Norwegian Star Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Everyone enjoyed the cruise ship. Food is good. Service is wonderful. We enjoyed all our excursions. Transportation to and from port is very convenient. Cabins are very clean. The only issue is on the last day, we won the Facial spa but couldn't use it. We suggest that Madarin Spa should do it on the first or second day when we are on the ship that way we would have more time to book our Spa. Last day we would not have enough time to pamper ourselves.  

The ship was nice and clean although some upgrades were needed with the public washrooms. Some doors and latches were broken in the washrooms. The ports that we visited were nice. Customer service was not great on the ship as we had a problem with our state room and it wasn't rectified until the cruise was almost over. The dining experience for us was a little rushed by the waiters. Not a great seafood variety on the menus either. I would choose another cruise line over Norwegian next time I book my cruise.

We usually cruise with Royal Caribbean I was looking to go to Belize and Hondorus and NCL had a cruise The ship is not the largest, not the nicest, and NCL is not royal caribbean but We had a wonderful cruise Good shows Good food Good experience overal I was pleasently surprise We may go with NCL again in the future

The cabin was a good size, the food was good in the main dining room was good, the staff were efficient but the mechanical noise in our forward cabin was just crazy. It sounded like giants were in the room below us were crashing metal mallets onto the steel hull.  In fact, below us was the theatre so the noise was raised from farther away than that. We met people midship on deck 4 who were having the same experience. 

The ports of call were interesting and though we explored on our own, the shore excursions looked varied and fun. The entertainment was excellent, especially the comic Fred Bevill and the stage hypnotist Nadeen. We had heard that other cruise lines recycle troupes but we had wonderful evenings. 

If we had only been able to sleep, we could have given it a 5.

The ship is very boring, unless your plan is to drink all day everyday. Half of the waterslides were closed the whole cruise. No comedy shows or entertainment worth watching. No family activities were offered the entire cruise. My 7 year old daughter did like the kids center, but said there was little to do in there. My husband and I were very bored. The food was ok. The specialty restaraunts were priced at Al' a carte now instead of one surcharge. They are very expensive and the food was not worth the extra charge. The ship was in good condition for it's age. It just needs more to do and the waterslides need to be open. Be aware that if you book a room on floor 4, they are constantly working under you all night and making a lot of noise. 

Would do this again and would use to book.  It was so easy and hassle free.  Itinerary for the cruise was excellent and took us to places we had not seen.

Overall we had a lovely vacation.  However, our cabin was not clean when we boarded, had to call twice to get it fixed.  

Many seats in the theatre were broken, slipping downwards so very uncomfortable.  We did enjoy the entertainment though.

We had a bonus dining package for 4 dinners in premium restaurants, they were excellent.  However, the main dining room Versailles disappointed us with errors, slow service, lost special orders, contradictory information on the food (allergy issues), and staff who didn't understand us as their English was limited.  The Aqua venue was very noisy, although service was better. The Buffet on deck 12 offered mediocre food, little choice for someone avoiding Gluten, especially at lunch time.

We asked for a reduction on the gratuities (we didn't get to specify how much) and were told they couldn't do it, we were given a form for email.  A fellow elderly passenger also complained, and didn't know how to follow up because they don't do email/internet!  No solution was offered.

I've been on several of Norwegian's other ships and didn't encounter any of these issues, so overall we were disappointed.

Beautiful ship! Nice sized cabins and bathrooms. Special areas for children including water attractions such as slides and cooler small hot tubs.

Short staff at bars led to regular long lines for drinks. Very few waiters serving drinks on deck so line at bar was primary option.High prices for photos at about $24 each and pkg 10 for $149. Adult hot tubs say adults only but many young kids in them regularly, many times no adult supervising them. Water temp in shower never warm enough for a hot shower entire trip.Good food but chocolate volcano cake only had molten center one time and we both had one every night. Yes, they were good but we kept hoping for them to be made correctly. Overall good entertainment and service but some weak moments for both. 

