Just off Star...disappointed

[schmoopie17]

On 7/4/2023 at 6:46 PM, ColdCruise said:

On Pr1ma (I like the style of the 1 NCL sometimes uses), we went to the latitudes desk (long line - another issue) to sign up for the behind the scenes tour and the wine tasting. We were told they were filled before embarkation day because there were so many ambassador and diamond members on board or people who were doing B2B and signed up before we could even embark.

 

Point is … if NCL knows there are 400 people with platinum or higher status on board who can sign up for a “benny “, they should have enough space to accommodate most of that number. Eg wine tasting - if you can only accommodate 100 people at the wine tasting, plan for at least 2 with a 3rd on standby IF the other two fill up.

We will have a similar experience for our Mediterranean cruise next September. We board in Rome September 14...but the cruise originates in Barcelona four days earlier. So...not only will we possibly be shut out of the Platinum event benefits, but people boarding in Barcelona will be able to get all of the prime Specialty restaurant spots before our day 125 rolls around. Double whammy...

[chiefy_mom]

On 7/1/2023 at 11:51 AM, The Traveling Man said:I used to always look forward to prime rib night at O'Sheehan's, but I haven't seen that since about 2019.

Our last night on the Getaway in July O’sheehan’s had prime rib.  

[insidecabin]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

We will have a similar experience for our Mediterranean cruise next September. We board in Rome September 14...but the cruise originates in Barcelona four days earlier. So...not only will we possibly be shut out of the Platinum event benefits, but people boarding in Barcelona will be able to get all of the prime Specialty restaurant spots before our day 125 rolls around. Double whammy...

But then you get the jump on the next lot boarding at Barcelona for the rest of your trip.

Just as those leaving Rome on the 5th got he jump on the 10th Barcelona.

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

But then you get the jump on the next lot boarding at Barcelona for the rest of your trip.

Just as those leaving Rome on the 5th got he jump on the 10th Barcelona.

Good point. But how many Wines Around the World and Behind the Scenes tours will they have? They can't have one for every set of passengers embarking...or can they?

[The Traveling Man]

20 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Good point. But how many Wines Around the World and Behind the Scenes tours will they have? They can't have one for every set of passengers embarking...or can they?

Can they - sure.

Will they - the odds may not be ever in your favor.

[schmoopie17]

Just now, The Traveling Man said:

Can they - sure.

Will they - the odds may not be ever in your favor.

I've lived long enough to know the odds are almost never in my favor. 😁

[Asawi]

Like @YVRteacher I'm at Star now. Unfortunately I have to agree to at least some of the complaints. I have very little to compare with, but food does not seem very good. So far I've eaten in Aqua, Teppanyaki and Versailles and of course buffet. In Aqua food was good, service not great though. In Versailles neither food nor service was great that particular day. Not horrible, but not great. Buffet... My main complaint actually is that it's so badly/oddly organised! There is decent food to be found there if you eat meat and fish (vegetarian options very limited), but it takes some looking around. Carving station usually s relatively safe bet.  Quite often hard to find seats.

I don't care much about activities, but now I know what OP means with the three violins...  

As for the shows, I liked Band on the run and the ballroom dancing couple. The White magic show was entertaining, but not really my cup of tea (still liked the guy!). The Burt Bacharach show will close in October and I doubt it will be missed much.

Something I do like is the library! Loved sitting there reading on our sea days!

I'm a little bit sad that my next cruise (October) is Star as well. It's not horrible but it's not great. Fortunately I cruise for the destinations, not the ship. It would be great if both were fantastic, but now I know that won't happen. Fingers crossed destinations will be as good as they have been on this cruise!

(But the guy handing out tender tickets needs an alarm clock! Both times when I've been there to get. tickets he's been late and someone has had to call him. Tendering in general seems to have been working well though.)

[Jem 12]

Hi Sorry to hear you have had such a disappointing cruise, we have cruised once on NCL Epic and are sailing on star on Oct 3rd. 

We have got the free at sea, I have already been slightly disappointed to see the internet package is only a certain number of minutes, other cruise have usually been unlimited. Need to read small print more my mistake.

