Review of the Star's March 14th Sailing

[KCB3]

My wife and I wanted to celebrate our 20th with a cruise, so I looked online for pricing and destinations and found Cruise Critic, which was in many cases invaluable to our planning and for calming any qualms we had. We had only cruised once before, in 2001 with Carnival, and had a great time, but we are "glass half-full" kind of people, and so I figured if we had a good experience with Carnival, the rest of the cruise world must be outstanding.

We ended up picking NCL and the Star because of the cost, freestyle dining, and the 8 day- 4 port itinerary as opposed to the other lines with 7 days and 3 ports for the most part. We also wanted to do the Mexican Riviera as we have traveled and lived all over the Caribbean and it's hard to find islands we haven't visited there. We booked a window stateroom on deck 5 for a very good price, but were offered an upsell to a balcony a couple of weeks later for $150 pp more. I told the agent that I'd have to talk with the wife and that I'd call her back. I know what you are thinking... How stupid was that? We'd get a balcony for a couple hundred less each than if we had booked it originally, and I had to check with the wife. Well, we originally thought we wouldn't spend much time in the cabin, but it was nice on Carnival to wake up every morning, open the drapes and see what port we were in. Anyway, my wife basically said "What are you, crazy?" and so I called back. Well they had already booked that cabin on the 9th deck, but wait, how about a BA on 10 with 3 times the space of a normal balcony because it's on the stern? I didn't hesitate this time, and it ended up being some of the best money we'd ever spent.

So the days ticked down until our cruise. I bought the Anniversary/Honeymoon package for $79, then worried like so many others about the engine problems. Not so much about the ports, but I didn't want them canceling our cruise! Heck, we could have circled Catalina for 8 days, and I'd have been happier with that than if they had canceled. Through CC boards and roll calls we learned of the itinerary change long before NCL called us to let us know, and so I got a Mexico guidebook and studied the two "M"s: Manzanillo & Mazatlan.

Day One: We left Reno at dawn and arrived in LA only to find it socked in by clouds. Hmmmm, kind of like June Gloom that we native San Diegans are all too familiar with. We had no reservation with a shuttle but got on Prime Time without delay and headed to the port for $16 each. We got to the terminal around 10am, gave the bags to a porter along with $5, and waited for about 20-30 minutes until we could check in. We then sat down and waited to board. It is a comfortable terminal, reminds me of an airport, but I can see how seating may be insufficient during peak times. We started up a conversation with a pleasant couple from England, Ruth & Chris, who it turns out were on our CC Roll Call! They began to let people aboard at noon, and since we were in group #1 we boarded first (after the Suites and VIPs).

The Ship is amazing! It can be a bit confusing at first, as things are a bit scattered around, but I found that the layout really disperses the crowds and makes the ship feel quite a bit more intimate despite it's megaship size. There are nooks and crannies to get lost in, bars that most people don't find, and restaurants we knew of, but didn't locate until the second day or so. We ate a quick lunch at the Market Cafe and went exploring. I think they let us into our cabins about 2pm, and we were blown away by the comfort, storage, and huge balcony we had! Waiting for us was the bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries- both excellent. So we sat on our balcony, no patio, and watched tugboats and tankers go by and the liberty ship docked across from us. Nothing but a lifeboat drill could have torn us away from our little piece of paradise, which it did at 3:30, but it only lasted 20 minutes or so. Then we headed up to the Biergarten for our Roll Call meet & greet and had fun meeting our fellow CCers.

Tip #1: buy the beer in buckets of 6, as then you only pay for 5. We thought, hey we'll have a couple of beers, then mosy off, but the conversation was great and 2 beers turned into 4 etc...

We went back to our cabin and watched San Pedro recede into the distance from our stern perch and finished off the bubbly and berries. A huge pod of dolphins bid us farewell about halfway to Catalina, and we watched the sun set into the water. We ate at Ginza that night and it was superb! We just did the regular menu, and the tempura and potstickers come to mind as well as the teriaki steak- well worth the cover charge! We then went to the first show where we met Archie, our CD, and stayed until a comedian stunk up the place. On his defense, he was a member of the Second City comedy group, and in that format he was hilarious later in the cruise.

