Not as bad as the reviews say!

Trip Review - NCL Star to Alaska July 10-17, 2010
This was our second cruise and first on NCL Star and to Alaska. Our first was in 2007 on Carnival to Mexican Riviera for 5 days. Both times we brought our kids (now mid teens). Despite all of the negative reviews on the NCL Star we read that scared us to death, it was pretty good overall. All family members rated the overall trip 8 out of 10. Give the negative reviews a grain of salt. I think people who have bad experiences are more incented to complain (online), so take them with a grain of salt.
Comparing NCL to Carnival is unavoidable. Generally we preferred Carnival (Elation) better due to a younger, livelier crowd, better dEcor and deck layouts, better public spaces, more fun things to do on board, better teen program and spaces, free soft drinks everywhere and maybe even better food. But the Star's entertainment and cabins were superior. Food
The food is one of the biggest draws for any cruise ship. NCL Star wasn't bad, wasn't great. There are five free eating areas: Blue Lagoon, Aqua, Versailles and Market Cafe and the outdoor grill (that we were aware of). The rest require varying cover charges per person.
The Market Cafe we called the zoo because it's loud and constantly swarming with people, kids and service staff. It was often hard to find a place to sit. It's a buffet, so what do you expect? Most was edible and plentiful. The pancakes were bland. Desserts were everywhere but most were tasteless. I'm so turned off in general by fat Americans piling tons of food on their plates that they basically don't finish and waste. Makes me ill. We took what we expected to eat and ate it. I'm a snob, but over 10-20% of the guests had to be grossly obese—disgusting.
NCL sported a chocolate buffet night splurge fest with various deserts and chocolate fondue and ice cream, but basically wasn't that tasty unfortunately.
We ate at Cagney's Steakhouse and Ginsa Asian restaurant. Both were good, but not really worth the extra money. Best part was service, nice dEcor and no crowds. The steakhouse may have been better, as we got a hefty sized filet with all the trimmings, lobster bisque soup and more. The au gratin looked nice but was tasteless. Overall average tasting. Service was always good.
One real downside is that we found waiters frequently trying to up sell us on "specials" in the cover charge restaurants. In fact, at breakfast one day, our waitress hovered over us for a long time making small talk and finally came out and tried to up sell us. Really irritating. A minute of chitchat is fine, but hovering over us constantly was inappropriate.
It was very disappointing that soft drinks and lemonades must be paid for (free on Carnival). Only apple, orange, pineapple juices were free at the Market Cafe during breakfast. As a soft drink addict, I found this irritating. Only water, milk and coffee are free otherwise and I don't drink coffee or milk. Hot chocolate was included at Blue Lagoon.
I skipped the $50/week unlimited "refill" pass more out of spite. You'd have to drink at least four cans a day to break even, and I only drank around three a day, so I saved $10+ buying a can each for $2.24 (including tax and tip). Although with the pass you don't have the added overhead of signing for each can—geez. The bar staff swarms almost everywhere trying to sell you drinks which is good if you are looking for them, but perhaps too many as we ordered one then three other waiters show up to serve us. Leave us alone!
We never used room service because of the limited selection of items. Was easier to walk two floors up to the Market Cafe (which we called the Zoo). Cabins
We got a balcony room for us, and an inside cabin for the kids across the hall. It worked out great. So NCL's policy is that kids must have a parent in the room with them, but we simply got extra keys and re-arranged ourselves after we checked in. The staff didn't care and our kids are old enough to be self sufficient and responsible. The kids felt the beds were extremely comfortable and didn't mind being inside though did miss being able to see the view, so they'd try to come into ours sometimes, but eventually became comfortable roaming the ship without us and seeing the views elsewhere.
The rooms were not gaudy we felt except for perhaps some gaudy artwork, reasonably appointed, white bed sheets and nice wood paneling on various cabinets. Good lighting in the room and on the balcony.
The bathrooms were very nice (better than Carnival's) though they have no electrical outlet. The hair dryer and outlet are in the main room near the bathroom with a mirror. Shampoo and bath gel are in the showers. The water pressure wasn't great in the shower but certainly got hot enough.
The balcony room was not large but not cramped either. It's great for two people. The couch supposedly unfolds for a third but I wouldn't recommend it. The beds were not gaudy and had nice white sheets. The pillows were nice and big/soft but the mattresses were somewhat hard. The room had several large mirrors and behind the bed making the room feel larger. Temperature control was good and we could open/close the sliding glass window for some quick fresh air.
There is only one 110V AC outlet in the room so if you need juice for multiple devices, you should bring a power strip and even an extension cord (we did). Came in handy with several chargers we had.
