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Norwegian Star Mexico Riviera Cruise
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 8 - Disembarkation - December 20, 2008
Posted by: CruiseReporter on Monday, December 21, 2009 - 11:01 PM
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Today was disembarkation day. We ordered room service for breakfast but they didn't bring the omelet we ordered. We decided to take our time and left the ship at around 9:30. After getting off the gangway we were surprised to find out that all we had to do is turn in the customs paperwork. There was no ID check or scanning of any bags. We simply found our luggages and walked out. This was by far a much faster process than our previous cruises at the Long Beach cruise terminal (Carnival) and in Miami (NCL).
Here's a tip for those of you a friend and family member to pick you up- DO NOT have them park in the parking area of the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal unless you want to wait over an hour to get out of the parking lot. That's what happened to us, unfortunately, and there was a $2 parking fee to add insult to injury.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 7: Sea Day Final Night - December 19, 2008
Posted by: CruiseReporter on Monday, December 21, 2009 - 11:00 PM
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In the morning we went to the Spinnaker lounge for the free cruise raffle. We didn't win but it was funny to see how the lady who won asked "What did I win?" Then she started dancing and hollering once she found out. We then headed to the Versailles for lunch again. The Singapore noodle salad was too salty (too much fish sauce), though the grilled Mahi Mahi was pretty good. The hummus dip was yummy, and so were the rice pudding and cheesecake.
We goofed around in the afternoon, took some more pictures, and then decided to go to Aqua for dinner. Originally we thought about going to a specialty restaurant, but the Aqua and Versailles had good looking menus. For appetizers we had salmon tartar (good!), escargot (similar to the Le Bistro), duck consomme with mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes salad. Unfortunately the dinner entrees tasted underwhelming- the red snapper was overcooked and the beef strip dish was bland. The desserts were pretty good though- the coconut souffle was good and as was the mocha cheesecake.
We then headed to the Spinnaker lounge to watch an improv comedy show by The Second City. It was pretty funny stuff though not as funny as their first performance. We expected it thought since it was improv. Afterward we watched the grand finale show that featured the Jean Anne Ryan company performing with the Chinese Allstar Acrobats. It was the best dancing/musical show of the cruise- the Chinese acrobats' feats were especially impressive. We then watched The Second City perform another improv, this time it only for adults. Despite different material it was similar to the earlier show in format, but nonetheless the performance was still funny and enjoyable.
We then returned to our cabins. After finishing up packing, we placed our big luggage outside so the NCL crew could take them off board for us. After filling out our room service tag and setting the wake-up call, we drifted off to dreamland.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 6: Sea Day - December 18, 2008
Posted by: CruiseReporter on Monday, December 21, 2009 - 10:58 PM
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We decided to sleep in today, and at around 1 PM went to the Versailles for lunch. We had dishes such as BLT sandwich, monk fish and octopus salad, and "cooking light" salmon. The BLT was good with the melty eggs. The crab dip appetizers was okay, and the chicken fingers with orange dip was pretty good.
Then it was time for some close up magic at the Spinnaker Lounge with Murray the Magician. He performed some cool card tricks and then actually tought us a trick himself. After a Q&A session and one last trick, the audience had the chance to buy his DVDs and magic kits and get free autographs.
We went to the French specialty restaurant Le Bistro for dinner. It costed an extra $15 per person. The Cream of Mushroom soup was good, and so was the Foie Gras and duck breast appetizer. They allowed us to ordered up to two additional entrees for the six of us. The grilled Swordfish was good, the Grilled Beef Tenderloin au Poivre was delicious, though the roasted rack of lamb and the bouillabaisse seafood soup were a bit disappointing. The desserts were delicious, however- especially the creme brulee.
We went to the Stardust Theater for an "action comedy" show by Romano Frediani. He started out juggling boxes and croquett balls, and dropped them quite a few times. We were confused at that point because it was supposed to be a comedy. Then he started doing tricks with these silver rings and couldn't catch four in a row until about the fifteenth try. He started to make funny remarks for his miscues and it started to become a scene of hilarity. He then involved the crowd in his act by tossing the rings to specific people around the auditorium, and then had them toss the rings back to the stage where he would catch them with his head. When the person badly missed the toss he would get all over them. Overall it was a very entertaining show- the guy is certainly a veteran showman.
