Ports missed on a "bucket list" cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 28

Review summary

We choose this cruise because of the opportunity to visit Greenland for the first time and return to Iceland which we had seen on an NCL cruise 5 years ago but not on the Star but on the Gem. We were concerned that the ship was much smaller and older then the ships we typically travel but because of the ports we decided to book it. By the time of our cruise we were aware the last scheduled cruise to Greenland had been cancelled on embarkation day an went to Norway instead, so we were prepared for that route change fortunately our cruise ports did not change on embarkation day and continued as scheduled. However after realizing wind and weather conditions the captain cancelled the tender port in Grundaforjadur and Paamiuut (?). One in Iceland and One in Greenland. We received no compensation, no refund of port changes or any additional credits because of the change. Just excursion refunds. The STAR : since its refub in 2018 and lack of sailings the ship was in excellent condition from bow to stern. To me it appeared to be a brand new ship, exceptionally clean, maintained, decorated in todays typical boutique fashion. Nothing appeared DATED and Abused. Other than size it was excellent. The only drawback was with the conversion of the Spinnaker lounge to guest cabins it did reduce the common seating with views. I did miss that. Since we had several sea days with cold, windy fog there wasnt a lot of time outdoors and the ship began to feel tight but we managed to stay active and busy. I also enjoyed this ship had a wrap around promenade deck that offered great views and walking around the entire ship. Something you cant find on most newer ships. Customer Service shout out x Mid way through the cruise the ship bars had stated they were out of Pepsi Max which is the only "non sugar" soft drink beverage onboard which I thought was odd. With drink package you can only get soda in a cup from fountain and NOT CANS. According to staff they were out of it all except in MDR but that is closed and not accessible. As I had the drink package. I asked the beverage manager if bottled water would be substituted since I cant drink regular soda." he said NO. When I explained I was disappointed that we had over half the cruise and no DIET soda he said he would try to fix it. Immediately he called several bars and located 2 cans and bought to me and my spouse on the Spice deck. He apologized and said he located additional cans and had it delivered to my room. I was fairly impressed with the service. Later when back in cabin (four cans on bed with note) i had a knock at the door and bar staff had brought me 6 additional cans with apologize notes from the bar manager. This was exceptional and exceeding my expectation of just getting one drink for the afternoon. These drinks lasted us the entire cruise. Really exceeded my expectations. Also I had misplaced my dining vouchers on the second day. I went to the cruise next desk and explained by problem. they asked me to look again and return. Odd but I did and came back and the cruise next guy issued me a second set. Which was very nice. However i did recommend they do this electronically as paper coupons seemed fairly obsolete and easy to lose in the chaos of a vacation and he agreed as well Spice Bar Raj, was an excellent bartender. Made drinks accurately, suggested drinks, engaged with customers and introduced people to each other. Nice and pleasant and carried conversations with everyone. This is a small area with only 10 seats at bar. he would bring in chairs and created a real nice pub atmosphere. By the end of the cruise if you didnt get to his bar by 5 it was packed. Great time was had nightly here. Main Dining Room We had the best service in Aqua. 2 (dinner) x food service was efficient, fast, friendly. We ate in Verasaille 2x (lunch, dinner) and each time the service was slow, exceptionally long, rushed and chaotic. On our dinner visit our server and assistants were so rushed he was literally throwing items on the table, drink orders unfilled, slamming dishes in the bus cart behind us, serving wrong dishes, forgot main entree order and had to wait for it to return, apologizing to all guests saying he was so busy and short staffed. we only stayed because we had a table at the aft dining windows and it was nice view. But eventually we left without dessert, as did others, as wait was too long. Food was good overall. Specialty Dining Moderno x2 - nice atmosphere, not overly crowded. Meat was excellent, service was excellent. If you felt like you needed additional meats or another go around a quick mention to a server was all that was needed. Great view from restaurant. La Cucina - Same as above. no issues during our meal and we almost going to dine here twice but didnt have the opportunity. Nice interior setting. Good service. Le Bistro - Dined here as we have several times and menu keeps getting smaller and less choices with dining package. Our server was nice and efficient but It was by NO means fine dining service it was delivered in the same manner as the MDR and other Specialty restaurants. My food was Okay and as I write this I don't even remember what I ate. All very forgettable. Had I paid the 200+ price for ala carte I would have jumped overboard. Also no dress code enforcement. Cagney's Same as Le Bistro- diminishing returns. Had the porterhouse and it was cooked well and seasoned appropriately. The sides were okay but nothing beyond steakhouse items. Service wasn't exceptional. My main issue was that I was having another 200 dollar meal next to a toddler in a high chair screaming periodically during dinner. During the dinner the family gave the child bread to play with and the entire floor was covered in bread, food and crumbs. I sat looking at this mess the entire meal. No staff attempted to sweep up the mess. It was like eating at the golden corral. Very sad and embarrassing for NCL. Had I not had a voucher I would have complained. Ginza - it's american chinese food. Closely packed restaurant. Sufficient service. Buffet Good variety and choices in the usual stations on a daily bases. Not too many repeat items besides breakfast. I was always able to find something of novelty, delicious and never leave hungry. Main issues for most people was self serve ice cream was frequently out of order Lol. Shows they ran from the poor (juggler and magic act) to the good (paradise). Enough to keep you busy on a nightly basis. Casino I normally play but this casino but it was DEAD daily and nightly, small, older machines and had no excitement. I dropped some money the first night and lost all. Had no desire to return after that. This was unusual for me as well.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Nanortalik, Greenland

Akureyri, Iceland

Isafjordur, Iceland

Nuuk, Greenland

Reykjavik, Iceland

Disembarkation

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