Norwegian Star Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Past NCL cruises have been very good but this one was a disaster.

For months our ship, the Norwegian Star, has been experiencing significant problems with its Azipod propulsion system.  

These problems have forced this ship to alter a transatlantic journey then to delay and/or significantly alter a number of Asian cruises.  One engine was already out of commission when we boarded the ship in Sydney, Australia on February 6, 2017.

We made one port in Melbourne then headed back to sea.  On the first night out the other engine died and we ended up dead in the water in the Tasman Sea for 20+ hours then we endured a very slow 30+ hour tug boat tow back to Melbourne for 3 days of repairs in port then several more hours of sea trials before finally departing for three days at sea on a direct trip to Auckland, NZ. 

Fortunately, we had calm seas and light winds not the high winds and very rough 7.5 to 12 foot seas we encountered just days later on February 14th.  Had we been dead in the water in those high winds and rough 7.5 to 12 foot seas that would have been a very dangerous, very uncomfortable situation to say the least.  Imagine how dangerous it would have been being adrift and totally out of control in high winds and rough seas for 20+ hours then having a single, small tug boat trying to tow a 965-foot-long, 91,740 Gross Tonnage ship back to port for 30+ hours in rough seas.

In the end, we missed our port of call in Tasmania; we missed the Milford Sound fjords cruise and we missed all of our ports in Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier and Tauranga, NZ.  To make matters even worse the ship arrived in Auckland three and a half hours late causing many passengers to miss their flights home which may result in them having to purchase new tickets at significant additional costs to them.

Prior to our cruise, we had already incurred more than $5,000 in mostly non-refundable travel costs (our cruise related costs only) so cancelling was not an option.  This was to be our ‘Once in a Lifetime’ vacation trip around the world.  Due to NCL’s negligence our dream vacation started on a sour note with a very dangerous, very boring twelve-day cruise to nowhere.  

We found NCL’s refund offer totally unacceptable.  We are especially upset by NCL’s refusal to refund any part of the full $588.30 in “Gov Tax/Port Exp/Fees” we paid even though we made only one port of call due to the complete failure of the ship’s Azipod propulsion system.  We were also charged the full $324 in ‘Service Fees’.  Yes, we did use the services but only because we were unable to disembark in Melbourne.  We did try to get off in Melbourne to fly to Auckland but we were told that hotel rooms there were completely sold out.  We were stuck on the Star for another nine days.  These were NCL’s faults, not ours. 

NCL knew they had a serious problem before we sailed but they ignored our safety and chose to sail anyway.  Sad.

12 ports missed. Azipod failure resulted in being tugged back to Melborne. NCL corporate credits unacceptable and shamefully disrespectful to passengers. 

First ncl, loved the casual nature and loads of onboard activites and great staff. Food and cabins average

The ship had to replace a part on the previous journey which needed to be eased in - meaning the ships speed was reduced and hence we skipped a number of ports - we were advised of this before we left Australia and given the option of cancelling or receiving a 50% refund and a credit towards a future cruise - so we were well looked after. Cruise was still very good

CaznGed Wigan, Lancs In November 2016 We cruised from Dubai,to Abu Dhabi, down to Fujerah, Khasab, Oman and then across the Arabian Sea to Mumbai. Down the west coast of India to Goa, Mangalore, took in the backwaters of Kerala then around the southern tip of India to Columbo the capital of Sri Lanka. Our cruise then took us over to Phuket in Thailand, onward to Kuala Lumpur, then we sailed to the beach of paradise in Langkawi in Malaysia and finally ending in Singapore for an overnight hotel stay before flying back to Manchester on Emirates and landing on 13th Dec just in time for Christmas. This was an absolutely fantastic itinerary, of course helped along with the all inclusive drinks package. Balcony cabin was excellent along with staff. Food was fine. What a fantastic cruise, well done to NCL Star for an excellent itinerary. Nothing beats a Far East Cruise for scenery, excellent beaches, sun and different cultures.

it is hard to review something as everyone has their own opinions as to what is good and what is not so good.  what works great for some is not so much for others. take this for what it is, my opinion only.  the bad (too many kids.  way too many. more than any other cruise i have been on. lol...however, this speaks to the fact that if you have kids, might be a great ship. not so much for us.) some really great views from our balcony.  we enjoyed a change of pace in the weather from our normal heat and humidity of florida.  this is the first time we have experienced a cruise where there were so many little kids. (5 yrs or under) and most of them were ill.  coughing and sneezing in public areas and i did not see the parents practicing good hygiene with them (ie covering their mouth, having them  "washy washy" after these episodes).  also parents bringing these little kids to presentations clearly meant for adults where they were very disruptive. kids running yelling and screaming up and down the hallways was not enjoyable.  again, this is the fault poor parenting, not the crew. marketplace was extremely crowded and almost impossible to find a seat every single meal and especially so at breakfast.  the ship was recently refurbished i hear. the normal outdoor seating and outdoor buffet was taken over by a kids pool area.  also the observation deck area indoor lounge that we have enjoyed on other ncl ships had been turned into more suites.  ugh.  no place to enjoy the  sailaways in a lounge atmosphere.  we really missed that.  menus in aqua and versailles seemed to be rotated between the same 3 or 4 menus and now include a few choices for an upcharge. ok. sounds like we really disliked this cruise.  not so.  our mini suite was wonderful...exactly like the one we had on the gem back in october.  service on the star was superior to that on the gem for us. we really enjoyed the production cast and crew...the paradis show was broadway quality. we tried moderno and fully enjoyed it. we liked talking to the crew and getting to know their stories.  fascinating. had great fun in the casino where the staff is the friendliest casino staff we have had on any cruise ship.  took a plunge and got a new haircut in the spa (thank you, manuela!) our cabin steward, bruno, was wonderful. thanks to the captain for opening up the bow area on deck 8 for sailaways from most of the ports.  while we love ncl, i would not sail the star again. even if it was an itinerary i wanted to try, i would use another ship. (please do not take this as an afront about the staff.  it is the layout of the ship that i do not like and too many kids on this particular cruise.)

There were mostly good things about this cruise.  One thing they could have done is included one or two more ports.  The cruise staff was mostly friendly and good.  However the bar staff in a couple of places need to be fired.  Rude, disrespectful and downright full of attitude.  For no good reason  other than they can.  They also need to change the mattresses.  They sink in the middle and are hard as rocks.  Heard more than one person mention this.  The food was good no matter where we ate.  The drink package and specialty dining package were awesome, although we also ate in the main dining rooms and buffet and had great meals.

If you like cruising just for the pure relaxation of fourteen days of being pampered, then this is your ticket.   In two weeks you only see land four times: embarkation day in Tampa, Bermuda, the Azores , and disembarkation in Copenhagen.   The rest of the time is yours to "eat drink and be merry" .  The friendly staff will see to your every need.

Hi Laura -

The cruise overall was very good.  One notable exception was problem with plumbing which took repeated calls to resolve.

Please contact me about $100 post cruise credit you offered to assist in processing.

Thank You.

Andrew Fox

*** EDITED 4/21/16 BY CRUISELINE.COM TO REMOVE PERSONAL INFORMATION ***

VERY ENJOYABLE - GOOD STAFF AND GOOD ENTERTAINMENT..GOOD IN AND OUT OF THE SHIP.

Not the best cruise I have taken.  Quality is terribly lacking.  Food was bland and entertainment was boring.  Market Cafe was dirty with food particles left on the table and also on the floor.  The service staff was no where to be found to clean the tables in a timely manner.

Very nice trip, we like the new upgrades they added to the ship. We have been on a number of this class of ships from NCL. They can be a little tough to get around the ship until you get used to it. But my advice is to walk it to get familiar asap so you don't end up at a dead end. And do your homework regular balcony cabin just as good as a mini suite and cheaper, but bottom line is to enjoy yourself and try the specialty restaurants they are well worth it. Book it and get out there 😉

Honestly, they probably shouldn't advertise the ship as being refurbished. I'm sure that it got a coat of paint and maintenance, but the places where guests have access are definitely showing its age. I would have given the ship a 3, except that the staff was AMAZING.

Just completed a seven day Western Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines and feel the need to write a few words. There were some things that were enjoyable (the weather, the destinations, family time) and many that were less so (drunk passengers partying loudly until wee hours), that NCL cannot take the credit nor the blame. Well, maybe the unlimited drinks package had something to do with that last one. Either way, here are my thoughts on the main items of the cruise.

Stateroom – we had a balcony cabin on deck 9. It was similarly sized and appointed as one we had on a Princess cruise. The bathroom was actually manageable. Not sure if the walls were especially thin or if our neighbor was hard of hearing but we could hear his television clearly, endlessly, all day, all week. Our steward took good care of us, even though we could be gone three hours in the morning only to come back and our room had yet to be made up. But I can only image his work load so slack needed to be given.

Food – God help me for saying this, but the food in the Market Café (aka the buffet) was better and fresher than the food in the sit-down restaurants. One got the feeling that the entrées off the menus were pre-constructed long before the cruise and stored deep within the bowels on the ship only to be retrieved robotically once ordered.

