NCL Star - review of 2/13 cruise

Norwegian Star - Mexico Riviera 13th February 2006

Firstly, about us – we are a couple who have been together 11 years, no children, we love traveling, we are either side of 40 and this is our 3rd cruise – 2 with NCL and one with Star Cruises who own NCL so you can safely assume we like the whole Freestyle concept! I spent hours and hours on Cruise Critic researching everything I could before the cruise so I felt well prepared! I even had 5 pages of typewritten notes to accompany me with advice on the ship and the ports!

In summary the good and the bad points are:

• Ship is beautifully maintained
  
• The staff are friendly and eager to help
  
• The food quality was excellent
  
• The cabin was a good size and it seems Starboard is the better side to be on
  
• Entertainment is professional

• NCL seem to be cutting corners in some areas – there was no Captain’s cocktail party on formal night
  
• NCL have put up their wine prices a lot (no wonder people smuggle!)
  
• They have also stopped the 6 for 5 deal on bottles of wine
  
• The number of activities during the day seems to be reduced (not that we ever do any of them!)
  
• The pool area was horrid with large slides giving it a very claustrophobic feel and the pool itself was too small for the number of people on board
  
• The Market Café had a ‘cheap and nasty’ look to it so we avoided it
  
• You get inundated with tons of paper every evening (always advertising Diamonds International it seems!)
  
• We dislike the announcements advertising Bingo whilst we are eating our dinner

We flew from London on Sunday and stayed the night at the Coast Long Beach Hotel – a very nice little hotel right on the water and next to the Queen Mary. Long Beach has this amazingly efficient free bus system called the Passport which runs from the hotel into town and then you get another bus to the Pike or the Shoreline Village area where the restaurants are. Both trips are no longer than 5 mins each. Despite the jet lag and 8 hr time difference we went over to Shoreline Village and had dinner in Parker’s Lighthouse.

Monday – a cab from Long Beach to San Pedro costs $25 and takes about 10 minutes – we were at the pier at 11:55, a porter whisked our luggage away and we were able to get into the Non-US line which only had one other couple in it – we were on board by 12:30.

 

Cabin: We had booked an AF mini suite (#11006) which had a great balcony and was in a good location in my opinion - you could wave to the captain in the Bridge! The cabin was a good size, as others have said the layout of the wardrobe is a bit strange but we coped. There were 15 coathangers in there for those what worry about packing too many clothes. Both our suitcases fitted under the bed for storage. The bathroom had a separate toilet with sliding door, and a full bath tub – also with sliding door instead of flappy curtain. The water pressure was always good and hot! We also had flowers and fresh fruit delivered by Ferdinand our steward. And there was a chocolate on our pillow each night!

We went exploring whilst the ship was still pretty empty – I booked the Anniversary package at the front desk (previous readers will know I have an issue with this – in England we are charged $100 for the same package and you have to provide your marriage certificate!), we booked Le Bistro and Cagney’s for dinner during the week, bought one soda card for $46 and I chased up the Group Services director regarding the CC get-together the following day.

When we got back to the cabin we were overjoyed to see that both our bags had made it – I use the word ‘overjoyed’ because of the large quantity of wine that we had bought on board! We now had 5 litres of finest French plonk to drink at our leisure in our cabin…..

The 5pm muster was strange – it was held in the Stardust theatre – call me old-fashioned but when I have a muster I prefer to stand beneath ‘my’ boat and check it looks seaworthy!

Sailed from LA at 6 – a glass of contraband wine in hand on our balcony as we watched the seals round the fishing boats. We went for dinner at 7 which was peak time – however – we still only waited 2 minutes to get a table for 2 by the window (as requested) in Versailles. The food was excellent and we found it to be very consistently good for the whole cruise. After dinner we listened to the pianist Jeffrey Allen in Gatsbys for a while – he was very, very talented and then an early night.

Tuesday – the first full day at sea – it was rather chilly – our CC party was held at the Bier Garten – it was very well attended with only one ‘name’ from our roll call not turning up. Pleased to say that Vicky (Group Services) provided coffee, juice and Danishes which kept some of us remained up there chatting for 2 hours and the Team Zamboni bond was formed! After lunch in the Blue Lagoon we went to the Barong Spa – anyone can use the pool, spa and saunas in here for free, and it is child-free. They also have the best loungers on the ship – right at the back so you can lie there and watch the wake. The specialty restaurants were 50% off today (Valentines Day). The first part of our Anniversary package was delivered – sparking wine and the most delicious chocolate covered strawberries. Tonight was formal night – about 75% of the passengers got dressed up – including a group of girls in what looked like their prom dresses. We ate again in Versailles, it was steak night and we took our bottle of sparking wine to drink, then we listened to the big band in the Spinnaker and tried to remember some of our dancing steps before retiring to the cabin – a long stemmed carnation had been placed on the bed – a nice touch!

