Live from the NCL Star July 23-August 15, 2023. Will I survive 23 days without the beverage package?

[YVRteacher]

On December 18, 2020 a massive mudslide let loose on Seydisfjordur and the entire village was evacuated.

 

It happened suddenly and people had to run for their lives. This is the largest landslide to have hit a residential area in Iceland.

 

 

 

 

There is an open air museum documenting stories of survival, community and rebuilding.

 

 

 

It’s amazing and powerful.

 

[YVRteacher]

While waiting to board the bus I chatted with a guy from California. He is B2B and this is his second leg. I asked him what he did in Ísafjördur both visits and he said he worked his way through the entire menu at the brewery there. I didn’t even know there was a brewery. 

 

Come with me on the bus as we drive up, up, up into the clouds.  Icelanders are not big talkers and our bus driver said one word: seatbelts. There was no guide so I don’t know exactly where we were but I do know it was spectacular. These photos were taken through the bus window so apologies for any blurriness.

The road is narrow and steep, lined with mossy rocks and sturdy sheep. Their wool is so long they could trip on it! 

 

One of the popular tours in Seydisfjördur is Seeking Waterfalls. We do that on this tour too! 

 

 

The jagged crevices look like a giant clawed the land, splintering mountains into sections.

We pass mountaintop lagoons, view fjords from up high

 

 

then wind down the so very steep switchbacks into the valley.

 

At Lake Urridavain we arrive at Vok baths, get our wristbands and sink into the hot, soothing freshwater hotsprings. 

 

Aaaah.

[odie1024]

Beautiful pictures, I am doing a land tour the second week in November in Iceland so following along. Have to check my itinerary and see where we are stopping and compare to your notes. I have followed some of your other reviews and find them so helpful. Enjoy the rest of your trip and thank you for the beautiful sights.

[djasinsk]

On 7/26/2023 at 6:20 AM, YVRteacher said:

hot tubs and there were families with babies in diapers in them.

Sooooo glad I am on an 18 night transatlantic in November which will minimize chances of this kind of “family” encounter!    Yuck!!!!!

[djasinsk]

On 7/26/2023 at 6:33 AM, YVRteacher said:

I completely agree that it is substandard. Worst food I’ve experienced on an NCL ship.

@YVRteacher if in one of your posts you could tell us or inquire with others aboard on the improvement in food quality (and service?) to be expected if one pays for cagneys or le bistro each night?  It works out to 75 bucks a day for a couple to eat there every night so would want to know it is meaningfully better in quality.  

[rjw103]

I stopped at a local brewery in Ísafjörður last year. It was called DOKKAN BRUGGHUS  Westfjords Local Brewery. It's a small place with indoor and outdoor seating. 

[Tyskie]

@YVRteacher

Love, love, love all your pictures!!  They are gorgeous!

I love taking pictures of flowers as well.  I'm checking out your app MOLDIV 😘

 

I'm sad for your re food selection and quality on Star - that would be a first for us.  

After they re-started cruising in 2021 (think second sailing to Bermuda) we had some ups and downs with food but as a whole - good.

[bstreep]

Kalii Lara is the brewery/bar where I had the fantastic lamb.

 

Food:  Last year, the upgrade restaurants on Star were WAY better than the MDR - really excellent.  When I asked what it would cost to upgrade the entire trip, they told me about $15 per day per person.  We were pretty empty, around 60% capacity.  I can't find anything near that rate on our upcoming NCL cruise.  I'm hoping that everyone is right, and that it's just the Star that's bad.  It really was tragic a year ago.  One night the Maitre D' suggest that I have the bratwurst, as the best item on the menu.  I did. It wasn't good. 

 

Interestingly, we had 3 other couples over a few nights ago, that had gone on that cruise.  One of them has done 2 other NCL cruises since then.  We were talking about this cruise.  He said "God the food was bad on that cruise".  That's his "takeaway".

 

BUT, the staff was the best we've encountered on any cruise.

[YVRteacher]

The baths are built into the lake and it is a stunningly beautiful view and experience. There are different baths with varying temperatures. I liked the hottest one! Benches line the edges (like in a hot tub) so there are places to sit and soak.

