Norwegian Star Cruise Reviews - Reviews

showroom old, not enough quiet places

We were very happy with this cruise. Little criticisms listed below did not spoil the overall enjoyment; they are just mentioned as to give knowledge to future cruisers.

old ship bad buffet not much choises

Ship has been remodelled, and is a good size to avoid sea sickness. Even in two overnight storms no one got sick.

The best cruise ever! The ship was awesome, the staff was helpful and friendly. Plenty of things to do on board the ship. Food was plentiful.

Overall, the ship met expectations! Compared to the NCL Star, that was next to us in port, full of rust, etc... the Star looked "fantastic" from th outside. Once on board, it was "Grand".

Overall very good.

The cruise was very nice. But there are many costs above the initial costs. Your bill at the end of the cruise can be a shock.

A very clean ship and has a variety of shows. Disappointed in that we stopped at Belize City, Belize as one of our ports. There was no attraction to the area and the citizens were shady. It was very dangerous and we did not feel safe. This was a waste as a stop in both lack of excursion attraction and because our safety was compromised.

the ship was decorated nicely for Christmas and it was clean.

Note to purchasers: Do NOT buy this cruise from if you are purchasing through for the free shore excursion. The free shore excursion is not through Norwegian but through an outside company. Also, my free excursion was not given to me, so watch out. You are better to go with the onboard credit. Norwegian provided a lot of fun and activities with a very kind staff that made this cruise good. What it lacked for an excellent or very good rating was the quality and taste of the food that was part of the package. It was not a fine dining experience. Another issue was we felt that everything that was a part of the cruise was an extra charge and really would come across tacky. For example, we were made aware of the DVD of the towel animals was available for purchase. Boo! At the end, I did not think I got a good deal for the money (our onboard bill was over $1000). Overall, I did feel like I had a good time for the price. The excursions were overpriced, and the tour guides and local people were obviously underpaid. At least they made that clear in Belize with the constant requests for tips. I hope that the port in Roatan is a work in progress for Norwegian. For example, the surrounding neighborhood was clearly suffering in poverty, and obviously not benefiting from the tourism, at least this December 2011. I hope for Norwegian, that as they go forward with their ports and excursions, that they are mindful to the culture and fair rates that could help these communities develop. I think that would be a great investment in Norwegians future because I left that port in Roatan thinking poorly towards Norwegian. I also didn't like how the excursions were promoted by being "guaranteed not to be left behind". That scare tactic worked for the first two ports. Then we opted, after being very disappointed with the Norwegian excursions, to adventure on our own. This really turned our vacation around for us and felt like our money was going to the people of the country and the excitement and fun of being in another country began. If I do another Norwegian cruise, I will absolutely not purchase Norwegian excursions.

Would not go on this ship again

We chose this ship for the itinerary and because we like NCL and had not sailed on this ship previously. We were not impressed with the food; not bad but not outstanding. The steakhouse wasn't worth the extra money. The prime rib in the dining room was just as good as the steak in Cagney's. The cruise director, Jamie, is wonderful and most of the shows were very good.

I have been on 10 cruises and this was the worst. Long lines to check in( over an hour) poor service and food. I would recommend to spend another $50 and cruise another line

The Norwegian Star was a very nice ship and the crew were all phenomenal. This is the best service I could have ever imagined and made up for any issues with NCL in the past. The mini-suite stateroom with balcony is well worth the money (size, view, etc.). The main dining rooms are OK, but the wait time is very long. Food in general was very greasy and salty however. The specialty restaurants and dining opportunities (one-time jazz brunch and Indian lunch) were exceptionally good, both food and service. A little overpriced in comparison, however, definitely a must on this cruise. The "Second City" show was the best aboard, other productions were very good as well. Overall, the activities seemed limited or timed poorly (too much overlap when there were a couple things you wanted to do.) Ports of call were average, but definitely a good choice for a Caribbean cruise. All in all, I would quickly choose to go back on this ship if for no other reason than the crew! It was that great.

The ship was clean, yet it's age was apparent. For a few nights the creaking in the door jambs was disturbing, and the carpets were obviously old. Strange peculiarity, no spoons were given with the eating utensils wrapped in napkins...?? We always had to go back to find a spoon or stir our coffee with a fork.

The ship was clean all over incl. cabins etc. The breakfast and Dinner meals were good in the public restaurants. It is absolute no need to eat in the special restaurants and pay additional $ 20 to $ 25.00 per person. Most disappointed was the Pool areas with 2 large slides for kids which covered a lot of the whole area. The Pool itself is way to small for total 2,300 passengers. The evening entertainment in the one only theater of the ship was good to very good. Crew was friendly and helpful.

The ship was very clean and new looking. The food was great and there were lots of things to do.

Lots of (well-behaved) kids; they were fun to be around. Very family-oriented, so not the cruise for you if you want adults-only fancy-dress travel.

The ship was a lot smaller than we thought it would be, but that was just our mistake of not really looking at how big it was. The rooms seemed much smaller compared to other cruises, and the beds were VERY uncomfortable. Some people LOVE the freestyle cruising - this was our first time trying it and we decided we didn't like it. Yes the ship had a TON of dining options - but only 3 or 4 were actually part of the original fare. The others were all an upcharge. Plus - with no set dining times, one of the more popular free dining options was a 45 minute wait! Not what I want on a cruise... We had fun just because we were with friends and family - but if we had to do it again...we wouldn't choose Norweigan.