great itinerary, too many little sick kids

it is hard to review something as everyone has their own opinions as to what is good and what is not so good.  what works great for some is not so much for others. take this for what it is, my opinion only.  the bad (too many kids.  way too many. more than any other cruise i have been on. lol...however, this speaks to the fact that if you have kids, might be a great ship. not so much for us.) some really great views from our balcony.  we enjoyed a change of pace in the weather from our normal heat and humidity of florida.  this is the first time we have experienced a cruise where there were so many little kids. (5 yrs or under) and most of them were ill.  coughing and sneezing in public areas and i did not see the parents practicing good hygiene with them (ie covering their mouth, having them  "washy washy" after these episodes).  also parents bringing these little kids to presentations clearly meant for adults where they were very disruptive. kids running yelling and screaming up and down the hallways was not enjoyable.  again, this is the fault poor parenting, not the crew. marketplace was extremely crowded and almost impossible to find a seat every single meal and especially so at breakfast.  the ship was recently refurbished i hear. the normal outdoor seating and outdoor buffet was taken over by a kids pool area.  also the observation deck area indoor lounge that we have enjoyed on other ncl ships had been turned into more suites.  ugh.  no place to enjoy the  sailaways in a lounge atmosphere.  we really missed that.  menus in aqua and versailles seemed to be rotated between the same 3 or 4 menus and now include a few choices for an upcharge. ok. sounds like we really disliked this cruise.  not so.  our mini suite was wonderful...exactly like the one we had on the gem back in october.  service on the star was superior to that on the gem for us. we really enjoyed the production cast and crew...the paradis show was broadway quality. we tried moderno and fully enjoyed it. we liked talking to the crew and getting to know their stories.  fascinating. had great fun in the casino where the staff is the friendliest casino staff we have had on any cruise ship.  took a plunge and got a new haircut in the spa (thank you, manuela!) our cabin steward, bruno, was wonderful. thanks to the captain for opening up the bow area on deck 8 for sailaways from most of the ports.  while we love ncl, i would not sail the star again. even if it was an itinerary i wanted to try, i would use another ship. (please do not take this as an afront about the staff.  it is the layout of the ship that i do not like and too many kids on this particular cruise.)