Norwegian Cruise Line

This was the worst cruise ever! This was a big birthday celebration. It started before we even checked in! First, the parking was confusing (not that this is Norwegians’ fault) then there was confusion on the fact that we HAD to check our luggage in and couldn’t carry on. Well, they rushed us for the porter to take the luggage, that we didn’t have time to take meds out of the bag and we weren’t even sure when we would get the bags. Then, while online check-​in, they asked for a time that you were going to check in. We picked one of the early spots. So we breezed through the line. What they didn’t tell you was that even if you checked-​in early, you still had to sit there until noon before you can start boarding and by then, the entire room was filled with people checking in that you still had to stand in line. We got the beverage package and thought that was great. We were really excited not to have to worry about drinks and/​or dinner times since we could go whenever we wanted. Well — let me tell you — the drinks were the size of dixie cups (like in a cheap motel). Servers were very unfriendly. The would only let you have 1 drink at a time AFTER you already waited like 10 minutes to MAYBE get the attention of the server. If you asked for 2 drinks, you had to present 2 key cards. So you had to order another drink as soon as you got your first drink so you might get it not too long after you finish the first! It was nice for the variety of restaurants to go eat at. The buffet was so-​so. Maybe due to the variety of restaurants, they didn’t put much effort in the buffet. Did I say that all the staff was not very pleasant? Anyhow, the rooms weren’t ready on time so we wandered around the ship til it was. We left late so when we stood by the window to see the captain take us out, it was a waste of time because we stood there for like a half hour and nothing happened. We weren’t the only ones. Everyone I talked to or heard in the elevator said this was the worst cruise ever. I have been on quite a few cruises on different ships and it was a miserable birthday. The shows were ok. We spent the extra money to eat in their steak restaurant. Not only did they book us in the wrong restaurant, they finally fit us in at a later seating (after arguing with them for like half hour). By the time we got there, the food was just ok and the servers were just ok. I could go on and on. Overall, I wouldn’t do Norwegian ever again. From bad drinks (small and weak) to bad service. Not worth all that money you spent for a 7 day vacation/​celebration.

I am about to go on a 9-​day Baltic cruise aboard the Norwegian Star… which for the most part I have been very excited about. We leave in 11 days and I’ve finally had a moment to sit back, relax and really start exploring what type of experiences I may be able to have on board. We are very lucky to be sailing within their 3-​bedroom garden villa (advertised occupancy being 7 passengers) and I realized that only 2 of our group members will receive ANY of their «Free at Sea» offers (which are distractingly advertised all over their website… they almost seem easy to get!). So, I called to confirm that that was truly the case as we had a much larger suite than a normal stateroom. After confirming that that was indeed true, which I already think is ridiculous, they informed me that if anyone else in the group would like to buy one of those offers, a beverage package for example, EVERYONE would have to. We have members in our group that either do not drink at all or hardly drink, so this seems like an insane policy as the beverage package is nearly $ 900 and we’ve already put a large investment into our accommodations. After expressing my disbelief they said it was simply their policy and in order to make any exceptions they would have to receive a DOCTOR’S NOTE from that individual’s physician saying that they could not physically consume alcohol. WHAT? WHAT?! A doctor’s note? I am not even one of those individuals that does not drink and I feel genuinely upset by this policy. I feel like it is not only insensitive but an immoral business practice. I have friends and family that do not drink for a variety of reasons… MOST of them not considered «physical». I have friends and family that do not drink because of their religion, because they have at one time in their life experienced alcoholism personally or through a key figure in their life, and/​or because of a traumatic experience that they attribute to alcohol consumption… there are so many reasons that someone may not drink and for them to require a doctors note saying that they physically cannot consume alcohol is disgusting. Where is their social awareness? Where is their compassion?
I can only imagine the revenue stream alcohol provides for them. I would put my money on alcohol actually being MORE profitable for them than the actual accommodations that people book… I get it… but you know what? I don’t care. This shows me that money is more important to them then someone’s well-​being. I promise, not only have we spent plenty of money on this cruise already but we will continue to spend money on other things, other than alcohol, while on board… but do you know where I will not spend my money? On another cruise with them while this is their policy.
I am feeling so deeply upset. I am feeling like I need to speak up for every friend & family member that I have that doesn’t drink… regardless of their reason (big or small). Sure… they could go get a doctors note, tell their doctor of Norwegian’s ridiculous policies and their insensitivity and their greed… I’m sure their doctor would just do it… but the point is they shouldn’t have to.

This is the third cruise line we have gone on and the worst. The ship cabins are small, there were three of us and two had to share a bunk bed. Good thing the third person was younger because it would’ve taken a lot of effort for me to get up and down off of it. We purchased the ultimate beverage package which was $ 446 for each of us and didn’t include specialty coffees or water. We are not big alcohol drinkers so we got a refund. The food on the ship was mediocre. There were few changes in the menu from day to day and the worst part was they served the meals and coffee lukewarm. Not until we complained on the fourth day that we would like it hot did we get it. The public bathrooms were always in need of a mopping, the floors were always wet, especially around the toilets. The staff were very nice and accommodating and we had a great steward on the 9500 deck. The entertainment was not great. The singers were not good. I spent most of my free time sitting out on the pool deck or in the casino. Maybe if I hadn’t gone on Celebrity Cruise first I wouldn’t have been so disappointed. The tours and the guides were great. Venice is amazing and the Greek Islands were beautiful and their food was wonderful.

