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Just Great! by
A Traveler from Florida Sailing date: Jan 2012Pros: Great staff! Super entertainment! Cons: nothing worth mentioning We had a wonderful time. Most of the staff were extremely friendly. The cruise director and his crew were very entertaining and energetic. The entertainment was awesome. The ship was extremely clean. Nothing major I can think of that would have improved our experience. Dining/FoodPlenty to eat! Stateroom QualityOne minor thing is an odor coming from toilets when flushing. Ship Staff QualityMost were excellent. Entertainment & ActivitiesAwesome shows. Pool band and lounge band great. 3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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   Flexible Cruise Options by
A Traveler from NA, NA Sailing date: Dec 2011Pros: flexible meal scedules Cons: impersonal and abrupt staff A very clean ship and has a variety of shows.
Disappointed in that we stopped at Belize City, Belize as one of our ports. There was no attraction to the area and the citizens were shady. It was very dangerous and we did not feel safe. This was a waste as a stop in both lack of excursion attraction and because our safety was compromised. Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
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3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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A Christmas To Remember! :) by
Dennis L. from Milwaukee, WI Sailing date: Dec 2011Pros: Free Style Dining Cons: Chocolate Buffet and Desserts in general were below expectation Overall, the ship met expectations! Compared to the NCL Star, that was next to us in port, full of rust, etc... the Star looked "fantastic" from th outside. Once on board, it was "Grand". Ship QualityEverything was clean, neat and we were impressed with the emphisis placed on "hand sanitizing" by the staff! Bathrooms were always tidy. Dining/FoodWe were concerned reading all the reviews up until now...that the food was "blah". We are "middle class" and the massive amount of food offered our family of 4 (with 2 teenagers) everything we could possibly want, whenever we wanted it. The food was always presented in a clean, tidy setting. It was flavorful, abundant and there were always multiple choices. Again, Freestyle..you could eat whenever, whatever, however (no dress code)! :) The only negatives were the types of desserts and the fact the soft serve machine was always busy, it pumped slow. Add another machine or ask yourself why aren't cruise passengers eating more of the desserts you offer! No chocolate, tapioca or rice puddings??? Stateroom QualityOur room was clean, located mid-ship, mid level and our service was very good. Plenty of towels, always turned down properly. Ship Staff QualityAll the staff seemed very nice, friendly and helpfull. No issues during the entire trip! Entertainment & ActivitiesWent to all the shows and they were terrific. Not Vegas quality, but close as you could get for a cruise ship. Nice mix...singing, dancing, magic, comedy. Great job NCL! Children's ProgramsOur teens were disappointed when the teen center was vandalized by some teens. I hope video was pulled and the appropriate parties punished to the fullest extent. A few have to ruin it for everyone! Our kids enjoyed the air hockey, foosball, etc... 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Nice boat, but the trip can get pricey by
Dan from Waterbury, CT Sailing date: Aug 2011Pros: The food, the shows, the view out the window! Cons: Extra charges, the constant selling of add-ons It's a fairly large and modern ship, with a friendly crew. I'd recommend keeping an eye on the room charges, though, since you can rack them up fairly quickly. Ship QualityThe layout is a bit confusing at first, but you'll get used to it quickly. Everything is clean and sanitary. Dining/FoodThe food and drinks are very good, but most of it isn't free. Soda is an additional charge, and the alcoholic drinks on the boat are expensive. The steakhouse and teppanyaki grill are worth the additional cover charge. Stateroom QualityThe rooms (even the upgraded ones) are small and cramped. While I didn't go on a cruise to watch TV, it would be nice if it got more than 8 channels. Ship Staff QualityEveryone is friendly, but some of the staff can be pushy about selling add-on services. I don't want to play Bingo and buy pull-tab lotto tickets every day, thanks. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe comedy shows, concerts, and acrobatic shows were impressive! 
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Juneau, AlaskaJuneau didn't really impress me. I took a tour outside of the city instead.
Don't Miss: Mendenhall Glacier Ketchikan, AlaskaThis place was pretty, but a bit overdeveloped. It was filled with tourist shops, most of which are not locally owned
Don't Miss: Lumberjack show Skagway, AlaskaVery quaint and scenic!
Don't Miss: Yukon Train Prince Rupert, British ColumbiaI liked this place, since it wasn't swamped with tourists like the other ports. After Juneau and Skagway, I was sick of the crowds and shopping.
