Leaving for the Star

[ajcruise]

I'd love to hear more about this. Is it like a Wine tasting...but with Martini's instead? Or, do you learn how to make different Martini's? Inquiring minds want to know!:confused:

 

Thanks!:)

[cruiseonj]

Tamalee,

Thank you for checking this out for me. I'm not sure this will work for us as my son is nearly 6' tall. Guess I need to rethink things.

[cliffd64]

I will have to say the food left a lot to be desired at the buffets! It was the worse it has been on any of our 7 cruises. The dining rooms were a little better. My wife gave it 2 stars out of 6. If you wanted a really good meal, you had to go to the specialty restaurants!

 

As for service, it was okay and I think that is because the staff has no real incentive to go the extra yard because the tips are already added. Because you have different wait staff due to the Freestyle format, you lose the special attention you get on traditional cruises.

 

Having said all that, it was great to have the freedom to eat when you desired and to share a table with different people every time you sat down to eat!

 

We are going on the Pride of America in October - giving Freestyle another shot!

 

Floyd

 

Here's a little tip to have great service while doing freestyle: When your waiter introduces him/herself... look for the comment card on your table... If there isn't one... make sure you ask him/her to get you one with their name on it. The dining comment cards are a great forum for rewarding the watiers with good comments for good service (or the opposite if need be) , and if they know you are prone to filling them out, they will work hard to ensure they get good comments. The more good comments they get, the more recognition and prospect for advancement there is for the waiters. They are very appreciative of good comments, and they DO remember you if you come back to their station.

 

Also, if you meet a waiter that you like, you CAN always request to be seated in their station, especially if you don't mind a short wait. We had several good pairs in each of the restaurants that we felt deserved to be noticed so we did fill out good comment cards for them. We didn't have any bad service during the week. I met a great waiter from Honduras, another from Dominica, a fantastic assistant from Romania. Sometimes it helps to engage them in conversations about their homelands if you have been there. They do like to be treated as individuals :) Have some fun with them... they are fun people when you try to get to know them :) Tips are not the only incentive for these people... advancement is. NCL promotes from within, and I hardly think everyone wants to be a waiter forever.

 

As for buffet food... it's buffet food - ie food for the masses. I haven't yet seen buffet food for dinner (on ANY cruise line) that would compare to anything you can get in the dining rooms and/or specialty restaurants. Typically we avoid the buffets except for breakfast - when we usually need to grab some fruit and such before heading out for an excursion. I would never want to eat at the buffet when I have so many other wonderful choices available to me... but I do realize some people seem to enjoy them. Even for lunch, the Blue Lagoon offers freshly cooked meals, with decent tableside service, that beat anything at the buffets in the Market Cafe.

[seahorse]

I'd love to hear more about this. Is it like a Wine tasting...but with Martini's instead? Or, do you learn how to make different Martini's? Inquiring minds want to know!:confused:

 

Thanks!:)

 

The Martini Clinic: The bartender makes about 5 different martinis and you get to drink them:eek: :D The problem is if you stay and have "Just one more". It is a lot of fun, try it, can`t beat the price.

[TamaLee]

I think Floyd pretty much said it all. I also felt that the service was poor. They rotate people in the restaurants so I don't think they get to learn a job throughly. I'm sure it's good for cross training, but didn't really seem to work to provide a high level of service.

 

One of my group summed up Freestyle best in saying that it didn't make dinning feel like an event. Just a thought. On the cruises that don't have the Freestyle concept the evening meal is an event and we really missed that. We also ended up not seeing a lot of the shows becuase they were at the same time as we were eating.

 

I hopeing to get a free moment to start on my review...but I have posted my pictures if you want to look.

 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tamara_cowan/album?.dir=613a&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tamara_cowan/my_photos

[TamaLee]

Tamalee,

Thank you for checking this out for me. I'm not sure this will work for us as my son is nearly 6' tall. Guess I need to rethink things.

 

Cruiseonj - I am 6'1'' and my feet touched the desk that is in front of the sofa.

