Star - Mexico - Oct. 3 to Oct. 10 - Review (Long), Freestyle Dailies, Pictures, Etc.
I know this is a bit late and there have been other cruises completed on this ship since I disembarked, but it took me some time to finish my review and consolidate all of the related cruise info I gathered. This was my way of coping with cruise withdrawal, since I currently don't have another cruise booked, so I took as much time as I needed. 
At the end of this review are links to pictures of our Romance Suite (AD#10226), as well as links to the Freestyle Dailies and other documents. BACKGROUND
We have just returned from a cruise to the Mexican Riviera October 3 – 10 aboard the M/S Norwegian Star. We took this trip to celebrate my birthday and take a much needed vacation.
It was the eighth cruise on which my wife and I have sailed, having sailed previously on Princess, NCL, and Royal Caribbean ships. This was our third time aboard the Star, and our second time cruising in a suite.
On our last three cruises, we cruised with our children, but this time we left them with my parents. So we were cruising without children for the first time since 2006.
As far as the itinerary, this was our fifth time cruising to Mexico, and being fairly familiar with Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, we didn’t do much in port, as this cruise was mostly about relaxation and less about sightseeing and activities. So if you are looking for an intensive review of the ports visited, that will not be in this review.
EMBARKATION
We live in the Los Angeles area, about 20 miles north of downtown L.A., and wanting to begin the vacation a little early, we dropped our two-year-old daughter and one-year-old son off at my parent’s home the Thursday afternoon before the cruise. We then spent two evenings at a Pasadena-area bed and breakfast before boarding the Star on Saturday. It was a good way to get into vacation mode, even though we were still in town.
However, there is no vacation (at least not in my limited experience) like cruising, so I was excited once we woke up on embarkation morning, and looking to get to the pier as soon as possible. We took a small detour to my parents’ to see our kids for a few minutes and drop off our car, and my dad then dropped us off in San Pedro around 12:15 p.m.
Again, as in March of this year, we were booked in a suite, so we were expecting the embarkation process to be relatively easy and quick. That was pretty much the case.
We dropped our baggage off with the porter, along with a small tip, and proceeded into the terminal. Security was a breeze, and upon mentioning that we were in a suite, we were directed to the Suite and VIP check-in line. There were two parties in front of us, but the check-in process was smooth and quick.
While waiting in line we caught the eye of Simone, the Star’s concierge, and she came over and greeted us both. She remembered us from the spring, and asked about our children. We finished checking in, went to her table to provide our dining reservations for the entire week, and were then introduced to a crew member to escort us to our suite. I did note that it was not our butler escorting us this time, as previously, but one of the junior waiters from one of the specialty restaurants.
He helped us with our small bags, and we were led up the elevators and down the corridor past the many other cruisers that were already starting to board the ship. He seemed just a bit hesitant, but we made it up the gangway and were ushered onto the ship easy as pie with a simple swipe of our shipboard ID cards. After grabbing our complimentary beverages (either champagne or orange juice were offered) we went up the elevator to deck 10 and immediately to our room at the stern of the ship. We dropped off our bags and after taking a few pictures of the stateroom headed to Cagney’s for lunch.
All in all embarkation was approximately 15 to 20 minutes from curbside drop-off to our suite.
ACCOMODATIONS
In the spring, since it was our first time sailing with two children, we booked our first suite on Norwegian (Penthouse Suite AB 11030 on the Star). This time, because we had heard so much about sailing on the stern, we booked a Romance Suite, category AD cabin # 10226 on deck 10, although we knew we would miss the huge bathroom the AB penthouses featured.
When we entered our suite, we were very pleased with our selection. The category AD staterooms are well laid out, and for two people are very easy to navigate.
Just outside the entry there is a doorbell to alert guests to the arrival of the butler or the stateroom attendants, as well as the usual occupancy dial that states whether we wanted to be disturbed or not.
Just inside the door, when first entering, there was a little shelf on which to place things that one would need to grab easily on the way out the door, with extra storage underneath. Just past this was the closet on the right, and just past that was the bar area, complete with a mini fridge below and the espresso machine above. There was lots of glass stemware, and extra plates and utensils for dining in, if needed. Just past the bar and to the left was the desk with both the TV and stateroom phone overhead. On the desk underneath the TV was a DVD player.
