We cruised on the Star in June of this year, and had a great time. This experience re-introduced us to cruising (had done one bad and one good cruise before) and gave us the incentive to try again this December. So, we were “experienced” Star cruisers and had some notions of what we wanted, well before we arrived in Honolulu on the 14th. The news is mostly good, and yes, we learned even MORE yet about NCL and this beautiful ship.
Here is a link on our website to our cruise review of June 2003, warts and all.
Our photos, as well as copies of the
“Freestyle Daily” from June 2003, are at:
June 2003 Norwegian Star Cruise Photos and Documents
Some background: we two (no children) are approaching retirement age, live on Maui, and are not seasoned cruisers. We like quiet and watching the ocean roll past. Like to eat and drink, but are not gourmets. Since we live in the Islands, we are not quick to get off the ship in port, certainly not in Maui! We were celebrating our 25th anniversary, while MoonlightDancer (David and Chris Woods, whom we met by email through CruiseCritic on-line discussion boards) were celebrating their 10th. NCL helped us all to enjoy these special occasions.
I'll give away the secrets right now, two “discoveries” we made on this cruise that we did not discover in June:
Here is some inside advice that is mentioned regularly by other cruisers. This time we followed the advice to arrive early on Sunday. We flew in early, grabbed some dim sum in Chinatown, and arrived at the pier about 10:30 AM. This is a good opportunity to get a place in the luggage line, and buy needed sundries and soft drinks at Aloha Tower Marketplace. We were early in the luggage line, and were second in line to get through security. This is in stark contrast to the mess we endured in June, with massive lines and confusion everywhere.
Got on the ship by lunchtime to get our first “fix” of fish and chips at the Blue Lagoon. (This could be the most underrated restaurant on the ship.) Sometimes they do get busy, but we could always get a “takeout” order within 15 minutes with no problem. On Saturday afternoon, we ate our F&S on deck 7, watching beautiful Nawiliwili harbor and the mountains around it. Having a cabin in the aft part of the ship made it easy to “take out” from the Blue Lagoon to our cabin.
Another “insider” discovery was that we could leave with our own luggage any time we wanted on the final Sunday. I guess we missed that feature of “freestyle” in June. Since we could handle all our own luggage on wheels, we waited until about 10 AM to leave. Very relaxed and pleasant, plus no need to pack ahead and “lose” luggage on Saturday night.
As a stress-reducer, we always recommend that cruisers allow a day or two on each side of their cruise to lessen the impact of arrival and departure. A week is even better, so you can visit more of our beautiful islands with plenty of time.
This category would not be complete without kudos to Tony Lockett. He is the Food and Beverage Director, and has a huge job managing the creation of great menus, and all the fine eating and drinking places on this ship. He attends the CruiseCritic get-togethers on Monday at 6 PM, and we strongly recommend making his acquaintance. He is a lot of fun to talk with, and always makes some time in his busy schedule to chat. You will see him patrolling the restaurants at night, checking up. Such visits are a very important part of a well-managed food service.
Again this time, our best dining experiences were at the Ginza. We had the “menu” oriental food each time. We also enjoyed their high-quality sushi on the June cruise. MoonlightDancer had the teppanyaki and greatly enjoyed it. The service at Ginza has been consistently exceptional. Other cruisers have noted that many of the ship's staff eat at Ginza, and there is a good reason for that.
We had mixed experiences this time with the main dining rooms. Last time, we escaped to Aqua for dinner, as we found service to be uneven at Versailles. This time, service was uniformly good at both, but we had problems at Aqua with table location. The first night we ate there, we were placed in the farthest room, right next to the busing station. The crash of dishes was deafening and very upsetting to our enjoyment of dinner. The manager at Aqua (we remembered him from June) was apologetic, but not much else.
The next night, we asked for a quieter area and had to wait about 15 minutes for a table to be freed up. That is the longest we have ever waited on the Star. That meal was quieter, the only noise being other diners digging happily into their lobster dinners. Our two dinners at Versailles was just fine, too, so we have evened things out a bit. Breakfast at Versailles was a pleasure, we believe, because we asked to be seated in the “wings” of the restaurant, avoiding tables in the stern (farthest from the kitchen). You can get quicker seating if you are willing to share, so sometimes we shared our table, other times enjoyed a table to ourselves. The traffic patterns for breakfast at Versailles depend on whether we have a port arrival, or are at sea. Slowest was the last Sunday. It was a very busy, messy morning for Versailles, but we eventually got fed, and were in no hurry.