 

Day two found us eating breakfast at Versailles- good except for the hashbrowns- get the country potatoes instead. We played cribbage in the card room and watched the Pacific go by as my wife spanked me with several 24 hands. Ate hamburgers on the pool deck for lunch- they do good hamburgers- and watched "Flags of our Fathers" at the cinema that afternoon. I entered the blackjack tourney ($15) and won my round so I qualified for the finals on the last sea day. We ate at Cagneys that night. I had the Ribeye and my wife the Surf na Turf, and while it was delicious my wife thought the half-lobster very skimpy. She loved the lobster bisque however, and her cheesecake was sublime. That night we saw the Second City show- very funny, then retired to the forward hot tub (Tip #2) which was never crowded and watched a couple cruiseships pass us by headed north. I pitied them, their vacation almost over...

Day three found us rounding Cabo in the morning, and from our patio I spotted 8 whales- some fairly close, some distant. The seas so far had been almost glassy, so the whales were very easy to spot. Later we saw another pod of dolphins, perhaps spinners, as they jumped stright up in the air two or three times their length. Ate breakfast at the Market Cafe and saw another whale close of the starboard side. We then lazed about, had lunch on the pool deck (great ribs!) and then went up to the Star Bar (Tip #3... never seemed crowded and a great view) for our aniversary cake and champagne party (part of the package). Only one other couple was there along with lots of bubbly, and a huge cake, but thanks to Katrina and Ruffino, two crew members, we had fun. That night we had dinner at La Trattoria (reservations but no cover charge) and had a fabulous meal. I'm part italian, so I'm not easily impressed, but the prosciutto, land and sea, carbonera and boulgnese sauces amd the tiramisu and macadamia ice cream all were exceptional. We liked it so much we ate there another night. The show that night didn't interest us so we instead went to the Spinnaker Lounge and caught the Newlywed Game hosted by CD Archie. It was a hoot! Then we went down and watched perfectly normal seeming people embarrass themselves with a mic singing kareoke. To top of the night we had fish and chips for a midnight snack at Blue Lagoon (Tip #3: ask for larger portions if you are hungry, or maybe two orders- delicious but small- a great midnight snack however...).

Day Four: Manzanillo! I am sure glad we didn't get to Acapulco or we would have missed this gem. It is a busy port- the busiest for Mexico on the Pacific, and you dock where container ships are loading. Kind of like a Mexican San Pedro. But past the derricks and docks you'll find real Mexico, where they are surprised & delighted to see tourists and where you can see everyday life without the spector of the almighty dollar hanging about. We decided to take a ships tour during the morning to snorkel, and we headed to a catamaran and took a leisurely cruise across the large bay to a smaller inlet. Now we've snorkelled in pretty fabulous places, where visibility is 40-50', and we knew from a somewhat ominous disclaimer that the tour staff posted that the visibily might be poor, and so it was. I think it was 4-5 feet tops. I saw about a dozen fish total, and not very well, but the day was gorgeous and the water temperature perfect, so we just enjoyed the water. On the way back the cat became a party boat and between the two of us we must have consumed 8-10 beers and and equal amount of pina coladas throwing in a couple of tequila poppers to boot. The staff was fun and friendly, so if you head down to Manzanillo be aware that its more of a party cruise instead of snorkelling, and you'll have a good time. We headed back to the Star to shower and then we were off in a taxi for $3 to the old city's center. There is a huge sailfish statue there (the fishing is supposed to be amazing) and we walked the town and saw very few gringos. Most of the people were mexicans with their families enjoying ice cream or walking the square. On the taxi driver's advice, we found a restaurant in an old hotel, Hotel Colonial, where we had some of the best tacos we'd ever had. I had beef, but my wife ordered off the menu, asking for fish tacos, and they were amazing. We shopped and got some good bargains on gifts and then took another $3 taxi back to the Star. Sitting on our patio as we pulled out we became aware of hundreds of people on the jetties and beach waving and cheering as we left. Many yelled "Buen viaje" and "Gracias" and it was truly amazing to see that from Mexicans not yet jaded by the tourism monster. That night we tried Aqua and had declicious veal scallopini- so good I got another order- and then went to see the "Blackstreet Boyz", a pair of comedians who put on a very unconventional but very funny show (Tip #4: do not, I repeat, do not arrive late to this show!).

