Back from the Star to Alaska - great time!

[didan]

We returned yesterday from our cruise to Alaska on the NCL Star leaving Seattle on 8/29. I'll just say first that we had a fabulous time. This was thanks in part to all the great advice I got from these boards. Made planning a lot easier and I felt like we had a little edge things - like knowing to get tender tickets early, bringing water on board, etc. So thanks to all of you out there for all of your comments and tips!

 

With that, I'll start my review and hope this will help those going out on the next cruise.

 

Seattle

 

We got to Seattle on Thursday around 1 p.m. Took the Shuttle Express from the airport to our hotel. The drivers (one in training) were very pleasant, pointed out some of the sites and answered questions about what to do and where not to go (Parts of Second Ave are not very nice). However, we had to drive to various hotels to drop others off and we were the last ones. Since we had never been to Seattle, this was fine as we got a brief tour along the way. But it did take a while that way. I would probably take a taxi next time.

 

Anyway, we stayed at the Silver Cloud Inn on Lake Union. Very nice - very friendly and helpful staff, spacious and modern room. We had a jaccuzzi in our room and there was an indoor and outdoor pool, and small exercise room. Breakfast was included as was good. Mostly continental with make your own waffle machines. However, it seemed like everyone staying there went to breakfast between 8 and 9 so it was quite chaotic. Better to go earlier.

 

The hotel was about a 15 minute walk from the Space Needle. But they also had a free shuttle service that would drop you off at 5 different spots. We could call and arrange a pick up when you were ready to go back. There were also many restaurants in the area. All in all, a very good hotel, even though it was not right downtown.

 

We did quite a bit in 3 days - took a duck tour, went up the Space Needle, Pike's Market, underground tour, took a ferry to Bainbridge Island, went to a Mariner's game. If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer.

 

Now for the cruise:

 

Embarkation:

 

Very easy. We got to the pier at about 11:15. Very short lines for luggage and check in. We did have to wait in a holding area for a little while, but were in our room by noon.

 

Everyone on board was very friendly and all smiles. Someone escorted us to our room and showed us briefly how to work everything. We walked around a little, then went to the Market Cafe for lunch. Food at the buffet was okay, not great, but plentiful and certainly edible. After lunch, we took one of the tours of the ship. Helpful to get your bearings. Got our luggage just before muster.

 

The Ship

 

The Star is a beautiful ship, very clean and decorated nicely. It is quite large and took us a little while to get oriented as to where everything was. We grabbed a couple of maps at the check in counter and these were quite helpful. There are also signs throughout the boat to help.

 

We had a balcony cabin on the ninth floor and loved it. Lots of light and it was very nice to be able to sit out there through the inside passage and Glacier Bay. Our room stewards - Roberto and Andrea - were wonderful. Very friendly and accommodating. Also very hard working. The hairdryer was quite good, shampoo, liquid soap, and shower cap provided. I did bring my own conditioner as they didn't have any. There was a hot pot in the room with instant coffee packets and tea bags and sugar packets. We grabbed some hot chocolate packets from the Market Cafe as well as creamers to keep in the refridgerator. Also brought some water and soda on board to have in our room. Also, I brought some extra clothes hangers that came in handy.

 

The fitness center was nice and had a lot of equipment. The outdoor pools and slides were used by a few children, the outdoor hot tubs were used a lot. The indoor pool and spa area looked very nice, though we didn't use it.

 

Though it didn't really impact me much, I did notice that many of the public bathrooms were out of order for the entire cruise. That did lead to some lines at times.

 

There was plenty to do on the ship - you will never be bored. There's the usual bingo, the casino, lectures on various topics, arts and crafts classes, trivia games, golf putting contests, and lots of night life. The library was very nice and seemed to have a good supply of books if you want to read. The cinema was nice and showed a differnet movie every day at several times.

 

Monday, our first day at sea, we got together with all the cruise critics at 2 in the Star Bar. It was very nice meeting everyone and bumping into them later on the ship and in port.

