Overview Up front and to the point, we've been on only two previous cruises - both in the Western Caribbean, one with Holland America and the other with Princess so we're not as knowledgeable as some, however, we've taken our first and last cruise with NCL - why, you ask? And the answer is a "lot" of little things.

Itinerary We chose this particular cruise because of the itinerary...2 days at sea, with stops in Acapulco, Zihautenejo/Ixtapa, Puerto Villarta and Cabo San Lucas followed by a single day at sea on the return. All of our planning was made with this schedule in mind. So what do they do, change the itinerary...we instead had one day at sea with stops in Cabo, Puerto Villarta, Acapulco and finished up in Z-town followed by two days at sea on the return. Not only was our plans turned upside down and inside out, they only made one announcement that the change was being made and it was only made in public areas at midday the first day at sea. We happened to overhear a fellow passenger mention an itinerary change at dinner is how we first learned of the change. The majority of passengers we talked to also did not hear the change announced and most were unhappy with it.

Embarkation/Accommodations Embarkation was very smooth. We flew into LAX the morning of the cruise departure and were met by a cousin and husband who live in the area. We had a very nice lunch at a brewery near the pier and were dropped off at San Pedro around 2pm. We were through the lines and on the ship in our cabin by 2:30, less than a half hour later. As for our cabin, we had chosen a mini-suite as this was a special treat for our anniversary. We were very pleased with our cabin and were blessed with "excellent" cabin stewards in Roselle and Boga - they did a "superb" job in taking care of the room and providing everything for which we asked. I made it a point to provide an extra tip early in the week and later in the week directly to them - they earned it. Good job! Our cabin was clean and fresh and we loved the balcony and large bathroom with tub and shower combo along with a separate WC area. Freestyle Dining Here is where we had one of our biggest complaints. NCL has a plethora of dining options to include two large rooms (Versailles, the largest, and Aqua). In addition, they have a number of "specialty" restaurants - most with surcharges. What one used to get for the price of the cruise, ie., lobster and baked Alaska, you now on NCL have to pay extra to get…and if you want the lobster in Soho or Cagney's, you must pay a price over and above the surcharge. We ate from a variety of the ship's offering, everything from the deck buffet where they had hamburgers and barbeque chicken "every day" and only once (embarkation night) had brat and ribs to both Bistro and Cagney specialty restaurants. Overall, I'd have to say, the food was at best routine and mediocre. The lunches at Versailles seemed to be the best food. Their soups throughout the ship in the various locations were their best bet with the desserts being the worst. I have never had so many bad desserts in my entire life - go for the ice cream or sorbet and leave it at that. Oh, and the cookies are also decent - although routine with only 2-3 kinds total - probably got a special on them at Walmart before sailing. The NCL Star did not have a midnight buffet (or even a 24 hour buffet, ala Princess). If you wanted something to eat past 10pm, you were limited to the Blue Lagoon which had a very limited menu or to room service - an even more limited menu. We did enjoy continental breakfasts in our cabin on several mornings. This was accomplished by placing the order on the cabin door before 4am with a time for service desired. They would then call you about 5 minutes or so before it was delivered to ensure you were awake and ready to receive the order. The young people who delivered the room service food were very nice and ever polite. Restaurant service was hit or miss - I usually make an effort to "befriend" the server whenever possible which I've found usually helps the service - even this was not effective at Cagney's where getting our server's attention was part of the challenge of eating there I learned. Read more