Should we book the Star-Poor Reviews?

[iancal]

We have never been on Norwegian. I am taking my father on the Sun 2/4 . My spouse was about to book a Star 8 day Mexican cruise in April but read a number of poor reviews-things that included poor food to broken seats in the theatre. Any comments from those who have been on the Star lately and/or the Mexican itinerary. Thanks very much

[electricron]

Who do you think broke those seats?

 

Food is a subjected opinion. I asked a professional chief OP last week not giving good grades (stars) for the Jewel to rate the restaurants individually. Here are his ratings for the restaurants on board the Jewel.

 

I will rate them not on personal likes or dislikes, but on the service, the way the dishes were prepared, and appearance of both the restaurant and staff. I ate in every restaurant except the tapas restaurant.

 

Azura-2.25

Tsars-2.5

Mamas-1.75

Chin Chin-3

Teppanyaki-3.25

Sushi-2.5

Cagneys-1.5

Le Bistro-3.75

Buffet-1.5

Grills-2

Blue Lagoon-2

Room service-2

As a comparision from the Sun last year I would rate Le Bistro-4 and Il Addagio-4.25.

Also as a comparison I rate Applebees-1.75, Red Lobster-2, and Carl's in NYC 4.5.

 

He couldn't name a restaurant with a 5 star rating, so he's a tough customer to please. Never-the-less, NCL's restaurants, even some of the free ones, rated very well. On his scale of perfection, any rating over 2 stars will more than please me.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Can't speak to the Mexican itinerary, but I have been on the Star twice (Hawaii and Alaska) and she is my favorite ship. Very clean and great crew. She is easy to manuver around with lots to do.

 

As far as the broken seats, I don't think that it is that they are broken, it is just that they, for some reason, seem to lean forward. It is just the way they are set up I guess. They are comfortable enough for the 60 minute shows that you sit in them for. You can also sit in the balcony on the couches or "rolly chairs" (as my daughter calls them).

 

I have always found the food to be good, but I am not a picky eater. Yes, the service is slow in the dining rooms and I refuse to eat at the pay restaurants, but the main restaurants and two free specialty restaurants are fine with me. (Don't miss LaTrattatoria, the Italian specialty restaurant.)

 

The Freestyle concept is what always has brought me back to NCL. I like the fact that I do not have to dress up and still be able to eat in all the restaurants even on the optional formal night. Polo shirt and Kahkis are ok with me!! Also, the fact that I can eat at whatever time I want and with only my family is another selling point. Finally, I can wait in my cabin until called to disembark and not have to be herded like cattle into a public room to wait to leave!

[mbisson]

He couldn't name a restaurant with a 5 star rating, so he's a tough customer to please. Never-the-less, NCL's restaurants, even some of the free ones, rated very well. On his scale of perfection, any rating over 2 stars will more than please me.

 

There aren't a lot of 5 star restaurants in the world, so the fact that he couldn't name one isn't surprising to me. What does surprise me is the number of people on the boards that say they eat in 5 star restaurants and expect 5 star dining at sea

 

jmo

-Monte

[7SeasLover]

We were on the Start on a Pacific Coastal repro cruise in September and had a fabulous time. We loved every minute of it including the food. (Cagney's is a 5-star in my opinion.) Other's have rated Cagney's poorly. Food is subjective.

 

I don't expect speedy service, I'm there to relax, kick back, do nothing, and enjoy my husband. We're on a ship, we're in the middle of the ocean -- what could be better?

 

I loved my days and nights on the Star! Great ship! :)

[immargaret]

I was on the STAR last April and will be returning again in less than a month. The seats in the theater aren't broken, just designed a bit uncomfortable. The ship is clean, well maintained and the crew is friendly and helpful. The only bad reviews of the STAR I have read recently were written by passengers who were upset to find out that the ports have changed, due to engine problems. The original ports should be returning in April when the ship comes out of drydock.