Day Five: Puerto Vallarta! Another awesome day- our most expensive as well! HAL's Ryndam beat us into port but it's captain wasn't half as skilled as ours and took twice as long to get alongside their pier. We took a cab to the office of Canopy Tours Los Veranos and signed up for the next tour. Thanks to CC we found this gem! The NCL canopy tour costs $30 more and is much more sedate. This one has 14 lines, one of which is 1100' long and 500' high! Incredible! The guides are great and it was worth every penny. Heading back up to PV, we stopped in Walmart for a few essentials (rum, sunscreen) and then went to another gem we found here on the boards, the massages at the Krystal Hotel. For $75 we had a couples massage under a tent listening to the waves breaking nearby. Normally it would have lasted 75 minutes, but we only did it for an hour as we were cutting it close making it back aboard. Just amazing! Highly recommended! We then saw "Dreamgirls" in the cinema and ate a mundane but delicious meal at Versailles that evening (turkey and roasted pork chops). Didn't do any shows- just enjoyed our patio and cabin.

Day Six: Mazatlan! Another port that we wouldn't have made with the regular itinerary, and we would have missed a great day. We awoke to the sight of the Pacifico Brewery off the stern. After breakfast at the omlette bar near the pool (my favorite breakfast on the Star), we headed off the ship and into a jitney taxi who took us on a tour of the town for $15. We had him drop us off near the water taxis to Isla de Piedras (Stone Island). The taxis are $1.50 pp r/t and take you to a village on the land side of the island. From there you can get into a truck for a dollar to the beach, but we decided to walk. which took about 15 minutes. The island is on a slower pace and the people were friendly. We then found this gorgeous beach on the Pacific side, bordered by blue waters and palm trees. We spent the day there in the water, under an umbrella drinking beer and eating guacamole and shrimp quesadillas (yum!) at a small family-run restauarant and the bill was $22 with tip. Just an unforgettable day on a gorgeous beach with mostly mexican families sharing the sand with us. We did find out that our neighbors were from the CC Roll Call- Royce, Jen and 1yr-old Nathan, who loved the sand and water even more than us adults. We made our way sadly back to the ship, got some more cash, and went down to the mercado at the port (Tip #5: prices go down super low when the ship is about to leave!). We ate at Ginza again- the wife had sushi and I had yakatori and we both were pleased with the meal. Saw Shaun Farquar's magic show. Hokey at times, phenomenal at others, it is well worth seeing, especially when you see his hand dexterity... Even better was the Second City's late night "R" rated show up in the Spinnaker- very funny!

Day Seven: Cabo! Woke up to the sight of Lands End- awesome sight to wake up to! Took a tender (the only tendered port of the trip) to the marina. Overpaid for a private panga to go whale watching and see the sights, but it was worth the extra money as Alex from Mulege took us several miles out into the Pacific right to a Humpback who was jumping straight up out of the water. For an hour we glided beside it until it met up with another humpback and they both sounded, as some zodiacs were getting too close. Very cool! Then he took us to the Arch, saw the sea lions and then to Divorce (Lovers) Beach where I almost lost my Tevas. Very pretty beach, and the Star was perfectly framed between the rocks. The Vision of the Seas and the Mercury had also pulled in by now, so it made an impressive sight. Alex then took us to The Office, where we had lots of cold beer, fried dorado fingers, and guac and watched Spring Breaker antics. Beautiful water, a bit chilly, maybe 72 degrees, but refreshing. Alex came later and picked us up and took us back to the marina where we boarded the tender, sorry to leave Cabo, but we watched Lands End for an hour from our patio until it receded into the evening. Saw a couple of whales as we rounded the peninsula. Dinner at Trattoria was just as good as the first time and we headed off to an early bedtime.

