Jump to content

Star Dec 1 – 14 Trip Report with some pics


Oakman58
 Share

Recommended Posts

You are too funny! My husband gets a kick out of saying certain words too just to see my face.

What can I say, It's what loving husbands do to entertain their wives. You must have a loving husband.

 

 

Liked your comment about drinking alcohol the rest of the day in case the water wasn't safe.

Thanks for giving me the incentive to get this trip report started.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

December 7th Puntarenas Costa Rica

 

When I opened the balcony door to go out with my cup of coffee I was hit with a wave of heat and humidity. I was going to take some early morning photos but as soon as I brought my camera out from the air conditioning the lens fogged over badly. By the time the lens cleared up it was no longer early morning. As we came into port I took a picture of the town using my cellphone.

zxwohy.jpg

 

The ship arrived in Costa Rica just before 7 AM. I always enjoy seeing and taking pictures of the various fishing boats as we arrive at the different ports of call.

28mcu1w.jpg

 

w226ur.jpg

 

The Oceania Sirena was already in port and tied up on the other side of the pier. The Sirena was a considerably smaller cruise ship but it looked like it had some great aft balcony cabins.

2epllkz.jpg

 

Our shore excursion today was the Tarcoles River Eco Cruise with a meeting time of 11:50 on the pier. With such a late excursion we had a late and leisurely breakfast in the buffet. After eating we took a walk around the ship which by 9:30 was beginning to feel like a ghost town. We ended up back on the pool deck so I grabbed a couple of Mimosas at the Topsiders bar. We had our choice of where to sit this morning. After we finished our Mimosas we thought what the heck, and drank two more.

atp3bb.jpg

 

We decided to leave the ship at 11:30 and head for the pier to meet up with Mark and June. We had a choice of debarking the ship at mid-ship on deck 6 or forward on deck 5. In the photo below the ramp from deck 5 is in the foreground and in the background you can see the ramp from deck 6. When we returned from our excursion the tide had come in so the incline to deck 6 was much more severe.

2h49mo3.jpg

 

Continued in my next post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Costa Rica continued

 

On the pier there were four dancers entertaining passengers. It was so hot and humid I remember thinking they were going to give themselves a heat stroke.

65sljs.jpg

 

Our bus was running late and we didn’t depart the pier until 12:15 PM for the one hour bus ride to our river boat. Our guide introduced herself and told us her name was Lady. It sounded funny to me every time someone would ask her a question and begin with, “hey Lady, or excuse me Lady.”

 

I’m going to stop here and give an FYI for wheelchair passengers. I don’t think any of the countries we visited had any ADA laws. With the exception of Acapulco there didn’t seem to be any tour buses that were equipped to handle someone in a wheelchair. On this river tour we had a wheelchair passenger and he had to be carried onto the bus and his wheelchair was folded and put in the storage bay under the bus. When it was time to board the boats the man sitting in his wheelchair had to be carried down a flight of steps by three men. If you have mobility issues and plan an excursion through NCL in a less developed country, you might want to call NCL and make sure the transportation provided for your excursion can address your mobility needs. More about this when I write about our excursion in Corinto, Nicaragua.

 

After arriving at the Tarcoles River we had time for a bathroom break before we boarded our covered boat. Here’s a picture of what the tour boats looked like.

1605xjn.jpg

 

After leaving the dock we headed upstream and it didn’t take long before we spotted a crocodile on the riverbank.

2hqfnnr.jpg

 

We saw a large variety of birds on this river cruise too. At one point we cruised past a dead tree in the river that was covered with egrets.

2imb144.jpg

 

We also came across the largest crocodile I’ve ever seen in the wild, or in captivity for that matter. This guy was huge and incredibly fat too.

dc9389.jpg

 

We also saw a few iguanas. I was happy the boat slowed down enough that I could get a picture of this beautifully colored male.

21dnz44.jpg

 

 

Continued in my next post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Costa Rica continued

 

Soon the boat turned around and headed back downstream toward the ocean. At one point a small boat with a fisherman and his young son passed by us headed upstream. The young boy held up their catch for us to see. They were both sporting big grins and obviously were very proud of their catch. I don’t blame them, it was a great looking fish.

icuyxv.jpg

 

As we neared the ocean, our boat turned to the right and headed up a different branch of the river. We saw a number of ospreys but I was only able to get one photo that didn’t turn out blurry. It’s not easy taking getting pictures from a moving river boat.

s658n8.jpg

 

As we slowly cruised up this arm of the river, Lady our tour guide, suddenly let out a loud scream and yelled something complete unintelligible into her microphone. Her scream was so loud and sudden it made everyone jump in their seats. Lady apologized for her sudden outburst. She had seen a pair of macaws fly across the river in front of our boat. Apparently sightings of macaws are rare in this part of Costa Rica and it excited her so much she let out an involuntary scream. Jeez, she had scared the bageebees out of me. I was glad I had used the restroom before we boarded the boat.

