star cruise review

Norwegian Star

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Norwegian Star – capable of carrying 2,348 passengers and 1,031 crew members – was refurbished in 2021 as part of The Norwegian Edge program. The ship offers the Spice H2O adult-only escape, where guests can sip cocktails in their lounge chairs by day and party under the stars by night. 

Beyond its adult spaces, this Norwegian ship is well-suited for multigenerational travel. Kids' needs are satisfied thanks to youth clubs, teen lounges and pools, while adults can relax at the Mandara Spa. At night, the entire gang can enjoy a number of onboard performances and a myriad of meal options available at the ship's 13 restaurants.

In terms of lodging, Star's Inside and Oceanview cabins range from 140 to 195 square feet. For even more space, guests can opt for a Balcony, Club Balcony or Suite category cabin.

Norwegian Star sails to destinations in South America and Europe.

Pros & Cons

Refurbished in 2018

Over half of dining venues require extra fee

• Expert Rating » 3.5
• Traveler Rating » 3.5
• Health Rating » 4.6

Norwegian Star ranks # 18 out of 19 Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Ships based on an analysis of expert and user ratings, as well as health ratings.

• # 18 in Best Norwegian Cruise Line
• # 73 in Best Cruises to Europe
• # 109 in Best Affordable Cruises

Norwegian Star offers a wide range of accomodation options. Browse cabins to find the stateroom that suits your needs.

Norwegian Star contains 11 decks. Find out which features are available on each Norwegian Star deck.

Traveler Reviews

A ship’s traveler rating is provided under license by Cruiseline.com , which manages one of the largest databases of cruise reviews and ratings by travelers. A total of 2036 guests have reviewed Norwegian Star , giving it a rating of 3.6 on a scale of 1-5.

Cruiseline Travel Rating:

Reviews by traveler type.

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Disclaimers about ship ratings: A ship’s Health Rating is based on vessel inspection scores published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If a ship did not receive a CDC score within 22 months prior to the calculation of its Overall Rating, its Health Rating appears as N/A; in such a case, the ship’s Overall Rating is calculated using the average Health Rating of all CDC-rated ships within the cruise line. All ship Traveler Ratings are based on ratings provided under license by Cruiseline.com.

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Norwegian Star Review: The Good Bad and the Ugly

By: Author coupletraveltheworld

Posted on Last updated: August 27, 2023

Categories Cruise Reviews

Considering cruising on the Norwegian Star but don’t know what the ship will be like?

You have come to the right place. We have traveled on Norwegian Cruise Line a lot (here’s a Norwegian Getaway review, a Norwegian Sun review and a Norwegian Sky review ) and are now finally platinum members (yippee – hello free speciality dining meals!) so we know a thing or two about Norwegian ships.

Norwegian Star is one of the smaller of the Norwegian cruise fleet, it is also one of the older ships which means it doesn’t have some of the facilities of the large ships like waterslides but we still really enjoyed our cruise.

We cruised on the Norwegian Star for over 30 nights on a back to back sailing from Southhampton UK to Reykjavík Iceland up the coast of Scotland and Norway. During this time, I noted my thoughts on the ship so keep reading for the good, the bad and the ugly of the Norwegian Star to decide whether you would like to cruise on it for your next vacation.

Entertainment

The entertainment on the ship was of a really high quality overall. The ship has a production team which consist of 3 lead female singers, 3 lead male singers and backup dancers. I believe this team rotates every 8 months or so so the production team may vary depending on when you travel.

If you are on a cruise for around 10 days (this was 1 leg of our 3) they will do 3 shows in total. These shows are on repeat for a few months so if you do back to back cruising, you will likely need to see the same show twice. That being said, we really liked the production shows and were happy to see them a few times. There was a good show when we sailed called “What the World Needs” celebrating music of Burt Bacharach.

We also met the cast around the ship and they were all really nice and friendly. They are allowed to access some of the guest facilities like the gym and buffet so you often see them around. Most of them are up for a chat.

In addition to the production performances, there are 3-4 guest acts that Norwegian hires which perform in the Stardust theatre (the main stage). This is the only theatre on the ship.

During our cruise, we had a guest singer, a magic show, a juggler, a violinist and an acrobatic duo. All shows were good but the acrobatic duo ( MP Art Duo ) were absolutely phenomenal and absolutely world class having previously worked for Cirque du Soleil. 

This is a great cruise for young adults so if you are in your 20s/30s and thinking to book this cruise we would say, go for it as the entertainment was great for this age group.

My Dad was disappointed we didn’t have a comedian onboard on the first two legs of the cruise like there has previously been on other ships. Being a smaller ship, there was less overall entertainment than larger ships like the Norwegian Epic and less choice but it was still overall a very high quality. We were on back-to-back sailings and on the third leg of the cruise a comedian did come on. Although, I would rate the entertainment and comedic value as poor. It was disappointing to say the least.

A benefit to the larger ships is that you don’t need to book shows in advance. You can just show up and get a seat.  I really liked this as it meant you didn’t have to plan your schedule in advance.

In addition to the theatre performances which are generally on 7pm and 9pm (two shows nightly) there was various other entertainment around the ship like piano players, guitarists and violinists to watch as you enjoy a drink.

Rating: 9/10

The food on the Norwegian Star was overall of a very high quality. There are 2 free main dining areas (Versailles and Aqua) as well as a pub area (O’Sheehans), a Chinese restaurant (Ginza) and a buffet (the Garden Buffet) that you can visit without a speciality dining package.

Versailles is the fancier of the two free restaurants onboard the Norwegian Star with an old-world Mary Antoinette vibe. The ceilings at the restaurant are high and the decor of the restaurant is regal and gold. Lovely oil paintings line the walls.

Aqua presents more modern-style dining with more modern furniture and finishings as well as a star ceiling.

Versailles was my preference of the two as I preferred the decor and the service tended to be faster as a whole. Both Versailles and Aqua serve exactly the same menu each night and share a galley so the food for both restaurants is identical.

I think some guests just choose to dine at whichever restaurant is closer to their cabin. There are a lot of larger guests onboard the cruise – it is a foodies paradise after-all – and some of them can’t walk very far.

Versailles restaurant

The menu for Versailles and Aqua changed nightly and for the most part I couldn’t fault it. Some of my personal highlights (if you see them come up) are the peanut bang bang chicken and shrimp and the rainbow trout.

Bang bang chicken and shrimp served at Versailles and Aqua on the Norwegian Star

Coconut shrimp on the Norwegian star

We dined at Ginza, the included Chinese restaurant only twice over the 30 nights we were onboard the Norwegian Star on our back to back sailing.

I would say the food at Ginza was a bit ordinary overall. It had a bit of an MSG taste if I’m honest. A special mention to the fried vegetable pot stickers at Ginza which stood out from the rest of the menu and are worthwhile ordering if you decide to dine there. 

The pub O’Sheehans was the only restaurant on the Star that opened 24/7. In the past Norwegian cruises have offered a late night small buffet so you can have a snack after the show finished but it seems this stopped after COVID-19 which I think is a bit poor. 

O’Sheehans has a great pub menu and is worth visiting for their burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs. It is also the only place on the ship which serves Guinness beer which my husband and father appreciated. If you are traveling in a group, it is also one of the most likely places you will get a window ocean view table as the tables at Versailles are mostly set up for couples.

The Garden cafe had some good food on offer too. One night they had suckling pig on the menu which was seriously delicious and we really enjoyed.

There are also 6 specialty dining restaurants onboard the Star where a fee, dining package or voucher applies: Cagneys Steakhouse, La Cucina Italian, Le Bistro French, Moderno Brazilian, Sushi and Teppanyaki. If you don’t have a dining package included in your cruise/ are not a platinum number, I believe you can purchase a package onboard for around $50 USD per person per restaurant.

Out of the 6 specialty dining restaurants onboard the Norwegian Star we tried 4: Cagneys Steakhouse, La Cucina Italian, Le Bistro French and Moderno Brazilian.

We had 1 speciality dining included in our cruise as part of a promotion. Plus, if you cruise with Norwegian a lot and hit “platinum status” you get 2 extra speciality dining included per cruise of 5 days or longer. So in total we had 3 per cruise and 9 speciality dining in total during our 30 days at sea.

Cagneys Steakhouse had very good food especially the Filet Mignon steak (highly recommended). A few in our group tried some of the other steak cuts at the restaurants and none compared to the quality of the Filet Mignon. Don’t be turned off by the fact that you don’t get as much Filet Mignon 8oz as the other cuts of steak where you get as much as double as it is plenty and you will leave feeling rather full, quality over quantity I say. Other good options at the restaurant are the onion soup (very good) and the shrimp cocktail. 

La Cucina Italian was a big let-down. If you only want to try a few of the speciality dining restaurants onboard, I would avoid this one. The pizza was border-line uneatable. The pasta meals were pretty basic with the one saving grace the lasagne, which was above average.

We dined at Le Bistro French several times during the cruise as the food was absolutely top notch. My family were disgusted by the idea of ordering escargots (snails) but after trying one of my garlic snail deliciousness, they ended up all ordering the entree themselves next time we dined there.

The beetroot goats cheese salad as well as the duck main are also highly recommended. I ordered duck every single time we dined at Le Bistro as it was that good!

Duck meal at Le Bistro French restaurant Norwegian Star

Moderno Brazilian was a mixed bag. The boys really enjoyed it but my mother and myself didn’t really rate it. I would say the meat was a bit too salty for my personal taste. It does include a really nice buffet which includes sushi and yummy cheeses to start with as an entree which is really nice.

Beverages and Bars onboard

On Norwegian, you have the choice to buy a NCL beverage package which gives you access to all drinks (except speciality coffees like lattes) under $15 in value OR you can buy what you want onboard as you go.

If we are traveling in a group, as we were on this cruise, we usually buy the beverage package as it is more economical if you are consuming a bit of grog. Norwegian often offers “Free at Sea” promos where they throw in the beverage package into the price of the cruise for a few hundred extra. There is also a beverage gratuity added if you decide to purchase the beverage package.

There are numerous bars you can visit around the ship with our favorites being Gatsbys, the Mojito bar, the Bliss lounge and the Whisky bar.

I was very happy overall with the choice and quality of beverages onboard the Star. If you like a good red wine, I would recommend trying the Barkan Classic from Israel which was really nice.

As mentioned, speciality coffees like lattes are not included in the beverage package and I really think they should be when ships like Costa do include them when buying their beverage package. That is my only complaint about the beverages.

One of our favourite wines onboard the Star

We found the staff on the Norwegian Star a little hit and miss. There were some seriously fantastic but others were borderline bad.

The customer service overall at Norwegian needs serious improvement. You could line up for hours at customer service at the ship and have nothing done for you.  Try calling Norwegian on the phone and it’s even worse. No-one in customer service seems to know what’s going on. For example, as a platinum member, you are supposed to get chocolate covered strawberries delivered to the room. Despite asking multiple times, they did not arrive to our room on our last leg of the cruise.

On the other hand, we met a bartender called Rico who was a champion and made our time on the cruise an absolute pleasure. He’s the best – 10/10 for Rico. Rico worked with a bartender called Jeffrey in a duo who was also really lovely.

