Introducing the Norwegian Star and Freestyle Cruising

In the words of Broadway mastermind, Steven Sondheim, “You gotta get a gimmick if you’re gonna get ahead.”  In mass market cruising today, it is not good enough just to have a beautiful ship, great food and service, entertaining shows, comfortable cabins and intriguing destinations.  All of the new ships delivered in the past few years have those things.  Individually, they excel at one thing or another - but up until now, none has had a gimmick to completely revolutionize the cruise industry. Hats off to NCL for being the innovator, not just in the incentive market, but in the industry as a whole.

The gimmick is Freestyle Cruising.  Freestyle Cruising is not just 24-hour or open seating dining.  It goes way beyond that. 

The ship is unlike any other.  She is a megaplex of dining and entertainment options, never seen before on a traditional cruise ship.  To begin with, the Star has 10 individual restaurants.  Six of which  - Aqua, Versailles, Blue Lagoon, La Trattoria, Las Ramblas and the Marketplace Cafe can be enjoyed on a complimentary basis – the same as the main dining room or casual eatery on any other ship.  You never have to pay extra for food  on the Star if you do not want to.

The second tier of options - The Soho Room, Le Bistro, Ginza/Sushi Bar, the Tepanyaki Room and Endless Summer are offered at either a small cover charge or with an a la carte menu.  Each has its own theme with food to match.  I will say that I had the best sushi I have ever eaten on this ship, and enjoyed a meal in the Soho Room that was as good as any meal I have eaten on a five star ship.  You can even pick your own live lobster from the lobster tank in the restaurant.  Amazing!!!  for the most part, the food in the alternative restaurants was of a higher caliber than that served in the main dining rooms - but then, you are paying for it.  The main dining rooms served more traditional cruise fare, and I still say that NCL has come a very long way in this area.

Freestyle Cruising carries over to the entertainment options.  Of course, the ship has a series of bars and lounges - only there seemed to be more of them than usual.  Las Ramblas Tapas Bar is an adorable Spanish bar/taverna that serves complimentary hot and cold tapas (appetizer sized portions of food).  Gatsby’s champagne bar is the most happening place before and after dinner.  This lounge sits on deck 6 in the center of four of the specialty restaurants and once you go into dinner, the entertainment follows you - as you can still hear the wonderful pianist/singer.

Spinnaker’s is the front observation lounge, which is great for a private event or a quiet moment during the day.  At night, it is the perfect spot for a dance band.  Dazzles Night Club has a small stage and lots of room for a cocktail party, meeting, etc.  The Red Lion sport bar was always packed, complete with a large screen television it is a wonderful lounge with British flair.  High up on deck 14, is the Bier Garten and late at night, for those who want to forgo the show or lounge entertainment, there is usually a high energy, themed deck party with lots of food - in lieu of the more traditional midnight buffet. 

On the Star, the American market will be introduced to karaoke like never before.  There is a “karaoke circus” - which is a lounge featuring strategically placed television sets and a small stage.  Passengers have the chance to perform for friends and strangers alike.  However, if you feel the need for solitude, there are five private karaoke rooms, complete with dual microphones, a full entertainment system and a few couches.  It is kind of like singing in the shower...only better! 

The ship boasts a spectacular 1,000 passenger theater.  I am told that NCL has their entertainment company design the stage and audio visual systems to suit the productions.  Now that’s teamwork!  This theater has incredible laser and pyrotechnic capabilities, along with a multi level hydraulic stage.  Let’s just say you will be entertained from the minute you sit down until the minute you leave.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Sea Legs Cirque Aloha production - complete with Asian acrobats.  Which actually brings me to an interesting point.  Since the Star will be sailing year ‘round in Hawaii, NCL has done their best to incorporate Hawaiian traditions onboard.  Several of the shows will feature the Tiahti Polynesian Production Co. - who perform local songs and dances.  Many Hawaiian ship employees will help in bringing the outside in, by teaching hula dances, lei making and other fun Hawaiian customs.

The cabins and suites on the Star offer many improvements and innovations over past NCL vessels.  First of all, the two Garden Villas are amazing!  With three bedrooms each, a VIP could have his or her own onboard estate for the week.  The bedrooms share a common living room, complete with dining facilities and entertainment system.  Each has its own beautiful bathroom.  Total interior living space is over 1700 square feet.  The Japanese garden/terrace is over 1900 square feet, complete with hot tub, shower room, dining area, lounge chairs and themed decor.  A few steps up brings you to a huge deck.  An executive could easily entertain over 100 people with a full bar, hors d’oeuvres and a band on the two decks.  It is truly magnificent.  With all of the deck space, each Garden Villa complex is over 5,000 square feet.

The suites vary in size and style.  As a matter of fact, in the same category, suites are individually decorated - so that none of them look alike.  Each has its own personality.

The cabins are certainly comfortable and well appointed.  The beds have thick mattresses, down comforters and feather pillows.  The bathrooms are a huge improvement over predecessors.  The showers are spacious stalls with sliding doors.  No more wet floors.  The toilets have their own compartment, also with a sliding door – giving some privacy for two people to use the facilities at the same time.  And, no more little bottles of shampoo and tiny bars of soap, each shower is equipped with a shampoo and soap dispenser, mounted on the wall.  Hooray!  Why did it take a cruise line so long to think of that?

On deck, NCL decided to incorporate the terraces - similar to what is found on the Dream and the Wind.  You can sit on a variety of different levels, if you want to sit around the pool.  Most of the lounge space is on the upper deck.

The Barong Spa and Fitness Center are also new to NCL.  In my opinion, the Mandara Spa is leaps and bounds ahead of anything Steiner has ever done.  Oddly, Steiner has recently bought 40% of Mandara.  Mandara’s Asian therapies and techniques are so much more relaxing and enjoyable, as compared to the more traditional counterparts usually offered by Steiner on large cruise ships.  The Spa certainly had many of the right ingredients - Thalasso Therapy pool, indoor lap pool, hot tub, lounge area, steam, sauna, etc.  I did find the layout to be very choppy however.  On both the male and female sides of the facility, guests are invited to wait in a lovely sea-view relaxation room.  It was so nice to sit in a huge comfortable chair/ottoman while waiting for your therapist to be ready.  A great addition. 

The fitness center was my biggest disappointment.  It seemed to be an afterthought, as none of the exercise machines faced a window.  It was quite small with limited equipment and a tiny area for exercise classes.  The machines they did have were fine - but this facility was not nearly as impressive as others I have seen.  It did house a lovely juice/ice cream bar.

If it is freedom of choice you are after or, if you are not interested in conforming to nightly dress codes and rigid schedules and want to try something “outside of the box” the Norwegian Star is the ship for you.  And of course, if you want to send your group on a 7-night Hawaii cruise - take a look at the Norwegian Star.  The charm of the South Pacific awaits you!