In the far corner past the desk was a table with four chairs, and although we never ate in the cabin, we could have done so quite comfortably. Across from the TV and desk was the bed, and we liked that it was one bed instead of two pushed together. There was a curtain that could be drawn to separate the bed from the living area, and a bench at the foot of the bed which was useful for many tasks. Across from the dining area on the opposite wall and next to the bed was the sitting area, with a small couch and coffee table, and a chair in front of the large glass sliding doors leading to the balcony.
The balcony was a nice size, with two cushioned wicker loungers and a small table, and I was glad to see that the loungers could be turned to face the ship’s wake somewhat, since this was the reason I chose the AD over the AE, in addition to the deck it was on.
On the other side of the bed opposite the sitting area was a little hall with lots storage, including cabinets with shelves, drawers, and two stateroom safes, a vanity area against the far wall with more drawers and shelves, and doors to the closet. It was nice being able to access the closet both from the dressing area as well as from the entry area.
To the left just in front of the vanity was the door to the bathroom. The bathroom was pretty much the same as the one in the mini-suites we have sailed in before, and was not as nice as the one in the AB penthouse suites. But we expected this, and were happy to still have a tub, even if it wasn’t very big. The tub and shower were to the left, the toilet, separated by the sliding partitioned doors, to the right, and the sink with mirrors in the middle.
The stateroom amenities included Elemis spa products and a scale in the bathroom, bath salts, cotton balls, and the hairdryer in the vanity area, a dial clock on one of the night tables beside the bed, and a book containing the DVD library in one of the desk drawers. There was also a bowl of fresh fruit on the dining table that was replenished throughout the cruise, and fresh flowers on the coffee table that were pretty much wilted by the end of the sailing.
I only counted two standard U.S. electrical outlets in the room, one in the vanity area, and one above the sink in the bathroom. If you had a converter (which I did) there were plenty of the other electrical outlets, including by the couch and over the desk.
There was also an Ethernet connection by the couch, and I tried to see if I could access the internet from there on my laptop. However, after trying to connect for a little while, I couldn’t determine how to logon to the ship’s network, so I gave up and decided to use the Wi-Fi areas of the ship.
In addition to the stateroom amenities, we were also pleased with the location of the stateroom. It was at the very back of the ship on the starboard side, and since we enjoy our privacy, this was an excellent location for us. One of the spa’s relaxation areas was above us, and we could see just a bit into the balconies on deck 9 below, but overall this was the most private stateroom we have ever cruised in. In fact, we didn’t see any other guests all week except while on our balcony for a minute or two when sailing out of Mazatlan. The only other people we regularly saw in that area were our two stateroom stewards (more about them later).
As far as suite privileges go, our butler provided us with canapés every evening and ran a few errands for us, and we especially enjoyed the benefits of concierge service and breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s Steakhouse daily.
SHIP
Since we had just sailed the Star in March/April, we were quite familiar with nearly every nook and cranny of the ship, so I did less exploring than I had in the past and just walked straight to wherever I needed to go.
I really enjoyed the forward section on deck 12, where the library, cinema, etc. are located, as well as the Spinnaker Lounge. This area of the ship was usually pretty quiet, and it was here I primarily used my laptop to access the internet. The internet package I chose was 100 minutes for $55 plus a $3.95 connection fee. Latitudes specials and coupons I used added about 30 to 40 more minutes to the package, and I was satisfied with that.
The promenade on deck 7 was another one of our favorite areas, and we took walks around the ship numerous times after breakfast and between dinner and late night activities. My wife tried to get me to play shuffleboard, but I couldn’t bring myself to play it, although it looked pretty fun. Maybe I will play a game or two on another cruise.
Once again both my wife and I frequented the Barong Spa on deck 11 aft for spa treatments. We did not use the spa’s thermal suite, but it was available for the week for $150 per couple, and $99 for one person. The day pass for one person was $20.
Areas I did not frequent were the pool area on deck 12 midship, the fitness center on deck 12 aft, and the bar on deck 14 with a view of the pool. Pretty much everywhere else I went or passed through, including the internet café on deck 9 mid, the theater on deck 7, the bars and lounges on deck 7 and 6, as well as the casino on deck 6. I watched a few minutes of Sunday football in the Red Lion pub on deck 7 aft, and bought some sundry items in the boutique shops deck 7 aft.
I will say that the overall condition of the ship is still in great shape, but some areas are beginning to fray. The crew keeps the ship very clean, but there is only so much they can do while passengers are aboard. I feel the Star would benefit from her next dry dock. NCL really needs to upgrade the carpet and flooring in many areas, as well as all the little things that keep a well-kept ship from being a really gleaming, absolutely beautiful ship, such as the elevator buttons, etc.
