NCL Star..Mex. Riviera.. Revised Review with Restaurant Overview

[MikeDavid]

Hey there everyone. We just completed a 7-day cruise on the Norwegian Star to Mexico and thought we would blog a bit on a few different topics that most people don’t talk about. We have always sailed on Cunard, specifically the Queen Mary II and this was our first time sailing on NCL. That being said, we had a lot of questions and most posts on cruisecritic.com are about shore excursions, menus, things to do while in port etc. We found it very difficult to find any information about their processes, prices, pictures, etc. So this post will address those issues, along with many pictures of the actual ship…also something we found very difficult to find. First and foremost, let us say, we had an incredibly good time, the staff was great, as was the ship, and we have now been converted to full fledged NCL customers.

This post will be pretty lengthy and broken out into a couple different subjects. One will be their process of embarkation, debarkation and how their process of how things work on board. The other area will be how much items cost on board, along with a few suggestions of how to save a few bucks during your trip. We hope this helps some future NCL cruisers. Just scroll down to the heading that you think might apply to you and go from there. There is a price list of everything we bought on board, and in port, to give you an idea of what to expect. Happy cruising and we hope you have as much fun on NCL as we did. It truly is an incredible company staffed with amazing people. Enjoy!!

DAY 1: Arrive Los Angeles the day before we sail

If you’re like us, you like to arrive the day before sailing so you can relax and get everything together before boarding the ship. We stayed at the Redondo Beach Marriott Express. Cab from LAX airport to hotel was $50. This is the perfect place to settle in and get ready for your cruise. You are 1 block from the pier which has shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, etc. Also there are stores and drug stores about a block or two away so you can pick up last minute items if you need them. Walked around the pier and had lunch at Kilkinney’s Irish Pub on the pier.

NOTE: We had to buy a couple sweatshirts as the weather in LA was very chilly, so you might want to pack an extra sweatshirt or a light jacket for the sail away party once on board the ship.

DAY2; Embarkation Day:

Embarkation was relatively painless. We arrived at the pier at 10:00 am. Boarding started at noon. There were relatively few people there at this time and we were put in group #2 for boarding. We sat in the waiting area after checking in until they called our group number to board the ship. A little after 12:30 they called our group number and we boarded the ship. Went on board and sat by the pool and had drinks until they made the announcement that all cabins were cleaned and ready to be occupied; this was about 3:30PM. Our luggage arrived at our cabin about 5:00 pm and we unpacked and then explored the ship and our cabin. The one thing we would like to stress is the “Private Balconies” are not private. We were in an AF Mini Suite which claims to have a private balcony. In reality. The wall between your balcony and the next door neighbor allows you to see directly into the neighboring cabin. Initially this was a bit of bummer for us since we couldn’t do any nude sunbathing, but it ended up being an added bonus since you got to see and meet the people next door and ended up making some great new friends. We were in cabin 11680 which ended up being in the perfect location. We were in the aft part the ship and 1 deck below the buffet and pool. So we just had to go up flight of stairs for food and/or cocktails at the pool bar. It really did end up being the perfect location. On the way out of Los Angeles, we saw a group of Pod Whales following our ship and playing the wake. It was truly amazing to watch them.

DAY 3: First Day at Sea:

Our first full day at sea and we had some time to discover the room and the ship. Had 2 huge beach towels in our room for us to use. 2 robes in the closet. Woke up about am and there is enough coffee in the room to make 3 mini-pots of coffee + 2 mini-pots of decaf + tea. We had our two beds put together to make a queen size bed, which actually turned out to be a king size bed. The beds are the memory-foam mattresses with duvets, amazing pillows, etc. Since we were at sea this day, we spent a lot of time in the casino playing craps, roulette, and blackjack. Had a great time. Ate lunch in the Blue Lagoon (Fish and Chips with mushy peas…YUM!!!!! Ended up back in our cabin about midnight or so.

DAY 4: Cabo San Lucas:

Slept with the balcony door open all night so we could hear the ocean. Total bliss. Woke up about 6:30 am and made coffee. As I write this, I’m sitting on our deck watching the sun rise over the Cabo Mountains in the distance. Mike is still asleep; it’s very peaceful to have a few minutes to reflect on how lucky we are to be able to experience something like this. Current Temp is 69 degrees and is supposed to be 85 degrees and sunny today. Today we anchor in the harbor and have to use tenders to get into Cabo.