Wednesday – our second sea day and it had warmed up – we lay out the back sunbathing until time to get dressed for the Anniversary package cake and wine session at 1pm - which then clashed with the Latitudes party at 1:30 – bad timing! Out of the Spinnaker windows we saw a whale do its ‘tail’ stuff which was impressive. That evening we ate in Le Bistro – this was included as part of the Anniversary package, you get a bottle of house wine included but you can pay the difference to get a better bottle so we upgraded to the Oregon King’s Estate Pinot Gris which is our favourite bottle on the NCL wine list.

Thursday – Manzanillo – We tend to do our own thing when in port so we walked up to the main road, crossed it and the train tracks to the semi-circle on the other side which serves as a bus stop! We caught the bus to Club Maeva on Miramar beach for $3, the bus ride took about 25 mins, got off and walked through a restaurant called El Tablao – where we spent the day. We bought beer, cokes and lunch for a total of $27 which makes it a cheap day. However this is where I was knocked by a wave and lost my prescription Gucci sunglasses so guess this will turn out to be a quite expensive day after all! The bus back to the port cost $2 We finally won the pub quiz (with a little help from Roger and Linda of course). I think the men only partake so they can stare at the lovely Carmen the Compere! Our prizes were some foam can holders (we call them ‘stubby holders’ but not sure what the American name is!). We went to see ‘FlightPlan’ at the cinema and then ate at Endless Summer. We also came out of the casino $3 up! Perhaps this profit will be put towards a very nice Tag Heuer watch I have seen in the on board shop……?

Friday - Puerto Vallerta – we tendered here. Caught a shared taxi to the old town ($4pp) where we went to the PV Café in Olas Altas opposite the Kaiser Maximillian restaurant to use their internet. 30 mins cost $2 – a lot cheaper than the ship! We walked from the old town to the newer part, decided that the old town was much nicer so walked back again! Collapsed with aching feet at a beachside restaurant where 3 beers cost $4 and we shared a large Mexican platter which came with a free margarita and watched the beach vendors ply their trade and the pelicans diving for fish. Back on board we ate in Aqua where it was Caribbean night – DH had the oyster fritters followed by Oxtail stew and then the bread cake, I had the chicken and mango salad followed by chicken with beans – the portions this night were certainly the biggest of the cruise so far!

Saturday - Mazatlan – following favourable reviews on CC we had signed up with Randi’s Happy Horses. We ordered room service breakfast and were off by 8:15. Randi was there for us – we had a small group of just 5. Initial views of Mazatlan showed lots of colourful little houses (reminded me a lot of Roatan for those that have visited there). We caught a car to the dock and then a small boat over to Stone Island and then another car to where the horses are. They certainly looked healthy and well fed. Mine was not particularly ‘happy’ though – I think it objected to another horse biting it on the backside! We had a wonderful beach ride for 1 ½ hrs and then ended up at Victors restaurant where Randi buys the first beer and we ate wonderful coconut and garlic shrimp (which we shared with the lovely cat Smokey!) This day is well worth $45ph. Back at the ship there is a small arcade of shops where we found another internet café which was $2 for 15 minutes. Randi also told us that the selection and prices in these shops were better than those in the Golden Zone tourist area! The Lorna Luft show was on that night so we ate late at the Teppanyaki which was wonderful! Dropped back via the shops just to check on the Tag and to see if the price had dropped further – which it hadn’t!

Sunday - Cabo San Lucas – a long line for the tenders which then took about 10 mins to get to the dock. The moment you get off there is a Diamonds International! We only had a few hours in this port – to me it had no character at all – all very new and modern – we took at 45 minute boat ride in a glass bottomed boat for $10pp where we saw some colourful fish and got up close to the seals on the rocks, and then we walked around and ended up at the famous Cabo Wabo Cantina for a margarita where it turned out that most of Team Zamboni were as well! Mr Hagar knows how to charge though - $20 for a teeshirt and $11 for a margarita! As we left CSL a pod of dolphins put on a wonderful show – jumping and twisting alongside us! Then we saw several whales as well that afternoon before it got too cold and windy to sit out so we went back to the Spa and sauna.

That evening we had some fellow CCs and a couple we met riding with Randi for drinks in our cabin. NCL do a good platter of canapés for $16 and the all bought their contraband spirits (in a multitude of disguises!). We had dinner at Cagneys – DH loved his ribeye but my fillet was a little dry – guess that is my fault for asking for it to be well done. I was also a bit disappointed that the Caesar salad came ready prepared and was not made in front of me. Our bill came to $102 for Cagneys! – Primarily because we ordered two bottles of wine (believe it or not we had run out in the cabin….!)

