Norwegian Star: innovative vessel custom-designed for "Freestyle Cruising" - Ship of the Month - Norwegian Cruise Line

Laurence Miller

In this era of fewer and larger cruise lines, the "Freestyle Cruising" concept from Norwegian Cruise Line offers passengers an additional choice among the cruise experiences available. The 91,000-gross-register-ton Norwegian Star, which entered service last November, is the first NCL vessel built from the keel up to accommodate this cruising lifestyle.

Freestyle Cruising was conceived by Star Cruises, NCL's Malaysian-based parent company, for Far Eastern passengers and was inaugurated in 1998 with the advent of Star's SuperStar Leo. According to the line, Asian passengers would never have accepted some of the traditional restrictions of American cruising, such as fixed dining hours and dress codes. At the same time, they did seek a relaxed but upscale ambiance. The Norwegian Star now offers this concept to passengers desiring an American variant of "Freestyle" while experiencing Hawaii by sea. The ship sets sail each Sunday from the Aloha Tower pier in Honolulu (though passengers have the option of boarding Fridays in Maui) on weeklong roundtrips.

As a first-time freestyler, this writer can say that Freestyle Cruising--fully and successfully implemented--transforms the cruise experience and will appeal to many ocean travelers. Freestyle enables you to dine when, where, with whom, and on what you like, depending on your mood; relieves you of having to hurry through cocktails to meet a fixed dining time; allows you to vary your evening schedule to accommodate port calls, sailing times, and other factors: lets you leave suits and dressy dresses at home; and frees you to enjoy surroundings that feature an absence of crowded peak times in bars and other favorite gathering spots. While the specialty restaurants encourage advance reservations, passengers can frequently make dinner arrangements directly with the restaurants' maitre d's after 5:30 p.m. without advance planning.

Passengers are also spared the stress of deciding how much is the right amount for gratuities at cruise end, as $10 per-day/per-passenger is automatically added to the bill. You can adjust or redirect this, but few do.

The downside of Freestyle include meeting fewer people early in the cruise, thanks to the absence of fixed dining companions. However, one can be seated with others on request, and enjoy a variety of fellow diners when the mood strikes. Another minus is the nominal charge of $10-12 per person for a few of the alternative restaurants. At a cost above this, upscale SoHo offers its live lobsters at $25 each and a-la-carte pricing. But the alternative restaurants Endless Summer and La Trattoria are without charge, and the main restaurants are extremely good. More about the dining scene onboard later.

While the Freestyle concept sets the Norwegian Star apart, the delivery of the basics--food, service, and entertainment--far exceeded our expectations. As Cruise Business Review noted, this is not your father's NCL. We found, on average, that the quality of cuisine and service equaled or exceeded other cruise brands in the middle of the market. There is also a higher staff-to-passenger ratio compared with NCL's non-Freestyle format. Entertainment has always been an NCL strong suit, so we were not surprised by the quality of the Jean Ann Ryan reviews or that we found ourselves spending much more time than usual at shows.

Backed by strong investment on the part of parent company Star Cruises, hotel director Klaus Lugmaier was given two months with full service staff onboard in the shipyard for training during the vessel's fitting-out stage of construction. Even the hairdressers were there--before their area was completed.

But it's the dining arrangements that truly set the Norwegian Star apart. The line counts 2,401 seats in 10 dining outlets. These are served by six galleys in addition to various pantries around the ship. There are two conventional main dining rooms that feature open seatings and dining hours from 5:30 p.m. to midnight (last orders taken at 10). Overlooking the stern is the Versailles Restaurant, featuring crystal chandeliers, red carpet and upholstery, and gold-colored ceiling panels. This is probably the most elegant and popular dining room onboard. The slightly larger Aqua Restaurant is more contemporary and American in tone with decor that you might expect to find on a modern American cruise ship--if there were any. The menus for both dining rooms feature cuisine that is surprisingly excellent, with especially good "CookingLight" choices (these make a good foil for some of the richer fare in the specialty restaurants).

