We had a great time on the STAR June 18-25

[Hikini]

Hikini, about what time did you eat Fri at Endless Summer? Did you by chance hear the wait staff singing Happy Birthday at a table of four about 7pm? If so, that was my husband being serenaded!

 

Were you sitting on the port side of the restaurant? It seems, as we were getting ready to leave, that I did hear a birthday serenade. (But I didn't look around to see who was being sung to.) We were on the starboard side and had a 5:30 reservation.

[Hikini]

To continue talking about the ports

 

Glacier Bay

This is a day to be up early as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to miss anything when it comes to Glacier Bay. The 12 year old and I were the only ones in our group to get up early, however. And we would be rewarded for it.

 

We were out on deck by 6:30 to enjoy the day, although it was raining. Not hard, just raining lightly. We took a walk around the promenade deck and went to the buffet for a quick breakfast. I didn't want to get hungry later on when it would be less convenient to grab a bite to eat.

 

As we were out on deck again later, one of the rangers that had boarded the ship around 5:30am made an announcement that on the Starboard side, where we were, there was a bear on the beach. Sure enough! We had our binoculars in hand as well as cameras and we got a very good look at the brown bear.

 

We had also seen mountain goats in the hills as we traveled slowly past.

 

As we neared Marjerie Glacier, there was a 'piece' of ice that was sticking out more than the others and I mentioned, more to myself than anyone else, "that piece looks vulnerable." About half an hour to 45 minutes later, that is the BIG piece that fell into the water! I felt like a prophet!;)

 

I did get some pictures, but since I wanted to watch it with my own eyes, I didn't have the camera held out in front of me, but was holding it at shoulder level. As a result, the calving pictures are not centered, but I did get several pictures of the wave action afterwards that shows just how big this piece was. It was certainly one of those moments in life that draws an oooooooooh out of you!

 

Since it was raining most of the day we didn't spend as much time out on deck as I would have liked. We did go to the slide show presented by one of the park rangers in the Stardust Theater. It was informative.

 

At 3:30-ish we watched as the boat from Glacier Bay National Park pulled up beside the ship and retrieved the rangers who had come on board. The gal who had been speaking on the PA system all day, had told us at the end that it was her birthday. As their boat pulled away several people hollered out "Happy Birthday!" and she waved and blew a kiss.

 

It was a great day in Glacier Bay. The only thing that could have made it better was no rain. However, being a bit overcast made the blue hues come out even more in the glaciers.

 

Ketchikan

We arrived in Ketchikan before I woke up Friday morning. It was a nice day - only a sweater would be needed, and not even that in some cases. We didn't have any tours planned, but I wanted to walk to Creek Street. We did, and it was a pretty, picturesque area and that's what I did - take a lot of pictures. In fact, one of my very favorite pictures from the whole cruise was taken on Creek Street.

 

There are far less tourists there, than the stores right on the pier. It was nice seeing some less crowded stores and some more local ware and artists work. It's an easy walk from the pier...5 to 10 minutes at the most.

 

Leaving Ketchikan was sad because we were now heading back to Canada and out of Alaska's waters. This is the part of the cruise where I start to feel depressed, even though it's not over. It's just getting too close to 'over' for my liking!

 

Victoria

We began to see Victoria in the distance in the mid afternoon. It was a glorious, sunny day and the mountains which were topped with snow made a great back drop. There was a Holland America ship behind us and I got some great pictures of it, with the mountains behind it.

 

About 5pm a pilot boat pulled up next to us and I'm assuming a pilot boarded the ship. Does anyone know what that is all about? Is it a Canadian law, or for some other reason?

 

We didn't get off the ship in Victoria, but enjoyed the weather and the view as we were in port from 6pm to midnight. It was truly a beautiful day.

 

The Crew

This section of my review could go on and on forever. In 3 other cruises with NCL we have always been SO pleased with the service we have received from the crew. However, this time the service from the crew was even better! Hard to imagine that it could have been better than before, but it was.