SERVICE
Once again, our concierge, Simone, shined in providing excellent service. She checked on us every day, and we especially enjoyed the time we spent chatting with her about our children and her upcoming marriage to the executive chef, Andreas.
Our butler, Edgardo, was not particularly impressive. He was quite professional, but didn’t seem to make much of an effort to accommodate us beyond the minimum. On our last cruise, our butler asked us every day which choice of evening snacks we would like, and my wife absolutely loves chocolate-covered strawberries. We mentioned this to Edgardo, but he basically said that we couldn’t get them until later in the cruise, which I couldn’t understand, as we were able to get them every evening on our previous sailing. I considered lowering his tip because of this, but I didn’t because he redeemed himself somewhat later in the cruise by providing us with the strawberries every evening after Day 3 without asking, in addition to the regular canapés for the evening.
Our stateroom steward, Clariza, was good, as was her partner, Julius, and each time we saw her when walking down the hallway we were greeted by name along with a smile. She kept our room spotless and made very nice towel animals, so we tipped her a little extra at the end of the trip, as well as submitted a S.T.Y.L.E. card on her behalf. (S.T.Y.L.E. is the acronym for Service, Teamwork, and Yes Lead to Excellence, in case anyone wants to know.)
We especially enjoyed dining in Cagney’s for breakfast and lunch this cruise, even more than last cruise, not only for the atmosphere and delicious food, but also for the wonderfully attentive service we received here. Two waiters, Svetlana and Ligia, really went out of their way to make us happy.
The evening we dined in Cagney’s, Svetlana took good care of us and made excellent recommendations. She was efficient, witty, and really helped make our evening special. She was also our server once or twice for breakfast and we enjoyed chatting with her about cruising life.
Most of the other days Ligia was our server, and she was very friendly and accommodating. The first morning I asked for some whipped cream to go with my bowl of strawberries from the Cagney’s buffet, and from then on if she was our server she made sure she brought me the whipped cream. On the last sea day, when my wife didn’t feel like accompanying me to lunch, Ligia asked about her and seemed genuinely disappointed she wasn’t with me. The service provided by these two crew members was so outstanding we made sure to fill out S.T.Y.L.E. cards for them. Maybe they will receive promotions soon.
The staff in the spa, especially Emma at the reception desk, was very friendly and made us both feel at ease. I also felt the service at the Guest Relations desk was top notch as well.
The cruise director was Ray Carr, and he was pretty good. His staff did a very good job keeping guests alerted to the onboard activities and hosting many of the various entertainment events, and both of the assistant cruise directors were hilarious.
I don’t know what it was, but the crew on this sailing seemed to be in very good spirits. At a number of the dining venues, we could hear many of the wait staff humming or singing under their breath, the “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “Happy Birthday” renditions were sung with gusto, and the general morale of the crew seemed to be better than on any other cruise I have taken. In fact, it seems the more I cruise on the Star the more friendly the crew become. It must start at the top. I was able to chat a little with Captain Lars at the Suite and VIP cocktail party, and then chatted a little with the Hotel Director, Rosita, when leaving the party and taking the elevator down to dinner. She and the Head of Housekeeping (I don’t remember her name) were very friendly and down to earth.
Overall, the service I received on this cruise, in spite of the somewhat spotty service provided by our butler and one somewhat creepy waiter in the Endless Summer restaurant, was outstanding!
DINING
At the VIP cocktail party, Captain Lars told us what his favorite restaurants were aboard the Star. He said that the Soho Room was first, followed by Le Bistro second, and Cagney’s third. The guests we were standing with were incredulous; they were convinced the steakhouse was the best.
I didn’t make it to Soho’s for dinner, but I think I ate something from every other dining venue aboard the ship. I will first summarize my experiences dining in the free venues, and then comment on our meals in the specialty restaurants.
I had a few desserts and cold soups from the Market Café (the ship’s buffet), a taste of the chicken, corn on the cob, and potato salad at the poolside sail-away barbecue, and a pretty tasty burger at the Blue Lagoon, along with some delicious spinach and artichoke dip. The strawberry shortcake for dessert was pretty good, too.