Can I ask a few questions from more experienced NCL cruisers, I know there is a $20 a day service charge. If you have the free at sea ( we are in Uk) do you still have to pay a compulsory gratuity on the included drinks (free) and the two included speciality restaurants. 
Can you get bottled water as part of your drinks package ? We don’t drink tons of fizzy drinks.  Can we refill our own water bottles anywhere with chilled water? 
Di they pour iced water in the dining rooms or do you have to buy bottled water  if not included in package. 
On our only NCL cruise on Epic we thought entertainment was fabulous, so disappointing to hear it so poor now.  We did find Epic a very Smokey ship as casino was in middle of ship and allowed smoking, I suspect Casino will be a no go area for  us on this ship too. 
I am very surprised at how poor most of the reviews are for NCL, wish I had read more before booking, 

I would love to hear from anyone who has already done the around Ireland cruise for any info about the ports. 
Thank you in advance for any replies.

 

Elizabeth 

[Asawi]

25 minutes ago, Jem 12 said:

 

Can I ask a few questions from more experienced NCL cruisers, I know there is a $20 a day service charge. If you have the free at sea ( we are in Uk) do you still have to pay a compulsory gratuity on the included drinks (free) and the two included speciality restaurants. 
Can you get bottled water as part of your drinks package ? We don’t drink tons of fizzy drinks.  Can we refill our own water bottles anywhere with chilled water? 
Di they pour iced water in the dining rooms or do you have to buy bottled water  if not included in package. 
On our only NCL cruise on Epic we thought entertainment was fabulous, so disappointing to hear it so poor now.  We did find Epic a very Smokey ship as casino was in middle of ship and allowed smoking, I suspect Casino will be a no go area for  us on this ship too. 
 

You do not have to pay any extra gratuities for drinks and food. Just the regular "service fee". Bottled water is not included but the water in the buffet is very good. Really , very good! Bring a refillable bottle or big mug and fill it there (from a clean glass). There is ice if you don't find the water cold enough.

They pour iced water in the dining rooms.

The casino on Star is situated where you'll have no reason to enter it except for playing or the bar. I have only noticed cigarette smell from smokers, nowhere on the ship (unless there is a smoker nearby...)

What is good or bad entertainment is a matter of taste. I have found it "good enough". At least the shows I mentioned.

[SpainAlien]

18 minutes ago, Jem 12 said:

Hi Sorry to hear you have had such a disappointing cruise, we have cruised once on NCL Epic and are sailing on star on Oct 3rd. 

We have got the free at sea, I have already been slightly disappointed to see the internet package is only a certain number of minutes, other cruise have usually been unlimited. Need to read small print more my mistake.

Can I ask a few questions from more experienced NCL cruisers, I know there is a $20 a day service charge. If you have the free at sea ( we are in Uk) do you still have to pay a compulsory gratuity on the included drinks (free) and the two included speciality restaurants. 
Can you get bottled water as part of your drinks package ? We don’t drink tons of fizzy drinks.  Can we refill our own water bottles anywhere with chilled water? 
Di they pour iced water in the dining rooms or do you have to buy bottled water  if not included in package. 
On our only NCL cruise on Epic we thought entertainment was fabulous, so disappointing to hear it so poor now.  We did find Epic a very Smokey ship as casino was in middle of ship and allowed smoking, I suspect Casino will be a no go area for  us on this ship too. 
I am very surprised at how poor most of the reviews are for NCL, wish I had read more before booking, 

I would love to hear from anyone who has already done the around Ireland cruise for any info about the ports. 
Thank you in advance for any replies.

 

Elizabeth 

Hi Elizabeth

 

Booking on the UK sites you don't have to pay separate gratuities for the free at sea perks, that's why you pay a fixed price for FAS it covers those. 

 

FAS does not include bottled water but you can get iced water at the bars and it is poured at the dining tables. If you want it at the buffet it is self serve (use a fresh glass every time) and that is also where you go to fill your water bottle but use a fresh glass to decant water into the bottle do not put the bottle up to the faucet.

