We wanted to see the Scandinavian countries, the rest were a bonus. We made our own travel arrangements and stayed in Bergen 4 nights before we strarted the cruise, to recover from jet lag. We had three great weather days ending when we boarded the boat! Bergen was a great place to explore on foot. We stayed at the Clarion Hotel next to the Radisson Blu.

The Star is a beautiful ship, we had a Superior balcony and had lots of cabin room, very adequate storage, nice balcony. Food was good with the exception of a couple of meals. Afternoon tea in the Wintergarden is a must, at least once. The scones with real clotted cream ad jam were wonderful as is the tiered tray of sandwiches and treats. Manfredi's has huge portions, very good food. The Chef's Table has very small portions. The Restaurant was good, the World Cafe was very good although the gelato at the gelato bar was a little soft and mushy for my taste. Make your reservations for Manfredi's and the Chef's table before boarding or as soon as you get on the boat, they book up quickly. You can always cancel if you change your mind.

The free laundry rooms were a big hit and the busiest place on the ship. The machines (3 washers and 3 dryers on floors 3, 4 and 5) were free and the soap was automatically added for every load. Two irons and ironing boards were in each laundry room as well. It was extremely handy. Don't get a cabin too near though as they get heavy traffic. Read more