Fue inolvidable estoy sorprendida de todo el esfuerzo de los empleados. La comida esta muy bien .
El entretenimiento hay de todo desde 7am a las 12 de la noche. Super recomendable. El precio lo vale.

This year, we skipped our annual trip to Hawaii due to overall cost. We’d never been on a cruise before and for years, I’d heard many good things about cruises (the food, or buffet), in general. We did our research last year (cruise, time frames, and location), weighed all the pros against the cons on a sheet of paper (one reason was because of the Nickelodeon feature, but found out later, it was discontinued), and booked it online (as well as called the cruise line, many times to get info so we could plan accordingly, packing-​wise). We also needed to get our passports, which we did, through the USPS. (We also made purchases of travel supplies well before packing.) We paid our deposit and in November, the rest was due (you can opt to pay for the gratuities before your cruise or the charges will be applied to the credit card you have on file, before your cruise ends). We also did our research on the shore excursions and booked that online as well. We selected one for one port, decided on a beach day for another port, and for the other port, we kept it open. The website is easy to navigate, user-​friendly. Before our cruise, we printed out boarding passes, and luggage tags (a case of water included).
This would be a fun family adventure (no cell service or internet access — no distractions). We chose the Norwegian Jewel 7-​day Cruise to Mexican Riviera– Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerta Vallarta:
Excellent food and dining choices (all-​inclusive): asian restaurant, the buffet, two main dining rooms, tsar and azura, a 24 hour pub (O’Sheehan’s), the grill (on deck 12), 24-​hour room service (*extra fee). the extra fee restaurants: sushi, teppanyaki, italian, brazilian steakhouse, café (Carlo’s Bakery). (We brought some snacks, but the only thing fully consumed was the candy. We were not hungry in between meals.) Tea, juice, & water during meals (the other choices like sodas are extra fees, there is a beverage program).
Excellent crew members (over 1000): from all over the world — all of them were very nice and all of them spoke English. And the «washy, washy.” — hand sanitizer spray reference, haha. We made friends with a few of them.
Excellent ship design— beautiful, many details were planned. I thought it was a smart use of space, overall. One such detail was the kid’s buffet (chicken fingers, pizza, french fries, fruit skewers) inside the buffet, where families could eat together.
Excellent ship amenities (pools– lots of seating there too, slides, hot tubs, gym, library, game room, arcade, walking track, running track, golf range, basketball court (also had tennis, and volleyball net), ping pong table, internet café, art gallery, photo gallery, gift shops, casino (extra fees), the bridge viewing room (this is so neat!). The spa was extra. Activities– contests, demos, discussions, meetings, dance lessons, etc. (from 7 am to midnight) were noted on the daily programs. But, what really set this cruise line apart from the rest, was the «freestyle» choices; we didn’t want to be locked into formal dining (others have 2 – 3 nights of formal scheduled dining), and it was extremely convenient for us — we loved the freedom of choice.
Excellent entertainment– comedy, magic, singing/​dancing, cirque, russian acrobats husband and wife team (we caught almost every show offered, we missed one). It was top-​notch!!! It was almost enticing to watch it a second time but we didn’t do that; it was nice to have that option (there were two show times a night). We really enjoyed this aspect since we do not really do this on a regular basis, anymore having a little one (we did this a lot, pre-​baby).
Excellent services especially the Splash Academy (daycare, according to age group) — our son loved this! This way, we were able to enjoy the shows without him making a fuss when he got bored and wanted to leave (he watched a couple of them with us). Every person at the Splash Academy was very interactive and enjoyed the children’s company. There was a theme every night, one night was Pirate Night.
We chose a centrally located (midship, deck ten) area for families. The cabin was small, but I did like the design of it — just like the ship’s design, the cabin was well thought-​of; I do not have any complaints about it, but I am not picky. Our beds were put together (note, this also makes the space smaller). The bunk bed came from being tucked on one wall, came with a ladder, which our son navigated using the adjacent mirror to see where he would take his next step. He enjoyed his space. He often went between the two beds, naturally, right? Two end tables on each side. The hallway was the tightest squeeze, was a single file navigation. There were many cubby holes, along with the closet (more inside too), the safe, the mini-​bar, the refrigerator, the desk & chair. The other corner was the tv, a table and stool, more cubby holes for storage. The bathroom was well-​planned, though the toilet position was also a little tight.

