Norwegian Star cruise ship: who it suits, where it sails and which cabin to book
The Norwegian Star cruise ship suits travelers who want long, port-heavy itineraries on a mid-size ship rather than a resort at sea. It's a 2001 Dawn-class ship for about 2,300 guests. It sails the Mexican Riviera from San Diego this winter, Northern Europe from Southampton in summer 2027 and South America from Buenos Aires in winter 2027–28.
Book it if
- You want a week of Mexican Riviera cruising from San Diego in winter 2026–27.
- You want 10- to 12-night Northern Europe cruises from Southampton without flying to the Mediterranean.
- You want South America and scenic cruising near Antarctica on a mainstream fare in 2027–28.
Skip it if
- Your kids want water slides, a ropes course or a race track. Star has a kids' pool, not an aqua park.
- You want the newest NCL design. Norwegian Prima or Aqua are far more modern.
- You want a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise from the US East Coast.
Pick your dates: Norwegian Star cruises
The busiest months for Norwegian Star in the coming year, from the sailings we track. Each button opens the cheapest sailing in those months on Cruisebound.
January–February 2027
7 sailings, from $449 per person
See the cheapest sailingMay–June 2027
6 sailings, from $1,039 per person
See the cheapest sailingJuly–August 2027
6 sailings, from $1,889 per person
See the cheapest sailing
Prices checked November 2026; fares change daily.
Norwegian Star at a glance
- Line
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Class
- Dawn
- Entered service
- 2001 (refurbished 2021)
- Gross tonnage
- 91,740
- Guests
- About 2,298 (double occupancy)
- Crew
- About 1,031
- Decks
- 15
Part of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. Sister ships: Norwegian Dawn. Home ports: San Diego, Southampton, Barcelona, Lisbon, Buenos Aires.
Norwegian Star was ordered by Star Cruises as SuperStar Libra and finished for Norwegian Cruise Line instead. Meyer Werft built it at Papenburg, Germany, and it was christened in Miami on November 17, 2001. It measures 91,740 gross tons and 965 feet, with 15 decks. NCL gives 2,298 guests at double occupancy and 1,031 crew; Wikipedia gives 2,348 guests.
That makes it a mid-size ship. NCL’s newest ships carry well over 3,000 guests, so Star feels smaller and less crowded on deck, but it also has far fewer attractions.
Who is the Norwegian Star cruise ship for?
Norwegian Star is for travelers who choose a cruise by its route. Its schedule is built on long voyages: 7-night Mexican Riviera trips, 10- to 12-night Northern Europe cruises, 15-night South America cruises and Panama Canal and transatlantic crossings. It suits couples and experienced cruisers more than families with young kids.
Port-focused couples and retirees. Long itineraries with many port days are this ship’s job. Our best cruises for seniors guide covers other ships that suit slower, longer trips.
West Coast cruisers in winter. From December 2026 to February 2027 Star sails weekly Mexican Riviera trips from San Diego. See cruises from San Diego for the terminal and the other lines there.
Solo travelers. NCL’s ship page lists a solo stateroom category on Norwegian Star, which avoids the usual single supplement.
Who should look elsewhere: families who want water slides and teen hangouts. A Breakaway Plus ship such as Norwegian Escape has an aqua park and a ropes course. Anyone who wants a modern ship should look at Norwegian Prima.
How old is Norwegian Star, and has it been refurbished?
Norwegian Star entered service in November 2001, so it turned 25 in 2026. It has had several refits. NCL lists a 2021 refurbishment, and CruiseMapper records an October to November 2024 drydock in Brest, France, for machinery, thruster, stabilizer and hull work. Expect a well-kept but older ship.
The biggest guest-facing changes came in a May 2018 drydock in Barcelona. It added Spice H2O, an adults-only deck with a pool, hot tubs and a bar, turned the old Bier Garten into the Sky High Bar and replaced the Spinnaker Lounge with the Bliss Ultra Lounge. Earlier refits in 2012 and 2015 added suites and staterooms and new restaurants and bars, according to Wikipedia and CruiseMapper.
Standout features
- Spice H2O: the adults-only deck with its own pool, hot tubs and bar. NCL’s ship page lists it as an adults-only escape.
- Garden Villas: large multi-room suites on Deck 14. CruiseMapper lists a two-bedroom Garden Villa of about 2,285 square feet.
- Mandara Spa: NCL lists a Thermal Suite with a relaxation pool.
- Sky High Bar and Bliss Ultra Lounge: the two main spaces added in 2018.
- Flexible dining: NCL’s Freestyle approach means no fixed dinner time or assigned table.
Norwegian Star cabins to pick and avoid
The best cabin on Norwegian Star for most guests is a midship balcony on a deck that has cabins above and below it. CruiseMapper’s deck plan titles show Decks 5, 9 and 10 as cabin-only decks. Solo travelers should look at the solo stateroom category, and big groups or families can look at the Garden Villas on Deck 14.
Pick:
- A midship balcony on Deck 9 or 10, with cabins above and below, for the least noise and motion.
- A solo stateroom if you’re sailing alone, to skip the single supplement.
- A Garden Villa on Deck 14 if you’re splitting the cost between several people.
Avoid or think twice:
- Deck 11 cabins directly under the Deck 12 pool and Lido area, which can pick up deck noise.
