Norwegian Star

Launched in 2001, Norwegian Star is the first Dawn-class ship of Norwegian Cruise Line, together with Norwegian Dawn.

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE (NYC). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL, Oceania and RSSC (Regent).

The 91,740-ton, 2,350-passenger cruise ship Norwegian Star became operational in 2001, and was specially designed for Freestyle Cruising. The cruise ship has eleven restaurants, plus venues serving Tex-Mex, Japanese and French cuisine, and eight bars and lounges. In line with the Freestyle mantra, public spaces range from intimate to exuberant, giving passengers the chance for 24/7 entertainment.

Cruise itinerary program

Norwegian Star itinerary program is based on Baltic Sea cruises from Copenhagen in the summer months. The Star ship also offers 7-day Western Caribbean sailings from Tampa FL, and seasonal Transatlantic repositioning crossings between Europe and Florida.

In February 2016, the ship was listed among the booked vessels at Overseas Passenger Terminal (Sydney NSW Australia) for a total of 11 visits (between October 7, 2017 and May 1, 2018). In January-February 2017, the ship operated all 3 itineraries to/from Australia and New Zealand.

Cabins

Most Norwegian Star staterooms are 165-sq.foot Balcony rooms (368). There are a total of 1172 staterooms in 33 categories. The largest aboard Norwegian Star are the The Haven Garden Villas (2285 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

There are two main dining rooms onboard Norwegian Star for traditional-style dining, Versailles, located aft, and Aqua, located midship. Both are lovely, and Versailles looks very much like its namesake with lots of gold and French Renaissance flourishes. Aqua is contemporary and cool. Besides the main dining room, there are a bevvy of alternative venues.In addition to the two main dining rooms, Norwegian Star features a wealth of distinct restaurants to choose from. Themes range from steaks and classic French bistro fare to Benihana-style Teppanyaki. Overall, food is flavorful, and even inventive. Service is excellent throughout, though it's not unusual to wait to receive your dessert during the busiest dinner hours (6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.). Meals are cooked to order, so the food passengers receive is hot and fresh. Reservations for Star's specialty restaurants can be made only 24 hours in advance, so if you want to try one of the more popular spots, such as Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian-style steakhouse), Cagney's (American steakhouse), or Le Bistro (French), you should book as early as possible.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Star restaurants and food bars.

• Versailles Restaurant (502-seat aft Dining Room; complimentary; Freestyle dining)
• Aqua Restaurant (322-seat forward Dining Room, complimentary)
• Le Bistro (82-seat French specialty dinner-only restaurant; reservations-only; US$20 cover charge)
• La Cucina (112-seat Italian specialty restaurant; reservations-only, US$15 cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• Ginza (98-seat Asian restaurant; complimentary)
• Sushi Bar (17-seat Ginza restaurant); Sake Bar (8-seat, inside Ginza)
• Teppanyaki (12-seat Japanese Hibachi specialty, reservations-only restaurant; US$25; open for Lunch and Dinner; features live cooking demonstrations)
• Blue Lagoon (66-seat 24-hour fast food restaurant, complimentary)
• Moderno Churrascaria (62-seat Brazilian steakhouse; reservations-only; US$20 per person cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• O’Sheehan’s Neighbourhood Bar & Grill (24-hour English pub/sports bar; complimentary)
• Market Cafe & Kid’s Cafe (475-seat indoor buffet restaurant, complimentary; with a special kids dedicated area)
• Topsiders Bar & Grill (128-seat)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (143-seat specialty dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialties; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu)
• The Sky High Bar (replacing the 126-seat Bavarian-themed al fresco snack and beer bar Bier Garten during 2018 refurb), is an outdoor bar & lounge with seating for nearly 120 people.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

While Norwegian Star provides the usual fare during days at sea, such as bingo, arts and crafts, art auctions, wellness seminars, the real highlights of entertainment are the nightly shows. The "main event" each evening is held in the Stardust Theater, which features everything - from Broadway-style song-and-dance acts to variety shows. The Stardust Theater spans Decks 5 through 7. It is designed in a European opera house style and is quite comfortable. The spa and sport facilities on Norwegian Star are open until 11 p.m. most nights.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Star lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Stardust Theatre (1037-seat; features Broadway-style musical productions; two grand-shows per night)
• Grand Atrium (2-deck midship hub area); Art Gallery
• Gatsby’s Champagne Bar; Wine Cellar; Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar; Java Cafe (73-seat coffee & tea bar); Sugarcane Mojito Bar; Internet Cafe
• Star Club Casino
• Bliss Ultra Lounge (replacing the 405-seat aft Show Lounge & Nightclub Spinnaker Lounge during 2018 refurb)
• Spice H2O (Norwegian's adults-only top-deck spot featuring a private pool, full bar and hot tubs, added during 2018 refurb)
• The Galleria Shops (tax-duty free shops); Port o’ Call (perfumes & cosmetics boutique); Photo Gallery & Shop
• Barong Spa (beauty salon, treatment rooms); Barong Fitness Centre; Oasis Pool; Splash Down Pool/Kid’s Pool; Jogging Track; Golf Nets; Combined sports court (basketball, volleyball, tennis)
• Teen Club & Disco; Video Zone; Planet Kid’s centre.

