Norwegian Star Review

NCL needs improvement

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Star
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lzgreen
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Aug 2018
Cabin: Balcony

Chose this cruise for an extended family vacation- 12 of us in total. Tough to find a date and itinerary that worked for everyone. This one fit the bill- in theory. On paper the itinerary sounds great- Kotor, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, and Dubrovnik. The reality is much different. Odd times in port and too many tenders, and NCL sucks at their tenders. Often we had only hours in a port. Santorini in particular was a nightmare between the tenders and the cable car. Took us literally 2 1/2 hours to get off the ship and to the top of the cable car. Then we could not even enjoy ourselves as we worried about the line and having enough time to get back on board. Part of that was NCL but it is also Santorini. Great island, but not for a cruise until they find a better system to get people ashore. Luckily we did dock in Dubrovnik, since we were there from only 7 AM to 1PM.

FYI- the ultimate beverage package includes very little other than low level alcohol and wine. No coffees at the coffee bar or cappuccinos let alone bottle of water like on other cruise lines. And our 20 year old was considered a "child" and therefore given only a soda package. But they would serve him alcohol if he wanted to pay for it. Totally hypocritical, as the drinking age in Europe is 18. And many of our stateroom credits could only be spent on board, not applied to tips. And make sure the right person signs up for an internet package if you took the promo. Though it is supposed to be per stateroom, it somehow gets assigned to one individual. And one person manned the internet café, so the line was 30 deep. They do offer you the option to upgrade to unlimted and have the promo amount credited which was a nice touch.

Speaking of lines, it would be helpful to have more places open when we were all on board. Lines at bars would get ridiculous, especially by the pool. Trivia was held in a bar, and the bar was closed. Not even a glass of water could be found nearby.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BB

Liked having a balcony, but tiny room!

Port Reviews

Venice

Come a day or two early and spend some time in Venice before the cruise. Very worthwhile though it was very hot in August!

Kotor

But our own private excursion, a walking tour of the old city. Very informative and interesting. Very pretty area that we wish we had more time to explore outside of the city. We tendered, and being the last ship to arrive we had the worst location. Took about 30 minutes from the shop to get a sure.

Corfu

Really enjoyed visiting Corfu. Had been to Greece on another trip but not to this island. Lots to explore and see.

Santorini

Wish I could give Santorini five stars because the island itself is absolutely amazing. The experience getting on and off the ship was a nightmare. Between the tender and the cable car, this is an island that should be taken off the cruise itinerary. Visit it when you can take a ferry and spend a few days. That’s the best way to see the island. We did rent ATVs with her sons and that was really fun. Great way to get around and explore.

Mykonos

Arranged a private Jeep excursion which took us all around the island and to a beautiful beach area. Lovely day exploring and great food everywhere. Luckily we docked that day. Made everything so much easier.

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Dubrovnik

I would have given Dubrovnick five stars if the hours were there we’re not 7 AM to 1 PM. Limited us on what we could do. Enjoyed exploring the old city and the walls, and we took a 45 minute boat ride for €10 apiece. Made us feel that we want to spend more time in Croatia in the future.

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