The staff at the restaurants were also generally really nice and helpful. We often ordered multiple meals and they were really kind and didn’t care how much we ordered or make us feel like pigs. I also ordered extra this or that like extra shrimp in one meal and they were happy to oblige. 

Norwegian helps you with your luggage when you leave the ship, which is a great service, but when I went to collect mine, someone had spilt some large drink on it which I didn’t appreciate. When I went to inform staff at the terminal, it was difficult to find anyone and no-one seemed to care much.

Rating: 6/10

Cabins – Inside State Room

The Norwegian Star is an older ship and the cabins are really started to shown the age of the ship. The cabins are very clean and comfortable but they are showing signs of age like marks on the counter and yellow-ing of the walls.

We stayed in an inside cabin while onboard and it was ample for 2 people but I would not recommend anymore than 2 people staying inside, despite the fact there is a pull down bunk, it would be extremely crowded with more than 2 people. If you are traveling as a family with kids, I would recommend a larger room, like a balcony.

Included in the inside cabin is a double bed, full size floor to ceiling mirror, tv and desk/makeup station with a mirror as well as a private bathroom with a decent sized shower.

If you are traveling to somewhere that has the midday sun in summer, an inside cabin was really great as it totally blocked out the light. My parents usually book a balcony but loved their inside cabin for the light-blocking capabilities. 

Rating: 7/10

What rooms to avoid on the Norwegian Star?

If you are susceptible to motion sickness, you will want to get a room in mid-ship, ideally on the lowest floor possible.

I would also avoid any rooms in close proximity (either next to or above) restaurants and bars due to noise.

We stayed on level 9 (front) and my parents stayed on level 4 (mid) and their room was far more stable. Ours rocked around more when the seas became rougher.

We use wifi to work and purchased the unlimited wifi plan onboard. It was a big let-down. The wifi package costs around $40 USD a day for access, for the fastest package. There are 2 packages that you can choose from: one that is only good for checking emails etc and one that is supposed to be fast enough to stream. Well, half the time it did not work at all.

If the wifi flat out does not work after you buy it, you can visit the Internet Cafe staff and they will normally give you a refund so that is a good saving grace.

Rating: 5/10

Activities onboard

One thing I think Norwegian does really well is that they constantly entertain you while on board. The entertainment schedule you receive on the Freestyle Daily delivered to your room each day is packed with activities to choose from.

There is something to suit everyones taste from Trivia to “Game Shows” like the Newlywed Not So Newlywed show. This game show is a Norwegian classic and if you start to do multiple Norwegian cruises you will see it again and again but it’s pretty funny and doesn’t get old – I will let you experience it for yourself.

There is also karaoke and dance classes you can take part in, amoung other things. They have sadly taken out some of the more “contact activities” since COVID like the ultimate dance off where you partner with a member of the production crew and compete.

We noticed some other thing had also stopped since COVID like the towel animals. I suppose there is too much contact with guests towels for them to continue this cute housekeeping perk.

Rating: 8/10

As I said before, the Norwegian Star is an older ship which means the facilities are nowhere near as high quality as some of the newer and bigger ships in their fleet.

There is a small heated pool with four hot tubs in the middle of the boat as well as 2 hot tubs at the back of the boat for guests use. There are 2 hot tubs at the front of the boat for staff use only. There are no water slides on this cruise or rock climbing.

There is a small basketball court as well as a tiny driving range. The gym area was large and modern. We visited almost every day to try to offset the food we were consuming.

If you have kids there is a kids club area as well.

We visited Edinburgh, the Orkney islands, the Shetland islands, up the coast of Norway, around Iceland and to Greenland. The Star’s itinerary constantly changes based on what time of year you are booking.

Unlike some ships that constantly just go back and forward to the Bahamas or Alaska, the Star visits lots of different ports around the world. For the last few years, the Star has been sailing around South America in December, a route the Sun used to do.

I’m only giving the rating an 8/9 as due to the Star being a cheaper ship it often does not get the dock and has to use tender boats to access the ports of call which is more annoying and takes longer to do.

A cruise port in Iceland visited from the Norwegian Star

How to get the best price?

If you are flexible with dates, you can search Cruisedirect by month for all sailings.

We booked our cruise through Cruisedirect and we recommend you do the same because they consistently have the best deals. We paid around $600 USD per 10 day cruise which was great value.

What we like is that the site is quite user friendly and you can search cruises by price.

7 Night Caribbean Cruises from $469 on Norwegian, only at Cruisedirect.com. FREE Open Bar & Shore Excursions, Plus Up to $500 to Spend On Board!

Norwegian Star Review: Overall rating 8/10

All in all considered, I would give the Star a rating of 8 out of 10. A few areas of the cruise weren’t great but overall I had a really good time and would travel on the ship again.

I would say areas like the lower quality facilities and the older cabins did not overall detract from the enjoyment of my trip. While some of the staff were crap, others we will never forget and really made our journey enjoyable.

The Norwegian Star tends to be selling at a lower price point due to the age and the size of the ship and if you can get a good deal, I would recommend going for it! I think you’ll have a great time.

If you are planning on traveling on the Norwegian Star and have a question or if you have traveled on it as a past guest and have a comment, our readers would love to hear from you as every tip counts so leave a comment below!

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Norwegian Star Cruise Review: A Great Ship, A Great Model, A Great Experience!

While Most companies are continuously going bigger and flashier, the Norwegian star, which can now be considered an “Older ship” still strikes all the chords needed to have an exceptional cruising experience, thanks to Norwegians Cruise Line which are, in my opinion, one of the best in the game! Over my more than 20 cruises on all the most important cruise lines out there, I have gathered enough experience to be able to judge of what quality cruising is and I can sense when they go the extra mile on details, as well as when they “cut the corners short…”. Fortunately, I am happy to report that once again, Norwegian impresses me and definitely doesn’t cut any edges for what you pay!

Overall, an Older ship, Comfortable and not overcrowded

In This Article...

• 2 In a Nutshell…
• 3 Ship Comfort
• 4 Theater Shows
• 5 Room Comfort
• 6 Entertainment onboard’s “fun factor”
• 7 Service Quality
• 9 Cleanliness
• 10 Quality/Price
• 11 Check-in / Check-out
• 12 Fellow Passengers On-Board
• 13 Conclusion
• 14 The Norwegian Star in Pictures
• 15 Pin to Pinterest
• Check-in / Check-out: 6/10
• Entertainment onboard: 6/10
• Theater Shows: 9/10
• Ship Common Areas 8/10
• Ship Comfort: 8/10
• Room Comfort: 8/10
• Service Quality: 8/10
• Food: 10/10
• Cleanliness: 7/10
• Quality/Price: 8/10
• Overall satisfaction: 9/10

In a Nutshell…

Quantum Ultra Class : The Norwegian Star, part of the  Conquest-class  ships operated by  Carnival Cruise Line , brings freedom and flexibility to cruises spanning the  Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America, and Transatlantic  routes. Recently Refurbished : As part of  The Norwegian Edge  program, the ship underwent extensive enhancements to its  staterooms, public spaces, restaurants, bars, and lounges . Spice H20 : A new addition to the Norwegian Star,  Spice H20  is an  adult-only escape . By day, guests can sip cocktails from reclined lounge chairs, and by night, it transforms into a lively dance venue beneath the stars. World-Class Spa : The  Mandara Spa® , also recently refurbished, offers pampering services including facials, massages, acupuncture, and more. Ship Details : Gross Register Tonnage : 91,740 tons. Guest Capacity (Double Occupancy) : 2,348. Length : 965 feet. Width (Max Beam) : 125 feet. Year Built : 2001. Crew : 1,031. Cruise Destinations : Set sail from one destination and end in another, experiencing extraordinary journeys across the globe. Find special deals and reserve today on the Norwegian Star by clicking here .

Ship Comfort

One thing I learned while sailing the newest Monster ships out there with all the bells and whistle is that in the cruise industry, “bigger is not better”… In fact, this is in most cases a trick to cramp more rooms and people on the ship while providing the same amenities. This is what will make the ship feel overcrowded and massively decrease the comfort experience of the ship, which is a big factor of appreciation for me. This is where the Norwegian Star marked its first points I believe, with a lot of amenities and space for its size! Even when sailing at full capacity, the ship almost always felt spacious, balancing the passengers throughout the ships different rooms.

Result for Ship Comfort: 8/10

The Norwegian Star at Port

Theater Shows

Wow! This was such a surprise! The 4 shows of their production shows from their official Norwegian star dancers and signers were just fabulous. I had always enjoyed Norwegians theater shows on previous cruises, but I couldn’t remember how good this was! And I wasn’t the only one! On every one of their shows, especially the Vegas one, pretty much everybody was on a standing ovation. This must be one of the best choreographies I have seen on any ships! The other representations were also interesting, and since it was a Cross-Atlantic cruise, they had brought various artists to fit the empty days. Some were good, others were not. None were at the level of the 4 shows from the signers and dancers. The one thing I thought could have been improved is that for a transatlantic cruise of 14 days, they only showed the dancer’s show once each, the same amount as a normal 7-day cruise.

Find special deals and reserve today on the Norwegian Star by clicking here .

They must have used the transatlantic cruise as a little “break” for their performers, but I would have appreciated for them to repeat the shows, as they do on others Ships I have sailed, such as the Norwegian Epic, for example. Yes, it was that good! Norwegian has a reputation of hiring the best of the best quality dancers, while other ships hire seasonal and amateur dancers. Another thing I appreciated was the theatre’s design, which was big and spacious, set on two floors, which provided comfortable and great elevated views from the row in front. Everybody would get a good view of the shows wherever they would sit in the theater. Good Job Norwegian Star!

The Theater

Room Comfort

In General, the room was comfortable, but being a little older of course, this factor will play in the comfort experience. I felt like there were strange smells at times in the room, which was also noted by other passengers. Nothing major and it was dealt with quickly by the room attendant. On a positive note, they had a rehaul in 2018, which means they refurbished some areas of the ship, as well as some things in the room, such as USB ports, a great addition in these years of technology.

Result Room Comfort: 7/10

The Interior Room

Entertainment onboard’s “fun factor”

This is the biggest lack of the ship in my opinion. Out of the 5 different bands or artist playing, only one of them was actually good in my opinion: The Latin American duo which amazingly only a few people seemed to like. There were two bands of Asians playing that always seemed to be off-key, missing notes all the time and seemed unprofessional to anyone having at least an average musical ear! That amazed me that Norwegian would have such novice musicians onboard compared to their theatrical shows which were so high standard! The Soloist guitar player was good though, but not exceptional. The same goes with their pianist, which only played piano versions of pop music in the evenings, no variety such as classical or jazz, whatsoever. This is a shame since some Cruise lines hire some incredibly talented musicians, and none were provided on this cruise. The only talented classical music artist was an incredible Ukrainian violinist which was hired for her onstage performance. The show was amazing though, I just felt they could have provided such talent in their bars.Find special deals and reserve today on the Norwegian Star by clicking here .

The other big lack was their animation team, pretty much unexsistant! Some cruise lines make a great effort to entertain guests with games, animations, etc… The team was barely visible and would do the bare minimum… It Needs some attention urgently to boost the “fun” factor on the ship.

