We have sailed Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Disney on 8 or 9 cruises. This was our second time sailing with NCL on the Norwegian Star. The first in 2008, a 7 day Mexican Rivera, was a far superior experience as far as service, quality of food and entertainment. But the Panama Canal was high on our bucket list, and the timing was perfect match for our schedule.

Embarkation was relatively quick and uncomplicated, and our cabin was ready when we got on board. Unfortunately, we had been assigned a cabin on deck 5, directly underneath the galley. The noise level was terrible, especially at night when it sounded like constant thunder. Complaints to the Guest Services were to no avail; we were put off and told that they “would investigate” the noise (all the while, knowing full well exactly what was causing it), or that they’d tell the restaurant staff to be more quiet. For 3 full days, no amount of complaining and begging helped. They tried to convince us the ship was 100% occupied and no other cabins were available. Finally, on the 4th. night, we were given another cabin on Deck 8, which was an improvement.

Experiencing the transit of the Panama Canal was indeed the highlight of the cruise! The sun was very intense, and we couldn’t stay outside for more than 10 minutes at a time, but they had a great narrator onboard and showed the passage on the large screen in the Atrium. Cartagena was interesting, but again extremely hot and we were exhausted after our excursion. We really enjoyed Costa Rica, especially the train ride and the Crocodile Boat. Puerto Chiapas was a total waste of time in our opinion, and the excursion “Chiapas Through the Ages” was overpriced and the worst excursion we have ever taken. The tour bus had no air conditioning and the temperature was stifling. Finally a couple hours into the tour, we changed buses, but the AC wasn’t much better. The tour guide was friendly but you could not understand about 70% of her words. The tour, although marketed as a Level 1 (least physical) had us climbing stairs and walking over very uneven ground, which was not the best for one with a bum knee. Once back on board, we attempted to get future credit for another excursion, but that didn’t work out, and we decided not to book any more Shore excursions because NCL did not stand behind the tour they sold us. We had been to the other 3 ports before, so we tried to take it in stride. Cabo was a very early departure (back on the ship at 1:30), and for the most part, all the port times seemed somewhat shorter than what was listed in the original itinerary. Read more