 

 

 

 

There is also a swim up bar!

 

When you are done soaking and showering there is tea made from locally harvested herbs. It tastes like the lake but the idea is nice.

 

 

If you are considering this excursion be aware that it is a 45 minute drive each way, you need to take a towel from the ship (many people didn’t think of this and paid $20 to rent a towel) and the soaking baths have very slippery floors. Lockers are available, shoes/flip flops are not allowed so you are standing in human wetness, you must shower before entering and it is crowded. No chemicals such as chlorine are used in the baths. I had to not overthink this!

 

While I did love the drive and the time in the baths I also felt this excursion was way overpriced.

[YVRteacher]

I had eaten some oatmeal and fruit in O’Sheehan’s this morning before catching the tender so when I arrived back on board at 5:00pm my stomach was growling! I had a veggie burger and tea at O’Sheehan’s then tried to find a place to watch the sailaway out through the fjord. There are few indoor seats near windows on this ship. I found a window bench near the atrium but found myself yearning for a Spinnaker or an Observation Lounge.

 

 

After an hour slowly navigating through the fjord and avoiding the shipwreck of the British oil tanker, El Grillo, which was hit by German spy planes in 1944, the captain came on the PA to say that we were going to stop. When the anchor was pulled up they noticed a long wire was attached to it. Why they didn’t deal with this at the time I don’t know. We came to a stop, turned with Starboard side facing the entrance/exit to the fjord, let down a tender boat and the deck crew took the wire off the anchor. The captain said that Djúpivogur is so close we won’t be late. 

 

 

We were at a standstill and I didn’t need to watch the scenery so I went to Aqua for dessert.  There was Tia Maria cake and since I don’t have the beverage package of course this is what I ordered. It tasted the same as the tiramisu. I liked it!

The tables in Aqua are ridiculously close together. It is not at all pleasant being in there. 

 

[YVRteacher]

July 27

Djúpivogur

 

I have been waiting for this day! Waiting to see Djúpivogur! 

 

Djúpivogur’s maritime history reaches back to 1589 and the oldest port in Iceland is here. Towering over this little fishing village (population 600) is the 3507’ Búlandstindur which is shaped like a pyramid. Djúpivogur means deep cove.

 

This link shows a 360 degree view of Djúpivogur.

 

https://kuula.co/share/N7CfH/collection/7kh9T?logo=bWVkaWEvMTI4NTk1LzYyODMtNmQ1MC0zNmIwLTAxOTcucG5n&info=0&logosize=81&fs=1&vr=1&zoom=1&autorotate=0.01&thumbs=2&margin=13&alpha=0.71&keys=0

 

Djúpivogur is visited by tourists, reindeer and seals and is the only place in Iceland which has adopted Cittaslow (slow food) movement. When I was researching Djúpivogur I learned about the slow food aspect but didn’t know that Cittaslow includes an easy, calm lifestyle and living in the moment. Imagine a whole village embracing one philosophy of life.  Shops and restaurants in Djúpivogur have a symbol of a snail with a village in its shell. This indicates that the food, goods and handicrafts is sourced within the community. This caught my eye and I would have bought some but it was sold out. Maybe next cruise!

 

There is a little bit of an upside to the food on the Star being so bad: normally on a cruise I don’t eat ashore. I have decided that part of the joy I’m experiencing this trip is local bakeries. Today I woke up early (not by choice but by tender announcements) bundled up and hopped on a tender. Once ashore I went to a little bakery and cafe but they weren’t yet open.  Turns out the bakery is the keeper of the town maps so I stood still for a moment and just felt immensely grateful to be in Iceland before deciding whether to head left or right.  I chose right and the road took me to Eggin.

 

The most famous sight in Djúpivogur aside from the mountain is the artwork called the Eggs of Merry Bay or Eggin.  34 polished stone eggs line up along the waterfront to teach people about the 34 species of nesting birds native to East Iceland.  The Icelandic artist who created Eggin is Sigurd Gudmundsson.  I met my goal of photographing each of the 34 eggs.