The baked goods were again of the highest quality. Even expensive hotels cannot rival the freshness and quality of the breads, sweet rolls and desserts they make daily on the Star. We will be posting photos of the chocolate buffet, as it must be seen to be believed! These wonderful baked goods were available throughout the ship.
Also mixed experiences this time with the buffet. We had high praise for it in June, but found the food inconsistent this time, with some rather bland items. Of course, the buffet must cater to all possible cruisers, which is quite a tall order. And yes, the “minute steaks” were excellent again this time. Bob ate one that was not quite up to standards, so he ate another to validate the testing. This one met all the highest standards. Sandi's were all excellent.
Bob discovered another buffet “trick” during the rough runs to Fanning: take the wonderful bread rolls at the front of the line, and make a sandwich using the cold cuts just a few feet down the line. Most of the days, they offered prosciutto, which made for a delicious sandwich.
We often ate in the port (left, facing forward) side of the buffet. Many people did not know that pretty much the same food was available on the “other” side of the buffet. It was the least crowded, so even if we got food from the main buffet, we sat on the port side.
Another Star “first”: Bob ate at the pool “grill” and had a very nice meal. The french fries were nearly as good as those in the Blue Lagoon (now don't get excited, they had been sitting for a while on a steam table, but still were crisp and delicious. Try that at home....). Like the previous cruise, he observed people eating lots of hamburgers and loving it, so the pool grill remains a popular spot on the ship.
The pretzels and brats at the Bier Garten are good too. They had a “special” all week there for a doppelbock beer from Germany. Some Americans might not be aware that the strongest regular beer from that country is a dark, slightly sweet, beer that rivals any on earth. The price that week was the SAME as for any other German beer! Needless to say, we enjoyed this beer several times during the cruise. Beware, though, this beer is much stronger than “regular” German beer, and could cause wobbly legs. Look for a beer name that ends with the letters “ator”.
In June, we enjoyed some spicy foods, such as the chicken wings they make in the Blue Lagoon. But, the food just wasn't spicy enough for us, when we really wanted some “good burn”. This time, we brought along our own hot sauce. Nearly used up a full bottle for the week. Now, don't get us wrong, plenty of the food on board was delicious and flavorful, just not spicy enough, when we wanted it that way.
We picked this cruise date for multiple reasons. One was that Sandi can only get off work at certain times of the year. The other reason was that the two weeks before Christmas are slow tourist times here in the islands. NCL was offering very good prices for the week of 12/14. For instance, we heard about $200 rates being offered to people on Oahu, if they booked close to the sailing date. Our mini-suite was well priced, and the upgrade from the balcony cabin was just $75 per person for the week. We will probably not pay for a mini-suite in the future, see more under the “cabin” heading.
As regards entertainment, we did not attend any big shows this time, but the lineup was quite similar to the June trip, stage shows, Chinese acrobats, Polynesian Review, etc.
NCL also seems to have added some “culture” items that we don't recall from June. We attended a narrated piano mini-concert that was very enjoyable. Fran Schwartz did a great job playing and lecturing, in her salute to George and Ira Gershwin and their classic show tunes. There were also lectures on Hawaiian history and culture (we did not attend). The musical group in the atrium was over-amped. We complained in June about the high volume used on nearly all music, from the theatre shows, to the atrium group.
Actually, nearly all of our entertainment time was spent with Hawaiian Musician Charles Nahale. Charles is a fine singer and enjoyable entertainer. What is very important is that he does everything with ALOHA. He normally entertains, playing guitar and singing, in the Las Ramblas bar. This bar serves the delicious “tapas” and has had a regular 2-for-1 drink deal on both of our Star cruises. But by the time Charles starts at 7 PM, the bar is often empty, and he has entertained the “chairs and tables” many times. This is a shame, as his show is the nearest thing most visitors to Hawaii will ever see of “real” Hawaiian entertainment.
When we first saw him, he was singing in the main atrium during the first Sunday afternoon. SweetEmi had told us to look him up, as she and her friend Annette had spent many great evenings with Charles in Las Ramblas. When we saw him, he was delighted that we had been sent his way.
