This fall my husband and I traveled from Rome to Miami on a repositioning cruise on the Norwegian Star. We had traveled on the Star before and had not liked the layout of the ship because it lacked quiet bar areas for reading and viewing the ocean. Norwegian touted a complete renovation of this ship so we thought we would give it another try.

Quiet space was harder than ever to come by. More of the spaces had been converted into villas and suites for the wealthier clientele. Every time we found a quiet place, once of the crew would start up a game of something which drove us out.

We have been latitudes club members for years and my husband was looking forward to at least receiving his silver pin on this cruise. We found out they have eliminated most of the little perks that used to be there for members. The member party was really a sales pitch for future cruises (kind of like when they try to sell you condos.) Read more