What an Amazing Cruise Line
Norwegian Is definitely one of the best cruise lines out there. I took a 7 day cruise and everyday was just as good as the last. The ship has so much to keep you busy and entertained, so many activities going on and always delicious food to eat. The staff is Amazing and they pay attention to details, from the room service, kitchen staff, entertainment host, performers, host, casino host, everyone is just super friendly and always have there A game on. The ship was always clean and everything was very well organized and always on scheduled, I didn’t attend one planned activity that started late. The good was such good quality and always enough for everyone to enjoy, the specialty dining restaurants were so delicious and worth every extra dime. This cruise is family oriented and kids are welcome to mostly all events and they also have a kids club for them to attend. The auditorium is amazing and the shows and performance are top notch, such fun watching and being amazed. Hope you enjoy a cruise with Norwegian like I did.

Best Vacation experience I’ve ever had. My father in law had been trying to talk me into going on a cruise but I was really hesitant and nervous. Thank god I had a change of heart because I enjoyed every minute of it. Loved the BBQ by the pool in the middle of December, four star dining, magic shows and all you can eat buffets for breakfast lunch and dinner. Let’s not forget about the housekeeping, let’s just say they make you feel like you have a live in caregiver lol They cleaned our cabin ALL the time. It’s nice to come back to a clean cabin with beds made up after a long day of adventure. We went on the 7 day Riviera cruise on the good old Jewel ship, she may be older but she is a beauty. Can’t wait to go back!

This review is focused on what happens when you have a crisis during a cruise.
Earlier this month we did a 2 week Panama Canal cruise with 5 other couples. Our group was celebrating the birthdays of my brother in law and a mutual friend who were turning 60 on the same day while we were on the cruise.
On the 5^th day of the cruise, out of the blue, my brother in law had several gran mal seizures. Fortunately, my sister in law is a nurse. She noticed he was talking funny, couldn’t remember the name of his children so she got him down to the medical center before the seizures began.
We were at sea that day and the blood tests did not reveal anything. We knew it wasn’t a stroke and all they could do was sedate him. The ship’s doctor consulted with a hospital that they have a partnership with in the states, as well as the travel insurance company and his doctor back in Los Angeles regarding what to do when they docked in Guatemala the next morning. They had to determine first if he would be stable enough to medevac back to Los Angeles or if he had to go to a hospital in Guatemala City first (which my sister in law was scared to death would happen).
NOTE…buy the travel insurance!!! This was the first time my brother and sister in law bought it and it was worth it’s weight in gold!!! (it was AIG and offered through Costco where we booked the cruise).
Fortunately, it was determined late in the day that he could fly back to Los Angeles. As soon as the boat docked in the morning a nice, new ambulance was there as well as a local NCL representative to facilitate the immigration and make sure they got on their way to the airport in Guatemala City get the medical flight home, which was paid for by the travel insurance.
Needless to say, his sudden illness knocked the wind out of us (and the news from home wasn’t good as the week progressed) but we knew we had to continue on. I have to say that the staff on the Norwegian Jewel was EXCELLENT during the crisis and the rest of the cruise. The medical staff let us take turns staying with him all night in the ICU room. They even brought in a tray of muffins and coffee for us, as well as had the other bed in the ICU made up so his wife could try and get some sleep there.
The Guest Services staff helped with paperwork and said that if we ever needed to call home we could use their phone at no charge. They made sure they received credit for their unused excursions right away.
We even asked the photo studio if they could make a copy of a recent photo of them, enlarge and cut out their heads and put them on sticks for us… which they did! We took their head shots with us everything (excursions, casino, restaurants, hot tub, etc.) and included them in most of our photos so we could show them that they were still with us in spirit. Many people on the ship got used to seeing us with our «family on a stick» and would ask about them. That helped our morale a lot.
Aside from this issue, we all agreed that overall the food was good, the service was good and the staff was very friendly. They ship seemed to be very clean as well. We dined at Il Cocina, El Modeno and the steak house. All were good.
The one disappointment was the escargot in the pastry. Three of us ordered it and all of us were very disappointed with it.
Oh, I read another review about the medical center being expensive. Yes it is. I saw the invoice for the time my brother in law was there and it was bout $ 5,900. Another reason to make sure you have insurance (not sure which insurance will pay for that)
We will definitely be cruising NCL again!

Caveat: We stayed in the 5000 sq ft Haven Garden Suite of the Norwegian Jewel. My experience is NOT typical.
If you can afford it, this is the way to cruise! Spacious, quiet, elegant. Room attendant, butler, and concierge to cater to every whim. Private hot tub, steam room, sun deck, bar. We paid the extra money for premium restaurants 4 nights, had meals delivered to the suite the rest of the time. Only restaurant I don’t recommend is the La Cucina for Italian. It is «meh».
Only complaint is all the fee nickle and diming. We paid over $ 18k and we were still hit up for extra fees and extra money for tipping the people who served our suite. That, and it is pretty ridiculous that a suite that costs so much doesn’t come with «free» internet.
Staff were excellent at all levels.