 

Our room stewards, Jeneth and Froilan were soooo friendly, cute, wonderful and helpful. From the first day, Jeneth introduced herself to us, and then introduced Froilan (he was much more shy.) Jeneth wanted to know our names and from that moment on, she said hi to us by name whenever she saw us. I was amazed at her memory! THEN, we were in Juneau, and I was sitting with my Mom, resting on a bench. My elderly Mom was tuckered out so I sat with her while the others went shopping. As we sat there someone came along and said our names and hello. We looked up to see Jeneth and her boyfriend. I was so surprised that she remembered our names even there, where we were out of context for her.

 

Whenever we needed anything they were quick to oblige, always with a smile and pleasant attitude. They kept all of our rooms clean and stocked very well. Anyone who has them as room stewards will be very lucky. Saturday was Jeneth's birthday and we left her a special little gift.

 

In Versailles, on the first day, for the first meal we were treated so well by our waiter. I can't remember his name but when he found out we had some first time cruisers with us he spent several minutes talking to them about what they might expect.

 

That evening for supper, in Versailles, we were waited on by Chito and Alma. They came from the same town in the Philippines and get along really well. I was so surprised when two days later we were waited on by them again and they remembered some of our names, and many of our likes and requests. The kids loved them! We were fortunate enough to be seated in their section several times and got to know them a bit.

 

We also got to know Necias in Versailles and he was funny for the kids. He showed them his own magic trick when the kids talked about how much they liked Shawn Farquhar's magical performances.

 

We had to call twice for help with our safe. I believe one of the kids was messing with it, because most of the time it worked perfectly. But, when I called for help with it, I didn't wait more than 1 minute one time and 2 minutes the other time before someone came in and fixed it right away. That's good service!

 

We never had a moment of bad or unfriendly service from anyone. Not to leave the CD to the last, but we did enjoy the Cruise Director, Simon Murray too. He's not as hands on as Kieron Buffery or Kevin Warner, but we did enjoy him.

 

I will continue with the entertainment and food sections at another time.

 

Hikini:D

 

 

[familyplanner]

I gotta ask if you ever tried their cheesecake. I absolutely love new york style cheesecake and on our last cruise it was nothing like it. I kept ordering it and everytime I was disappointed. I just want to know if I should look forward to it or order something else;)

[Hikini]

I gotta ask if you ever tried their cheesecake. I absolutely love new york style cheesecake and on our last cruise it was nothing like it. I kept ordering it and everytime I was disappointed. I just want to know if I should look forward to it or order something else;)

 

Hee hee - I'm saving food for the last....is it bugging you?!:p

 

I am a cheesecake fanatic, so I rarely order cheesecake anywhere unless I know it's the good stuff. I do not even remember cheesecake being on the menu this cruise.

 

More later

Hikini:D

[FSUNole]

Excellent reviews Hikini. I whole heartedly agree with most everything you mention. In Skagway, when the winds kicked up, did you see the snow flakes flying? Not long before we pulled out, there were big juicy flakes flying off our balcony. In Skagway we did the Haines Kayak trip and the weather was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

[Hikini]

Excellent reviews Hikini. I whole heartedly agree with most everything you mention. In Skagway, when the winds kicked up, did you see the snow flakes flying? Not long before we pulled out, there were big juicy flakes flying off our balcony. In Skagway we did the Haines Kayak trip and the weather was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

 

My Mom mentioned that there were snow flakes and my Dad said she was crazy!:)

[Cholita]

Okay, so I'm not crazy, because when we were on the train headed back to Skagway, it did look for about ten minutes like it was snowing! It was hard to tell, but it was definitely what we in the Pacific NW would call "chunky rain"!

[Hikini]

Entertainment

Of course, top billing in the entertainment department has to go to the one and only Shawn Farquhar, 2-time world champion magician. But I'll save my review of his shows until the end of this section.

 

There are so many things to do on board the ship. But I must say that this cruise I felt like there were less things to do than on the other 3 NCL cruises we have taken. It was feast or famine for us. Either too many things to do all at once and we had to choose, or nothing we wanted to participate or watch, so we'd make our own entertainment.

 

We didn't find any of the cinema features to be to our liking and only 2 or 3 of the 8 in our group went to any movies at all. There were several TV movies that we would have watched, had they been in the cinema.

 

We did go to the Welcome Aboard Showtime in the Spinnaker Lounge where the CD, Simon Murray welcomed everyone and had a few minutes of telling us what to expect throughout the week. Part of this show was a sampling of the music of Stan Skyes - we really enjoyed his music and singing a lot.* Then Sam Griesbaum, the comedian had a few minutes to make us laugh a lot. Sam is great! More about him later.

