Norwegian Star that bad??

[llgator]

We are booked on the Star for 12 days at the end of May for a Scandinavian cruise. Almost every review I've read about the ship has been pretty negative. Worried we may have spent a lot of money and are going to be very disappointed as we are so used to the newer ships. Has anyone been on her lately that had a positive experience? I've read a couple, but the majority on Cruise Critic are not good.

Thanks!

[casofilia]

What do you expect?   This is Cruise CRITIC after all!!

[BirdTravels]

The Star is a good ship. It is a small ship. All of the haters will complain that it doesn't have a go kart track and a dozen restaurants. It is a perfect ship for that itinerary, enabling you to get into more ports faster. 

 

It has already gone through a dry dock to bring it up to contemporary standards. 

 

[YVRteacher]

The Star has amazing itineraries. The last time we were on board was March 2019.

We didn’t have a horrible time (it’s a cruise!) and my attitude is cruising is what you make of it but what we didn’t like was how noisy the cabin was (it rattled so, so much and we were in a suite under the spa and they drained and refilled the hot tub each night which woke us up) but the worst thing was the whole ship smelled of sewage.  I’ve talked with people who have been on board recently and they said the ship didn’t smell but we will never forget the nauseating odor and would be reluctant to sail on the Star again. Also, there was a significant lack of entertainment in the theatre and lounges at night.  It would be helpful if someone who has sailed recently could post some dailies.
 

That said, those South American cruises are enticing!

[julig22]

Been on the Star 3 times in the last 8 months.  Can't really help you much with respect to the ship because I book this specific ship for the itinerary.  The ship got me to my destinations, my balcony was a standard NCL room, I never went hungry, entertainment was OK.  I had no complaints. 

[complawyer]

we were on the star last oct/nov. it isnt as bad as some people make it  out to be, and on this particular cruise, we had no problems whatsoever. personally, if the itinerary is where i want to go, i would not hesitate to book the star again. bty, ncl star has some amazing itineraries.

 

so, my advice, book, sail, and enjoy the ride!

[crazycatlady82]

The Star was our first NCL cruise and we definitely booked for the itinerary (Iceland/Greenland). We're a couple in our 40's, and while we don't need go-karts or anything, we were kind of bored due to our 5 sea days (we missed a couple ports). It was ok, but it wasn't our favorite cruise. Le Bistro and La Cucina were definitely the winners for specialty dinner, and we had a great service at the garden buffet bar. Would we book the star again? Probably, based on the itinerary.

[Ken the cruiser]

10 hours ago, julig22 said:

Been on the Star 3 times in the last 8 months.  Can't really help you much with respect to the ship because I book this specific ship for the itinerary.  The ship got me to my destinations, my balcony was a standard NCL room, I never went hungry, entertainment was OK.  I had no complaints. 

If I might ask, how was your balcony cabin mattress? We were recently on the Jade for 38 days and the Dawn for 11 days, and on both ships the mattress felt like it had been there for years and definitely needed replacing. The Star definitely has some pretty cool itineraries, but my 70 year old back definitely appreciates a quality mattress in good shape.

[bluesea777]

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask, how was your balcony cabin mattress? We were recently on the Jade for 38 days and the Dawn for 11 days, and on both ships the mattress felt like it had been there for years and definitely needed replacing. The Star definitely has some pretty cool itineraries, but my 70 year old back definitely appreciates a quality mattress in good shape.

 

When you board and meet your cabin steward, ask for egg-crate mattress topper. They have some. Or you can bring your own (buy one already vacuum wrapped) and then leave it behind. We have done either several times.

 

 

[fredflint]

We were on the Star in December and the entertainment was mediocre at best, the Cruise Director was MIA most of the time.  Food was OK but nothing great, one issue when speaking to the crew was that the space they have on the ship is a lot less than the newer ships so I feel that many of the  more experienced crew look to move to a better ship.

[complawyer]

to put it simply, imho, emphatically "NO" the STAR itself is certainly NOT  bad! Just came off a back to back last aug/sept, and everything was fine. i dont really care about the entertainment, the food was ok. its as good as can be expected when a kitchen is cooking multi-meals for a few 1000 people daily, never had a problem getting a drink, and for the 1st few days, so the wait staff/bartenders would get to know us, we left tips for all. fredflint claims the cruise director was MIA. i say, who cares, in 24 cruises with ncl, i never bothered to even find out if there is a cruise director. I certainly don book a cruise hoping there will be a young, fresh cruise director leading the fun and games.

