Norwegian Star that bad??

[FLAHAM]

Looking forward to 14 days on the Star, in August 2024, from New York to Reykjavik.  Stops in Halifax, St. John’s, St. Pierre/Miquelon, Greenland (3 stops) and Iceland (2 stops).  Plan to spend a few days in New York, Reykjavik and London before flying home.

Edited April 3, 2023 by FLAHAM

[fredflint]

we were on a cruise a while ago and during the morning TV show the CD had a spot for what is in the box it was great, we submitted a few guesses and we looked forward to watching it every day.  A cooking exhibition was fun as well as egg drop competition this is the kind of stuff that I missed on the Star during my latest Transatlantic.  We are sailing on the Epic this winter on a med cruise we are planning on using the ship as a floating hotel not caring about much.

[The Traveling Man]

21 hours ago, llgator said:

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!

We have sailed on four cruises on the Star, as well as four on her sister ship, the Dawn.  We really like the design of this class of ships.  Everything seems to be just the right size, in exactly the place you would expect to find it.  My only negative about the Star concerns its propulsion system problems, which haven't seemed to cause any concerns for the past several years.  Prior to 2017, however, the Star had the worst record in the NCL fleet for delays, missed ports, and unscheduled outages due to problems with its Azipod propulsion units.  In fact, the ship was out of service because of its Azipods more than all the other ships in the NCL fleet combined.  That hasn't seemed to be a problem recently, though, so its very interesting and occasionally unique itineraries make the Star an attractive choice.

[bluesea777]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

We have sailed on four cruises on the Star, as well as four on her sister ship, the Dawn.  We really like the design of this class of ships.  Everything seems to be just the right size, in exactly the place you would expect to find it.  My only negative about the Star concerns its propulsion system problems, which haven't seemed to cause any concerns for the past several years.  Prior to 2017, however, the Star had the worst record in the NCL fleet for delays, missed ports, and unscheduled outages due to problems with its Azipod propulsion units.  In fact, the ship was out of service because of its Azipods more than all the other ships in the NCL fleet combined.  That hasn't seemed to be a problem recently, though, so its very interesting and occasionally unique itineraries make the Star an attractive choice.

The Star was dry-docked in July 2020 for extensive repairs.

 

[Travel Junkie Judy]

4 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

We have sailed on four cruises on the Star, as well as four on her sister ship, the Dawn.  We really like the design of this class of ships.  Everything seems to be just the right size, in exactly the place you would expect to find it.  My only negative about the Star concerns its propulsion system problems, which haven't seemed to cause any concerns for the past several years.  Prior to 2017, however, the Star had the worst record in the NCL fleet for delays, missed ports, and unscheduled outages due to problems with its Azipod propulsion units.  In fact, the ship was out of service because of its Azipods more than all the other ships in the NCL fleet combined.  That hasn't seemed to be a problem recently, though, so its very interesting and occasionally unique itineraries make the Star an attractive choice.

 

4 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

We have sailed on four cruises on the Star, as well as four on her sister ship, the Dawn.  We really like the design of this class of ships.  Everything seems to be just the right size, in exactly the place you would expect to find it.  My only negative about the Star concerns its propulsion system problems, which haven't seemed to cause any concerns for the past several years.  Prior to 2017, however, the Star had the worst record in the NCL fleet for delays, missed ports, and unscheduled outages due to problems with its Azipod propulsion units.  In fact, the ship was out of service because of its Azipods more than all the other ships in the NCL fleet combined.  That hasn't seemed to be a problem recently, though, so its very interesting and occasionally unique itineraries make the Star an attractive choice.

 

Over the years, we have sailed on the Star at least 8 times, the last time was in October, 2022.  We love The Star.  Yes, it is smaller, but the officers and crew have always been so so nice and helpful.  We like the layout, the smaller size of the specialty restaurants and the smaller size of the ship in general.  We also love the Jewel class ships and The Breakaway class ships.  Each class has something different to offer. We are not overly fond of the Mega ships - Bliss for example - but we did have a great time on the Bliss. We found fun things to do and we met some wonderful crew and passengers.  If you are looking  for large venues (ropes courses, mega slides, huge specialty restaurants, etc. - you will not find them on The Star or the Dawn (same class) or The Spirit, Sun or Sky.  We've been on the Dawn 4 or 5 times as well as the Spirit and Sun.   All are great ships.  We are sailing in a couple of weeks on the Sun, one of the smallest ships in the fleet.  This will be our 3rd or 4th time on her.  Again, it is smaller, and more intimate.  So, you will have to decide.  Remember that there is no such thing as a bad cruise unless you let it happen.  Look for the positives and make the most of them.