 

The $20 daily service charge covers your room steward, waiters, behind the scenes personal so whilst you do not have to tip extra many choose to if they have a great member of staff. 

 

NCL Star is an older, smaller ship than Epic and the layout is a bit weird (you can't walk straight through from Aqua to Versailles you have to go up, along then back down for example - over the kitchen). It never had the Broadway style show like Priscilla Queen of the Desert but the shows are still pretty good and on a par with small ships on other cruise lines like RCCL and Carnival. 

 

To add some perspective, I was on Dawn out of Southampton in June and found the food to be generally good but there are some obvious cuts since covid, for example in Teppanyaki the steak isn't fillet any more but it is still just fine.  I am not a fussy eater and have a typical English palate and I was happy that there was always something I liked.  I did have issues with our room steward but i do think that he was overworked and struggling to cope, I hope that will be better on Star in November.

 

Enjoy your round Ireland voyage, I loved Dublin but spent all day tasting Guinness and Jameson whisky, I will be going back at some point because it is beautiful and my time there was too short. I did the ho ho through NCL.  In Belfast we did a private tour out to the Giants Causeway which was incredible and found another distillery to taste their whisky (Bushmills). 

 

[Jem 12]

1 minute ago, Asawi said:

You do not have to pay any extra gratuities for drinks and food. Just the regular "service fee". Bottled water is not included but the water in the buffet is very good. Really , very good! Bring a refillable bottle or big mug and fill it there (from a clean glass). There is ice if you don't find the water cold enough.

They pour iced water in the dining rooms.

The casino on Star is situated where you'll have no reason to enter it except for playing or the bar. I have only noticed cigarette smell from smokers, nowhere on the ship (unless there is a smoker nearby...)

What is good or bad entertainment is a matter of taste. I have found it "good enough". At least the shows I mentioned.

Thank you so much, that is great news about water etc, we are happy to drink any iced water, thank you for clarification also about gratuities. 
Im sure we will find the entertainment fine, if not we will have to make our own.

 

kind regards

 

Elizabeth 

[Jem 12]

6 minutes ago, SpainAlien said:

Hi Elizabeth

 

Booking on the UK sites you don't have to pay separate gratuities for the free at sea perks, that's why you pay a fixed price for FAS it covers those. 

 

FAS does not include bottled water but you can get iced water at the bars and it is poured at the dining tables. If you want it at the buffet it is self serve (use a fresh glass every time) and that is also where you go to fill your water bottle but use a fresh glass to decant water into the bottle do not put the bottle up to the faucet.

 

The $20 daily service charge covers your room steward, waiters, behind the scenes personal so whilst you do not have to tip extra many choose to if they have a great member of staff. 

 

NCL Star is an older, smaller ship than Epic and the layout is a bit weird (you can't walk straight through from Aqua to Versailles you have to go up, along then back down for example - over the kitchen). It never had the Broadway style show like Priscilla Queen of the Desert but the shows are still pretty good and on a par with small ships on other cruise lines like RCCL and Carnival. 

 

To add some perspective, I was on Dawn out of Southampton in June and found the food to be generally good but there are some obvious cuts since covid, for example in Teppanyaki the steak isn't fillet any more but it is still just fine.  I am not a fussy eater and have a typical English palate and I was happy that there was always something I liked.  I did have issues with our room steward but i do think that he was overworked and struggling to cope, I hope that will be better on Star in November.

 

Enjoy your round Ireland voyage, I loved Dublin but spent all day tasting Guinness and Jameson whisky, I will be going back at some point because it is beautiful and my time there was too short. I did the ho ho through NCL.  In Belfast we did a private tour out to the Giants Causeway which was incredible and found another distillery to taste their whisky (Bushmills). 