 

As we continued up this arm of the river Lady spotted those same macaws in a tree near the riverbank. The boat got just close enough that I was able to get a good picture of the pair.

20f53j7.jpg

 

After that excitement our boat turned around and headed back to the dock. Along the way I snapped a picture of some cormorants on a tree branch. We also saw a couple of howler monkeys on the way back but I couldn't get any pictures of them.

25tizno.jpg

 

Back onshore we were offered some juice drinks and fresh fruit and the opportunity to buy some souvenirs. If you enjoy viewing wildlife I highly recommend this tour.

2i6hxqo.jpg

 

After another bathroom break we boarded our bus for the hour ride back to the ship. We were back on the pier at 4:45 PM and the ship’s crew was already storing gear for the ship’s departure. All aboard had been at 4:30 PM.

 

We said goodbye to Mark and June and went back to our cabin to freshen up for dinner. The ship departed on time at 5 PM and soon after we had a very unusual looking cloud formation and sunset.

ae9unb.jpg

 

Just before we left our cabin to head down to Gatsby’s for pre-dinner drinks with Mark and June an announcement was made that the water needed to be turned off again. It was only off for 10 or 15 minutes when they announced the water was back on. I was hoping this wasn’t going to be an issue for the rest of this cruise. As it turned out that was the last time there was a water issue on the ship.

 

We went to dinner in the Aqua dining room tonight. Joyce ordered the Lasagna and wasn’t happy with it at all, it was very dry. This was one of the few food misses we experienced on our cruise.

 

The show in the theater tonight was Band on the Run and the four of us really enjoyed it. The Star really has some very talented singers and dancers.

 

After the show Joyce and I headed back to our cabin. No towel animal tonight. I eventually asked Mark and June if they were getting a towel animal every night and they were only getting one every other night too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oakman58 - Thank you for your in-depth review! I am particularly grateful for the pictures and details you have mentioned about mobility issues and accessibility. It has not been easy finding out the particulars about the style of buses used on tours in these various ports. The Accessibility desk nor Shore Excursions could answer our specific questions. It looks like buses are quite basic without the capability of having a ramp or lowering the bus down to curb level. This makes it near impossible for folks who struggle with steep stairs or high buses. Seeing the photo with a wiggly step stool was enlightening to say the least! Good to know before spending money on a shore excursion that will not work. We are grateful for the time and care you are taking in sharing such good information!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taking Star to Barcelona. Do you by any chance have a picture of the ship's hull? I could share?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I only have a few pictures of the Star. Here's what I have.

sfaq0m.jpg

 

1zyvvw5.jpg

 

22zrqs.jpg

 

2csihyo.jpg

 

xp7yft.jpg

 

I hope this helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oakman58 - Thank you for your in-depth review! I am particularly grateful for the pictures and details you have mentioned about mobility issues and accessibility. It has not been easy finding out the particulars about the style of buses used on tours in these various ports. The Accessibility desk nor Shore Excursions could answer our specific questions. It looks like buses are quite basic without the capability of having a ramp or lowering the bus down to curb level. This makes it near impossible for folks who struggle with steep stairs or high buses. Seeing the photo with a wiggly step stool was enlightening to say the least! Good to know before spending money on a shore excursion that will not work. We are grateful for the time and care you are taking in sharing such good information!

 

I'm glad my trip report helped. Sometimes I think I go a little too in-depth when I write my reports. I'll be posting day 8 (Nicaragua) later tonight and have a bit more to say about the accessibility of the tour we did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

December 8 Corinto, Nicaragua

 

Once again it was very hot and humid this morning. The ocean was very calm this morning. I can’t remember a cruise where I saw the ocean this calm. As we approached Nicaragua one of the country’s many active volcanoes came into view. In the early morning light, coupled with the haze and the cloud over the volcano it looked very foreboding. It reminded me of those movies where a scientific expedition discovers monstrous animals in the jungle that devour all the scientists. I was glad I wasn't a scientist.

vuhrm.jpg

 

The ship wasn’t scheduled to arrive in port until 9AM so after eating an early breakfast we were back on our balcony enjoying the sea air. We watched as the pilot boat approached the ship and dropped off the harbor pilot.

dx0jgw.jpg

 

When the pilot boat pulled away from our ship, dolphins began playing in its wake. In the picture below you can barely make out one of the dolphins in the boat’s wake near the bottom of the picture.

