This was our first cruise and we travelled with our son (15) and our daughter (14). We chose this cruise because the dates, embarkation port and NCL Freestyle concept all appealed to us. We were initially a little concerned that the STAR was an older ship but this turned out to not be an issue as it was recently out of an overhaul period. In our opinion the ship was in very good shape. I have read quite a few reviews on Cruise Critic and I believe that the travellers attitude has a lot to do with how they will perceive the experience. I find it ridiculous that people get annoyed and complain about the little things. I won't call anyone out on this but keep this in mind when reading people's reviews.

BOOKING: I booked using NCL's website and found it very easy to navigate. I was able to secure two inside cabins at a price which I was comfortable with. I am from Canada and something Canadian travellers always need to consider is the exchange rate between the Cdn dollar and the US dollar. This can have an impact of the "true" cost of the cruise. Be aware of your exchange rate your credit card company offers and what rate NCL may charge if billed in Cdn dollars.

CABINS: We had two inside cabins. My wife and daughter booked in one and my son and I booked in the other. As your issued room key has your name and details printed on it and is used for on ship charges we needed to make arrangements to get extra key cards as we wanted the kids in one room and the adults in the other. Once on the ship it was very easy to get extra room keys from the customer service desk. There were no issues with having a 15 and 14 year old in one room together despite NCLs policy of an adult in each room. Our cabins were great, the were comfortable clean and well layed out. Yes they were small but we expected that. Close the door at any time of the day and turn out the lights, its dark...no way of knowing what time it is. A small night light and a travel clock would be a good suggestion. Read more