 

*The volume in the Spinnaker Lounge can be deafening. I know it is the thing to do to have the music loud, and the microphones loud but I really felt this was overdone, as did my family. I can hear you just as well, if you'd turn the volume down 25-50%! It's something that makes a very enjoyable event, far less enjoyable for me. But, I'm sure others would have different opinions. (I'm not speaking about the volume for just speaking into the microphone, as the comedian did. I'm talking about the music as well as the announcements that they holler into the microphones.

 

We did enjoy listening to Stan Sykes in the Carousel bar several times throughout the cruise. He would sing music from the Temptations and that era. Great voice!

 

SAM GRIESBAUM! This is the 2nd time we've been lucky enough to cruise with this man. He had 3 performances on board as well as being a panelist in the Liar's Club. This is a funny man who talks about things I can relate to. Kind of a Texas Redneck - I loved him! He had CD's available for sale and I think he sold a lot of them. All of his performances were in the Spinnaker Lounge, which was pretty well packed.

 

We played along with a couple of games in the Spinnaker Lounge with Kristine and Iris of the CD's staff. One game was Majority Rules and the other was Family Feud. Majority Rules was attended much better because it was not held during a port time. Family Feud was held during the Victoria port time, so there were not many people at all in the room. But both were fun.

 

The Liar's Club takes place in the Spinnaker Lounge and as far as I'm concerned it is a do-not-miss part of the cruise. A hilarious 45 minutes or so, in which you will learn things you never thought you needed to know!

 

One of my favorite shows in the Stardust Theater was Cirque Pacific by the Jean Ann Ryan Company. But my favorite part of that show were the Asian Acrobats. 4 young people who did amazing stunts with floor exercises (gymnastic type moves). A young girl, Pretzel Girl, who twisted herself in such a way that she sat on her own head! Another girl who laid on her back and juggled a barrel and then a table with her feet. Unbelievable! A young man who did amazing things with a couple of clay pots. These are things you have to see for yourself - they are really indescribable!

 

Indescribable is a good segue into my last part of this section of my review. Shawn Farquhar. As I said, he is a 2 time world champion magician. We have been lucky enough to cruise with Shawn 3 different times now and his performances electrify and amaze us every single time. He has 2 shows in the Stardust Theater. One is stage magic, and Shawn is very good at getting the audience involved. There are 2 performances. 7:30 and 9:30. The other show is slight of hand, one show only. (However, Shawn left the ship on June 24th to practice for another world championship competition in Sweden that is coming up soon.) He will be back later in the season.

 

Not only is Shawn an amazing magician, he is a comedian in his own right. He was also a panelist in the Liar's Club, as I mentioned before. Shawn is very personable and happy to talk to passengers all over the ship when you are out & about and see him.

 

However, this cruise there was a passenger who gave Shawn a little bit of trouble. I'm not sure what the story was on this kid, but he seemed to be everywhere that Shawn was. I called him Shawn's "heckler". He'd holler out during the magic shows, and now and then Shawn would acknowledge him. Some people, sitting near him in the perfomances would holler at him to shut up. Didn't work.

 

In the Liar's Club this kid was even more obnoxious, hollering out all the time. He wasn't hollering at Shawn in a bad way - he was a big fan of Shawn's, but making himself a pain in the backside. No one enjoyed him; least of all Shawn! But Shawn handled him very professionally and never acted the least bit upset with him. Archie, the assistant cruise director once said during the Liar's Club, "How is this guy louder than me and he doesn't even have a microphone?!"