16jiln5.jpg

 

Not long after the pilot boat departed, the ship began rolling from side to side, rather dramatically I might add. I couldn’t believe the ship had so much movement in such calm water. This rolling motion only lasted for about a minute or so and then it stopped. Once we were docked in Corinto the Captain apologized over the public address system for the motion of the ship and explained that due to shallow water the ship’s stabilizers had to be retracted. At least I think that’s what he said. If you were on this same cruise and remember the announcement please correct me if I’m wrong.

 

As the ship approached the pier we cruised by a lot of beautifully colored fishing boats in the harbor.

cm9sh.jpg

 

As the Star was slowly sideling up to the pier I noticed a building with a large mural of the famous Nicaraguan Ruben Dario and a short quote from his famous poem A Margarita Debayle. I include this information in my trip report hoping I fool everyone into thinking I’m a well-educated and classy kind of guy.

2hwjujm.jpg

 

Our excursion today was the Banana Plantation & Hacienda excursion with a meeting time in the Stardust Theater at 9:15 AM. I was surprised we were meeting in the theater since the ship was docked at the pier in Corinto. Perhaps it was because this was a working port for container ships and they didn’t want passengers to wander around and possibly get injured.

10r4jra.jpg

 

Continued in my next post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 8 Corinto continued

Our tour buses were small and held about 20 passengers so there were three buses to handle everyone going on this tour. When we boarded our bus there was already a man with mobility issues in his seat and his wheelchair was folded and stored in the front of the bus near the driver. Outside our tour guide and driver were engaged in a conversation with a man who was accompanying the disabled passenger. The conversation went on for quite a while and ended with the disabled man being helped off the bus and put back into his wheelchair. The two seemed upset as they left and headed back to the ship. This is a picture of the interior of the bus, you can see the bus driver preparing to remove the wheelchair.

281vmft.jpg

 

On the ride to the banana plantation our tour guide explained that he had talked the two out of the excursion because he thought the banana factory we would be touring would be too dangerous and difficult for someone in a wheelchair. When our tour was completed I had to agree with that decision.

 

The banana plantation tour is listed as a level 1 (easy) activity with no mention of difficulty for people with mobility issues in the tour description. I think NCL should do a better job of informing guests of the degree accessibility of all the tours they offer.

 

The drive to the plantation was an hour long with the last 15 minutes of the ride over a bumpy dirt road. Once we arrived at the plantation we had the opportunity to use the restroom. There was only one toilet for women and one toilet for men and unfortunately the electricity to the building was turned off so when you closed the bathroom door it was pitch black inside. I was glad I had the flashlight app on my smartphone or who knows where or what I might have peed on.

 

It took quite a while for everyone to take advantage of the toilet break. Here’s a picture of a small part of the line to use the bathroom.

2nc147q.jpg

 

Once the tour began we were taken into the fields where the banana plants were growing and given a lengthy explanation of how the plants grow and are cared for. Looking at the terrain in the two pictures below you get an idea of how difficult being in a wheelchair would have been.

1448fi1.jpg

 

One of the plantation workers explaining the care of the plant and the bananas.

2i6yvzr.jpg

 

From the fields we were taken to the nursery area where the plants are started. Our tour guide acted as an interpreter so we could ask questions of the plantation workers.

eirq0n.jpg

 

After the tour of the plantation we boarded our buses again and drove to the factory where the bananas were processed for shipment to Europe and the U.S.

 

When the bananas arrive from the fields the first step was removing the protective plastic from the banana bunch. From there they went through a power wash to remove any dirt or insects.

rmr2w9.jpg

 

Continued in my next post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 8 Corinto continued.

The bananas were then sorted by size and then put on an assembly line where they were washed once more and then packaged into boxes for shipment. Any bananas that weren’t perfectly shaped were sent to a different area of the factory. It was very close quarters in this part of the factory so maneuvering through it in a wheelchair would have been difficult.