Finally, One of my biggest criticism on this ship was that there was no Nightclub. Yes, No nightclub on a ship of this size is unacceptable. They would only use one of the bars and would end up always empty after the animation team would do their little 30 minutes “dance with the crowd” daily before sending their DJ which was barely visible. No good… I later understood that they used the prime location for a nightclub on a ship, the panoramic view bar up at the highest floor, for their “exclusive guests only” section, leaving the rest of the ship without any decent place to go dancing the night away. A very bad choice of amenities which will hurt the Norwegian star’s reputation again on the “fun factor”.

• Stardust Theater : Picture a grand theater with plush seats, twinkling lights, and anticipation in the air. The  Stardust Theater  is where magic happens. More than  1,000 guests  gather to witness top-notch production shows. From Broadway-style musicals to jaw-dropping acrobatics, this theater hosts performances that’ll make your heart skip a beat.
• Club BOTR : Step into a time machine and groove your way back to the ’70s. At  Club BOTR , the Norwegian Production Cast and Show Orchestra transport you to the hottest disco club. Imagine the soaring melodies of Styx, the disco beats of Donna Summer, and the rock anthems of Queen. Your name’s on the guest list—so shimmy, shake, and be whoever you want to be!
• Deal or No Deal : Ready for some high-stakes drama? In this exhilarating show, contestants play and deal for cash. It’s a battle of nerves, intuition, and a dash of luck. Grab your play cards and join the suspense. Will you strike a deal or go all-in?
• Paradis : Parisian chic meets bohemian allure.  Paradis  is a mysterious, urban show inspired by the City of Light. Imagine an unknown club in Paris where the up-and-coming mingle with the elite. Visual feasts, sultry moves, and a touch of intrigue—it’s all here.
• Spinnaker Lounge : Late-night revelry awaits at the newly-relocated  Spinnaker Lounge . Dance the night away, sip cocktails, and let the music carry you. The stern of Deck 7 becomes your private party zone.
• Mandara Spa and Salon : Need a break from the spotlight? Head to the serene  Mandara Spa . Unwind with massages, facials, and rejuvenating treatments. Or take a dip in the  Thalasso Therapy Pool —total relaxation guaranteed.
• Internet Café : Stay connected even at sea. Norwegian Star has an onboard internet café. Share your adventures, check emails, and send virtual postcards to jealous landlubbers.

Result Entertainment onboard: 6/10

Service Quality

Amazing service is provided everywhere on the ship, to the highest standards in the industry! Great job to the team. Usually, on American ships, I noticed that the service is always better to attend to the demanding American customers compared to the European lines. Norwegian’s crew will always give that extra smile needed to make every seem happy, which is greatly appreciated!

Result Service Quality: 8/10

WOW! I must admit that very rarely will I hand over a 10 in a category, but here, I must give it to Norwegian. The food was plainly spectacular! Actually, out of all the ships that I have been on (over 20 from different lines), this has got to be the best food of any ship! First, the buffet was complete and different every night! The deserts were great too and the seating area was also well designed to provide enough space for everybody. Opening hours of the buffet were also extended for early and late breakfast and lunch.

But where the Norwegian Star shinned to my eyes was at the Versaille and Aqua restaurants provided at no extra cost. The quality of the food that was provided was, repeatedly incredible and I was surprised at how the chef reinvented every meal to the highest standards, every single night. This is a very difficult task to achieve since these meals need to be made in mass, for thousands of customers over an eating period of only about 4 hours. But I have not experienced even one bad night out of the 14. Special “hats down” for their desserts, which were just incredible, the best in the industry. I believe their chef was Portuguese and Filipino, and they definitely deserve my greatest respect for their work!

• Aqua and Versailles : These two main dining rooms offer traditional-style dining. Aqua, with its contemporary ambiance, invites you to savor your meal in a calm, cool setting. Meanwhile, Versailles transports you to French Renaissance splendor, complete with gold accents and gilt. Whether you prefer a cozy table for two or lively company, these dining rooms accommodate your wishes.
• O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill : Picture this: chunky wooden tables, ocean views, and a sense of intimacy. O’Sheehan’s, open 24 hours, serves up classic comfort food. Mac ‘n’ cheese, burgers, fries, and nachos—perfect for those late-night cravings. The only thing missing? A bowling alley, but hey, we’ve got the ocean right outside!
• The Garden Cafe : This bustling buffet on Deck 12 caters to all appetites. Breakfast omelets, waffles, and fresh salads at lunchtime. As the sun sets, it transforms into a casual dinner spot. Grab a plate, explore the stations, and let your culinary adventure begin.
• La Cucina : Deck 6 hosts this Italian eatery, where pasta and pizza reign supreme. Imagine twirling forkfuls of linguine while gazing out at the sea. Buon appetito!
• Moderno Churrascaria : Brazilian steakhouse vibes await on Deck 13. Neutral decor, private dining, and succulent meats—this is where the Star Bar once stood. Savor each juicy bite as you sip a mojito from the Sugarcane Mojito Bar nearby.
• Le Bistro : Norwegian’s signature French-Mediterranean restaurant resides on Deck 6. The ambiance matters almost as much as the food. Dim lighting, linen-draped tables, and Continental delights. Escargot, anyone?

Ginza : Now let’s talk Asian flavors. Ginza, free of charge, specializes in Asian recipes. Reserve early for the teppanyaki room—it seats only 12 lucky guests. And don’t miss the sushi bar with its whimsical “train” delivering delectable morsels.

Topsiders Bar & Grill : Picture yourself poolside, sun-kissed and hungry. Topsiders offers casual fare—think burgers, hot dogs, and refreshing drinks. It’s where you unwind after a dip in the pool or a lively dance at the deck party.

Result Food: 10/10

Great Food Selection on the Norwegian Star

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is very important on any ships since germs spread fast, especially on a 14 days ocean crossing. And Norwegian did a great job on this. They would have a “washy washy” staff in front of every entrance to the buffet for people to clean their hands prior to getting their food. A tiny detail for some, but an important one. For example, on a recent review, I have made about the MSC Meraviglia, absolutely no hand sanitizer would be found at any entrances of the buffet, which would result in so many people getting sick and coughing, contaminating others too. Totally unacceptable. Norwegian is one of those companies that take cleanliness seriously and this is well appreciated.

Result Cleanliness: 8/10

Quality/Price

Norwegian’s prices are well balanced in general. You get an above average experience, for an affordable price! Since I always liked my experience with Norwegian, I wouldn’t even hesitate to pay a little more on a cruise to be able to be with them. In my opinion, the two best cruising companies are Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. And while Royal Carribean ultimately really rarely lowers their prices, I feel like Norwegian has one of the best Quality/Price Ratio in the industry. Once again, well done Norwegian!

The only points to watch out is their overpriced “extras” like their excursions for example. They could also improve their internet service, which is absolutely overpriced compared to the competition in 2018. The internet is a necessity and with their actual prices, most passengers would prefer staying disconnected to pay their “at the minute” prices, in some plans 3 to 4 times higher than on other ships.

The service charge is also overpriced, at 14.50 $ per person per day. With 2 to 3 passengers in a room, this adds up very quickly and makes you feel like you are paying the crew’s entire wage out of that service fee. On the day they let people adjust the service fee, amazingly long queues formed at the reception to adjust the service fee. The service fee has always been part of the way cruise companies make their money, passing back the wage bill to the customers who already fully paid their cruise. But at 14.50 USD, it is a little hard to justify, while other cruises ask much lower, around the 10$ mark which I feel is more adequate.

Result Quality/Price: 8/10

Check-in / Check-out

This is one area that I didn’t appreciate. Being a Silver member of Norwegian, one of their promoted advantage of the status is to have priority Boarding. While in Rome, since there were so many senior passengers of premium and up class, they decided to drop the priority boarding for anybody lower than premium… False advertisement? After asking them they claimed this is written somewhere on the member’s terms, that they can deny this privilege at any time… It Must be written in the fine prints somewhere I couldn’t see it because everywhere I looked. Anyhow, outside this unfortunate check-in event, I felt it was a little bit chaotic and the experience was not pleasant, which could be the fault of the port of Civitavecchia where I boarded. Disembarkation day in Miami was also very painful, as they had 2 full-size cruises disembarking in the same terminal, and all passengers of both ships would be sent to the same immigration queue! This created a 1+ hour wait queuing and is not normal in Miami with other cruise lines. MSC, for example, is doing a much better job with their newer terminals, as well as Royal Caribbean. But anyhow, I cannot rank this category higher than a 6.

Fellow Passengers On-Board

Norwegian passengers are usually mostly North American and some Europeans, many times Norwegians for some reason (the company is actually American, not Norwegian). The age is also spread and would average usually between 45 to 55 years old. However, this cruise was very different since it was a transatlantic cruise. The average age was official of 65 years old and the night club was empty every single night with everybody back to their cabins after 11-12 pm. But this happens on every transatlantic crossing on every company. I have actually met people that were on the Norwegian star just after me and stated that the crowd came back to its normal levels, with ages averaging between 45 to 55 years old.

Sailing on the Norwegian star was a surprising experience! While there were some things lacking like the “fun factor” and onboard entertainment, Norwegian excelled amazingly at other areas such as their theater shows and the amazing food in the restaurants. It was overall one of my favourite cruises I have done and will push me to be a loyal customer to Norwegian in the future. I will definitely try to board other ships to compare them and see if this success is repeated! If you happen to find a good deal on the Norwegian Star, my recommendation would be to book it soon enough!

Result Overall satisfaction: 9/10

The Norwegian Star in Pictures

Amazing Chef Meals in the Restaurant

The Restaurant

Piano Cafe at the Atrium

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Star Cruises

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Star pisces, review of star cruises.

Star Cruises (starcruises.com/sg/en) is owned by Genting Hong Kong (GHK) and is ranked world's 3rd biggest cruise company, following Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD . The company dominates the Asia-Pacific market and is listed on the Singapore Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In 2015, GHK introduced the corporation's newest cruise line brand - Dream Cruises . The new company started with 2 newbuilds - both top-luxury mega-liners, built specifically for the Asian / Chinese market.

Another large Chinese cruise brand is the new company (2015-founded) Adora Cruises/CSSC Carnival China Cruise Shipping . At the following link can be found listed all CruiseMapper's news related to Star Cruises owner Genting Hong Kong .

IMPORTANT : On January 19, 2022, the parent company GHK-Genting Hong Kong Ltd (Malaysia) filed for bankruptcy. On Jan 10th, for insolvency filed the two GHK-owned shipbuilding companies in Germany - MV Werften and Lloyd Werft. On Jan 27th, Dream Cruises filed a winding-up petition with the Bermuda Court for liquidation. and the appointment of the provisional liquidators working with GHK.

NEWS : In late-April 2022, was announced that the docked in Malaysia ships Star Pisces (1990-built), SuperStar Gemini (1992) and SuperStar Aquarius (1993) are listed for scrapping and soon to the beached at Alang India . SuperStar Libra (1988) was last AIS reported on April 7th (in Wismar Germany). The three liners' last crew signed off on May 17th, as new/skeleton crew were hired to take them to the scrapyard for dismantling and recycling.

