Topaz suite 11050, living the suite life on the Star 31/1/16-7/2/16

[Mom2B&Z]

As AngeloR is doing a thorough review of this cruise, I'm going to focus my review on the suite life for a family of 4. We went platinum on this cruise, so we are no strangers to NCL. The cruise was booked a year ago with Canadian exchange of $1.11, this will become important! Booking perks were UBP/soda package, UDP, prepaid gratuities for first 2 passengers and $200 obc. Before the cruise I prepaid the rest of the gratuities, and bought $800us in obc. I also (fortunately) took screenshots of my NCL.com account.

We shoehorned ourselves into Air Canada Rouge and flew Ottawa-Toronto-Tampa, making a mad dash through Pearson to debarked, clear customs and get to our next gate in 40 minutes! It was a minor miracle :)

Off to hockey, back soon...

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

Back from hockey, team won 4-2 and B the goalie won the gold jersey for game mvp :) Now back to the review...

Living in Ontario, we always fly in at least a day before our cruises and this was no exception. B and Z are 10&8 yrs, so we took them to Legoland in Winterhaven the day before the cruise. Tickets purchased from CAA in Canadian dollars, for a total of $300 for all of us to go. My boys love Lego and had a great time. The park promotes itself as being for kids up to age 12, but we went 4 years ago and didn't have nearly as much fun as we did this time. If you are 48" tall you can ride every single ride, which made Z very happy :). Longest wait was 10 minutes, we walked right onto most rides. It isn't Disney, but we had a blast!

We stayed at the Sheraton Suites Tampa Westshore hotel, which is about 5 minutes from the Tampa airport. It's somewhat dated, but staff were friendly and we love having a separate living room so DH and I can hang out while the boys sleep. DH is a Sheraton SPG member so we had free wifi. Rooms also have a small fridge and microwave, so we stopped at a grocery store and bought food for breakfast, saving us almost $40 over the cost of eating at the hotel.

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

Embarkation morning we headed out to port by taxi around 10:30am, the taxi was less than Uber xl's quoted price. I was happy with the cab, friendly driver and charged us $20. The flat rate from airport to port is $25, so I knew it was fair. We were dropped off after a short wait in traffic and porters quickly took our bags.

There was no priority line for suites until we passed through security. We knew TheArch had upgraded to the GV and B overheard people talking about the Garden Villa behind us in line. I took a chance asking if it was her, fortunately it was! The first of many friendly CC members we would meet on this cruise.

Once through security the suite check in line was immediately to the right, though we walked right by it as we were handed the health forms. Back into the right line, staff proceeded to announce several times we were VIPs, to the point where I was somewhat uncomfortable. I know they were trying to make us feel special, but we're more low key.

Here was the first interesting offer for Canadians. You could choose to pay a "discounted" rate for your on board charges, but only if you signed up at check in. Multiple staff members could not tell me the exact discounted rate, just that most Canadians took the offer. It ends up you only find out the rate once you are in the process of signing up, but that only tells you today's rate, not the rate you will be charged, as the rate is variable. I ended up with a charge on my card (in error...but that comes later!) and the rate was $1.43. That is certainly better than I would have paid through my credit card so worthwhile for Canadians to investigate.

We received our key cards and were led to the suite waiting area. We were there less than 5 minutes before boarding the ship. Lunch at Moderno was already in progress and it was before noon. I was concerned out reports of suite lunch not being ready before 1pm, as we would never make it that late (!), but it wasn't a problem. Cabins were not ready when we finished, but I stopped by to drop off luggage which worked out just fine.

Off to Splash Academy to sign up for kids club. There were 200 kids under 12 on the ship, and another 200 teens. The 6-9 and 10-12 groups were combined due to low numbers which made my boys very happy! I found the staff a bit more aloof than precious cruises, but the boys loved it and begged to go every day. They even participated in the circus event on the last day, which they have opted out of for the past 4 cruises. I think that says how much they enjoyed themselves!