[Floyd in VA]

I was impressed with the food at the Blue Lagoon. It is a real shame that it is not bigger!

 

Floyd

[winterblues]

Thank you TamaLee for the great pictures. We are sailing on the Star on Monday and these are the best pictures we've seen yet. It's getting us more excited!

It's funny that I've planned a trip to Playa Los Gatos for my family. It looks great! Also, was the PV Canopy tour the Los Veranos one or the ship excursion?

[Floyd in VA]

If you want that one, make sure you sign up when you first get on! It sold out!

 

Floyd

[Floyd in VA]

Make sure you sign up for the specialty resturants early! The ideal times booked really fast!

 

Floyd

[immargaret]

Tamalee,

Thanks for the great pictures, looked like you had fun once you got started. Do you remember the name of the hotel you stopped at with the flamingos? Did you use the facilities? What was the cost? Which port? How did you get there?

 

:confused:

[TamaLee]

Tamalee,

Thanks for the great pictures, looked like you had fun once you got started. Do you remember the name of the hotel you stopped at with the flamingos? Did you use the facilities? What was the cost? Which port? How did you get there?

 

:confused:

 

immargaret - it was the Fairmount Acapulco Princess. We just walked onto the property. No one said anything to us. So I guess you could take a taxi there and spend the day. We just walked around for a few minutes and left. Our taxi driver stopped here on our tour of the city.

[TamaLee]

Thank you TamaLee for the great pictures. We are sailing on the Star on Monday and these are the best pictures we've seen yet. It's getting us more excited!

It's funny that I've planned a trip to Playa Los Gatos for my family. It looks great! Also, was the PV Canopy tour the Los Veranos one or the ship excursion?

 

Winterblues - Playa Los Gatos was my favorite. I wish we had more time there. I would strongly recommend going to El Arrecife "The Reef" for your day at Playa Las Gatos. Guillermo Cabreia is the owner and he was a great host. His restaurant is about halfway down the beach from the boat dock. He did not charge us to use the lounges and the drinks were cheap and the food fantastic. I hope he'll make the same tray of yummies for you that he did for us! It wasn't on the menu. Tell him you heard about him from Big Billy in Phoenix!

 

We booked the Los Veranos canopy tour on line. It was the best thing I have done it my life and I would strongly recommend it. It's a little cheaper than the cruise ship but I think you have more zip lines. Everything about it was fantastic! Make sure to leave the site by at least 2:00 or you might miss the boat! We left at 3:00 and were worried we wouldn't make it! The bus runs about every hour. Food and drinks were great. If you like hot salsa ask for the green stuff at Pancho's! If you go make sure to give Angel a big kiss for me! What a nice looking guy! He can give me monkey love anytime! If you take the tour you'll know what I mean. We took the 12:00 tour, but you could make the 11:00 if you got early tender tickets.

 

Speaking of tender tickets....no one ever checked them. So I wouldn't bother with them. Just get off the boat when you want. I know the announcements hound you about going when your tender ticket number is called, but no one EVER checked!!!

[sodell]

Hi Tamalee...

Thanks for all the great tips/advices/sharing your adventures.

 

By chance was there any laundry facilities?

Thanks

[immargaret]

Thanks Tamalee!

 

:)

[TamaLee]

Hi Tamalee...

Thanks for all the great tips/advices/sharing your adventures.

 

By chance was there any laundry facilities?

Thanks

 

Sodell - I did not see any, but one day they had a laundry special. They left a bag in the room and said they would launder those items for $20. It was a small bag. I'd guess it was the fourth day or fifth day of the cruise.

[sodell]

Thanks TamaLee.....

[NitaBcruising]

Thanks for sharing your pics! They are great! :)

 

I've done NCL freestyle, and even though it's not my favorite, I will make do! I can usually find something to eat. I don't need to stuff myself and gain, anyway! :rolleyes: :D

 

We go on the 29th, so have time to wait for your review! :cool: