My wife and I are a working class couple from the Central Valley area of california in our mid-40s and are both seasoned cruisers, having sailed on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess lines. We chose NCL this time to experience the "freestyle" concept, and for the extended itinerary. We also decided to take along 24 more people, including our parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, friends and neighbors. Our group ranged in age from 10 to 84, and a great time was had by all.

Embarkation- We caught an early flight out of SFO the morning of the cruise and proceeded directly to the pier via Super Shuttle, a great deal at only $15 pp, and were there by 9:30. A very nice lady told us where they would be lining up the first hundred passengers and appropriated a wheelchair for my mother, enabling us to be first in line for boarding. They began checking in at about 10:30 and in less than 5 minutes at the desk, we were on our way up the gangway. A very smooth and efficient process due in part to the advance registration required of all passengers at least two weeks prior to boarding. In all fairness, I suppose embarkation is always pretty smooth for the first in line.

The Ship- The Star is a magnificent ship with stars and streamers emblazoned on the bow, and is just as impressive onboard. The public rooms are all tastefully done down to the last detail and offer something for everyone, whether it be curling up with a good book in an overstuffed chair in the well stocked library to the lively action in the casino. Whatever your mood happens to be at the time, you can find a suitable atmosphere for it. We spent much of our time poolside watching the various activities. Read more