• Cabin grades number: 33
• Total number of cabins: 1172 (of which 368 Balcony, 358 Inside)
• Dining Rooms: Versailles, Aqua
• Restaurants and food bars: "MODERNO CHURRASCARIA" (Brazilian steakhouse), "BLUE LAGOON" (buffet), "LA CUCINA" (Italian), "LE BISTRO" (French specialty restaurant), "LA CUCINA" (Italian), "GINZA" (Asian specialty), "TEPPANYAKI" (Japanese hibachi-style dining), "CAGNEY'S" (steakhouse), "TOPSIDERS" bar & grill, Sushi Bar, Market Cafe & Kid’s Cafe (indoor buffet)
• Lounges & Bars: GATSBY'S, WINE CELLAR, SAKE, RED LION (pub), JAVA, MODERNO, STAR, BIER GARTEN (Bavarian), SPINNAKER (observation).
• Amenities: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("NCL Kids"), Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry. NCL Star tipping/gratuities (US$12 pp per day). For your Norwegian Star cruise ship weddings there's a small chapel on board.
• Entertainment - the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each sailing), magicians and comedy shows (WHITE HOT PARTY, THE SECOND CITY), casino, BARONG Spa and Fitness, 7 jacuzzis, 3 pools (Splash Down kids pool).
• Norwegian Star cruise ship is of the Dawn-class Norwegian Cruise Line vessels. Her only sister in the fleet is the NCL Dawn.
• NCL Star's history started as an order placed to the Meyer Werft GmbH shipbuilding company by Star Cruises (Asian line). The order was for a new Libra-class vessel, to be named "SuperStar Libra". The order's cost was 400 mill USD. When NCL was acquired by Star Cruises in 2000, a decision was made this new vessel to be transferred to the NCL Norwegian line, and renamed "Norwegian Star". The 1st Libra-class ship ("SuperStar Scorpio", also on order) was also transferred to NCL and renamed "Norwegian Dawn".
• As a fun fact, there was another passenger ship which sailed between 1996 to 2001 under the same name - "Norwegian Star". That was ms Albatros - built 1973, and currently owned and operated by the Phoenix Reisen line. That ship was also refered to as "NCL Star", since it was sailing for the "Norwegian Capricorn Line".
• Originally, Norwegian Star operated 7-night Hawaiian Islands cruises from Honolulu, starting on December 16, 2001. Deals were on round-trips visiting Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Fanning Island. This itinerary was operated up until 2004, when NCL Star was relocated to the US West Coast to operate in Alaska and Mexico Riviera. The itinerary change also included a new hull-art and adding the Cagney's steakhouse and "Star Club" casino to the list of onboard venues. On the Hawaiian cruise market Star was replaced by the NCL's Pride of Aloha ship (now Norwegian Sky).
• In late 2011, NCL Star ship was once again relocated - this time to Tampa Florida, to operate on Western Caribbean itineraries. In 2012, she was moved to NYC New York. She replaced there NCL Gem for Bermuda cruise deals from NYC, while NCL Jewel replaced Star in Alaska/Mexico.
• In 2013, Norwegian Star started another new to this vessel set of itineraries - in Northern Europe, sailing on Baltic Sea cruises leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark.
• The ship's Inaugural Cruise (Maiden Voyage) was on November 19, 2001. The vessel's christening ceremony was dual - together with NCL Sun, and traditionally held at the Miami port (November 17, 2001). The Star's godmother was Brooke Burke (an American actress and model, born Sept 8, 1971).
• 2001 was the year when to the NCL company were delivered two brand new ships - Star and Sun. Both vessels were ordered and built specifically to embrace the line's revolutionary innovative "Freestyle Cruising" concept. All the three Sky-class ships together worth more than 1 billion USD - at that time a huge investment in this market.
• (Sept 14, 2012 crash accident - "NCL vs Royal Caribbean") while docked in Bermuda (Royal Naval Dockyard), strong winds caused the cruise ship to break one of its mooring lines, resulting in a collision with the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas.