Star Dec 1 – 14 Trip Report with some pics

Enjoying your report. My wife and I will be on the Star in 21 days. Excitement is building.

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and am so glad you're writing a detailed report.

MY COMPLAINT ABOUT THE THEATER

While the theater looks very nice at first glance a closer look reveals that the seating is in pretty bad shape. Some of the seats slope downward which makes it very uncomfortable to sit in for any length of time. There were more than just a few seats like this.

Because of Mark’s long legs we sat in the balcony for the extra leg room almost every night we attended a show. I was shocked to see the condition of one of the seats there. I can’t believe they couldn’t at least put some red tape over the torn fabric.

Even some of the backs of the theater seats were separating.

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.

The first couple of days on a ship it’s confusing which way to turn when you get off the elevator to head to your cabin. Here’s a tip for anyone going on the Star. On the first day remember the color of your cabin door. When you get off the elevator look to see the color of the cabin doors, the port side doors are a different color than the starboard side doors.

All the cabin doors on the Port side are red.

All the cabin doors on the Starboard side are blue.

Another tip that most folks already know about, the fish in the carpet swim to the front of the ship, except for the red one that swims to the rear.

December 4th Cartagena, Columbia

We were approaching Cartagena just before 7 AM. The Fort of San Fernando de Bocahica on the island of Tierra Bomba is one of the first interesting sights to greet you as you approach Cartagena.

There was a lot of boating activity in the area near the fort and a lot of fishermen in very small boats and canoes. This guy was my kind of fisherman.

As our ship slowly maneuvered to the pier, the Caribbean Princess was already in port and unloading passengers for the waiting tour buses.

We went to the buffet at 7:30 and it was already a madhouse of people with long lines everywhere. We were lucky to find a seat after going through the buffet line.

Our excursion today was the Chiva Party Bus. Originally we thought about booking the Hop on Hop off Bus excursion but according to the description the party bus made a lot of stops at interesting places plus while we were on the bus we would be drinking, clapping, singing, and enjoying live music. It only cost $10 more per person so we booked the party bus.

We had a meeting time on the pier at 9:20 AM for our excursion. I’m one of those people who can’t be late for anything so we were off the ship and on the party bus by 8:45. Getting on the party bus wasn’t the easiest thing to do since there were no steps. Instead the driver and tour guide had little portable steps for passengers to use. Even so the space between the bus seats made it difficult for people like me with a big butt to get in. I know I should lose weight but that’s really hard to do. I’m currently on a seafood diet…I see food and I eat it. Yeah Yeah, I know it's an old joke.

Here's a picture of the steps used to get into the bus.

True to the description we had three musicians onboard the bus, one with an accordion, one with a bongo drum, and one with an instrument that looked like a fancy cheese grater that he rubbed with a stick. Our tour guide Fernando did a great job keeping everyone in a party mood and the music was very festive. Each row of seats had a bottle of rum, a bottle of coke, and a bottle of water. These items were replenished as necessary. Yes, this really was a party bus. A photo of our fellow partyers.

After singing our way through the streets of Cartagena our first stop was the San Felipe Fortress. We only had 15 minutes at this stop so that was enough time to take a couple of pictures of the fort from the street. That was also just enough time for the 50 or so vendors to hawk their wares. A picture of the fortress.

Continued in my next post.

We had seen San Felipe on our first Panama Canal cruise so my wife didn’t bother getting off the bus. She thought she would be safe from the vendors. Not so, when I returned to the bus I discovered she had purchased three necklaces made of Columbian silver for $20. I think Columbian silver is code for copper covered with silver paint, LOL.

Back on the bus we were partying through the streets again. The traffic was incredibly heavy and I think it was mentioned that this was a national religious holiday. As we drove through the city I was surprised to see how many houses and businesses had bars over the doors and windows. Apparently even religious statues have to be kept under lock and key.

Our next stop was Santa Calaina’s Bastion where Fernando gave everyone a little history of the fort and taught everyone to sing a song and dance in a circle. We didn’t get much of a chance to actually tour the bastion.

While we were at this stop I took a picture of the Chiva bus. You can see why old fat people like me needed the portable steps to get in.

We did a lot of driving around Cartagena but we didn’t make as many photo stops as was mentioned in the cruise excursion description. Our final stop was a small shopping mall where we had the opportunity to buy jewelry or more souvenirs. Just before departing this stop everyone was given a free empanada.

We were returned to the ship just after noon. While this was a good excursion I was disappointed we didn’t make more stops. In hind sight I would do the Hop on Hop off bus.

After eating lunch in O’Sheehan’s we went to our cabin to chill out for the afternoon. This was a relatively short port of call with the all aboard at 1:30 PM. By one o’clock the pier was crowded with passengers returning to the ship.

