Spectacular Itinerary on a Great Ship with Fantastic Crew
Norwegian Star Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)
Contributor Level:
First Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 15
Helpful Votes: 490
14 Night Antarctica & South America (Buenos Aires Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 04, 2024
Ship: Norwegian Star
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 11066
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 3 months ago
Review summary
This cruise was one of the most incredible trips I have taken in my life. The Norwegian Star is a wonderful ship, but what really made it memorable was the crew. Our itinerary was changed, such that we did not go to Paradise Bay in Antarctica - we were informed of this, due to "operational reasons" at check-in. This resulted in discontent amongst quite a few of the passengers onboard which is unfortunate. Whilst I do think NCL (the company, not the crew onboard) could have handled this better, I still had a great time. What I saw in Antarctica was spectacular, and I feel really privileged to have been able to travel there. I don't think seeing the mainland compared to islands on the peninsula would really have made a huge difference. We were also extremely lucky with the weather throughout our voyage, and all the ports in South America were beautiful and interesting. I leave this cruise very happy and with amazing memories. I will not hesitate to sail with NCL again!Embarkation
Embarkation was poor. We had been informed in advance that due to partial destruction of the Buenos Aires cruise terminal in a storm, our bag drop would be at a convention centre some distance from the pier. Our embarkation slot was 11:00-11:30 and we arrived at 11:00. We were immediately able to drop our bags off, however we then had to wait in this huge, disorganized and crowded hall (it was handling two cruise ships) with limited seating until our bus number was called. This did not happen until 12:45, and it was a 15 minute bus ride to the cruise terminal to complete the final stages of the check-in process. We were then on the next bus that actually took us to the ship at 13:30, and were onboard at 13:40. As such, it was a chaotic experience, taking over 2.5 hours to get onboard.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
All food and drink onboard was fantastic. We benefitted from the premium beverage package as per the free at sea promotion. The buffet was great, with excellent selection and always really high quality food. I particularly appreciated the crepe station every evening, and it was nice having Topsiders grill with fast food and ice cream on the pool deck when the weather was good. However, the buffet did close every night at 21:30 - I would have liked it if it stayed open a little longer. We ate in either Aqua or Versailles most nights, both of which had a varying menu, good service and delicious food. We also tried 3 specialty restaurants - Cagney's, La Cucina and Moderno Churrascaria. These were all very good - but be warned in Moderno you will eat A LOT of meat! Finally, we enjoyed O'Sheehan's as somewhere to get simple food quickly, but the menu was quite limited considering it didn't change and we were onboard for 14 days.
Onboard Activities
We really enjoyed all the onboard activities and were never bored. There are plenty of hot tubs and a good, big main pool. The gym was well equipped and never too busy. Particularly good was the vast array of activities on offer, from trivia to bingo, gameshows to scavenger hunts, and dancing to singing classes, the cruise director Elizabeth and her team did a great job of ensuring there was always something going on!
Entertainment
The two headliner stage shows - Band on the Run and Paradis were excellent, the company of singers and dancers are really talented. There was also an array of guest entertainers onboard, with shows in the theatre every evening. These were all good, but particularly spectacular was White Magic (performed by Michael & Hulan) - this was really something special and has got to be one of the best shows I have ever witnessed, on land or sea. There was plenty of live music around the ship, which we enjoyed, and B12 (band) performed most evenings in the Bliss lounge with themed parties, or alternatively the resident DJ would be there, who was also very good. Finally, we had Antarctic experts onboard, who did lectures on sea days, hosted Q&As and narrated on the PA what we were seeing when sailing in Antarctica - this was well done and particularly appreciated.
Children's Programs
No children.
