The Star is a great ship with a wonderful crew. This was our second cruise on the Star and we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
A British head chef has replaced the French head chef. The quality of the food, especially the baked goods, wasn't up to the previous standard. The variety in the main dining rooms was excellent and we enjoyed almost everything we ordered.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We didn't go to many shows this time, but we enjoyed the two performances by Murray the Magician. Jana, the singer in the Gatsby Lounge, is excellent. Denny, the new cruise director, did a good job of spotlighting the performers in the various lounges during the first night's show. The port lecture was mediocre. There is always plenty to do, depending on your interests.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
For the first time, my mother and I had spa treatments. Ami "adopted" my mother and helped her with excercises and even took an hour from her day off to work with her in the whirlpool. There was no charge and Ami wouldn't accept a tip. Christine is the assistant manager and she was wonderful. One of my brothers has poor balance and the tender crews were wonderful about helping him on and off the tenders. Even though we never had a conversation with our cleaning staff, they always greeted us by name from down the hall.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
There were several upgrades since last May including comfortable wooden deck chairs on deck 7 replacing plastic ones. Cleaning was constant in the public areas.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our ocean view rooms were on deck 8 aft near the elevators. This was a very convenient location. It's great to have a coffee maker in the room.
We arrived four hours late because of a detour the night before to take an ill passenger to Puerto Vallarta. We hadn't planned an excursion, so weren't as disappointed as most passengers. We went to the terminal building and looked at the shops, then reboarded rather than run the gauntlet of cab drivers, tour shills and vendors outside the building.
All four of us took the boat cruise to the Arches and along the coast. The narration was a recording by Jacques Cousteau that could barely be heard. The onboard photographer charged $13 for photos. We saw the same scenery from the ship when we left port. We recorded the cacaphony of taxi and tour operators because no one would believe the noise without heaing it. The marketplace at the dock has no prices posted and the vendors were rude and tenacious.
My brothers and I took the Old Town Walking tour with a cooking lesson and lunch. Gina was the guide and we learned a lot about the city's history and traditions. This is not a tour for anyone in a wheelchair or a walker and I'm surprised that the excursion description didn't include this information. Gina had to have the bus pick up the two people while we walked through the riverside marketplace and she arranged for a cab to take them to the outdoor restaurant. The restaurant chef led us in preparing our own meals which was fun and educational.
My two brothers and I walked through the town and spent time at the marketplace where we bought a few souvenirs. The listed prices are very reasonable and we didn't haggle because we felt that the prices were fair, as in three t-shirts for $10, and the vendors needed the money more than we needed to save a dollar or two. A lot of the streets are being repaired and walking is difficult.
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