NCL Star Garden Villa 2014

[vinnytman]

My wife and I decided to spring for the Garden Villa. We've never sailed on NCL before -- we've only been on 2 cruises before in our lives on Holland America.

 

We're staying in 14500, but has anyone stayed in this Garden Villa in 2014 and know what kind of shape it's in? I've been hearing they may update the ship again in 2015, but just wondering if things are falling apart or if it's close to what I see in pictures online and videos on YouTube.

[toyotaford]

My wife and I decided to spring for the Garden Villa. We've never sailed on NCL before -- we've only been on 2 cruises before in our lives on Holland America.

 

We're staying in 14500, but has anyone stayed in this Garden Villa in 2014 and know what kind of shape it's in? I've been hearing they may update the ship again in 2015, but just wondering if things are falling apart or if it's close to what I see in pictures online and videos on YouTube.

We have not stayed in the GV on the Star for about a year and a half but of all the GVs we have been in the ones on the Star are our favorite. I can't speak for the current condition but believe you will be blown away by the experience. We love the deck space.

[vinnytman]

Thanks for the reply. BTW, what would you rate the food on the Star? I'm hearing mixed things on CC about it so I gave no idea what to expect.

[dexddd]

Same question but for the Dawn.

[toyotaford]

Thanks for the reply. BTW, what would you rate the food on the Star? I'm hearing mixed things on CC about it so I gave no idea what to expect.

We have traveled 5 cruise lines and the food on NCL is consistently as good as any other. We always have breakfast in Cagneys and it is excellent. We usually just go to the buffet and get a salad or something from the deli and bring it back to the room for lunch. For dinner we are usually half and half between MDR and specialty dining rooms. We have always had excellent steaks in Cagneys and usually do that for a couple of nights. We also request the afternoon snacks that we have found that we like. My husband loves the pound cake. I like the tuna sandwiches and they do a garlic toast with an olive spread that is great. Trust me, you will not go hungry on NCL.

[vinnytman]

Thanks for the reply about the food. We're not food snobs at all, but since I've read mixed things about the food, it's great to hear this feedback.

[bguppies]

Same question but for the Dawn.

 

 

We just got off the Dawn in 14000.

 

First sailing with NCL. ( very used to the older ships in Carnival's fleet)

 

The cabin itself wasn't in bad shape other than one of the swivel chairs in the living room having a leg break and needing to be be welded back on mid-week. (Apparently the guy welding it back on told me they had assembled the legs backwards, so it was inevitable) And the covered double lounger on the roof with the cover snapped off.

The electric blinds in every room struggled to all work completely. (Some in each room could no longer go all the way down)

 

But the ship was astonishingly constantly, breaking down all over, all week.

 

First the elevators.

Almost made the enjoyment of the GV difficult, by what a huge PITA it always was to ride an elevator to and from the suite. ( and the elderly in our cabin could NOT just walk up or down any flights of stairs, nor should anyone be expected to, for what you pay for those suites. Since I'm sure some cheerleaders will come along and say "just use the stairs".)

 

There are only four elevators by which you could access the GV.

 

The second elevator from the left had a broken card reader, so that elevator was unusable the entire week.

 

Elevators in general throughout the ship are in far too short supply ( much more than we have ever experienced on any class of ship on Carnival.) forcing people, by day two to leap onto any elevator with space, even if it went 4-5 floors in the opposite direction, just so you could eventually get where you wanted. ( hint that took until midweek to figure out. As soon as you jump on one of the three elevators with functioning card readers. Punch deck 13 immediately, because by the time you slide your card in the reader, then try to punch the button for 14, the elevator always got called down due to the constant scarcity of elevators, all day, every day. Better to stop on 13 EVERY trip than ride down from 6,7 or 8, then back up to 14 after stopping on almost every floor)

 

Back to the four GV access elevators.

On the first sea day, the far left elevator broke down between 4AM when I rode it down and 9AM when I tried to head down to deck 7.

It stayed broke for two more days.

 

Later in the week ( I believe Thursday-the end of the cruise), an aft elevator was constantly out of service.

 

Every single day of the cruise the soft serve machine was functioning, but so poorly calibrated, you couldn't walk from the machine to a seat ten feet away, without half of it melting. I tried to bring DW some soft serve the day in Costa Maya after she got badly sunburned in Belize. The entire soft serve had completely melted, I mean not even milk shake consistency, in the time it took to walk from the back of the Buffett to the elevators right there. ( luckily it was during the few hours the scoops was open)

It was a constant joke you'd overhear passengers talking about in the Buffett all week.

 

All over the Buffett all week were ice machines, drink dispensers, coffee machines, etc. constantly broken. ( I started taking pictures of all the various signs the last few days, because the sheer volume, everywhere you went, was hysterical)

 

The last sea day we were seated across from a drink station in the Blue Lagoon and of course, the ice dispenser had a sign and the decaf machine had a sign. ( it was truly unreal)

 

I'll sit down and write a full review of last week's sailing on the Dawn , when I finally get home, but hopefully these handful of thoughts relevant to this thread help answer your question.

 

Bill