 

I'm getting a little tired now, so I'll stop here for today. I'll pick up tomorrow with the restaurants and ports. Please, ask any questions you may have - especially those of you leaving on Sunday!

 

Let me just say that before we left, I checked the weather, and it was forcasted to rain every day. We had beautiful weather in the 60's and 70's every day except Glacier Bay, when it rained and was in the 40's. And Ketchikan, where it started to rain around 1, as we were boarding the ship. So be prepared for anything! Dressing in layers is the key.

[didan]

Restaurants/Dining

 

Overall, we found the food on the ship to be very good. But, of course, food is subjective so this is just my opinion - others will have to make their own.

 

We had most breakfasts in the Market Cafe buffet - the food was good. Plenty of fresh fruit, omelette, and waffle stations.

 

Lunches - we ate at the buffet, grill, or Blue Lagoon or in port. The buffet food for lunch was just ok in my opinion. The Blue Lagoon had good burgers and fish and chips. We brought sandwich bags and were able to take some sandwiches ashore with us.

 

Versailles and Aqua were the two main restaurants where we ate most of our dinners. Versailles is more formal looking and larger, Aqua more sleek and modern looking. Both offered the same menu for appetizers and dessert - slight differences in main courses. We would check the menus ahead of time and decide which one to go to. We ended up mostly in Versailles. Thought the service was good in both. There were a few wait staff that were not overly friendly and one who I don't smiled once the whole time we were there. But others - especially Dante and Dave in Versailles - were very friendly and engaging. We never had to wait to be seated. But we always offered to sit with others. A few times, we were seated at a table for 2, most times at a table for 4. Met some very nice people that way. We did tend to eat on the early side - before 7. I did note that on one occaision, Aqua had a number of people outside waiting to be seated at about 7:15. But never heard anyone complaining about overly long waits.

 

We did not eat in any of the pay restaurants, so I can't comment on them, however, we did make reservations for La Trattoria and Endless Summer. We liked both. The service was very good and the food also good. Endless Summer has a great sangria, though my husband complained that his ribs did not have enough meat on the bones.

 

We did on one occaision skip dessert right after dinner and go back to another restaurant later for just coffee and dessert. Just let them know when you come in that that's what you want to do.

 

Juneau

 

On the way into Juneau, we spotted quite a few whales which was exciting. None breaching however.

 

We made arrangements to rent a car from rent a wreck. Thanks to info from the cruise critic board, I made sure I was down at the library a little before 9 a.m. on Monday to get tender tickets and got onto the first tender on Tuesday. Rent a Wreck picked us up in port, however they were out to lunch between 12 and 1. We got to shore around 12:30, so had to wait to get a hold of them to pick us up. By the time we filled out all the paperwork and were in the car it was almost 2.

 

But we got to see some great stuff. Drove up to St. Therese shrine - very beautiful and peaceful spot. Went to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked the East Glacier loop trail with some great views. Also got to Auke Bay and Douglas Island. We got back into Juneau and left the car in a designated parking garage. Then walked around for awhile. Many of the gift shops had half price sales. We were able to get some ulu knives made in Alaska with the bowl/cutting boards for $15 - others last month said they paid about $30.

 

Skagway

 

Loved this town - it still has the flavor of the old gold rush. Thanks to Zimmer Julie's advice, we signed up for the 9 a.m. park ranger tour. It was supposed to be about 45 minutes, however lasted a little over an hour. Very informative about the history of the area and the characters involved. We made reservations with Southeast Tours to do a horseback ride at Emerald Lake in the Yukon. We got picked up in the van around 10:30 and had a very scenic drive to the Emerald Lake ranch. Joni, who runs the ranch, was wonderful. DH and I were the only 2 to sign up that day, so we got a private trail ride! DH had never been a horse before in his life and it had been a few years for me. But the horses were great and we had a wonderful time. Joni was very knowledgeable about the area and was very informative. The scenery was fantastic - great views of the lake and very good snacks afterward. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

 

Glacier Bay

 

This was our one full day of rain with fog. I was very glad I had brought my rainsuit and fleece. The weather did not prevent us from being on deck or on our balcony. We weren't able to make it to the John's Hopkins Glacier as visibility was poor, however, we did get a flavor of the area and the glaciers we did see were awesome. No calving however on that day. Did see a number of humpback whales and sea lions, though.