Tendering – If one hasn’t cruised before “tendering” means you have to take a smaller ship to get you from the cruise ship to shore. On NCL you have to do this at two of the four stops. It is a nightmare. In Belize it wasn’t too bad, because they had large, open-air ferries carrying passengers ashore and the lines weren’t obscene. But in Honduras, they use the lifeboat tenders. One out of four of these would break down and the ones that did work leaked like sieves. As one can image this did not engender confidence. To add insult, Royal Caribbean was docked nice and pretty directly next to where NCL passengers had to stand in line for an hour in the blazing sun.

Public Announcements – “This is Olga, your deputy assistant cruise director, with a very important announcement. Come join us in the Spinnaker Lounge for Bingo in 30 minutes! It’s so much fun!” Does anyone appreciate these?

Music/Noise/Cacophony of sound – Not sure what to call it, but NCL seems equate loud with fun. As you board the ship, they blast music. As you disembark, they blast music. As you stand in line waiting to tender, they blast music. Whether you are by the pool, in the grand atrium, or trying to eat dinner the live music plays like they’re on stage, not background music. The piped-in music was playing Janet Jackson’s “Nasty Boys” at 7AM during breakfast – loudly.

To sum up, Norwegian Cruise Lines is like that friend you have that always comes to your parties. You like her well enough, but she always gets too drunk and sings along with Cher too loudly. She thinks she’s fun and entertaining. She’s not.

Overall the cruise was good. We have a special diet (kosher) and the service and food were terrific. The variety and quality was very good and the special diet manager did a very good job accommodating us. The balcony stateroom was spacious and our steward did a great job keeping our room fresh without disturbing us.

The seas were rough the week we sailed and there were strong winds. We did feel the motion a lot on this cruise. We were not able to stop in Costa Maya as a result. However, we did stop in Cozumel at 4PM the day we were scheduled to be in Costa Maya and stayed there in port overnight.

The entertainment on this ship was not as good as other cruises we've been on. The production shows were not good at all. Marambolla- the cirque style show was impressive and the hypnotist was good. The game shows in the Spinnaker lounge were ok, not great. We chose NCL this time because the last NCL cruise we took on the Gem had terrific entertainment. We've also been on two Princess cruises. The entertainment on Princess was very well done but geared to an older crowd. So we were disappointed this time. However, we still had a great cruise!  We did not participate in bingo or deal or no deal, but we did enjoy the trivia and name that tune.

We got the ultimate beverage package as a bonus when we booked our cruise and thought it was great to have. The 5'o Clock somewhere bar is a really nice space and we enjoyed the live music there.

We were concerned about Zika and used lots of insect repellent, but I saw literally one mosquito on the entire cruise.

Roatan Bay, Honduras-  We booked a driver for the day with a private company (Rony's Tours). We went to a monkey stop to see and play with Capuchin monkeys. We also got to hold a sloth and various birds. Then we went to the Carambola botanical gardens and did a moderate hike up the mountain and saw many different types of plants. The jungle was beautiful. Would recommend booking a driver in advance for the day so you can see different things on the island.

Belize City- Tendering process was smooth, we got up early to get the tender tickets and were off the boat in one of the first groups. We went zip-lining and cave tubing through a private company (Buttsup). It was so much fun! I was scared at first but after the first run it was just fun. The guides do a very good job. Highly recommend. 

Cozumel- When we docked on Thursday at 4pm, we got off the ship and just walked around the shops for a while. The port is nice and feels pretty safe. The next morning there were many taxi drivers at the port with signs advertising various beaches. We picked one, Buccanos Grill and Beach Club and the driver took us there. It was $30 per person for round trip transportation, admission, use of facilities, lounge chairs and snorkeling gear. The beach was beautiful and snorkeling was nice. There were plenty of shady areas for when we wanted to get out of the sun. I can't comment on the food since we keep kosher and did not eat at the restaurant. There were many waiters coming around to take food and drink orders but they were not pushy. When we were ready to head back to the ship, we asked the driver to drop us off a few blocks away so we could do some shopping on the way back. There is a really nice town square a few blocks from the ship and tons of stores along the way. We enjoyed the walk and shopping. 

I was so excited to try NCL. Booked a 7 day cruise with my mom (87 years young). She has had great experiences with NCL in the past and wanted me to see how great they are. Well, it didn't work out that way.

Let's start with the over priced mid-ship balcony on deck 10. These are the smallest rooms my mother or I have ever encountered. The room is only 166 sf, of which a third is the bathroom and closet. The twin beds and trundle bed take up more than another third. Throw in the TV and table with chair and you really have no room at all. Also note that there is no bureau, only a single closet.