Note: There is no clock in the cabin. Please bring sunscreen. Can’t tell you how many people came back from shore excursion today and looked like cooked lobsters. If you decide to stay on board the ship the only thing that was open was the pool bar and pool bar buffet. Literally everything else is closed. In addition, keep in mind that the state rooms have “hotel hangers” in the closet. Those hangers that you can’t steal and take home with you. This means that if you want to hang something on the clothes line in the shower to steam the wrinkles out, you’ll need to pack a regular hanger or two from home. It was also at this point that we went to the front desk and asked for a bar set up in our room. Cocktails are typically $5 to $6 each plus 15% gratuity. We bought a bottle of Gilbey’s Gin (liter) for $60 and had it delivered to our room. You can do this through your room stewards. It sounds like a lot of money up front but if you figure that a liter has 25 to 28 shots of liquor in it, you will save a TON of money. Can get any liquor and any brand and the cost will be $60 to $100 depending on what you order. This is total deal and saved us a bunch of money. That plus you can have a drink whenever you want without having to call room service or leave your cabin and get a drink from a bar. This cruise was to celebrate my and Mike’s 9th anniversary. We purchased the Honeymoon/Anniversary package for $79, another amazing deal. For $79 we had a bottle champagne in our cabin when we came on board along with chocolate covered strawberries. It also includes a free dinner at Le Bistro with a complementary bottle of wine and an anniversary cake, as well as a tray of canapés delivered to our room one night during the cruise. So for $79 we got 1 bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, dinner at Le Bistro with no cover charge, anniversary cake, a bottle of wine, and canapés delivered to our room. This is a TOTAL deal for anyone sailing with NCL. Also it’s very important to note that the ONLY ATM machine on board is inside the casino. When in port, the casino is closed and locked. The Purser’s office cannot issue cash. So, this means if you are going ashore, you must get cash from the casino ATM the night before you dock. Otherwise you have no access to cash unless you take a cab into town and try and locate a local ATM machine. This happened to use as we woke up and only had $20 cash on us. We had no way to get cash while on board and didn’t know if $20 American would cover a cab fare into town in order to find an ATM machine. We ended up taking a chance and it worked out, but just keep in mind, there is absolutely no cash available on board when you’re in a port.

DAY 4: Mazatlan:

Sunny and 85 today. Saw dolphins playing in the ship’s wake on the way in today!!!! There is an ATM in the welcome center on the pier (shew). We took out $1000 pesos which is about $75 American. We grabbed a cab to the Gold Zone which is where all the shopping and resorts and stores are. Cab was $10 American. We shopped, ate and drank. 2 Bloody Mary’s $90 pesos or about $6.50 American. 2 Pacifico beers was $60 pesos or about $2 American each. For lunch we each had 3 burritos (any way you like them) for $90 pesos. Las Flores Resort on the beach in the Gold Zone has a bar and restaurant on the beach. They also do parasailing right off the beach. A 15 minute parasail ride around the bay is $450 pesos or about $30 American. We did the entire day in Mazatlan including cabs, drinks, lunch, etc. for about $800 pesos, or about $65 American. This included tips. Although everyone accepts American dollars, we highly suggest you go to an ATM and get pesos. It just works a lot better when dealing with local vendors and servers. We bought 5 Cuban cigars in a local smoke shop for $300 pesos or $20 American. Stopped and watched the cliff divers on the way back to the ship…this was free and INCREDIBLY COOL.

Note:

More than any other port, Mazatlan is filled with Barkers outside of clubs, stores, etc., trying to hand you flyers and get you to come into their establishment. Although it is extremely annoying, please keep in mind, it is their culture. Both Mike and I know sign language and when approached b y a Barker, we just started signing to each other. Once they realized we “were deaf”, they left us alone. Other than that, just keep walking if you’re not interested, but please don’t be rude. These people depend on tourists for their income and are just trying to make an honest living. A simple “no thank you” is good enough.