 

of course, if you booked the star expecting bells and whistles, you're going to be massively disappointed. if you booked for the itinerary, and you have a nice, clean comfortable cabin, i believe you'll pleasantly and completely surprised. imo, the star is no better or worse than most of the ships in the ncl fleet (other than the newer ones) 

 

so, iigator, my concluding advice, is the old adage "believe 1/2 of what you see, and none of what you hear or read. personally, i can have a great time on any ship i choose (star definitely included)

[bluesea777]

We have been on the Star twice. Both times we had great cruises, but unfortunately the Star (along with sister ship Dawn) isn't amongst our fave ships in the NCL fleet. No forward Observation lounge and the Spinnaker lounge (oops! It's now called Ultra Bliss Lounge) is on deck 7 aft.

 

We were on the Star last July for the Iceland & Greenland - we booked it two years prior when the new itinerary first came out and the fare was pretty good (low). Then a year later prices started going up a lot .... so in the end it was dependent of the itinerary rather than the ship for us. Closer to the cruise we were invited to bid for an upgrade, so we bid and won the Family Suite (SJ) - we were so happy! No balcony but very large room with floor to ceiling windows all along one side. Two bad things happened on the cruise that made us really glad we got that suite: the Greenland portion got cancelled (due to bad storm brewing up between Iceland & Greenland) so Norway was substituted (and unfortunately we'd been there 3 times before!) ... and ... my DH slipped/fell down the stairs leading down to the Versailles MDR and broke the middle toe - on the FIRST evening. So painful and had to keep his foot up. Medical was helpful but couldn't provide him with a wheelchair to use (so I could push him around) for the remainder of the 11 days cruise!

 

So DH was stuck in that fabulous cabin, sitting on comfy chair/couch by the window, propping his foot up, gazing out of window with his binoculars while I got off ship to tour and took loads of pictures for him to see. A butler came with the Suite and he was a real gem - he helped DH and brought him lunch and goodies. The suite steward was also so good to him as well. We tipped both very well and I brought some Norwegian goodies from a supermarket for them to enjoy with their coffee in their down time.

 

On Star we had great meals in Specialty restaurants; the staff provided excellent service. We both had Booze Plus package and really enjoyed that. There was a Dream team behind Gatsby's as well as the "regulars" and we had fun.

 

So ...... we'd go back on the Star sometime in the future if the itinerary and price are good. Oh, by the way, the swimming pool is heated!! 

 

 

[bluesea777]

Well said, @complawyer, lol, we feel the same thing! We're more or less your age and have been a bit more NCL cruises than you. Only two NCL ships we have yet to go on are the Sky and Prima.

 

 

[kjquilts]

 

It's been a long time since we've been on the Star but based on watching a number of fairly recent YouTube videos I think she looks to be in very good condition.

 

We are happily booked on the Star for a 15 night cruise leaving Trieste on April 15th and ending in Lisbon April 30th because this is the ship that offers the fabulous itinerary.   The Star is pretty far down our list of favorite NCL ships because of the lack of forward facing observation lounge and Great Outdoors on the stern but itinerary wins on a major bucket list cruise.  

 

We'll both be diamond on NCL after this cruise so obviously enjoy the NCL product.  The Star lacks some of the bells and whistles of newer ships but will serve wonderfully as a floating hotel to get us where we want to go.

Edited April 2, 2023 by kjquilts

[jingle5616]

If you look at NCL ships in general in the review section you will notice a many, many of bad reviews in the last few months.  Where there is smoke, there is usually fire.  That said, some of my favorite cruises I've been on were on the Star.  Hope it is a good voyage for you!

[Nowcruise5]

Been on the Star twice and her sister ship the Dawn twice. Older smaller ships. Booked mainly for the itinerary. As mentioned, not as many bells and whistles as some of the newer bigger ships. I recommend reaching out to current and recent passengers via NCL Star Roll Calls for comments. One of the most interesting things that ever happened to me on a cruise was on the Star . It broke down in the Tasman Sea off Australia. I would however Sail on the Star again!

