Norwegian Star Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,583 reviews

Chose for the itinerary not the ship

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Norwegian Star
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smilin64
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

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Sail Date: Jan 2018
Cabin: Mid-Ship Balcony

First time as Platinum so the perks such as priority embarkation and laundry were great! The ship is fairly nice with a beautiful atrium. Some layout challenges for accessing certain venues. Theatre needs a refresh (many seats broken) but everything else was in relatively good shape. Staff was very pleasant and worked hard although not many were exceptional except a couple bartenders and one of the assistant cruise directors; a few should be looking for a job outside the hospitality industry:). Food was quite good although the breakfast buffet selections did not change much - but there was lots to choose from! First time at Cagney's and it was great - went twice! Teppenyaki was fun and very good food and really enjoyed Moderno's. Ginza was very good and La Cucina was ok. Evening entertainment was high calibre although the themes of a couple of the big shows were not really my style. Comedians were good but we do miss the dedicated comedy club/duelling piano bar of the larger NCL ships. It was nice not having to make reservations. Always able to get a seat but could be tight at the last minute for the late or most popular shows. The daytime activities were basic but with port days and pool time there was always lots to do. Overall seating and public areas was pretty good. You could usually find a deck chair overlooking the pool. Our balcony cabin was a tad disappointing: storage was minimal and awkward; the bathroom was cramped due to an unnecessary sliding door for the toilet area (a design feature on a number of this class of ship); fridge was way too tiny inside. (These issues of course were all manageable and did not impact the enjoyment of our trip.) The balcony was a decent size compared to some of the regular balconies on the newer ships. Room steward was quite good and heard that also from friends we made on board. Demographic skewed a bit older as expected for this length and itinerary. The Cruise Critic roll call was the best we've participated in to date! Had a number of activities and opportunities to meet a lot of new and friendly people. The ports were a mix depending what you are looking for. At a couple you needed to book something to see anything besides an industrial port. We like to see the sites whenever we go to new ports. Good thing as there were not many "beach day" or "adventure activity" options for most of the ports. Note that it is very easy to book quality and inexpensive shore excursions right on-site at pretty much every port. Cabo was beautiful - definitely would like to go back for a longer time. Antigua was worth the drive in Guatemala. Wish we had done a different port in Nicaragua but Leon was interesting to see. Cartagena had some charm. Acapulco is trying to rebuild after its heyday and the people are really welcoming and there are some great sites and views - especially the cliff divers. Costa Rica was our "nature" fix - people were very welcoming. All in all a good cruise as they all are but we realize we like the bigger ships.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Balcony

Cabin BA

Location was GREAT! Opened the hall door for quick access down the stairs to O-Sheehan's (bar!). Mid ship location and lower deck near all the action except the pool. Not a lot of storage; awkward shelves inside the closet; only a few drawers and counter/desk space quite small. Bathroom is a bit cramped and there could be more shelving. TV was in a good position and there were actually a few good movies - wish there was a guide for playing times. Balcony was a good size. Bed was comfortable although the bottom is not a fitted sheet and it tended to loosen up, and it was quite thin that you could feel the plastic-like surface of the mattress and the seams where the two single mattresses abut.

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