This cruise review is for the Norwegian Spirit 7 Day Eastern Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida) to Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas, USVI; and St. Maarten.
If you are new to cruising, here are some things you should know. Unlike traditional airfare, the price you see advertised is not the final price you pay. There are so many additional fees associated with cruising, it will blow your mind. In addition to the advertised price, you will need to pay port taxes and fees (before the cruise) and additional service charges/​gratuities (after the cruise). And if you get a beverage or dinner package, you will need to pay taxes and gratuities on top of those as well. It seriously will add hundreds of dollars on top of the price you think you will be paying so be careful and make sure you add up all the numbers before you commit.
Launched in 1998, the Norwegian Spirit is an older ship. It’s not as grand as any of the newer, mega ships and doesn’t have fancy, new things like a rock climbing wall or observatory but it wasn’t bad. The ship has 15 restaurants, 12 bars and lounges, two swimming pools (one adult and one kiddie), four hot tubs, a video game arcade (games were about $ 1.50 per play), library, board game room, spa/​salon, fitness center, sports deck and a casino. The ship can house 2,018 passengers and 949 crewmembers.
We booked a standard balcony stateroom at the time of booking and were able to select our stateroom ahead of time. Located in the aft (rear) section of the ship, room 9168 is on the right side of the ship (if you’re facing forward) on level 9. The room is 201 square feet with an enclosed private bathroom and balcony. The room is furnished with one queen bed, a small table/​desk with chair, 21″ LCD TV with very limited programing, love seat, mini-​bar, security safe, coffee maker, tiny closet and several small drawers.
The room itself was tiny and tastelessly decorated in a 90’s era aquatic theme. Think pastel colors and seashells. For two guys, the room was a little on the small side and we barely had enough room to move around. With a little bit of Tetris magic, we were able to store all of our clothes, two checked bags and one carryon bag away in the closet, leaving the room clear of any bags or storage. There was no iron/​ironing board available so you will have to pay for clothes pressing/​laundry services onboard.
The walls between the rooms were pretty thin. I would recommend bringing some earplugs if you are sensitive to noise in the hallways or the blaring TV of your next-​door neighbor falling asleep to Fox News.
There were only 4 electrical outlets located throughout the entire room! And two of them are not even standard US 110V outlets. One US electrical outlet is located by the desk and the other one is located in the bathroom. If you want to charge more than one device at a time, I would recommend bringing a universal adapter to convert one of the other outlets to standard US 110V. The room temperature comfort was pretty poor as it was kept pretty warm. Even with the AC turned all the way up, the room got cool at best but never cold enough for our comfort.
The bathroom was extremely tiny and can realistically accommodate one, maybe two persons at a time. Separated into three sections, the toilet, sink and shower areas were divided by clear, sliding glass doors. So technically, one person can be in the shower and the other person can be brushing their teeth or using the toilet but there is no real privacy between the sections. Shampoo, body wash and soap dispensers were affixed to the walls and small bottles of lotion were provided for your use.
NCL has a «Freestyle Dining» concept and it was awesome. Unlike other cruise liners with set meal times, with NCL, you can eat whatever and whenever you wanted. Depending on your mood, you could either sit down for a more formal meal or have a more casual meal on the fly. With 24 hour dining options, you won’t go hungry on this cruise and the food was actually pretty good. For breakfast and lunch, we chose the buffet for the convenience and sat down at the sit-​down restaurants for a nicer dinner.
The majority of the restaurants are included in the «Freestyle Dining» concept but there are several specialty restaurants that require an additional charge. The surcharge can be a fixed price per person or priced from an a la carte menu. Those specialty restaurants are nicer than the complimentary restaurants and usually require a reservation in advance.
Additionally, other than a light continental breakfast of pastries and juice, room service meals were charged $ 7.95 per meal if you wanted the convenience of not having to interact with other people.
Overall, this was a great cruise and we had a great time. The ship was a little on the dated side and could really use a facelift but the overall experience was positive. The room was decent, activities were fun, dining was better than expected and the entertainment was great.

Got a call from them prior to 7am, wanting to tell me about a promotion… I told her it was a little early to be calling and asked to be put on the do not call list. Instead of a sincere
apology for waking me up she got a rude tone of voice. There are other cruise line choices out there! Every interaction with a staff member is a reflection on you Norwegian, and you need to make sure your people are trained!

WOW! What an awesome vacation! We sailed with NCL on their 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise and had a delightful time!
The food was fabulous, readily available, and large selection. We had room service 24 hrs a day and a butler at our disposal for ANYTHING!
The ship was kept extremely clean. For about 24 hours we had very rocky seas and lots of sick people from that on the ship. BUT, no evidence! The crew was constantly cleaning.
The crew were so friendly. I commend them on this because these people work so hard pretty much 7 days a week!
Thank you for giving our family countless perfect memories!
WE WILL BE BACK!

I had a great experience with Norwegian in the past taking the Norwegian Star on a Mexican Riviera cruise and it was good times had by all.
The cruise line is one of the firsts to have started the freestyle cruising experience. This means that you can eat whenever and wherever you want, and do whatever you want.
The food was amazing, and with the number of food options you have there’s something to please everyone. I did order room service a couple times and at first found it interesting when I didn’t see any prices for the menu items and when I asked about that, I found out everything was free! Everyone on board from the bartenders, servers, supervisors and more were very friendly and easy to get along with. If you see them enough I’m sure you can build a good rapport with them too.
The Star was clean, beautiful, and huge with pools and jacuzzis, basketball and volleyball courts, a golf driving net, a spa, fitness center, multiple bars and restaurants, cafes, a casino, theater, library, shops, an arcade, pool area, clubs, lounges and more! I’m sure other ships are just the same with some slight differences.
I stayed in an indoor stateroom with a port hole and for three people it was plenty of room.
I had a great time and would definitely look into booking with Norwegian again.

