Good cruise for the price
Norwegian Star Cruise Review to Mexico
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 10
invalid-34228
Sail date: November 29, 2008
Ship: Norwegian Star
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 15 years ago
Review summary
Overall we enjoyed our cruise. We had a great time & there were both pros & cons. The buffet food was decent, but not the best. However, almost all restuarants had cover charges ranging from $10-25 dollars per person. The Versailles and Aqua were amazing. It made up for somethings that lacked about the ship. Puerto Vallarta was the best part. The tours were unforgettable. The ship was beautiful, but you have to pay to utilize most amenities The indoor pool/jacuzzi was $20 per day per person and all restaurants had cover charges (except 2 restaurants, the 24 hour lagoon cafe and the market buffet). The outdoor pool was VERY cold and small, plus the kids took over it. I absolutely LOVED the Blue Lagoon because it was open 24/7 and the food was fresh hot. This took all my worries away. I liked having an ice cream bar too. AND the Ice Cream was real (no soft-serve). Our housekeeping was more than we expected. They always replaced our towels & were always available when we needed them. We would have been lost without them! They cleaned our room twice a day & that was a definate plus. The ship was always clean. I was impressed how clean it was everything was clean from the tables that we ate at, to the elevators, also the lounges, in the restrooms, on the deck and everywhere else. I like how they had hand sanitization stations everywhere. I liked having room service for breakfast (FOR FREE!). It helped us get out of bed on time & the food was perfect for our mornings. This was what kept me from hating the cruise. DRINK PRICES WERE ABSOLUTELY INSANE If drink prices weren't $10 per drink & instead made them the same price as regular bars, then we would have bought drinks. Everyone I talked to on the ship agreed with this statement. I HATED how I couldn't go anywhere on the deck, in the theater or in the lounges without being harrasses by waiters every 5 minutes. They kept asking us if we wanted drinks over & over & over again. This was one of the biggest turnoffs. I just might not book a crise with NCL because of this. It made the cruise a hassle, not relaxing and I went on the cruise to relax. PRICES FOR PICTURES WERE RIDICULOUS Prices for the pictures that were taken on embarkation, on ship, & at the ports were ridiculous. I would definately pay $5 per picture, but not $15-20 per picture. They shouldn't print out the photos before you buy them so that they can sell photos for cheaper & also there would be less waste.Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The buffet food was decent, but not the best. However, almost all restuarants had cover charges ranging from $10-25 dollars per person. The Versailles and Aqua were amazing. It made up for somethings that lacked about the ship.
-The Blue Lagoon-
I absolutely LOVED the Blue Lagoon because it was open 24/7. I'm a night owl & I am hypoglycemic, so I usually need to snack often instead of having large meals. This took all my worries away. Not to mention the Blue Lagoon had the best wonton soup, great cheesecake (LOVE the blueberries) and the food was ALWAYS FRESH.
-The Market Cafe-
I love having food ready when I don't want to wait. No lines are the way I like it when I'm super hungry. This was a another great place to eat for me. Not as delicious as the other restaurants, but for buffet food it was yummy. The chicken was perfect & the veggies were good too.
-Ice Cream Bar-
This was awesome because I am a BIG Ice Cream fan. The Ice Cream was real (no soft-serve)
Entertainment
I wish there were more creative theme nights toward the end of the cruise. The last two nights at sea were pretty boring, but the first two nights while at sea were jam packed and we unfortunately missed them because we were trying to familiarize ourselves with the ship and settle into our stateroom in preparation for our shore excursions.
Service and Staff
-Room Service-
Our housekeeping was more than we expected. They always replaced our towels and were always available when we needed them. They were super kind and helpful. We would have been lost without them! They overfilled our soap dispenser once and didn't fill it up for 2 days, but I didn't mind since I brough my own toiletries. They cleaned our room twice a day & that was a definate plus.
Ship Quality
The ship was beautiful, but you have to pay to utilize most amenities The indoor pool/jacuzzi was $20 per day per person and all restaurants had cover charges (except 2 restaurants, the 24 hour lagoon cafe and the market buffet).
-Cleanliness-
The ship was always clean. I was impressed how clean it was everything was clean from the tables that we ate at, to the elevators, also the lounges, in the restrooms, on the deck and everywhere else. I like how they had hand sanitization stations everywhere. I am a germ freak, so it made me feel comfortable and clean. This was amazing.
Cabin / Stateroom
The room was small, but the price was right. The TV could have been better & the safe was small, but we were very comfortable. We were actually more comfortable than expected. A clock would have been helpful so that we didn't miss any shows on board.
Ports of call
The Sierra Madre Expedition tour guides were amazing. I cannot find anything to complain about and I cannot find enough time to express my love for this tour. The tour guide was so funny and informative. The hike was fun and all the stops gave us enough time to take in the local beauty. The private beach was an experience that I have dreamed of. I feel like this tour really shows the best of Mexico & it's culture.
Rhythms of the Night was VERY fun. The guides were funny & the show was breath taking. The food and scenery was great too.
I will never forget my time in Puerto Vallarta. It was the visit of a lifetime.
Thumbs Up
0
Don't Miss: Sierra Madre Expedition
The sunny weather was nice, but overall it wasn't memorable.
The Best of Mazatlan tour was the worst tour I've ever taken. I booked the tour because I wanted to see the Catholic church & go to a "secluded beach". First of all, the stops wre super short. Half of the reason was because we had elderly people who couldn't get on & off the bus easily. They sat in front, causing the loading & unloading of the bus to take so long that the 10 minute stop would be wasted. I barely got enough time to snap a few pictures of the church & was lucky enought to do a 2 minute prayer. An actual tour of the church with explanation of it's history would have made the tour worth it, but we didn't get that at all. The secluded beach was NOT AT ALL SECLUDED. The beach was a public beach in front of a hotel and street vendors were harrassing us the whole time. So basically we didn't get to enjoy the beach, instead we layed by the pool.
I liked Cabo San Lucas because it was pretty. The Los Arcos tour was fun in the sense that we had unlimited drinks for an hour, but if you're looking for sights, then it wouldn't be all that thrilling.
The Deep Sea Helmet dive was okay only because it was different and the crew was nice. There wasn't anything pretty or cool to sea once we dove to the bottom of the ocean and that was a disappointment.
Pros: The inital price was great & the crew was amazing!
Cons: They tried to constantly sell you drinks and other services, plus the drinks & photo prices were insanely expensive
Recommends Norwegian Star? No.
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