 

Ketchikan

 

We got off the ship around 7. Started about being a nice day, with fog and mist starting to lift. We docked in this port. My understanding is that every other week the Star tenders here, so we got lucky.

 

Walked around for awhile using a walking guide. There are free ones in the information booth. Creek Street was fun - went into Dolly's House museum. Interesting. We booked a floatseeing plane ride with Michelle at Island Wings over the Misty Fjords. We were supposed to leave at 10, however since it was so foggy in the morning, the first group had gotten delayed so our trip got pushed out an hour. We were a little nervous as this meant we wouldn't get back to the ship until 1, which is when we were supposed to be back on. However, they promised we wouldn't miss the ship.

 

There were 7 passengers for this flight - 6 adults and a 3 year old. It was well worth it. We saw some gorgeous scenery and the Misty Fjords lived up to their name! Michelle is an excellent pilot and we hardly felt the take-offs and landings. She also points out a lot and answers any questions over the head sets. We landed on the water and she let everyone out on land to stretch your legs, take pictures, and just enjoy the grandeur and quiet. This is another trip I would highly recommend.

 

True to their word, they had us back just after 1. There were lines to get back on the ship and it had started a light rain. I think because it's such a short port time, everyone tries to stretch out the time and stay to the last minute. We didn't run into lines in any other port.

 

 

Victoria

 

We took the Butchart Gardens/City tour off the boat as time was so short, I wasn't sure we'd be able to schedule anything on our own. The tour guide was very good and gave us a lot of information. However, by the time we got the gardens, it was already getting dark, so we didn't see any of it by daylight. Though it was pretty being lit up, I don't think we got the full impact. Also, we only had about an hour to explore before the fireworks which is not much time for such a big place, so we felt rushed. The fireworks display was spectacular. It was the last one of the season, and had a very enjoyalbe portion low to the ground as well as high in the air, all choreographed to music.

 

The Empress hotel looked impressive as well as the waterfront area.

 

Overall impression

 

We had an excellent time on this cruise. The ship is beautiful and the staff, on the whole, very friendly. There were a few exceptions, but those were few. And Alaska is just fablulous. We would sail NCL again, especially on the Star.

 

If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer. I'm sure I've left a lot out.

 

Corner Balconies

 

Oh, someone had a question about the 8th and 9th floor corner room balconies. I did check and it looks like they do wrap and are open. The 10th floor looked like it had dividers and no one could go around, but the 8th and 9th floors ones did wrap. I did take a picture of this and if I can figure out how to post it I will.

[didan]

Just realized I forgot to mention the entertainment.

 

We thought the shows were excellent. The theater has stadium seating and fits quite a few people. The first row balcony seats are fine, however second row, you can't see the whole stage. Though as someone else mentioned, there is no place to set your drinks down, except in the balcony. Bar staff will come around and take orders before the show starts, but they are not pushy.

 

Jean Ann Ryan Company is very good - really liked all of their performances. Cirque Asia - I loved the China Star acrobats - the rest of the dancing was ok.

 

Shawn Farquhar is an excellent musician and puts on a very entertaining show.

 

We did not care for the comedian, but others did.

 

The Ironics band was good as was guitar player Vic Pore and pianist Todd Wells.

[zimmerjulie]

didan,

glad you had such a great trip!:D Your review brings back a lot of memories of our vacation, which seems so far away now, but was just 2.5 months ago! We would love to try Island Wings next time, or do some helicopter flightseeing. If there were others with us that hadn't done it yet, we would do the Ranger-guided tour again. We had a lot of fun with that, and are glad that you did too!

 

I would also love to do some horseback riding. It sounds like a good excursion!!