This was my first cruise, and minus a little booking hiccup, it went just as planned. The ship was very clean, the staff was very warm and inviting, and very entertaining! The food in the non-cover charge restaurants was always great, and there was a wide variety of choices and always a spread. I had no issues with getting on and off the boat as planned. Met some new people and had a blast exploring new places. I will probably sail with them again to some new destinations 

The best part was definitely the food!  5 stars!  and of course the unlimited beverages.

The cons:  the entertainment was subpar (except for the hypnotist). 

Only one pool- no adult area

Best trip yet, all the food was ALWAYS excellent. Service was truly friendly and quick. Tricksey(misspelled) in the Ginsa and Versalles was a delight. The seas were cooperating and all had a great time. Keep up the good work.

My husband and I are experienced travellers and frequent cruisers.  We have been passengers on RCI, Disney, Carnival, but this was our first Norwegian Cruise.  It was a “last minute” and also our first time using a travel agent, Tracy of Adventures by Tracy of Knox, IN.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and received great value for our money.  

The check in process in Tampa was a very positive experience.  It was well organized and the staff were professional, friendly and  knowledgeable.  They were well versed in how to handle the $15.00 corkage fee for our two bottles of wine in a friendly, non aggressive manner.  First impressions of the Norwegian Star were also very positive, with helpful and smiling staff members readily available for all the usual “newbie” questions.  Lunch in the Market Cafe was pleasant and our cabin was ready very early.  

Our window cabin on deck 5 was clean, bright and cheerful and there was lots of room for our clothes and luggage.  The most pleasant surprise was the large shower in the bathroom…big enough to bend down and pick up the soap!  The cabin did not have a couch or easy chair, but this was offset by the comfortable bathroom facilities.  The desk, small table and two chairs were sufficient for our needs.  Irene, our cabin steward was friendly, helpful and instantly responded to anything we asked of her.  Thanks Irene.

We had the usual problems orienting ourselves to the ship and finding the way to the Versailles dining room remained a conundrum for the full voyage.  This was our first experience with Freestyle Dining and we definitely prefer the set dining room times of the other cruise lines.  This is a personal preference which may be a positive one for other folks.  Versailles is a lovely venue and the food at dinner time was good to excellent.  Unfortunately, dining room service over the 7 days was inconsistent.  We had some excellent waiters, but also some less than professional ones.  My husband was not pleased to have a waiter tell him that coffee was not readily available because he wanted it at the beginning of the meal instead of at dessert time!  Also, someone should find a solution to the messy, dish clearing/serving bars right next to some of the dining room tables.  They are definitely a noisy distraction.  

O’Sheehan’s became our favourite spot to “hang out” on the Norwegian Star.  The food was excellent and the wait staff were quick, efficient, knowledgeable and friendly.  The black and blue burger is the best!  We spent some pleasant evenings in O’Sheehan’s just sitting at a table listening to the excellent musicians playing in the Grand Atrium.   Overall, we enjoyed the many musical groups playing in various venues on the Star.  They were talented and not “over the top” as is sometimes the case.  The only negative was the ear splitting atmosphere in the 5 o’clock somewhere bar, which we unfortunately had to travel through on several occasions to get to Versailles.  Perhaps turning off the karaoke machine at busy dinner times could be an option.  

The shows in the Stardust Theatre were the best….ever!  The quality of the various entertainers was top drawer and the Norwegian Star Production Cast dancers and singers are second to none!  The dancers were spectacularly amazing and the Marambola Show and Yuri’s strength were absolutely jaw dropping.  We thoroughly enjoyed Fred Bevill enough on Thursday’s Showtime to uncharacteristically attend his delightful 11:00 pm show on Saturday.  Hypnotist Terence B was also excellent.   The technical cast is to be congratulated for their expertise.  Well done everyone!!