 

So the highlights of the entertainment for my family on this cruise were:

#1 - Shawn Farquhar

#2 - Sam Griesbaum

#3 - The Liar's Club

#4 - The Asian Acrobats, which were part of the Cirque Pacific Show

 

I will be back to finish up my review....all about the FOOD! However, we are leaving town today for a vacation. I will TRY to write it while we are gone, otherwise it won't be until the end of next week.:o

[familyplanner]

Your right I want to know about the food since the last cruise I took the food was such a disappointment. I am on pins and needles because I picked the star for my family and my parents. My parents had only cruised RCI until the last cruise they came with us and were very disappointed in the food and service. I opted not to book with RCI this time because of itinerary and now I am so worried that they will be disappointed again. So you can understand why I am anxiously awaiting your reviews on the food.:D

[Hikini]

Your right I want to know about the food since the last cruise I took the food was such a disappointment. I am on pins and needles because I picked the star for my family and my parents. My parents had only cruised RCI until the last cruise they came with us and were very disappointed in the food and service. I opted not to book with RCI this time because of itinerary and now I am so worried that they will be disappointed again. So you can understand why I am anxiously awaiting your reviews on the food.:D

 

Laura - I'm sorry. I do understand your 'worry' about the food, since you've been disappointed in the past. Without going into great detail here (I'll save that for the last segment of my review) I will just tell you that all in my group were VERY happy with the food. And no, we don't just dine at fast food places and low budget buffets here at home. We know how to live the good life, as well as enjoying simple things too. Hope this helps you for the moment!:rolleyes:

 

Hikini:D

[Hikini]

Hey! I have a little more time here, so thought I'd write this out before we leave town.

 

The food, the food, oh the food!

 

First a list of eating venues we frequented:

 

Versailles - 1 of the 2 main non-surcharge restaurants, located on deck 6 AFT. (It is on deck 6 but you must get there by deck 7.)

 

Aqua - the other of the 2 main non-surcharge restaurants, located on deck 6 midship.

 

Endless Summer - 1 of the 2 specialty restaurants that is non-surcharge, but reservations are required. Located on deck 8 midship.

 

Market Cafe - the buffet located on deck 12, midship to AFT

 

Blue Lagoon - Diner style restaurant, non-surchage, open 24/7, located on deck 7 midship, Starboard.

 

The grills on the pool deck during sailaway (or sail IN, as into Victoria.)

 

We had most of our meals in Versailles which is one of the prettiest dining rooms we've ever been in. It can get a bit crowded and the tables are quite close together, making it difficult for the waiters and some passengers to walk between tables. Other than one time, we did not have to wait to be seated. The time we did have to wait, was less than 5 minutes and we were willing to break our party of 8 into 2 tables that were next to each other. Not a big deal to us, but some people might not have wanted to sit at separate tables.

 

Aqua is a more laidback, contemporary setting, smaller than Versailles. They serve the same menu, so if you don't care what your dining room looks like, then go to the one that is most convenient for you. If you want to feel like you're in a more upscale setting, perhaps in France, or somewhere else in Europe, go to Versailles.

 

Versailles is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Aqua is only open for dinner. It is also a bit smaller than Versailles so may fill up a bit faster.

 

As for the food in these 2 wonderful dining rooms, we found the variety to be quite good, the portions to be much larger than expected, and the taste to be in most cases quite wonderful. I cannot remember every single thing that we ate, but here is a list of some things I do remember. (These things are from all 3 meals during the day, on any given day and not in any particular order.)

 

Prime Rib***, Cuban Sandwich, Sweet and Sour Grouper*, BBQ Grouper, Salmon, Striploin of Beef with truffle sauce**, Skirt Steak Sandwich, Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, Victoria Perch Filet, Olde English Fish and Chips**, Ham Roulade, Caesar Salad*, Baked Cod, Fettucinni, Chilled Roast Beef Platter with potato salad, Sandwich of fried Victoria Perch, etc.

 

For soups we had a few chilled fruit soups (one of the highlights for me on every cruise.) They were banana**, apricot & peach* and cherry*. Other soups we had were Jalapeno Corn Chowder*, Black Bean, Lobster Bisque, and that's all I can remember, although I know there were more.

 

Desserts we had were, Chocolate Creme Cake***, Chocolate Souffle, Creme Brulee*, Lemon Tart, Apple Fritters, Rhubarb Crumble*, Caramelized Apple Tart, etc., along with ice creams of many flavors.

 

If there is one * after the item it means we enjoyed it more than usual.

** means it was really, really good.

*** means it was exceptional!

 

For breakfast, the menu stays basically the same, with one or two items changing occasionally. Such as, some days they have Eggs Benedict* and other days they have Potatoes O'Brien or Blintzes. Breakfast items include pastries of several kinds, muffins, English muffins, bagels, toast, bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, corned beef hash, sausage of 2 different kinds, baked beans, etc. In addition there is fruit and yogurt of several choices always available.

