Norwegian Star - January 2016 - Western Caribbean

[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.

[All-ready2cruise]

Thanks for this informative and well written review Mike. Happy to know you enjoyed the vacation on the Star, she's one of our favourite ships.

[Visigoth]

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.

 

 

Thanks for the updated review. You are correct about the assigned arrival time. It is only a suggestion not a requirement. They are trying to even the work load of check-in. One warning about arriving earlier. All cruise lines hope to start boarding by as soon as possible but no one will board the ship until there is a final, double checked, count showing all passengers from the previous cruise are off. They target for 11:00 am but it is generally a bit later. When the boarding process begins, all suite guests will board first. This is a perk for the higher fares but it is also has a practical consideration because suite guests get priority disembarkation and their cabins are the first to be cleaned and available. The next to board after suite guests are frequent cruisers with Latitudes Elite status. After this is complete they will start boarding by group. Your group priority is a reflection of your assigned check-in time. Arrive a long time before you are supposed to and you will just be sitting in a big crowded room longer.

 

"There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

- Spoken by Ratty to Mole in Wind in the Willows children's by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932).

[marathonrunner123]

So it is possible to walk to a swimming beach and pool in Costa Maya is that correct? Was there an admission fee? how was he beach?

[cruiser64093]

The pool complex/shopping center at Costa Maya is right there, and it is free to use for ship passengers. You can order drinks, stay at the pool, or sit on the beach chairs, etc. As for swimming, the beach is a little rocky, with some sand. On the day we were there (November) it was quite windy, and the surf was way up.

[nw gardener]

I am leaving on the Star next Sunday :) and glad to see the good review, sounds like you had a fantastic time, I can't wait. And thanks for the info about luggage storage and aquarium, we will have some time to kill and that will fit the bill.

[baxter44]

Thanks Mike - we booked Butt's Up for 3/27 trip and are very much looking forward to it! Great review!

[csf1711]

This was a great review of the cruise. My wife and I also sailed on the NCL Star from 1/17/16-1/24/16. We had a great time. We are currently planning our next cruise, but with the kids this time. Only one regret from this past cruise, due to the rough seas on the way home, we didn't get to exchange contact info with some of the very nice people we met. Looking forward to the next cruise!

 

Carlton & Jill

[QuattroRomeo]

Thanks for the review, it sounds like you had a great trip!

 

Did you find that the service in the MDR was good enough so that people made it to the theatre shows without rushing?

 

In Belize, how smoothly did it go with the tenders- were you able to arrive on time for your tour?

[Heather1972]

Thanks for the review. We sail the Star this March. While she doesn't have the bells and whistles that the Epic and Getaway have, I'm sure I'll like her. :)

[csf1711]

Thanks for the review, it sounds like you had a great trip!

 

Did you find that the service in the MDR was good enough so that people made it to the theatre shows without rushing?

 

In Belize, how smoothly did it go with the tenders- were you able to arrive on time for your tour?

We were quite daring and decided to book an excursion that was not through the cruise line. It was my wife's birthday and she wanted to go to Ambergris Caye. This required a flight from Belize. We went to Guest Services and explained our dilemma. We were issued a VIP pass for the tender. We were able to grab the first tender off the ship. We arrived at our excursion in plenty of time. The tenders were fairly large and carried about 150 people at a time. They were very efficient.