We ate in the Versailles main dining room the day we left Los Angeles, and on the “Dress Up or Not” (formal if you choose) evening. We also dined there for lunch when in Puerto Vallarta. On departure day, the mahi mahi was good, and my wife absolutely loved the cheese tortellini (she had that every time we dined there). The second night, the beef Wellington was good, but the lobster was nothing close to the one I had in Cagney’s later in the cruise. The desserts were good but hardly memorable.
I had planned to go to Versailles again on the second sea day, but it closed earlier than we wanted to eat in order to set up the Chocoholic Buffet (which was again awesome, especially getting in early via an invite from the concierge), so we went to Aqua, the other main dining room, instead.
I think when I first ate in Aqua on the Dawn in 2003 all the waiters were women. Well not anymore. It was definitely less formal than Versailles, and I thought the bench seating was a little uncomfortable. The food was good, although it was the first time I had beef stroganoff with veggies in it. That was interesting.
Except for the evenings mentioned above, we ate every other night in the specialty restaurants, each of which required cover charges.
We dined in the Le Bistro French restaurant for my birthday, and the food was once again very good. I had the beef tenderloin and my wife had the chicken. The onion soup was good, and of course we had my wife’s favorite, chocolate fondue for two, for dessert. We heard a number of renditions of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”, as it appears many passengers choose that restaurant for celebrating special occasions. My wife even got them to sing “Happy Birthday” to me, which I would have been fine without, but I know she did it out of love. The cover charge was $15 per person.
We ate in Cagney’s everyday for breakfast, and most days for lunch. My wife pretty much stuck to the French toast or buttermilk hot cakes for breakfast, while I had the crab cakes Benedict every morning except one, when I ventured for the steak and eggs. It was okay, but not as good as on our previous cruise, so the next morning I returned to my favorite. There was also a buffet set up every morning with juices, fruit, yogurt, cold cereals, breads, and some breakfast deli meats.
My favorite lunch was the French dip sandwich with au jus and Cagney’s fries, and banana cream pie drizzled with chocolate sauce and coconut sprinkles for dessert. The crab cake appetizer was also good.
We had dinner in Cagney’s on the second port day, and I once again gorged on the surf and turf. My wife went with the Alaskan king crab legs, and let me tell you they were enormous! Both dishes were excellent, and the clam chowder soup was also very good. Cagney’s is normally $25 per person, but we both had specialty dishes that added another $10 each to the cover charge.
We went to the Italian restaurant, La Trattoria, our evening in Puerto Vallarta. On the Star, this restaurant is actually a sectioned off part of the buffet on deck 12, converted to a restaurant each evening.
It was here that we reacquainted ourselves with the young man who had escorted us to our cabin on embarkation day. My wife created her own pizza from the many available toppings, and said it was good. I had not really tried veal before, but our server recommended the veal shank. I ordered that, along with the creamy parmesan polenta (a little bit like cheesy grits), and also ordered fettuccine pasta with Alfredo sauce on the side in case the veal wasn’t what I liked. I have to say the veal dish was quite good, so I was able to expand my palate. As far as dessert goes, the tiramisu recommended by our server was very good, but the cannolies my wife ordered were better. La Trattoria required a $10 per person cover charge, and I thought it was worth it.
On the last evening, we dined in Endless Summer, the Tex-Mex restaurant on deck 8 in the atrium. It was here that we encountered the most unpleasant meal of our cruise. To say the least, our server had a hard time understanding English.
My wife ordered a drink from the bar without alcohol, but when he brought it, she tasted it and could tell it had alcohol in it. I tried it and verified it wasn’t non-alcoholic, but the server didn’t really believe us. Anyway, he brought her another drink and we got on to ordering our meal. When ordering, I explicitly mentioned that I wanted less cheese on my lobster tacos, but he thought I said I wanted extra cheese.
The food turned out okay, but our server hovered around us a little too closely, and we were just a little uncomfortable with his service. I will add that due to a recommendation on the Cruise Critic message boards, I tried the pineapple tartlet for dessert and it was very good, so the delicious dessert topped off a questionable dining experience. Included in the $10 cover per person was a free lime Margarita.
I will also mention that on this particular sailing there was a 2 for 1 special in Endless Summer on the evening we sailed out of Cabo San Lucas. I already had a coupon for that if we also ate in Le Bistro during the cruise, so we chose to eat there instead since, in my opinion, it is a better setting for a birthday dinner.
