Norwegian Star Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Too many kids, too loud & constant brain dead music. Needed ear plugs to sleep. Food good, service spotty. Out of cranberry juice 2 days from end of cruise...

Manilla Trio excellent group.  Not enough places for people to get away from kids,music...Two lifeboats/ tenders had engine trouble on first trip to Cabo..Good thing we weren't 500 miles at sea in  emergency......2 elevators shut down when people trying to disembark was stupid.

Enjoyed our cruise to Cabo, but not really a fan of "freestyle dining". We'd never tried it before, and decided that we missed the opportunity to get to know other couples. When you arrive for dinner, if you're just a couple, you'll be seated at a table for two unless you have other couples you're dining with. Also not a big fan of the menus in the 2 main dining rooms. We ate at Aqua one night and Versailles one night. The rest of the time we ate in the buffet, which we loved - it had something every night that my husband (who has a limited diet) could eat.

The entertainment was great - really enjoyed the shows every night.

We went on the Up Close Whale Watching excursion and it was fantasic! We saw mama & baby whales playing (the babies gave us quite the show) and we stayed just far enough away to be respectful but not so far that we couldn't see.

We also went on the El Arco and glass blowing excursion. If you're not really interested in glass blowing, you can skip this, and if you do one trip out on the water, they all stop by El Arco. They did have a great boat with a snack bar, though. I preferred the whale watching, and they got closer to El Arco and the seals, and had a marine biologist on board. 

The entertainment was exceptional and the staff was, for the most part, attentive and friendly; however, the food quality was poor - including specialty dining, meat was overcooked and cold. Main dining room service was slow for all aspects and food quality was poor, desert options tasted awful, hot items were cold, cold items were melted, all items tasted old/expired. Bar staff often had a poor attitude. Buffet staff was cleaning up/taking away food prior to all customers going through the line as well as prior to the scheduled closing time followed by a bad attitude when asked to leave it for upcoming customers. I know this is not the standard for NCL as I was impressed by overall experience when I took my last cruise, although this was many years ago now, perhaps quality has changed. My main concern and disappointment was with food quality and service staff.

We booked his cruise last year as a getaway. We had been to Cabo San Lucas before and were looking to visit again. My wife wanted to try a different cruise line and Norwegian Cruise Lines had the destination we wanted and dates that we were able to go. The first thing that struck me when I went on the NCL site was the amount of dining options. I ended up making reservations for dining in the specialty restaurants on 3 of the 5 nights of the cruise. On one of the other nights we dined in the main dining room. All of the dining experiences were excellent, especially Moderno, the Brazilian Churrascaria and Teppanyaki, the Japanese tepppnayaki restaurant. Even the buffets had delicious food. After getting the hang of how the website worked, it was easy to sign up for our excursion and dining options. Speaking of excursions, NCL does offer a wide array of excursions. We booked the Sunset Camel Adventure, which we enjoyed very much. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and we had a good group. Though most aspects of booking this cruise was done online, I did call NCL agents to ask a question prior to sailing. The agent was very friendly, answered my question, and even offered some information I hadn't considered. That conversation resulted in me purchasing a surprise gift for my wife. A couple of areas where NCL could improve: 1) The Freestyle Daily, NCL's in-cabin newsletter. There should be an embarkation issue that contains ship information such as where amenities such as restaurants, gym, spa, buffet, theatre, etc. are located. As it was, we had to roam the ship or walk all the way out to the elevator to see which deck something was on, then had to walk over to a sign on that deck to see where on the ship it was. It should also contain information about which level to board the tenders as well as how and what times the tenders operate. On our cruise, we didn't learn this info until the day before we arrived in Cabo San Lucas. Had we known on embarkation day, we would have made plans to stay in port longer, possibly seeing more of the city. We had to ask several people for information that could have been answered in one newsletter. Imagine the time savings this would mean for the crew by not having to answer the same questions over and over if this information was already available in each guest's cabin. 2) The television in cabin. About half of the time the channels displayed a No Signal message, even while in port. We never did see the debarkation information that was supposed to be on one of the channels; it displayed the No Signal message for the entire cruise back to San Pedro. Something else that could be listed in an embarkation issue would be the movie schedule shown on the in-cabin televisions. 3) The lines for the check-in process was slow. Once we finally got to the desk, we did get checked in pretty quickly. 4) The muster locations at the theatre on deck 7 needs to be improved. Suggest posting signs outside the theatre so guests cross a non-moving crowd of people if they entered the wrong side of the theatre.