I also stopped to photograph the tiny flowers thriving in the craggy splintered rocky cliffs.

Back to town

and the bakery is open. I had a hard time deciding whether to get the goose or the cinnamon bun😉.

This cinnamon bun was divine! The ratio of cinnamon to delicately baked dough was perfect, the gooeyness factor added to the experience and the coffee was excellent. Please come to Vid Voginn if you are in Djúpivogur! I’m coming back next cruise!

 

Fueled by cinnamon bun I spent the rest of the day scrambling up rocks and cliffs

 

and walking to the place on the map that is labeled “birds and trolls.” Each place we have visited in Iceland has provided maps produced by the same company. They are so handy!

 

While walking across the mossy outcrop through the bird sanctuary I thought to myself that this might be the best walk ever! I felt so alive, breathing in the Arctic air and being at the edge of the sea. Don’t tell Ísafjördur and Seydisfjördur, but Djúpivogur is my favourite fjördur!

 

Look at the sea and these arctic beach plants!

 

Despite the trail marker there really isn’t a path. I found where the sheep walked (it was obvious in a ploppy sort of way) and followed their steps.  Sadly, no sheep encounters today.  

I walked back into town and up to the grocery store.  I do love a local grocery store!

Enterprising children are selling rocks they found on the mountain and the tourists are buying.

  I didn’t buy rocks but I did buy these

If you’ve seen Wicked, remember the moment when Madame Morrible brings about a sudden change in the weather? That’s what happened today. One moment it was fine.  Brisk. Fresh. Crisp.

 

The next moment it was like a winter troll exhaled puffs of the arctic all over Djúpivogur. That was the coldest wind ever! I headed back to the tender boats

and had quite the experience getting back to the Star.  With the shifting wind came rough seas and those waves were tipping is in all directions. Yikes! That’s not the worst part though. Everyone around me was coughing. The woman across from me coughed and spluttered right in my face. I whipped out my mask and put it on faster than you can say yuck. Ten bucks says 2000 people are going to depart this ship with some sort of virus.

 

Just in case it didn’t come through, I had a fantastic day outdoors in Djúpivogur!

Edited July 28, 2023 by YVRteacher

[www3traveler]

WOW!!!  What a wpnderful adventure.  As always, THANK YOU for sharing.

[Norwegianprincess]

Lovely to read about your Djupivogur adventure, looking forward to visit in a couple of weeks! Island is famous for its liqoricke (sp?) ( lakris in norwegian) I too love that stuff, and will certainly buy some. Hope you have a smooth sailing up north to Lonyearbyen! 

[YVRteacher]

They aren’t opening up the dining rooms for lunch on port days on this cruise and there are no seats available in the Garden Cafe. People are sitting and eating on the window benches, in the casino and in Bliss lounge. 

 

I was able to get some vegetable noodle soup and find a table. The soup wasn’t as good as it was a few days ago but it was hot and that’s what mattered. When I got to the bottom of the bowl things started to feel a little gritty and there was a layer of dirt coating the bowl.  Do you know what I do at home when I buy spinach? I wash it! Did the prep people washy washy the spinach? Nope. At least it was well-cooked dirt.

I played Gift of the Gab and won as a solo with 19/20. The Cruise Director’s staff was terrible, disinterested and disengaged. Big crowd was there to play and she rushed through it in 16 minutes.

 

The Three V Strings are making violin magic as we sail away from Djúpivogur. They just did Hallelujah and wow! However, I’m not sure the theme from Titanic is the best selection for a cruise.

In the captain’s announcements he said we are now heading up to the Arctic Ocean. We have 1000 nautical miles and two days’ travel to get to Svalbard. Captain says to make sure we wear running shoes once we get there so we can outrun the polar bears. He also said the weather changed while we were in Djúpivogur today and that’s why the tender ride back was so rough. Rough is an understatement. Scary is more apt. Right after the tender boat I used left the Star to head back to the little dock, tender boats halted for a while and the captain swung the Star around so the Starboard side was more protected and the tender boats could pull up against the Star safely.

