Great Cruise - Poor Ground Operations

Norwegian Star Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

where2next

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

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Sail date: October 27, 2013

Ship: Norwegian Star

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10102

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 10 years ago

Review summary

The itinerary was very good. Would have preferred fewer ports in Mexico and at least 1 stop on the caribbean side of central america.

Would not recommend the shore excursion to Todos Santos (from Cabo). The town looks nothing like what you see on the internet or on the postcards they sell. The town was a dust bowl and the two-lane road to get there is not paved along one section. I did manage to get pictures of the outside of Hotel California and a few around the grounds. OK, but nothing to write home about.

We would highly recommend the Sea Lion Encounter in Puerto Vallarta. We've done the dolphin experience and swam with the stingrays prior to this cruise. This is the first time we've seen a sea lion encounter shore excursion and it was outstanding!

The ship was in great condition - very clean and updated. Nice bed linens, pillows and towels. The food and service in the dining rooms was excellent. Meals came out hot and everything we tried was delicious.

Whenever we encountered a staff member or officer, we were always met with a warm, friendly smile and a cheey "hello". The shops on board were average. Of course, logo items are always expensive as are toiletries. We were running low on a few things after 14 days.

The variety of entertainment was quite good. We only saw a few of the shows. Mostly we enjoyed the small venues with a single singer or trio. The best show of all was the crew show on the last sea day. There were singers, dancers, commedians, magicians and some wonderful acrobats. Don't miss this jewel.