On August 31, 2022, GHK's Star Cruises Asia Holding Ltd announced entering into a SPA/Share Purchase Agreement to sell its wholly-owned Star Market Ltd (100% of its shares) for US$3,5M/RM15,84M to the company Resorts World Inc Pte Ltd. Resorts World is 50-50 owned by Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (GHK's former Executive Director) and Genting Berhad (Genting Group's parent company, if which Lim Kok Thay holds ~30% shares). Star Market owns trademarks and intellectual property rights.

Company history

The company's introduction on the global cruise shipping market allowed Star Cruises to tap into profitable and more mature markets in Europe and North America. Its services cater to Asian guests, as well as to Europeans, Australians and North Americans, interested in Asian destinations. Star Cruises chairman was Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, son of the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong (founder of Genting Highlands, Malaysia).

Star Cruises was established as an associate of Genting Group of Malaysia, incorporated on November 10, 1993, in Bermuda, with corporate headquarters in Hong Kong China . The first ships of the company were two cruise ferries bought from the bankrupted estate of Swedish Rederi AB Slite. Star Cruises was the world's first major cruise company to recruit Filipinos for its ships.

The company purchased several other used vessels in the following years. In 1998, it took delivery of the first newbuild - SuperStar Leo (now Norwegian Spirit) . Sistership SuperStar Virgo (Explorer Dream/Resorts World One) followed in 1999. The same year Star Cruises acquired Sun Cruises.

In 2000, Star Cruises also acquired NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) , including the subsidiaries "Norwegian Capricorn Line" and "Orient Lines", becoming the biggest global cruise line in the world. Norwegian Capricorn Line's operations were soon merged into Star Cruises. Before the NCL purchase, Star Cruises had several other newbuilds (either under construction or planned), but following the merger, most of them joined NCL's fleet. However, in August 2007, Star Cruises sold 50% of NCL (for USD 1 billion) to Apollo Management, retaining just 28% stake in NCL.

In 2001, Star Cruises founded the sister company "Cruise Ferries", which started operations in July with the passenger ferry Wasa Queen on short itineraries between Hong Kong and Xiamen. These were followed by overnight gambling cruises - roundtrip from Hong Kong and from Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur). Wasa Queen stopped operating and was sold to another company in 2007, and eventually was scrapped in 2013.

The then-largest ship in the fleet - SuperStar Leo - was transferred in 2004 to Norwegian Cruise Line to take over Norwegian Sky voyages. Since 2006, the trend has been that newbuilds were to be constructed for NCL, and the old ships in the Norwegian fleet would be transferred to Star Cruises fleet in Asia.

In 2008, both Orient Lines and NCL America brands were discontinued, with Orient's sole ship, ms Marco Polo, sold to the Greece-based Global Maritime. The same year, the first ship from NCL Norwegian was transferred to the fleet of Star Cruises as SuperStar Libra .

In 2011, Star Cruises received a brand new hull art. SuperStar Aquarius , Star Pisces , and SuperStar Virgo won their new attire. On April 27, 2012, it was announced that Norwegian Dream will join Star Cruises fleet and be renamed to SuperStar Gemini starting service in 2012.

On October 7, 2013, Star Cruises announced that together with their parent company, Genting Hong Kong had entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft, Germany for the construction of one new vessel. The vessel will be able to accommodate 3,364 passengers at double occupancy and will be delivered in Fall 2016.

On February 10, 2014, Star Cruises announced that a second ship was ordered and scheduled for delivery by Fall 2017. On February 9, 2015, the first steel cutting ceremony was held for Genting World at Meyer Werft shipyard. Both newbuilds will weigh 150,000 GT.

In May 2018, Genting Cruise Lines signed a partnership deal with Wirecard (digital payments / online shop development company) for implementing a fleetwide onboard payment system. The system ("Quick Pay") was first installed on World Dream and Genting Dream, then launched on SuperStar Virgo. "Quick Pay" allows the passenger to be in full control of their onboard money spending - including pre-authorized limits, account management, monitoring, paying the total bill at disembarkation. The technology is based on scanning individual QR codes (during check-in, in staterooms or via the ship's intranet network, then selecting the "Quick Pay" option. Payments can be made via Alipay (Chinese online payment platform) and the credit cards Visa, American Express, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB, UnionPay. The mobile app allows passengers to set up pre-authorized amounts for themselves, as well as for friends and family members.

On March 2, 2018, via letters and emails sent to all booked customers, GHK announced that the liner SuperStar Libra ends its passenger shipping operations for Star Cruises on June 27, 2018. Since August 2018, the vessel serves as a hotel ship in Wismar (Germany) for the shipbuilding company MV Werften. SuperStar Libra is permanently docked (moored) at MV Werften Wismar shipyard's quay. Since April 2016, GHK fully owns MV WERFTEN - a new company incorporating the 3 Nordic Yards in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - the shipyards in Rostock , Stralsund , and Wismar.

(new) Genting Global-Class cruise ships

On May 10, 2016, the parent company GHK (Genting Hong) signed with Lloyd Werft Group in Wismar Germany a shipbuilding contract for all 10 new cruise vessels . In 2015, GHK purchased a majority stake in Lloyd Werft (dockyard in Bremerhaven Germany ). In 2016, GHK purchased Lloyd Werft's remaining 30%, plus the three shipyards owned by Nordic Yards (Wismar, Warnemunde, Stralsund), thus forming Lloyd Werft Group.

Of the 10 newbuilds, 6 are riverboats plus 2 ocean-going (all 8 for the GHK's subsidiary Crystal Cruises ) and 2 are mega liners (for Star Cruises and Dream Cruises). The new GHK liners are sisterships of the Global-Class, each with gross tonnage 204,000 GT tons, LOA length 341 m (1120 ft) and passenger capacity 5000 (lower berths). Ship deliveries were scheduled for 2020 (for Dream Cruises) and 2021 (for Star Cruises). The ship-order has optional 2 more vessels of the same class.

Global Class ships feature artificial intelligence technologies (including facial and voice recognition for expedited passenger services - boarding, disembarkation, payments), robots (performing mundane tasks), Cineplex (theme park), Asian spa complex, multiple Asian dining venues (including fast food), both affordable and premium retail shopping facilities, roller coaster, water park (with 5 slides), surf simulator. Staterooms are designed for Asian families and can sleep up to 2-4 persons. Most cabins are with two (split) bathrooms. Each liner has 8 sets of escalators and 28 elevators.

Vessel's waste and water management system was provided by Evac (world's leading company building integrated waste-wastewater-water management systems). The company's Complete Cleantech Solution package includes a vacuum collection system, wastewater treatment plant, dry and wet waste treatment plant, freshwater desalination plants (based on reverse osmosis). The freshwater generation plants have the capacity to produce over 3000 m3 of freshwater per day. The contract with Evac was signed on January 3, 2017.

On January 9, 2017, was signed a contract with ABB for delivery of Azipods (power-propulsion units), automation systems and the marine software for all 5 new Genting cruise ships ordered for both brands - Crystal and Star. The 3x Crystal vessels are from the Crystal Endeavor series (polar-class expedition yachts).

These are the first purpose-built ships for the contemporary Chinese market regarding onboard amenities and services (food, cultural events, shows, enrichment programs, shopping, tours/excursions. Cruise ticket prices will be affordable. In May 2019 were unveiled more Global-Class vessel details. The ships will have industry's first theme park at sea, largest cinema at sea, world's longest roller coaster at sea, self-guided robotic assistants, industry's largest standard staterooms (sized 20 m2), Bluetooth cabin door locks, touch-screen control panel, smartphone-control of different en-suite functions (mood lighting, air-conditioning, etc).

On March 8, 2018, at MV Werften shipyard ( Bremerhaven Germany ) started the construction of the first of the two Global-Class Genting cruise liners.

The GHK-owned Lloyd Werft Group has the capacity to produce annually 2 mega liners (over 200,000 GT tons each) plus 1 mid-sized vessel (around 50,000 GT tons). Lloyd Werft has 2 new covered drydocks, a new ship launching platform and over 0,5 million m2 of covered fabrication halls.

In December 2018, Genting Cruise Lines announced plans to build smaller-sized (Contemporary-class) ships for Star Cruises from the German shipbuilder MV Werften. The first liner will be delivered in 2023. In 2019, SuperStar Virgo was renamed "Explorer Dream" and transferred to Dream Cruises in April 2019.

Star Cruises shipboard experience

The big appeal to western clients of Star Cruises is that its ships not only take guests around Asia but also let you experience an Asian lifestyle.

"SuperStar" ships were the first to offer the largest number of restaurants afloat. This innovation later passed on to Norwegian's "freestyle dining". SuperStars Virgo and Leo offer Italian, Asian, Japanese and Chinese restaurants. Virgo also has the only Indian restaurant afloat. Naturally, Star Cruises ships offer the usual formal dining room, casual buffets, and poolside grills. All dining venues offer open seating for ultimate flexibility.

Shipboard entertainment features spectacular shows by Chinese acrobats, card rooms (Mah Jong), private rooms for parties, karaoke rooms. Onboard service is friendly, impeccable, discreet. Star Cruises has a no-tipping policy and brags with one of Asian cruising industry's highest crew-to-passenger ratios - one staff member for every two passengers.

Star Cruises predominantly markets Asian travelers. The internationally focused SuperStar Virgo attracted passengers from Japan, Malaysia, Australia New Zealand, as well as adventurous-spirited North Americans and Europeans.

In 2018, Genting Cruise Lines signed an agreement with Okinawa Agricultural Cooperatives Association and Leospo Inc. Following the partnership, on select GHK-owned cruise liners is offered Okinawa-sourced food and local produce.

• The new onboard dining options include the famous Okinawa Wagyu beef and Okinawa Agu pork. The offer is available on select ships and during summer when they cruise to Okinawa.
• In 2018 (April through November), these premium food specialties were available on three boats (World Dream, SuperStar Aquarius, SuperStar Gemini, SuperStar Virgo). The exclusive gourmet dishes were served via specially designed theme menus. They also included the traditional Japanese dishes Shabu Shabu (with ingredients stirred in cooking pot) and Teppanyaki (iron griddle cooked food), as well as BBQ Okinawa Agu Pork and the wok-fried Okinawa beef (with bitter gourd garlic) and Okinawa beef rib eye (with sweet plum sauce).

Genting fly-cruise deals

In June 2017, Genting Cruise Lines (grouping the companies Dream Cruises and Star Cruises) and Asia's largest airline "China Southern Airlines" signed a Memorandum of Understanding/MoU on an exclusive "flight and cruise" partnership in China.

• The deal is for discounted fly-cruise deals on cruises leaving from homeport Guangzhou-Nansha - a premium travel hub and cruise homeport in Asia.
• By this strategic agreement, both China Southern Airlines and Genting combined their resources in sales, marketing, promotions, and product development, creating a competitive travel product by the new "Air+Cruise+Travel" program. The program targets both individual and group travelers.