Monday evening, we ascended to Las Ramblas, and there was only one other patron! Ginger (also from Maui) had grabbed a table and was talking story about “old times” with Charles. Seems that Ginger has been on many cruises on the old “Independence” which was the American ship that cruised the Hawaiian islands for many years. Charles played regularly on that ship. Sadly, the “Indy” went out of business shortly after 9/11. Ginger and Charles had not see each other in over two years, and they had some catching up to do. We joined in and we all had a nice time talking about cruising, the Islands, and Hawaiian music. We have become real fans of the music of these islands since moving here 5 years ago. Charles knows many of the long-time island entertainers, and lots of songs, both old and new. Next thing we knew, he was taking our requests, singing some songs that we didn't know, and Ginger was dancing hula. The evening became like the old “front porch” style here in the islands: drink, dance, sing, talk story, all in a very relaxed atmosphere.
We were joined soon by Dennis, who was born on Lana'i, but had lived on the mainland for most of his career. He has retired, and is thinking about returning to the islands. He has been taking hula and music lessons to help regain his “roots”. So we now had four “audience” members and a wonderful musician to make the evening fly. We were taken by surprise when it was 10 PM and quitting time (we “older” folk can hardly stay up past 10 most evenings).
We decided to make it a habit, and Charles was happy to have such a warm and friendly audience. We re-assembed every evening at Las Ramblas, to an increasing audience. Every time we talked with people on the ship, and when we saw people who might be “local”, we mentioned Charles and encouraged people to show up. Two young men from Honolulu (they were in front of us in line to get on the ship) joined the gang. One had a beautiful singing voice, and joined Charles several times at the microphone.
This pattern kept on for most of the week, Ginger and Dennis dancing from time to time, folks singing along with the Hawaiian and (very timely) Christmas songs, lots of talk story, and that wonderful, warm feeling of the Islands.
When we discussed our anniversary dinner plans with Tony Lockett, we mentioned that Charles was a fine entertainer who might benefit from a better location. Sure enough, Charles was moved to the forward atrium (connected to Soho, Gatsby's, and Ginza) for Saturday night. We walked down the stairs after our fun anniversary dinner, into a packed audience. People walking between the theatre and the various restaurants were lining the balconies to listen. Charles was joined from time to time by some lovely dancers from the Polynesian entertainment troup on the ship. These lovely ladies danced hula to Charles' playing and singing, and we all had a wonderful evening. Yes, Ginger and Dennis got up to dance several times. We got everyone in the atrium to join in singing the Christmas songs, and even a few of the other hula “students” from June's class joined in too.
Some people have voiced concerns that the Star was not promoting enough Hawaiian culture, but Charles' performances were the finest you could find in the islands: honest, warm, and fun, full of sincere ALOHA.
If you get on the Star soon, be sure to look him up and enjoy his shows. They are the real thing. His CD is for sale in the Ports of Call store on the ship. We bought it and continue to enjoy his beautiful voice. We hope that Charles will get a contract to work on the Pride of America, when she starts Hawaiian service in July.
We were in a “mini-suite”: 11680. The upgrade from ordinary balcony was such a great deal, we had to take it. In retrospect, we feel that it was not worth much extra money. Perhaps a family might benefit from the greater square footage, but for a couple, it wasn't much improvement. Note that the mini-suite we were in was deeper, not wider, than the balcony cabin. The primary gain is having a bit more space on the balcony. The greater depth allowed more length for “the world's hardest couch”. Note from June that we found the fold-out couch in the balcony room to be hard and uncomfortable. No different this time, just a longer couch.
Some cruisers might benefit from the fact that the cabin could be made into two separate areas by pulling a curtain. Each area has its own lighting and air conditioning control. Might be good for a larger group traveling together. Oh yes, with the mini-suite, you get robes (nice) and concierge support. Frankly, we found the concierge service to be disappointing, just as we could not figure out any benefits to being Latitudes members.
Now the seas were a lot bumpier this time, especially between Hawaii and Fanning. The cabin was definitely noisy when we encountered these heavy seas. The primary source of the noise seemed to be the woodwork creaking. However, we noticed a lot of scary sounds from the sliding door, which was not as reassuring. A big ship has to flex, and some of the noise was unavoidable, but were not happy with the sliding door.