We met up with June and Mark again in the Spinnaker Lounge for the 5:30 trivia game. We actually answered 13 of 20 questions right which is pretty good for our group. After trivia we headed to Gatsby’s for drinks before dinner. We had reservations at the Ginza restaurant tonight. Tea for Two was the entertainment in Gatsby’s when we arrived. Tea for Two is two women playing string instruments, a violin and a cello, and they are incredibly talented. The music they played ranged from classical to rock depending on which venue on the ship they were performing in.

The food at the Ginza restaurant was very good but the service was incredibly slow. After dinner we took in the 9:30 show at the theater. Tonight’s entertainment was a juggler. I was hoping for a juggler who incorporated comedy into his juggling act but this was not the case. I found his performance somewhat boring.

After the show we went back to our cabin. We did have a towel animal tonight but I failed to take a picture so I don’t remember what it was.

I am loving your review. I sail on the Star on March 2. I am happy to see the pictures inside the ship. Especially the wine bar. I was curious where it was located because on the deck plans it is listed in what's on the deck but isn't on the actual deck plan. Thanks for the review.

Candi

Oakman58, I kept yelling down the hall to my DH about each funny thing you wrote. I think he got tired of me...LOL. We are looking into either the full-transit Panama Canal or Transatlantic in 2019. The Star was my pick as we loved sailing on this ship but it is his birthday we will be celebrating so he is the one that will actually pick. The Star is just the right size for us. We are retired folk too.

Oakman58, I kept yelling down the hall to my DH about each funny thing you wrote. I think he got tired of me...LOL. We are looking into either the full-transit Panama Canal or Transatlantic in 2019. The Star was my pick as we loved sailing on this ship but it is his birthday we will be celebrating so he is the one that will actually pick. The Star is just the right size for us. We are retired folk too.

Thanks for taking the time to read my trip report. I’m not a fan of the big ships either Linda. My favorite ship is the Jade because it’s about the same size as the Star and it has a forward facing Spinnaker Lounge on deck 13 with a lot of windows. I also love The Great Outdoors at the rear of deck 12. It’s a great place to have a meal when weather permits.

Joyce and I have a 4 day cruise booked on the Jade for January 22nd. We are going on this cruise with two other couples. One couple has never been on a cruise, the wife has always wanted to try a cruise while the husband doesn’t want to cruise at all. Apparently she finally won the argument. This should be an interesting cruise for us.

It will probably be tomorrow before I get a chance to post the next day of our trip which was the transit of the Panama Canal. I’ll probably put a lot of pictures in that post.

I am loving your review. I sail on the Star on March 2. I am happy to see the pictures inside the ship. Especially the wine bar. I was curious where it was located because on the deck plans it is listed in what's on the deck but isn't on the actual deck plan. Thanks for the review.

 

Candi

Thank you Candi and thanks to everyone else that is following along.

I am happy to see the pictures inside the ship. Especially the wine bar. I was curious where it was located because on the deck plans it is listed in what's on the deck but isn't on the actual deck plan.

 

Candi

It is next to Gatsbys and Le Bistro on deck 6 but when we sailed the Star this past fall I never saw it open. We are really into wine and were looking forward to it as well. Hopefully you have better luck.

Enjoying your review and pictures. Looking forward to your Panama Canal day details. Great tips as we are sailing on the same itinerary February 16th. Thanks for sharing!

Because each post is limited to 6 pictures I will have to use 4 separate posts to show all the photos for the canal crossing.

December 5th Panama Canal Full Transit

We woke up early to very overcast skies. This was the one day I hoped to have perfect weather but it certainly didn’t look promising.

The buffet opened early today at 6 AM so we went up for an early breakfast. I love eggs benedict and was thrilled they were offered on the buffet every morning of our cruise and they were almost always perfectly done. I’m always amazed when people complain about food on cruise ships.

The Master and Commander opened the bow of the ship on deck 8 to passengers so they could get a good view as we passed through the locks. After eating our breakfast we took a walk to deck 8 to see if there were many people out there yet. All the best viewing spots were already taken so we didn’t stay long and headed back to our balcony cabin.

From our balcony we had a good view of the channel that serves the new Agua Clara locks. The Caribbean Princess was already entering one of the locks. You can barely she her in the first photo of the two channels. I used my long zoom lens to get the picture of her in the second photo.

If we ever do another Panama Canal cruise I’ll be sure to book one of the larger ships so we can see the difference between the two locking systems. I don’t believe locomotives are used in the new lock system so I doubt it is as interesting as the original locks we would be going through today.

Tug boats came alongside the Star to assist the ship when she entered the staging area of the locking system. I think it was just before 9AM as we approached the locks.

As we were waiting to enter the the first of the Gatun locks the Tequila Sunrise tanker, far left in the photo, was exiting the locks and heading to the Atlantic Ocean. In the photo if you look at the ship behind the Tequila Sunrise you can see how much higher the next tanker is sitting in one of the locks behind her. There is an amazing difference in water levels in the locking system.