Free Birthday cruise

Star Cruises offers free Birthday cruise deals on select ships and departure dates. Company's "Free Birthday Celebrant Package" consists of:

• Cabin decorations (set up on the embarkation day)
• 0,5 kg chocolate cake
• Birthday card
• Cruise voucher (at the ship's Reception) is applicable at onboard retail shops and spa/wellness outlets. To use the voucher, you need to swipe your access card at the outlets. When you settle your bill during checkout, the voucher's value is deducted from the total amount due.
• Free Wifi vouchers for 2 passengers for the entire cruise (at the ship's Reception). Wi-Fi connections on Start Cruises ships are available in all public areas and in staterooms.

Genting Cruises Private Island Resort

In early November 2017, GHK corporation signed an agreement with the Macleod Island 's owner "Tint Tint Myanmar Group" (headquartered in Yangon Burma ) to jointly built new cruise ship facilities on this private island.

Cruise line private Islands are among the best-known assets of the world's largest cruise shipping companies ( Carnival Corporation , RCCL-Royal Caribbean , NCL , MSC ). However, most such private island resorts are located in the Caribbean.

GHK's partnering with Tint Tint Myanmar Group makes Macleod Island the first Asian private cruise resort destination. It is opened exclusively for Genting cruise ship tourists visiting the island via ships operated by the GHK-owned Dream Cruises and Star Cruises. Among GHK's other Asian projects are Guangzhou-Nansha Port development (in China) and Port Danang (in Vietnam).

Macleod Island was first visited by a Star Cruises ship (SuperStar Libra) on November 3, 2017. The 5-night / 6-day itinerary also included Penang Malaysia  and Phuket Thailand .

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Despite the global Coronavirus crisis , Genting Cruise Lines (shipowner) didn't suspend its fleet's passenger shipping operations. Instead, the company (parent of Dream Cruises and Star Cruises) expanded its cancellation policy with "Cruise As You Wish". It allowed all existing and new bookings made before or on October 30, 2020 (initially July 31), to be canceled penalty-free up to 48 hours (prior departure).

These bookings were fully refunded (100%) via FCC (future cruise credit). With rebooking, the amount of the fare paid is automatically transferred to any Dream Cruises or Star Cruises itinerary starting before or on March 31, 2021 (initially December 31 2020).

Itinerary of Star Cruises

Following on Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit held in Qingdao, Star Cruises celebrated the inaugural cruise of SuperStar Aquarius from her new homeport Qingdao on June 13, 2018. Guests from the Shandong peninsula and neighboring cities are now able to enjoy journeys to Japanese destinations like Beppu , Fukuoka City , Nagasaki , and Sasebo . The flagship SuperStar Virgo also offered Qingdao homeport itineraries (November 2018 through March 2019).

Star Cruises officially set a record number of homeport deployments done by the same brand in Port Qingdao. By homeporting here SuperStar Virgo, the company became the only cruise line in history to have 2 ships homeported in Qingdao during the same year.

While cruising at sea, passengers enjoy a hassle-free experience onboard SuperStar Aquarius, complemented by Asian hospitality and delicacies unique to Star Cruises. The flagship of Star Cruises, SuperStar Virgo, calls Qingdao homeport starting in November 2018, taking passengers on 4-night voyages to Kagoshima , Fukuoka, and Nagasaki.

Note: Starting operations for Dream Cruises in mid-April 2019, SuperStar Virgo was renamed "MS Explorer Dream" and homeported in Shanghai (China). For the winter season 2020, Explorer Dream was deployed in Australia-New Zealand.

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Norwegian Star Cruise Ship Review: What I Loved About This Cruise

I booked the cruise through my local travel agent taking advantage of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Free at Sea promotion.  Since I booked a balcony stateroom, I received three perks for “free”. I decided to go with the Premium Beverage Package, Dining Package, and free WiFi. I will talk about whether it was worth it to choose this option instead of a Sail Away Category later on in this article.

But first, here are things I loved about my cruise on Norwegian Star.

One of the main selling points for me on this seven night cruise was that the ship stopped in six cruise ports.  There were no sea days.  After all, you don’t go to see and experience Europe to spend half of your time on the ship.

The cruise departed from Venice, Italy and visited Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Santorini, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; Argostoli, Greece, and Dubrovnik, Croatia.  View Prices on Cruises on Norwegian Star

It’s really hard to choose a favorite since every port was nothing short of amazing.  From the old city in Kotor, the beaches in Greece, the streets of Mykonos, to enjoying a sunset dinner in Santorini, every day of the cruise was epic.

What a great day in Mykonos, Greece during our cruise on @CruiseNorwegian Star. We are definitely coming back here on another cruise. pic.twitter.com/gumL5JkG2B — Cruise Fever ® (@CruiseFever) August 15, 2019

If you’re a fan of the TV show Game of Thrones, you’ll enjoy visiting the Old City in Dubrovnik, Croatia where the show was filmed.

Cruise Starts and Ends in Venice

One of the great things about this cruise is that you start and end in one of the most unique cities on earth. We stayed one night pre cruise and one night post cruise in Venice.  If there was ever a city to stay in and extend your vacation, it is Venice.

Sailaway in Venice on @CruiseNorwegian Star. pic.twitter.com/kTLSIDd0hQ — Cruise Fever ® (@CruiseFever) August 11, 2019

We used Venice Water Taxi for transfers from the airport to our hotel and from our hotel to the cruise port. They showed up right on time and couldn’t be happier with them.

My advice, go and spend a few extra days in Venice, you won’t regret it.

I can’t say enough about how great the crew was on Norwegian Star. There was a friendly smile everywhere I went and had one of the best room stewards I’ve ever had on a cruise.

Traveling can be a bit tricky since my wife has a severe allergy to gluten.  In my first impressions article about this cruise, I talked about how the Assistant Maitre D’ Jasmin went out of her way to make sure she was taken care of.  We can’t thank her enough for all that she did.

The staff on Norwegian Star was one of the friendliest crews I’ve experienced on a cruise.

While I love mega ships and all that they offer, I prefer smaller or medium sized ships when sailing in Europe.  (Especially since cruises in that region tend to be more port intensive)  Norwegian Star, at 91,000 gross tons, is the perfect sized ship for this itinerary.

Although the cruise ship is 18 years old it doesn’t seem like it. Norwegian recently gave the vessel a multi-million dollar renovation and modernization.

One of my favorite features on Norwegian Star is that there are tons of quiet spots on deck once you get away from the main pool. (especially in the front of the ship where there’s also a hot tub)

A walk around the pool deck on @CruiseNorwegian Star while visiting Dubrovnik today. pic.twitter.com/pV4DwOQdgC — Cruise Fever ® (@CruiseFever) August 18, 2019

We ended up booking a balcony cabin on deck 6.  The bathroom had one of the better layouts I’ve seen on a ship. The sink was in the middle with the toilet and shower on the sides.  However, there were sliding doors to both the shower and the toilet.  This feature can come in extremely handy for families.

The cabin had a decent sized balcony and overall it was a comfortable place for us to spend the week.

Since the ship recently updated, our cabin had several handy USB ports for charging electronics.

The main theater had seats on a really nice slope that helped prevent the person in front of you from blocking your view.  There are also some great seats on the side on the top that offer awesome views of the shows.

Dining Options

One of the things that I love about Norwegian Cruise Line is the abundance of food options. I have never seen a ship the size of Norwegian Star offer so many options.  Usually you have to cruise on the newer mega ships if you want 12 or more options for dinner.

If you go hungry on the ship, it’s your own fault.

View Prices on Cruises on Norwegian Star

O’Sheehan’s Bar and Grill is complimentary and open 24/7.

Odds and Ends

At a few of our port stops we arrived earlier than schedules.  This extra time in port was greatly appreciated.

I bought two CruiseNext certificates on board.  They were $250 each and are good for a future deposit on a Norwegian cruise over the next four years. They gave me $250 in onboard credit on my current cruise for buying them. If you are going to cruise again on Norwegian, they really are a no-brainer to buy.

You’ll want to book your dining reservations for specialty restaurants before you get on the ship.  I actually recommend that you book them as far in advance as possible. I waited until two weeks before our cruise to book them and it was hard getting times that we wanted.  Some days the only open times were 9:00 pm.  Considering I like to eat dinner at around 6-7, that just doesn’t work for me.

Cagney’s, the steakhouse onboard, is the most popular specialty restaurant on the ship. For good reason too, the steaks are just incredible.  However, you’ll want to book your reservations as soon as possible.  Since we had three free nights to eat in specialty restaurants, we were hoping to eat there at least twice.

When I went to reserve our dining times two weeks before our cruise, I was only able to book the first night at Cagney’s.  The rest of the cruise was booked solid, apart from 9:00 or 9:30 pm reservations.

Three of the ports on the cruise were tender ports. If you don’t have an excursion booked through Norwegian, you’ll want to get a tender ticket to minimize your wait. In Santorini and Mykonos, the tender was a really short ride so it really helped keep the wait times down.  I think the tender ride in Mykonos was around two minutes max.

There is a Starbucks in the main atrium on Norwegian Star.

Go to the main dining room (Versailles) and skip the buffet for breakfast. They offered great service and you were in and out in no time.

Debarkation was a breeze in Venice.  Since we stayed in the EU for the entire cruise, there was no need to go through customs like you do here in the States.  We just held up our passports and they waved us through.

Free at Sea or Sail Away Category

For the past few years, Norwegian Cruise Line has been offering various types of their “Free at Sea” promotion.  Depending on the stateroom category that you book, you will receive perks that include beverage packages, dining packages, free WiFi, shore excursion credits, and free or reduced airfare.

Now these perks aren’t actually free. When booking my cruise, I had the option to choose a Sail Away Category rate which was $200 per person cheaper.  The Sail Away rates do not include the option to choose the free perks.

Since I needed to buy WiFi for work and I usually buy a few nights in specialty restaurants, I decided to pay the $200 per person more to get the Free at Sea perks. Even though we don’t drink, I thought it would also be nice to have the Premium Beverage Package so we could get smoothies, sodas, virgin cocktails anytime we wanted. You also have to pay gratuities on the full price of the drink package ($100 per day so $20 for tips). But I don’t mind that one bit, the crew works hard and deserves every penny of that.

Since I was going to buy WiFi and at least three nights in specialty restaurants, would only be about $80 per person ($12 per day) more to get the Free at Sea perks and we could get unlimited drinks. I thought being able to get specialty coffees and bottled water anytime we wanted would be nice.

One thing I did not realize is that with the Premium Beverage Package, it does not include bottled water, specialty coffees, Gatorade, or drinks like Red Bull.

You do have the option to upgrade to the Ultimate Beverage Package for $30 per day plus gratuities that includes just about all drinks onboard.

Since we were in Greece in the middle of August, we did order a ton of non-alcoholic drinks to keep us cool.  My wife loved the virgin mojitos and the different smoothies that they offered.

However for me, I’ll probably just choose the Sail Away rate for the next cruise I book on Norwegian.  After all, I do have those two CruiseNext certificates that I purchased on board.  If the beverage package included bottled water, specialty coffees, and Gatorade, that would probably make it worth it for me to get the Free at Sea perks.

You really have to decide for yourself if it is worth it for you.  Everyone is different and not every perk is worth the same to everyone.