We had booked this cabin number (11680) knowing that we would be just underneath the buffet area, but a part of the buffet that was not regularly used. Still, we got more than enough foot traffic overhead, with an occasional cart rumbling along. The people across the way on the starboard side probably didn't get any rest at all. We would certainly rethink our location for future cruises. In June we were at level 9, and experienced NO noise at all from overhead, neighbors, or the ship's motion.
Again, the Hawaiian “ambassador” June was fantastic. This trip, we spent more time at her activities. Sandi made a very nice kukui nut lei, and we enjoyed watching some of the hula class. The hula “graduation” was a very moving experience, a real taste of ALOHA. It was also a lot of fun. Every hula student introduced themselves after the event, showing us just how diverse the passengers are. The 75-year-old retired school teacher (the last to introduce herself) was great! She was ready to boogie!
We spent a lot more time on the island in June. We are not beach people, but everyone we've talked with (and posters on CC) have enjoyed the beach. Certainly it is very beautiful, everyone's idea of a tropical atoll: azure water, white sand, etc. In June, we carried some school supplies down to the school, a very warm walk. You do get to see the “real” island, where people live, as you walk along. The people have a calm dignity of their own, they do not beg. We did not get a positive reaction from everyone we saw, perhaps due to language differences. We did not buy anything last time.
This trip, we spent our time on Fanning only to shop. We now own a number of those shell necklaces they make, quite a diverse grouping. The prices change as you walk around the “marketplace”. Farther out from the pier, the prices are lower. They now sell a lot of coconut items, which makes sense, since they are a former coconut plantation. The knives were very common. Bring lots of $1 bills, that is the standard currency. The marketplace seemed to be larger this time, and some cruisers have noted that individual tables are now set up in other parts of the island.
Fanning is still a unique place on this earth. We recommend a visit to everyone.
After about 30 minutes of shopping, we returned to the ship and enjoyed the lack of crowds and a nice lunch in air conditioned comfort (and no flies).
We will repeat what we said about the June trip. The seamanship shown by the NCL crew was of the highest quality. With the troublesome weather, the entrance to Kahului harbor was questionable, but they handled the ship beautifully. As usual, the entry and exit of Nawiliwili Harbor is an amazing feat of seamanship. Safety is a top priority on this ship, and we observed crew training taking place at every port. We've noticed some dissatisfaction by other posters on CruiseCritic on-line discussion boards, when the Star misses a port. Believe us, the local people here on Maui share the cruisers' disappointment. We must agree with the master of the ship, however, when they decide to bypass a port in bad weather. Better to maintain the safety of over 3,000 people and a $500 million ship, than take unnecessary chances.
Sunday 12/14 – Getting on early was a big plus. We were on so early that we did not have to use the Latitudes check in line. In fact, we might have been through faster with the regular lines. In June, we were not yet Latitudes members, and the check in service was very efficient.
Lunch at Blue Lagoon. This is a good time to use this restaurant, since the buffet fills fast with new arrivals on board, and stays very busy for most of the day.
Dinner at Endless Summer. This was a mixed experience. Bob found the food to be bland and uninteresting, Sandi liked her dinner, but of course, she had the hot sauce bottle! As usual, leaving Honolulu at night is very dramatic.
Monday 12/15 – Hilo. Overcast, which is rather normal. The islands were coming off of a very rainy week or two. The seas were VERY heavy in previous weeks. Tony commented to us that the waves were breaking over the Bier Garten, which is the very top of the forward superstructure.
Had CruiseCritic meeting. (These were people who posted on the Cruisecritic discussion boards, and had "met" online before getting on the cruise. We highly recommend meeting your fellow passengers online before the cruise!)
MoonlightDancer (David and Chris Woods) and avlski (Annie and her mother) showed up. We had a nice turnout of officers, with Tony Lockett (as always a very nice man, and very helpful to us throughout the cruise), the hotel director and his assistants. Drinks all around, photos taken, lots of fun, etc, etc.
Dinner at Ginza. Consistently excellent as previous. This is the best restaurant on the ship, in our opinion. Nearly all the officers eat here, for good reason.
