Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is known for their more relaxed, cruise-your-way type of style. If you aren’t the type of person that likes structure on vacation, this might be the cruise line for you. Having never been on a NCL ship myself, I didn’t know what to expect of the Norwegian Star ship, it’s staff, entertainment, etc. Let’s just say I was less than impressed and probably won’t be cruising on the Norwegian Star again. That’s not to say their other ships and itineraries are better, though. I’m just going to briefly cover the reasons why I was not happy with our cruise.
ABOUT NORWEGIAN STAR
Norwegian Star blends the relaxed Freestyle Cruising concept with cruises to the Baltic capitals from Copenhagen, Denmark or the Mexican Rivera from Los Angeles. On board Norwegian Star features 14 delicious dining options, 9 bars and lounges, a sprawling spa, an always-exciting casino, plus tons of fun for kids of every age. So whether you’re exploring Northern Europe or sipping margaritas in the Mexican Rivera, this ship offers it all.
Your Cruise Includes:
– 5 complimentary dining options, from three-course dining to endless buffets with action stations.
– Entertainment day and night. Spectacular stage shows, The Second City comedy, dance clubs, bars and lounges, piano bars and live music.
– Fitness Center, sports court, pools and hot tubs.
– Youth programs children ages 3-17.
– attentive room steward and complimentary room service.
MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE ITINERARY
Cruise along the Mexican Riviera for a festive 7-day vacation. In Cabo San Lucas, be sure to visit El Arco, a stunning rock formation. The beaches in Mazatlan will take you to paradise while you enjoy local, authentic fare. This cruise embarks and returns to Los Angeles, so it’s easy to get onboard.
| Day | Land Tours and Cruise Ports | Arrive | Depart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Los Angeles (EMBARK) | — | 4:00 pm |
| Mon | At Sea | — | — |
| Tue | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico | 12:00 pm | 7:00 pm |
| Wed | Mazatlan, Mexico | 8:00 am | 5:00 pm |
| Thu | Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | 8:00 am | 5:00 pm |
| Fri | At Sea | — | — |
| Sat | At Sea | — | — |
| Sun | Los Angeles (DISEMBARK) | 8:00 am | — |
My Experience on the Norwegian Star – Mexican Riviera Itinerary (2014)
The Ship:
At first sight, this ship is gorgeous and huge. Upon stepping in the doors you are greeted by friendly staff and a little bit of chaos (like any cruise). This ship is a bit difficult to navigate around, more so than the other ships I’ve been on. The decor is nice and exactly what I would expect on a cruise ship. The ship always seemed to be clean and tidy and there were plenty of hand sanitizing stations throughout.
Balcony Stateroom
Our stateroom was pretty clean for the most part. We had to ask our room steward to immediately come in and remove a ketchup stain from the couch and the bathroom wasn’t clean when we boarded but we gave our steward some more time to get it all finished and he cleaned it up.
The bed was comfortable despite the fact that we had requested a pad for the top and never received it. The layout of the room was pretty standard for a balcony stateroom and I was pleased to see that the television was updated. There was plenty of storage space under the bed for our luggage, stroller and extras and the closet was plenty spacious for our family. I like that the shower had an actual door on it rather than a shower curtain and the toilet area even had it’s own clear door.
Our balcony was very dirty, the glass was covered in spillage from the previous passengers and we couldn’t escape the smoking neighbors. The chairs and table on the balcony were great, though.
Dining
Let me just say… DO NOT EAT AT THE BUFFETS. My family and I pretty much lived off hamburgers by the pool during lunch time because the buffet lunches and dinners were horrible. I will admit that the hamburgers and french fries were fresh and quite tasty, but we got really sick of them. Also, each day by the pool the staff would cook a fresh lunch which usually consisted of a hodgepodge of ingredients and wasn’t really that tasty. We tried the main dining room for lunch one day and I was pleased with my Philly cheese steak sandwich.
We typically went to the main dining room for most dinners since the buffet was so horrible. The staff was always friendly and extremely helpful with my toddler. They always made sure to bring her food before everyone else’s which I appreciate. The appetizers, meals and desserts weren’t anything to write home about, though. I actually think that my daughter’s kid’s meals were better tasting than the adult meals. The fettuccine Alfredo was bland, the steak was fatty, the appetizers weren’t impressive and the desserts were not tasty at all. The best meal I had for dinner was the eggplant Parmesan which arrived piping hot and fresh.
Overall I was very dissatisfied with the free dining options that this ship had to offer. Since we have a toddler, we tend to stick to the free dining options as not to disturb the families in the paid dining rooms.
Pools
This ship features two water slides for the older kids and adults which were just okay. I did notice the same kids sticking to them most of the time and they seemed to be having a blast. I’m sure if I was a kid I would’ve had a blast, too. The adult pool was always a little on the cold side but was nice and refreshing if you needed to escape the heat.
There wasn’t much seating around the pool area and we always seemed to struggle to find a group of four lounge chairs, even at 10am. The ship seemed very overcrowded near the pool and pool dining area. Many times we had people walking through our outdoor dining table and seating just to get to where they needed to go.
And the smokers. Let me just say, YUCK! The cruise we went on had so many smokers near one side of the pool and, being pregnant, I felt like I couldn’t even escape the toxic air.
The Kids Pool – Being a parent of a toddler, a ship with a kiddie pool is a must. I had done research before we chose this cruise to make sure the kids pool would work for us and it seemed like it would, until we were on the ship. There was no seating around the kids pool area besides two or three little picnic tables in the shade (which were always occupied). The adults in our party had to literally sit on the hot, dirty ground on our towels while we watched my daughter play. The kids pool area is located in the back of the ship so you get nice whiffs of the ship’s exhaust. Not an ideal situation. The rocket slide and pool was my daughter’s favorite and we pretty much stuck to that.
Overall, I was very unhappy with the kid’s pool and the seating situation.
Entertainment
I would say that the entertainment on this ship was it’s best feature. All of the shows we saw were phenomenal and really held my toddler’s attention. We came out of each show “wowed” and couldn’t wait for the next one. If you cruise on this ship I recommend you dine early and hit the first show each night.