 

I would have put a minus sign by anything that we did not like, but there wasn't anything. There were 2 times when an item was a bit dry, but the flavor was good. One was salmon and the other was the BBQ grouper. I'm NOT saying they weren't good; I would have just preferred them to be more moist.

 

The lemon tart wasn't at all what we were expecting. It was more like a piece of cheesecake that didn't have the nice thick gooey-ness to it that good cheesecake has. The flavor was fine; just not what we were expecting. The chocolate cream cake deserves a special mention because it was SOOOO delicious. Very rich. The Prime Rib also deserves a special mention. Several in our group including myself said that it was among the best Prime Rib that we have ever had.

 

There were times when we took so long to eat (no fault of the wait staff) that we didn't have time for dessert because we wanted to go to a show. But since myself, my Mom and my sister-in-law can't stand to skip dessert, we'd have to go back to the restaurant afterwards. (Aqua is open until 10.) We became known as the dessert ladies!:D

 

As far as the service in these restaurants, we were very pleased. We aren't usually the type who care if we are someplace for a long time. As long as we are being tended to as needed, we don't care if it takes awhile to have our dining experience. (Here on land we can easily be at a table for 2-3 hours in some restaurants.) But....there were times when service was a bit slow. In most cases I didn't think it was the wait staff, but rather the kitchen that was holding things up. I don't want to make it sound worse than it was, because really, it wasn't much problem at all. I just want to give all sides of the view here.

 

Endless Summer is a very pretty restaurant. We ended up eating there twice. Reservations are required.

 

It is Tex Mex and the menu stays the same. The food is good but nothing to really rave about. The favorite thing for most in our group was the ribs. We didn't have anything that we did NOT like at Endless Summer - I just don't want to portray it as a place to get GREAT food. But please know that we were completely satisfied!:rolleyes:

 

Market Cafe is the buffet and is a rather large area, but is so often very busy. It can be difficult to find a table for 2 let alone for 6-8 as we needed when we were there. If you enter the buffet from the midship side (by the glass elevators) and don't see tables, be sure to continue walking aft and there is another section back there, that seems to be less busy.

 

There are a few different lines to get into, and they don't all serve the same things, so take a look around if you don't see something you're looking for.

 

We found the food to be acceptable to very good most of the time. I can't think of anything we had that we didn't like, however the desserts in the buffet seemed to be lacking. There was one item we had that we really liked but we didn't know what it was. It was like a mocha flavored whipped mousse in a glass - that's the best description I can give you - and it was delicious! All food items that were supposed to be hot or warm, were just that. No complaints there.

 

Behind the Market Cafe, Starboard side (and behind the Barong Spa) there is an ice cream counter that is open several hours every day and they have 4 different flavors of ice cream available. Different flavors every day.

 

Blue Lagoon is one of my favorite eateries on the ship. We love the fish and chips there, as well as the chili. I have yet to eat a hamburger there but the kids did and really enjoyed them. Since the Blue Lagoon is in a heavy traffic area, you find yourself walking through there quite often. It was far too easy to reach into the display case to get a piece of banana bread, pound cake or one of the several kinds of cookies that were available all the time. At breakfast time they also had muffins and pastries you could help yourself to. No need to get a table - just grab a goodie and walk away. Or waddle away.:eek:

 

During sailaway from Seattle and sail into Victoria we partook in some of the grilled items available on the FWD end of the pool deck. The ribs were a popular item for myself and the kids. Grab a plate and ask for ribs, and more ribs! A very messy face later, we're full and happy.

 

I must address something that had been talked about here on CC prior to our cruise. Several posts indicated that the portions have gotten smaller. This was our 4th cruise with NCL and I figured it was a GOOD thing to have smaller portions because it allows you to try other items and not fill up so fast on just one thing. However, we found the portions to be generous - even bigger portions than in times past.

 

Another thing I'd like to mention is that I had previews of the lunch and dinner menus, generously posted by cruisers who had been on the Star prior to us. However, they did vary somewhat from the actual menus we had while on board. Generally they were very close to the same, but in some cases there were several changes, and some were a disappointment. (1 less chilled soup than we were expecting, and no Chateaubriand on lobster night.)

