We were second-time NCL cruisers when we boarded the NCL Star on Saturday, November 20th. We had been overwhelmingly impressed with our first NCL cruise in September aboard the NCL Dawn and so were eagerly anticipating a repeat-performance.

While cruising on the Dawn in September, we were delighted with the caliber of entertainment. There were nights when we were torn between going to the main showroom or getting seats in one of the lounges for the "other" entertainment. They had individual performers in some of the lounges who were so good, we could have listened to them every day. The main showroom acts were collectively wonderful and individually talented. The cruise director was personable and highly entertaining and the team he headed seemed to genuinely enjoy each other. They performed their shipboard duties with humor and professionalism. The cruise director took a personal interest in some needs my husband expressed to him (i.e., a meeting for Veterans and a "service club makeup meeting").

That was the basis for our expectations on the Star and it didn't take long to see that it was not going to live up to those standards. The entertainment in the lounges was about a step above a local karaoke club and the main showroom entertainment had only a couple of highlights (the Frankie Vallie Tribute and Elements). The cruise director and his staff didn't seem to have the camaraderie that makes a cruise enjoyable (if the staff isn't enjoying themselves or hasn't got a rapport, it is passed along to the guests). Read more