10cl105.jpg

 

On the loading dock the cases of bananas were loaded onto waiting trucks. The rejected bananas I mentioned earlier were loaded onto a different truck for distribution to stores within Nicaragua.

2lbhlcm.jpg

 

From the factory we drove to the hacienda. At the hacienda we were given a snack and bottled water and we also had the opportunity to buy souvenirs. The snack was very good.

2u41v92.jpg

 

This tour turned out to be very interesting and much better than I had anticipated. From the hacienda we were driven back to the port and the ride took exactly one hour arriving just after 2 PM. The heat of the day apparently took something out of us because when we got back to our cabin we both took an "accidental" nap.

 

Later we played trivia in the Spinnaker again and the questions were very hard tonight. Even so, one team claimed to have answered all 20 questions correctly. Mentally I called B.S. on that team.

 

After trivia we walked over to the 5 o’clock somewhere bar where Mark and June joined us for drinks before dinner. The servers in this bar were friendly and outgoing and gave great service as did the servers in all of the bars. The servers always brought us plenty of bar snacks. The snacks were my favorite part of the NCL bars…except for the drinks of course.

2iru4j7.jpg

 

The 5o’clock somewhere bar was really becoming my favorite bar until I ordered a Pina Colada. Nope, the only frozen drink available was a frozen Margarita. OK, then I decided to have a beer so I ordered a Corona. Nope, only beers listed on their menu were available. No Pina Colada, no Corona beer, what the heck kind of beach-themed bar is this? Jimmy Buffet should be ashamed of this bar. I finally just ordered a Budweiser.

4jsvh1.jpg

 

We ate dinner tonight in the Versailles dining room. The show in the Stardust Theater tonight was Queens of Rhythm and didn’t appeal to us. There wasn’t anything appealing going on in the Spinnaker Lounge either, so after dinner we headed back to our room and called it a night. I think the excursion coupled with the heat of the day had really drained us. We did have a towel animal waiting for us when we entered our cabin.

9r0myt.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you are right about the captain saying where the deep water meets the shallow bay it causes the ship to roll substantially (he also said surfers like it). I would have been nervous when it happened had I not heard the captain's announcement the night prior to our stop in Nicaragua that we were to expect this rolling motion and not to be alarmed as the ship would not tip over!! We were having breakfast in Versailles when the rolling occurred, sitting near the kitchen port side, and each time the ship rolled to port I thought the water was going to reach the outside of the window of the dining room! We heard lots of clattering from the kitchen as crockery was being broken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you are right about the captain saying where the deep water meets the shallow bay it causes the ship to roll substantially (he also said surfers like it). I would have been nervous when it happened had I not heard the captain's announcement the night prior to our stop in Nicaragua that we were to expect this rolling motion and not to be alarmed as the ship would not tip over!! We were having breakfast in Versailles when the rolling occurred, sitting near the kitchen port side, and each time the ship rolled to port I thought the water was going to reach the outside of the window of the dining room! We heard lots of clattering from the kitchen as crockery was being broken.

 

We were on this cruise as well. And I sure do remember the alarming rolling of the ship as we came in to dock that day. We were on the port side, so I know what you mean! I had not heard any heads-up report from the captain, so it sure was a surprise. I must confess though, he was a bit "wordy" in his announcements, so I tended to tune him out during his reports -- let that be a lesson to me! It's funny you said he called it a "rolling motion". My words for it was a bit more colorful.:eek:

Oakman58 - thanks for your review and photos! (I look for myself in your photos - nothing yet, but you never know!) Even though I was on the same cruise, I always enjoy other folks experiences of the same trip. We agree on many observations, including the game of Mine Sweep we'd play when attempting to choose a seat in the theater.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on this cruise as well. And I sure do remember the alarming rolling of the ship as we came in to dock that day. We were on the port side, so I know what you mean! I had not heard any heads-up report from the captain, so it sure was a surprise. I must confess though, he was a bit "wordy" in his announcements, so I tended to tune him out during his reports -- let that be a lesson to me! It's funny you said he called it a "rolling motion". My words for it was a bit more colorful.:eek:

Oakman58 - thanks for your review and photos! (I look for myself in your photos - nothing yet, but you never know!) Even though I was on the same cruise, I always enjoy other folks experiences of the same trip. We agree on many observations, including the game of Mine Sweep we'd play when attempting to choose a seat in the theater.

