Live Report- Norwegian Star May 11th-21st 2023. Is this my last time on a small ship?

[ConnieTact]

Over the past 13 years, we have sailed 31 times, with various lines and sizes of ship. To start with we sailed with Royal Caribbean, until we discovered the more relaxed dress code and dining style of NCL. We then tried MSC and loved it for its Italian roots and extremely fair prices and generous upgrades. 

 

We found that the newer ships were more stable and the larger ones even better. In the past few years we have generally stuck with new, larger ships. This month though, we will return to a smaller ship to give it one more try!

 

We are booked on the Norwegian Star and our itinerary circumnavigates Ireland. We have been on the Star twice before and a few of the main ports in Ireland, such as Dublin and Belfast. We haven’t gone to all the other smaller ports though so we’re attracted by this cruise.

 

We wonder if we will be disappointed by the smaller offering of entertainment, dining venues and bars having been spoilt by larger MSC Grandiosa, Virtuosa nod RC Anthem of the Seas. Maybe there will be benefits of a smaller ship? I will let you know! Follow along, and I promise lots of port pictures, and food ones too! 
 

Anything I think that will help future passengers to know before they board the Star I will also add.

[Samaritan Nurse]

Hi! My husband Eddie and I will be on this cruise. My husband is an entertainer she will be sharing his musical talents in the karaoke lounge each evening. He’s worth listening to!! 

[ConnieTact]

6 hours ago, Samaritan Nurse said:

Hi! My husband Eddie and I will be on this cruise. My husband is an entertainer she will be sharing his musical talents in the karaoke lounge each evening. He’s worth listening to!! 

Oh, that’s brilliant news! We’ll definitely pop along and listen out for Eddie. I hope to meet you both onboard! 
Are you going to the meet and mingle being organised by @ziggyuk

Here’s a link to the details. I think we have nearly 100 attending now!

 

[ziggyuk]

8 hours ago, Samaritan Nurse said:

Hi! My husband Eddie and I will be on this cruise. My husband is an entertainer she will be sharing his musical talents in the karaoke lounge each evening. He’s worth listening to!! 

 

As @ConnieTact says 101 people attending now you are welcome to join us HERE

[ConnieTact]

Although I have never hidden ducks on a ship before, this time I will! There is a craze for hiding rubber ducks for other passengers, children, and even staff to find! 

People often find them and post on social media using #cruisingducks 

Others just keep the ducks, and some decide to hide them again, for another person to get the buzz of finding a little beaked buddy! 

Still others are left in wonder as to why any one would ‘waste their time and money leaving ducks around!’ Well, I guess some answers are, the joy of giving, the fun of finding the hiding places, and the satisfaction of knowing you will make another person smile! 

I’m still labelling mine up! It’s taking ages! A good friend helped me with designing the tags and my son used his colour printer to make them look cheerful. Mr CT and I have been diligently tying them on with orange and white string to reflect the colours of the Irish flag. 🇮🇪 

I joined a dedicated group of Cruise Duck Hiders on the Book of Faces too. Apparently this can become addictive! 😅🐥

[jennjess]

I'm on the following cruise so will watching this thread with interest. 

[ConnieTact]

Just now, jennjess said:

I'm on the following cruise so will watching this thread with interest. 

That’s great! Let me know, if you want me to check anything out in particular Jennjess. 

[ready2cruzagain]

I will be following as I like the newer ships but the newest ones are getting too big. Have wondered about the older ships.

[sherrihall128]

I look forward to your review. We are looking at a similar itinerary on the Dawn in 2025, so I'll be curious what your experience will be like.

[SECdawg]

I will be following also as we are on the May 21 cruise. Would like to hear how the tendering process goes. Enjoy your cruise!

[Huntingdon1701]

I hope you enjoy it! I was on the Star's Greenland/Iceland cruise last year and really enjoyed the ship. 

[ConnieTact]

7 hours ago, SECdawg said:

I will be following also as we are on the May 21 cruise. Would like to hear how the tendering process goes. Enjoy your cruise!

That’s great! I will be happy to let you know about tendering. Although I am not an early riser for trips, my friend is -so I will get chapter and verse from him and report back! 

[ConnieTact]

2 hours ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

I hope you enjoy it! I was on the Star's Greenland/Iceland cruise last year and really enjoyed the ship. 