The balcony spoils you and like others say, and I agree, you never want to go back to inside or ocean view room once you've experienced a balcony room. You wake up each morning looking out your sliding glass doors at the scenery from your bed. Marvelous.
We wanted to sit out on the balcony more often but due to cruising Alaska, it was generally too cold and windy to spend much time out there. We could with a few nice warm days interspersed.
Rooms were always cleaned quickly and well. The stewards we did interact with were very friendly and accommodating.
My daughter misplaced her TV remote once and we couldn't find it so the staff quickly brought a replacement (we thought we might be charged for losing the first one, but wasn't). Then the other remote showed up later.
BEWARE! When the boat docks at port, crewmen on a moving platform on a track outside washes down the ship. A couple times we were rudely surprised as we were practically naked changing in the morning and we see a guy outside our balcony suddenly moving across our view! Although I don't think he looked in, he could have. There was no warning. Freaky.
The tiny TV sucked but was adequate since we really shouldn't be wasting our time in front of the tube. While an expense, I'd recommend NCL upgrade rooms to 40+ inch flat screen LCD TV's to replace the crappy tube TV and gaudy artwork. It would certainly differentiate NCL and improve the overall experience.
One channel was a 24/7 webcam of the front of the ship that was fun for 2 seconds but otherwise dull. Would be nice to see different parts of the ship on cam. The voyage stats channel was a nice touch for 1995 but should be upgraded on that new LCD screen I'm suggesting. It just cycles slowly with various info like speed, position, pool temperatures, etc. The map system was slow and outdated and would be nice to have more interactivity and a GPS route, etc. But it tuned out to be our favorite channel as we read we could see where we were at any given time. Events
Some events were really good but many weren't. We loved the comedy, game shows, contests, dances and karaoke at Spinnaker lounge. Be careful as you may be picked to participate!
Ken Bird the ventriloquist was hilarious. Oddly he first picked my daughter to receive and hold a one of his wiggling furry creatures. Then later, he picked my wife to join him and another audience member to serve as human dummies that he spoke through—was hilarious. She did not want to be picked but reluctantly participated.
She was also unlucky to be picked Dance With The Stars at Spinnaker. She is such a ham and got into it with her partner (Fraggle Rock) and ended up jumping on him exposing her underwear. She's a goof and was embarrassed as of course the event was televised through everyone's staterooms on an endless loop. So she was somewhat famous for a week I guess.
Second City gave some good comedic performances which were fun, especially the adult versions of course. O What a Night (Frankie Valli tribute) was also very entertaining—much better than we expected. Ports & Excursions We only had four ports outside of Seattle: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Prince Rupert. Generally, the Star doesn't provide sufficient time at the ports to really soak up the local experience, so you are forced to move quickly. The most plausible explanation is that they want to cram more ships in (NCL Pearl shared ports too), they prefer you spend more time and money on ship, and port fees must be high although they certainly make decent commissions on the excursions. Yes they are priced high and some are probably rip-offs but you are held hostage and you are there to enjoy the off-ship scenery so you are stuck.
They digitally photograph you when you first embark and associate with your card key, so they never asked us for photo ID, just our cards when exiting/entering the ship. They have a small scanner after you enter for checking metallic substances, so be prepared to remove belts with buckets, cameras, cell phones, change...
They don't allow food back onboard but they never seemed to care or enforce it. So many of the ports sell candy, popcorn, drinks, and they seem to let those in apparently. We never tried to smuggle in alcohol.
Ketchikan is the quaintest of the ports we felt, an interesting little town with quite a bit of shopping, history and scenery. Ketchikan had the best and most varied shopping we thought, though Skagway and Juneau had typical tourist shops too. Recommend you walk past the tourist shops and far back into the town towards the park to see some incredible old totem poles, scenery and get the local feel.
In Juneau, instead of paying $300 for the family to tour the glacier we simply caught a cab from the dock for only $70 round trip to the Mendenhall Glacier—and got a personal tour from the driver. We were not rushed to stay with a tour group and saw many people running/complaining of their schedule. We missed the hatchery (but who cares) and had more time seeing the glacier. The young Russian cabby on the way back took us to see the governor's mansion (wasn't much I'll say). He was a real kick. In Juneau you need to stop by Tracey's King Crab Shack for some mouthwatering bisque and crab.
Skagway is the farthest north and has requisite tourist shops galore down a strip, but nothing entirely noteworthy. A few off the beaten path restaurants and bars. The real draw is the scenery, mountains, and rivers. We took the train ride up the mountain with incredible vistas. They provide free water bottles but recommend you bring snacks since it's a long 2-3 hour ride. Sit in the middle of the train car if you go because we found numerous kids opening and closing the door to the outside which was freezing and windy (we sat at the end).
