NCL Star: Mexican Riviera Just returned from 7 day cruise on NCL Star (4/3-4/10) Mexican Riviera. Great time-I read about people discussing which ship/shipping line is the best, but I think they're all good for a week vacation. If you're on this ship/tour, some facts you may find helpful or ideas for excursions. -Money. Exchange rate today (check for time you're going): $1 = approx 120 pesos (but often if you pay vendors with dollars, $1 = 100 pesos). So, if you plan on a lot of purchases, exchange money before you leave. -Transportation. We rented a car (LAX-don't know about Long Beach) as arrived day before. Enterprise seems to be only car rental place by San Pedro piers, so have to use them at the airport if you are going to drop car at pier Enterprise charges a $40 fee for different site drop-off (rent ahead of time, as it's a lot cheaper and there are usually upgrade deals on the internet). EP office is 5 minutes outside pier area, and they run a free shuttle- be aware that this site closes at noon on Saturday, and not open on Sunday (LAX site always open if you're doing reverse drop off). Did not pay attention to alternate transport at LAX, but upon cruise return at pier saw other options if not renting a car. Taxi to LAX is est $60.00 & $45 for Long Beach (Per taxi, not pp. Some standard taxis hold 4 passengers, and minivans hold 7-but remember you have to be able to get your luggage in too. There is a taxi conductor right where you entered building to start trip.) Super Shuttle (large cargo-type van) $17 pp. NCL organized taxi $25 pp (both also by initial building entrance). -Boarding. Believe NCL Star is at Pier 92 or 93, easy to find in the 'Cruise Ship Terminal' entrance right off Int 110 or 47. Tag your suitcases (we got our tags in mail, or get them at pier), and NCL takes them at drop off areas. We got there around 11:15am, and were on ship before 12:00. There are going to be lines-live with it, as soon you will have no worries. In our extra luggage bag we packed 2-12 packs of pop, and I carried a 2-liter bottle of pop on with me (guess it's just alcohol they're on the lookout for, and pop is expensive on board). Also saw in a hallway that someone had attached a luggage tag to a case of water. -On board. They give you beach towels. Only 1 electrical outlet per room, so might want to bring a multiple outlet plug. Restaurants include: a huge cafeteria-type buffet area (can wear whatever); 2 more upscale free restaurants (no shorts, but blue jeans ok); 1 free restaurant open 24 hrs; other upscale restaurants with a surcharge (also no shorts). Food is good and lots of selections and other grills around-impossible to go hungry. Lots to explore and they have a great workout room (so my husband said-bring earphones to be able to plug into the tvs by treadmills). Check out onboard deals for drinks for the kids-for our teens we got package of 20 smoothies for $34 and there used to be a pop deal for younger kids. Ports: Cabo. All lines use a tender here (can't dock), so que up in reception area around 10:15 if you want an earlier tender ticket (start handing them out about 10:45, and tenders start about 11:15)-if you're just walking around town and no hurry to disembark, wait for crowd do go down-was told it was about a 2 hour wait for latest tender. We had been to Cabo before (and done sightseeing then), so rented a car as we had my 83 year old mother (5 total in our party)- rental agencies found at the end of the Cabo pier. Booked National rental on internet, and standard size car (holds 5) with all insurance was $55 (Alamo right next to National). Make sure you notice where you're exiting, as we didn't and took 20 minutes and some 'words' before we found the return spot. Went snorkeling at Chilleno beach, about 15 minutes out of Cabo (bring your own snorkels and masks-don't need fins unless you want) as there's shade there for my mother (who leaned against a palm tree and read). Snorkeling not as good as Caribbean, but nice. Santa Maria beach right next door is also beautiful (but no shade). Bought beers in the grocery ($1) and sat on pier watching people. Shopping right at pier area. You're only in Cabo about 6-7 hours, so limited in time for excursions.

Mazlatan: A nice port, and cute shopping area right by the pier. Went on line and booked the $35/pp excursion to Stone Island (got picked up by our pier and taken to SI pier, cruised around harbor for an hour then got dropped off by the beach-tractor wagon then took you to the beach. Receive 2 activities, lunch, free drinks-read their spiel as all the companies do about the same thing-chose Puesta de Sol for no reason in particular). If doing it again, and if I did not have my mother who doesn't walk so well/fast, would probably get a taxi to the Stone Is pier (can't cost much as it's less than a mile away-so guess you could walk-nah, might work off breakfast), take the water taxi ($2 or $3) right to Stone Is, and do my own thing-go on line and read about Stone Is-the beach is nice. I talked with a lady who was eating at Victor's, and she said a good lunch is less than $10, beer about $1-$2, and they let you use their area/ chairs/shade for the time you want (the lunch we had was fine, but 'fun' alcoholic drinks not as good as I hoped-ended up drinking beer-and activities were limited). A relaxing, inexpensive beach day.

Puerto Vallarta: A much larger city, and you have 10 hours here-there's a table with maps of the city/advertising expeditions right off the ship. Went on line and booked an ATV/zip line excursion on Rio Cuale. Would not do the ATV here again, as you travel very dusty, cobblestone roads (someone said it's better in rainy season, as more creeks and not so dusty) such that you need a bandana and goggles. Zip was fun (can do Rio Cuale or Los Veranos-and since I did not do latter, cannot say which is better-Cuale was exciting, and everyone should do zip lining once). We took a taxi to meeting area (lazy and caught it inside pier area-these are owned by a company that probably books with the cruise lines, so more expensive). Alternatives: to go to Center of town, inside pier area are large cargo vans, which cost $3 pp—but they won't go until vans are filled up; taxis available just outside of pier area; blue and white city buses are always going down main street to center, and cost 60 pesos (we took the bus back to ship-gave driver $3 for 4 of us and got back some kind of change)-look for blue and white signs with a bus looking thing on them. Departing: You can have them pick up your luggage night before, or keep it and do a walk off with luggage in the morning. The steward said the walk-off line was huge, so not sure it would be worth it. We had an exit time of 9:45 and wasn't too bad. There are two lines for signing out/exiting boat, and much shorter one was to go to outside deck via front of the ship by Stardust (doesn't mean anything to you now, but will by time you leave). Have fun, don't worry about the small things (there are only 2,000 people want-ing to do the same thing as you, so won't always be perfect), and too soon, you're the person sitting at home writing a note about your trip before you leave for work. Shawn