 

I’m so hungry.  Where should I go for dinner tonight? I have 4 specialty dining meals and 7 days in which to use them.

 

Well, turns out La Cucina was the wrong choice.

That was the single worst specialty dining experience I’ve ever had on NCL.  I ordered Misto salad as I always do. They used beet leaves as the greens. Ugh. I ordered spaghetti and the noodles were crunchy inside. They remade it and it was still gross. The chef from La Cucina came out to tell me NCL cooks their pasta al dente. I told him I have cruised 38 times on NCL and I know the difference between al dente and raw.  He didn’t have a response to that. I ordered one cannoli for dessert.  When I bit into it the filling was liquid and tasted sour. 

 

I have photos of the food in La Cucina and photos of La Cucina on the Star. Top one is the Jewel, bottom is last night on the Star.

 

 

This experience prompted me to write a letter and put it in the Dear GM box.

[YVRteacher]

6 minutes ago, Norwegianprincess said:

Lovely to read about your Djupivogur adventure, looking forward to visit in a couple of weeks! Island is famous for its liqoricke (sp?) ( lakris in norwegian) I too love that stuff, and will certainly buy some. Hope you have a smooth sailing up north to Lonyearbyen! 

The seas are so smooth! Thank you for teaching me the Norwegian word!

[WickedRed]

Kids selling rocks.  That's awesome!!  Last year when I was on the Star in Norway there was a kid at one of the scenic turn out spots selling raspberries.  Lucky for us he was happy to take US $.  (We weren't suppose to go to Norway so none of us had local currency.)  Think he sold out thanks to our tour bus.  Probably the best raspberries I have ever tasted. 

[LauraAnneC]

I’m absolutely loving your photo collages. They are brilliant. Iceland is looking very like the west coast of Ireland. The pastries and coffees are enough to make me want to go there!

 

I’m very sorry you’re having such a bad time getting decent food.  It’s crazy that this is the case. I hope your letter of complaint has some repercussions and that things improve. You might actually buck the trend of us all and loose weight on this cruise! 

[GALSews]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

They aren’t opening up the dining rooms for lunch on port days on this cruise and there are no seats available in the Garden Cafe. People are sitting and eating on the window benches, in the casino and in Bliss lounge. 

 

I was able to get some vegetable noodle soup and find a table. The soup wasn’t as good as it was a few days ago but it was hot and that’s what mattered. When I got to the bottom of the bowl things started to feel a little gritty and there was a layer of dirt coating the bowl.  Do you know what I do at home when I buy spinach? I wash it! Did the prep people washy washy the spinach? Nope. At least it was well-cooked dirt.

I played Gift of the Gab and won as a solo with 19/20. The Cruise Director’s staff was terrible, disinterested and disengaged. Big crowd was there to play and she rushed through it in 16 minutes.

 

The Three V Strings are making violin magic as we sail away from Djúpivogur. They just did Hallelujah and wow! However, I’m not sure the theme from Titanic is the best selection for a cruise.

In the captain’s announcements he said we are now heading up to the Arctic Ocean. We have 1000 nautical miles and two days’ travel to get to Svalbard. Captain says to make sure we wear running shoes once we get there so we can outrun the polar bears. He also said the weather changed while we were in Djúpivogur today and that’s why the tender ride back was so rough. Rough is an understatement. Scary is more apt. Right after the tender boat I used left the Star to head back to the little dock, tender boats halted for a while and the captain swung the Star around so the Starboard side was more protected and the tender boats could pull up against the Star safely.

 

I’m so hungry.  Where should I go for dinner tonight? I have 4 specialty dining meals and 7 days in which to use them.

 

Well, turns out La Cucina was the wrong choice.

That was the single worst specialty dining experience I’ve ever had on NCL.  I ordered Misto salad as I always do. They used beet leaves as the greens. Ugh. I ordered spaghetti and the noodles were crunchy inside. They remade it and it was still gross. The chef from La Cucina came out to tell me NCL cooks their pasta al dente. I told him I have cruised 38 times on NCL and I know the difference between al dente and raw.  He didn’t have a response to that. I ordered one cannoli for dessert.  When I bit into it the filling was liquid and tasted sour. 