That’s great to know! We were last on it 2016 and 2017, both of which predate the refurbishment the Star was given. I am looking forward to seeing her now. Can you remember what you liked most?

[Huntingdon1701]

21 minutes ago, ConnieTact said:

That’s great to know! We were last on it 2016 and 2017, both of which predate the refurbishment the Star was given. I am looking forward to seeing her now. Can you remember what you liked most?

 

Focusing on the Star's distinctive features - the new Spice H20 at the back of the ship was very comfortable and it was nice sitting on the comfy seats looking out over the ship's wake, and the staggered terrace around the pool is another nice outdoor space.

 

Inside, the internet cafe gives a quiet space to enjoy performances on the atrium stairs, avoiding the crowds in the main part and queues for guest services. The spa doesn't have all the features of the bigger ships, but the lap pool was a nice addition and more quiet space if you want that.

 

The restaurants and bars are basically the same as on any other ship, but service was quick and friendly and it was all enjoyable. 

[ConnieTact]

6 minutes ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

 

Focusing on the Star's distinctive features - the new Spice H20 at the back of the ship was very comfortable and it was nice sitting on the comfy seats looking out over the ship's wake, and the staggered terrace around the pool is another nice outdoor space.

 

Inside, the internet cafe gives a quiet space to enjoy performances on the atrium stairs, avoiding the crowds in the main part and queues for guest services. The spa doesn't have all the features of the bigger ships, but the lap pool was a nice addition and more quiet space if you want that.

 

The restaurants and bars are basically the same as on any other ship, but service was quick and friendly and it was all enjoyable. 

 

 

Thanks for all that fabulous information and photos. That last one is particularly stunning! I’d love to see that!
The video was fun too! Great to have violinists in the ship.

I wonder what entertainment we will have. 
The areas you mention all sound good. So glad the service is still good, I remember the staff all seemed really happy and the captain was friendly too. I’m sure that makes a difference when the people at the top are happy it filters down through the team.

 

[Married90]

1 hour ago, ConnieTact said:

That’s great! I will be happy to let you know about tendering. Although I am not an early riser for trips, my friend is -so I will get chapter and verse from him and report back! 

We are on the 21st sailing also.  There seems to be lots of confusion as to which ports are tender vs. docked.   Specifically Dingle, Galway, and Killybegs so providing that info would be great.  Also for the tender port if yu could pass on what time last tender from shore is.   Many of us are trying to book non NCL purchased shore excursions and knowing what last tender or all aboard is would help a lot.   THANKS!

[ConnieTact]

53 minutes ago, Married90 said:

We are on the 21st sailing also.  There seems to be lots of confusion as to which ports are tender vs. docked.   Specifically Dingle, Galway, and Killybegs so providing that info would be great.  Also for the tender port if yu could pass on what time last tender from shore is.   Many of us are trying to book non NCL purchased shore excursions and knowing what last tender or all aboard is would help a lot.   THANKS!

I certainly will report back this information. It is my understanding that all are tender  except Belfast, Killybegs and Cork.

[Married90]

1 hour ago, ConnieTact said:

I certainly will report back this information. It is my understanding that all are tender  except Belfast, Killybegs and Cork.

yea that's the trouble, docs I have seen Galway is a dock and Killybegs is tender.   If you look up port info on the internet Killybegs port sight shows us on the 26th when we are there on the 25th.   So...   Seeing is believing thus the request for feedback and real to life info...    BTW, Enjoy the trip looking forward to reading about your great time!

[ConnieTact]

Story time! 

The last time we were onboard the Star was in July 2016 on a trip around Northern Europe which included two days in St Petersburg. The embarkation on this particular sailing is one that I will never, ever forget! We had an hour or so wait after we arrived at the Copenhagen airport for our transfer. Then, when on the shuttle to port to meet the ship, we were told we would be dropped off in the city ‘to enjoy a look around’ before going on to the terminal. The reason we were given was that the ship had not arrived yet. It had needed maintenance and then missed the tide, so was unable to sail Stockholm’s archipelago. This had unavoidably, delayed the ship. 