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

The cabin -Topaz suite 11050, SC family suite. Other than the regular size balcony, this is the perfect cabin layout for our family. The floor plan on NCL.com gives a very accurate representation of what you get in this cabin. What it doesn't show is that this is actually two cabins, as there are two numbers on the door and two keycard entrances. The boys thought it was hilarious to lock themselves into "their cabin" until they found out our key area opened their door too :)

The inside cabin aka second bedroom is small. With the couch pulled out, the only floor space is between the bathroom and closet areas. However, for two young boys, it was perfect. The bathroom is the standard balcony bathroom layout, the closet area had 4 drawers, three shelves and two small areas to hang clothes. All their stuff fit fine in their cabin.

 

 

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[DCT61]

One of the best cruises we ever were on was a repositioning from Vancouver to LA in this exact same suite. When we entered the Columbia river heading into Astoria OR, the sliding door between the living room and bath slammed shut and the glasses fell out of the dining area shelves. It was quite a welcome and a wake up call. Have a great time!

[texanaust]

Were the security lines long at the time you arrived? We are trying to decide what time to arrive at the port for our cruise in April, also in a suite. Thanks.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your report.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

Thanks for bringing us along.

[Mom2B&Z]

Were the security lines long at the time you arrived? We are trying to decide what time to arrive at the port for our cruise in April, also in a suite. Thanks.

 

 

Not short but not long. I wanted to be there a bit earlier but I don't know that it would have helped. The line moved at a slow but steady pace.

 

 

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[Visigoth]

Were the security lines long at the time you arrived? We are trying to decide what time to arrive at the port for our cruise in April, also in a suite. Thanks.

If you are in a suite, I would not recommend arriving early. No one will board the ship until the passengers from the last cruise are off and the ship is certified as empty. That means that sometime after 11 am they will begin to board. Suite passengers first, then elite Latitude members by status, then boarding groups by priority of check in time. If you arrive at 9 am you will check-in and wait. Since suite guests enjoy priority check-in you can show up at 11:30 or 12 and you will be checked in immediately and probably be escorted directly on board within minutes.

 

When the draught of your vessel exceeds the depth of the water, you are most assuredly, aground

- Ian Walsh

[Mom2B&Z]

Ok, back to the cabin. The main living area isn't huge, but has a table to fit 4 comfortably for a meal, the usual NCL suite bar and coffee area, a couch across from the tv and two pocket doors that open into the main bedroom and bathroom. Decor is dated but everything was in good working order. The couch could obviously be pulled out, but given that the second bedroom can sleep 3 and the cabin maximum capacity is 5, I doubt it is used very often.

Dining and living areas:

The main bedroom:

Mirrors on the walls in the main bedroom.

Bathroom vanity and bathtub:

 

 

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

View of balcony and ocean from bathtub, with the tv over the bathtub. The boys thought this was fantastic!

Main shower:

Two safes:

This cabin has some serious storage space. We bring 3 full sized suitcases, a rolling carry on and backpacks for everyone. Clothes to wear during the day and dress up clothes for dinner. At least 4 pairs of shoe for each person. We didn't use every drawer, in fact the storage in the main bedroom wasn't used at all!

Closet and storage in second bedroom:

I apparently didn't take a photo of the main bedroom closet, but it was a good size (4 feet wide?) with 4 drawers and 4 shelves in the adjacent cupboard with the two safes. We didn't use the nightstands (each had a small shelf and drawer), and two large cupboards above and below the main bedroom tv.

 

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

The downside to this cabin is the balcony. It's nothing special, though the two lounge chairs are comfortable. Our last suite was an aft penthouse on Breakaway with a huge balcony, which we absolutely adored. We knew this balcony would be much smaller, but we still missed the private outdoor space. Unfortunately on the Star, our only other option for two private bedrooms and a bigger balcony was the garden villa :)

Cabin location is directly under the overhang from deck 12, meaning you can't look straight up and see sky from the balcony

The cabin is the big black windows with the lounge chairs on the balcony to the left.

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

Our butler was Putu and he was amazing! We called him the ninja butler, because he was in and out so quickly and quietly. Our room steward Phil was equally stealth and efficient. He is also the first room steward to ever call us by name, even the boys. I don't like being called Ms. B&Z's Mom all week, I prefer people use my first name (as does my DH) and he obviously read something about us to know this. It certainly made a very positive first impression on me!

The two of them definitely made our vacation a more positive experience, and we filled out vacation hero cards for each of them.