 

I have photos of the food in La Cucina and photos of La Cucina on the Star. Top one is the Jewel, bottom is last night on the Star.

 

 

This experience prompted me to write a letter and put it in the Dear GM box.

We sail on the Star in December - 16 days. I guess I'll be hoping that there will be a different cooking staff or NCL will have heard your words and took them to heart.

 

The presentation looks like something someone who has the opinion "The food is all going to the same place so why make it look great?"

[Grimix]

14 minutes ago, GALSews said:

The presentation looks like something someone who has the opinion "The food is all going to the same place so why make it look great?"

My mom used to tell me this when I didn't like the combinations she put on the plate. I always told her that it has to go past the taste buds first.

[Fruitpunch76]

Sooo sorry for you that the food seems to be not good at all. 😔

The photos of La Cucina somehow really shocked me😱 The food looks absolutely not delicious at all. My fiancee is Italian and we are already worried that we have booked La Cucina. But last year on the Jewel in Alaska La Cucina was a great choice.

Unluckily even your mozzarella and tomato pic looks underwhelming...🤪...as if the pieces were cut by a 5 year old child...

Thank you so much for writing a letter of complaint. Maybe they can improve the food until our August 4 cruise?!🤔

In case of emergency we will follow your strategy and eat Icelandic cinnamon buns😉👍🏻

[www3traveler]

BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

I hope things improve for you soon.

Love and prayers always

[2bc cruisers]

Another vote…Love your pictures!  
I am getting a tad nervous about the food situation.  Hubs has early dementia, each trip I book is… hope this goes well, it might be our last one.  But…. Forewarned is forearmed, right?  On the bright side, Iceland looks so beautiful!  
I WILL be prepared to purchase treats at ports.  
 

Is there a crepe station in the buffet at dinner?  

[YVRteacher]

Sea day

 

The clocks went forward an hour last night and go forward another hour tonight. I was supposed to do the Behind the Scenes latitudes tour this morning but decided I wanted to sleep in and then have brunch instead. I love brunch.  A lot!

 

I came out of the room and the wonderful room steward was just about to enter the cabin next door. Oh, I said, I have something for you!

 

He looked at me a little sadly and said, “laundry?”

 

I replied, “no! Not laundry! Chocolate!” then gave him some Omnom Icelandic chocolate. 

 

As I was finishing up my French Toast, scrambled egg, coffee and orange juice in O’Sheehan’s the Star’s restaurant manager, Garry Velez, came to meet with me. He started by saying he was sorry about the experience last night and asked me to explain to him what the concerns were.   I showed him my photos of La Cucina on the Jewel and La Cucina on the Star. Without me saying so, he said that food should not have left the kitchen and the server should not have brought it to me. I also showed him photos of the rotten food I have been served as well as the non-tasty, non-appealing food.  He said this has to change and he has a meeting with his team at 10:00am today.  I had written about the lack of food options for vegetarians and suggested that they add tofu and a legume to the soup station at lunch. He said I could ask for anything at any time and people would oblige. I did not tell him that I asked for a cookie yesterday at 1:18pm and was told cookies come out at 1:30 for afternoon tea!  Good grief.

 

Anyhow, I felt heard and that the concerns were taken seriously. He said I should not have been charged/used a specialty dining credit for the meal in La Cucina and he credited my account with an additional specialty meal. He also said he wants me to be happy and enjoy the food and he will do whatever he can.

 

At 10:30 it was Q and A with the captain, chief engineer and general manager.  They all spoke well and with humour. All three have been with NCL for more than 20 years and have worked together on the Star for a long time. We have two ice pilots on board for our journey so far north and these ice pilots get paid a lot of money for their knowledge and expertise. They are acutely tuned into the weather and are in contact with their shoreside weather department to provide us with additional guidance. Several people asked questions about the previous cruise missing ports in Greenland and this cruise having had Greenland removed from the itinerary back in May. The captain avoided these questions but did talk about the ice they encountered last cruise and what a unique experience that was. 

