My first cruise - I'm not a big fan of i

Item: Norwegian Star
Rating: 3
Author: AndyJ1

Norwegian Star Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

AndyJ1

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 39

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska & Sawyer Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 11, 2011

Ship: Norwegian Star

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 13 years ago

Review summary

It was worthwhile cruising to Alaska as you would have a difficult time reaching these places another way. Scenery was nice, despite poor weather. Could have used another stop. Could have used a stop in Victoria. Service was sometimes great - sometimes terrible. Aqua Restaurant had great service (it was free) but Versailles (also free) had terrible service. Even though we booked a package ahead of time for 3 tours, the NCL staff were clueless about any of them once we got on shore and we were lucky to find them. The 'Jeep Adventure' was a total waste - the offroading went nowhere.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We tried one night at the Tex Mex place on board - if I had dropped my burrito on someone it would have killed them.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Hypnotist was good - margarita tasting was priced right and fun once. I used the workout room 5 days. Other than that, pretty lame.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

They need to hire some American kids - we have a high unemployment rate here. A lot of the staff had poor English skills, even those making announcements - it was annoying. Some great staff, but some awful - just all over the map.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ports of call

Skagway, Alaska

1 out of 5

Jeep Adventure was lame - scenery was pretty, but could have got the same by just renting a car. A bunch of jewelry stores and souvenir shops - lame

Thumbs Up 0

Juneau, Alaska

3 out of 5

We did a hike and it might have been great, but the weather was awful. Probably had mild hypothermia by the time we got back on the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Prince Rupert, British Columbia

3 out of 5

Cowpuccino is a nice coffee shop - Smiles Cafe had a nice dinner - The town itself is a dump once you go past the tourist area. Victoria might be a better stop.

Thumbs Up 0

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Zip line adventure was great. Thanks to Becky there and some of the others. Alaska Fish House was good for lunch.

Thumbs Up 0

Pros: Decent excursions, scenery, decent food

Cons: Too crowded, terrible coordination by NCL of excursions, lame entertainment