 

I had not heard the heads up the night before either. When the rolling began I was standing on our port side balcony. The first time the ship rolled to port and the ocean seemed to be getting closer, an image of the Costa Concordia flashed through my mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 9 Puerto Quetzal Guatemala

 

It was hot and humid again this morning with a light fog. The Star was scheduled to arrive in the port at Puerto Quetzal at 8 AM. As we entered the harbor the fishing boats leaving this port were quite different from the other ports we had visited, very different.

14j16b7.jpg

 

2vagkcl.jpg

 

This morning for some unknown reason our television would not stay on. I would turn it on and after about 30 seconds it would turn itself off again. We called guest services and reported it.

 

Even though the ship was tied up to a pier we had a meeting time of 8:45 in the Stardust Theater. Our excursion today was the Safari Drive - Through. In the theater, after a crew member called our excursion we had to walk (or take the elevator) down to deck 4 to debark the ship. The line on deck 4 was very long but even so it didn’t take too long to exit the ship.

sfjc5f.jpg

 

Once off the ship we had to walk through a large tourist trap area of vendors to get to our tour bus.

4utpp2.jpg

 

The bus ride to the safari park took well over an hour. The bus stopped at the entrance to the park so our guide could pay the entry fee for everyone and gave us a chance to get off the bus to use the bathroom. Right by the bathrooms there was a palapa with some beautiful macaws perched under it.

4uufly.jpg

 

2rwosid.jpg

 

Continued in my next post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 9 Guatemala continued.

The safari drive-through was a rather small park with your typical zoo animals. I think I set my expectations a little too high for this excursion because I was a little disappointed. The road through the park was bumpy and with the bus windows heavily tinted I didn’t take many pictures.

34dm07r.jpg

 

2mq445s.jpg

 

After completing the drive through portion of the tour, the bus stopped at the park’s snackbar. We bought a couple of beers for 30 Quetzal and sat down at one of the picnic tables. One U.S. dollar is worth just over 7 Quetzal. Along with their beers, Mark and June bought some nachos to share with us.

2lauxz.jpg

 

As we were drinking our beer, our tour guide came over and joined us. I foolishly asked him how long he had been working as a tour guide and ended up hearing more of his life story than I wanted. Especially the part about shooting his stepfather when he was 13…TMI my friend, TMI.

 

The scenery was interesting on the ride back to the port and I snapped a picture of one of the many volcanos in Guatemala. 2ic3xht.jpg

 

It was just after 2:30 PM when our tour bus dropped us back at the same point where we had boarded. We had to walk through the area of the tourist shops again to get to the ship. I almost made it without buying anything until I ran into a super salesperson hawking coffee. I bought one pound of Guatemalan coffee to give as a Christmas gift.

 

We stopped at O’Sheehan’s for a snack before heading back to our cabin. I don’t remember what I ordered but Joyce had a burger that was undercooked and not to her liking. Back in our cabin the issue with our television had been fixed.

 

As with most nights we met up with Mark and June in the Spinnaker Lounge for the evening trivia and then headed over to the so-called beach-themed bar for drinks.

 

We ate dinner in the Aqua restaurant tonight. Actually the doors between the Aqua and the LaCucina restaurants were open and we were seated in LaCucina which was almost empty. Here’s a picture of the menu for tonight.

8zjotx.jpg

 

After dinner we went back to the Spinnaker to watch the Battle of the Sexes Game Show. Not surprisingly the women won.

 

The 9:30 show in the theater tonight was a man and woman aerial and acrobatic act. Halfway through the act the man came out wearing a clown nose and hat and did a comedy routine that required the audience to interact with him. He never spoke a word using only his hands and a whistle to direct the audience. It was hilarious. When the show ended the audience gave them a spontaneous standing ovation.

 

After the show we called it a night and went back to our cabin. There was no towel animal tonight (sniff, sniff.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

The 9:30 show in the theater tonight was a man and woman aerial and acrobatic act. Halfway through the act the man came out wearing a clown nose and hat and did a comedy routine that required the audience to interact with him. He never spoke a word using only his hands and a whistle to direct the audience. It was hilarious. When the show ended the audience gave them a spontaneous standing ovation.

 

I thought that husband and wife act was the best show on the cruise. I even liked the little film they showed about their lives and circus school in Moscow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am enjoying this report and looking forward to reading about your trip. We will be on the Star and headed to the Panama Canal on February 16. I will appreciate any hints and recommendations you provide about the cruise.

 

We will also be on this cruise - looking very much forward to it...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...