 

Brilliant thank you so much, that clarifies several queries, you have put my mind at ease, so grateful to the people on this board who take the time to reply in such a detailed way. 
Now just to try and sort out some trips, there is 4 adults travelling together so will try and do taxis/ hire car where we can. 
 

many thanks and kind regards

 

Elizabeth 

[SpainAlien]

8 minutes ago, Jem 12 said:

Brilliant thank you so much, that clarifies several queries, you have put my mind at ease, so grateful to the people on this board who take the time to reply in such a detailed way. 
Now just to try and sort out some trips, there is 4 adults travelling together so will try and do taxis/ hire car where we can. 
 

many thanks and kind regards

 

Elizabeth 

Just a side note, don't forget you can customise your dishes a little if you don't fancy the accompaniments, for example if a dish in the MDR is served with chips you can ask them to give you mash or something else instead,  Also don't forget that you can ask for steamed vegetables to accompany your main course if you find you are missing your veg. Finally, I will often order two starters to try something I have never had before like corn chowder or chicken pho

 

 

[Jem 12]

6 minutes ago, SpainAlien said:

Just a side note, don't forget you can customise your dishes a little if you don't fancy the accompaniments, for example if a dish in the MDR is served with chips you can ask them to give you mash or something else instead,  Also don't forget that you can ask for steamed vegetables to accompany your main course if you find you are missing your veg. Finally, I will often order two starters to try something I have never had before like corn chowder or chicken pho

 

 

Thank you again, good to know, I do find the vegetable offerings very small on other cruise lines so I will try asking for some. Thank you. 
 

Elizabeth 

[KforKitty]

6 minutes ago, Jem 12 said:

Thank you so much, that is great news about water etc, we are happy to drink any iced water, thank you for clarification also about gratuities. 
Im sure we will find the entertainment fine, if not we will have to make our own.

 

kind regards

 

Elizabeth 

Just to confirm that although bottled water is not included in FAS, at every MDR sitting and in specialty restaurants in the Star this June, we were offered iced water on arrival and this was refilled frequently.  

 

Looking back on our recent experience I would say food in the MDR was hit or miss.  For me the main criticism was when food wasn’t served hot - I’m fussy about this.  Breakfast was the worst.  However we did have some great evening meals, especially in the specialty restaurants.  Best to worse was Le Bistro, Cagney’s, La Cucina and Moderno.  We didn’t do Teppanyaki this time.  Not a buffet fan so only ever had breakfast there when we missed seating hours in the MDR and one lunch.  O’Sheahan’s is our preferred lunchtime spot and was mainly fine, but a couple of misses.

 

Favourite hang-out drinking spots on this cruise was Proof Whisky Bar, followed by Gatsby’s.  I also like the Sake cocktails at the bar in Ginza.

 

Catherine

[Jem 12]

14 minutes ago, KforKitty said:

Just to confirm that although bottled water is not included in FAS, at every MDR sitting and in specialty restaurants in the Star this June, we were offered iced water on arrival and this was refilled frequently.  

 

Looking back on our recent experience I would say food in the MDR was hit or miss.  For me the main criticism was when food wasn’t served hot - I’m fussy about this.  Breakfast was the worst.  However we did have some great evening meals, especially in the specialty restaurants.  Best to worse was Le Bistro, Cagney’s, La Cucina and Moderno.  We didn’t do Teppanyaki this time.  Not a buffet fan so only ever had breakfast there when we missed seating hours in the MDR and one lunch.  O’Sheahan’s is our preferred lunchtime spot and was mainly fine, but a couple of misses.

 

Favourite hang-out drinking spots on this cruise was Proof Whisky Bar, followed by Gatsby’s.  I also like the Sake cocktails at the bar in Ginza.

 

Catherine

Thank you Catherine, yes like you I do like my food served hot, so will maybe ask when I’m ordering, 

Thank you for the detailed info on restaurants. 
kind regards

 

Elizabeth 

[lisaincbus]

Those of you who have been on the itinerary that ends in Tromso - how does disembarkation work? My mom will be on the August 15 sailing, and she's very worried. She got "free" airfare, and the flight from Tromso to Oslo is scheduled to take off a half hour before disembarkation. I called NCL's Air Dept and was told that it's actually a shuttle flight that takes off when all of the cruise passengers have gotten onboard. The customer service agent said that the flight's departure time has always been listed as 6:30 am, even though that's not when it actually takes off. She said that she gets calls about that every week and that all she can do is reassure people that the flight will not leave without them and that they'll make their connection in Oslo. She said that all of this is explained once passengers are onboard the ship, but that's not helpful to my anxious mother. I'm hoping some of you can help me reassure her. 

