this. For my first cruise, I did the work of booking the cruise, paying for it, then packing. That's it. Had a wonderful time, it was so great!

 

With all of the information available now on sites like Cruise Critic, you can do a TON of pre-cruise preparation. None or a ton, I think you would have a great time either way. It is fun to get all of the inside information and choose your tours ahead of time, though.

 

On our cruise in late June, it was light until almost midnight. It was great to look out at the ocean during dinner while it was still light. After that we were busy at the show, casino, photo gallery, lecture, or whatever inside the ship. It was weird to be walking back to the cabin at 11:00 pm and see daylight out the windows! We had an inside cabin, so the extra hours of light made no difference to our sleeping patterns. Seems like the curtains usually have a thick layer anyway, that almost completely blocks out the sun.

 

The combo tour sounds wonderful!! I'll have to look into that...Thanks for the great tip!!

Regarding the planning: Yeah, I'm the planner in the family. With everyone having different expectations of various vacations that we've been on, I try to take everyone's wants into consideration. But then, I don't really know what to expect or what my expections even should be...Maybe I should just say "hakuna matata!!" :)

[Host CMLA]

I just realized something. In May, isn't the sun almost always up in Alaska? Did that bother any one of you that has been on an Alaskan cruise? If so, how did you deal with it?

I've been on three Alaskan cruises and never really thought the sun was up that much later than when I'm at home. I spent 6 months in Adak Alaska in 1991 and we had 20 or so hours a day of sun and then 20 or so hours of dark as the time went by. The inside passage of Alaska wasn't anything like that. In Haines I remember the sun setting at about 9:30 PM or so, just in time to see the Northern Lights a short time later. I can't speak to the mornings because I sleep in as late as possible.

[Bennett'sCruise]

With everyone having different expectations of various vacations that we've been on, I try to take everyone's wants into consideration. :)

 

A cruise is perfect for such a family!!:D

 

~D

[Bennett'sCruise]

In Haines I remember the sun setting at about 9:30 PM or so, just in time to see the Northern Lights a short time later. .

 

Oh .... my .... goodness, Cecilia!!!! You actually got to see the Northern Lights??? I'm sooo jealous ... That's definitely on my must-see list. What time of the year did that happen?

 

~D

[Host CMLA]

Oh .... my .... goodness' date=' Cecilia!!!! You actually got to see the Northern Lights??? I'm sooo jealous ... That's definitely on my must-see list. What time of the year did that happen?[/quote'] Let's see...first cruise to Alaska was in early September 1999. It wasn't then because that was a family trip and most nights were spent with family. Second trip to Alaska was August 28, 2000 and we were in Haines three or four days later. And I remember now being docked in Haines and being at the back of the ship on deck 7 and seeing the purply, greenish, sparkly almost waves in the sky. Really amazing to see. The captian made an announcement after some time but by then it wasn't as distinct and we were pulling away. I think fall is the best time to see them or that's when they're more frequent. Here's a web site with more info: Northern Lights

[JokerJack]

Thanks for the idea and the website!! Wow, I hadn't even thought about trying to see Northern Lights. Do you think the Inside Passage cruise might be too far South to see these lights? Too bad they don't occur more often in the summer.