Went on ncl in mid October. We did the Mexican riviera. When we left protection there was a propane smell in the hallway our stateroom was in that finally left around day 3, or we got used to the smell. Buffets and most restaurants were closed at 930. You could eat at the outside buffet if you wanted melted cheese on a plate or a sandwich with room temperature meat. Also the pub that was open 24 hours was crowded and very small portions so you had to order several plates of the same thing to fill up, and I weigh 135lbs so I don’t eat much. Food wasn’t that great. And mostly same thing day after day.

They had a women’s muscle contest between the kids pool and the adult pool in the middle of the day when it was crowded and the women were encouraged to do what ever it took to win and oh boy some did, from shaking their ass in the men’s face to showing as much breast as possible without avtualling showing all of it. All while the kids pool is packed with kids under the age of 12. Way to go ncl you nailed it.
We had other issues and will never take this cruise again. I filed a complaint with ncl directly was sent a email stating someone will be with you in 10 days. To date no one called. So they don’t care about your experience they just want the cash. Oh and I was overcharged which they acknowledged but I had to wait 7 days after my cruise to get my 450.00 released.

This LONG review is for our recent cruise to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Sun:
Let me start with my reservation experience. I booked our entire trip online. The cabin I wanted, the excursions I wanted. Had extra water bottles sent to our stateroom prior to our arrival, everything was just the way we wanted it and then some.
Checking in at the San Diego Port however was another story. We came at our appointed time, and even though they told us because we had booked suites we would have a fast check in this is a LIE. You have to go through security first and they could give two hoots which cabin you are in. We waited for over an hour in a VERY hot and stifling building, doing the zigzag Disneyland line with no ride at the end. Then once we get through security, NONE of the NCL employees knew where to send us. They sent us in the standard line and thankfully my tiny bladder needed to use the ladies room and on my walk there I noticed a line for Suites separate from the general line. So I grabbed my group and we were then immediately assisted. NCL if you are reading this, you need better training for your staff, I had 3 separate people tell me there wasn’t a specific line for me. NOT GOOD
We opted to book a larger suite and were so happy with our room. We were aft (back of ship) and had a HUGE deck to ourselves. It was so nice we had several of our dinners served to us on this balcony. The shower is tiny tiny and so we were extremely happy to have a tub in our room that also had a shower attachment. We primarily used this because it was a full size tub with plenty of room to bathe in. We also had a living room with a refrigerator. We felt very happy and comfortable in this room. Two days into the trip my asthma hit hard and our room was a great refuge from the air conditioning that was exacerbating my asthma. The only negative to having a room aft is that you often get soot from the smoke stacks on your balcony.
This ship is older and was not originally configured for Free Style Cruising (NCL’s trademark style), so the ship took extra time to mentally map out in your head. Some of the speciality restaurants could only be accessed by passing through other areas, etc. My understanding from speaking to ship staff is that this ship is slated for a huge overhaul early next year. The Sun will be going to dry dock and refurbished, to what extent I have no idea. I do know however their air conditioning system needs major repairs. Some areas were freezing and others had none. The last night on board ship we had to call the fire marshall because we could smell something similar to an electrical fire in our vents. He showed up immediately, did the smell check and left our stateroom in seconds. Shortly after that the smell stopped and he came back and told us everything had been taken care of. He never gave us specifics.
We had a speciality dining package with our stateroom and we took advantage and ate at all the speciality restaurants. The speciality restaurants had a higher level of cuisine and service and we spent 50% of our dinners there, 25% in our stateroom and another 25% at the buffets. We did not like the general dining halls. They were not well run and dinner took FOREVER, so after a couple of tries we avoided them.
My favorites were in this order:
Le Bistro excellent French Cuisine with impeccable service.
La Cucina, fabulous Italian cuisine with impeccable service.
Moderna. Typical Brazilian pass service, the cuts and flavors were very good and the salad bar was excellent.
Cagney’s is their steakhouse and none of us liked the steaks there or their service. I would have been happy never having gone to this one.
Last was the Teppanyaki restaurant. a NO
The buffet, although small, had excellent selections everyday and we always found a table for 5 people to enjoy our meals at. The buffet staff was ALWAYS smiling and ready to help you. They would even bring you drinks to your table so that you wouldn’t have to balance your plate and drinks. They kept the place spotless and would come by and clear empty plates so that you could stay at your table and enjoy your drinks and company. They even had a crêpe station in the evenings, they were excellent.
Some of the bars had food too, like the Sports Bar with typical sports bar fare and Las Ramblas had tapas. Neither of them warrant their own write up and the service in both places was nominal at best. The Sports Bar service was so bad, that I unfortunately had to lodge a complaint with the manager. To the manager’s credit, he dealt with it immediately, took responsibility and we made a new friend for the duration of the cruise. Management Management in general, on board this ship, was top notch.
If you have medical conditions take precautionary meds with you. The medical clinic is EXPENSIVE, to get an inhaler it cost me $ 623 and took forever.

