Just back from the Mexican Riveria. Any questions?

[edselone]

We just got home yesterday from a 7 day cruise on the NCL Star. Anyone have any questions? I'd be glad to help if I can. It was our first cruise and we had a WONDERFUL time! :D

[CGinMTL]

We are heading out on the same cruise on Feb 28th. Glad to see you had a good time.

My only question is........ is there anything you found out during the trip that you said " wish I had known before or sooner".

[shopping*mommy]

How was the weather on sea days and ports? And are evenings cool? What was your impression of the food - any favorite restaurants or dishes? And did you do any excursions or anything in the ports that you would recommend? Sorry for so many questions - my DH and I leave in a couple weeks on the Star! Thank you! :)

[Milissa30]

Did you get to the ports earlier than the arrival/dock time stated on your Itinerary? If so, did they let people off the ship?

 

Hope you had a great time!!

[edselone]

We had a WONDERFUL time. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! I would definitely recommend taking along a cheap power strip. There is only one outlet (with 1 plug) in the bathroom. We had a balcony room, so there was an area where you could sit and do your make-up and hair without tying up the bathroom. But again, only one outlet (with only 1 plug). I also took along a night light (DH's night vision is not so great), because the rooms are DARK with the curtains closed. The outlets were 110, so you don't need an adapter. They do provide a hair dryer. I took too much sleeveless stuff and not enough warmer things. The temps were in the low to mid 70's in the daytime and dropped to the 50's at night, which took me by surprise. We thought the food was excellent. The main dining rooms (free and pay) are beautiful. The Aqua Room (free) was great and I would highly recommend the food there. The main dining room, The Versailles (free) was VERY good. We only had lunch there, dinner you were required to "dress up". The Grill (free) is by the pool and for lunch and dinner it is burgers and dogs and the like. They have a great breakfast buffet where you can get a custom omelet or waffles while sitting next to the pool watching the ocean (it was one of our favorites in the morning). The Market Cafe (free) is cafeteria style and has a good selection of dishes from pizza to roasted chicken. You can eat all three meals there and go back through the line as many times as you like. The desserts are good, but definitely try the cookies! The Blue Lagoon (free) also does all three meals, but I would recommend them if you just want a quick snack or appetizer in the middle of the day. We went to two specialty restaurants. The Ginza Restaurant ($15 per person) is Asian food and excellent. The Endless Summer Restaurant ($10 per person) is Tex-Mex and also excellent. Try the lobster tacos, you won't be sorry. We did not go to the Teppanyaki Room ($25 per person) which is table side Japanese steak-house style cooking. Cagney's ($20 per person) is a steak house. La Tarritia ($15 per person) is Italian cooking. The Soho Restaurant ($15 per person, I think) is American gourmet. Le Bistro ($15 per person, I think) is French cuisine. Drink prices were average for a mid to large city. Some of the signature restaurants offer drink specials. In all the bars there is a "drink of the day" (same one in each bar) and they are expensive ($8-$9 per drink, but you usually get a free glass). If you are traveling with children (we didn't), I would recommend that you buy a daily "soda card" for pop (it runs $1.75 per drink). Also, be very careful with the card they issue you on arrival. You use this card for everything. You can not get on or off the ship without it. You also use it for ANYTHING you buy on board the ship (drinks, meals, shopping, etc.). And a word to the wise, unless you have an unlimited budget (we didn't), keep track of the little receipts they give you each time you use the card. On the last morning before you leave the ship you will get an itemized statement listing all your purchases, including your $12 service charge per person, per day. There were quite a few people who were shell-shocked when they got their statement. We did not do any of the offered excursions, so I really can't comment on them, other than to say that when we asked people about them, they said they had a great time.

[NW Pacific]

How was disembarkation? Do you know if people that took their luggage off, got off shortly after 8am. Were the ports warm? Will bring some warm clothes, thanks for the tip.

[LadyLuck]

Can you please tell me how long did it take you to disembark and what time did you get off the ship? We will be going straight to the airport, and since our flight is later on in the afternoon, we will most likely get the last ticket/colour to get off. So, do you know what is the approx. time for the last passengers to get off? Did you go to the airport right after, and if so, how long did it take you? Thank you very much. We are travelling with our 2-year old, so time and planning is very critical.

[edselone]

Because DH and I were catching a flight that left before 2:00pm, we were the first "colored tag" group called. We were told to be ready to leave the ship at 8:45am. Customs was slow clearing the ship ( I have no idea why) and we did not get off the ship until about 9:30am. Once we got our luggage, passed through Customs and got loaded into the shuttle bus it was a little before 10:00am. We arrived at LAX at about 10:30am, which was plenty of time to make our flight at 1:20pm. We were told by others that either had later flights or had driven to the port that the ship had to have all guests out by 10:00am, so they could get the ship ready again for the group coming on that afternoon. But, they do have tours of LA that you can go on if you don't want to just sit at the airport all day waiting on your flight.

[sharke]

Can you tell us briefly what you did in each port? Read you did not do any of the excursions so interested in how you spent the time on shore. We usually like to do something on our own - any tidbits greatly appreciated. Thanks for the details especially with the restaurants.

[LadyLuck]

Thank you for your info re. disembarkation. Can you tell us about the tender at Cabos? How early did you have to get up to get the tender ticket to be off first? On the itinerary, it shows that Star will be at Cabos at 11 am, and we have a tour booked for 12 pm. It's a NCL excursion. So, I'm wondering if we will have any problems getting off the ship by 12 pm. What was your experience? Thanks again.

[Kapsgirl]

wondering if you tendered or docked in PV. thinking of booking the pirate tour tomorrow but not sure we'd make it if we tender. the timing is tight if tendering. THANKS!!!!!!!!