There seemed at times some reluctance on' the part of passengers to go off-the-beaten-path from the two main dining rooms and casual cafeteria restaurant, open at dinner. In view of the variety and excellence available elsewhere, that seemed unfortunate.

Le Bistro is familiar to many past NCL passengers and offers the same excellent French fare. Familiarity with the restaurant probably was responsible for making it perhaps the most popular alternative restaurant onboard. The extra charge is $12.50 per person, and service was slow the evening we dined there, though the hotel manager indicated his intention to add staff in keeping with the venue's popularity. The cream of wild mushroom soup alone, served in a hollowed loaf of bread, is well worth the cover charge.

Endless Summer is a Hawaiian-themed restaurant surrounding the atrium on an upper level. The restaurant operates on a no-charge basis, and provides excellent, meaty barbequed ribs and other fare associated with the Aloha State. For devotees of Italian food, a corner of the Market Cafe (the daytime buffet restaurant) becomes La Trattoria in the evening (without charge to passengers).

Most elegant of the specialty restaurants is SoHo. While it is billed as a California-style restaurant, it struck us as having the ambiance of an upscale New York City establishment and serves a highly sophisticated range of cuisine. Pricing is a-la-carte with appetizers, soups, and salads varying from $4-8 and entrees $8-12. Exceptions were the caviar appetizer for $22 and cold-water lobster prepared one of three ways for $25.

Most exotic, and quite elegant, is the Ginza, with fare sometimes billed as Pacific Rim, but the emphasis is on that ocean's eastern boundaries. The menu describes the cuisine as "traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Thai," while offering a family-style oriental dining experience. Service was particularly gracious, rendered by an Asian staff. The charge of $10 included an appetizer, two main dishes, and a dessert; a-la-carte pricing applied to a sushi bar and teppanyaki. In spite of high visibility, modest cost, and elegant decor, this dining choice was not heavily patronized. However, the quality of both the food and the total dining experience was high.

At time of this writing, the operation of these restaurants was in a period of adjustment regarding menus and pricing, so readers may arrive onboard to find that some of these features have been changed to attract more passengers from the main restaurants and into what is uncharted territory for traditional cruise passengers.

The Norwegian Star was ordered for Star Cruises' Freestyle service as the SuperStar Libra to offer short trips from Singapore in the Asian market. Subsequently, Star purchased NCL. During the fitting-out stage, the ship was renamed Norwegian Star and allocated to NCL. While the vessel has all the features Americans expect when they cruise, and some areas were redone, there remain a few exotic touches to which American eyes may be unaccustomed. These include, in some areas, a color palette attuned to Far Eastern passengers--lots of medium greens and reds, as well as red and gold carpet combinations. It is fair to say that most passengers found the ship and the Asian touches very attractive. However, some areas reflect an Asian rather than an American concept of European ambiance.

The same background--designed to appeal to not only Asians but also Australians--has given the ship such unique areas (for an American-based cruise ship) as the Red Lion Pub, an authentic British tavern that serves pub food; and an open-air Bier Garten, high up and forward, offering not only beer but also Bavarian snack food. Then there's Karaoke Circus, a dedicated karaoke bar with circus-themed decor and chairs covered with simulated skins of various animals, plus private karaoke rooms. The largely American and Australian passenger list made this space one of the most popular watering holes onboard. Yet another unusual feature is in the Barong Spa--an indoor lap pool, 40 feet long and 13 feet wide, which NCL says is the largest indoor cruise-ship pool.

It's easy to find your way around the Norwegian Star, and you'll have no trouble discovering the many public areas that are truly elegant in an American and European sense. The suite of public rooms forward on Deck 12--Library, Reading Room, Shuffles Card Room, and business conference areas--all feature subdued colors and, with the exception of the library, wonderful views of the sea. All the way forward, one of the most attractive rooms onboard is the Spinnaker Lounge. With seating separated by simulated yacht railings, and comfortable chairs, this is both a daytime lounge and evening nightclub-cabaret.

