I spent Christmas on the Norwegian Star- the Mexican Riviera was beautiful and warm this time of year. Although I dreaded the drive to LA, it was an easy ride from our home in Oregon. I had allowed us plenty of time to arrive before embarkation, given the potential of dangerous winter weather. My daughters, ages 10 and 16, slept for most of the ride as we elected to drive through the night, rather than approach major California cities along Interstate 5 during the rush of the weekday rush hours.

We arrived in Los Angeles at 9:00 am the day before embarkation and I was pleasantly surprised to find that we could check into our room early. The Doubletree San Pedro offered a "park and cruise" option that allowed us a nights stay and a week worth of parking for one rate. This also included 2 cocktails and 2 breakfast buffets during our stay. The hotel was beautifully situated on the marina, and offered the rest we needed after our long commute. It only took a few minutes for the shuttle driver to load our luggage and drop us off at the port.

Embarkation at the Port of Los Angeles was poorly managed. We arrived at noon, and although moved quickly through the security terminal, we had a very long wait to check in. They divided passengers into separate lines, depending on the type of accommodations reserved. Although our daughters were staying in an inside stateroom, our balcony booking allowed us all into what appeared to be a shorter line. This proved very wrong, and we watched people get into the general boarding line and snake their way to the front in no time. Our slow line was ultimately combined with the "Lattitudes" line. Rather than sort us out at the front of the line for the next available agent for ALL passengers, there were only a few agents allowed to service the line. It was as though we were punished for spending more on our stateroom. I had the opportunity to discuss this with the assistant cruise director, Jeff, who was greeting people in line. Although he explained that the line agents are not employed by NCL, I would have hoped for less excuses and more problem solving. Like most uncomfortable situations, soon after we were onboard, the wait in the line was forgotten. Read more