Norwegian Star Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Copenhagen/embarkation: this was the first time we booked an airport transfer, and it was a positive experience with NCL. Our travel agent overcharged us badly, compared with the price of NCL, but NCL said they couldn’t do anything about that (if we made the reservation through a TA, we had to book the transfer also through the TA). On-boarding could be improved by not squeezing so many reps and their computers into the counter space (a couple couldn’t stand next to each other in front of the NCL rep, as there was literally only space for one passenger because the reps were so close together). Other cruise lines including our previous NCL one allowed us to drop our carry-on bags in the cabin if it was ready, but on this cruise, we had to drag our carry-ons to the buffet because nobody was allowed in the rooms until 1pm. This made for a crowded and chaotic buffet area (even more so than usual!) because so many passengers had carry-on bags with them.
Warnemünde- we enjoyed this seaside town and didn’t go anywhere else. There are plenty of options for walking, relaxing, eating, and shopping. We took a 1 hour harbor tour by boat, and rented a “Strandkorb” (literally- beach basket) to sit in. 3 Euro for one hour. There is a lighthouse tower to climb, lots of seafood and ice cream, and a variety of shops. We were content to return to the ship for dinner and the show, instead of a very long excursion to Berlin (3 hours each way).
Day at sea/ships activities/dining: the evening shows were better than many we’ve seen on other lines. More acrobatics and less talking. Shipboard activities were far fewer than on other lines, and the timing of many was unfortunate: for example, how many people really want to take a class at 9am on a sea day? Also, every arts & crafts class was held on port days when it seemed to me that most people were on land! Another cruise line held arts & crafts classes a few minutes before “all aboard”, which seemed like a good idea to me!
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Tallinn
Tallinn- we planned to take a Segway tour if it was not raining, and we lucked out to find 2 enterprising women with Segways for rent right at the cruise ship terminal! We had the choice of renting them on our own or taking a guided tour, and we opted for the tour so we could learn more about Estonia and also not have to have a map in our hands! 70 Euro per person for 2 hours was worth it in our book, as we zipped past other tourists panting up the steep hills of old town for the spectacular views from the top. After the tour, we had lunch and walked around the abundant shops in town. Upon leaving the ship, we checked out the prices among the vendors at the exit, and found their prices to be slightly lower than the prices of some items in town, so we got some souvenirs upon returning to the vendors at the port.
Helsinki
I had read that the cruise ships stop a 30 minute walk from town, but our ship stopped much further out. Because it was raining, we took a hop-on-hop-off bus for 20 Euros per person right from the cruise ship dock, and I’m very glad that we did. We enjoyed the guided tour on the bus, and walked around a bit as well. We started at the large cathedral, and didn’t mind paying 1 Euro per person to use the clean rest room there. The farmer’s market was nice, and we ended up ducking into one of the many shopping malls because it started pouring! Had a hot chocolate and looked into some shops. The rain abated and we walked to the cathedral built into a rock hill, which was very interesting. Walked back downhill into town, and had lunch at a café in another shopping center. We were glad to have the h-o-h-o bus back to the ship. I wish this port stop was longer, because there were some museums we would have been happy to visit.
Stockholm
There was a long line of people waiting to disembark, and it sounded as though only one exit was in effect that morning, which was a frustrating experience. There was one small gate to leave the port, and it was very crowded, so we missed the signs pointing to the hop-on-hop-off BOAT just near the cruise ship. We were feeling the effects of eating lots of good food for a week, so we walked 40 minutes into town. This stop was also too short, but we enjoyed wandering around, mostly in the old town area and just a bit over the bridge into the newer part of town. On a previous trip to Stockholm, we visited the Vasa museum, and would highly recommend, along with several other sites that there wasn’t enough time for during a half-day stop.
Rostock (Warnemunde)
Warnemünde- we enjoyed this seaside town and didn’t go anywhere else. There are plenty of options for walking, relaxing, eating, and shopping. We took a 1 hour harbor tour by boat, and rented a “Strandkorb” (literally- beach basket) to sit in. 3 Euro for one hour. You unlock the simple wood gate in front of the bench seat and pull out the foot rests. There is a lighthouse tower to climb, lots of seafood and ice cream, and a variety of shops. We were content to return to the ship for dinner and the show, instead of a very long excursion to Berlin (3 hours each way).