Continued in my next Post.

Canal continued.

As we approached the first lock, the locomotives were standing by waiting to tie their lines to the ship to assist in holding her in the middle of the locks.

There is also a retractable one lane bridge over the canal before the first lock at Gatun. I didn’t realize this until I saw a bus drive across it.

Here’s a picture of that bridge by the locking gates.

While the Star was in the first of the Gatun Locks, Mark and June called us and invited us to their forward facing cabin. They didn’t have to ask twice, I think we were ringing their doorbell before they had a chance to hang up the phone.

We were just entering the middle lock when we walked out onto their balcony. Wow, they had a spacious balcony and a great view of the locks.

This is a photo as the Star entered the middle lock.

It’s hard to tell from the photo but deck 8 was well below the top of the lock wall when we entered.

Once the lock was filled with water the gate opened. Again it's hard to tell from the photo but deck 8 was now considerably higher than the lock wall.

Continued in my next post.

Canal Transit Continued.

As we departed the last Gatun lock we could see the Caribbean Princess at anchor in Gatun Lake. Since she was at anchor I assume she was only doing a partial transit but I could be wrong.

The four of us ate lunch in the Versailles dining room. I ordered the Salmon Burger that came with waffle potatoes. The Salmon Burger was very good but my waffle potatoes were actually curly French fries. I think something was lost in translation. LOL.

Later in the afternoon as we cruised toward the Pedro Miguel lock the sun came out and heated things up. Fortunately Mark and June’s balcony was in the shade so we were quite comfortable as we enjoyed the view.

I was very envious of their suite and the size of their balcony.

While we were cruising in the canal I went down to deck 8 and took a picture of my wife, Mark, and June with their adult beverages. My wife is in the left side of the photo.

This next picture is where the canal splits and the channel on the right takes large tankers to the new Cocoli lock.

As we approached the Pedro Miguel lock a tanker in the other channel passed us heading toward the Cocoli lock. It’s the ship with the red hull in the far right of the photo.

Continued in my next post.

Canal transit continued.

The Pedro Miguel is just a single lock that lowered our ship to the next part of the canal. In the picture you can see our lock is full of water. It’s hard to tell from the photo but the ship in the lock next to us was much lower and ready to depart the lock.

As we were about to depart the Pedro Miguel lock a light rain began to fall so we moved the chairs off the balcony and since we had imposed on Mark and June long enough we went back to our cabin.

As the rear of Star cleared the Pedro Miguel lock a loud rubbing/scrapping noise could be heard. I was pretty sure we rubbed against the side of the lock.

I thought this was going to be a brief shower but the one dark cloud continued to grow and get blacker. By the time we were approaching the Miraflores locks the clouds had opened up and dumped copious amounts of rain.

It rained hard all the time we were in the first lock. I really felt sorry for the canal workers. When it rains as hard as it did you get wet even wearing rain gear. As we entered the second lock where the visitor’s center is located the rain began to let up.

The rain finally ended as we were about to leave the second lock. There weren’t many people in the visitor’s center after that rain.

It was getting pretty dark by the time we cleared the last lock and headed for the Pacific Ocean.

We met June and Mark for pre-dinner drinks in Gatsby’s at 6:30. Although we had reservations in the Aqua dining room for 7:30 we decide to go at 7 PM. We thought there might be a waiting line to get into the restaurant but there was no wait to be seated. With the exception of the Ginza we never had slow service or a bad waiter the entire cruise.

The show in the theater this night was called White Magic. It was a combination act of the illusions of Michael White and his assistant Hulan who was also a contortionist. Normally I’m not a big fan of magic shows but I think this show was worth seeing.

When we returned to our cabin there was no towel animal but there was a notice to turn our clocks back one hour.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures I included.

It is next to Gatsbys and Le Bistro on deck 6 but when we sailed the Star this past fall I never saw it open. We are really into wine and were looking forward to it as well. Hopefully you have better luck.

Thank you for that information. I was pretty sure that was where it was located. That's strange it was never open. I will ask at Gatsbys to see if they know if I find it not open. Thanks again.

Candi

Wow, you outdid yourself with the great pictures. The DH enjoyed them too as of course, I said you have to see this. What suite were Mark and June in? We visited the owner's suite on Deck 9 on the Star (out of our pocketbook range) and I could not tell if they had the one next door or not.

Wow, you outdid yourself with the great pictures. The DH enjoyed them too as of course, I said you have to see this. What suite were Mark and June in? We visited the owner's suite on Deck 9 on the Star (out of our pocketbook range) and I could not tell if they had the one next door or not.

There were in suite 10502 which was next to the owner's suite. Thank you for the nice comment about my pics.