Although we didn’t try Ginza ($15) for dinner, we did make reservations through the concierge for lunch at Teppanyaki on the second sea day. The cover charge was $25 per passenger, but it was a lot, and I mean a lot, of food and the whole experience was definitely worth the extra money. I ordered the seafood diablo combo, which had lobster, scallops, and calamari, and the host threw in shrimp at no charge. The hibachi chef was very funny and we enjoyed conversing with him. We would have liked to have dined with others at the table, but we were the only ones there. That didn’t keep us from thoroughly enjoying ourselves. The fresh fruit sashimi for dessert was a great way to finish the meal.
There were also a number of specialty and niche meals available for those who were willing to shell out even more money.
A Jazz Brunch was offered in the Soho Room on the first and last sea days for $15 a person, but I didn’t go since I didn’t think they would have my crab cakes Benedict available. I did, however, receive two invites to the second brunch within two minutes of each other while dining in the Italian restaurant. They were really trying to sell us on going! I didn’t even bother to tell them that the food in Cagney’s was probably better, and I’m not much of a jazz fan anyway.
On the evening of our first port day, a Romantic Evening for Two was offered in the Soho Room with a special menu for two prepared by the executive chef, Andreas. I stopped by the restaurant reservations desk near Guest Relations in the atrium and asked about the cover charge, and it was much more than I was willing to pay so I chose not to go. If I remember correctly it was quite a bit more than the max in any of the specialty restaurants.
A Murder Mystery dinner was offered the evening we were in Mazatlan for $20 per person, and I considered trying that, but in the end decided I didn’t want to, since I was told it would take up a good portion of the evening.
Another special meal offered was A Taste of India during lunch hours on the second sea day. At $15 a person, one could go to the Soho Room where various Indian dishes were presented by servers dressed in traditional Indian garb (the women are dressed in saris, etc.). The food looked good when watching the restaurant channel, but I again chose to eat in Cagney’s for free.
As for drinks, we pretty much kept our expenses there to a minimum. Since we last cruised, the Coke soft drinks were switched to Pepsi products, so that meant more money stayed in my pocket, although the ginger ale still tasted the same. I didn’t pay for the all-you-can-drink soda program, which was $6.25 per day per passenger plus 15% gratuity, so I saved a bit of money, as single sodas were $1.95 plus 15% tip. For the soda program to be cost effective for me, I would have had to drink over three sodas a day, which I haven’t done since I was a college kid.
We received a complimentary bottle of wine from our travel agent in addition to the one provided to all suite guests, and through our butler were able to exchange these for the non-alcoholic varieties on board. I did all the drinking of the wine, since my wife doesn’t like it at all and preferred other non-alcoholic bar drinks, and after our butler took them to our first restaurant, the bottles were transferred from restaurant to restaurant the remainder of the week. It was quite an easy process.
On another note, my wife remarked that it appeared to her the bar staff were more aggressive on this cruise than in times past, and that may be true, because more than once the cruise director remarked about all of the bar staff walking in front of the stage in the Spinnaker Lounge during the various activities.
ENTERTAINMENT
On previous cruises, we have generally stuck to the big production shows, magicians, jugglers, comedians, etc. as our primary source of entertainment, but the cruise director’s staff on this cruise seemed more personable, so we ended up going to events we had never really gone to before. In fact, I think there were more entertainment options available than on our last cruise.
For activities during the day, we pretty much stayed away from things that cost money, such as bingo (“Bling Bling Ringo Bingo”, “Win a Free Cruise Bingo”, Super Duper Fill-in-the-blank Jackpot Bingo, etc.), NCL “U” stuff such as wine and martini tastings, mojito tastings, sushi making and sake tasting, etc.(get the picture here?), the casino (although I did turn my $10 free promo slot play coupon into an actual $6.45 in my pocket), and other ways they tried to get our money.
We took in a movie or two in the cinema on board, my wife read a book or two from the library, and as mentioned earlier we both frequented the spa. We also actually used the DVD player in our suite this time to watch a movie we had been trying to watch for months (couldn’t ever get the kids to bed early enough).
In the evening, we did take in most of the shows in the theater after dinner.
We were late for the “Music of the Night”, a production showcasing the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber by the Jean Ann Ryan company, and they once again did a very good job, although I missed hearing “The Phantom of the Opera” and “All I Ask of You”, two of my favorite songs in that production.
Their “Cirque Pacific” show was also very good, and the Chinese Acrobats in the show were even more impressive than when we last saw them in the spring.
