General: We just returned from the Star Oct. 23- 31st Mexican Riviera cruise and had a wonderful vacation with myself, my husband (DH), my daughter (DD) who turned 2 on the 24th, and my parents. I got so much info from these boards as we prepared to go on this trip that I thought it would be nice to share what we did and what worked. This is my 6th cruise, and was my parents 54th- they remarked this was one of the best they had done. The Mexican ports were a bit repetitive and nothing like cruising the Caribbean, but the ship and freestyle cruising made up for that! Embarkation: We got in the terminal around 2:30. We walked right in, went up the elevator. A very nice lady saw DD and quickly brought us to the front of the line. We got our cards, took our photos and we headed onto the ship.

Ship: The Star was a great ship for our family and the kid's pool and slides were the best. Deck 7 was great for walking around, looking at the paintings, people and moon watching, and the forward echo tunnel. The atrium was just down our hall so we went there to access everything else. The Spinnaker Lounge has amazing views. The layout on a couple of floors can be confusing because not each side goes through. For example, the Market Cafe only has access Aft on the Starboard side. Planet Kids was really hard to find the first day. The little deck maps they gave you are useless; the maps on the wall make things clearer. Most everything you need is on Deck 7 or 12. If you think you are lost ask. Deck 13 is tricky too.

Cabin: We had an Outside Cabin on Deck 8 (#8096) with a partially obstructed view through the tender boats. We tendered 2 days and the whole process of watching these boats go up and down through the window fascinated my DD so it was actually a great view. We could see the shore, the moon at night and we had the tender boat activity. We used all three beds side by side and this worked perfectly. The cabin is very spacious with lots of storage and the shower is quite big with a sealed door so we could splash around with all of her toys. We brought animal magnets and DD loved playing with these on the walls of the cabin. Our cabin steward was so good to us, we saw him everyday and almost every night he made us a new towel animal- one night he even came him and made the elephant while we watched. The favorite was the monkey hanging from the ceiling which stayed all week. Dining: Freestyle Cruising is great with a toddler. We tried 4 different restaurants, we didn't have to sit with strangers, the service was great, the variety of food was excellent, and if you eat early you can pick out your table. The waiters were always quick with a cheese plate for my DD which saved us. We also brought crayons for her to color the kids menu. She never ate the kid food she always shared what we had. We ate at Versailles 2 nights and 2 times for lunch. Good service and good food but the 2nd night we ate there (formal night) it was just too loud and too busy- dinner took 2 hours. We ate at Aqua 3 times (Table 1 by the big window) and it was wonderful- great service, wonderful view, and if you eat early you can have the same spot every night. The Cooking Light selections were some of the best choices we made. We ate at Endless Summer for my daughter's birthday and the Quartet sang to her from the Atrium and the wait staff serenaded her when they brought her cake. This was a great dinner!! The fajitas were delicious, the seared ahi so tender, and we loved the Berry Tostadas. We had our own private nook with a table overlooking the stage. My mom and I did the Murder Mystery dinner (in Aqua) and it was a blast! My husband and I ate 1 night at Le Bistro- the Creme Brulee was the highlight, but overall we did not feel it was worth the extra money! The meals we ate in the "free" restaurants were very good and we always had good service. Le Bistro was a nice intimate meal, but for us not worth the extra money. We ate mostly at the buffet for breakfast and lunch, which was fine. Very quick, good choices, and there was always fresh fruit. The waffles at the pool in the morning are delicious. The pretzel rolls at lunch were the best!! The BBQ at the pool was excellent! We had BBQ chicken while we sat in the shade at the Bier Garten overlooking Acapulco. Entertainment: We loved listening to Bruce Glover (trumpet) and the Quartet in the atrium- just down the hall. My DD's favorite nighttime activity was dancing with her tap shoes in the Karaoke Bar. She loved sitting on the merry go round horses and dancing on the stage especially with Miss Betty. The poolside band made for fun background music while up on the pool deck and the Mariachi Band they brought in was awesome!! The Mexican Folkloric Show in the Spinnaker Lounge was the best show we saw. The Chinese Acrobats did an amazing show in the Spinnaker Lounge, but when we saw them in the Stardust Theatre a couple nights later the dance group overwhelmed their act. The drink "specials" were not that good and very pricey. The best deal was the draft beer in the Red Lion while we were watching the World Series. Read more