Norwegian Star Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,583 reviews

Very disappointing

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Star
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JDRC_1998
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2015
Cabin: Mini-Suite with Balcony
Traveled with children

This cruise was delayed by many hours leaving Tampa due to mechanical problems experienced on the previous trans-atlantic crossing. But this was the least of the problems we experienced. The ship appeared to be understaffed, the staff seemed to be poorly trained, and there was a noticeable lack of courtesy. Restaurant and bar services were at times so bad that we found ourselves laughing at the comedy of it all. Other times, however, we were downright angry (like the night we sat at our table in La Cucina for close to 45 minutes with no drinks or appetizers - so my father demanded our cards back from the server, went to the Gatsby bar to get drinks for all of us, and then brought them back into La Cucina for us -- amazingly, this act of desperation and defiance did not prompt any reaction or apology from the server or anyone else). I think that all the passengers were aware that something was very wrong on the ship - it was the principal topic of discussion in the long bar line ups and pretty much everywhere else. But there was never any explanation offered so there was a lot of speculation about the cruise being a "training cruise", crew members being ill because of the harsh transatlantic crossing, the best crew members being scooped up by NCL's new ships, etc.

I also hated the Marketplace cafeteria. It was overcrowded, understaffed, and always a stressful experience. If you wanted an apple or a banana, you had to stand in the same line as all the people waiting for their toast or their custom-made omelettes.

Two things saved the cruise for me - (1) the entertainment was top notch (the aerial performers Aurelie and Dmitri were amazing, the comedian was very funny) and (2) the kid's club (the counsellors were simply terrific and our son loved going there).

Cabin Review

Mini-Suite with Balcony

Cabin MB

The cabin was well laid out with lots of storage (although it was hard to find things in the closet since there was no light). The bathroom had a full tub, which was great for our 5 year old. Be warned that this cabin is directly below the pool deck on Deck 12 and there was a lot of noise in the evening from chairs and tables being moved around. This was never a problem after midnight and never stopped us from sleeping soundly. The balcony is fully covered by the overhang of Deck 12, which we really liked since it kept the balcony in shade during the hotter portions of the day. If you want a lot of sun on your balcony, this is not the cabin for you.

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