I never took the cruise but I did book it. I am within the time frame to get a refund and they are dragging their heals. Every time I call I have to wait at least half hour to talk to accounting. It only took them 5 minutes to take my money in the first place. Bad customer service. They are in process of refunding but it’s much harder than it should be. And much harder than with Princess.

I recently went on the Norwegian pearl it was fabulous… I strongly suggest that anybody who cruises goes with a suite or better. You get all kinds of perks and special care. Like appetizers, butler service, special birding, special seating restaurants. One night we couldn’t get a reservation at a restaurant so our butler brought the dinner to our suit. Just fabulous try it you will love it!

The Norwegian Sun has set.
Alaska is beyond beautiful and the weather was not as nice as anyone would have liked it, but nothing was missed– 4 days of a cruise tour BEFORE the cruise is the only was to do it– in Fairbanks and Denali Park the weather was better and pretty mild– averaging 70 – 75 in Fairbanks to slightly colder in Denali Park– Lindsey and Steve were our host and driver for the 19 people in bus 1. They were awesome– it’s amazing how on schedule we were and even early in all locations where gift shops were located! What are the odds?
A bit of a gift shop excursion– I get commerce, but geez, 45 minutes at every gift shop in the interior of Alaska can get to be much. White water river rafting– a blast– Dry suits and cold water make for a great time with amazing sites and yep you’ll get a bit wet, but all worth it at the end of the day.
After 4 days of the land tour we were ready to hit the ship– The Sun. I’ve been on NCL in the past and it’s been fine– we were on the Gem in the Mediterranean a few years back. The fact that you’re nickel and dimed to death seems to be a cruise industry standard these days save for the «mostly» all inclusive lines like Crystal.
Room AC heat wasn’t working after first day– no heat– called to let maintenance know and they said they’d get back to me– two days later a crew person came into look at a drawer. I explained about AC/​heat, he told me to call #20. No help. Following day, a maintenance worker came in touched the ceiling register and explained that the rooms are all climate connected together– and when the humidity rises the AC will go on and when it drops the Heat will go on. What? I asked why each room has its own thermostat if that was the case, and what happens if the heat rises without humidity? No answer and I said fine– I couldn’t understand his explanation and knew it wasn’t going to get fixed. Finally after 5 days the thing was fixed and it was colder, but controllable via the thermostat. This was a 7 day cruise. This is not a review of the ports we visited– NCL only.
The four seasons and seven seas main dining rooms were clean and the food wasn’t bad. Obviously many steps above the cattle call buffets. The waitstaff was attentive and quick but we didn’t get the feeling of being rushed — freestyle is a smart idea, but it’s tough to see t-​shirts and hats in the main dining room– oh well, not that I had a suit on or a tuxedo, but, try a collar at least without advertising your favorite gas station.
I kind of got the impression that the Sun was a training cruise– some didn’t know the answer to some basic questions, and others seemed done with working on a cruise ship altogether — getting a hello or good morning was like pulling teeth with some crew staff– not to mention I was almost run over by an officer walking down a hallway without even an «excuse me, hello» or «good morning» — morning two I go down to the coffee/​bakery station Carlo’s Bakery? Here’s the funny part– after ordering a latte I asked about a croissant or bagel or muffin. The answer was — you have to go up to deck 11 for that. What? Isn’t this Carlo’s bakery? It was fine if I wanted one of the 4 slices of cheese cake.” That never changed throughout the cruise– no toast, nothing. This didn’t make sense and the crew didn’t care– they were very matter of fact about it.
The cruise director was difficult to understand over the PA, while at Hubbard Glacier his description of the sites and the noises we would hear was down right creepy and I was sent back in time when I was a kid riding the haunted mansion at Disneyland– and his equally annoying assistant cruise director called himself Eddie spaghetti over the PA and signed off each time saying «hasta la pasta!» What??? These guys are far better suited with running the bingo games and staying off the PA. Horrible.
Other than the disgruntled crew roaming around and working in different areas and it seemed to be ship wide, the last day was the kicker. A BBQ was set up next to the pool on the outside deck. The main pool and a smaller pool separated by 4 jacuzzis. On this day, the last day at SEA before arriving in Vancouver– sunny and warm (the only day like this since boarding) management or some moron decided that the main pool should be painted
And maintenance performed at the same time as the BBQ. Now this was an acrid horrific fume emitting paint filling the deck and BBQ area with noxious fumes. You could not stay in the area. No on e could use the deck or pool area for the entire day. The explanation I heard was that they needed to get ready for South America. What??? This ship is going back and forth through Alaska for the next 8 weeks. You had to paint the pool during a sea day at the end of a cruise when the weather usually clears up as you sail south? Horrible and tired management. I would be hard pressed to go on NCL again.

