I'm a huge fan of the Norwegian experience. They invented freestyle and I like it a lot. Complete choice of eating times and restaurants and cafes. Ample deck chairs though the pool area is busiest, of course. I'm addicted to the lemonade, iced tea, and ice cream machines (all complimentary).
I do miss the rear deck which is especially nice for those in inside cabins as a place to call home.
Perfectly smooth cruise with no complaints from me.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Though it is a bit of a walk via the people-mover from the waterbus station, the route is well sign-posted. The division of those who had tagged luggage from those who did not made those of us with tags get the shorter queue/line.
The queues were also well-organised inside a nice though plain building and, by the time registration was completed, our boarding numbers were being called.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Versailles was too busy for my tastes and noisy with some larger groups. Aqua was more to my liking, and I preferred O'Sheehan's for breakfast and for post-excursions.
Topsider was also a great place for a casual breakfast and much more pleasant that the scrum of Market Cafe.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
adequate fitness centre, but, as on other Norwegian ships, lots of treadmills but only one rowing machine.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The Star Dance Crew were precise and the singing good. Norwegian needs to work on getting better balance between accompaniment and lead singers.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
consistently pleasant and engaging, especially in the restaurants, and a special shout-out to all the staff in Mandara Spa. Way beyond expectations.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Star gets a miss because there is no rear deck or bar area with mini-buffets. Instead, it is replaced by a children's centre. A bit odd that the Quiet Zone sun deck is immediately adjacent to the children's playground. Not conducive to being a quiet zone.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Down a short corridor with only 10 cabins and with almost so sense of motion, I was very happy with the porthole cabin. I had the queen bed split into twins so all the floor space was concentrated between the door and the porthole which gave me a lot more usable space than the queen-size configuration did.
One of the things I like about the Jade and the Star is the larger, nearly two-person sized shower (as opposed to the round-with-a-curtain on the Sun). Not sure I like the separate "water closet" for the toilet though as it is close quarters and feels a bit like going to the loo on an aeroplane.
Ship tip
Breakfast in O'Sheehan's or Topsider's. For seafood night, don't miss the shrimp (all-you-can-eat) and the seafood salad in Market Cafe). Went there for starters before heading off to Aqua for the main dinner.
OMG would be where I would start. Get yourself up by 6am and join about 75 other souls for the sailing into the Kotor "fjord." You may think you won't need to go to Norway after that experience. (Check in out on Google to see the ship's route. It is over an hour from the sea to the port and worth 75 pictures if not 100
I much prefer Kotor and Dubrovnik to Split. There is a lot of tat along the main street of the port and a lot of more "upscale" restaurateurs further along. But it all feels commercial. Diocletian's Palace is worth the price of admission €10.
Orderly chaos. Be sure to get your second people-mover ticket with you buy your first. All the time is spent waiting in the queue to buy the ticket. Everyone seems to get on in the direction of Piazza Roma. We went the other direction to Tronchetta and, though it took a little longer, we got a great Grand Canal tour - with seats.
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