We purposely arrived late to the “Band on the Run” production show held the last evening, mainly because we only wanted to see the crew on stage and aren’t big fans of 60’s and 70’s music. We did get a little sentimental while listening to one of the singers sing “This Is the Norwegian Way” as the crew from various areas of the ship lined up on stage. I love that part of cruising, even if it means it is almost time for us to go home.
As for the other shows, the magician was pretty good, and actually quite funny. The juggler was also very funny and pretty original, and we enjoyed both shows.
Last but not least, the Second City comedy team aboard was very funny, and had better chemistry together than the team in the spring. I didn’t like that they crowded all the passengers into the theater for just one showing, since this seems to easily be one of the most popular shows aboard. Note to NCL, tell your cruise directors that Second City deserves two showings in the theater on Mexican Riviera cruises, and I applaud you for giving them their own venue aboard the new ship, Epic.
Since we were just a couple again for this cruise, we were able to stay out later and take in more of the late night entertainment.
More than once we stopped by the Carousel Lounge to listen to “Mr. Motown”, Stan Sykes, who is very good. It was here that we also took in some of the passenger karaoke performances. Generally I watch karaoke events to laugh at the performers, but there were actually some pretty good singers on this cruise (more on the “Karaoke Idol” event later). The only thing I can’t figure out is why there are so many mid-40’s to mid-50’s Frank Sinatra wannabes who like singing “Mack the Knife”, hands down the most popular karaoke song I heard on this cruise (I even heard it playing on the intercom system in Cagney’s one morning). The other live music around the ship was also entertaining.
We spent a good deal of our evenings up in the Spinnaker Lounge for the later shows. The Not so Newlywed game was pretty lame (the guys were okay but the girls gave generally bland and vanilla answers), but the Dancing with the Stars show, where passengers were paired up with crew members, was actually pretty good. The Karaoke Idol contest had three very good performers, and the guy who won, I think his name was Gino, should probably enter the real “American Idol” event next year. The runner up was good, too. Second City also had another two shows in Spinnaker, and we went to the first (again standing room only) and didn’t make the second (had to pack).
As an aside, I have to say that the music of Michael Jackson appears to have gotten more popular since his death. For instance, if I hear “Billy Jean” or “Thriller” one more time this year, I think it may be the 100th time for each. Music can be played too much, people. That’s all I have to say about that.
PORTS
For the second cruise in a row, we did not book any shore excursions through either NCL or private vendors, but decided to do what we wanted on our own.
Cabo San Lucas is our favorite port on this itinerary, mainly because of the beaches and how easy it is to relax here. Many cruisers were worried that a tropical depression would affect the weather once we arrived, but I have to say it was a perfectly beautiful day there; the most perfect day weather-wise of the cruise. We were scheduled to anchor and disembark at 11 a.m., but since we used VIP tendering through the concierge to get on the first tender, we arrived at the marina just before 11. We caught a water taxi from one of the many vendors there, and went out to Lover’s beach to lounge for a while. After we had enough sun, we taxied back to the marina and went into a pharmacy to make a call back to the U.S. so we could check on the children, then shopped a little bit before boarding the Star again for an afternoon birthday massage.
We saw in Mazatlan from our suite balcony, not wanting to venture off the ship with so many other passengers gone. It was nice to have a mostly empty ship to ourselves, and the best view of Mazatlan we got was of the sun setting as we sailed directly out of port, the wake directly below us and the city’s skyline in the distance. This was one of the best aft views of the week.
In Puerto Vallarta, we were one of the three ships docked that day, the others being the Silversea Silver Shadow and the Carnival Splendor, both nice-looking ships. From our balcony we could see both Walmart and Sam’s Club, as well as what looked to be a mall nearby.
Just as in the spring, Puerto Vallarta was more hot and humid than we liked, so we decided to scale down our plans to doing a little shopping. We browsed through the shops adjacent to the docks, and after finding the souvenirs and clothing we wanted, stopped in a little place across the street from the cruise terminal to surf the internet and again call back home. We were able to browse the internet for 1 hour at $1 apiece, and a 10 minute phone call to the states cost $3.50.
DEBARKATION
Having sailed in a suite before, we knew what to expect this time. Two days before the cruise was over, the concierge provided us with VIP luggage tags and the instructions for priority disembarkation. She then checked with us the next morning in Cagney’s over breakfast on our disembarkation plans, and we let her know that we would probably not need her services to leave the ship. She looked a bit disappointed, but did recommend that we wait until the final call before disembarking to avoid the lines. We fully intended to do that, knowing that this was the end of our vacation, and we wanted it to last as long as possible.
