Norwegian Star Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Our second cruise with NCL. Our first on the Norwegian Star.
Our expectations were not to expect anything outstanding; we had been on a previous NCL Cruise and had lower expectations from that cruise. We did have a balcony room at the aft end of the ship and that gave us a place to leave the 2" x 2" table to make more walking room in the cabin. The cabin was as spacious as you will normally get on any cruise ship. Very clean with a firm mattress. The noise level was good throughout the entire cruise. Our room steward was attentive and pleasant. Upon my request, he removed the contents of the mini-bar to make room for the refrigeration of prescription drugs. Our room steward was a 17 year NCl employee and received an extra gratuity beyond the cruise line required imposed gratuity / service charge.
Our cruise included a pre-paid unlimited drink package (UDP). The on-shore check-in personnel were unable to place the UDP sticker on our NCL ID card referring us to the ship's staff for that identifier. On-Board, the 7th deck main lobby was a cluster**** of people in lines for various services, including the drink package stickers, private dining options, and various Purser (Guest Services) requests. Of course, NCL had no signage to direct anyone. Another of course, people blocked the entries because of long lines.
Cabin Review
Balcony
This is an aft balcony cabin on port side. It is almost as far from elevators and that noise as is possible. Being aft, it is closer to dining areas and moving forward to common areas. If you want to be close to the casino, this is not where you want to be. Our room steward was excellent. Almost invisible except for great smiles and welcoming comments whenever we would see him in the hallway. We never saw him in our cabin, but found his towel creations of cats, dogs, and mice on our bed nightly. The magic of cruise ships stewards to service your room but never be seen. Almost like elves.
Port Reviews
Cabo San Lucas
We have been to Cabo San Lucas many times. We did not take a shore excursion preferring to walk downtown to Cabo Wabo for some music and Cervesa. We did find a whale watching company to consider for our next Cabo trip later this year.
Mazatlan
The expatriates in Mazatlan and the local police have created a safe and secure pathway for cruise guests to visit the downtown core area and to visit the restored cathedral. The call it the "Blue Line". A blue line is painted in the middle of a street right from the cruise terminal to downtown. On each block, both police and expatriates living in Mazatlan are posted to answer questions and enhance the Mazatlan experience. Questions of available free wifi to where to get expresso were easily answered. Cruise guests could feel secure as well as not getting lost in their cultural pursuits.