[llgator]

Well we definitely booked for the itinerary and I had cruise next certificates! We usually sail on NCL, so I have Sapphire status and we booked an owners suite with 2 balconies. No haven but have never done a suite on NCL before other than the family suite on the Joy. We only have one sea day. The person who commented about the smell and noise concerns me but I have ear plugs! No nose plugs! Lol. How's the food? Same as other ships? We mostly are booked in specialty restaurants but a couple of nights we are doing the dining room. Thanks for your replies!

[fastpitchdad]

I really liked the Star, it's Spinnaker is the best on the fleet and it has a forward hot tub that is wonderful for sail away.

[kitkat343]

We sailed the NCL star 8 years ago, and it was an older ship then.  Older ship, no bells and whistles and in very good shape.    We could have sailed the Regal Princess (Princess is my favorite cruise line) but the Regal didn't have clearance to dock directly in Stockholm then, so we chose the older Star and had a very solid experience on the ship, and an amazing itinerary.  

 

The last time I looked at the Star's reviews the majority of issues on the Star reviews are people upset about missing ports and itineraries.  However, it looks like the Star has recently been mostly in the Arctic, which is apparently notorious for difficult weather and possible cancelled ports, especially Falkland Islands.  Since I have 3 small children, the Arctic is definitely not possible for me in the near future, and  I'm not an expert on whether NCL is cancelling ports in the arctic more than other lines.

 

On cruises other than ones visiting the Arctic they are cancelling cruises more often than other lines, but I'm not sure if NCL is responsible for the Arctic problems.  People whose lifelong dream was to visit the penguins would understandably be disappointed if they didn't get to see them, but I'm not sure if it is NCL's fault.  Replacing Costa Rica with Acapulco for "safety" or cancelling ports after final payment for environmental reasons is entirely NCL's fault, but I don't know if they are responsible for the Arctic problems.  

 

 

[seaolafoptimusprime]

Will be sailing on the Star in a few weeks.  While I've never been on her, I was on the Pride of Aloha, now the Sky, which has a pax load 300 people fewer and is part of the smaller "Sun" class. 

 

The small ships have a character and intimacy you just don't get with the behemoths.  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the Breakaway Plus class and all the amenities.  They're impressive.  But the babies of the fleet are also comfortable.  You can't, however, do a direct comparison between the two.  They're designed for completely different markets and completely different customers.

[bluesea777]

@kitkat343 I think you meant Antarctica not Arctic. NCL has been doing South America & Falklands cruises since 2000's, but they hit Antarctica for the first time this past season (late 2022-early 2023, just finished the season).

 

We did the 14 days South America & Falklands over Xmas 2009-New Year 2010 on NCL Sun and it was great. We did stop at Falklands.

 

 

[bluesea777]

@llgator If you are on May 31 cruise, you're in luck! Olden, Norway was one of my fave ports. I went on this tour - got the tickets off the ship in the building on the right side of the car park as you exit the ship ....  Guided Troll Car Tour in Briksdal | Olden Cruise    It was one of the best excursions I have ever been on, really delightful and the troll cars were fun! Make sure you find a tour to Briksdal WITH the Troll cars, as there are other Briksdal tours but no Troll cars and it's a long hike to the glacier. The Troll cars truly helped make our hiking time much shorter. Beautiful place!

 

 

 

[bluesea777]

Olden, Norway as taken from ship:

 

Note: I bought the Troll excursion in the white building at the bottom right of the picture. The grey/black double decker tour bus is just behind the tan house in the middle of picture. 
 

Video of the Troll cart ride:

 

 

[kitkat343]

2 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

@kitkat343 I think you meant Antarctica not Arctic. NCL has been doing South America & Falklands cruises since 2000's, but they hit Antarctica for the first time this past season (late 2022-early 2023, just finished the season).

 

We did the 14 days South America & Falklands over Xmas 2009-New Year 2010 on NCL Sun and it was great. We did stop at Falklands.

 

 

Ah yes, the reviews for the Antarctica cruises also talked about having trouble reaching ports, and also it might be entirely weather related and not necessarily NCL's fault.   

[kitkat343]

2 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

@llgator If you are on May 31 cruise, you're in luck! Olden, Norway was one of my fave ports. I went on this tour - got the tickets off the ship in the building on the right side of the car park as you exit the ship ....  Guided Troll Car Tour in Briksdal | Olden Cruise    It was one of the best excursions I have ever been on, really delightful and the troll cars were fun! Make sure you find a tour to Briksdal WITH the Troll cars, as there are other Briksdal tours but no Troll cars and it's a long hike to the glacier. The Troll cars truly helped make our hiking time much shorter. Beautiful place!

