Cabin Review

This was my first time cruising in a suite and I have to say, I don't think I can cruise any other way in the future. It was so amazing to have that rear-facing view the entire cruise, especially through the Panama Canal. The balcony had two reclining chaise lounges, two patio chairs, and two small tables, so it was plenty of space for sunning, watching the stars at night, or throwing a small Panama Canal cocktail party.

One of the things I loved most was the private dining for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was usually at Moderno restaurant, with a lovely buffet including smoked salmon and the same menu choices each morning (stay away from the seafood brioche, but the French toast is amazing). Wish they had gourmet coffees, though there's a Nespresso maker in the cabin. You can get fresh squeezed orange juice - at a price. Really should be included, I think. I wish the restaurant were open for breakfast later than 10am though.

Lunch for suite guests is in Cagney's Steakhouse. As a pescatarian, there were few options for me, but the scallop and shrimp risotto is amazing, I ate it three times. As with breakfast, the menu did not change.

We benefitted from having a concierge (Monica) who assured we had dinner reservations every night. We traveled with three other couples, and though they were not suite guests, we were able to include them in our regular or specialty restaurant reservations. We often changed our restaurant or number os guests, and Monica took care of it by telling me, "consider it done." She gave me 4 copies of a printed out list of all or reservations, once made. She also made sure we could take advantage of express exits at our ports of call. I wish she could have helped us with show reservations, but on the Norwegian Star this is not possible; however, we had no problem finding seats, usually at the 9:30pm show (we like sesting near the front).

We also had a butler but we didn't use/need his services much. He brought us treats every afternoon, but it's not like we needed more food on a cruise ship! It was often something sweet (cookies, tarts) and/or small sandwiches.

My other favorite thing in the site is the bathtub. They provided bath salts, and I loved soaking after one of our Level-3 activities (scuba diving, climbing the volcano...) The bathroom is about 50% larger than a regular cabin bathroom.

There is plenty of storage space too - drawers, shelves, etc. and two safes. More than we could use, actually. The closet is large too, with doors on two sides so you could walk/see through it.

Others rave about the Nespresso machine. Yes, it's there, but I like cappuchino not espresso, so I generally brought a small container of milk in from breakfast to put in my espresso, when I made it (there's a small fridge in the room, but you have to pay for what you use. We learned this the hard way). Since everything is on the ship, there's no need to stock with what you like, unless you do not wish to venture out of your cabin to get it.

The room also has bathrobes (nice for the trip to the jacuzzi from the LA/Pacific part of th cruise) and slippers (which we never used).

There are two USB ports, one under each bedside lamp, but you would never know this - they are not easy to find.

As a suite guest, you get expedited boarding and disembarkation. The expedited boarding worked nicely - and my parents joined us with no problem. But there was really no advantage to expedited disembarkation - Miami was a mess, and my longest, slowest cruise ship exit ever (this is my 5th cruise).

Overall, I loved the experience enough that I would rsther cruise less often and pay more to take advntage of the suite than to cruise more often, not in a suite. I will do it again, and likely with NCL. And in this same room, if possible (end, starboard side, 10th floor, just below the spa).