Our biggest negative on Norwegian was the feeling that we were being “nickel and dimed” continuously.  We prefer cruising because we consider it a nearly all inclusive vacation.  We enjoy a beer and glass of wine on occasion and don’t mind paying for our alcohol, but we are not big drinkers.  After a few days on the Star, we realized that a lot of our fellow passengers had booked the all inclusive drink packages and I guess the rest of us had to pick up the slack by being overcharged for drinks.  Come on…$9.00 for the cheapest 4 oz glass of wine (plus 18% gratuity) and the same for draft beer….that’s a little much!  One was expected to find a way to one of the bars for a drink and bar staff (other than behind an actual bar) was practically non existent.  There seemed to be nearly a total absence of bar staff around the pool and hot tub areas and general pool crew was non existent….or perhaps hiding.  There were a lot of children on this cruise….which is not a problem….however, there were a large number 7 to 12 year old unsupervised youngsters clogging the adult only hot tubs, eating ice cream while there and generally being belligerent.  Skeleton pool staff members were not able….or perhaps didn’t wish to…deal with this major issue on all 7 days of our cruise.  There were many upset passengers who took matters into their own hands…good thing there were some retired teachers aboard!  Finally on Friday, much to our disgust, the problem was partially solved by removing the adult only signs off all but 1 of the hot tubs.  With March school breaks coming up, this is a major issue which needs to be discussed at senior management levels and fixed!  

The other “nickel and diming” concern is in the specialty restaurants.  Guess it’s OK to up charge for special food choices and extra service, but a la carte?  That’s really messing with cruise traditions and descending into “cheap” territory.  Charging $7.95 for room service is something we have never seen before…what’s next?  $25.00 surcharge for each suitcase one carries aboard?  

Here is a list of other minor annoyances which should be easy to fix:

1)  It is very hard to find the price of drinks at bars or anywhere else for that matter…..it’s annoying to have to ask every time

2)  the drink of the day ($7.95+18% gratuity) supposedly $10.95 regularly, was served in the world’s cheapest plastic glass.  It was so cheap it practically collapsed when one picked it up!  Also, I think someone just waved the alcohol over the top.

3)  Please have someone proof read your signage.  There were spelling mistakes everywhere, especially on the bulletin board in the Grand Atrium describing the next port.  It looks unprofessional and sloppy.

4)  In this day and age, one’s cruise accounts should be continuously available on a TV channel in the guest cabins.  

5)  the view from the bridge and channel which showed where we were, were horribly distorted and fuzzy.  Anyone up there heard of HD cameras???

6)  Update your shore excursion videos.  They were old, poor quality and some of them were not even relevant to our cruise.  It sure stopped us from making inquiries at the desk.  When we asked about shore excursions, someone just handed us the black and white order form which explains absolutely nothing, but does let one know the times and big prices.  We ended up making our own arrangements off the ship….which was not our preference.  

7)  the guest bathrooms off the public corridors near the theatre and bars were sometimes very messy.  There’s nothing more off-putting than a dirty bathroom, even if it’s only once in a while.  Staff need to check more often during busy times. 

8)  Staff also need to be firm about chair “hoggers”, especially in the Grand Atrium, Great Gatsby and other entertainment areas.  It’s annoying to see the same shirts, jackets, towels, sitting on chairs for more than an hour, while other folks are standing up. 

9)  Please, please, don’t have crew members flog tickets in the theatre before every Showtime.  It’s probably embarrassing and demeaning for the cruise director and his staff.

There, now that all the “constructive” criticism is out of the way, we have to complement staff again on the disembarkation program.  The handout that came with our Day 7 Freestyle Daily was very well produced and helped make the disembarking process easy.  We chose to take carry our own luggage and the friendly staff goodbyes on our way out were appreciated.  The only glitch was the elevator in the Tampa cruise terminal, which was so efficient, it kept closing and going to the next floor before all the passengers and their luggage were able to get off on their intended floor.  Perhaps a Norwegian or cruise terminal staff member could hold the door on each of the floors during the busy times.    

On the whole, we really enjoyed our time on this cruise and as we said before, it was great value for the money.  Our week in the Western Caribbean was a positive experience and we would probably sail Norwegian again in the future.  