Thanks Oakman58, this is a great review. We will be doing this cruise in Jan 2019.

Thanks so much for posting such great pictures and commentary. I have always wanted to do a canal transit. Also love seeing and reading all about the Star. My first NCL cruise was on the Star back when she had a Spinnaker Lounge (before it was sacrificed to make room for new suites).

A Panama Canal Cruise is on my bucket list so enjoyed your description and pictures! Also interested in learning about the smaller NCL ships after taking our first NCL cruise on the Getaway back in March. Thank you for taking the time to share!!

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Happy New Year everyone.

December 6 Sea Day

We changed time zones last night so we gained one hour. We would change time zones two more times on this cruise so our cruise would be three hours longer than cruises that depart the west coast and head to Miami.

I woke up at 5:30 and headed to the bathroom only to discover we didn’t have running water in our cabin. Not good, I need coffee first thing in the morning. Fortunately we are Gold Latitudes members so we were given one bottle of water each on the first day of our cruise. I used this bottled water to make my cup of coffee.

I decided to wait to report the water issue because I didn’t want to wake my wife using the phone. Instead I took my cup of coffee out on the balcony to enjoy the morning. It was overcast and a light rain was falling. Because of the location of our cabin we had an overhang from deck 11 that extended out about two and half feet and kept our balcony dry. We will be on the Jade in a couple of weeks and have a cabin on deck 10. I hope it has a similar overhang like this.

A half hour later I was ready for another cup of coffee so I checked on the water situation and found the water was back on. However when I flushed the toilet black particles flowed into it. Even after three flushes black particles were still coming out. I decided to keep making my coffee with the bottled water.

By the time I took this picture of the toilet, it had been flushed at least six times black crud was still coming into the toilet.

The light rain didn’t last long but the skies remained overcast. The Freestyle Daily listed a Cruise Director’s Staff Coffee Chat at 9AM and the Hotel Officers Coffee Chat at 10:00, both in the Atrium. My plan was to mention the condition of the theater to the Cruise Director’s staff and then ask the hotel staff about the safety and condition of the ship’s water.

So we sat in the Java Café in Atrium from 9 until 10 and no one showed up from the cruise director’s staff. While we sat there waiting we both had a hot chocolate. Here’s the price menu for the Java Café.

I forgot to mention that two days ago while most of the passengers were on excursions in Cartagena, the crew began decorating the ship for Christmas. In the picture you can see the two Christmas trees in the Atrium and the garland on the railings of O’Sheehan’s on deck 8.

Just after 10 AM a couple members of the hotel staff showed up in the Atrium. One of the staff members informed me that maintenance had to be performed on the water system last night and it had been shut off from 2 AM until 6 AM. I was also told that the water for the toilet is a different system from the drinking water system. I accepted that answer but with a bit of skepticism. I decided to be safe and only consume drinks containing alcohol for the rest of the day.

After getting the reassurance from the hotel staff about safe drinking water we headed out on the promenade deck to get a little fresh air and exercise. On sea days the promenade deck was a very popular area.

Continued in my next post.

As we walked the promenade deck we saw some Brown Booby seabirds flying alongside the ship trying to catch flying fish as they came out of the ocean after being disturbed by the ship. I only mention this because I wanted to use the word booby in my trip report. Hey, I said I was old but I didn’t say I was mature.

OMG, I had a text message on my smartphone from Mark via IConcierge telling me he and June were on the pool deck. This was one of the few times we were able to text each other in real time using IConcierge. It was almost lunch time when we joined them by the pool. By now the clouds had cleared and the skies were mostly sunny and it promised to be a beautiful day.

We decided to eat from The Grill again today. The Grill always had great French Fries and the burgers, chicken, and hot dogs were excellent and there were plenty of fixin’s to dress up the sandwiches. My only complaint is the buns were always very dry and usually disintegrated before you could finish the burger or hot dog. I guess that was probably due to being on the serving line in the fresh sea air.

After lunch the four of us headed to the Spinnaker Lounge for the afternoon Dog Breed Visual Trivia game. We did surprisingly well but we never win any of the trivia games. There always seems to be one team that gets 18 of 20 answers correct. After the trivia game Joyce and I went back to our cabin to relax for a bit.

We played trivia again at 5 PM and then went back to our cabin again to get cleaned up for dinner. We had reservation for Cagney’s tonight at 7:30.

We met up with Mark and June again in the Sugarcane Mojito bar for pre-dinner drinks. Dinner in Cagney’s was outstanding. My steak and Joyce’s was cooked perfectly (medium). Sorry no food pictures but here’s the menu.

The show in the theater tonight was the comedian Jim David. I thought he was very funny. If you get a chance to see him, do so. After the show we went back to our cabin and called it a night. We had a towel animal waiting on our bed for us.

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