Judy

[Viajera7]

I was on the Star for the March 12th cruise this year. I also have been on the Dawn twice (the last time last June). I booked these small ships for the itinerary and they didn’t disappoint. My highlights for the Star cruise were the Moderno restaurant with excellent service and food, the great service and food at O’Sheehans which was conveniently located  close to my cabin on deck 8, the dinner with the officers with the Cruise Next Manager and the Security Officer (great conversation), the shows that you don’t see in most ships like the Gaucho’s show and most excursions 4 out 5 were excellent ( again South America itinerary). Everything went well for this cruise with the exception of the Ilha Grande walking tour because the tour guides left me at the State/ National Park. I am a very visual person and I’m always reading the signs and taking pictures of some of them so I figured out how to go back to the ship. You have the Scandinavian itinerary so no problem there. One other thing was that during the whole cruise there was no signal for the News channels. You could watch the movie channels and the sitcoms channel but no news. I saw Elizabeth (cruise director) many times before and after the shows and also on the t.v. for the daily information show and the married couples show. I forgot the name of the show.

[BostonGal35]

we LOVE the Star!  sailed her i think 3 times.  one of our faves.

[julig22]

26 minutes ago, Viajera7 said:

I was on the Star for the March 12th cruise this year. I also have been on the Dawn twice (the last time last June). I booked these small ships for the itinerary and they didn’t disappoint. My highlights for the Star cruise were the Moderno restaurant with excellent service and food, the great service and food at O’Sheehans which was conveniently located  close to my cabin on deck 8, the dinner with the officers with the Cruise Next Manager and the Security Officer (great conversation), the shows that you don’t see in most ships like the Gaucho’s show and most excursions 4 out 5 were excellent ( again South America itinerary). Everything went well for this cruise with the exception of the Ilha Grande walking tour because the tour guides left me at the State/ National Park. I am a very visual person and I’m always reading the signs and taking pictures of some of them so I figured out how to go back to the ship. You have the Scandinavian itinerary so no problem there. One other thing was that during the whole cruise there was no signal for the News channels. You could watch the movie channels and the sitcoms channel but no news. I saw Elizabeth (cruise director) many times before and after the shows and also on the t.v. for the daily information show and the married couples show. I forgot the name of the show.

LOL - almost the same as my cruise to Antarctica the month before!  We lost the TV signal a few days into the cruise, sad that they didn't get that issue resolved.  Even had the same officers for my DWTO!

[The Traveling Man]

15 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

The Star was dry-docked in July 2020 for extensive repairs.

 

That is correct, however the dry dock was not caused by problems with the Azipods.  Among the major issues dealt with during the 2020 repairs, one of the main Diesel engines was replaced.  They had to cut a hole in the side of the ship to get the engine block out, then bring in the new engine.  My earlier remarks referred to the Star's record of missed ports as a result of Azipod problems.

[The Traveling Man]

55 minutes ago, Viajera7 said:

dinner with the officers with the Cruise Next Manager and the Security Officer (great conversation),

Do you remember the names of the officers with whom you had dinner?

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 4/2/2023 at 8:37 AM, complawyer said:

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.

Amen.  Preach it brother!!  I've never seen any value in a cruise director.  They just seem to show up at the ends of shows and want me to sit there and listen to them blab.

[ChiefMateJRK]

23 hours ago, fastpitchdad said:

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.

 

When did the Star add a Spinnaker OL?

[fastpitchdad]

21 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

 

When did the Star add a Spinnaker OL?

 

I just looked at a map, was it replaced by the Bliss Lounge since 2017? I talk about Spinnaker throughout my review. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by fastpitchdad

[kjquilts]

22 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

 

When did the Star add a Spinnaker OL?

 

I found following by google search ...... for some reason thinking Spinnaker would be forward facing observation lounge which disappeared from Star when suites were added years ago

 

"Norwegian Star underwent a refurbishment in summer 2018 during which it received the Sky High Bar (which replaced the Bier Garten), the Bliss Ultra Lounge (which replaced Spinnaker Lounge) and the adults-only Spice H2O"

[fastpitchdad]

37 minutes ago, kjquilts said:

 

I found following by google search ...... for some reason thinking Spinnaker would be forward facing observation lounge which disappeared from Star when suites were added years ago

 

"Norwegian Star underwent a refurbishment in summer 2018 during which it received the Sky High Bar (which replaced the Bier Garten), the Bliss Ultra Lounge (which replaced Spinnaker Lounge) and the adults-only Spice H2O"

 

That's too bad, it was a great lounge. 

 

Btw, my wife quilts as well (it has become kind of an obsession 🙂 all of her machines have names).  We have a home in down in Central Oregon but her long arm is here in Washington so she occasionally drives into Prineville to use one there. She is looking into a quilting cruise next year with someone she follows on Youtube. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by fastpitchdad

[complawyer]

by the way. even on my cruise on the star to southeast asia, the problems were strictly mechanical. there was nothing wrong with anything else on this cruise.