Don't Miss: Whale watching 5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Disappointing! by
Melissa B from Clinton, CT Sailing date: Aug 2011Pros: Shows, clean staterooms Cons: Food quality, too many extra fees on the ship, staff could have been better The staterooms were very nice, most of the staff was very pleasant, and the shows were excellent, however we felt that we had to pay for too much once we were on the ship. On the last cruise we took with a different cruise line, the only thing we had to pay extra for was alcohol and soda, and there were a lot more options included, such as juice all day, coffee, and more places to eat that were included in our cruise fee, however on NCL we felt there was a lot that was not included in our fee that we had to pay extra for if we wanted it. For instance, the only cold drinks that were included all day were water and iced tea, we had to pay extra for juice unless it was at breakfast. When we were in the lounge for a show, we had to pay for coffee, which was free in the dining rooms and the buffet. Room service options were extremely limited, and we had to pay a fee if it was after midnight, or if we wanted pizza, which was something that was included in the buffet. We also felt that the quality of the food was lesser than what we experienced on our other cruise. Additionally, while we were dining in one of the main dining rooms, we were asked by 3 or 4 different staff members if we wanted to participate in a pub crawl that was going on the next day (which we had to pay extra for), and we had 2 other staff members come around and try to get us to make a reservation in one of the specialty restaurants (where we had to pay extra to eat). We did not appreciate being interrupted during our meal so that the staff could try to sell us something else. While there were many options for places to eat on the ship, only 5 were included in our cruise fee, while 7 required us to pay extra fees. The drink prices were rather high as well, with most mixed or frozen drinks being $8-$9 each and beer being $5-$6 each. We also had an issue with the toilet in our room not working properly. We understand that occasionally issues can occur, however, when going in to use 2 different public restrooms on the ship, the toilets had been overflowing and there was water on the floor, causing the toilets to be inoperable, not to mention the serious safety hazard for anyone that entered the restroom. As far as the excursions, we decided not to book any because they were very expensive. We did go see the lumberjack show on our own, which was the same price as listed on the excursion order form, however, while in Juneau, once we got off the ship, we decided to take a bus to see the glacier and walk the trails. The same exact excursion booked through NCL would have cost us $100 for two people, while we were able to pay $30 for the two of us once we got into town. The combination of all these things has made us decide to cruise with our previous cruise line next time instead of NCL, and I will not be recommending NCL to anyone I know looking to go on a cruise. Ship QualityThe ship was large, although the layout was a little strange, where you had to walk through two restaurants to get to the other end of the ship, and getting to the staterooms was confusing since the hallways had lots of turns instead of being straight. At least there were lots of signs pointing you in the right direction. For the most part, the ship was clean, with the exception of some of the bathrooms as stated above. The other downside, was that you had to walk through the pool deck to get to other areas of the ship, like the buffet, and the deck was always very wet with lots of big puddles, and it was VERY slippery. Occasionally they would push the water off the deck, but not often enough, and I almost fell several times. Dining/FoodThe quality and variety of the food was lacking. We had one good meal in one of the main dining rooms, while all the other meals were disappointing. There were far too many places to eat where you had to pay extra, especially when the food was not very good to begin with. The room service was also seriously lacking. On the room service menu there was a soup, two salads, pizza, and four sandwiches to choose from, and if you wanted to have pizza or eat after midnight (all the dining rooms and buffets closed at 11PM), you had to pay extra. Stateroom QualityThe rooms were a decent size and were clean. We had a balcony room which was worth it to see the scenery as we went through the inside passage and by the glacier. The bathrooms were very small in the room. The toilet was separated from the sink area by a separate door, which seemed like a good idea, except that the toilet area was smaller than a phone booth and whenever you moved at all you hit your elbows on the door or the wall. Ship Staff QualityThe staff for the most part was friendly, although there were some staff members who seemed as though they did not want to be there. Our room steward was very nice and did a good job in our stateroom, but the other staff did nothing to go above and beyond. We did, however have many staff members come up to us throughout the cruise to try and sell us something else. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe shows in the theater were excellent, and there were always other activities and live music going on, however, the activities got repetitive after a couple of days, and there were lots of different things going on at the same time during the day, which meant you had to choose between the things you wanted to do, and miss out on a lot. There were a lot of BINGO sessions throughout the cruise, however, we never played because the prices were ridiculous! The minimum package was $39 for 4 games, which is twice as much as we pay to play BINGO at the casino near our house, for a fraction of the number of games. 24 out of 27 people found this review helpful.
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Great fun on the Norwegian Star by
Amy A from Alaska Sailing date: Jul 2011Pros: The freestyle dining was great! Nice to eat when you feel like it. Cons: The food got a little too repetitive. Needed more variety. The crew did a really great job of taking care of us. The ship was kept very clean. The theatre was really nice too. As were all the performances. Ship QualityEasy to get around. Dining/FoodFood quality was either really good. Or just marginal. Wish they provided more variety each night. Stateroom QualityRooms were great. Plenty of room- even with 3 people. Cabin steward was very accommodating. Ship Staff QualityEveryone was very friendly. Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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Ketchikan, AlaskaMust see! Great shopping. Very pretty scenery. Eagles were like sparrow- so beautiful!
Don't Miss: Salmon Fishing!!! Skagway, AlaskaShopping and town were great! Went on White Pass Railway - very fun.
Prince Rupert, British ColumbiaHorrible stop. Nothing to do.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Amazing views by
Maria S. from NM Sailing date: Jun 2011Pros: great glaciers views and shopping Cons: Prince Ruper port, Canada Clean, well managed, friendly people working there, well kept Ship Quality
Dining/FoodCould use more choices in restaurants that are included in the price of the cruise. Too many restaurants that are Extra pay! Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesToo bad the weather in the summer (June) was so cold and rainy. Pool was not heated and hot tubs were too cold. Was not able to enjoy the outdoors at all! If you wanted to use the heated pool and hot tub you had to pay a lot of money to the Spa.
