MinnesotaMikeK

My family of four just completed a week long cruise aboard the Norwegian Star, where we cruised the western Caribbean. It was fantastic - as always! This was the fifth cruise for my wife and I. We have cruised NCL (twice), Royal Caribbean (twice) and Princess; and have found all of them to be enjoyable. To accommodate the four of us we decided to go with two adjoining inside cabins, which worked out just fine. We basically use this room to change and sleep and so the small size was not a big deal. (We have had a balcony suite during an earlier cruise and while it was definitely nice we are not convinced that it warrants such a big price difference.)

Make sure to do your on-line check in as soon as possible and print out the cruise documents you will need. During the on-line check in you will be assigned a time to which you are supposed to arrive at the port. The earlier you do the registration the earlier your assigned time is. BUT, when we were at the port they did not ask about assigned times, so you could check in at any time. If this ever changes it will be nice to have an earlier time.

We began our vacation by flying in to Tampa a day before our cruise started. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Westshore, which was nice enough. I recommend arriving a day early for any cruise, if at all possible. From the Embassy Suites we took a taxi to the cruise port (about a fifteen minute drive). Make sure to have the luggage tags the cruise line provides attached prior to traveling to the port. As soon as you exit your taxi (or whatever) a curbside handler will grab your bags and the next time you will see them is in your cabin (a few hours later). MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR PASSPORTS AND CRUISE DOCUMENTS. We arrived at the port about noon and were on the boat between 1 and 1:30. We were informed that our room was ready about an hour later.

FOOD - This is one of the big reasons I wanted to post a review. If you read cruise reviews you undoubtedly will come across at least one where the reviewer was not happy with the food. DON'T BELIEVE IT! First of all you will have the choice of several dining options for any meal. There are several 'Specialty Dining' options that will cost you extra. We did not make use of these so I cannot comment on them (but I am sure they are very good). There are plenty of 'free' options that more than meet our needs. We did eat at the Market Cafe (the buffet) multiple times, and while it is not superb, it is good. For dinners we found ourselves at the sit down restaurants on board (Aqua, Versailles, or Ginza) and they were all excellent. Some of the meals my family ordered include Strip Steak, Lamb, Chateaubriand, various Shrimp dishes, Chicken Parmesan, Duck, Prime Rib, etc. You also had the option of buying a couple of extra items if desired (such as lobster). The salads and soups were great, as were the desserts. Me and my family found the food in these sit down restaurants to be excellent. (I have to say it was very disturbing one night to hear a couple at the table next to us complain about their food (it was all good again) at a time we had just finished visiting Roatan and Belize. I wanted so much to say - "Did you not just see how the people in these places live and eat? Please appreciate what you have." Some people do not get it and unfortunately some times that shows up (unfairly) in these reviews. While I cannot vouch for ALL cruise lines I can tell you that NCL (as well as Royal and Princess) do serve very good food.

ENTERTAINMENT - Cruise ships do a good job of keeping it's passengers entertained while on board, and NCL is no different. They have activities taking place all day to keep you busy (scavenger hunts, pool side games, bingo, Deal or No Deal, Wii Games, trivia, art auctions, athletic tournaments, spa, library, fitness center, etc.). They also have multiple lounges, some hosting live entertainment (music, Disney trivia, Name that 80's song, the Not So Newlywed Game, etc.). Every night had a different show in the Stardust Theater, including shows by the NCL performers as well as shows by other professionals they brought on board (a comedian who was very good, and a singer/pianist from Holland's Got Talent - my favorite). The cruise director, Iian, did a great job keeping everybody entertained, and on the last day when the waters were a tad bit rough Iian filled in for the main act (acrobats) with his magic act. His 'fill-in' act was very good (and actually preferable to us - over the scheduled act).

PORTS - Roatan, Honduras: We booked a tour through Bodden's Tour Company online one week prior to arrival. We opted for the Fun-N-Sun tour, which we found very enjoyable. We had a minivan waiting for us right outside the cruise terminal and had our own private driver/tour guide for the day. Laura was very friendly and knowledgeable and gave us a scenic trip around the island. after about an hour we were brought to the Bodden's animal sanctuary where we were able to enter cages with trained monkey's macaws and parrots. This was very enjoyable. Finally, Laura drove us to the West Bay where we spent nearly two hours on the beach, and had use of beach chairs, showers and bathrooms.

Belize City, Belize: Here we booked a tour through a local company, Butts-Up Cave Tubing, which we did one week ahead of time online at cavetubing.com. We did the combination cave tubing and zip-lining tour and found it to be very enjoyable. FYI - all companies that offer cave tubing end up at the same location. Butts-up had a great price and provided a great service (ex. you did not have to carry your inner tubes - they did that for you). Also, the zip line company they use is locally owned and operated keeping all proceeds in Belize. A competitive zip lining company is based outside of Belize and therefore not all profits stay in Belize.

Costa Maya: On this day we spent our time near the port, shopping and walking a short distance outside the port. We had lunch back on the boat and then went back to the port where we found some beach chairs to relax in for the afternoon. There is a swimming pool and a beach area with plenty of chairs available to all cruise passengers.

Cozumel: We spent the first part of the day at a big shopping complex right outside the cruise terminal. Then we took a taxi (about $15 total for the four of us) to Chanakannab Park. This park has an entry fee of $21/person, but you can print out a coupon oinline (do it before you leave for your cruise) for a $2/person discount. This fee gives you access to a sea lion show, a crocodile viewing, a walk through historical botanical gardens, chairs on the beach, changing rooms, etc. The water was rough that day so they had the red flags up but it was still an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon (with a couple of Pina Coladas). For an extra fee you could also swim with the dolphins, or go zip lining at this park.

Last day: We arrived in Tampa early Sunday morning and they began letting people off about 8:00 am I believe. They would like for everyone to disembark by 9:30 if possible. We were off the boat by about 9:00 am, but our flight was not until 2:04pm. On our way out of the terminal we found a spot where we could securely store our luggage and get discount tickets to the Tampa aquarium. That worked out well because the aquarium was a short two block walk from the terminal. We were able to kill a couple of hours, without worrying about our bags. There are always taxis at the terminal and we immediately found one to take us the airport in plenty of time. (Our taxi ride from the port to the airport cost us $25 for the four of us. Plus any tip you decide to give.)

The majority of the trip was overcast with occasional showers, but all in all it was another fantastic vacation. I believe a cruise is a great value for what you get and we will definitely do it again. Thank You NCL.

The day we went was slightly overcast so I cannot say if that played a role or not. I can tell you that, although it is a fairly small area, there were plenty of chairs for us to choose from. I would say it was not crowded on the day we went.

In preparation of a weeklong cruise aboard the Norwegian Star, we had read several positive reviews of certain companies offering shore excursions independent of Norwegian Cruise Lines. We ended up booking two such excursions and do not regret it in the least. First was during our stop in Roatan, Honduras, on January 19, 2016. One week prior to this date I went online to their website (http://boddentours.com/) and reserved spots for four of us in the Fun*N*Sun tour. There was no deposit required. Upon arrival in Roatan we easily found the Bodden’s Tours booth just outside the terminal, where we were led to our mini-van, and introduced to our driver/tour guide, Laura. She explained that we were the only passengers in her vehicle that day and that she was open to show us whatever we were in the mood to see. Laura was very friendly and very willing to share her knowledge of her native land. Laura drove us around the island and stopped whenever we indicated a desire to do so (including a stop at a local grocery market). Eventually we found our way to their animal sanctuary where Alex Bodden (Victor’s brother I believe) gave us a tour. They had a variety of animals, but the highlight was going into cages with live monkeys, macaws, and parrots, where these animals were trained to jump onto each person’s shoulder or head. This was definitely one of the highlights of the cruise. When we were finished at the sanctuary Laura then drove us to West Bay where we were given wrist bands allowing us to enjoy the amenities offered by Bananarama Beach Club (showers, bathrooms, and lounge chairs). Even though the weather was not ideal our two hours on the beach went very quickly. When it started to rain Laura gathered us up and drove us back to the cruise port. We were very pleased that we chose Bodden’s Tours, and would recommend it to anyone travelling to Roatan. Be sure to bring along extra tip money for your driver and sanctuary guide – they earn it.

Next up (the very next day) was our stop in Belize City, Belize. One of the big attractions while in Belize is the cave tubing tours. Again, I researched ahead of time and found many positive reviews for a local company called Butts-up Cave Tubing. One week ahead of time I visited their website (http://www.cave-tubing.com/) and asked for a quote for our group of four. We were interested in doing both the cave tubing and the zip lining. The price I was quoted was half of what the ship was charging for the exact same thing. In fact I discovered that the ship tour uses the same local companies and locations that we used, for half the price. Again, I was able to reserve four spots without providing a penny of down payment. We got up early the day we anchored in Belize and were able to get onto the first tender over to the mainland. We were greeted just outside the cruise terminal and immediately boarded a large bus. Because the group size was small enough, and they did not want us to wait, we were moved to a mini-van and were off to our destination very quickly. After an hour drive we reached the tubing site (all companies offering cave tubing end up at this site). We then walked about twenty minutes through a forest (including a couple of trips through the water) to get to our starting point. We saw other tourists carrying their tubes, but with Butts-Up you do not have to carry anything. Our small group of four was tied together and our guide (Jose) did a great job of leading us through the caves and the beautiful scenery outside of the caves. This was about a 45 minute float (it is longer if you only do the cave tubing). At that point we were walked over to the zip lines, which were in the same complex. My wife was hesitant about doing this as she is afraid of heights, but in the end she enjoyed it, as did the rest of us. You do have to climb a series of steps, which can be somewhat exhausting, but the guides are more than willing to go at your speed. One of the things I discovered was that the zip line company we used is owned and operated locally. There is a competitive company that is not locally owned. Our guide explained that this is a sore point with the locals as the money earned by this competitor does not stay in Belize. It was our understanding that certain other cruise lines (NOT Norwegian) use this other zip line company. For this reason and the fact that Butts-Up did a fantastic job, I highly recommend visiting http://www.cave-tubing.com/ to make your cave tubing arrangements.

:):D