We then went to "The Quest" game show at the Spinnaker Lounge hosted by Frediani. We already knew what it was about from our previous cruise, so we didn't participate. But it was hilarious seeing men putting on lipstick and women kissing each other. After wards we visited the Versailles for the Chocoholics buffet. They had quite a few cool and detailed chocolate and ice sculptures on display. The chocolate treats themselves weren't all that, but it was an interesting spectacle.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 5: Puerto Vallerta - December 17, 2008
Posted by: CruiseReporter on Monday, March 23, 2009 - 02:39 PM
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Our ship arrived at Puerto Vallerta at around 8 AM. We wanted to sleep and and didn't head out of the cabin until 10:45 AM. We were able to catch late breakfast at the Market Cafe, and then proceed to the start on an "early" lunch right afterwards (oink oink!). Upon reaching deck 4 we were surprised to find out that we had to take a tender to reach shore. We visited a mall and plaza with Walmart (they're everywhere!) and Sam's Club. With basically nothing to see, we decided to head back to port where we decided to take the Sunset Horseback Ride excursion. Unfortunately we were not in the right shoes and pants so we didn't qualify to go on that excursion. We then went through Gate 11 and found a place where they actually sold the same horseback riding excursion for $50 instead of $79. It was too late for us, however.
After getting back onboard we headed to the pool deck and listening to a live Mariachi band play. After playing a little basketball, we stopped by the ice cream bar and had some tasty rum raison ice cream. Then it was time for dinner at the Verseille. Tonight was the second lobster night, and our lobster entree was cooked much better than the other night- very tender. The rack of lamb was delicious as well.
We then headed to the Stardust Theater for a comedy show by Second City. They performed, a la Saturday Night Live, short skits and did improvs- hilarious stuff. This was the best show of the cruise to date. Then it was time for the Mexican Riviera party on deck 12 with food and dancing (and sale pitches for drinks). The shrimp quesadilla was a bit too salty but still tasty. The cruise band Xcite provided the music, and eventually everyone formed a long conga line and made a circle around the pools. It was loud, raucous, and fun. Afterwards we were beat and retired to our cabins for the evening.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 4: Mazatlan - December 16, 2008
Posted by: CruiseReporter on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 02:39 PM
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Today we arrived at Mazatlan. The ship docked at around 8 AM, but we chose to sleep in and have breakfast first before going on shore. Upon arriving we were aggressively approached by people who wanted to offer us a free ride to a resort called Pueblo Bonito in Emerald Bay. We were "suckered" into going and it turned out to be a pitch to sell timeshare- our first experience with such. The resort itself was beautiful with a luxurious array of amenities. After about an hour and a half we were driven back to the cruise terminal and did some shopping before heading back onboard. We regretted our decision to go to the resort because it took away our opportunity to tour Mazatlan.
After getting back on the ship we went to the Blue Lagoon and ate wonton soup, presceutto panini, grilled chicken sandwich, and spinach and artichoke dip. These were the best dishes in our opinion at the cafe. We at the buffalo chicken and the fish and chips several nights earlier and didn't like them at all. For dinner we went to the Aqua restaurant again. The tilapia was pretty good, the prime rib was very good, and the desserts such as the no sugar blackberry cheesecake were yummy as well.
After relaxing a bit in our cabin, we headed to deck 12 to play some ping pong. The single ping pong table was taken, however, so we layed on some lounge chairs and gazed at stars and the moon glistening beautifully on the dark ocean waters. Unfortunately we simply could not have our camera capture the scene to do it any justice. We then played some around-the-wall basketball games, and then when finally got to play some table tennis. When we were done it was 2:30 AM so we called it a night and went to bed.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 3: Cabo San Lucas - December 15, 2008
Posted by: CruiseGuy on Thursday, December 25, 2008 - 03:41 AM
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Today the ship arrived at our first port of call, Cabo San Lucas, at around 11 AM. To get to shore you had to take a tender boat, and we decided to take our time and go to the Market Cafe and have lunch first. We saw some beautiful views of the Cabo coastline on the way to the cafe. After lunch we got our tender boat ticket and after some waiting got on and went to shore. Upon arriving we were immediately surrounded by local tour operators. We decided to go for the 45 minute coastal tour for $10 + $1 "dock" fee per person. It was really worth it. Our glass-bottom boat wasn't exactly luxurious by any stretch, but we got to see the beautiful clear waters off of the Cabo coast, pelicans, seals, and interesting rock formations. Unfortunately we didn't ge a chance to step on one of the beaches we saw, but the rocky boat ride certainly satisfied our appetite for adventure. After the tour we decided to walk around and check out downtown Cabo. Everything seems overly Americanized and touristy. We did get to take some nice pictures of the locals and buy some souvenirs.
We ate dinner at the Aqua restaurant. The Monkfish was okay, and the Salmon was good like the other day. The Tofu strudle curry was pretty interesting. The tuna tartare appetizer was tasty. After dinner we proceed to the Stardust Theatre for a magic show put on by Murray the Magician. He kind of overdid it with the CDs at the beginning, but once he started talking the show seemed more interesting. The best trick was probably when he had his sexy assistant disappear in a box and then re-appearing.