- Deck 12 cabins under the Deck 13 sports, kids’ and sundeck areas.
- Cabins at the far forward end if you get seasick, especially on Atlantic crossings and the South America route.
Ship sources disagree on the cabin count (Wikipedia gives 1,176, CruiseMapper about 1,174), so check the current deck plan before you book a specific cabin.
Dining and activities
The included restaurants are the Versailles and Aqua main dining rooms, Ginza, the Market Cafe buffet, the Blue Lagoon and O’Sheehan’s. Specialty restaurants include Le Bistro, La Cucina, Teppanyaki, Moderno Churrascaria and Cagney’s Steakhouse, and they carry a charge. Venues change at refits, so check the current list.
Bars include Gatsby’s Champagne Bar, the Red Lion Pub, the Sugarcane Mojito Bar and NCL’s Proof Whiskey Bar. The Norwegian Cruise Line guide explains the fare bundles and what’s included, and our Norwegian review covers the line’s strengths and weak spots.
Where does Norwegian Star sail in 2026–2027?
Norwegian Star sails 6- and 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises from San Diego from December 2026 to February 2027, then repositions to Europe. From late April to October 2027 it sails 7- to 12-night Northern Europe cruises, mostly from Southampton. In December 2027 it crosses to South America for 15-night cruises until March 2028.
- December 2026, Panama Canal: a 16-night canal crossing from Miami brings it to the West Coast.
- December 2026 to February 2027, San Diego: 6- and 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises, then a 16-night Panama Canal sailing from San Diego in mid-February.
- March to April 2027: a 15-night repositioning from Miami, then 10- and 11-night Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Iberia trips from Barcelona and Lisbon.
- Late April to October 2027, Southampton: 7- to 12-night Northern Europe cruises, with some sailings starting or ending in Copenhagen.
- Fall 2027: Europe trips from Lisbon, Tarragona and Barcelona, then a 15-night crossing from Lisbon to Buenos Aires via Brazil and Cape Verde.
- December 2027 to March 2028, South America: 15-night cruises between Buenos Aires and San Antonio, Chile, with Montevideo, Port Stanley in the Falklands, Ushuaia, Puerto Madryn, Puerto Montt and scenic cruising near Elephant Island. See our South America cruise guide.
- Spring and summer 2028: back to Lisbon and Barcelona, then Southampton from May 2028.
| Departs | Line and ship | Nights | Itinerary | From | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2026 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 6 | 6 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $539 | Check price |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $759 | Check price |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $609 | Check price |
| Jan 9, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $459 | Check price |
| Jan 16, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $449 | Check price |
| Jan 23, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $499 | Check price |
| Jan 30, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $569 | Check price |
| Feb 6, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 7 | 7 Night Mexican Riviera (from San Diego California) | $609 | Check price |
| Feb 13, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 16 | 16 Night Repo (from San Diego California) | $1,709 | Check price |
| Mar 1, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 15 | 15 Night Repo (from Miami Florida) | $709 | Check price |
| Mar 29, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 10 | 10 Night Europe - Western Mediterranean (from Barcelona Spain) | $1,059 | Check price |
| Apr 8, 2027 | Norwegian Cruise Line, Norwegian Star | 10 | 10 Night Canary Islands / Morocco (from Barcelona Spain) | $1,269 | Check price |
Sister ships
Norwegian Star’s only sister is Norwegian Dawn, a 2002 Dawn-class ship of 92,250 gross tons. The two share the same basic layout. For how NCL stacks up against its main rival, see Norwegian vs Royal Caribbean.
Norwegian Star FAQ
How big is the Norwegian Star cruise ship?
91,740 gross tons and 965 feet long, with 15 decks. NCL gives 2,298 guests at double occupancy and 1,031 crew.
How old is Norwegian Star?
It was christened in November 2001, so it turned 25 in 2026. NCL lists a 2021 refurbishment, and it had a technical drydock in Brest, France, in late 2024.
Where do Norwegian Star cruises sail from?
San Diego in winter 2026–27, Southampton, Barcelona and Lisbon in 2027, and Buenos Aires and San Antonio, Chile, from December 2027 to March 2028.
Does Norwegian Star have water slides?
No aqua park. CruiseMapper lists a kids’ pool and three pools in total, plus the adults-only Spice H2O deck.
Is Norwegian Star a good cruise ship?
We don’t publish star ratings or collect reviews. What the facts support: it’s an older, mid-size ship with good long itineraries and flexible dining, but few big-ship attractions.
Sources
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Norwegian Star ship page (guests, crew, year built, 2021 refurbishment, Le Bistro, Proof Whiskey Bar, Spice H2O, Mandara Spa, solo staterooms)
- Wikipedia: Norwegian Star (builder, christening, tonnage, length, decks, Dawn class, refits, deployment history)
- Wikipedia: Norwegian Dawn (sister ship specs)
- CruiseMapper: Norwegian Star review (restaurants, bars, pools, cabin counts, refits including the 2024 Brest drydock)
- CruiseMapper: Norwegian Star deck plans (deck titles, Garden Villas on Deck 14)
- Cruise Industry News: Norwegian Cruise Line to return to South America in 2027-28, February 2, 2026
- CruiseBound: Norwegian Star sailings (listings checked November 2026)