Day Eight: At sea. The weather was spotty- mostly cloudy, a bit cold, and it sprinkled a few times. The sun did make it through here and there, and once as we passed Guererro Negro I spied a whale's spout, the last of my sightings. Played cards, went to Archie's disembarkation meeting, ate lunch at Versailles- yum! We should have eaten lunch there more- delicious! Played in the Blackjack finals, but the insane luck I had in qualifying was the opposite this time and I ended up in 5th place with a t-shirt. Oh well. We live in Reno, and it'd be hard to play 12 hands of 21 here for 15 bucks. That was my sole casino experience. The casino is nice- larger than the Carnival Triumph, but again, we are inudated with casinos here so we didn't play. That night we cashed in our last perk from the Anniversary package and ate at Le Bistro complete with a bottlle of wine. Wife had the Lobster Scallop Martini- she was unimpressed. I however chose the Hearts of Boston Lettuce salad, and of many great salads on the ship, this was the best. My wife really enjoyed the mussels and our soups: onion and mushroom were outstanding. The wife had the salmon encrusted with shrimp and thought it was a poor combination, but my Braised Short Rib and Tenderloin were amazing! (Tip #6: eat the tenderloin first, because the rib is a hard act to follow!). The creme brulee and chocolate mousse just topped off an outstanding meal for us. We also got a small anniversary cake and some macaroons and the waiters sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" which was corny but nice. Probably the best service in a ship filled with outstanding servers. We took it back to our cabin and lounged around, watching a Coast Guard cutter keep pace and a few container ships headed in various directions. The seas were rougher than any other night, but in the stern you don't seem to notice it as much as the bow, and we slept well.

Day Nine: San Pedro...<sigh> Woke up to container ships, cranes and the liberty ship. Went to breakfast at Versailles- I was waiting to see a drop in the level of service, but if anything the waiters were more attentive. Went back up to our cabin and stayed until the last possible moment, as we had a later flight. They finally had a last call, so we grudgingly left our little paradise and filed in with the last of the procrastinators around 10:15. Waited in line about 20 minutes to go through customs and we were off to the airport in another Prime Time Shuttle (again no reservations) and onto a packed flight to San Jose stuffed with UCLA fans. From there we caught another quick flight back to Reno and reality.

Ship: A

Beautiful, huge, but with lots of nooks and crannies. The decor & art is mostly awesome, with a few exceptions such as the Carosel lounge and the cheap fountains near the atrium. The public spaces are well done, and though the rows in the main theater are tight, I found the chairs comfortable unlike other reviews I've read.

Cabin: A+

Gorgeous wood, lots of storage, seperate shower in the bath, comfortable bed, though I would have liked sheets instead of the duvet. Plenty of space in the fridge for sodas or whatever once you get the minibar stuff emptied out. The balcony, again was awesome- I am a true believer in balconies now- spoiled forever I suppose...

Service/Crew: A+

Our stewards, Roberto and Cesar went above and beyond. They knew our names on day two and knew what we liked even before that. They were a wealth of information, and always conformed to our schedule when making up the cabin. What great ambassadors for NCL! Once we had a hard time flagging a waitress down for OJ and another time at the Blue Lagoon getting a menu- otherwise service was stellar but unobtrusive. It was fun talking with people from all over the world as well, and trying to figure out the flags on their nametags. Archie the Cruise Director was a true professional: funny, approachable, and genuinely concerned with the cruise experience. He wasn't on the PA every five minutes either, which was a change from Carnival. His staff were all fun and tried hard to make different events special. The officers, mostly norwegian it seemed were courteous and professional, and the front desk staff were great, handling several different small matters we had with speed and a smile.

Food: A-

If you were to eat at the buffet much, I think the score would be lower, though I saw people there for dinner every night. Living in a town of buffets, this would only be average, but the specialty restaurants and some of the hidden gems: ribs and burgers, the omelette station, fish and chips etc. make the experience much more satisfying. The regular dining rooms were good, and you have the benefit there of a changing menu, whereas the specialty places are fixed. But the specialty places were usually outstanding. We never got to Soho or to Endless Summer but heard great things about both. Favorites for us were La Trattoria, Le Bistro and Ginza, but I think everyone has their own taste and that the ship has something for everyone- even those who eat at the Market Cafe morning, noon and night...