My family and I just returned from the 7 day Mexican Riviera trip on Norwegian Star and it was definitely not at all what we had anticipated.
When we first boarded the ship the welcome committee were fun, vibrant, and got us excited. We had a chance to check into our state rooms early and the person housekeeping staff were great. The rooms although small were adequate in providing space for all of our rooms. We didn’t have any issues with our rooms. The balcony with the sliding glass door was really nice during the day.
Now let’s talk about the food. Truth be told that you get what you pay for since complimentary dining such as: Garden Café, Versailles, O’sheehan’s, Aqua, and Ginza offer both terrible service and food. the only exception would be Topsider’s Bar and Grill which is located next to the pool where the food is decent.
Then there are the «specialty restaurants» such as: Cagney’s, Moderno, Teppanyaki, and Le Bistro which all charge a cover that offers both excellent food and service but what they don’t tell you is if you don’t book your reservations before the ship takes off, you aren’t getting into the restaurant for your entire trip. You might get lucky if you are willing to stand in front of the restaurant between 9pm –9:30pm.
Does anyone like room service? Well the trick to getting them to answer the phone is to not call them directly, as they will not answer. You have to call the concierge and have them direct you to the rudest person possible where they will take your order then hang up on you. Then it’s a hit or miss on whether you will get what you ordered.
The staff at the retail shops were friendly and helpful and fairly knowledgeable about their merchandise. It was nice being able to shop at a discount without paying tax.
The photographers on the ship are definitely not professionals as they pretty much just point and shoot and give you suggested awkward poses. The back drop is also terrible as their are dirt marks and such which DO show up in the photos that you will pay $ 19.99+ for so the best thing to do is to buy a package and purchase the USB drive for another $ 19.99 and photoshop the crap out of your pictures when you get home.
Now, last but not least let’s be sure to mention the rest of the staff that my family and I had the pleasure of dealing with. Please explain to me why the crew would make sure a big deal to ensure that ALL passengers attend the safety course and state that anyone with children must obtain a life vest to their size and when we actually call to request one the staff’s response is «Don’t be so dramatic» …WTF? That is customer service at its finest.
The destinations were not too shabby. Cabo San Lucas is a beautiful place but beware of the touristy spots right off the ship as they will over charge you and the food is terrible. Mazatlan is still a scary place. Puerto Vallarta on the other hand is beautiful in every way. The locals are all so nice, the architectural buildings are a gem, and the restaurants and shopping are both reasonable and delicious!
Lastly, it was no surprise that I caught Gastritis on the ship. The nurse on the ship must have come off the set of a horror flick as she has less than graceful with her inability to prevent my blood from shooting all over the operating room when taking a vial of blood from my wrist. The on board doctor was nice but not worth the $ 567 visit.
Overall, my experience was less than average and I would not recommend Norwegian Star, perhaps Norwegian Epic or Norwegian Escape will be a better choice as they are newer and larger.

Overall I like norwegian. I like free-​style. No fancy cocktail dresses, but i can dress up if i want.
I had a wonderful time on the cruise i took in 2009 from New Orleans — sans the forever and a day float out to see down the river and the ragin cajuns that took over the boat. The entertainment was 10 times better than the star
But this last adventrue from LA to the mexican riviera… meh.
Decided to initiate the in-​laws with a «gentle» cruise out of los angeles with a shorter flight from the west coast.
The boat holds about 2300 people, not good area to corral the children so they are all over, in the main pool, on the main deck, in the bars.
The state rooms are a bit dated, we got a balcony room to have some air, it was at the front of the boat, so lots of movement. But with the wind the carpet billows, very strange! For the room «connected» to the fancy suite at the front of the boat i would have expected a better kept up room. Lots of dings and bangs, dirty balcony floor.
Our steward was amazing and made wonderful towel animals.
The rooms creak quite a bit, bring ear plugs.
The fitness area is also dated as well as the machines are not in line with the movement with the boat, so if it’s rocking, exercising can be a bit tricky,
Spa appears well appointed and there is a specialty area with a private indoor pool, whirlpool, etc for a a limited number of guests and extra fee.
Buffet is about the same every day, omelet station is in the middle of each line so it backs up the people and makes getting meals difficult.
Aqua is a nice option, large restaurant, different meals each day, some good, some not so good.
Chocolate night sounds good, but really only the nutella bar is worth eating
Versaille dining room is the fancy one, must be dressed to dine there except for lunch.
Moderna is the churascaria and most people don’t realize what it is, where it is or that it is worth the extra dining dollars. Note: make sure you make them keep coming back with more meat, just keep asking… took me 3 tries to get more, but i got it!
Staff is pretty friendly, bar staff remembered us and what we drank within 1 day.
The december time frame made the journey rather chilly, and the wind was horrendous so not much pool time, in fact they closed the pool at least one of the return to la days.
Port of los angeles is huge and daunting. Hard to move thru the lines, definitely sign up for latitudes to get in the shorter line.
The have yet to upgrade the internet so their «app» doesn’t work. Sigh.
All in all it wasn’t an amazing trip, none of the ports were fabulous, none of the tours sounded good enough to spend money on.
And the «entertainment» — on my goodness, terrible. We’ve done other cruises and had second city, a pretty good fake cirque etc… this boat… i nearly fell asleep on both the shows we bothered to go to.
The fake cirque was boring and not good, the comedy was british humor, which luckily i have a friend who is british and a comedian, but still it left me bored and hoping for it to be over. I feel bad since he is the cruise director, a nice guy and had the guts to get up in front of a theater full of people, but meh… We only popped our heads in for the duo on one of the nights to see a small child in a lion suit and the other person in a lion tamer suit, oy vey, no thanks. Sadly it was too cold to simply go outside and enjoy the stars, so it was rather boring evenings.