The cruise was great, entertainment is the best part of Norwegian's cruises. The food is good, lots of options. Everyone is nice and there is plenty of room and things to do. The ports were awesome, but let me say we like to adventure off and do things outside of the port or go on excursion! My favorite actual "cruise port" was costa maya you could spend a day here with out going anywhere else, Roatan is also amazing visually when coming in! 

During check-in at embarkation, half of the staff behind the counter walked away from their stations and remained gone for 20 to 30 minutes without explanation!  It wasn't until we were finally able to check-in that an announcement was made that the ship was being disinfected due to an outbreak of gastroenteritis on the previous cruise.  While understandable the ship needed to be disinfected, it's unclear why the announcement wasn't made earlier so the passengers would be aware of the reason for the check-in staff walking away from their stations, as well as the long delay in boarding.

From day one of the cruise, we were unable to eat at the Buffet due to the extremely long lines and no seating available.  The bars and lounges, as well as the Aqua and Versailles restaurants were not adequately staffed until the fifth day of the cruise, resulting in long waits, and all without explanation.  One would expect that the Captain or a member of his staff would have at least made an announcement regarding the cause of the long lines and slow service, but no such announcement was made.

We upgraded to a Balcony Stateroom, which we didn't even use after we found it in disrepair and dirty, including having dried blood on the exterior side of the balcony door!  There was also a Band-Aid on the shower grip hold when we first entered the stateroom, apparently from the previous cruise, that remained for two days!

Was not told about the 13.50 per person per day charge. We received the bill the last day of the cruise. Huge disappointment and a big chunk of change for a 7 day cruise.

Ship had outbreak of virus, had to wait 1 1/2 hours to board while they tried to 

disinfect ship. Areas still had a bad odor of sewer.  Buffet food mediocre, specialty

restaurants were good, service also good.  Weather not too good, cold windy in 

first 2 ports.  Quite a few bathrooms in common areas had water on floors. Expected a little more from Norwegian.  Captain got us into ports ahead of schedule and we

docked an hour earlier than stated.  All is all the Norwegian Star could use a bit

of refurbishing all over and a updated menu for the buffets.. Not real keen on 

Freestyle sailing. If you didn't have reservations at all restaurants there was a  

wait.  

We enjoyed our cruise to Central America and Mexico.  Weather was not the best, but this is an unusual year for that.  Slight problem with protocols put in place by the CDC for the beginning of our cruise, caused delays and waits for all meals everywhere.  However, it was a necessity to make sure no one had brought the Norovirus aboard and so it was understandable.  They were able to end the stricter protocols after three days and the service returned to its normal state.  Great service on Norwegian.  We will cruise with them again.

We were delayed boarding and found out that the previous cruise had an outbreak of norovirus with a number of the passengers and crew getting sick.  Once we were allowed to board we were met with staff who were gloved, our hands were sprayed every time we walked into a room, a restaurant, or on and off the ship.  The crew was constantly wiping everything down, and the ship smelled of disinfectant the entire week.  I wonder how toxic that stuff was that we had constantly sprayed on us or were asked to administer from those sanitizing stations that were everywhere on the ship.  We missed some meals because we had plans, or shore excursions we had to get to, and the food lines were extremely slow as the staff had everything roped off and they had to serve all the food for the entire week.  This meant they consolidated the food service into one or two lines instead of throughout the cafeteria.  You had to wait in line just to get a glass of water or cup of coffee because a staff member had to get it for you.  They also seemed short staffed, although I don't know if this had anything to do with the outbreak.  We were told that a few passengers also got sick on our cruise.  The staff tried to make the best of it but you couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. 

this cruise was a inexpensive trip at a great price and it met 3 star status. Very good itinerary. Mini-suite was really just a balcony room in an area of full size suites.  Spa best part of ship with great hot tubs,steam rooms and lap pool-$139.00 per person per 7 days. Food average and service slow due to under staffing. It's a good trip for big families or a quick get away due to pricing.

The staff was ignorant and unfriendly. The food selection was terrible. The ship accodations were lousy, and the drink prices were extremely high and differed from location on the ship.