 

Well, welcome back to reality and thanks for the review!

Julie

[Cruizer_J]

Thanks for the nice review -- makes me want to go back! :D

[TamaLee]

didan -

 

Thanks for checking on the balconies on 8 and 9. If you do figure out how to post the pictures that would be great.

 

Only 192 more days until my Star cruise!

[SweetEmi]

Didan: Thank you for the great review! We are in room 9202 (balcony - 9th floor) so I was wondering which room specifically you were in and if similar to mine, can you tell me a little about the balcony, etc??

 

Thanks!

Emi

[lizf]

We leave Sunday for the Star's last trip to Alaska for the year. This report and Julies have really helped us. I printed out some of Julies food recommendations and saved the whole report to read and read again. I'm really getting excited. I know I can't compete in the trip report department but if anyone needs me to check on something, please let me know. We hope to do the train trip at Skagway like Julie did, but the other stops depend on the weather since it is getting so late in the year. Weather may be iffy.

A fellow where we live just got back today from a Holland cruise to Alaksa and said he only wore T-shirts, no sweatshirts. So back to the packing list. I planned to take my down parka but now I won't.

We'll be in Room 11180. Its an F-Suite (Mini). Its our first time in that category and the first time on the Star. We liked the AE suites on the Sun, but since the Star has bigger rooms and were sold out of AE, we got AF.

Any comments for us? Thanks for all of yours help and postings, we've lurked for a few months now. How do you know if there are cruise critics meetings on board? Thanks all. Liz

[Mikey & Laura]

We leave Sunday for the Star's last trip to Alaska for the year. This report and Julies have really helped us. I printed out some of Julies food recommendations and saved the whole report to read and read again. I'm really getting excited. I know I can't compete in the trip report department but if anyone needs me to check on something, please let me know. We hope to do the train trip at Skagway like Julie did, but the other stops depend on the weather since it is getting so late in the year. Weather may be iffy.

A fellow where we live just got back today from a Holland cruise to Alaksa and said he only wore T-shirts, no sweatshirts. So back to the packing list. I planned to take my down parka but now I won't.

We'll be in Room 11180. Its an F-Suite (Mini). Its our first time in that category and the first time on the Star. We liked the AE suites on the Sun, but since the Star has bigger rooms and were sold out of AE, we got AF.

Any comments for us? Thanks for all of yours help and postings, we've lurked for a few months now. How do you know if there are cruise critics meetings on board? Thanks all. Liz

Hi Liz-

 

If you look under the "Roll Call" section and Norwegian cruise lines- we have a thread up there for the STAR on 09/12/2004-

 

We are also in a Mini - Suite on deck 11 -

 

See ya soon-

Mikey & Laura

[lizf]

Thanks for the info. Now where is the "roll call" section? Couldn't find it. Liz

[didan]

Hi,

We were in room 9722, so just down the hall on the port side from you - same category. The balconies aren't huge, but big enough for two chairs, a small table, and a little space to walk in between. Railing was a little above waist high on me. We loved having it. It was great to sit on and enjoy the views. We did go up on the main decks occaisionally to get the full effect of the inside passage and Glacier Bay. Great for whale watching also - we saw a few from here. Let's in lots of natural light. If it's too cold or breezy out there, you can still enjoy the view from the couch or your bed.

 

Ntrader, I don't think you'll need your down parka either. I did wear sweatshirts a couple of mornings and I did need my fleece jacket in Glacier Bay, but I tend to get cold easily.

 

I'm going to try and attach a file here of a picture I took of the back of the boat. You'll be able to see part of what the balconies look like. Also, TamaLee, you can see how the aft corner balconies are set up. The 10th floor looks like it has a wall so the balcony is the same as the others, but 8 and 9 look like they wrap.

 

Guess that's not going to work - says the file is too large. I'll have to try and see if I can make it smaller somehow.

[SweetEmi]

Thanks Didan! I'm sure I'll love it. First time on a balcony - so from what I hear I'll be spoiled now. *smile*

 

Emi