According to everyone working for Norwegian Cruise Lines at the San Pedro Terminal, it was important to have our passports in hand while we waited to check in. They said this over and over. I wanted badly to ask, «Are you sure?», and «¿Que?» and «We’re supposed to have a passport?» But travel is tricky these days, and best not to poke the bear, so passports in hand, we waited: 1.5 hours to check-​in, 1 hour to board, 3 hours to shove off.
Once aboard, we found our cabin, and, seeing our bags hadn’t yet been delivered, walked around, making arrangements.
We bought the Ultimate Dining package, providing unlimited visits to all the ship’s dining rooms. The reservationist helpfully suggested that we could visit two or three places per night if we chose to do so; it seems my reputation preceded me.
I also bought access to «Mandara Spa,» an indulgence for me and a favor to my wife. I planned to spend our sea days at the spa, treating my bad knee to luxurious hydrotherapy, moving from steam to sauna, hot tub to cold plunge, and performing my ablutions there, allowing my Beloved sole use of our cabin’s toilet and shower.
AT SEA:
The ship served Lavazza products everywhere, but forbade us to take ceramic cups outside, and I smoke, so I endured a week of espresso sipped from paper cups. Ecchh.
Wi-​Fi was crazy expensive, 75 cents a minute. A bulk purchase cut that in half, which was half crazy. Worse, on Day 3, ATT, thinking me over my data limit, cut off my data, saying they’d restore service for $ 1200. Instead, I used a hotspot created by my Beloved, but man, that hour without data was stark and lonely.
NCL limited smokers to a few areas. Most of us huddled on the Pool Deck, smokes and drinks in hand, while everyone’s kids ran splashing by, screeching like angry dolphins. Did NCL plan poorly, exposing the babes to our bad example? Or, as my wife suggested, did they hope unpleasant frenzy and the nearness of innocent joy would dissuade us from our vices? Fat chance. Smokers will smoke straight through the Apocalypse.
The spa was nice, but it wasn’t segregated by sex, and when I showed the ladies in the hot tub how water displacement works, they left.
Worse than the unisex tubs: the spa didn’t provide robes that fit, or razors, deodorant, hair product, toothbrushes and paste, combs or shower shoes. This made Mandara Spa — which charges over $ 20 per day for «all-​access» — the equivalent of a floating 24-​Hour Fitness. On Day 3, I apologized to my wife and got a full refund.
PORTS OF CALL:
Cabo San Lucas. We boated around Land’s End, and later strolled the Centro district, stopping to see folks I know from fishing in the area. I love Mexican people for their intrepid resilience in hard times. Hurricane Odile tore into the city last fall, and though my friends suffered some broken windows and were without utilities for a bit, they did fine. If you visit Cabo, please eat too much and buy unnecessary things; the city, and my friends, can use the money.
Our other ports of call were Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. I’ll discuss them in later reviews.
DINING:
From my notes: Our food was «bland, dry and unappealing» (Market Café Buffet); «mediocre airplane Italian» (La Cucina); «Outback-​quality» with «sides that could have come from a box» (Cagney’s Steakhouse); «a safe bet for those who learned about Asian food at the mall» (Ginza).
There were two exceptions:
— Le Bistro. This «French» restaurant was the best we found aboard the Star; we visited three times in a week. I repeatedly enjoyed the Filet de Boeuf, grilled beef tenderloin served with potatoes shaved thin across a mandoline, stacked and layered with Roquefort, then baked until tender. Twice, I added a lobster tail topped with Newburg sauce, just because I could.
-. Moderno, the Star’s Brazilian-​style churrascaria, offered an elaborate, beautiful and delicious buffet.
Service in the Star’s dining rooms was slow and awkward, unprofessional, a series of train wrecks. Food arrived late and in the wrong order, was delivered to the wrong table, and in the churrascaria — a place where servers cut meats directly onto one’s plate, we waited twenty minutes for someone to bring us, I swear to God, plates.
True to the Unilocaler’s Code, I put up with this for a few days, and then met with the Restaurants Manager and the F&B Director. They were sorry — everyone’s always sorry — but they didn’t deny the problems. In fact, they tacitly agreed that their staff was awful. The Restaurants guy looked depressed.
The restaurants’ failures made clear to me how connected the prospect of payment is to good service. On NCL, there’s no tipping allowed, so servers have little reason to do a good job. And since meals are prepaid (or billed to one’s account), management has no reason to press servers to do perform well.
Upon reflection, I’m glad I never needed to visit the ship’s doctor.