Managed to loose some more money in the casino before the Chocolate Buffet at 11:30. To me it is a shame that they don’t allow people to just take photos before they start gorging themselves – some of the plates were piled so high – we just took a few chocolate covered strawberries and retired! My cruise and my evening was made perfect by the fact that I had my first ever towel animal on the bed this night – a towel bunny!!!!!

Monday – our final day at sea where it was cold so we spent some of the day in the spa again. The Ginza did an ‘all you can eat’ sushi offer today for $10 but this is not advertised in the Freestyle daily and you would not know if you did not see the little sign as you walked passed so keep an eye out for that. We entered the final quiz in the pub and came second, then we had the same group round for drinks and canapés again before our final dinner in Versailles. The beef stroganoff was very good once you had removed the pickle and the beetroot! DH proved the theory that you can order steak any night even when it is not on the menu...by ordering steak! The Elton John tribute tonight and then we had to pack and leave the cases outside by 1am.

Tuesday - Disembarkation: This seemed to take for ever considering we were docked by 7am - we were meant to be called at 10:30 for our Lime Green tickets and we were actually called at 10:45 – we were off the ship, through customs and in our hire car driving out of Long Beach airport by 11:45.

 

In Summary

Entertainment: We do not do Karaoke, we do not do Bingo, we do not buy buckets of beer or the froo-froo drinks, we do not go to any of the Sales and Shopping Talks, we do not do any NCL trips and we do not go to the Art Auctions - so you will get no comments on any of those!

However we did go and see Lorna Luft one evening – it is not often you get to see Judy Garland’s daughter – she belted out a good song and had some amusing anecdotes to tell about life with her mother. As mentioned before we enjoyed Jeffrey Allen the pianist in Gatsby’s too and he does an Elton John tribute one night which is very good. We also took part in the pub quiz in the Red Lion daily at 5:30 and even won one day!

There is a cinema on board – the films showing through the week were “Cher, Live in Concert”, “Greatest Game ever Played”, “Skeleton Key”, “Flight Plan”, “Constant Gardener”, “Separate Lies”, “In Her Shoes” and “Cinderella Man”. Most of these films were repeated on the TV channel in your room but usually at 5am or 7:30pm! We went one night to see “Flight Plan” armed with a bag of popcorn from the machine in the Red Lion and a glass of our contraband vino – a very enjoyable evening!

Other activities that we were expecting did not happen though– namely the ‘Male Revue’ and the ‘Murder Mystery Evening’.

 

Restaurants: We ate most breakfasts in Versailles (as said we thought that the Market Café was a bit cramped and soulless). We also ate dinner in Versailles 3 times and we liked the formal atmosphere. Some people had had issues with the service in Aqua but we ate there once and thought it was fine – my only problem was I was on the banquette and I sunk down so low my chin was practically on the table! We had a few lunches in Blue Lagoon –their fish and chips and their macaroni cheese was good but for us the noodles was the winning dish. Of the specialty restaurants we ate in Le Bistro, Cagneys and the Teppanyaki – all of which were very good – the fillet in the Teppanyaki was just so tender. We also ate in Endless Summer at 9pm after the cinema – it lacks the ambiance of the others but the food was still good. So no complaints from us at all on any of these restaurant and the meals served!

For those of you who are interested in seeing my photo’s they are here:

http://community.webshots.com/album/546792915HJanvy

So in summary - we had a most enjoyable cruise, and we would definitely look to cruise with NCL again – perhaps in a full sized suite next time……..and yes, readers, I did get my Tag Heuer watch as a souvenir of my trip!

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. I printed it out to read later when I get a chance.

 

Thanks

Thanks for the review. Thought it was great. Also your pictures. Hope your April cruise is as good.

 

Charles & Antoinette

Enjoyed the review and the pics. Thanks for sharing with us. I picked up some more info for my October Star cruise. Gotta love these boards!:D

thanks for the brilliant review!

lil Britain, you stated you trip very well. It was a pleasure to meet you. your representation of the resturants was right on. My favorite was Lebistro followed very closely by Cagneys. We had escargot at Aqua on formal night (yes service was very slow) and it was ok but at Le Bistro it was EXCELLENT. Just like any fine dining resturant here in town. We ate at Ginza but not Teppanyaki and wished we would have. Yes the beef stroganoff was very good but why they put those stupid sliced up beets on them I will never know. Great review and glad you are home safely.

Thanks for the great review !!!! I will be on the Star day after tomorrow.

 

Thanks for listing the movies onboard. I am heading to the video store tonight to get some rentals to bring.

 

Nice to know that the food was good. I was worried about that with the bad posts regarding food lately.

Hi Little Britian thanks for your post. We will be going on the star in April and I am really glad you talked about what is playing in the cinemas. My daughter and I are very big movies goers. Thanks again.