[KforKitty]

2 hours ago, lisaincbus said:

Those of you who have been on the itinerary that ends in Tromso - how does disembarkation work? My mom will be on the August 15 sailing, and she's very worried. She got "free" airfare, and the flight from Tromso to Oslo is scheduled to take off a half hour before disembarkation. I called NCL's Air Dept and was told that it's actually a shuttle flight that takes off when all of the cruise passengers have gotten onboard. The customer service agent said that the flight's departure time has always been listed as 6:30 am, even though that's not when it actually takes off. She said that she gets calls about that every week and that all she can do is reassure people that the flight will not leave without them and that they'll make their connection in Oslo. She said that all of this is explained once passengers are onboard the ship, but that's not helpful to my anxious mother. I'm hoping some of you can help me reassure her. 

We left the Star in Tromso in June but we were travelling independently.  I did hear however that many were on NCL chartered flights from Tromso.  I don’t know what time they left but there were some early embarkations.

Catherine

 

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, lisaincbus said:

She said that she gets calls about that every week and that all she can do is reassure people that the flight will not leave without them and that they'll make their connection in Oslo. She said that all of this is explained once passengers are onboard the ship, but that's not helpful to my anxious mother. I'm hoping some of you can help me reassure her. 

I can’t help with an answer, but I wanted to say what a stupid way to run a business. Don’t wait till people get on board to tell them! 

 

I hope your Mom is reassured by the information you got, and that she has a wonderful trip! 

[WakeView4Us]

On 7/29/2023 at 10:53 AM, YVRteacher said:

@basktchic

I want to apologize for doubting you and how bad things are on the Star.

 

I’m on board now (day 7/23) and things aren’t as bad as you wrote…

 

They are much, much worse!

 

Nothing could have prepared me for the awful food and dining experiences, the overcrowding, the lack of decent activities and the overall shipboard experience. 
 

Iceland was spectacular. We arrive in Longyearbyen tomorrow. Normally I love sea days. Now I’m counting the seconds until we arrive at the next port and I can get off the ship.

Sorry to hear your experience was as bad if not worse than ours. It's just disappointing to see how far NCL has fallen since lifting restrictions from Covid. We have seen a steady decline to the point that we cancelled our February cruise in Viva. 

[Notamegagirl]

Star is awful...seemed like another company than previous ncl ships. Food was terrible and wine selection poor. entertainment? Room old and not wecoming..public areas need refreshing..Hard working, sweet people on board. felt for staff, they did give more personal service than bigger ships, even when crowded.*handmade cocktails, yum).,,,sailed june 23, did spirit prior may23 very nice, getaway after july23, food and entertainment great! service was overwhelmed... so unsure of ncl cuts or is this a forgotten older small ship...

[mskaufman]

Just when I was getting excited about Star coming to Baltimore.

[bluesea777]

On 8/22/2023 at 8:44 PM, basktchic said:

Sorry to hear your experience was as bad if not worse than ours. It's just disappointing to see how far NCL has fallen since lifting restrictions from Covid. We have seen a steady decline to the point that we cancelled our February cruise in Viva. 

Why are you cancelling the VIVA cruise? Viva is nowhere near the Star … she (Viva) is 22 years younger than the Star. We have recently gone on the Spirit as did YVR and she was far superior to the Star. Star is our least fave ship, but I cannot understand why you would cancel your Viva cruise based on YVR’s experience on the STAR. YVR went on the Jewel back in May and she (Jewel) was as good as the Spirit.

 

So, why the Viva? 
 

We’re going on Viva in Nov.

 

 

[bluesea777]

2 minutes ago, mskaufman said:

Just when I was getting excited about Star coming to Baltimore.

I think you’re mistaken. Star isn’t going to Baltimore. The other two ‘S’ ships will be going there … the Sky and the Sun.

 

 

[mskaufman]

OK, then I feel better.