Ports: A+

Every port was different and unique. Do I wish we went to Acapulco and Ixtapa? No. Our experiences at the M's were outstanding, plus the $100 credit paid for a lot of cover charges! I think it helps that we aren't the tour types. We'd rather just experience new places on our own- eat where the locals eat etc. It also helps that I do okay in Spanish. If you try a little Spanish and are polite people respect you and doors open where they wouldn't have for the typical gringo.

Embarkation/Debarkation: A

We were there early to embark and had express disembarkation (which they called first, btw) so our experience was smooth. But all the groaning and moaning I've heard on other reviews made me think we missed the rush hours and possible chaos by our timing. We worked the system perfectly and have no complaints.:)

[travellady]

Thanks for this postive Star review. We just booked the Star for the 12/26 sailing, including New Years, and want to learn more about this ship/itinerary. We booked while onboard the Pride of America this past week and want to compare an NCLA ship to NCL. We had fun on the Pride of America, a few minor service issues, but that didn't stop us from trying out the Star.

[johnql]

Thanks for such a detailed review. I, too, thoroughly enjoyed my Mexican Riviera cruise on the Star a couple years ago.

[Chipster2]

Thanks for posting your review of you recent cruise on the Star. Kinda makes me wish they would change the ports again for our second cruise in September!

[BaileyandBella]

Great review!

 

I have a few questions. Was there any type of fruit punch or juice available all the time? How was the regular coffee?

 

Did you purchase a soda card and how did it work?

 

Thanks

[newmexicoNita]

wow, what a wonderful review. I have had clients that loved the ship as much as you, but to read your detailed review makes me fell really good as I am taking a group of about 40 on her late Sept and always like to have positives to depend on. I think I will print this out and pass it on. Thanks again,

 

Nita

[cruisingfromMN]

Thanks for your review.

 

By chance, was your room 10230?

[Amcdon]

Thanks for your review. Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I will be sailing to Alaska on the Star 2 months from today! :D Can't wait!!

[KCB3]

MN- We were I believe next door to 10230- we were in 10730. Great cabin. At the very rear, so no trafiic in the hall.

 

love3guys- The wife and I don't do coffee, so I can't help you there.

 

No punch that I saw, and they usually cleaned the fruit juice dispenser after breakfast, so I think you'll have to ask for it. Out on the pool deck/omelette station a server came out with pitchers of juice. I don't see why you can't get a good amount from them and put it in your cabin's fridge. Bring an insulated mug or something.

 

We brought a couple of those 8-packs of 12oz coke in the plastic bottle, and those lasted until PV. I got those because I thought they'd do well in our luggage, and they did. Then in PV we hit Walmart and stocked up on the real Coke with sugar (there is a difference!) so we never used the ship for soda. The people checking bags at the ports had no problems with bringing soda onboard- they did take alcohol which they gave you back on the last night of the cruise.

 

Hope this helps!

 

KCB3

[BeachBumMama]

Great review! I'm looking to book for early next year and love to read about others experiences to reinforce my choice. Thanks!:D

[Flash2]

I enjoyed reading your review, also meeting you at the terminal. Time went quickly while waiting to board, because of our pleasant chat. I found it surprising that after our conversation waiting to board, and then meeting at the roll call meet and greet, we never saw you again, and after reading your review I found it even more surprising, because we seemed to do various things the same as you.

Chris enjoyed his deep sea fishing trip with Scott and Fran, and if Scott and Fran read this, Chris has not sent the photo of you with the fish you caught because he did not get your email address.

[blondeblueeyes]

Thank you so much for such a detailed time on the Star. We are booked for the Sept 29 cruise with my grown sons & their girlfriends. We have read both good & bad about the Star. I do hope that the ship is totally fixed by the time we go, for we've already been to the ports that they have replaced. Thanks again for your review!

[bubbacat]

We were in room 10228 on the Star in February. Those rooms are a little piece of paradise! We can't wait to go back. :D

[chas]

Thank you for all of the details. Glad you had a nice time.

We are looking forward to out Oct. cruise on the Star and are hoping that we get upgrade offers as you did.