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My wife and I, along with four other couples took the same cruise in July and agree with the top notch quality of the NCL Star. We select our cruises based on the itinerary, and this was fantastic with no sea days and a new port daily. We stayed in Venice three days prior to boarding as Venice is our favorite port city EVER. We used the Allalaguna water bus to get to the port, and also for touring the other Venitian islands. Several of the ports were overcrowded with tourists with anywhere from two to four other large ships in port, which made getting around in the port cities a challenge with crowding and traffic. That was really the only down side to the trip. Thanks to the NCL Star crew for a great vacation.

Did a Baltic cruise on the star a few years back. A Nice ship but, the rooms could be a little larger. We upgraded to a mini-suite for our cruise.

I cruised on THE BLISS in 2018 to ALASKA..awesome cruise. I recommend only NCL.

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Star of Honolulu Cruise Review: Is It Worth It?

Are you planning a trip to oahu and want to do a dinner cruise keep scrolling to check out this honest star of honolulu cruise review, this honest star of honolulu review was written by marcie cheung (a hawaii travel expert) and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, i may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog..

I’ve known about the Star of Honolulu dinner cruises for years, but it’s never worked out in our schedule to actually do one.

So, I was really pumped to have the opportunity to check out a Star of Honolulu cruise on my recent trip to Oahu.

It’s one of the most popular dinner cruises in Waikiki plus it features Hawaiian entertainment.

Keep scrolling to read my honest Star of Honolulu dinner cruise review so you can decide if you want to add it to your Oahu itinerary.

Where is the Star of Honolulu Located?

Thinking about the Star of Honolulu cruise ? Let’s talk about where it is. It’s at Pier 8 in the Aloha Tower Marketplace, and the address is 1 Aloha Tower Drive in Honolulu.

It’s a quick 15-minute drive from Waikiki, so it’s not too far from where lots of tourists stay. But, it’s not close enough to walk from Waikiki, so you’ll need to plan how to get there.

You can drive yourself or arrange a ride. If you drive, remember you’ll need to pay for parking. And here’s a tip: get there about 45 minutes early, especially for dinner cruises, which means checking in by 4:45 PM. That way, you’re all set and not rushing at the last minute.

Driving Yourself?

There are pay parking lots nearby . We parked at the Irwin parking lot which is the closest to the Star of Honolulu at Pier 8. But, it also shares the parking lot with a luau, so it fills up quickly.

First Impressions

When we first got to the Star of Honolulu cruise , it was pretty neat. We noticed it was mostly older folks and honeymooners on board. Since it was the off-season, there weren’t as many families around. Check current rates and availability .

Before we even got on the ship, there was this cool hula show right on the dock. It was a fun, quick performance that got everyone excited. At 4:45 p.m., they started inviting guests to board the ship.

The whole vibe was welcoming, and it was awesome to start the cruise experience with some traditional Hawaiian dancing. It definitely set the mood for a great evening ahead!

Entertainment Value

On the Star of Honolulu Cruise, the entertainment really adds to the experience, but it can vary depending on where you’re seated.

We were on the Three Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise , and there was this awesome jazz singer during dinner. She sang lots of different songs and even took requests from us. It was cool hearing jazzy versions of some classic hits!

After the cruise ended, we got to watch the “65 Years of Aloha” show. It lasted about 15 minutes and was like a mini luau. There was hula dancing, Tahitian dancing, and even Maori dancing from New Zealand.

The dancers were not just on stage; they were all around us, so no matter where you sat, you had a great view.

The best part? The show wrapped up with a dance party. They played “YMCA,” and almost everyone got up to dance. It was so much fun seeing everyone just let loose and enjoy themselves.

If you’re into music, dancing, and a good time, this cruise has got you covered!

Food & Drink Experience

On the Star of Honolulu Cruise, you’ve got a bunch of dining options, each with its own cool features. Let’s break it down:

Pacific Star Sunset Buffet & Show Cruise

This one’s great for families. It’s more affordable and includes a welcome Mai Tai and a tasty Pacific Rim dinner buffet. Think roast beef carving station and a fun Polynesian show.

Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise

Here, you get a Signature Mai Tai and a 3-course meal with crab, steak, and BBQ chicken, plus the “65 Years of Aloha” show. Sounds pretty delicious!

Three Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise

We tried this one and loved it! You get a 5-course dinner with lobster and steak, super premium drinks, and live entertainment, including jazz during dinner. Fancy and fun!

Nova Five Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise

This is the top-tier option. You dine on the top deck with amazing views, enjoy a “champagne” toast, and get a 5-course lobster and beef dinner. Plus, there’s jazz music.

They’re cool about special diets too. If you’re vegan or have other dietary needs, just let them know 24 hours in advance, and they’ll sort you out.

And the drinks? There are tropical cocktails like Blue Hawaii, Lava Flow, and their Signature Mai Tai, plus other cocktails, wine, beer, and soft drinks.

So, whatever your taste or budget, there’s something for everyone. And the quality of the food and drinks? Top-notch! It’s a great mix of delicious eats and cool Hawaiian vibes.

Pricing & Value

Thinking about the Star of Honolulu Cruise and wondering about the cost? They’ve got different packages with something for every budget.

Pacific Star Sunset Buffet & Show Cruise : Adults pay $117, and kids (ages 3-11) are $70. This package includes a welcome Mai Tai, a yummy Pacific Rim dinner buffet with roast beef, and a cool Polynesian show.

Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise : For adults, it’s $141, and kids are $85. You get a Signature Mai Tai and a 3-course dinner with crab, steak, and BBQ chicken, plus the “65 Years of Aloha” show.

Three Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise : This one’s $184 for adults and $110 for kids. It’s fancier, with a 5-course lobster and steak dinner, premium drinks, and Hawaiian entertainment.

Nova Five Star Sunset Dinner & Show Cruise : The top option is $225 for adults and $135 for kids. You’ll dine on the top deck, start with a champagne toast, and enjoy a 5-course lobster and beef dinner with live Jazz.

The prices are pretty much in line with what you’d spend on other Oahu luaus. Each package offers something special, like free drinks and amazing views. So, it’s all about what kind of experience you’re looking for!

Things to Know Before Booking

Before you book the Star of Honolulu Dinner Cruise , here’s what you need to know. If you’re staying in Waikiki, you can get a ride to the cruise and back for a small fee. It’s super handy!

This cruise is the only one in Hawaii that’s fully set up for people with disabilities. It’s got ramps and elevators, so everyone can join in the fun.

For dinner cruises, dress nicely but comfortably. Think resort style, but leave the shorts and flip-flops at home.

And, they’ve got bathrooms on the ship, even one with a changing table for little ones. Kids under two who sit on a parent’s lap are free.

If your plans change, you can cancel or change your booking for free up to 24 hours before the cruise. But if you cancel within 24 hours or don’t show up, you’ll have to pay the full price.

Celebrating something special? They’ve got cakes, wine, and more to make your cruise extra special.

They’ve got something fun for every holiday, like New Year’s Eve or the 4th of July. Who doesn’t enjoy a themed cruise?

After the ship leaves, you can smoke outside on the fourth deck. And don’t forget to bring your ID if you want a drink – you need to be 21 or older.

The ship has four decks and a 60-foot-high observation deck for amazing views. And if you get seasick, they offer free herbal ginger capsules to help settle your stomach.

So, whether it’s a special day or just a fun outing, the Star of Honolulu has lots to offer!

Star of Honolulu Dinner Cruise FAQs

Does this oahu dinner cruise include hawaiian traditions.

The Star of Honolulu dinner cruise is pretty cool because it does include some Hawaiian traditions. You get to see hula dancing and listen to Hawaiian music, which adds a special touch to the experience.

Is it good value for money considering the overall experience?

When it comes to value for money, it’s a pretty good deal. You get a nice meal, some cool entertainment, and amazing views. Plus, there are different packages, so you can pick one that fits your budget.

How does it compare to other dinner cruises in Hawaii?

Compared to other dinner cruises in Hawaii, the Star of Honolulu stands out because it’s really big and has lots of decks to walk around. It’s more than just a dinner; it’s like a mini adventure on the water with a taste of Hawaiian culture.

Some other cruises might be more intimate or have different themes, but the Star of Honolulu offers a mix of fun, food, and Hawaiian vibes, making it a great choice for a special night out.

Conclusion & Personal Verdict on the Star of Honolulu Dinner Cruise

So, what’s my final take on the Star of Honolulu Dinner Cruise? There are lots of cool things about it. You get to enjoy Hawaiian music and dancing, eat some tasty food, and see awesome views. It’s a bit like having a party on the ocean!

If you’re looking for something more romantic and low-key, try the Five Star Sunset & Jazz cruise.

I’d totally recommend it for honeymooners, couples, or anyone celebrating something special like a birthday or anniversary. It’s a great way to make your celebration extra memorable with a Hawaiian twist. For families, it could be fun too, as long as the kids are into the music and the vibe of the cruise.

Overall Score: 8/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Entertainment: 7/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The entertainment is good with Hawaiian music and dancing, but it might not be everyone’s favorite part. It’s fun, but there’s room for a bit more excitement.

Food & Drink: 9/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The meals and drinks are great. There’s a nice variety, and everything tastes pretty delicious.

Value for Money: 9/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For what you pay, you get a lot: good food, entertainment, and amazing views. It feels worth it.

Authenticity: 9/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They do a nice job of mixing in Hawaiian traditions with the cruise, making it feel authentic and special.

Overall, I’d say the Star of Honolulu Dinner Cruise is a great experience, especially if you’re celebrating something special. The food and the authentic Hawaiian touch are highlights. The entertainment is good too, though it could be a tad more thrilling.

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Review: Star Pride

What is the line?  Windstar

Name of ship?   Star Pride

Passenger occupancy?  312

Itinerary?  A Piece of Greece and a Slice of Sicily

A Windstar cruise is for travelers who like their vacations to be luxurious, low-key, and exclusive. Their fleet of yachts, many of which have been getting refurbished in recent years, offer the chance to see popular ports and lesser known destinations. They make a cozy home base for an adventurous journey.

Start out with the big picture—what is this cruise line known for?  Windstar is known for its sailing ships, but it also has a fleet of well-appointed motor ships, too, including  Star Pride . The line sets itself apart by offering small-ship voyages that take cruisers to the more intimate corners of popular destinations that larger ships can’t access. In fact, its ships are small enough to call yachts. Imagine sailing through Greece’s Corinth Canal—usually reserved for those with private yachts—or docking in pocket-size ports like the French seaside village of Sanary-sur-Mer.  

Tell us about the ship in general In 2022,  Star Pride  completed an extensive renovation and extension. The project added two new restaurants, a new spa, a pool, and exercise area. Each stateroom on the all-suite yacht also got refurbished bathrooms. There’s also a new suite category—called Star Suite—with a new design. The renovated yacht has a cozy feel, but is still large enough to give you enough breathing room in public spaces like the pool deck or cocktail lounge without encroaching on other passengers.

Who is onboard?  Mostly retired couples who are active and have an interest in history and culture. There are a few younger couples, too, including some honeymooners. There may be a few well-behaved kids on board as well. Windstar allows children age eight and up, but it’s not a cruise line that’s geared toward children, so there are few little ones on their sailings. 