DAY 5: Puerto Vallarta:

Temperature today is 85 degrees and sunny. Cab ride from the ship to Old Town was $6 American (multi passenger van). Walked around and explored the city. Had lunch which included 2 full meals, 6 beers, 1 shot of vodka, 1 shot of tequila, chips and salsa for two, for $261 pesos – or $17.40 American. 2 beers at another beach bar was $50 pesos or $3.33 American total. Dinner was 4 fajitas, nachos with cheese, Jalapenos, diced onions, tomatoes, 4 beers, chips and salsa for $321 pesos, or $21.40 American. Carton of Marlboro cigarettes was $280 pesos, or $18.60 American.

SOUVENIRS WE BOUGHT:

2 polo style shirts, 3 ½ liter bottles of tequila, 1 shot glass, 1 marble pipe. Total cost was $533 pesos or $35.53 American.

DAY 6 AND 7 AT SEA: Heading back to Los Angeles:

Completed our debarkation and customs forms, played in the casino and signed up for the shuttle from the ship to LAX airport ($25 per person or $50 total, billed to your room). Versus a cab that would have cost about $130 including tip.

Restaurant Overview:

Please remember that like or dislike of food is subjective, but this is our take on the food as one of us was a professional chef.

 

The main buffet was above average but the buffet on the pool deck was awesome! They also did a big cook out on a huge charcoal grill by the pool a couple of afternoons which was great.

 

Le Bistro was perfect. We each had Beef Tenderloin (rare, and medium rare), escargot, scallops and crème brûlée. The menu says it's an 8oz cut but it was probably more like 10 oz., and they were cooked to perfection.

 

One of the main dining rooms (Versailles) was terrific. We each had Prime Rib (again rare and med. rare). There was a long line one night so we walked up to put our name on the list and since there was only 2 people in our party, they ushered us right in without a wait, so that was nice. Special note..even though it's freestyle cruising, there are no blue jeans allowed in Versailles after 5 pm, only slacks.

 

You can wear blue jeans after 5 pm in the other main dining room (Aqua). Aqua also more than lived up to our expectations.

 

We did eat in Gatsby’s, Cagney’s, SOHO and La Trattoria. It suffices to say we never had a bad meal on the ship. All of the surcharge restaurants are worth it. In SOHO we did pay to have the “Live lobster” and it was prepared perfectly. Cagney’s we paid the extra to get the 32 oz. Porterhouse steak for two and yet again it was impeccable.

 

The food presentation in every restaurant, we did enjoy, was exceptional. Every plate was very appealing, which is a big part of the enjoyment of the dish.

 

Service at times may seem a bit slow but remember they are taking care of over 2000 passengers so be patient and enjoy the meal and the atmosphere wherever you eat.

 

Oddly enough, the items we ordered from room service were very, very good, especially the cheeseburgers (go figure).

 

The coffee in the restaurants was very good. However, again this is subjective.

 

As far as Blue Lagoon goes we mainly ate fish and chips (our lunch staple) because we both love it so much but everything ordered in Blue Lagoon was terrific, especially the breakfast items.

HOW MUCH EVERYTHING COST:

On Board the Ship:

Bucket of Beer (6 bottles of beer packed in ice): $25.88

Bombay Gin Martini: $9.49

Pack of Marlboros: $3.75 (buy from any bar on board the ship)

Bottle of Corona: $5.18

Gin & Tonic: $6.04

Heineken Beer: $4.50

Bloody Mary: $5.

Jack Daniels: $6.61

Carton of Marlboro Cigarettes: $22.00 (in the ship’s gift shop)

Box of 5 cartons of Marlboros Cigarettes: $102.00 (in the ship’s gift shop)

Souvenir T-Shirts: $15 each, (buy 2 get 1 free. In the ships gift shop)

SoHo restaurant: $20 per person surcharge

Cagney’s: $15 per person surcharge

Mini-Bar in your cabin: (STAY OUT OF THE MINI BAR. IT WILL BREAK YOUR BANK!!!!) These are tiny little airline bottles and cost a fortune.

Amaretto $6.50

Grand Marnier $6.50

Kahlua $6.50

Courvoisier $9.50

Bacardi Rum $6.50

Whiskey $7.00

Freixenet $9.00

Gin $6.50

Scotch $7.00

Chardonnay $9.00

Merlot $9.00

Vodka $7.00

Canadian Whiskey $7.00

Imported Beer $4.50

Ginger Ale $1.75

Soft Drinks and mixers $1.75

Red Bull $4.50

Bottled water $4.50

ROOM SERVICE MENU: The menu is limited but it is free. And please tip the server!