Tuesday 12/16 – At sea. The ship was definitely wiggling and lurching. The steadying planes keep it from rolling, but it is an interesting experience to sit in Versailles and feel the ship “wag her tail”. We were most comfortable astern, where our cabin was located, as well as the Versailles restaurant. Bob kept the seasick bands on his wrists, and was able to tolerate the movement pretty well. Other passengers were coping in various ways, from using patches (dry mouth is the most common complaint with these) to drugs (usually cause drowsiness). We recommended fresh ginger to a lady who was suffering during breakfast. If you don't mind a strong spicy taste, just ask the dining room staff for some sliced ginger and they will be happy to supply. Our waiter even sliced it up for her. We saw her later in the cruise and she was coping better.
We now know that the seas around Hawaii are much “bumpier” in the winter than during our lovely, smooth summer trip.
We attended a meeting of Latitudes members in the nightclub up forward (which was not comfortable for Bob). Aside from a drawing for free goodies, we were a bit disappointed with the benefits of Latitude membership. We remain to be convinced.
This was our first Aqua dinner, with crashing dishes. The lamb chops were excellent, in spite of the noise.
Wednesday 12/17 – Fanning Island. We had walked around in June, visiting the school and so on. This time, we shopped for a brief period and returned to the Star for lunch. Weather was lovely, tropical, and sunny. The seas were calm. The people who were on the beach had a great time.
Chocoholic Buffet took place. We got photos this time, as it must be seen to be believed.
Lobster dinner tonight in Aqua, quieter table. This was “formal night” so we could not do Versailles. The service was excellent.
Thursday 12/18 – at sea again. We agreed to “share” for dinner at Versailles, and ended up at a large round table with two other couples. Had a nice dinner, with fun conversation. Bob was happy chatting with the lady seated on his left, as she was a chocoholic like himself.
Friday 12/19 – Approaching Maui, the head winds and seas were slowing us down. We arrived late. While passing Lahaina we saw some whales (It is that time of year.)
It was a close thing, getting into Kahului Harbor. The seas were high, and the wind was blowing very strongly. The captain kept her at the harbor entrance for several minutes, assessing the situation. They finally went in. Meanwhile, they had retracted the planes used to steady the ship. It is pretty awesome standing on deck when the Star goes through a full roll.
All the barges in the harbor were being held in place by the tugs, pushing them against the piers under full power. Waves were crashing completely over the harbor break wall, as well as over the break wall (and road!) on the other side of the ship. The tug and barge behind of the Star were rolling like they were at sea, but they were at the pier! Surfers inside the harbor were catching the waves. Yes, that's surfers INSIDE the harbor. It was nice to lounge in the Spa area watching the crews load and unload the barge behind us. They were very skillful.
Dinner at Versailles very nice. Good service, they sang a nice anniversary song for us, in four-part harmony. We were seated at Table #1.
By 9 PM, the winds were milder and leaving Kahului was much pleasant than our arrival.
Saturday 12/20 – Kauai. Lovely weather. The storm had passed and Kauai looked its best. There was another cruise ship in, the C. Columbus. Some web research has revealed that she is a HAPAG-Lloyd ship (from Germany), on a round-the-world cruise. She seemed so small, but was nearly half the length of the Star.
Tonight, we had our anniversary dinner with the Woods. The Ginza staff was wonderful. Tony Lockett gave us a complementary bottle of champaign, and then gathered the entire staff to join in on singing us an anniversary song. Charles had been re-assigned to the atrium outside Gatsby's, and was playing when we finished dinner. This was the most amazing evening of the cruise (see entertainment section).
Sunday 12/21 – Back to Honolulu. We are just getting into the swing of things. And now it is over (sob!). Got up early to watch our arrival to Honolulu, quite dramatic, too. Sunrise over Diamond Head is unforgettable. We opted to roll ourselves off the ship, so we packed at our leisure, and didn't leave until about 10 AM.
Happy with NCL? Yes, definitely so. We have found the Star to be a lovely ship, well run. It will be interesting next year with the Pride of America. We will be some of the first passengers, as she cruises through the Panama Canal. James Deering, who was Hotel Manager on the Star, will be in charge on the POA. We look forward to the experience.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Robert and Sandra Swanson
Back to December 2003 Star Cruise Pictures
June 2003 Star Cruise Pictures
Links to Photos and Travel Info
Go back to the Swanson homepage.
Page Layout Design Made Possible by:
Vanilla.
Updated 5/18/2019