 

:)

[sjbdtz]

There aren't a lot of 5 star restaurants in the world, so the fact that he couldn't name one isn't surprising to me. What does surprise me is the number of people on the boards that say they eat in 5 star restaurants and expect 5 star dining at sea

 

jmo

-Monte

 

 

That's weird, there are at least 5, 5 star restaurants within a 5 minute walk from my condo in Yorkville, Toronto.

 

Sassafraz, Bistro990, Flow, Scaramouche, and Opus.

[EmJakeBubbie]

iancal - the STAR is a very nice ship - the theatre seats ARE uncomfortable! so What's Up With That???? (thought it was just us) but darn it, they DO tip somewhat forward). We appreciate all the varied dining venues, as well, Freestyle. Just expect the unexpected, keep a positive attitude, and enjoy your cruise.

[johnql]

I had a great time on the Star's Mexican itinerary last March. And, for the record, I found the seats in the Stardust Theater very comfortable. No complaints here.

[karfest]

We really enjoyed the Star last March. It might actually be my favorite cruise because of both the ship and itinerary.

 

If sitting in an uncomfortable seat at the shows will ruin this vacation experience I would suggest that you

A)stand in the back

B)live with it for the approx one hour

c)do something else.

 

The chairs slant forward a little but are by no means unbearable.

 

As far as food goes- most of the complainers that I noticed have NEVER missed a meal in their lives. I say they just put out a big trough and let 'em just eat til they puke! (sorry, I had a tough time dealing with some behavior on the PoA and I'm a little bitter at cruisers in general!) ;)

[cruisingfromMN]

We love the Star so much, we are going on her for the 4th time in April.

[sabai]

Just returned from the Star having done the same trip last year. Things have definitely gone downhill and it seems management doesn't care. Lots of little things that together make the trip less than what I expected.

Note: some people did not hear of the port changes until they got to the pier. That is poor management. Long lines for tenders instead of tender tickets. And....no chocolate on your pillow at night!

By the way the chocolate buffet has been moved from the afternoon when most folks enjoyed it to 11:30 at night. Not only could alot of people not stay up that late but trying to go to sleep after all that caffene!

[mncruiser66]

it was a wonderful ship - sad to hear things might not be as nice now - if people would just show a little respect things like seats wouldn't be broken. I mean do you go to a friends house and break their chairs? We loved the food that was served - sometimes it was not up to par - but then we just asked for it to be sent back - you can't ever go hungry on a ship so there was always something that we liked every day!

[newmexicoNita]

Just returned from the Star having done the same trip last year. Things have definitely gone downhill and it seems management doesn't care. Lots of little things that together make the trip less than what I expected.

Note: some people did not hear of the port changes until they got to the pier. That is poor management. Long lines for tenders instead of tender tickets. And....no chocolate on your pillow at night!

By the way the chocolate buffet has been moved from the afternoon when most folks enjoyed it to 11:30 at night. Not only could alot of people not stay up that late but trying to go to sleep after all that caffene!

Well, let me address your complaints or concerns, whatever> Most people I know, including my clients hated the chocolate buffet in the afternoon, my request it was moved back to late night: tenders I can't address; TA notified their clients of port change as soon as we knew (a few months ago) NCL notified almost everyone and it was on their website as well as every thread like this: I am sure a few people, for whatever reason may not have known of the changes, but 99% should have or did: no chocolate on your pillow at night, oh for heaven's sake. I know you said your complaints were little but added up, with the exception of tender problems I find your concerns nit picking. NMNita ps, no I know for those who didn't know about the changes this is not nit picking, but there seems to be little reason for anyone not to have know about the port changes. NMnita BTW, Ianca, the reviews that are not positive are really very few. Yes, food overall on all lines has gone down: think about the cost of cruising and the cost of fuel and meat in today's market. Something has to give and it seems to be the quality of food. This doesn't mean the food isn't really good, it just isn't as good as in times past.

[immargaret]

And....no chocolate on your pillow at night!

