Norwegian Star Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise as it went to some interesting places which we would not otherwise have traveled to such as Taiwan and Cambodia and also because my husband had been to Vietnam but I had not. Unfortunately due to Azipod problems on the ship our itinerary was modified and we only got to visit Chan May and Phy My in Vietnam and Laem Chabang in Thailand but received a generous discount in lieu of this.
Overall the cruise was good. Embarkation was a bit of a shambles. We had arrived early in the morning so had to wait for check-in at 11am which was fine as we had expected this. Check-in went smoothly however once checked in we could not board the ship as it was not ready. This resulted in a significant amount of people all waiting to board and although we had been given numbered sections to board by many people disregarded this and the ground staff did not enforce it well. I would have been happier to wait a bit longer for check-in to open if we could have walked straight from there to boarding thus eliminating the long queues at security.
Once on board the staff looked after us well. The service in the restaurants was great and cabin service was also excellent. Food in the complimentary restaurants was a little bland for us but that is to be expected with so many tastes to accommodate. We didn't try any of the specialist restaurants as the variety in the main dining rooms suited us. The layout of the ship is different to others we have been on and one disappointment was that there was no lounge at the front of the ship where you could relax and have a view outside but the lounges and bars were good and well placed around the ship. The entertainment on the ship was excellent and we attended most of the shows. Good variety of acts and also good variety of entertainment in the bars.
Cabin Review
Obstructed Oceanview
Good location on the ship close to the stairs and elevators and also O'Sheehans bar on the same level where you can get all meals. Cabin was small and you were obstructed getting down each side of the bed by a pull down bed on one side and the desk on the other so you have to crawl across the bed to get in. Square oceanview window with an unobstructed view straight out. You have a zodiac lifeboat hanging below the window and a wall forward of the window for the hydraulic room at the front of the ship so you can't see forward out the window. A bit of banging around in the hydraulic room in the middle of the night on a couple of occasions but generally quiet. You could just hear people from the promenade deck if they were really noisy. There is a light right outside the window so the room doesn't get overly dark but the curtains block out most of it. Overall a good budget choice.