Describe the cabins Every cabin aboard  Star Pride is a suite, meaning they come with a sizable seating area in addition to the bedroom space. I was in a redesigned Star Suite, which opens into a seating area with the bed toward the back of the room. It also comes with a small French balcony to step out for fresh air and ocean views (it’s large enough for just one person standing at a time). While every room on board is a suite, not all rooms have outdoor space: 10 suites have portholes, 79 have picture windows, 60 have French balconies, and six have private verandas with furniture. The redesigned bathrooms feel fresh and modern, and offer plenty of secured storage space, so your toiletries won’t go flying in choppy seas.Each room also offers creature comforts like a fully stocked minibar, a waffle-weave bathrobe, and L'Occitane bath products. 

Tell us about the crew.  The crew are upbeat and friendly, and know how to deliver five-star service. My suite was always refreshed and turned down with minimal intrusion and servers in the restaurant strike the perfect balance between talkative and helpful without hovering. Truthfully, I would’ve liked more information from the destination team for things to do outside of the cruise line’s excursions, but I found good information on each port on the destinations menu on the TV in my suite.

What food and drink options are available on board?   The standout restaurant is Cuadro, the ship’s new tapas restaurant. The menu offers classic—and delicious!—tapas dishes like charred octopus, patatas bravas, paella croquetas, and grilled chorizo. For a truly authentic tapas experience, there’s even a bar area that looks onto the kitchen, so you can watch the chefs prepare your plates and then pass them directly from the grill to you. I had two meals here on our seven-day voyage—and would’ve eaten more if it weren’t always full. Be sure to make reservations.

Elsewhere on board is the Star Grill, overlooking the pool deck; the Veranda, a breakfast and lunch buffet with some plates prepared a la carte; Amphora, the main restaurant featuring dishes from James Beard Award-winning chefs; and Candles, an outdoor steakhouse on the ship’s aft deck. There’s also coffee and grab-and-go snacks in the Yacht Club, and cocktails in Compass Rose.

Is there a spa on board and is it worth visiting?  Yes and yes! The spa also got a refresh and an extension in the renovation, making it well worth a visit. I had a facial, and my esthetician was so knowledgeable that I ended up buying several of the products she used to incorporate into my daily skincare routine. 

Activities and entertainment  As far as onboard entertainment,  Star Pride has a pool deck as well as a hot tub on the bow. In true yacht fashion, there’s also a swim platform that is unfurled at certain offshore dockings, where guests can go for a dip or engage in water sports like paddle boarding. There’s also a lounge with entertainment at night, like music and a crew show. Each voyage also has a few theme nights, like dancing under the stars with cocktails and a live salsa band. 

How was the experience for families?  There are no special services for families or kids. But it would be a good cruise for teenagers, families with adult children, or multi-gen trips.

Where did it sail and how were the excursions? Did anything stand out?  Our voyage departed from Athens and visited Argostoli and Corfu in Greece, then continued on to Sicily with stops in Messina and Trapani, followed Cagliari, Sardinia, and finished in Barcelona. The stand-out excursion was Windstar’s Shop with the Chef experience, in which a small group of travelers is led by the culinary staff to local markets to pick out special provisions for that night’s dinner. Our group went to a Sicilian fish market for fresh-caught dorado, as well as a dry goods store for cheeses and olives. It was a slice of local culture I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten, and it was thrilling to see the fish we picked that day on our plates later the same evening.

Finally, give a sentence or two on why the cruise is worth booking.  If you want the perks of both a private yacht and a meticulously planned cruise, look no further than a voyage on  Star Pride . From the refreshed spaces to the cuisine, crew, and excursions, you’ll be in vacation mode from the minute you step on board until it’s time to leave.

All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

I Went on My First MSC Cruise, Here is My Honest Review

W hen I booked my first MSC cruise, I’ll admit that I had serious doubts. I had read so many negative reviews about MSC cruises, criticizing the subpar service, basic food options, overcrowding, and chaotic embarkation process. However, my experience on the MSC Meraviglia, departing from New York to the Bahamas, was surprisingly positive. In this review, I’ll share all the details of my first MSC cruise. Having been on over 25 cruises, I’ll be comparing my MSC experience with that of many mainstream cruise lines.  

Since I didn’t book a stateroom in their exclusive Yacht Club, this review focuses on the regular non-Yacht Club cruise experience on MSC. It’s important to note that this is an unsponsored review, and all opinions in this article are based on my personal experience.

I was a bit hesitant about going on an MSC cruise because I thought I’d be stuck with basic food like pizza and pasta. I had come across reviews praising the Italian fare but hadn’t heard much else. 

Frankly, I didn’t want to go on a cruise just to eat pizza and pasta. To my surprise, the food exceeded my expectations. Despite being a budget cruise, they served sophisticated dishes such as shrimp cocktail, escargot, osso bucco, steak tartare, braised short ribs, steak, and lamb shank. They even had a gala night with lobster and steak and baked Alaska for dessert! The best part was that the food tasted amazing. 

Kudos to the chef on MSC Meraviglia. The food was some of the best cruise food I’ve had. Every dish was delicious and well-seasoned.

I have to mention that they served the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had on a cruise. In fact, my son, who typically avoids vegetables, is now a huge fan of Caesar salad thanks to our experience on this cruise. I’m forever grateful to MSC Meraviglia for transforming my son into a vegetable eater!

I also want to give credit to the pastry chef for the amazing cakes on board. The carrot cake is incredible, and I had the Grandma’s Chocolate cake almost every night!

The only thing that reminded me of a budget cruise line was the rule allowing only one entrée per person. If you wanted an additional entrée, there was a $5 charge, and certain premium entrees like the NY Strip steak also had a $5 surcharge. However, in my opinion, the $5 charge was negligible considering the quality of the food, so it was definitely worth ordering that second entrée!

The Wait Staff

I was honestly worried that my experience would be disappointing due to poor service. One of the main reasons I go on cruises is to be pampered by the cruise staff. 

I heard that MSC might have a bad staff-to-passenger ratio, resulting in subpar service. However, my experience was fantastic and comparable to major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruise, and Holland America. 

Our waiter, Panarta, was attentive and friendly. The assistant waiter did a great job with our drinks, and the head waiter took good care of my son and niece, who have food allergies.

The Cabin Steward

I was also worried that the quality of service I would get from my cabin steward would be subpar. I thought my cabin steward, Komang, might be overworked and not be able to clean my room properly. 

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Komang did an outstanding job, even better than my experiences on more high-end cruise lines. The bathroom was clean when I arrived, with no lingering odors, which is a widespread issue on many other cruise ships. I usually have to ask for a re-clean on the first day due to bad odor, but not on this MSC cruise! 

Also, Komang was very attentive and promptly fulfilled all my requests. I always had fresh towels and even received evening turndown service. I wasn’t expecting it since other cruise lines, like Norwegian Cruise, have eliminated turndown.

I want to point out that my own experience with the cabin steward isn’t a one-off experience. My mom and sister’s cabin steward, Agus, was also exceptional. He put in a lot of effort to ensure their staterooms were promptly cleaned, with fresh towels, and the best part was that their cabins didn’t have any lingering bad odors. Agus was also always friendly and went the extra mile.

Guest Services

I was pleasantly surprised by the guest services desk. Unlike the long lines I’ve encountered on other cruise ships, the guest services line on my recent MSC cruise was always short. It seemed like there were only 1 or 2 people in line whenever I walked by. 

I’d like to think the short line is due to the happy passengers who don’t have many complaints! But I honestly think it’s because of the efficient guest services staff. The MSC Meraviglia is one of the most efficient cruise ships I’ve been on. They have assigned a dedicated guest services staff to assist passengers while they wait in line, which speeds up the process. 

For example, when I needed to link my credit card to my cabin, a staff member pulled me out of the line and guided me through the kiosk, reducing my wait time. When my nephew lost his key card, a staff member quickly reprinted it, minimizing our wait time again. Their efficiency and organization was truly impressive. 

On one occasion, I had to speak to a guest service staff member at the desk, she was pleasant and helped me solve my issue. 

Free Onboard Texting

One thing that I liked about the MSC cruise is the free onboard texting. You can text other passengers via the MSC cruise app chat feature even if you’re not subscribed to their WiFi plan. 

This made it so convenient to stay in touch with family members and locate them on the cruise ship. It was especially helpful for keeping track of my teenage daughter’s whereabouts!

I was really impressed by the buffet experience. On the first day of the cruise, the only option for lunch was the buffet, and I was worried it would be chaotic and overcrowded. 

To my surprise, the buffet was manageable, and we easily found a table for 8 people. We got on the cruise ship at around 12:30 pm, so it was peak lunchtime!

Even on sea days, the buffet was comfortable. There were always plenty of tables available and the lines were not too long. 

I think it’s because they have a lot of buffet staff whose main job is to clear the tables. In fact, their staff was almost too efficient – if you got up for seconds, you might come back to find your table cleared! 

Public Space

I’ve been on cruises where the public areas of the ship get overcrowded, causing bottlenecks. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the layout of the MSC Meraviglia. The ship is designed in a way that the public spaces are well-distributed, so you never feel like you’re in a bottleneck or caught in a big crowd. The only time it feels busy is when you exit the theater after a show, but that’s normal for any cruise ship.

Pool Lounge Chair

One of the things that I always find on cruise ships is that it is hard to get pool lounge chairs. But not at MSC. I’ve had no trouble finding an empty lounge chair by the pool, even by the indoor pool. I think it’s because they have a policy of clearing lounge chairs if they’re left unattended. I really appreciate how organized the cruise staff is on this ship.

Embarkation

I was pretty worried about the embarkation process. My mom had watched a YouTube video of the embarkation of MSC Meraviglia at the Brooklyn Cruise terminal, and she described it as a complete nightmare with endless lines. 

I was mentally preparing myself for the same experience! However, I was pleasantly surprised. When we arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise terminal, there was a line, but it wasn’t too long, and it kept moving. The staff was well-organized, and getting through security and the check-in process was easy. 

Once we boarded the cruise ship, they informed us that our room wouldn’t be ready until 1 pm. However, we could leave our carry-on bags in the cabin and pick up our cruise keycards, which were hanging on our cabin door. The embarkation process turned out to be smooth and effortless.

The Theater

I liked the theater on the MSC Meraviglia. Unlike other cruise ships, the theater wasn’t too big, so there were no bad seats, even if you sat at the back. They also had a reservation system, and the staff scanned your cruise card to let you in. Even if we were late, finding seats for 8 people wasn’t a problem because they had 3 shows every night, unlike other cruise lines with only 2 shows per night.

The shows were quite enjoyable. While they weren’t exactly Broadway shows, there was a good variety of performances, including singing and dancing to popular songs from different eras, some mild acrobatics, magic shows, and stand-up comedy.

One of my favorite experiences during my Bahamas cruise is the MSC private island, Ocean Cay. It’s probably one of the best cruise line private islands. 

Ocean Cay is stunning- soft, white sand and turquoise water. What’s great is that the cruise ship docks right at the island, so there’s no need for tender boats. 

Families with kids will love the calm, shallow, clean, seaweed-free lagoon—perfect for a relaxing day at the beach. Finding lounge chairs was easy. Overall, we had an amazing beach day, which is a big reason why I will go back on a Bahamas cruise on MSC.

