Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Star Cruise Review
7-Day Mexican Rivera

Carol

I was very apprehensive about NCL having read some very unfavorable reviews on-line. However, when I checked reviews on other cruises I had taken I realized that their would be pros and cons on any cruise. I decided reluctantly to take the cruise because the itinerary was great and the price was right.

This is the first time I felt the need to send in a review to help other cruisers make a decision before taking this cruise. My first encounter with the cruise was embarkation. We arrived early so the wait was very short and went well. We were greeted with free drinks when boarding the ship. That was a nice touch! We immediately went to our rooms to see our accommodations. We had a suite which wOther family members that arrived later did have to deal with the long lines and complained that it was very unorganized.

Accommodation: We were taken to our rooms immediately after boarding the ship. I was very impressed with our room because it was a suite. We had been upgraded from a balcony to a suite prior to cruising. Needless to say, we were overwhelmed by the size and the décor of our suite. It was a two bedroom suite with each room having its own bathroom which was separate from the rest of the suite, and a living room and dinning area.

Food: Most of the reviews that I read criticized the food. Our first experience was lunch on the pool deck after boarding the ship. The food was just ok. I didn’t let that influence my opinion because we had just arrived and the deck food may not be the same as in the dinning room or restaurants.

The best thing about free-style dinning is you can eat WHENEVER and WHEREVER you want and that is a PLUS. We tried to eat at all the restaurants in order to give it an all around fair rating . The dinning rooms and restaurants were very nicely decorated and very appealing to the eye. However, the food never met my expectations. For the most part the food was just mediocre and sometimes cold or warm at best when it was served. Other than that, the fresh fruits were sweet and tasty wherever it was served. The best food was found in the Blue Lagoon. It was a 24 hour restaurant that served freshly made burgers, fish & chips, buffalo wings, potato skins, and other snack foods. .

Ports of Call

All the ports of call were great. My only complaint was that we never arrived on time at any of the ports. We were supposed to arrive in Acapulco in the morning but we arrived at 6PM. that evening. To make up for the loss time they extended the stay the next morning at noon. But the shops didn’t open until 9:00A and we left at 11:30 so we had only 2 ½ hours of shopping. Because of the delay of the first port they cancelled the next port.. We arrived at the next port 3 hours late and they only extended the stay by 1 hour. The next port we also arrived late. We were never compensated for any delays or cancellation of a port.

Things to say about the Cruise:

Bad: The entertainment was fair. Room service was mediocre. The food left much to be desired. Many times the drinking glasses were spotty. The days at sea were not well planned and very, very boring. Very little music or entertainment/activities on the deck. You would sit for several hours with nothing to do but swim or sunbathe. You had to create your own entertainment on deck. No entertainment what-so-ever in the dinning rooms. Bingo cost $29.00/game - outrageous. No disco per se. The only thing available to drink on board for free was water and ice tea. You had to pay for everything else to drink. Except at breakfast you had coffee, juices, milk, tea and water. On all other cruises I have taken you had water, punch, lemonade, coffee, milk, and tea available at all time. It has always been the policy that you pay for sodas and alcoholic beverages. Photos were very expensive. This cruise was all about the $$$$$$$$ from you to them.

Good: The ship was immaculate and beautiful! Getting around the ship was very easy because every deck was well marked with directions. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Final Analysis

Basically, I will NEVER, EVER use NCL Cruise Line again. We traveled with 33 people in our party and everyone said they would never travel on NCL ever again.