Free Breakfast:

User order form in the room and hang on your cabin door the night before: Juices, Fruit, Yogurt, Cold Cereals, Pastries, Preserves, Coffee, Tea, and Milk.

Free 24 Hour Menu:

Chicken soup

Border Salad

Greek Salad

3 types of pizza

BLT

Turkey Hoagie

Gilled Tuna Melt

Cheese Burger

Hot Dog

3 Egg Omelets

Cheese Cake

Strawberry Shortcake.

Room Service Section that costs extra:

10 piece Hors D’ Oeuvre - $15

10 piece deluxe Hors D’ Oeuvre - $25

1 dozen jumbo shrimp - $20

Caspian Sea Caviar – Market price

International Cheeses (serves 4) - $42

[cacj]

Very helpful and fun review to read! Thanks.

 

I envy you seeing those whales....we were on the ship and only saw a few dolphins from our balcony.

 

Once minor difference: I think that the spa and Versailles were open while in Cabo port.

 

Thanks for all the info!

[k4btzs]

Thank you for the review! All very useful information, especially the prices on the alcohol which is what my hubby is interested in. :) I don't see the pictures of the ship though?

[big green]

We recently sailed on the Star and payed $20 surcharge at Cagney's.

 

 

Big Green

[Why Knot Me]

"If you decide to stay on board the ship the only thing that was open was the pool bar and pool bar buffet. Literally everything else is closed."

Versailles or Blue Lagoon wasn't open? Normally, the gift shop and casino are closed which makes sense, but everything?

The other thing... I just don't want to panic people with the "private balcony". Yes, they are called private, yet it would take some effort to see into the adjoining balcony or room by looking around the divider or through the cracks. Still not private enough for nude stuff for me, although I know plenty of others are not bothered by it.

Thank you for your review!

[k4btzs]

I found the pictures on your other thread, very nice!! We leave in just over a week and seeing all your pictures has me even more excited, if that was possible. Thanks for sharing them with us.

[98Charlie]

Very nice review, MikeDavid.

 

DH & I were much interested in your stay at the Redondo Beach Marriott. You said it was about $50 taxi ride from LAX. About how much did it cost from the Marriott to the port?

 

We are sailing the Star again in Sept. and may be interested in the Redondo Marriott.

 

Dianne

[hello]

Great review, MikeDavid -- loved all of your comments and thoughts! I'm glad that you enjoyed NCL and had a wonderful cruise. Thank you for taking the time to give us your review!

[vbecky]

Awesome review!!! very very detailed thanks so much you answered questions of mine that I was curious in. We are sailing on the Star next Saturday and can't wait. Thanks again.

[2inTul]

Quote: "It was also at this point that we went to the front desk and asked for a bar set up in our room. Cocktails are typically $5 to $6 each plus 15% gratuity. We bought a bottle of Gilbey’s Gin (liter) for $60 and had it delivered to our room. You can do this through your room stewards. It sounds like a lot of money up front but if you figure that a liter has 25 to 28 shots of liquor in it, you will save a TON of money. Can get any liquor and any brand and the cost will be $60 to $100 depending on what you order. This is total deal and saved us a bunch of money. That plus you can have a drink whenever you want without having to call room service or leave your cabin and get a drink from a bar. "

 

MikeDavid:

 

Were you able to buy a bar set up AFTER you were on board? I have never heard of anyone being able to do this before?!? Bar set ups have always needed to be arranged and paid for before boarding. If this is correct it would be great!

 

Thanks for your great review. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

George

[MikeDavid]

DIANNE:

The cab ride from Redondo Beach to the ship was about $50 + tip. So the total cost for cabs from LAX to the ship was about $100 to $110 + tip(s). We highly suggest Redondo Beach if you arrive a day or two before sailing.

 

GEORGE:

Our Personal Cruise Consultant with NCL was Dan "the man" Lee. Just call in and ask for him...he's AWESOME!!!!!! Great sense of humor too. Tell him David and Mike from Tennessee said howdy and that we referred you to him. He's the one who told us about the Bar Set-Up program and faxed us the price list for all the liquor you can have put in your room. We asked about paying for it up front so it would taken care of prior to sailing, but he said it has to be done once on board the ship. So we went to the Front Desk on the ship and had it set up for us. They contacted the Head Bartender who had it delivered to our room and then just charged our cabin for the $60. Then we just called room service if we needed a bucket of ice (free!). On that note, we also asked Dan The Man if we could prepay our daily cabin charge that goes into the tip pool. Dan said NCL no longer allows that to be prepaid. He wasn't sure why, but apparently you can't prepay that fee anymore.

