Norwegian Cruise Line - Norwegian Star Reviews

Ok not good ports in iceland

The cruise went well but Norwegian food is not as one would expect. I would do it again though.

We loved it! Bought On Board Credits & will book another adventure soon.

Overall, we had a wonderful vacation. However, there was a stark contrast between the destinations and the cruise itself. I'll start off by saying all crew from stewards, to dining staff did a very good job. My wife and I don't really partake in entertainment onboard. For us, bed and food are our primary concerns onboard. Unfortunately, both there woefully inadequate. The bed was remarkably hard. So much so, that both my wife and I woke up sore every morning. Onboard, we dined at three specialty restaurants in addition to parking of regular dining and the buffet We found the food to be mediocre and lacked flavor throughout the ship. However, the service was very good. In fact, the food was so unremarkable, that we made a point to eat off the ship whenever possible. We will think twice before booking on Norwegian again.

Took this cruise with friends who were first time cruisers. We loved the ship, but most of all the scenery. This trip allowed us all to return to Iceland together and to see a unique part of the world. Hiking in Greenland was super!

We liked the specialty restaurants and the included options of Ginza and O'Sheehans in addition to the two main dining rooms and the buffet. We had a good time on this cruise. However two negatives that really stand out. Norwegian changed ports and reduced port times a few months before sailing. Days before they cancelled 3 ports. They replaced one and added two sea days. They did NOTHING to make up for this when they easily could have. They are claiming weather and icy conditions but the facts are that they routinely cancel these ports. They cancelled ports on us last year in the Mediterranean . No valid reason. Then there are the problems getting on and off the ship. Our cruise started with a two hour wait standing outside in 45 degrees. Port time was missed due to their incredible mismanagement . Twice we missed substantial portions of excursions purchased through them due to their inability to get people off the ship. We are unlikely to cruise with Norwegian again.

A very successful cruise, the weather was good, although in one case it made it impossible to go ashore. A rich and varied artistic program on board. I recommend it to all those who appreciate the beauty of nature.

The cruise was great except for the handling of tender passes. There has to be a better way!!!

Excellent time, stunning weather, good excursions, great accommodations, super service. Only disappointment was their wifi, horrible, and flexibility prior to the trip.

Norwegian is excellent all the way around. Ginza is a mediocre restaurant pn both of the ships - but all of the other restaurants were FANTASTIC and delicious. Moderno was great on the Jade but only average on the Star. The personnel are exceptional on both the Jade and the Star. Everyone was eager to help and very polite. The show "Paradis" was better than shows I've seen on Broadway. Great entertainers on both ships.

We would have been able to see more from our balcony if we had been on the port side of the boat. We were disappointed that 2 of our ports were closed due to high winds. We enjoyed the excursions we went on. Ship size was ideal. It allowed us to enjoy the stops we were able to make.

Loved this first NCL cruise to Antarctica. Every port was excellent and the shore excursions, particularly Punta Ninfas in Puerto Madryn, Estancia La Rabida in Montevideo, the Lagoon Bluff in Stanley, Falkland Islands and Iguana Falls were absolutely wonderful. We met the nicest people on this cruise and the cruise staff, with the exception of the Shore Excursion staff, were wonderful. The Shore Excursion staff needs to learn manners and customer service. Two individuals in particular were extremely rude and condescending. We did not let them spoil our trip. We did have some glitches with the flights that NCL booked for us. In the future, I would make my own travel arrangements as it was very difficult to get the flights corrected, particularly when you have a travel agent involved, NCL will not talk to you and our travel agent had no sense of urgency in correcting until 2 days before our scheduled flights. The cruise, itinerary and the ports were wonderful....just have a responsive travel agent.

After multiple postponements, we finally had our 45th anniversary cruise on NCL Star, Southampton - Reykjavik. Had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the ports with local food and drink. Thank you Nancy for all the help with arrangements and for making it all happen! Dave and Jan C

We really enjoyed our 10 day NCL cruise to Iceland, Ireland and UK. It gave us a good look at this part of Europe. The Iceland ports were our favorites with crisp air, beautiful mountains and friendly people. We docked at only one of three Ireland cities- Belfast. Both Dublin and Cork were a 20-30 minute train ride from port. Liverpool, UK was fabulous, especially the Beatles experience tour. Portland, UK didn’t impress. Having been on several other Norwegian ships, it is apparent that the Star was remodeled to fit the pattern. It had all of the restaurants and venues of the other ships in a scaled down version. However, I missed the atrium bar ( a coffee bar on the Star) and the events that take place there on other ships. I felt the shows in the Stardust lounge were lacking. Saying that, the violin trio that played frequently in an area above the atrium were superb! If you can afford it, opt for a balcony suite. Our standard balcony was the smallest room I’ve been on in NCL’s line. The couch was shoved next to the bed, leaving no room for even a minute nightstand. Since there was only one electric outlet that fit my husband’s sleep machine, the coffee maker and carpet sweeper, we were constantly switching out. While the shower was very nice, the toilet area was so small that it was impossible to close the door!

The Norwegian Star was well below our expectations for a major cruise line. The itinerary was fine but the ship was poor. There was always something that did not work. The soft serve ice cream never worked. When we arrived on board, there was no bourbon of any kind, no diet sodas of any kind and the internet hardly ever worked. When we pointed out that the hot tubs did not work, the customer service solution was to try and get us to purchase an upgrade spa package. The food in the main dining rooms and other complimentary venues was mediocre at best The ship's staff, while very courteous and helpful, had a very low English language comprehension which meant most food and beverage orders returned incorrectly. This is no reflection on Avoya but it certainly reflects poorly on Norwegian. Their customer service was of no help. This was our first and probably last Norwegian cruise. It ranks well below, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. If this has been our first cruise experience, we would probably have never cruised again.

Captain communicated well regarding any virus concerns, went out of his way to show us the Glaciers, Cape Horn, etc. FAR better than the Captain on the Spirit. I would recommend spending an extra day in Buenos Aires and NOT an extra day in Santiago. Best bet would be to take the East to West trip, fly into BA, spend an extra day there, and get off the ship in Santiago and head for the airport or tour/airport. Santiago is in a major drought, and with the unrest, the once beautiful city is now a Grafitti covered mess.

We have sailed with NCL several times but felt this time it was less exciting on a daily basis. The nightly entertainment was excellent. The Cruise Director Jeimy Caro worked hard and was delightful. She was beautifully dressed on all occasions, polite ,friendly and creative. Her style was classic and a pleasing addition to the boat. Service in the Versaille Restaurant was very slow and scattered. Some of the food was strange e.g. salmon in the tasteless poaching water. The choice of onboard activity was slanted to lowbrow comedy shows about" the best married couple." There were no informative talks in the Theatre about the places being visited. Certainly Jeimy gave some information out over the PA system when the boat was rounding Cape Horn but it wasn't always easy to hear. Some historical presentation would have been well received. There is a lot of colourful history about the area and it's discovery. Tours from the boat were horribly expensive and not always good. The two hour boat ride to and from the Penguin Sanctuary on Magdelena Island for example . Then the 1 hour walk round the island wasn't that exciting. The suite was pleasant and well kept for us by the steward. The cute towel toys placed on beds on previous trips had disappeared on this one. Some of the ports were less than interesting if you didn't choose an expensive tour, so your time ashore wasn't filled with interesting experiences. The Captain always had the boat in port on time and when he joined guests was a delightful person with a sense of humor.

Not happy with the food in the Regular dining room, but speciality dining was great except the Italian restaurant not so good