 

Another thing to mention is that I've read many times how there is less variety than before. Other than in the salad portion of the menu, I disagree with that statement. We found the variety to be good. (I think they may have taken away some of the salad variety because fewer people were ordering them.)

 

After reading how so many people have not liked the food on their recent NCL cruises, how the portions were small, how the variety was lacking, I just really didn't know what to expect this cruise. I scratch my head now....it certainly wasn't that way for us at all. We were well fed with good food, good portions and had all that we needed. And much more!

 

Please feel free to ask any questions. As long as this is, there still may be something I have left out. Hard to imagine though, eh?!

 

Hikini:D

[Cholita]

We weren't sure what to expect in terms of food, but hubby and I were quite pleased with the variety and quality. The bacon at Market Cafe was super-crisp, just like I like it, and the fries were great, too! The coffee was nice and strong, also how I like it! Hubby had the chilled cherry bisque and really liked it. His favorite dessert was Apple Fritters in Versailles- wow, to die for! I enjoyed a cranberry pecan pie w/chipotle and orange relish in Endless Summer, and the tiramisu in La Trattoria was quite good. It was fun to try a few things I might not normally order in a restaurant such as cornish game consomme with thyme, pickled herring, rhubarb compote and boulibasse. I did not go on the cruise expecting to have gourmet food every day, just a lot of variety and decent quality, and I was not disappointed.

[drarill]

Hikini:

Great review. We are leaving in two weeks and this is going to be our first NCL cruise. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Lydia

[Kathy Q]

Hikini,

 

How many formal nights were there? And which nights?

 

I'm just loving your reviews. A fairly large group of us (40 cabins worth!) will be on the Star for the 7/23 sailing. Some people read the reviews for the first couple of weeks and got a little worried. It seems like all of the start up problems have been worked out now.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. It really helps us all to think a little ahead so we're sure to sign up for what we want to see, do and eat on the cruise! :D

 

Kathy Q

[puffy]

Do you have to pay 5.00 cancel fee if you cancel your free spec. restuarant like endless summer after 5.00 pm. Where I can get the lunch menu? thank you

[marilynd]

Hikini: I love reading long reviews, I like the details. You review is great and has helped me get excited for my cruise to Alaska on the Star just a week from tomorrow.

 

I am taking family that has never cruised on NCL. My oldest son has not cruised before. I am pleased after reading so many negative reviews on the food that you found it good.

 

Glad to hear about the shuttles at the ports. That will make the vacation more enjoyable for my mother and myself.

[Hikini]

Hikini,

 

How many formal nights were there? And which nights?

 

I'm just loving your reviews. A fairly large group of us (40 cabins worth!) will be on the Star for the 7/23 sailing. Some people read the reviews for the first couple of weeks and got a little worried. It seems like all of the start up problems have been worked out now.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. It really helps us all to think a little ahead so we're sure to sign up for what we want to see, do and eat on the cruise! :D

 

Kathy Q

 

There is one (optional) formal night and it is Monday night - your first full day at sea. There is another night later on where you can have formal pictures taken, but it's not really considered formal.

 

Remember though, that even if you decide not to go formal, you can still use the 2 main dining rooms and just wear resort casual. I would guess than less than 1/3 of the passengers were in formal wear.

[Hikini]

Do you have to pay 5.00 cancel fee if you cancel your free spec. restuarant like endless summer after 5.00 pm. Where I can get the lunch menu? thank you

 

That's a good question - I don't know the answer. Since the 'free' specialty restaurants don't charge I don't know if they would charge the cancellation fee. They do get your room number when you make the reservation.....

 

A returning passenger from a cruise 2-3 weeks before ours typed out the lunch menus. Do a search for lunch menus on the NCL forum and I'll bet you can find it. If not, when I get home I'll see if I can find mine.

[Hikini]

Hikini: I love reading long reviews, I like the details. You review is great and has helped me get excited for my cruise to Alaska on the Star just a week from tomorrow.

 

I am taking family that has never cruised on NCL. My oldest son has not cruised before. I am pleased after reading so many negative reviews on the food that you found it good.

 

Glad to hear about the shuttles at the ports. That will make the vacation more enjoyable for my mother and myself.

