Norwegian Star Review
Restaurant Servers Need Training/Internet Needs Upgrade
Rating by category
Additional details
Just back from the repositioning of Star from Miami to Terragonna and stayed for Terragonna to Venice. (Actually April 27 - May 24)
The restaurant servers seriously needed training. I am now 4 days short of Platinum plus and was shocked by the lack of training. Normally an experienced server has a 2nd person they are training as they serve. Not this time. I had servers pouring water so high above glass it poured all around the glass .... 3 times. Didn't bother the server at all. Consistently servers could not remember what was ordered and had to ask for repeats and be corrected. Could not remember who ordered what when serving. This happened repeatedly in all restaurants. Even the paid restaurants which ought to have most skilled servers. Also, those did not have their own bar tenders and they had to go out to a very busy bar and take a long time to get drinks.
Shore excursions were consistently mishandled. Not close to up to par of NCL on prior cruises. Port planning was extremely poor. Many on NCL for first time were commenting they would never do NCL again. I had to ask them to not judge NCL by this poorly managed ship. They blamed ports, which was very bad cause NCL ought to know their ports by now. Rome was a complete disaster for everyone. Not everyone had been properly notified of the change to Terragonna. The ticket management of the shore excursions were very bad. worst was for the White Houses tour. Told to meet on pier. Nobody on pier. Some had walked all along pier to outside the building and were waiting there. My friend and I were stopped from going into building and sent back to gangway. This time we found someone with a clipboard ... no sign. Had not been there before. Walking back she gets stopped by bus driver on other side of fence where we had been refused before. Now we form two lines there. 1 for our excursion and 2nd for a different excursion. She never goes to get people who had gone out front .... they just kind of discover the buses on their own and manage to come back to form lines. It was a total mess. Her attitude sucked.
Cabin Review
Oceanview Picture Window
Got this cabin with a bid to upgrade in last weeks before cruise. It was located right above Bliss, but never a noise problem. Very convenient to Bliss, 5'Oclock Somewhere, O'Sheehan's and Buffet. 3 in cabin and enough room. 4th bed under one of the beds used up storage. Wish it wasn't there. But, we figured out that we could put the 2 side tables closer together to pull the bed under the pullman out further so that person could sit on side of bed when pullman down. Works for 3 people in cabin. Don't recommend this cabin for 4 people as the 4th bed would make a solid wall of the 3 beds plus the pullman. Great window with totally unobstructed view. Relatively close to aft elevator. Bathroom would be better if wall was removed from between sink and toilet.
We could consistently slightly hear people in cabins either side.
Joe was a great cabin attendant.
Port Reviews
Cannes
There is a little train at the port that will drive you around the town to see the sights 1 time. Be patient with the headphones. Took forever and had to turn volume way up to hear. Most had given up on headphones. Was nice intro. Then walked about and shopped and ate. Had excellent lazagne and found truffle oil
Florence (Livorno)
Wanted to do Cinque Terre but it was booked full. Never notified that we did not get off the waiting list. They should have notified us.
Prior cruise I have done train to Florence on my own and it was great.
Mykonos
Nice beach. Got to go snorkeling. Not much to see. Nice drive from one side of island to the other.