On the last evening, we packed all of our stuff and set our large bags out with the VIP tags Simone had provided.
The next morning, we made it to Cagney's to eat just before they stopped serving breakfast at 8:30 a.m., then went back to our stateroom and chilled until 10. Finally, we called my dad to come and pick us up, and afterwards went to sit in the library until 10:30 so our stateroom attendant could start cleaning the suite for the guests on the next cruise. The library was very quiet on this last morning, and we were there long enough to see Maria from the cruise director’s staff come in and straighten up the place a little.
Just after 10:30 a.m., we heard the last call announcement on the ship’s sound system, left the library, and took the elevators down to deck 7. There was no line visible so we walked right up to the gangway, they swiped our cards through one last time, and we walked into the terminal. Upon reaching the ground floor we noticed our luggage in the VIP baggage claim section, claimed it, and handed our U.S. Customs declaration form to an agent as we walked outside for pickup. The entire process took maybe 5 minutes tops. It was smooth as usual, and I once again noted how NCL had made something that could be a nightmare into something almost enjoyable.
SUMMARY
My wife and I have now sailed more times aboard Norwegian ships than on any other cruise line, although we find the ones we have sailed on to be pretty comparable. However, there are a few things that especially draw us to NCL, and to the Star in particular. She isn’t the most beautiful ship, or the biggest, or the fastest (we got outrun by the Sapphire Princess on the way back to LA), but she shines in ways other ships we have sailed don’t. We feel very comfortable on she and her sister, the Dawn, and they seem to be just about the perfect size for us.
Now that is not to say I won’t sail larger ships, because I would love to (right now both Epic and RCI’s Oasis look very tempting, and I might be writing a review a year from now after having sailed one of them). And I have sailed twice on Mariner of the Seas, RCI’s beautiful ship sailing out of LA year-round. In fact, if the price and itinerary are right, I will sail on any ship on any cruise line.
No, what makes the Star shine brighter than most is her very friendly crew, her unique and familiar layout, with venues even some of the later NCL ships don’t have, the fact that she is less than an hour away from us, making quick trips possible, and the suite privileges provided by NCL.
We also enjoyed sailing on the stern this time, a first for us. When sailing on Norwegian, this will probably factor into our stateroom choices from now on, as we feel that if possible we will continue sailing in suites, and now know there are very nice suites to choose from on the stern of many of the ships.
Now I can’t go on without mentioning that we did miss our children some during our trip, but not enough to have already determined if we need another break, we know just how to get away. And as they get older I am sure they will come to feel as we do that the Star is definitely our “home away from home”.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable way to celebrate entering my mid-thirties, and I enjoyed myself immensely. Can’t wait to go again!
Hope it wasn't too long. Below are the links I promised!
Pictures of Romance Suite AD#10226 on Norwegian Star
Freestyle Dailies (Color - for best quality)
Freestyle Dailies (B/W - for fast downloading)
Names of Various Crew Members for October 3rd, 2009 Sailing
Spa and Casino Info
Media Info and Ship Services
Concierge VIP Services
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Top 10 Reasons I Love Cruising
10. The price is right.
9. Literally the best sleep I’ve ever had.
8. The abundance of food (I am not very discriminatory)!
7. People watching.
6. I actually like massages better when the boat is swaying.
5. Moonlit walks on the promenade deck with my wife.
4. Sailaways!
3. The sunrise and sunset views from my balcony!
2. No driving – no Los Angeles traffic!
1. I just like being on the water!
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Previous Cruises:
Norwegian Star (10/03/09) - 7-Day Mexican Riviera
Norwegian Star (03/2009) - 7-Day Mexican Riviera
Monarch of the Seas (11/2007) - Parents' 35th Anniversary
Mariner of the Seas (10/2007) - 7-Day Eastern Caribbean
Mariner of the Seas (09/2006) - 7-Day Western Caribbean
Norwegian Star (03/2005) - 8-Day Mexican Riviera
Norwegian Dawn (10/2003) - 7-Day NY/Bahamas
Star Princess (03/2003) - 7-Day Mexican Riviera/1st Cruise
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October 27th, 2009, 10:29 PM
2 down and a hundred to go..I hope!
ENJOYED it very much
Thanks
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