All in all, we had a great time on the cruise. One of the reasons we booked this itinerary with NCL is because it stayed overnight in port. We were able to explore a bit of Cabo while on our excursion and still have plenty of time to spend our time in port as we desired. And it afforded plenty of time for us to relax. I am glad we booked this cruise with NCL.

Went as a solo traveler this trip and although the star does not have solo rooms and I had to pay 200% of fare they did have a solo get together hosted by a member of the staff. Mercedes was awesome and arranged dinners and activities for our group. Other cruise lines should learn from NCL how to treat the solo traveler. The itinerary was great and loved going thru the panama canal.  The star is an older ship and is showing signs of her age but I heard she was going to dry dock in march for a complete refurbishing. The food was standard cruise ship fare although I enjoy the freestyle aspect of dining. and the specialty restaurants were worth the surcharge. I just wish NCL had more cruises with interesting itineraries instead of the same boring 7 day cruises to the same ports every week.I had the room at the bow of the ship on the 4th floor next to all the machinery that was very noisy but that is what I get for booking at the last minute.

First and probably last cruise on NCL ship, certainly never again on the "Star"!

Ship in need of many more repairs than are going to be possible with the upcoming two week dry dock that we found out about while onboard. Cabin design and furniture both outdated and in poor repair as was pool area. Non-smokers and children unavoidably exposed to smoke in many areas such as pool area and outside BarBQ area. Specialty restaurants, some entertainment and crew were highlights. Crew deserves a better ship to work on.

Took cruise to go through Panama Canal which was definitely the highlight of the cruise. Most port stops were uninteresting at best.

the good - service in the dining room and the friendliness of the cabin staff/stewards

the bad - the entertainment - the dancers and singers were not what i consider "family entertainment"  there were many young children in the audience and both shows we went to were more pg-13 than suitable for families.  the comedian that was the entertainment the other two nights made many crude, off color jokes that were not family friendly.  it was disappointing.

i asked to speak to the shore excursion supervisor after an unpleasant encounter with the shore excursion desk staff.  he was dismissive and did not seem concerned about our point of view or how my daughter was treated.

our family will not choose norwegian cruise line again.  the food was just ok, the entertainment desperately needs some review and revision to be appropriate for families.  i'm not a prude but i was embarrassed sitting next to a family with children during the shows i went to.  we chose to go on norwegian thinking this would be a family friendly cruise.  next time we'll choose differently.

everything went well I especially appreciated our person who took care of our cabin.  He was very helpful and happy. I think his name was Toyo from the Philippines. This name isn't correct but you will know from our cabin #8015  The so called tip should be included in the price of the ticket as some in our party didn't know that would be required.  If it is required it isn't a tip. I loved meeting so many different people from so many different places.

The trip was great. I am writing this because your stupid regulation says I must use 150 characters. So in  an endevor to do so I am putting in a buch of trap.

This cruise was the first one for my wife and I and we had a great time. We are both in our mid twenties and even though Norwegian caters to older people; we still had a great time and found plenty of activities and excursions to enjoy! I would highly recommend Norwegian to anyone looking for first class service and a wonderful experience. Thank you !

Hi,

My sister and I went on the cruise December 7th through December 14th, 2014.

Our mini-suite was fantastic!  The restaurants were good too!

I would have liked to see more "adult" areas on the ship.  The pool is designed for children.  It would have been much better if there was a adult only pool so we don't have to listen to the kids screaming in the pool.  Can't relax with children yelling all day long.

Also, the employees seemed like they were not into their jobs.  Not helpful or very friendly.  When I called to change a dinner reservation, they seemed bothered.  No thank you or anything!

No real plants or flowers.  No lobster or shrimp cocktails in dining rooms (at least when we attended).  Our room steward left our room in disarray one whole day.  It was not cleaned up until we called it to his attention.  His remark was "Oh, I forgot."  That's never happened before and we've taken between 20-25 cruises.  Also, one piece of luggage arrived in our room on time, but the other we found many staterooms down the hall, and that was after 6 pm.  Our TV was out when we returned to our room and when we called to report it we were told they could not come until the next day.  Our toilet didn't flush once but that was fixed when we returned to our room.