Next we experienced the free style dining. Service was questionable to poor every meal. One hostess was seating passengers while she kept one hand in her pockets. Another waiter rolled his eyes at me when I placed my order. Several times the order was incorrect. All rolls were cold, never served warm. The food was poor to fair. The vegetables were previously frozen and improperly prepared (shriveled and dry) and the Cordon Blue was one step below the frozen meals we buy in the local grocery store. Having talked with many other passengers, we heard the same reviews of the service and food. Note, the Ginka restaurant was excellent in both service and food.

NCL also used misleading nomenclature in their daily brochures by stating 24/7 dining without having dining available 24/7 except when ordering Room Service (which has a $7.95 fee each order). Beware of the free style dining dress code. Shoes and shirt are required, however sleeveless "shirts" are not considered shirts. In the Main Dining after 5:00 PM, shorts are not allowed, unless you are female and carrying your drinks with you. After 11:00 PM the only food available is in the sit down dining and all buffets are closed.

The pool was a joke as it was smaller than most backyard pools. Granted there were four hot tubs around the pool, but the pool itself was tiny. They had two water slides, but only had them open on occasion, and I never saw both open at the same time. The hot tubs were limited to six persons and no food or drink. However many times there were ten to twenty persons in each hot tub and with glass bottles and mixed drinks in glasses. One evening I walked by the pool after it was closed and saw a drinking glass and a glass bottle both on the bottom of the pool. I noticed that my dress code for the restaurants broke the rules and were enforced, but those who are buying the drinks were allowed to do as they pleased.

One of my favorite things on a cruise is the nightly comedy shows. Too bad NCL only had two shows in this seven day cruise. I tried to attend one of the shows but the lounge was so over crowded that I couldn't even see the stage or walk into the lounge.

On a positive note, the shows in the theater were good, even though one was a single stand up comedian and another a hypnotist. There was no enforcement by the crew to make sure passengers wouldn't interrupt the shows by arriving late. Every show had people walking in during the show up to a half hour after the shows started.

Speaking with many of the previous NCL passengers on this cruise, almost every one of them commented that the crew treated the passengers as if the passengers were an inconvenience rather than guests. So many commented, "This is the rudest crew ever".

Now for the nail in the coffin. I spoke with the supervisor of NCL excursions and he made a special call to housekeeping to make sure my m other would have a wheelchair available to get from the ship to the excursion. Being safe, we checked on the morning of the excursion and the cruise director called housekeeping, who were already on the pier, to confirm the wheelchair. My mother and I weren't allowed to bring her scooter on the tender, but we managed to get to the pier. We had to walk the length of the pier to get to the NCL tent where they refused to let my mother use the wheelchair! We managed to walk, stop, and rest until we reached the excursion. On our way we met three other NCL cruisers riding their scooters which were brought from the ship via tender.

I will not let this keep me from cruising in the future. Unless I have a free cruise with NCL, I will never use their cruise line again. I have always had better success and treatment on Carnival and will continue to support them in the future.

BEWARE: NCL now offers unlimited drink packages which appeal to many. My personal guess is with this, NCL will become the new "party" cruise. Be prepared for everyone to drink from the minute they embark until the minute they disembark. I think it is great for them to party, however the alcohol creates some truly unwanted actions on board.

Had a great time.

Just not worth the money.  You can do so much better with a cruise line without mandatory gratuities....where staff is rewarded for great service.  Housekeeping fair but the staff socialized loudly in the hall each morning from about 8am. Bar service is terrible on pool deck and at Java. Extra cost dining is great with outstanding food but again to get this you will pay extra. This is our 5th cruise. We have sailed twice with RCCl, once each with Regent and Princess and now NCL. Norwegian is at the very bottom....and we spent 20% more than we did on our very enjoyable Royal Caribean Freedom cruise two years ago (same week)  

we were on this ship and we were treated very badly   At the casino we won $100 on a machine the next day we were leaving the ship and they said we have to go to security befor we can leave the security officer told us they want the money back because thier machine malfunctioned We were afraid at that time if we did not give it back we would not be able to leave the ship so we gave it back To Mack a long story short I know if a casino hand you the money it is yours if it was a casino at home would they phone you the next day and tell you to bring it back because the just realized the machine malfunctioned

This whole incedant was a bad trip Befor you book look at Royal carribean cruise they are very good

The ship has not had much upgrading in quite awhile.  Chairs in cabin looked like a kitchen chair from the sixties.   All the music venues had the music amped up so loud that it was difficult sitting and listening and you could hear music from one venue to another.  Felt that most of the staff needed more training.  In the restaurants, we felt that the servers didn't really care about the people.  A few time we had to go to a captain to get anyone to serve us.  Not true in specialty restaurants.