So far, I have been giving you all the reasons why my MSC cruise was such a positive experience. Now, let’s discuss the negatives. To be fair, there aren’t many, but they are significant enough to turn some people off.

The main dining room was the biggest letdown for me. The tables were set up too close together, leaving little room to move around. They also crammed extra chairs at the tables, making it feel overcrowded. 

We were squished into a table meant for six people despite being eight people. Thankfully, we had four kids on our table, which made it less cramped, but I can imagine that it would have been extremely uncomfortable for eight adults. 

Also, because of the table set-up, the main dining room ambiance is that of a noisy restaurant rather than a refined dining experience. It doesn’t feel fancy like what I’m typically accustomed to on other cruise lines. 

Another downside is the size of the staterooms and bathrooms, which are smaller compared to other cruise lines. The cabins felt narrow, and there was hardly any closet space. Even with just myself and my two kids, we couldn’t fit all our clothes in the closet. My son had to keep his clothes in his luggage! 

One more thing that didn’t sit well with me was the electronic daily planner and menu. They don’t leave a printed daily planner in your cabin. As a result, I missed many onboard activities on the first day at sea because I didn’t realize I had to scan a QR code to access the daily planner. 

At the restaurant, there was a lack of printed menus, since they expected passengers to scan a QR code to view the menu. As a result, we were forced to share menus at my table, which was inconvenient and took away from the dining experience. 

Finally, the service in the main dining room always felt rushed towards the end. We barely had time to enjoy our coffee with dessert! I later learned that the restaurant I was assigned to had three seatings, causing the rush. Other restaurants on the cruise ship had two seatings.

Will I Cruise on MSC Again?

The answer is a definite yes. In fact, we’ve even booked another Bahamas cruise through their future cruise program on the MSC Meraviglia for the same week in June but in 2025!

We decided to sail on MSC again mainly because it’s a great value – you get good food, great service, and an amazing private island at an affordable price. I’m willing to overlook the small cabins and crowded main dining room for these benefits! (If they were to raise the price, then I don’t think I would sail on MSC.)

If you have been on the fence like me about sailing on an MSC cruise, don’t be. Don’t let the fact that it’s a budget cruise line scare you off. To be honest, I believe labeling MSC as a budget cruise line is a misconception. Apart from the small cabin size and crowded main dining room, the food and service are comparable to other cruise lines like Princess Cruise and Royal Caribbean, but at a more reasonable price! Check out: 12 Disembarkation Day Mistakes People Make When They Get Off the Cruise Ship

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The post I Went on My First MSC Cruise, Here is My Honest Review appeared first on Suburbs 101 .

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Ruth’s Chris Steak House

0.6 miles away from Cruise Room

Jack M. said "I used to be a once a week Ruth Chris fan back in the day and I knew the owners quite well Mark and his dad. So when Ruths closed, I was upset. So now we have a new corporate store here and to say the least, opening month was rough.…" read more

in Wine Bars

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Is this place still open? Heard it was shut down. :(

They were temporarily closed for renovations but reopened as of this past weekend.

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377 reviews

The ambiance is perfection. If you're looking for a classy and elegant spot for a divine cocktail, this is it. Lovely people work here, always pristine service.

Espresso Martini

The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that we were unsure if we were supposed to seat ourselves or if the host or server was going to tell us to do something. We stood around for a while at the entrance and the servers/hosts were just having a conversation and didn't acknowledge us until my friend went over and asked if we could just seat ourselves. The answer is yes, just sit anywhere you like. Other than that, the vibe is really cool (if you like red lights, at least) and the drinks were great.

This is a cool Denver experience. You will totally miss this bar unless you know about it. You have to enter the Oxford Hotel then immediately turn left - there is a door to enter. The space is very dark and intimate. The red lighting adds a special glow and ambience that can take you back in time. There is a beautiful cocktail menu. I enjoyed the French 75. The space is very small and they do not take reservations. I highly recommend that you are prepared to stand, come very early, or at "odd times" to have a seat. This is an experience for small group - 2 is perfect but no more than 4. I have been wanting to come here for over a year. Happy I finally got to experience it!

No complaints here. We were immediately greeted once sat and drink orders came out quickly. Entire area had red lighting.

The ambiance is incredible. It's quiet with 1920s decor--it's beautiful. The service was amazing and bartender was attentive. We did not order food but the menu looked great. We will return!

All the cocktails were delicious and we really appreciated the different selection that the menu offered! Hard to find using directions from Yelp, but I'm sure that was user error more than anything. Loved the red lighting as it made for a relaxing and chill vibe while there.

Somehow I hadn't made it around to the cruise room despite it being a staple in Denver and having so much history! This is a quasi-speakeasy, giving vibes of prohibition but without the full hidden door concept. You walk in and the ambience of red everywhere hits you. It's fun, but hard to see inside! The cocktail list is pretty extensive and I opted for something creamy on a chilly, wet evening. The presentation was so beautiful! Even with the red lights, it made such an impression. We ordered some potatoes which came with this amazing sauce- we had to ask for seconds on the sauce and our server happily obliged. I wish the menu was a little more extensive and priced more reasonable but for such an institution, I get it. I'd say go to dinner nearby and come here for a snack/ drink instead of having the whole evening here.

The hubs and I stayed at the Oxford and one of the perks is being able to get a cocktail from the Cruise Room and then savoring the cocktail from our room when the place was packed with no available seating. The Sazaracs were among the best we've had and showed the level of craft from the bar.

Sazaracs! Delicious!

This place...this place is a VIBE. Didn't know what to expect when we were headed here but boy was it a surprise. It's a bar located next to the lobby of The Oxford hotel. This ambiance of this place sets you back to the early 1900's and it was around at that time as well. The lighting, decor and attire all scream 20's. We ended up sitting at the bar and had some fantastic service. I ordered the Sidecar and it was as perfect as a side car can be. No variation, sometimes you just want a classic. The service was also 10/10. As a side note, the hotel is gorgeous and I will look into staying here at least one night next time I'm in town. Also their Christmas decoration is on point. Highly recommend a trip here.

Fun art deco bar in the Oxford Hotel. Classic cocktails and cool vibe. Great people watching. Seats at bar and great booths. Best vesper martini I've ever had. Excellent service.

See all photos from Beth R. for Cruise Room

41 other reviews that are not currently recommended

Pho & Bar

1.8 miles away from Cruise Room

Terri Y. said "I can eat at this place Day and night! Good thing I don't live near this restaurant or else I really would be there day and night. Pho are super delish. Love the banh mi with fries and omg can we talk about those chicken…" read more

in Bars, Vietnamese, Comfort Food

Flight Club - Denver

0.2 miles away from Cruise Room

David C. said "I have to admit, there was not much anticipation from my side when my coworkers told me that we were going to go play darts for team building. What came to mind was a dive bar with a dilapidated dart board on a wall covered in beer…" read more

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Tom Cruise supports friend and Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powell at Twisters premiere

Cruise shied away from the red carpet as he turned up inside the movie theatre, article bookmarked.

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Hollywood star Tom Cruise made a special appearance in London to support his close friend and Top Gun co-star Glen Powell at the premiere of his new movie.

Powell, 35, is starring in forthcoming disaster film Twisters, alongside Normal People actor Daisy Edgar-Jones . The European premiere for the movie, which follows a social media stormchaser as he attempts to track tornadoes, took place in Leicester Square on Monday (8 July). The movie is a sequel to the original 1996 film, Twister.

The pair first worked together on Top Gun: Maverick after a series of pandemic-related delays. Cruise, 61, first played the lead character in 1986’s Top Gun and returned in 2022 for the sequel, a massively successful box office hit grossing $1.496bn worldwide. Powell played Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the sequel.

Fans were left delighted as Cruise shared a picture with his arm around his friend, from inside the movie theatre at the premiere. The pair are holding popcorn as a crowd of people can be seen, some smiling, behind them.

“Fun night with friends, watching a movie!” wrote the star in the caption.

The official Top Gun social media account commented on the post writing, “Our Maverick and Hangman”, as fans were overjoyed at the reunion.

The Mission Impossible star did not walk down the red carpet, presumably to surprise his friend and not detract attention. Instead he opted for a casual jacket and t-shirt combo as he smiled from inside the establishment.

Twisters has another link to Powell and Cruise’s highly successful sequel. Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski has a story by credit on the movie. Meanwhile, Cruise has long been close to Steven Spielberg who executive produced the new Twisters movie as well as the original film.

Powell has previously commented on how his employment on Top Gun almost left him broke. The star who was still starting out in Hollywood at the time said the decision to delay the movie almost destroyed him financially. Even when the film was released he reports that he “never made any significant amount of money” for his role as Hangman.

“I’d never made any significant amount of money on a movie, including Top Gun , and I was depleting a bank account to a point where my accountant was like, ‘This pandemic cannot last much longer,’ ” he said. “Tom was already Tom; I was waiting for my life to change.”

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Tom Cruise Reunites With Top Gun: Maverick Star for Twisters Premiere

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Tom Cruise is supporting both cinema and his good pal Glen Powell with a new image shared on social media. The post reveals a Top Gun: Maverick reunion with Cruise coming out to support Powell's new movie, Twisters .

At the European premiere of Twisters in London, Cruise was in attendance to catch a screening of the Twister sequel. A video posted online by Deadline reveals Cruise signing an autograph for a fan with a big smile on his face. Cruise also took to his own X account to post an image of himself with Powell, sharing how he was about to watch the film. The actor said in the X post, " Fun night with friends, watching a movie!! "

One of Tom Cruise’s Best Roles Is This Underrated 2000s Thriller

Tom Cruise has never been one to shy away from roles outside of his norm, but his villainous role in a 2004 film is his best performance yet.

Cruise and Powell are planning to reunite again for another Top Gun movie, as a sequel to Maverick is in the early stages of development. With Cruise having such a busy schedule, it remains unclear when production on Top Gun 3 might begin. However, Powell has teased that there may be some exciting news that's soon to come on the future of the franchise.

“There is going to be some fun stuff being announced soon…but it was confidential to me," Powell told Variety about the future of the Top Gun movie series in January. "I talk to [Joseph] Kosinski, [Tom] Cruise, and Jerry [Bruckheimer] all the time. There is stuff happening and it sounds very exciting . I don’t know when I’ll be going back…I’m sure there is a jet waiting for me sometime in the future.”

Tom Cruise Signed Off on Mission: Impossible References in New Action-Comedy

Tom Cruise approved the use of Mission: Impossible references in a new action-comedy with near-perfect reviews.

Teasing that progress on the sequel might be slower than Powell suggested, Jerry Bruckheimer would later tell Games Radar in May, "We had preliminary stuff. We're not there yet . [There's] ways to go."

Glen Powell Can Next Be Seen on the Big Screen in the New Movie Twisters, a Twister Sequel

Powell's new movie, Twisters , is set in the same world as the original movie, but it follows an all-new cast of characters. Other cast members include Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Katy O'Brian, and Superman star David Corenswet. Lee Isaac Chung directed the film with a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, though the story was by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski.

Twisters will be released in international markets on July 17 with its domestic release in theaters following on July 19, 2024.

Source: Deadline, Tom Cruise on X

An update to the 1996 film 'Twister', which centered on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to test an experimental weather alert system.

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