Continuing aft, the Oasis lido area amid-ships contains two Carnivalesque pool slides and terraced seating. If you prefer a more private setting, there are many less frequented smaller spaces higher up--especially the terraced seating forward with a view over the bow. Aft of the Oasis is the Market Cafe, the venue for casual daytime dining that is available in the evening as well, whose decorative motif consists of large photomurals of oranges. A corner is reserved for youngsters who have their own miniature buffet line with alternative selections and miniature seating. Another unusual departure in the Market Cafe is a line dedicated to light and vegetarian choices. On the other end of the fat gram scale, good barbecue is generally available out ondeck. On the same level are a well-equipped children's center, Planet Kids, and an ice cream bar, Sprinkles.

High on Deck 13 amidships is the Star Bar, our personal favorite for pre-dinner cocktails, featuring piano music, windows overlooking the deck and ocean, and subdued decor. Nearby Las Ramblas provides hot and cold tapas dishes (free with the purchase of drinks) and Spanish entertainment. Among the other casual dining venues, the Blue Lagoon on the main promenade level offers 24-hour food service, and the Java Cafe, off the atrium, serves complimentary pastries with the purchase of specialty coffees.

Other areas worthy of mention aboard the Norwegian Star include the Mandarin Spa, a largely inside gym, and the Galleria, a department-store-style shopping area. The latter occupies a large space aft on the main promenade level that had been intended to accommodate the casino, had one been installed. Hawaiian law, however, prohibits this, so the Norwegian Star is one of the few casino-free cruise ships afloat. The Stardust Theatre, seating almost half the ship's complement, offers excellent sightlines and hightech special effects to complement the topnotch shows. The Starlight Chapel hosts wedding and vow-renewal ceremonies.

Cabins are available in 29 categories, but represent just several basic types. Unusual features include: most rooms offer a settee or berth for a third occupant; a variety of connecting arrangements make the ship an especially good choice for families and other groups traveling together; and most bathrooms are subdivided by sliding partitions into three areas--shower, toilet, and basin; 70 percent of accommodations offer ocean views, and of these, 70 percent have balconies. The amount of cabin space is not atypical of other new cruise ships, and storage room is adequate for a seven-day cruise. Decor includes attractive cherry veneers as well as nautical-themed bedspreads and other soft furnishings.

The most unusual accommodations are two "garden villas," at the top of the vessel amidships, with three separate bedrooms (each with its own bathroom) plus outdoor oriental garden areas and completely private sun decks. They may be booked as a unit, becoming one 3,030-square-foot suite. Most other suites can be extended through adjacent connecting cabins.

On balance, the Norwegian Star offers Freestyle Cruising at its best--excellent entertainment, as well as cuisine and service that is characteristic of more up-market ships. All this makes NCL's new flagship an unusual cruise value.

MS NORWEGIAN STAR FACTS & FIGURES

Company: Norwegian Cruise Line.

Built: 2001, Meyer Werft shipyard, Papenburg, Germany.

Country Of Registry: Bahamas.

Gross Register Tonnage: 91,000.

Length: 965 feet. Beam: 105 feet.

Draft: 28 feet. Speed: 25 knots.

Propulsion: Diesel-electric 4 x MAN B&W 14V 48/60 engines that can be operated either with diesel fuel or heavy fuel oil; driven by two Azipod propulsors.

Passenger Capacity: 2,240/double occupancy.

Passenger Space Ratio: 40.6.

Normal Crew Size: 1,100.

Nationality Of Crew: Scandinavian officers; international service crew.