Roel the concierge was helpful, getting us the desired Teppanyaki reservation and moving some reservations around during the week. He wasn't able to help much with sorting out missing booking incentives, though this appears to be a corporate issue. When there were erroneous charges on our account on the last day, his assistant had it fixed, charges on my credit card reversed and cash reimbursed within 15 minutes. I was impressed, thinking I'd have to deal directly with Miami once home. He also freely made fun of the fact I'm directionally challenged and frequently got turned around trying to get to breakfast at Moderno each morning!

 

 

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Edited February 12, 2016 by B&Z's Mom

[cincicruisers]

Enjoying your review. Looking forward to the rest.

[Mom2B&Z]

I alluded to issues with our onboard account earlier and I want to explore this in a bit of detail. Before we left there were multiple reports on cc about perks not showing up, so I took screenshots of our NCL.com account showing exactly what we had booked: UBP, UDP, obc and prepaid gratuities for DH and I. Unfortunately after checking in, only my UDP and UBP was showing, even though obc certificates in our cabin were delivered to both DH and I. We went to the concierge hoping he could rectify it, but unfortunately I had to line up at guest services to show my screenshots. Even that wasn't enough, they had to "send an inquiry to head office". Of course since we boarded on Sunday, the office was closed. I was reassured that if I really had the packages, they would be credited to our account. We cautiously went to dinner at Moderno and awaited our reply.

Guest services called us Monday and said the UDP and UBP were indeed due to all of us and issued new cards showing these perks. However, dh's prepaid gratuities and obc still weren't showing, so another inquiry was sent to head office. Tuesday found the gratuity issue resolved, but still missing DH's obc. Showing a manager at guest services the obc voucher resolved that issue.

All I can say is that all of this running around really put a damper on my trip. I love the suite life for the sheer fact I don't need to be on top of anything, and this time I spent a significant amount of time dealing with administrative issues. I wasn't the only one with this issue and the guest services staff were clearly familiar and frustrated with these issues. If NCL is going to offer these perks, get the problems with your head office to ship communication worked out.

It is worthwhile dealing with this early in the cruise, as I heard many people being told on the last night that it was too late, they needed to pay their shipboard account and deal directly with head office once home. I personally saw 5 letters to this effect being given to people at guest services within 10 minutes.

 

 

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Edited February 12, 2016 by B&Z's Mom

[j-9]

A couple of questions about the suite life on the Star, if you don't mind. Did all suites get to use the reserved seating area for shows and the breakfast/lunch in Moderno? We will be in a SJ in September.

Thanks

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

A couple of questions about the suite life on the Star, if you don't mind. Did all suites get to use the reserved seating area for shows and the breakfast/lunch in Moderno? We will be in a SJ in September.

Thanks

 

 

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Not at all :)

Only the Garden Villa and OS had reserved seating. There was a sign on the balcony, first couple of rows on the left hand side if you are looking at the stage. Not great seats IMHO, but that's what was offered. I saw many people pass by to sign into the empty seats once the show started.

I have to say I was disappointed we didn't get reserved seating, but it was never a problem to find a seat. Our sailing was not completely full, there were empty suites but most other cabins were sold out.

All suites had breakfast and lunch in Moderno. The menus said Cagneys, but it was definitely held in Moderno. The menu doesn't change during the week and is fairly limited. From what I understand it is the same suite breakfast and lunch menu fleet-wide.

 

 

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Edited February 13, 2016 by B&Z's Mom

[Visigoth]

A couple of questions about the suite life on the Star, if you don't mind. Did all suites get to use the reserved seating area for shows and the breakfast/lunch in Moderno? We will be in a SJ in September.

Thanks

 

 

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You will most certainly have a access to a separate dining venue for lunch and Breakfast. It used to be Cagney's but it has more recently been moved to Moderno which now occupies what used to be the Star Bar just across the hall from Cagney's.

 

The reserved seating question remains unanswered. By rule it is reserved only for GV, OS, and Haven guests only. On the cruises we've been on, however, all suite guests enjoyed this perk. Apparently it is up to your concierge to make this decision. You should be aware that these are not great seats. They are in the balcony left and there is a somewhat obstructive view because of the high safety railings. Their main advantage is that you can arrive late or leave early without being obtrusive. Also there is always a waiter in that area taking your drink orders.

 

"There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

- Spoken by Ratty to Mole in Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932).