 

 

 

Olden was one of our favorite stops in Norway.

 

You can (or at least 5 years ago could) easily do this tour independently.  But if you have a full port day, I'd recommend both this excursion and the Loen Skylift.

 

There's details below for independent excursions, but please note that the 2 year old on the trip is turning 8, so its totally out of date and you'd need to verify on the baltic boards or tripadvisor how to do this tour independently today.

 

We were extremely fortunate to learn that the Loen Skylift opened three days prior to our arrival in Olden. I was a bit anxious about the logistics of visiting a brand new attraction with small children, and the owner of Olden Adventures was very patient and reassuring about the logistics of reaching the skylift. As it turned out, the weather was a bit rainy on the day we arrived, so there were very few crowds. It was still a very beautiful location, with a gorgeous viewing platform. On nice days, paragliders take off from the mountain (that happened the day before we arrived) and that must be spectacular to see if you are lucky enough to get good weather. The food in the restaurant was excellent, especially the sample platter of local meat. It’s unsurprisingly expensive, but the view is outstanding and the food delicious. 

The Loen Skylift is only a 6 km bus ride from Olden, so it isn’t very difficult to get there. Olden Adventures ( http://www.oldenadventure.com/ ) is running shuttles to the Loen Skylift, right next to their buses to the Biksdal Glacier so it would be very easy to travel to both attractions through Olden Adventures. Both buses leave from the only petrol station in town, which is a very short walk from where your ship will dock. 

You can also take a cab to the Loen skylift. It is a 40 minute ride to the Briksdal Glacier, so a cab there would probably be quite a bit more expensive. Please note that cabs will refuse to transport children without car seats, and although they are required to provide them upon request we were unable to fill any taxi requests we made (we only emailed the taxi companies 2 days in advance; you might have better luck if you contact cab companies far in advance). 

The most economical option for getting to the Briksdal Glacier is a public bus that runs from June –August. The Norway tourist office stated that in the 2017 season the bus left Port Olden at 9:58 am, and departs Biksdal Glacier at 1:30 pm, and is currently listed as costing 132 NOK for each adult ticket. You might want to contact the tourist office to see if there is any way to purchase tickets ahead of time or if they can run additional buses if the first one is full.

The Briksdal Glacier has been hit hard by global warming, but the 40 minute bus ride there is quite scenic and lovely, as is the hike itself to the glacier so overall this excursion is a very good choice as long as you realize ahead of time that the most beautiful pictures online of the glacier showing lots of ice are not recent and don’t represent what you will see at the glacier. 

For travelers with young children or mobility issues, there are troll cars available for rent to reduce the length of your hike. These golf carts travel most of the way to the glacier, leaving you with a very pleasant and relatively flat 700 m walk. Since we didn’t expect my 2 year old to make it all the way to the glacier, my husband and 6 year old went ahead of us. To my surprise, my 2 year old slowly but steadily made the entire hike in the allocated time (they tell you what time to return to the platform to catch your return troll car). Reservations are required for troll cars in May and October, and recommended during the summer months (the troll car season runs from May-October). The only challenging thing is that they do request that you tell them what time you’d like to ride on the troll car, which is hard if you want to chose a time to do this excursion based upon the weather forecast (although it is completely understandable they ask you to pick a time, since otherwise there might be a lot of people trying to get on a troll car at one time and this would cause really long delays). I don’t know if the troll car operators are always flexible about the time of your reservation, but we changed our minds about what time to visit the glacier on the day we traveled since we wanted to visit the Loen skylift in the afternoon when the weather was scheduled to be better. I emailed the troll car operators at 9 am as soon as we got on the bus towards the glacier, and they had already switched my reservation by the time we arrived at the troll car office. We traveled in May, when things are less crowded so I don’t know if they will be able to accommodate a change in reservation time during the busy summer months. The troll car website where you can make your advance reservation is available at: http://www.oldedalenskysslag.com . 

Near where you pick up the troll car is a small café off the souvenir shop; they have excellent waffles. They are best freshly made, so if you have time keep an eye on the plate where they store the waffles and order them when everyone else bought up the older waffles. My family started off by ordering 4, and ended up eating 12 (the kids really loved them and since they’d just finished hiking to a glacier without a single complaint I wasn’t going to say no), so we were able to get a lot of fresh waffles.