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Juneau, AlaskaGreat shopping and good prices. Cool town
Don't Miss: Glaciers were breathtaking Ketchikan, AlaskaGood shopping
Don't Miss: Duck tours were fun! Skagway, AlaskaCOLD and windy! Quaint town but small.
Don't Miss: Visitor center movie on the Gold rush Prince Rupert, British ColumbiaDon't bother getting off the ship! Nothing to see, Shopping was terrible and the little there was was so expensive. Would never recommend this port. The time and energy you have to put to get a Canadian visa NOT WORTH IT!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Alaska with Norwegian by
Sherry S. from Delano, Tennessee Sailing date: Jun 2011Pros: Breathtaking scenery Cons: Expensive The ship was great, our balcony room was small but nice and was very clean. Our steward was wonderful! The crew was friendly and helpful. Ship Quality
Dining/Foodthe food was not great, but it was good and it was abundant. The quality definately went down as the days passed. The first breakfast we had REAL orange juice, the rest of the trip it was an orange powder mix, NOT GOOD! Stateroom QualityOur room was sufficient and well located, the beds were comfortable and the room was always clean. Ship Staff Qualitythe staff was great. Entertainment & ActivitiesWe just loved the entertainment, we do not gamble or drink, but there was plenty to do other than visit bars or casinos.
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Juneau, AlaskaJuneau does not have a lot to offer other than history, we went to the gold rush cemetery and had to walk about 1/2 mile, but enjoyed just being outdoors in the beautiful scenery. The Klondike visit was a waste of time unless you paid to pan for gold, which we did not do.
Ketchikan, AlaskaThis is a must see! A lovely town and a fun visit.
Skagway, AlaskaTired of jewelry stores by this time, but an attractive town.
Prince Rupert, British ColumbiaNothing here, walking tour was boring and shops close early, so if you do whale or eagle watching trips, you miss the shops, but not a great loss. Do not reccomend this stop.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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an okey ? cruise by
A Traveler from sfo Sailing date: Apr 2011Pros: entertainment Cons: food!!! an average cruise ship... Ship Quality
Dining/Foodbreakfast has the same menu!! have to pay lots of extra money to enjoy different cuisines.. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Qualityonly thing thats good, staff smiles and greets, veryc ourteous Entertainment & Activitiesreally excellent Children's Programsnothing much to interest an 11 years old
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Puerto Vallarta, MexicoDon't Miss: swimming with the dolphins Cabo San Lucas, Mexicowe booked the cabo blue snorkling tour we had a great time
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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No More NCL by
Julie B from Sacramento, CA Sailing date: Mar 2011The ship, though once beautiful, is showing signs of age, and hard use. Very limited space outside except by the overly crowded, congested pool area. This area is noisy, overwhelming and uncomfortable. The pool is small, and there is only one main pool. There are never enough chairs avialable. The hot tubs and water slides take most of the square footage. The pool closes very early, so there is no night swimming avialable. Floors are treacherous because the area is so small, everything is constantly wet and slippery. Very limited sitting space on open deck. Jogging track closes at 8 PM. Ship QualityLarge ship, but much of the area taken up with "specialty restaurants." Public areas are kept clean, but furnishings are lackluster and shabby. Woodwork and railing are chipped and worn. Carpets trampled down and outdated, albeit clean. Public restrooms are usually dirty and out of tissue and seat covers. Dining/FoodFood quality on the Star has deteriorated terribly since 2009. What used to be prime rib and steak are now thin, tough, tasteless pieces of beef, usually heavy with fat. Menus are dull, and overall quality of food is mediocre to poor. Dining times are convenient and flexible. Ambiance is casual, nothing stellar. Far too many over priced specialty venues, some up to $25 per person. Stateroom QualityI'll give this an average only because the rooms are decent size, and there is abundant storage. Beds are old and uncomfortable, despite foam pads. Bed linens are dingy, although clean. Towels are stiff and scratchy. Soap and body wash and shampoo are dispensed from canisters on the walls. Ship Staff QualityA few exceptionally good staffers, but overall, the staff is cool, yet polite. Many of them appear bored and frustrated, and we often heard staff grumbling and complaing. Front desk staff are minimally helpful, and show a lack of concern for passenger's concerns. Problems get resolved, but nothing ever "over and beyond." Entertainment & ActivitiesUsual shipboard night life, and very poor schedule of activities during the day. Mostly "seminars" that are geared toward selling expensive goods and services on the ship.
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Puerto Vallarta, MexicoShocking poverty and depressed conditions if you go anywheere on a secondary road. Sickening sights in the foreground against the backdrop of many cruise ships. Not much to do here but shop. Wouldn't care to return.
Cabo San Lucas, MexicoVery little to do in this port except kayak and snorkel, and explore the rock formations. The area near the pier is filled with surly vendors selling junk. We didn't eat, but found a cute place to drink some good cold Negra Modelo, at only $3 a glass. That was the high point
11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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