Cabins: 1,120, all with TV, refrigerator, 110VAC electric, safe, bathroom with shower or bath. The two "garden villas"--each with three bedrooms plus sitting/dining room, roof terrace (Japanese- or Thai-style), Jacuzzi, and totally private sunning and relaxation areas--can be combined for a total of 3,030 square feet. Two 834-square-foot owner's suites offer bedroom, living/dining room, bathroom with whirlpool tub, and large balcony. Two honeymoon/anniversary suites offer 725 square feet with bedroom, living/dining room, large balcony, and walk-in closet. Penthouse suites are 428-568 square feet with bedroom, living/dining room, wardrobe, bathroom with shower and whirlpool tub, and balcony. Mini-suites are a more spacious version of the standard outside balcony cabins but with larger sitting areas and a total of 284 square feet of space (229 without including balcony). Suites have numerous connection capabilities to accommodate family groups and friends traveling together. There are 368 standard balcony cabins of 166 square feet (204 with balcony), 250 ocean-view staterooms of 159 square feet, and 361 inside staterooms of 142 square feet--all have sliding doors that separate bathroom from shower, and many other cabins have similar doors separating the toilet and sink areas. There are 20 specially equipped cabins for disabled passengers.

Public Rooms: Havana Club (cigars and spirits, seating 12), Wine Cellar (10), Gatsby's (76), Java Cafe (56), Red Lion (92), Internet Cafe (17 stations, with adjoining lecture/training area accommodating 10); Topsiders (pool bar), Sprinkles (ice cream bar), Star Bar (93), Bier Garten (143), Grill (253), Galleria Bar/ Cafe (67), Stardust Theater (1,037), Dazzles (371), Karaoke Circus (134, plus five private rooms accommodating a total of 30), Spinnaker Lounge (504), Juice Bar in Fitness Center (10), Fitness Center (16), Barong Spa & Beauty Salon, Teen Club (51), Video Zone (25), Planet Kids, Board Room (12), Meeting Rooms (four, accommodating a total of 42), Cinema & Auditorium (151), Library (13), Shuffles Card Room (44), Reading Room (29), Starlight Chapel (24), Versailles Restaurant (384), Aqua Restaurant (392), SoHo Room (132), Ginza (194), Le Bistro (66), Blue Lagoon (36 indoors/88 outdoors), Market Cafe (500), La Trattoria (102, included in Market Cafe seating), Las Ramblas Tapas Bar & Restaurant (106), Endless Summer (250).

Facilities/Features: Fully air-conditioned; stabilized; 15 passenger decks; 12 passenger elevators; one major outdoor pool (with dual slides); jogging/walking track; walk-around shaded promenade deck; deck sports including shuffleboard, golf driving range, volleyball and basketball court, horseshoes, deck chess, and paddle tennis; kid's pool; supervised facility for children; spa/salon with, according to the line, the longest indoor lap pool of any cruise ship (40 by 13 feet) plus one Jacuzzi, one hydro-bath, two Japanese pools, one hot bath and one cold bath in the men's area, separate men's and women's sauna and steam baths, unisex beauty salon, and 21 treatment rooms (three specifically designed for couples); Atrium Gift Shop; Galleria (5,000-square-foot department store); boardroom and meeting rooms; photo gallery; portrait room for ship's photographers; helipad; Medical Center; 24-hour room service; 24-hour front desk; laundry, dry-cleaning services.

Money Matters: Passengers may register a major credit card at embarkation, to which meals, drinks, spa services, shore excursions, and gift-shop purchases may be charged. A $10 per-person/per-day gratuity, which may be adjusted, is automatically added. A 15 percent gratuity is also automatically added to drink tabs. Bills can be settled at cruise end by charge card, cash, or traveler's checks.

Itineraries/Fares: The Norwegian Star sails each Sunday from Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, where most passengers board (however, they may also board Fridays in Maui). Ports-of-call on the weeklong roundtrip itinerary include Hilo on the island of Hawaii; Fanning Island, Republic of Kiribati; Kahului, Maui (free shuttles to Lahaina); and Nawiliwili, Kauai. Brochure rates, per person/double occupancy, range from $1,629 for an inside stateroom to $10,999 for a garden villa; ocean-view rooms with balcony run $2,069-$2,159. There are numerous discounts and also major incentives for family groups in some categories.

For More Information: Contact your travel agent or Norwegian Cruise Line, 7665 Corporate Center Dr., Miami, FL 33126; or log on to www.ncl.com.

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