Norwegian Star Review

NCL Star 2012 Christmas Cruise

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Star
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cablack
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Dec 2012
Cabin: Mini-Suite with Balcony

While we're not new to cruising, this was our first sailing on Norwegian. The majority of our past 12 cruises have been on HAL, a few on Princess and a few on Carnival. So it's only logical that we would compare the NCL experience to our previous cruising experiences.

Embarkation -- we selected the NCL Star as it sailed out of New Orleans, a city we had not visited before (and thoroughly enjoyed). We were able to walk from our hotel to the cruise port and dropped our bags off around 1:30 pm, then went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We returned to the cruise port around 3 and the boarding process was orderly, well organized and it took only 30 minutes from port arrival to stateroom, I think a record in comparison to Fort Lauderdale and San Diego ports.

Stateroom -- deck 11, forward, mini suite with balcony, 283 sq ft. The emphasis for this stateroom is "mini", being much smaller in square footage than similar class of staterooms on other cruise lines. Though smaller in size, there was adequate storage space and the bathroom was well laid out and included a full size tub. Bedding and linens were comfortable. However, the closet is positioned next to the side of the bed which does make it difficult for hanging and retrieving clothes, and we didn't realize until we started packing up that there's a light in the back of the closet! Since this stateroom was narrow, it also means a narrower veranda. The veranda included two lounge chairs and a small table, which basically took up the majority of the space. Sometimes it's the "little" things that count that make a difference between a wonderful stateroom experience, and just a room on a cruise ship. And there were some "little" things amiss in our room. Our cabin steward did not seem happy or friendly. While our rooms were made up daily, he would leave towel animals on our bed without "eyes" and brought us an extra blanket that was very scratchy and had what looked like iron holes burned in the blanket. Upon checking into our stateroom, I noticed that some of the surfaces had not been dusted. Also, amenities normally provided in this class of stateroom on other cruise lines were not available, like hair conditioner, body lotion and robes. We requested these items at the main desk and they were sent to our room. We also noticed that there were no information books in our room to provide us with the overall deck plans, ship officer bios, dining options, etc. We did obtain a small deck plan brochure from the main desk; however, first time cruisers on NCL would appreciate some information in their rooms of the ship's services and staff. There was also no recycling bin to deposit the daily flyers sent to our room, nor any room service ordering door hangars which we also obtained from the main desk. These are both standard in other cruise line staterooms. Other items of note are the hair dryers which seem to weigh 20 pounds, way too heavy to hold when drying longer hair. The mirror in the bathroom has a magnifying mirror installed; however the positioning is way too low for people of average height and taller.

Cabin Review

Mini-Suite with Balcony

Cabin MB

Smaller than similar stateroom category on other cruise lines. Wood furnishings need refurbishment. Closet located next to side of bed makes it difficult to hang and retrieve clothing. Bathroom adequate size and includes full size but. Bedding and linens comfortable. Hair conditioner, body lotion and robes not provided (these are standard in this category stateroom on other cruise lines). Very heavy hairdryer. No information in the room regarding ship deck plans, crew bios, etc. No recycling bin.

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