The ship going from NYC to the Caribbean was very rocky. Leaving from San Juan to St. Thomas everyone in our cabin didn't fall asleep until 4 AM. We were too exhausted to go on our scheduled shore excursion in St. Thomas. Halfway through our cruise, one member of our party got sick, and when we got home the doctor said it was bronchitis.

The entertainment in the Stardust was great, but very little other activities to do during days at sea when the weather made it difficult to go outside. We got tired of listening to the various trivia games and bingo contests. For the most part we found the food to be average and lukewarm. The staff in the Garden Café seemed more interested in filling up the utensil baskets rather than clear and clean the tables. We decided to try the Gem based on leaving from NYC to avoid a flight and also the itinerary appealed to us. One positive was our cabin steward, Tito, who took care of all of our needs. We're not ruling out cruising on NCL in the future but would never do this ship.