Norwegian Cruise lines. How did they rate?

Question

My husband and I are going on a curise in September on the
Norwegian Star. We have never been on a cruise and want some more information.

Answer 1

Norwegian is one of the good cruise lines, about comparable with Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity. I have been on many NCL cruises (have one booked for this October) and they have good ships, service and food.

About the only thing I do not like about NCL is their freestyle cruising. They do not assign you a dinner time, or table; you just go whenever you want. That works fine on days when you have a port stop. But on "at sea" days when everyone is on board at 6:00 PM you get lines at the dining room door, people waiting for a table. Then because you don't get the same table every day, each day you have a different waiter. For persons like me who have cruised many times I prefer to have MY table and get to know my waiter and he/she learns what I prefer at dinner.

What you will find on NCL ships is a variety of alternative restaurants for dinner. They are good restaurants, like steak house, Italian, French, etc. But, they charge a "gratuity/service charge" of between $10 and $20 per person each visit. So that can add big bucks to your cruise tab if you use them. I never do; the main dining room is fine with me.

The standard cabin that most people get (inside/outside/balcony) are generally between 175 and 200 sq ft, about the size of a 9 by 12 ft home bedroom (balconies are about 45 to 55 sq ft). Suites and penthouses can be between 350 and 1300 square feet. Each cabin has a two beds which can be made into a queen, a bathroom with a shower stall, a closet and some drawer space, a TV and telephone, a safe for valuables, and a life jacket for each passenger. Some cabins that are built to accommodate 3 or 4 people will have a pull down bed and/or a sofa bed.


When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) will receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will have you insert your key card into a scanner and then will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card. Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship. Infants and small children may be required to wear an ID bracelet (like in the hospital) in lieu of carry a card.


Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. Some ships may offer a galley (kitchen) tour or a tour of the bridge. There may be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take swim wear, shorts, sandals, beach shoes, your snorkel equipment if you have it, sun glasses and sun screen, lotions, a cap or big hat for the sun, a book if you are a reader, your music player, sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, your camera, and other personal toiletries. After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women. Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up. (we usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway).

Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage. Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and and your clothes that you sleep in.

The ship will have a casino with slots and table games. It may have a movie theaters, generally small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room. It will have ATM’s and a purser’s desk where you can cash a check or exchange currency if you need to. There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.

They will have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. There will be a gym so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.

There are always pools, usually more than one and maybe an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course.

There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf. There will be an internet cafe and maybe WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent). There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music. Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave. On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party .


Those are the things that you can expect. If you go to the NCL web site and click on your ship you can look at the specifics of activities and the layout.

Answer 2

We sailed on the Star to Alaska last Sept and absolutely loved it. We had beautiful weather the whole time. It was a different itinerary than yours because the new Pearl took its route in 2007. We had a mini-suite on deck 11 and it was perfect. The ship itself was very nice, always clean and lots of things to do.

We ate in several of the alternative restaurants and enjoyed all except the Tex-Mex. As for Freestyle dining...some hate it, we love it. We don't want to sit with other people and make small talk when we're tired after a day of shore excursions.

There is so much I could tell you, but the best thing I can recommend is a website I found before our first cruise. It will not only give you all the info you need on cruising in general, but you'll find specific info on the Star and Alaska.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

Have fun. I wish I was returning.

Answer 3

Norwegian is great. People who wanted to be waited on hand & foot should go on another line. The idea of Free Style Cruising is a more relaxed dress code & you eat when you want. A great way to meet new people & as for the buffet a great way to try new food. They also have the regular style dinning. Like anything some people like it some don't. Thats why we have choices.
I have cruised with them 15 times and have never been disappointed with a thing.
Enjoy.

Answer 4

we took this cruise last year from new york to bahamas with NCL and it was horrific. The dining is called freestyle but it really should be called free-for-all because it is just such chaos. it was buffet style but we could never find a seat at dinner time so we would have to eat at off hours and then we would have to bus our own table. ugh.
then the ship's propulsion kept breaking down. i have been on two carnival cruises and i really enjoyed them but the NCL cruise was not only a waste of a vacation but a bad experience.

Answer 5

You will have a wonderful time. I've been on several Norwegian cruises and they were all great.

Answer 6

its fun ..out of 10 i say about 8.5.. you'll have fun... try carnival next time it was a 10 out 10!!!!
GOOD LUCK!