We probably won't be sailing with NCL again.  We are really spoiled at the fantastic cruises we have had on other cruise lines. 

On a good note, the shows were good and we enjoyed the many craft classes that were offered.

It's OK if you don't publish our review for others to read.  All in all it was a fair and very relaxing time for us.

We found the cruise, amenities, service on board and excursions all of good value and met repeatedly with excellent service.  This made our cruising experience and our anniversary celebration time enjoyable indeed!!

With that said though, I was irritated by the 2.5 hour wait to board the ship when we came excited and expectant for a much better WELCOME.  This needs attention. :(

Nice ship, poor quality service. The buffet had better food than the dine in restaurants. The waiters take their time and it is hard to get a refill for your coffee. Rooms are close to each other, crowded. The hallways narrow. The offshore excursions are only promises with no delivery. We booked a fishing trip in Mazatlan. They didn't have the boat available and we had to accept a boat brought out of the storage with very low quality fishing equipment. I believe that the fishing lines had not been replaced in the last 3 to 4 years and the reels services maybe at the same time. Rods with missing rings, you get the picture. And fishes ???? nowhere to be found. Just a 6 HR boat ride. No thanks. We traveled with Holland, Princess, Carnival and Celebrity before. Holland was the worst and Norwegian comes next. The one we liked the most was Celebrity. Even Carnival had better service and food selection. The shows were acceptable with exception of the comedian. He was all over the places, attacking women, politicians, Christianity, men. At one point he became bothersome. We left early. Port debarkation, was base on the offshore trips purchased on board. No trip, you had to wait until everybody leaved than you can go out to enjoy the city. Not fare. 

The food was better on the Sun. The first week or so on the Star the food in the buffet was not very good. I was especially disappointed in the food and service in the Buffet.The crew was friendlier on the Sun. The crew on the Star did not wipe the tables off in the buffet when they cleared a table. The Sun was more diligent about making sure everyone had their hands sprayed with disinfectant entering food areas. I give the Cruise Director of the Star Five Stars for the ship's entertainment. I don't think I would be likely to cruise on the Star again.

The cruise director was great and the Entertainment and shows were exceptional !  The cruise staff were very accommedating  and the ship was very clean and fresh.  I also had a pleasant experience at the Barong Spa.  The cruise was mostly adult passengers  which I enjoyed.  All the cruise tours I went on were enjoyable, especially the Costa Rica Rainforest Tour and The Carriage Ride tour in Costs Rica.

Very bad boarding procedure with a 2 1/2 hour standing in line to register.

 The ship does not have paper seat covers in ladies bathrooms.

The staff were always helpful and very friendly.

 Room stewards very good.

 Food exceptable

The process of getting on and off at start and end was a nightmare. The rest was not above mediocre. Shore excursions were not described correctly. Wife and I have been on over 12 cruises in the past.... this was by far the bottom of the list when thinking desirable. 

Extremely friendly staff, very accommodating. Excellent entertainment. Very organized getting on and off the ship at ports. Food was ok, some good some bad. Typical cruise ship food. Plenty of choices and the dining rooms were very nice. We paid extra for the Asian (not good at all), the Italian (about the same as the Aqua so not worth the extra money) and the French (excellent).  Alcohol was very expensive but that seems normal on cruise ships. The ship needs to be refurbished but I think that is in the future plans. 

Our main complaint was the seating out on the decks. There were plenty of lounge chairs around the pool in the sun but we like to sit in the shade, read and people watch and there were just a spattering of shaded lounge and regular chairs. And those would be reserved with towels early in the morning and stay occupied and/or reserved all day even though you weren't supposed to reserve them. The staff did nothing about this when we complained. For us it ruined the trip because it took away our favorite cruise activity. By the way, there was plenty of empty room to put these chairs.

For this reason we probably will not book with Norwegian again​ which makes me sad because overall it was a nice ship and we loved the staff and entertainment.

Good crew.  Very interesting and informative tour of panama canal.  Stops at Columbia, Costa Rica, Porta Vallada, Cabo, and Los Angeles could not be better.