Scandanavian Cruise

Norwegian Star Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 73

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Star

9 Night Baltic Capitals (Copenhagen Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 12, 2014

Ship: Norwegian Star

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: GTY

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 10 years ago

Review summary

This is a great cruise to discover the Scandinavian countries and an easy way to see St. Petersburg Russia. We have cruised a number of times and found this particular Norwegian ship and crew merely adequate. The food quality and availability was sub par and many of the crew seemed less than motivated. The itinerary seemed appropriate. The biggest question would be whether it is worth the effort and cost to go into Berlin, as it requires an almost 3 hour bus ride (probably less by train) each way and adds additional cost. We went with a Berlin tour operator not associated with the cruise line which cost far less than the NCL tour excursions and broke into much smaller groups in Berlin, making it easier to move about. We found Berlin was probably worth the effort as it has changed considerably since I was last there and offers many interesting sights. However, if you are on a tighter budget, you may want to forgo this excursion as other cities offer many of the same experiences.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food quality was generally sub par, even in some of the specialty restaurants that charge an additional fee. Compared to other cruises we've been on, it seemed like NCL is cutting back on food availability, with shorter hours and assortment of foods.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Standard fare or shuffleboard, sport court, healthclub, spa, etc. Evening entertainment was above average.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The shows we saw were all very entertaining with top performers.

Children's Programs

N/A

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Crew felt lik they had been at sea too long with low morale and motivation. We found a number of the restaurant wait staff either poorly skilled at providing service or just not motivated. (but every crew is different)

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
average. The Norwegian Star is probably one of the older ships in their fleet.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
typical

Ship tip

We found and heard about many of the extra fee restaurants were not worth the addtl cost. We did have a great waitress at Cagney's the steakhouse but I think she stood out in comparison to other staff. Meal at La Cucina was atrocious, both food quality and service wise.

Ports of call

Copenhagen, Denmark

5 out of 5
You have to rent a bike! Best way to experience this town.

Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany

3 out of 5
We opted for SPB tours trip for Berlin. Great guide, smaller groups, well run and far less costly than the NCL excursions. If you are on a budget, may not be worth the effort to go into Berlin.

Tallinn, Estonia

5 out of 5
Wonderful old town close to the port. Perfect for a single day stop.

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

5 out of 5

Helsinki, Finland

3 out of 5
Tough act to follow St. Petersburg but good one dayer.

Stockholm, Sweden

5 out of 5
Great city with good shopping and sites.
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