First time NCL cruiser for British Isles

[DreadPirateRobert]

My wife and I just booked the Norwegian Star for a 14 night British Isles cruise in May of 2020.

We’ve cruised extensively with Carnival and Celebrity but never on NCL. This was completely an itinerary driven decision. None of the others had this fantastic itinerary as well as the perks. 

Though it’s almost a year and a half away we are excited and looking forward to taking lots of places off our “bucket list” and experiencing NCL. 

Any thought or comments on NCL and what to expect compared to CCL and Celebrity will certainly be appreciated. 

[BirdTravels]

It's all about Freestyle Cruising. No set dining times. In the MDRs, show up when you are hungry or when it best fits your schedule. You will always get a 2-top table to yourself and eat at your own pace.  No Formal Nights. NCL embraces the "Dress Up or Not" philosophy with shorts allowed in all dining rooms for all meals except the Versailles and Le Bistro restaurants which ask that gents wear long pants (jeans, dockers). You can still dress up if you want and won't be out of place.  

 

The Star is a 2400 passenger ship (you'll have fewer on your voyage), a older demographic, and a lot of Brits. 

 

Theater entertainment is more traditional cruise ship (vs. big Broadway shows). 

 

We sailed on the Star to the Western Caribbean and loved the ship. 

 

It is newly refurbished with all of the public spaces totally rebuilt from the deck plates. You can take a peek at the following video 

 

 

[maja651]

3 hours ago, DreadPirateRobert said:

My wife and I just booked the Norwegian Star for a 14 night British Isles cruise in May of 2020.

We’ve cruised extensively with Carnival and Celebrity but never on NCL. This was completely an itinerary driven decision. None of the others had this fantastic itinerary as well as the perks. 

Though it’s almost a year and a half away we are excited and looking forward to taking lots of places off our “bucket list” and experiencing NCL. 

Any thought or comments on NCL and what to expect compared to CCL and Celebrity will certainly be appreciated. 

We booked this cruise as well, also because of the itinerary,  but we love NCL.  It is on the Jade though,  not the Star.  I’d recommend booking a full suite if you can swing it, because NCL suites have the best perks!

Edited January 28, 2019 by maja651

[BirdTravels]

11 minutes ago, maja651 said:

We booked this cruise as well, also because of the itinerary,  but we love NCL.  It is on the Jade though,  not the Star.  I’d recommend booking a full suite if you can swing it, because NCL suites have the best perks!

The May 3, 2020 is on the Star out of Southampton (with only 1 sea day)

 

Versus the Jade going to Norway out of Amsterdam

Edited January 28, 2019 by BirdTravels

[maja651]

26 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The May 3, 2020 is on the Star out of Southampton (with only 1 sea day)

 

Versus the Jade going to Norway out of Amsterdam

Ah, I see! I didn’t realize there was another option! Thanks!

[lamchops]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

The Star is a 2400 passenger ship (you'll have fewer on your voyage), a older demographic, and a lot of Brits. 

 

 

 

We did a British isle cruise last September on the Jade and the announced demographics were 1500 Americans, 400 Canadians, and 400 other nationalities. It had the vibe of an Alaskian cruise.

[Trimone]

Most Brits on a U.K. based cruise would use P&O, or get in there car and drive to destinations

[DreadPirateRobert]

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The May 3, 2020 is on the Star out of Southampton (with only 1 sea day)

 

Versus the Jade going to Norway out of Amsterdam

Definitely some similarities. While I’m sure Norway is beautiful, it’s the Ireland and Scotland ports that made this itinerary a must for us. 

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

[DreadPirateRobert]

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It's all about Freestyle Cruising. No set dining times. In the MDRs, show up when you are hungry or when it best fits your schedule. You will always get a 2-top table to yourself and eat at your own pace.  No Formal Nights. NCL embraces the "Dress Up or Not" philosophy with shorts allowed in all dining rooms for all meals except the Versailles and Le Bistro restaurants which ask that gents wear long pants (jeans, dockers). You can still dress up if you want and won't be out of place.  

 

The Star is a 2400 passenger ship (you'll have fewer on your voyage), a older demographic, and a lot of Brits. 

 

Theater entertainment is more traditional cruise ship (vs. big Broadway shows). 

 

We sailed on the Star to the Western Caribbean and loved the ship. 

 

It is newly refurbished with all of the public spaces totally rebuilt from the deck plates. You can take a peek at the following video 

 

 

Thank you for the information. I’m surprised about shorts in the dining rooms. 

I’ve seen a lot of that on Carnival. Hopefully it will not go to some of those extremes.

Though what other people wear to dinner doesn’t really change my dining experience. I do love the idea of Freestyle dining.

Is smoking restricted to certain outside areas?

[fshagan]

1 hour ago, DreadPirateRobert said:

Is smoking restricted to certain outside areas?

 

Yes, there is no smoking on balconies, and there are designated smoking areas. One is on the pool deck on either the port or starboard side, so if you want to avoid any contact with smoke figure out which side they are using and then use the other side. They also allow smoking in the casino.