Service and Staff
I cannot say enough about how amazing all the crew were, they really made this trip memorable. On a long cruise on a smaller ship the crew really make the difference, and on this cruise they all worked so hard and delivered a great time for everyone onboard. Everyone was so friendly and professional, and seemed to genuinely care we were having a good time. All the crew were outstanding, however particular mention must go to:
Norbie - cabin steward
Gloria - assistant cruise director
Alana - photographer
John - cruise staff
Caroline - cruise staff
Christian - shorex
Luis - broadcast technician
Ship Quality
This is a wonderful ship, that is upkept to a meticulously high standard. Having sailed on the Star before, it's a ship I know and love. The decks are well laid out and easy to navigate. The atrium is a particularly nice space, with key guest services and the coffee shop centrally located, and a beautiful ceiling artwork and glass elevators. The theatre is a good size, albeit has limited legroom. I appreciated the casino was out of the way and not in the middle of a main thoroughfare, meaning smoke did not escape and make other parts of the ship smell. The wraparound promenade deck was fantastic as we could walk all the way around the ship! The upper decks were good too, and spice H20 is a nice space, as is the helipad and forward bow for getting great views in the fjords and Antarctica! The buffet, like any cruise ship, did get very crowded at peak times though. There was ample sun lounger space and areas to relax around the ship indoors and out.
Cabin / Stateroom
With three of us in the cabin for 14 days, this club balcony/mini-suite was perfect. The bathroom was really spacious with dividers and a bath, which was great. There was plenty of storage space (although the shelves inside the cupboard are awkward to get to) and two separate vanity/desk areas. The dividing curtain was excellent to give additional privacy to the third person and the sofa folded out to make a large (almost double) bed. The balcony was also large, and everything was kept very clean by our cabin steward.
Ports of call
Buenos Aires is a very nice city, easy to get around on foot or by Uber. Puerto Madero is a particularly nice area. Upon our disembarkation, we took a major (17 hour) shore excursion to the Iguazu Falls. It started early in the morning and ended late at night but it was worth it! We were well looked after by a guide who stayed with us the whole time. We had a plane charted just for the cruise group, which took us to and from the falls. We were also provided a nice buffet lunch between the two walking trails. It was a tiring day, but the falls truly are spectacular! We felt very well looked after by NCL, the guide looked after us right to our hotel, and the next day we had a transfer already arranged to take us to the airport, with our own personal guide who wouldn't let us go until we'd checked in for our flight!
Thumbs Up
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Montevideo was a nice city with interesting history. We took a city sightseeing tour which drove us around the key highlights.
There isn't much to Puerto Madryn itself, however we took an excursion to Punta Loma, where we went to the Eco Center and saw a colony of sea lions, which was good.
Punta Arenas is a nice port, and we were very lucky in that the weather was good enough for us to be able to successfully tender ashore. We took an excursion to Magdalena Island Penguin Reserve, where we saw a huge number of penguins, which was great. However, it was extremely windy and rough on the boat ride to the island! The sail out through the fjords was amazing.
Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina
If you can get up early to see the sail in to Ushuaia through the fjords and glaciers it is worthwhile - spectacular views! It is an interesting city, and we were very lucky with warm and sunny weather. We took a train ride through the Tierra del Fuego National park, which was good but not particularly spectacular in and of itself. We also visited the Senda Costera bay area, which was beautiful.
Cruise Paradise Harbor, Antarctica Did not visit port
Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands
Due to our itinerary change, we had one day in Antarctica, sailing Admiralty Bay on King George Island for a few hours in the morning, and then all around Elephant Island, from Cape Valentine to Point Wild in the evening. Both these places were amazing. There were icebergs, penguins and huge glaciers! These were spectacular sights and we were lucky with the weather. The captain and navigational team also did a fantastic job manoeuvring the ship really close and turning so that everyone onboard got great views. I'm really pleased with what I saw in Antarctica; it was amazing.
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is a really nice and unique city. Once again we got very lucky with the weather. We walked around the town and then took an excursion to Bluff Cove. We had an informative guide/driver and then saw the penguins, which was spectacular. There were a huge number of penguins, including babies and King Penguins - I highly recommend taking a trip here. We were also provided very nice tea and cake! Due to our itinerary change we had a long stay in Stanley, so plenty of time to enjoy/maximize this destination.
Disembarkation
Disembarkation was exceedingly quick and easy as we were on the Iguazu Falls shore excursion. We had to meet at 05:30am, ready to go with all our luggage. We were escorted first off the ship by the shorex team and taken straight to our bus for the tour. Our luggage was taken straight to our NCL-designated hotel, where we returned after our trip to the falls.