 

Am I the only one here who has ever had a little too much wine and fallen asleep forgetting to remove the chocolate from your pillow? From personal experience they do melt on your face and hair and make a mess of the pillow case...

 

:eek:

[mbisson]

Am I the only one here who has ever had a little too much wine and fallen asleep forgetting to remove the chocolate from your pillow?

:eek:

 

I'm not sure you're the only one to do this, but you might be the only one that has admitted doing it ;)

 

-Monte

[marilynd]

I loved the Star when I sailed on her last January. Sure there were some nights that the food was not wonderful in the main dinningrooms, but we just changed to another menu item or sent it back. Good food to be had in many locations on the Star. Just be sure and do a little planning and book any of the Speciality restaurants on the first day to get the times you want.

 

Actually, the loss of a chocolate mint on my pillow won't bother me. I don't like eating sweets that late in the evening so I put mine in a drawer and ignore they are there. I am a bit sad to see that the chocoholic buffet is late at night. Good thing there are refrigerators in the cabins.

 

I have two cruises booked on the Star. I am doing the Mexican Riviera on the week before the drydock. I have already resigned myself that there is a possibility that the food may be scarce going into drydock. A cruise isn't all about the food.

 

I also booked the Star for Alaska in July.

 

I wouldn't be afraid to book the Star. The food is very good, and the entertainment is top rate.

 

I'll post a review when I return in March

[immargaret]

I'm not sure you're the only one to do this, but you might be the only one that has admitted doing it ;)

 

-Monte

 

LOL....... Hubby has the pictures around here some where!

 

:)

[vjblk]

My sister and I sailed the Star in December to the Mexican Riveria. We had an enjoyable time. This was our 11th cruise and we've sailed Celebrity, HAL, RCL and Carnival. This was our 2nd cruise with NCL and if the price is right and itinerary is one we want we will sail with NCL again. It was nice to try the alternative to the standard dining of most cruise lines. Although I didn't think the food was anything exceptional we always found something good to eat. We only had one meal where the entree was not good. We had a chicken pot pie that was not like any chicken pot pie we had ever tasted. It was just an odd combination of flavors. But the rest of the meal was good. Eating less of this entree allowed us to really enjoy the dessert! We never had to wait to eat in the main dining rooms and we ate almost always at around 6:30/7:00. We ate breakfast and lunch almost everyday at the buffet or the grill and again always found something that we liked. Alot of people have said that there aren't many choices in the buffet but I thought that they always had several entrees to choose from. We also tried Endless Summer, Le Bistro and Cagneys. All had good food too.

 

We didn't go to alot of the production shows as we felt they were kind of a repeat of ones we'd seen on our last NCL cruise. We did see the comedian who we did enjoy. The only time we sat in the slanting seats was when we reported to the theater for our shore excursions and they are a little uncomfortable. We were glad we didn't have to sit in them for long.

 

We did all of our shore excursions through NCL and we had a good time on all of them. They seemed to be well organized and got us off and going in a timely manner.

 

The Star is a nice ship and had some nice public areas. We always found something to do on the sea days as we are not ones to "bake" in the sun. We used the lap pool in the spa area one day. Not very crowded the day we were there. Also the sauna and steam rooms weren't very busy either. Always enjoy the steam room!

 

We had a balcony cabin on deck 10 and the room seemed pretty small compared to cabins we've had on other lines. But I think alot of that had to do with the way the cabin is laid out. Not sure if was actually smaller but just seemed more cramped. I don't like the storage they have on the Star but you can find a place for everything. I just wish they would do drawers instead of shelves in the closet. Seemed to not be very convenient. One thing that the Star had that was much better than other lines was the shower. Loved having a shower door and not that awful shower curtain!

 

All in all we enjoyed our cruise and the Star is a nice ship.

[judyf]

I can't wait to sail on the Star. Most of the reviews I've read were positive. Or negative on things that don't matter to me, like the chocolate on the pillow. I like different fooda no fish and not much meat so what I like most people don't and I don't like want others on here rave about but food is a personal thing. I've always found something to eat.