 

We got off the coach in Copenhagen, and we went for an Italian meal and, little did we know, this food would need to sustain us until the next day! When we went to meet the shuttle to go to the port there was a huge queue of around 300 people. When we got near the port the driver warned us the ship had only just arrived and there was “a lot of angry people at the port”. He requested for us to “please do your best not to take it out on staff!’ 

 

Nothing prepared us to see more than 2,000 people in the queue that wrapped around the front and both sides of the terminal buildings! Even worse, as we joined the end of the queue little did we know we would not board the ship for another four hours! We were outside standing for three hours and reached the inside of the terminal for the last hour. There were no seats so we sat in the floor of the terminal building as we were so tired! Ships crew had not disembarked when we first arrived, so people ahead of us where already tired and thirsty and some were even finding it hard to stand. 

 

We were one of the last to board and were in our cabin by 10pm. By then, of course, the main and specialty restaurants were closed and we missed the birthday meal we had planned-it was Mr CT’s birthday that day! 

 

I have no worries that history will repeat itself, as the very new Horizon terminal and our ship isn’t coming from Copenhagen this time! This was by far the worst embarkation we have experienced in all our cruises and hopefully will remain that way! 
 

As I write, the Star is on her way to Southampton so no delay this time! 😅

[ConnieTact]

Well, I’m officially packed!
Stop reading now if you don’t like cats! 😂

Today I went to buy lots of supplies for the cats and have arranged for my son to pop in each evening to give them supper and ‘put them to bed’. My lovely neighbours next door have taken on the morning duty of the morning feed and play time. 
I have catcams so I connect to watch them from abroad! 
Last time we went away I only had one cat but I kept getting feedback that he seemed lonely and missed us when we were away. So we looked into getting another and rescued one from Cat Protection League and to our surprise our new one is the nephew of our existing one! 😻❤️😻🐾 They get along well so we can go away and not feel too bad about that! 😅

[The Traveling Man]

9 hours ago, ConnieTact said:

Story time! 

The last time we were onboard the Star was in July 2016 on a trip around Northern Europe which included two days in St Petersburg. The embarkation on this particular sailing is one that I will never, ever forget! We had an hour or so wait after we arrived at the Copenhagen airport for our transfer. Then, when on the shuttle to port to meet the ship, we were told we would be dropped off in the city ‘to enjoy a look around’ before going on to the terminal. The reason we were given was that the ship had not arrived yet. It had needed maintenance and then missed the tide, so was unable to sail Stockholm’s archipelago. This had unavoidably, delayed the ship. 

 

We got off the coach in Copenhagen, and we went for an Italian meal and, little did we know, this food would need to sustain us until the next day! When we went to meet the shuttle to go to the port there was a huge queue of around 300 people. When we got near the port the driver warned us the ship had only just arrived and there was “a lot of angry people at the port”. He requested for us to “please do your best not to take it out on staff!’ 

 

Nothing prepared us to see more than 2,000 people in the queue that wrapped around the front and both sides of the terminal buildings! Even worse, as we joined the end of the queue little did we know we would not board the ship for another four hours! We were outside standing for three hours and reached the inside of the terminal for the last hour. There were no seats so we sat in the floor of the terminal building as we were so tired! Ships crew had not disembarked when we first arrived, so people ahead of us where already tired and thirsty and some were even finding it hard to stand. 

 

We were one of the last to board and were in our cabin by 10pm. By then, of course, the main and specialty restaurants were closed and we missed the birthday meal we had planned-it was Mr CT’s birthday that day! 

 

I have no worries that history will repeat itself, as the very new Horizon terminal and our ship isn’t coming from Copenhagen this time! This was by far the worst embarkation we have experienced in all our cruises and hopefully will remain that way! 
 

As I write, the Star is on her way to Southampton so no delay this time! 😅

May you live in interesting times.  I'm not sure if that is an ancient Chinese blessing or a curse, but it seems appropriate for the Star.  Thank you for your story about your Star struck adventures from 2016.  We boarded the Star a few weeks after you, then again after first spending a few weeks back home.  Those were some very memorable cruises.  Unfortunately, they were memorable for much the same reason as yours.  Let's hope you don't have to live through something like that again.