 

I'm glad you like long reviews because that's all I can seem to make! I was determined NOT to make it a long review, but my goodness, there are so many things to talk about! And I love details when I'm the one to do the research.

 

This was our 4th NCL cruise, but we had some first timers with us and they loved it - they are planning to go again. We totally love the freestyle way of doing things.

[puffy]

Hi Hikni

Thank you for the good review, our family will sail the star on July 16th, this is my son HS graduation gift, we are so excited about it. Do you know who will replace shawn or will they have another magician in ship ? I get the daily dinner menu from the fellow member review, do you know when they have 50% off coverage charge for paid restaurant ? Thank you in advance.

[wizard-of-roz]

Hikini: You've made me drool! We're not cruising until November, on Star and everything I was worried about on "Freestyle" has mostly been alleviated by you.......Can't wait, Can't wait, Can't wait!!!!!!!! :p

Roz

[Hikini]

Hi Hikni

Thank you for the good review, our family will sail the star on July 16th, this is my son HS graduation gift, we are so excited about it. Do you know who will replace shawn or will they have another magician in ship ?

 

I don't know about the entertainment that will replace Shawn Farquhar and chances are it might change frequently. There have been a lot of good entertainers on the different NCL cruises we have taken. But I must say Shawn Farquhar is on a level all his own.

 

Have fun!

Hikini:D

[Hikini]

Hikini: You've made me drool! We're not cruising until November, on Star and everything I was worried about on "Freestyle" has mostly been alleviated by you.......Can't wait, Can't wait, Can't wait!!!!!!!! :p

Roz

 

I understand the "Can't wait, Can't wait, Can't wait!" :D

 

Glad I was able to help, and please feel free to ask any questions if you still have some.

 

Hikini

[smarterman64]

Hee hee - I'm saving food for the last....is it bugging you?!:p

 

I am a cheesecake fanatic, so I rarely order cheesecake anywhere unless I know it's the good stuff. I do not even remember cheesecake being on the menu this cruise.

 

More later

Hikini:D

There was cheesecake on the menu :p

There was even a marscarpone cheesecake at La Trattoria which was rich, but i'll eat any kind of cheesecake, so that's just me :p. I was going to post a review as well, but on the 2nd day i got tired of writing it and i've been busy ever since. Maybe reading yours inspired me to write one hikini.

As for wireless, skagway has a bazaar that has free wireless (look for the advertisement cards for a free skagway railroad horn). But there are no plugs to plug in a laptop for power. I believe it is also secured as you have to go into a particular store and ask for the key, at which point you feel obligated to buy something, so that's your choice, but that option is out there.

Like many have said, Juneua public library has free wifi, but being me i forgot my power for my laptop that day in the stateroom, so I ended up using a public terminal.

As for Skagway, make sure you get the free railroad horn at Skgaway outlets.

Entertainment, i have to agree Shawn Farquar. I am very fortuante enough to have booked a cruise with him on it.

The Jean Ann Ryan company was awesome also.

For Shawn's heckler, i think it was a guy that was sitting next to me. I have a theory about him, but i don't want to post it publicly. If your interested hikini, i can talk to you privately on that matter.

But i agree with hikini, shawn handled himself amazingly well, making great lines out of the heckler.

Another great show was Elvy Rose. She was very entertaining and kept everyone on their feet. The One Tongue Tomato song was awesome. I even heard possibilities of someone singing it at the star seeker competition, jokingly of course.

The buffet was great i thought anyway. I loved the fresh wok food, and guess what, one of the people in my party was behind Shawn in line there getting food. Shawn after he got his food walked to a table that was near me and sat down with some people. He had a few kids around. One of the kids must have asked him how he did some kind of trick, and his response was great. He asked "Can you keep a secret? " The kid said yes, and Shawn said, "So can I."

To add, the ice cream bar not only has 4 flavors changing every day, but almost every few hours if it's a popular flavor.

[Harriett in Hamburg]

Hello Hikini

 

Could you take a moment for a first timer? We are leaving on the Star on 7/30 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. this is our first cruise...ever!

 

In the staterooms, is there a hair dryer? An ironing board and iron?

 

Thanks so much. haven't been able to find the answers to these questions.

 

Harriett