Norwegian Star Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I felt like I was cheap (even though we spent big bucks to cruise) because you have to pay for everything. There is a beautiful spa with the only indoor pool, hot tub, steam room... Only 100 guests can purchase the use of these amnenities for $119. That would have been relaxation for me but why is it not included?

I loved the ship and thought it was the perfect vacation.

Surprisingly the NCL line was not as service oriented as one taken previously. The food was marginal and often cold with fish that was not fresh. Dining options were limited and specialty restaurants were pricey options. There were additional charges for many more activities than I recall on prior NCL cruises several years ago. Cabin service was poor. Room service was slow and the food was poor. There seemed to be a staff shortage in the area where our cotravelers were....they are still waiting for ice as requested on two separate occasions. Were it not for amazing scenery and wonderful excursions it would be a complete waste of money.

It's a fairly large and modern ship, with a friendly crew. I'd recommend keeping an eye on the room charges, though, since you can rack them up fairly quickly.

The ship was very clean, the staff very professional and friendly, and there was always something to do. We did not care for the free style simply because we had to wait to be seated every evening. We did like not having to dress for dinner. Overall it was a great cruise and anyone wanting a casual cruise would like this ship.

ship was a bit old and not well kept up

Food was good but not up to standards on Celebrity. We liked being able to be casual in the dining room and seated as we wished. Usually the wait was not too long. The entertainment was good. Pools and hot tubs great.

Our trip started with a few days in Seattle - you should do this if you have the time - Buy the City Pass which saves you money and gets you up in the Spaceneedle twice day/night, museums, the zoo, the Aquarium etc... We also took in a Mariner game. Getting on and off the boat was pretty smooth and organized. They even have a service that they wil store your bags ($3 a bag until 3:30 pm) so you can sight see if you have a late flight upon your return. As for the cruise, the Star is an older ship not as well laid out as some other ships we have been on. Didn't have as many ammenities / activities as other ships. We had a mini suite that was to sleep 4 - our two teenage kids slept on a rock hard couch that was provided with dirty linens. Not sure I would have been able to sleep on it for a week! I brought an extension cord and a power strip which was a great suggestion I got from someone else on-line and they were right there was one outlet that everyone needed. Also don't forget an umbrella and some binoculors! We were not happy with our cabin steward. He did next to nothing in our room. We thought this was terrible especially since it was a suite. NCL's Freestyle dining may sound good if you just wat to eat buffets or so-so food all week. I think it is just another way to get more money out of you because if you want to eat how you expect to eat on a cruise you have to pay more. The only night lobster was an option in the Dining room was the first night and we missed it because we were checking out the boat , we were in shorts and the kids were starving so we just ate at the buffet. The Cruise Directors were fun and amusing. We loved the Second City Comedy and the rest of the shows were pretty good except the hypnotist show. Weather not so good in August. apparently end of May, June or July would be best for Alaska and after Labor Day great if you are looking for great price markdowns on merchandise while you are in port. The cruise lines own most of the stores they are sending you to at the ports. Local guides reminded us that Alaska has no natural gemstones - the only thing from there would be precious metals. Excursions were expensive but we enjoyed the Deadliest Catch excursion even though it was raining. My husband and son were all excited about the helicopter/glacier trek, it was going to be the highlight of their trip....until it was cancelled. My daughter and I did the Glacier Float - Can't believe I paid money for this - wet / frozen / no wildlife / far from view of the glacier/ nothing to see / happy when it was over!!! We ziplined in Skagway because the kids liked it so much in Mexico - it was adventurous and fun but if you are looking for wildlife / culture / scenic tour choose something else. Actually in Skagway you can go on some nice hikes right from the town to a beautiful lake and a river with thousands of fish spawnning. I liked this little town the best - shopping was good, a lot of people enjoyed the train ride, there were things to explore right there if you didn't want to spend money on an excursion. A local even directed us to a pub where they brew a beer using the tips of Spruce trees...very unique. On the flip side, if you don't do an excursion in Prince Rupert you might as well stay on the boat. I don't know why they chose this as a port but I would have rather spent more time in other ports or even have another day at sea between ports. Bingo payouts were small considering what they charged and how many people were playing.My 15 year old daughter had a blast with the kids in the teen center - I am sure she would rate this cruise a 10 on a scale of 1-5. My 18 year old son played basketball (when it wasn't raining) Ping Pong, Dodge ball, Shuffleboard and anything else they offered. He enjoyed the tournaments and won lots of souveniers. He was even allowed to gamble in the casino which was fun, All and all it was not the Alaska trip we had envisioned but it was a nice vacation.

Overall our trip was great except for some things. The spa discounts were offered and when we asked about it they made it seem like we were making it up. Discounts were not offered correctly. It seemed that staff wanted to just make a sale and were not explaining things correctly. I finally after going thru 3 people found Juliet who gave me good instructions and got my sale. Gary at the gym also did the BCA test and I had to run after him to get my results. He did not explain the facts and said that he would do it if I bought the capsules. I went over to him several times to get the results because i had paid for it but he was always busy. I finally had to get the Spa staff to get it for me and then when they did the front desk spa staff were really rude and wanted me to go back to him so he could explain the results.

It was different , more informal than previous cruises. Cleanliness was stressed. Staff friendly in restaurants. facilities kept clean.

Too many hidden expenses. The food was very average. There was no reason to stop in Port Rupert. Very boring town. Staff was friendly

Too much herding, too loud on activities and too much hard sell on overpriced stuff

Nice ship but it is showing its age.

I felt that the ship was well maintained in every respect!

Clean, but too crowded

The cabins are tiny and even though we had a balcony it was not as good as other ships, even older ones. The description said it would accommodate 3 adults, however it barely fit 2 adults. The dressing table was tiny. The food was not nearly as good as other ships. Many of the crew members were rude. Our cabin person was very nice, however the staff in the casino and the reception area were rude. The drinks were very expensive and tasteless. Would not recommend this ship to anyone.

The ship was beautiful. Crew were very nice and helpful. The entertainment was great.

I enjoyed everything, but I feel that the quality of the food was less that on my past NCL trips!

we have sailed on other cruises with carnival and princess lines and there were classes available for learning while on the cruise. It was not a fun and exciting cruise.

The crew did a really great job of taking care of us. The ship was kept very clean. The theatre was really nice too. As were all the performances.