 

Someone asked each of the speakers to describe their most dangerous experience encountered at sea. The chief engineer didn’t answer, the captain said it was losing propulsion and the GM replied that sometimes ports are missed and when it is a port where provisions are due to be brought on board and they don’t get the provisions then he has to hide in his cabin!😂

After the Q and A I went to the Atrium simply because I couldn’t find a seat anywhere else! I ended up chatting with a couple from Australia who are both retired teachers. They were on the Spirit in March 2020 and they had good stories to share. This cruise on the Star is their “make up” cruise for the Covid cruise and they are so disappointed Greenland was removed from the itinerary.

 

They left and a man sat down. He almost spilled his drink so I grabbed it (we can’t let a good piña colada go to waste!) and saved it then we started chatting. He is from Austria.  He will be taking his daughter on an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver in May 2024 so we had a lot to chat about.  I asked about his daughter: she is 27 and is finishing up her medical degree to become a doctor. He said the cruise is for her because he is so proud of her.  I told him I cruise with my dad and how special it is that he will be cruising with his daughter.

 

Then it was 1:00pm and time for Sail and Sustain Mixology. This was held at the bar next to Spice H2O.  There were supposed to be 5 people and 3 attended. A bartender named Allan did the presentation but he was reading from notes. 

 Each time I do Sail and Sustain I ask the bartenders to teach me how to say cheers in their country. Today I learned “cheers” in Brazil is saúde.

Now I know:

Mabuk 

Tagay 

Saúde 

This was a fun experience today and I definitely enjoyed it.

On to lunch. About 2:00pm I went to the Garden Cafe. It was packed and buzzing with energy.  Guess what? They had a big bowl of tofu at the noodle soup station! I asked for half noodles and lots of veggies and tofu.  They also had chick pea soup and egg salad sandwiches plus there were walnuts at the charcuterie station. A good day for vegetarian lunch on the Star. Everything I had was tasty.  

I sat at a table for 4 and a couple came to join me.  They were nice to talk with. They finished eating and another couple came to sit at the same table (that’s how busy it is-people are sharing tables.) They are two women from Ottawa and we sat and chatted for hours! We saw a Minke whale. This was a really nice way to spend an afternoon on a sea day.

 

I came back to the cabin and tried to watch tv. The remote wouldn’t turn the tv on so I called guest services to ask for some new batteries. The room steward came by, said he vacuumed today and plugged the tv back in. I couldn’t see that the tv wasn’t plugged in and was so embarrassed.  This is less embarrassing than the time my dad and I complained to the cabin steward that the light didn’t work and he looked at us and said “ma’am, sir…that is the speaker.”🤦🏻‍♀️

It is lifeboat washy washy day.

 

It is dinner time. Where should I eat?

Edited July 28, 2023 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

57 minutes ago, 2bc cruisers said:

Another vote…Love your pictures!  
I am getting a tad nervous about the food situation.  Hubs has early dementia, each trip I book is… hope this goes well, it might be our last one.  But…. Forewarned is forearmed, right?  On the bright side, Iceland looks so beautiful!  
I WILL be prepared to purchase treats at ports.  
 

Is there a crepe station in the buffet at dinner?  

Yes, being prepared for the sad food will be helpful in terms of mindset. Lower your expectations.

 

lower….

 

lower….

 

Your best bet seems to O’Sheehan’s and I never thought I would say that!

 

The treats in the ports are amazing. The couple from Ottawa with whom I shared a table at lunch said they have had fish and chips and been to a bakery in every port. They said it is the best fish and chips they’ve ever had! They went to the same bakery/cafe I did yesterday and we all shared photos and gleeful cinnamon bun experiences today.

 

Yes, there have been crepes at dinner in the Garden Cafe every night. I haven’t had one yet.  

[YVRteacher]

4 hours ago, www3traveler said:

BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

I hope things improve for you soon.

Love and prayers always

Thank you for the care, Mandy!!!