After the show we went to the "White-Hot" Dance Party, which coincidentally was also a birthday celebration for our cruise director Paul. You were supposed to wear as many white clothes as possible. Unfortunately DJ Freddy pretty much played the exact same music from last night, and we left in about an hour due to boredom from not having enough interesting songs to dance to.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 2: Sea Day and Formal Night - December 14, 2008
Posted by: CruiseGuy on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 - 07:23 PM
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We were puzzled why the official time was shifted one hour starting today. It could be something having to do with daylight saving. Today the ship was much less shaky then last night, which was the most turbulent we've experience ever on a cruise. Some of us even had to resort to getting some sea-sickness pills (free of charge) from the front desk.
We had lunch at the Versailles. It has nice French decor, and the food was good as well. We had dishes such as the Sweet and Sour Grouper and Meatlover's Meatloaf. The Warm Pudding dessert was delicious- easily the best sweet dish we have tasted on the cruise thus far.
We were going to attend the Art auction but was too late, so we headed over the free throw shooting contest. I was rusty and didn't come close to winning. The winner made 7 out of 10 free throws and got a mug with some pens as the prize.
It was formal night so we all got dressed up. At around 7 PM we went and took pictures with the Captain of the ship, Gunnar Hammerin. For dinner we ate the Verseille. It was lobster night so we had good anticipation built up. Unfortunately the lobster tails were small and halved and overcooked. One of us had the Beef Wellington and it turned out to be way too salty. The salmon was good, however. The Pumpkin and Ginger Bisque and the honey creme brulee were tasty as well.
We proceeded to the Stardust Theatre for the evening's show, named "The Music of the Night" / "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber", presented by the Jean Anne Ryan Productions company. The performers had good voices but overall the show was a tad on the boring side. After relaxing for a bit, we proceed to the Spinnaker Lounge for "DJ Freddy's Late Night Party Zone". We danced and had a great time, but wished there were more variety of music played instead of so much R&B/Rap.
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NCL Star Mexico Cruise Blog Day 1: Embarkation and Leaving Los Angeles - December 13, 2008
Posted by: CruiseGuy on Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 03:48 AM
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We arrived at the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal at around 10:30 AM. We checked in our baggage at the curb and proceeded to the building for check-in. We were assigned group 4, and were a bit annoyed that there weren't enough chairs for us to sit in the waiting area. This only lasted about 5 minutes as group 3 was called away to register. After about 15 minutes our group was called to go register/check-in. Afterwards we sat back down and waited to be boarded. An announcement was made that boarding forthe Norwegian Star was going to be at noon. After some more waiting we finally were able to board the ship.
We were each given our choice of champagne or orange-ade as we entered the ship. We then proceeded to the Market Cafe at deck 12 to have lunch. There was a large selection of salad, pizza, pastas, as well as a slicing station as well. At 1:30 we went to our ocean-view cabins on Deck 5. They were small as expected but neat and clean. The squarish-porthole was larger than I had envisioned, and provided a nice view of the dock. The shower and the bathroom each had their own sliding door which is nice. The TV stand, however, cannot be rotated so that you can view it from the toilet (which was the case with our cabin on the Norwegian Sun).
We then proceeded to the Internet cafe to buy our Internet usage minutes. The embarkation speicals were 20 free minutes if you buy 250 minutes for $100 (+ $3.95 connection charge) or 15 free minutes if you bought 100 minutes for $55. We noticed on our NCL Latitudes letter that we can get 30 free minutes if you bought 250, so go for that deal instead if you've been on a NCL cruise before. If you don't mention that deal the Internet manager may well not give you that extra 10 minutes. There was a raffle for prizes at the Barong Spa so we headed over there. Unfortunately we didn't win anything!
For dinner we headed to the Aqua restaurant. The leg of lamb was good, as was the Mahi Mahi. The creme brule was tasty as well and not too sweet. Afterward we went to the Stardust theatre to watch the opening night show, m.c.'ed by Paul, our cruise director. He has a heavy accent and had a hard time pumping up the crowd. The show wasn't very impressive overall especially considering we missed the first 10 minutes and only saw the tail-end of the performance of a muscial dance troupe. The rest of the show consisted of Paul making jokes, interacting with the crowd, and several solo musical acts.
Afterwards we were encouraged to go the the party at the Spinnaker lounge so we obliged. There was a raffle to win various prizes such as t-shirts, bingo cards, and even a free shore excursion. We didn't win anything there either! After the 70's dance music started blaring and we danced for about half an hour before calling it an evening.
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