 

i would have/have no qualms about booking another cruise on her. 

i dont expect gourmet cooking, when the kitchens are  trying to prepare 1000's of meals per day in various  venues throughout the ship, trying to accomodate 1000's of people varying food tastes. i have never had any  negative interactions with any of the crew/staff. in the end, the star also has an amazing choice of itineraries.

 

so, i say unto you all "go, enjoy, and stop b*****ng".  I once had  a friend that claimed some people would complain if they were being hung with a new rope.

 

by the way good buddy chief mate jrk, hope you agree!

[nutocruzing]

So I was last on her in the fall of 2019 for a Mediterranean cruise with a great itinerary. I took the cruise for the itinerary and didn't have high expectations of the ship because my only experiences had been with Carnival's old ships and Norwegian's newest ships. The Star far exceeded my expectations which were admittedly low. The only frustration I had was around tendering which involved very long lines and waits but the service, food, entertainment and even decor were great overall. Definitely didn't love it as much as the big ships but I was pleasantly surprised. 

[thedarklord]

We just got off a 2 week transatlantic on the Star. We found the ship and the staff to be really good, other than a loud creaking from the balcony area, but that can happen on any ship really.

The only complaints we had were to do with supplies, so not necessarily an issue with the ship itself.  understand NCL had lots of issues with getting some supplies in South America. One guest I spoke to said that they'd had three separate deliveries to the ship stolen en-route. Someone else said when they'd docked in Argentina, Argentina didn't allow them to restock, because they'd had a stop in the Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas.
The only reliable source talking about the supplies was during the captains Q&A - I think it was the Staff Captain, who said that they only had one supplier they could use in South America, and if their quality was poor, all they could do was reject it - no way of seeking supplies from an alternative supplier. It was my impression he was annoyed by the situation, he said he was writing a long letter to headquarters about the situation.

[bluesea777]

3 hours ago, thedarklord said:

We just got off a 2 week transatlantic on the Star. We found the ship and the staff to be really good, other than a loud creaking from the balcony area, but that can happen on any ship really.

The only complaints we had were to do with supplies, so not necessarily an issue with the ship itself.  understand NCL had lots of issues with getting some supplies in South America. One guest I spoke to said that they'd had three separate deliveries to the ship stolen en-route. Someone else said when they'd docked in Argentina, Argentina didn't allow them to restock, because they'd had a stop in the Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas.
The only reliable source talking about the supplies was during the captains Q&A - I think it was the Staff Captain, who said that they only had one supplier they could use in South America, and if their quality was poor, all they could do was reject it - no way of seeking supplies from an alternative supplier. It was my impression he was annoyed by the situation, he said he was writing a long letter to headquarters about the situation.

Wow! Interesting to read! Do they get supplies in Montevideo?

 

 

[YVRteacher]

On 4/2/2023 at 5:25 PM, FLAHAM said:

Looking forward to 14 days on the Star, in August 2024, from New York to Reykjavik.  Stops in Halifax, St. John’s, St. Pierre/Miquelon, Greenland (3 stops) and Iceland (2 stops).  Plan to spend a few days in New York, Reykjavik and London before flying home.

That sounds like a fabulous itinerary!  I might have to give the Star another chance for this one.

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

The Star is a fine ship.  All the basics, a few upscale dining options, none of the fluff of the newer ships.   While I love the newer ships with all the whiz-bang options, I'd be fine on the Star if it was a shorter or port intensive sailing.

[Viajera7]

On 4/3/2023 at 1:05 PM, The Traveling Man said:

Do you remember the names of the officers with whom you had dinner?

David is the name of the Cruise Next Manager. I don’t recall the name of the Security Officer.

[v3cruiser]

Love the Star and it's size and it's interior design is well done. Boarding the Star for 2nd time in July and looking forward to it. The Star seems to get some pretty strong itineraries  Haven't sailed on many large ships. Epic being the biggest.  Many times we find best deal and unique itinerary on smaller ships.  The Star and it's sisters are also faster and are from a brief period where ships were made to get to ports quicker for longer port times. 

[mammajamma2013]

Returned from a two week cruise this past mid-March and would sail on Star again. It is smallish, but I love smaller ships. They're easier to get around on and can get places bigger ships can't. 

 

The ship seemed to be in good condition, the food was good, the mattress a little soft for my taste (I love a very firm mattress), and anything we wanted/needed was just a request away. The smoking area was very nicely set up and the Aft area on the Lido deck was really lovely.

 

The wifi was fast, but we were sometimes unable to access it in our room. Never a problem in the Atrium.

 

[insidecabin]

We are giving it a go for the Ireland itinerary as they are quite rare on affordable ships.

 

They have put together a good summer for the star med, UK/Ireland, Norway, Iceland.

 

worth checking them out