 

HAPPY SAILING!!!!!!

 

David (and Mike too)

[zimmerjulie]

Thanks so much David and Mike,

We leave for the Star a week from today and I will be trying your recommendations!

 

I'm so glad you enjoy NCL and had a great cruise.

[mking8288]

MikeDavid - Nicely done review, just a few notes to add as we sailed her last week too (we've in the casino on most days/evenings - mostly at the slots in the back by the cashier & sometimes at Let It Ride table. We're surprised that the calls for playing Bingo up at the Lounge wasn't as often (when we sailed the Star to Alaska last September, "Gina" was heard everywhere & all over tellling folks to go play Bingo) It seemed that with this new Captain, which we chatted at the VIP cocktails up at the Star Lounge (deck 13) on Tuesday evening, that they even "toned" down the call for playing instant games during pre-show in the theater.

 

Versailles is open during embarkation till 3 p.m. for a sit-down lunch for those finding the buffet too crowded and no place to sit. We even had our backpacks with us - we get inside the pier around 12 noon and there're easily 1,200 people in the "hanger" style hall waiting to board and being group #22, didn't get up to deck 7 until 2 p.m.

 

Aqua is open for breakfast only for guests booked in balcony & above categories.

 

Blue Lagoon served the hottest breakfast (the "Full House" will fill up the stomach) and their all-day coffee is the best (also, nice & hot) - the ones served in main dining & specialty tend to be warmer but not hot enough for our preference. Cappuccino is available free at no extra charge in all the dining rooms for the asking, along with the wide choice of desserts - is like being in heaven. When it's busy, they tend to skip asking you for coffee or tea, insist on it if time is on your side. With just 2 of us, we almost always had our own small private table on either side and sometimes all the way in the rear (used to be larger tables, as I recall from our Alaska cruise on her last year)

 

Cabin: We took care of our room service team upon "checking-in" with a bit of extra cash tips and had the bar/drink/snack items removed, including the mini chips @ $3 ($1.29 at Walmart) and kept the ice inside the refrigerator box, adjusted the temperature "dial" for the coldest setting & stored our own carry-on snacks/bottled water & juice box. We moved our queen bed to one side (oceanview) giving us a bit of extra room.

 

On port days, Versailles is open for lunch & Blue Lagoon stay open for a quick bite - sometimes there are no seating available, especially after 2 p.m. & folks coming back to the ship from tours are hungry. Apparently, everyone discovered that the food at BL is good despite its "limited" choices menu - they cooked a moist, juicy burger w or w/o cheese to order. We loved the wonton soup w. green/spring onions and they served excellent hot wings, mild or spicy, 6 or 10 pcs. per order - perfect for snacks.

 

For faster debarkation (not necessary express walk-off): make sure to get the proper color luggage tags (red in our case was for 9:00 a.m.) the afternoon/evening before arriving back in San Pedro - available in very limited quantities.

 

Debarkation: set your alarm to wakeup early for pre-dawn arrival as the ship is slowing making its way up the channel by 6 am. Main dining & buffet is open for early breakfast, we always enjoy our last full meal in the main and then return to the cabin to rest & watch the actions on the pier. Since we put our heavy luggage out for terminal delivery, we just waited for "red" to be called almost on the dot around 9 am, walk off w. our hand carried items & picked up the rest in the hall, took about 15 minutes & jumped into waiting taxi (no lines) for a short ride to take up our Hertz local rental at nearby Lomita.

[zimmerjulie]

Hi MikeDavid,

speaking of restaurant reviews, was there a member of the waitstaff that gave you memorable service during your cruise? Grandma and I like to find a team that we like, then request them for the rest of the dinners (we understand that they move around, so anyone, anywhere, that stands out would be great to know about!).

[apeller]

Thanks for all the information. We are sailing in a couple of weeks and knowing simple info such as opening hours of restaurants and onboard prices is incredibly helpful. We haven't sailed NCL for years so everything will be new to us again.