Prince Rupert (Canada) was forgettable except for the scenery. Don't forget your passports which you also need to re-enter the US in Seattle. I ended up taking my daughter on a 3.5 hour kayak tour which was well worth it. However, not being experienced kayakers we got very tired 1.5 hours into it and found ourselves dying by the end to get back to the beach where we started from as the clock ticked towards 8pm and getting darker and colder. But the tour cooked up free crab and donuts at the end and they were very friendly and informative. Recommended Things To Bring
1. Small power strip and extension cord. 2. Nook eReader packed with reading material. 3. iPod to hear tunes while hot tubing or lounging. 4. Binoculars for scenery and occasional whale/animal sightings. 5. Camera and/or camcorder with lots of batteries and storage and small tripod. 6. Layers of clothing. Shorts for hot days (there were a few) and long pants. Hat and gloves for cold weather, ski coat and light sweater, hiking shoes for dirty excursions, flip-flops or slip-ons for ship use and fancy shoes for nightlife. 7. Don't' forget valid passports! 8. A duffle bag for your last night. Miscellaneous
Enforced tips suck. They are convenient from an accounting perspective though and the staff generally performed quite well despite this approach. We read we could opt out of enforced tips to tip individually, but decided it wasn't worth it. We heard that the staff doesn't get any time off weekly—that they have to work continuously for 8 months and then get 4 months off. Sounds incredibly grueling and unfair. They should get at least one day off a week in not two.
Staff was efficient, friendly and courteous. I asked a janitor once where the nearest men's room was and pointed the way in a crowded corridor. I changed my mind about using it then and went back into the fitness center, and he had followed me to make sure I found it and said it wasn't in there! While it was a little creepy that he was following me with dedication, I found it noteworthy that he cared. The hosts and hostesses of events were outstanding, fun and friendly. Candi our South African cruise director was terrific and Kristine (Filipino hostess) was a kick.
The cruise age demographic was top heavy and while I am being ageist, I enjoy a younger crowd 20-55 singles, couples and families with older kids for the energy. I'd estimate at least half of the passengers were 55-85. I know old age is my fate if I am so lucky, but I'm not there yet.
The ship is modern and well designed. I looks beautiful. It felt extremely sturdy and safe. It did sway a bit especially in the open sea, but this is normal. Generally you could not tell you were on a ship—Carnival's Elation had more noticeable movement. Carnival really does have better public areas (design and larger space). The Star sacrifices that for upscale restaurants with cover charges to keep out the riffraff. It just seems like a business decision that's paying off for them.
The Spa area was beautiful. They pushed a special $99 for one or $150 per couple for the week to have unlimited access to the spa area which was quite tempting. The more private spa area includes two hot tubs, a lap pool, sauna, showers, classy lounge chairs, and two private reading areas with small bars. It was quite tempting but we ended up passing because we felt our balcony cabin was sufficient for both privacy and view and wanted to save money. We ended up visiting the public hot tubs daily, which was not so bad and afforded us people watching and socializing sometimes which we like. The more private spa offers some of the villa experience at substantially reduced price.
Overall, again we had a great time and loved seeing Alaska as it's been on our bucket list for many years. All of the extras do add up and we had a $1500+ bill of incidentals (excursions, forced tips, drinks), so make sure you budget beyond the basics. Try to ignore any negatives, focus on the positives and bask in the glow of luxury cruising for the masses. And check out the scenery once in awhile.
Most of all, have fun!

Incredible balcony and view (you will not want to go back to inside or ocean view rooms), quiet (no/low noise from hallway), nicely appointed room (not gaudy), quick/good room housekeeping, white sheets, annoying crease in the middle of our "queen" bed due to twins pushed together, somewhat hard mattresses but nice pillows, not too cramped a room actually, great bathroom though small, only one 110V outlet in room so bring power strip and extension cord, hair dryer in the room (not bathroom), TV is tiny/low quality but did have inputs to watch our own videos from our camera. Watch out for guys who roll by your balcony window at ports to spray down ship--they caught us by surprise a few times while we were practically naked--there was no warning about them or what they were doing. We loved the privacy and view of the room and spent much time there. We were tempted by the $150/couple for the week to use the Spa facility, but room was sufficient with public hot tubs. In room safe was sufficient for small items like wallets, batteries, keys, cameras, iPods, phones, but not for a laptop. Maybe an iPad?