I am really glad you talked about what is playing in the cinemas. My daughter and I are very big movies goers. Thanks again.

I think you'll like the movie theater on the Star. The seats are comfortable and it's tiered well so that it's hard to block someone else's view - unless someone happens to be 7 feet tall!

Thanks, enjoyed your review and photo's will be on Star last part of May to Alaska.

Thanks

Marcy

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. We will be on the Star this October and just can't seem to get enough information about the ship and enjoy reading others experiences.

 

Thanks again.

..to every one for their comments - and for boosting my photo hit on Webshots where over 3000 poeple have looked at the pictures!!!! I'm surprised EmJ hasn't jumped in to disagree - especially on my comments on the food...!

Hey Britain

Do you remember if the ship time and Puerto Vallarto time were the same? I am trying to book a massage on shore and need to know if same time or not. Thanks.

Hi there little britain!

 

we sure enjoyed meeting everyone at the cc meeting. A great review!

Just wanted to let you know you have some great pictures of the star!

Your pictures are great and thanks for the wonderful review. We will be on the Star this summer to Alaska.

Hey Britain

Do you remember if the ship time and Puerto Vallarto time were the same? I am trying to book a massage on shore and need to know if same time or not. Thanks.

Hi - the Freestyle for that day says 'Please leave your watch on ships time at all times' which implies not. I seem to remember reading another thread that says that PV is on Central time, so I think the ship is still 1 hr behind that time zone as we only moved our watches one hr forward after leaving LA. Hope this helps.

..to every one for their comments - and for boosting my photo hit on Webshots where over 3000 poeple have looked at the pictures!!!! I'm surprised EmJ hasn't jumped in to disagree - especially on my comments on the food...!

This is one of the better reviews I've read on CC. There is such a difference between Starboard and Port on the Mexican Riviera sail - We so much enjoyed the bond of the ZAMBONI TEAM, Red Lion Pub (for Trivia and good Popcorn), and we enjoyed each port. Anyone needing breakfast in Cabo? head over to the Taco Loco which is in the square of Cabo Wabo. BEST pancakes, eggs, bacon, banana!!!! this was a repeat cruise for us; I am probably quilty of doing too much comparing (we were starboard last yr and we did see all the things of which little britain stated). catch ya on e-mail;)

You mentioned that there was no cocktail party on formal night.

 

How did people generally dress. Was it mostly smart casual. And was there only 1 formal night.

 

I read that smart causual is acceptable for the evenings, and suits and long dresses are not needed, or if desired.

didn't notice many dressy dresses altho there were a few; did see many capri outfits, as well slacks and top (more frequently a glittery top over casual slacks to dress things up a bit). It seemed folks dressed up more when doing speciality dining (men wore ties, jackets, etc.), altho, casual was acceptable (no tie/jacket). DH left his jacket and tie at home; I left all my glitzy glitz at home. Even with that I brought too many clothes because w/Freestyle, it's just not an issue. In the theatre at night, folks often attended in what they wore doing the day (jeans, shorts). Love :D !

Freestyle sounds terrific.

 

We can leave the suits and glitzy tops at home, and just go smart casual for a change.

for my casual outfits, I had brought along accessories (shoes, bags, jewelry etc.) Honestly, after I saw how truly dress down most were, I gave up trying to change purses, etc. and went purely for comfort. It was terrific, but admittedly, I felt "strange". We typically cruise RCI/Celebrity where dress up is more the norm and with that you do tend to coordinate and change accessories. IMHO, there's a big difference between Freestyle and the more traditional form of cruising. As you read the different comments, the same cruise is not the same experience for all. I've never had a cruise I didn't enjoy, but I have enjoyed some more than others. I think our STAR cruise is the best so far, and yet we didn't have the same experience we had last year. Because there was no pressure to dress up, no pressure to meet an early morning tour, no pressure to do anything, we really did what we wanted when we wanted. Many mornings we didn't leave our cabin till almost noon! in room cabin TV was entertaining and we appreciated the balcony when the weather was agreeable. I think it was 3 times, there was a large poolside bar-b-que meal service. once for dinner, twice for lunch (I could be wrong) - we thought it was very good. We heard many folks complaining about our change in itinerary - we had no complaints. After dry dock STAR returns to normal itinerary.

Must have been those cheap beers and Mexican music in port:D :rolleyes:

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. We will be on the Star this October and just can't seem to get enough information about the ship and enjoy reading others experiences.

 

Thanks again.

Play something I can understand.....

Great review Little Britain. I really enjoyed looking at your pictures too. You have some great shots. I also enjoyed looking at all the weddings.

Jackie:cool:

My review has finally been posted on the Review site...with a few others ...for those who will be travelling on the Star soon - to you all have a great trip...!

Thanks LB! 4 more work days to go!!!