 

Once the Star completed its summer assignment in the Baltic in 2016, it set forth on a series of repositioning cruises which were billed as an "Around the World" journey.  Actually, it was planned as an out-and-back from Copenhagen to Australia and back to Athens.  Things started heading south, both literally and figuratively, in December 2016.  Leaving Singapore, the Star lost propulsion in one of its Azipod propellers.  The Diesel engines and electrical generators continued to work fine, but the electric drive motor in one Azipod failed.  The ship limped along at about half speed for a month while engineers tried to solve the problem.  At half speed, of course, the Star was late getting to many ports of call, while some other planned stops were cancelled so the ship could catch up to its planned itinerary to arrive on time in Hong Kong.

 

Back in Singapore around the first of January 2017, they managed to get the damaged Azipod working again.  Great!  Back on schedule.  A day after leaving Singapore, however, the other Azipod failed, so it was back to half speed and more ports were missed as the ship limped its way to Sydney, where a fresh shipload of passengers were waiting to board.  My wife and I were among those new guests.  We accepted the fact that we would be missing several of the ports we had been looking forward to visiting, but NCL's offer of partial compensation for the cruise was enough to lure us on board.

 

Things went well enough until we pulled out of port at Melbourne.  Around 2:00 AM on 10 February 2017, everything on board the Star suddenly became eerily quiet, as the ship went dead in the water in the Tasman Sea.  It took a couple of days for tug boats to drag us back into Melbourne, where after several days both Azipods were repaired.  We were back to sailing "full speed ahead."  We were so far behind schedule, though, that we had to make a bee line for Auckland, missing all of our planned intermediate stops in New Zealand.  We stayed on for the following cruise, which took us to Singapore.  So far as I know, the Star hasn't missed a planned port since then as a result of propulsion failures, so let's hope your next trip on her will be uneventful.  I hope my story helps you put into perspective how, in the great scheme of things, a minor annoyance like a delayed cruise shouldn't put a damper on our enjoyment of life.  Cruise well, and enjoy your time.

[tsahall01]

We were on the Star for the TA in October of 2018 (might have been November, but it was in 2018).  We started out in Rome, with stops in Barcelona, Maderia, St Martin and maybe a few others--senior, blonde moment--it's a double whammy.  Anyway, once we got to Barcelona, we were informed that we would be overnighting as they needed to repair the Azipod.  That overnight turned into 2 overnights.  They had to cut into the side of the ship to service the Azipod.  The port of Maderia was missed, but we made all of the other ports.  It was a fun cruise and I actually enjoyed the extra time in Barcelona!

[ConnieTact]

Wow! Thank you @The Traveling Manand @tsahall01

for your additional stories! Wow! What a time the Star has had. I’m surprised they kept it in the fleet! 
When we were onboard both times previously, we thought it was a great ship with fantastic staff and that is what counts a lot. 
Delays and missed ports are a shame, especially when you’ve travelled so far, and frustrating too but it all adds to the overall stories of our travels! Thanks for sharing. 
(…but I hope we get a smooth one this time! )
 

[goldmom]

Beautiful kitties!  My son has this gadget that has a camera and treats.  I didn't know about it and was checking on the cats while they were away.  All of a sudden I hear my DIL's voice and a cat treat pops out of this machine.  I almost jumped out of my skin!  LOL!

Apparently, they can talk to their kitties and send treats even when they are traveling.  Technology is fascinating! 

Enjoy your cruise!

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, tsahall01 said:

We were on the Star for the TA in October of 2018 (might have been November, but it was in 2018).  We started out in Rome, with stops in Barcelona, Maderia, St Martin and maybe a few others--senior, blonde moment--it's a double whammy.  Anyway, once we got to Barcelona, we were informed that we would be overnighting as they needed to repair the Azipod.  That overnight turned into 2 overnights.  They had to cut into the side of the ship to service the Azipod.  The port of Maderia was missed, but we made all of the other ports.  It was a fun cruise and I actually enjoyed the extra time in Barcelona!

Thanks for the update.  I knew that the Star gone into a scheduled dry dock to replace one of its Diesel engines a couple of years ago.  They had to cut a gaping hole in the side of the ship to get the old engine out and the new one in.  That was a planned service outage, not a spur of the moment repair as you encountered.  I did not know that they had continued to have Azipod problems following the Melbourne overhaul in February of 2017.  Thanks again.