We embarked on the Baltic Cruise on the Norwegian Star on August 5 from Copenhagen. We overnighted at the Copenhagen Hilton, which was a $60 and 30 minute cab ride from the port. Our stateroom was a 'penthouse with a large balcony' (10000) at the very front of the ship, just below the bridge. Our participation in the Casinos at Sea program provided a welcome discount from the brochure price.

We prefer to dine in the stateroom after long days on port excursions, and to take almost all breakfasts in the suite. Suites enjoy a more extensive menu, and all room service is served by the butler. Evening meals can be ordered from the menu of the main dining room or, from a specialty restaurant if willing to pay the supplement. Partially consumed bottles of wine are stored and retrieved as desired. (The stateroom has a table with four chairs, making dining quite convenient.) The stateroom is spacious, well-furnished but with lots of nicks and scratches. The balcony is very spacious with three lounge chairs and a single small table. On only one night was the wind too strong to allow use of the balcony. That said, we closed the 'storm door' at night to prevent whistling and wind noise.

Embarkation using the suite priority desk was relatively quick and painless. It was the introduction to the cost/time of dealing in several languages. We were escorted onboard about 30 minutes after arriving at the port. Our luggage arrived in the stateroom a few hours later. A perk of the suite passage is that breakfast and lunch can be taken in Cagney''s on deck 13. The service is invariable quite good, and a relaxed atmosphere compared with the Market Buffet. Read more