Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director of Norwegian Star

Last week was an unusual week for Norwegian Star.  On June 26 during her weekly passage to Bermuda, the U.S. Coast Guard requested the ship to divert from her course in order to rescue two sailors.  Star answered the call and found the sailors adrift in the Atlantic in a sail boat that had a broken rudder.  Captain Harstrom, master of the Star, brought them aboard and out of danger.

While a rescue at sea is not an everyday occurrence, it is not surprising that the Star would handle it well.  She is a well-built ship, capable of doing 24 plus knots.  These days fuel economy is the watchword at all the cruise lines but when I was aboard the Star a few weeks ago, Captain Harstrom commented that life-threatening emergencies are one situation where the Star will make use of her speed.

This was part of a general conversation in which I asked Captain Harstrom to talk about the Star from a sailor’s perspective.  I thought such an introduction would be appropriate because the Star is a newcomer to New York.  Moreover, after she leaves New York, the Star is scheduled to take up residence in New Orleans and later Copenhagen, Denmark.  Thus, this talk may serve to introduce the ship to those port as well

Our conversation was not limited to nautical matters.  As the head of a large enterprise, Captain Harstrom is very much involved in motivating the crew.

In addition, I asked him to tell us why people should choose Norwegian Star for their vacation.

The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-star-captain-interview.html

    

            The largest department on Norwegian Star is the hotel department.  It has the most employees and includes just about everything that directly affects the guests’ cruise experience including the accommodations, the food, and the entertainment.  On the Star, Hotel Director Sean Wurmhoesinger brings a great deal of enthusiasm to his work.  You see him out and about encouraging the ship’s staff and interacting with the guests.  He says that hospitality is his philosophy.  I asked him to tell us a bit about that philosophy.  That interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-star-hotel-director-interview.html  

Norwegian Star Profile and Photo Review

There is something nice about a ship that is always smiling.  I am not talking just about the design painted on the bow of Norwegian Star that gives the ship the appearance of smiling.  Rather, I am talking about the friendliness of the officers and crew.

Throughout my recent cruise on Norwegian Star, I met people who could not do enough for me.  Moreover, they did not appear to be doing it because it was in their job description but rather because it was something they wanted to do.

On the last day of our call in Bermuda, I returned to the ship to find a corridor of officers and crew waiting for the guests by the gangway. There was a stilt walker and a juggler and much cheering as each guest arrived.  I was told that when the ship had been in Cozumel berthed next to Norwegian Pearl, there was a competition in which the two crews tried to out do each other in their greeting.  The enthusiasm has continued ever since.

The Star is the sister ship to Norwegian Dawn and together they comprise Norwegian’s Dawn class.  In design, it is quite similar to the line’s Jewel class ships.  She has most, but not all, of the features of the Jewel class.  As such, her version of the Norwegian cruise experience is quite good.

Norwegian Star is on something of an odyssey at the moment.  For most of her life, she sailed the West Coast of the United States.  However, this year, she shifted her base first to Tampa, Florida and then to New York.  Unfortunately for New Yorkers, she is only spending the summer there before moving to New Orleans.  But that too is temporary as she will be going to Copenhagen, Denmark next summer.

Beyondships’ profile page for Norwegian Star, with menus, programs and other information about the ship is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLStar.html  Our photo tour and review begins at  http://www.beyondships.com/NCLStar-Tour-1.html

In addition, we have restaurant reviews of four of the specialty restaurants on the Star. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-star-specialty-restaurant-review.html    Also, we have a review of the Chef’s Table experience, which is a recent dining addition on the NCL ships. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-star-chefs-table-review.html