TracyTraveler Cruise Review on Norwegian Star on Jun 24, 2018

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 12

Review summary

NCL Star cruise....returned on 7/2 from a week on the Star. Group of 24 and we had a wonderful trip! The ship was great having recently had a refurb in May. They did a great job with lines at the bar to ensure everyone was served in a timely manner and kept people from skipping the line. Jeffrey and Benito were fabulous bartenders!! I brought my own cup and reusable straw so they knew me and always had a strong drink for me. Our balcony cabin on deck 10 was fabulous! USB ports under the light above the bed. Brought a power strip but really didn’t need it. Had a dry erase board but disappeared 2nd night. Cagney's had a superb steak and sea bass which rivaled any top restaurant I’ve eaten at. Spent a night at Hotel Dei Doge in Venice which was beautiful! Took private water taxi's from airport to hotel and then to cruise ship. Embarkation was very quick and easy. Luggage was delivered within an hour of boarding, we arrived at 1130 and were onboard by 1230. Gibbs was our steward and was great. We were at the end of his section so we didn’t see him much but he did a great job and we left notes for him with our special requests. We tipped along the way as well. The main dining room did a fantastic job with our large group and were able to get 3 tables in the same area so my friends could sing HBD to me. I had made a reservation for 8 but they quickly sat 10 more nearby and served entree's at the same time even though people had trickled in at different times. All meals were yummy! I'm not a foodie and enjoyed the variety but the fact that they had dishes that were not heavy with sauces was great and i loved the carrots & green beans! Fresh, lightly steamed not drowned in butter, very healthy!! Kotor was magical! Corfu was a mess, traffic caused the HoHo bus to sit for an hour between stops so got off and walked, Santorini was beautiful but the cable car line to return was VERY long and we were the last ship to leave, waited an hour for 2 of us then another long line for the tender to the ship. Some of my group walked the stairs down approx 30 mins and 1 slipped in the donkey poo, most said they were not happy walking down. We did not get to go to Mykonos (Capt said bc of weather but one of my group said Costa went and was told by "cruise director" that it is bc of cost to NCL) but we went to Athens and the excursion desk stayed open late so some did the excursion to Acropolis. Some did the HoHo bus and I have a friend that lives there does tours and she took 3 ladies. Wanted to go with her for a total of 13 people but the 3 friends wanted a small group so left it at that but have her info if anyone needs a great guide. I didn't go into Dubrovnik bc of back pain and severe swelling of my legs but my group had a wonderful time! Had 4 do Games of Thrones with Tour by Locals that raved about the guide, Igor. Others did the ship excursion of GT and enjoyed but crowded. Cost was about the same but the ratio of people was better for the small group. Was a lovely trip but it is very port intensive and we all felt our calves aching:) Even those is better shape than I had some aches and pains. Be prepared for LOTS of stairs and steep inclines when walking. Feel free to ask specific questions as I know there are several people booked on same itin. My group agreed 100% that NCL lost money on our UBP 🙂 Gatsby's makes a mean dirty martini!! The slides are gone from pool and same issues with chair hogs and kids running unsupervised. We did carry off from deck 7, got down there at 7, off the ship by 815 with a prearranged cab. At airport before AA check in desk opened at 9. Airport wasn’t too bad when we arrived but gate area was a zoo. Loved the entire trip!