Fifth cruise and the first on Norwegian. Transfers from LAX to and from the port were excellent and efficient. The barking process (Em and De) was fast and efficient! Very impressed! Super helpful staff! The Versailles restaurant was one of the nicest we have seen. Not too sure about the Freestyle dining though. We never really got to bond with the waiters though and at times the service was at best, indifferent. On numerous occasions, food orders were mixed up and given to different table mates. Often, special requests were 'forgotten'. In general, the service was very sloooooow. It often took a full two hours to finish dinner (start to finish). I really did not appreciate having my dinner and conversation interrupted in order for a crew member to give me the latest sales pitch. That is extremely rude!

I find it interesting to note that I can order prime rib in a near raw state but if I order a hamburger, it must be fried to oblivion and crispy through and through. I was advised that the USDA 'required' that hamburger be cooked 'well done'. I guess Big Brother really does know what is best for me. But, perhaps someone can explain why two different cuts of beef have to be cooked differently for 'health reasons'. I fail to understand this. Out of about seven room service orders, only one was delivered within the half hour time frame established for room service delivery. Deliveries usually took between 45 minutes and an hour. I ordered a hot dog and requested raw onions instead of the usual grilled onions. The order came with the raw onions, but they were sliced! I've never heard of sliced onions on a hot dog. Is this something new? The thermostat in the cabin was a nice touch. Unfortunately, our choices were heat or A/C. Nothing in between. Fortunately though, outside temps were warm and the A/C mode was adequate for most of the cruise.

Entertainment was so-so. Acrobats spinning plates on sticks is pretty old hat. Come to think of it, most of the troupe were non-Chinese. Why was it billed as Chinese acrobats? I do remember this trick back in the fifties when I was a kid and it really was pretty impressive then. Maybe I'm getting crotchety, but at 60, I'm just not too impressed with the trick anymore. The greatest entertainment we had though was Hurricane Rick. He provided us with a wild ride, winds up to 70 mph, and crashing waves that reached the ninth deck! What an experience! But really not quite as good as Hurricane Katrina (remember her)? I did hear one lady faulting the captain for his handling of the situation. But then I suppose she did have more experience than the captain at commanding a cruise ship through a hurricane. Every ship MUST have at least one expert in EVERYTHING! Overall, we were satisfied with our cruise. The Star is a beautiful ship but the service is not as crisp as we have experienced on other cruise lines. But ANY seven day cruise is better than seven days on land!