| Going
on a cruise is like stepping into a period of suspended reality, where
your dreams do indeed come true. Our trip into fantasyland took us to The
Mexican Riviera, the latest itinerary being offered by Norwegian Cruise
Lines aboard the elegant Norwegian Star. The
Star divides her time between the Mexican Riviera in the late fall and
winter; and Alaska during the spring, summer and early fall. |
The
Norwegian Star sails the Mexican Riviera and the Alaskan coast during the
spring and summer months.
|
The Mexican Riviera is an ideal cruise
for people who want to try a different warm weather location than the Caribbean.
Cruisers have been very enthusiastic, and Hotel Director, Frank Hasenwinkel
noted that sales have exceeded the company’s initial expectations.
Departing from Los Angeles, we began our
8 day cruise with two days at sea while we sailed south to Acapulco, before
retracing our route along the Mexican Riviera, making port in such exotic
places as Zihautanejo (pronounced Zee-what-en-eh-ho), Xtapa, Puerto Vallarta,
and Cabo San Lucas. Our cruise ended with a relaxing day at sea before
returning to the City of Angels.
The Star is a beautiful ship, launched
in 2001 to sail in the Hawaiian Islands. At 91,000 tons, she is one of
NCL’s largest and fastest vessels. However, this is not one of the mega-ships
that many people find just too big. There are intimate dining rooms, cozy
reading rooms, and small bars where it’s easy to strike up a conversation
with your neighbour. Passenger capacity is 2,240, with a crew of 1100 coming
from 65 different countries. It’s a veritable floating United Nations,
and the officers and crew are rightfully proud of how so many nationalities
and cultures work and live together.
Norwegian continues to be an industry leader
with Freestyle Cruising, a concept that features no pre-determined dining
times, and a choice of 10 different restaurants onboard The Star. This
means that you dine when and where you want. You’re free to try different
dining rooms. Beverley and I sometimes had dinner in one restaurant, went
to the evening show, and then tried another restaurant for dessert and
coffee after the performance. Only four specialty restaurants have a modest
surcharge, ranging from $12.50 to $20 per person. While the menus and service
in the main restaurants are excellent, we like to treat ourselves once
or twice during a cruise, and we find the intimacy and style of the specialty
restaurants well worth the extra fee.
| Our
favorites are The Bistro, a French restaurant found onboard all NCL ships,
and Cagney’s, a terrific steakhouse on The Star, and sister ships; The
Dawn and The Spirit. You can also choose The Soho Room, featuring a fusion
of California and Asian cuisine; Ginza, offering a Thai/Japanese/Chinese
menu and a novel all-you-can-eat Sushi conveyer belt. |
The
pool is a popular spot
during
the day and evening…
|
Guests have many dining options offered
as part of the cruise package, including the elegant Versailles Dining
Room; Aqua (where the pastry and dessert preparation is open for view from
the dining room); La Trattoria for Italian food aficionados; The Market
Café for sumptuous breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets; The Blue
Lagoon, open 24 hours for burgers, fish & chips, pot pies, and wok
fast dishes; and Endless Summer, a beautiful dining room that opens on
to The Atrium, and features a Tex-Mex menu., including enchiladas, black
bean soup, tamales, back ribs and Mexican chocolate cheesecake.
The Versailles Dining Room is an elegant
French-style restaurant located at the aft of the ship with a huge wall
of windows looking out over the phosphorescent wake of The Star. It is
also the scene for The Chocoholic Buffet, a signature event for Norwegian
Cruise Line. Fully 500 pounds of chocolate are used in this extravaganza,
350 lbs. of regular chocolate, and 150 lbs of white – and believe me -
most of it goes!
| It
really is a fantastic presentation; with huge ice sculptures prepared on
deck during the afternoon, three and four foot chocolate replicas of The
Eiffel Tower, Bald Eagles, and Pirate Ships – all providing a backdrop
for more ways of preparing chocolate than you can imagine. |
Junior
Suite with a balcony
|
Cakes, fruit fondu, squares, mousse, ice
cream, it just goes on and on! Almost a quarter pound per passenger – and
that doesn’t include the other ingredients. Sure it’s excessive – but remember,
reality has been suspended for the duration of your cruise – so go for
it and enjoy!
After all this food, you’ll be pleased
to know that The Star has a fully equipped fitness centre with all the
machines, weights and free weights that you could possibly need. Classes
are available, and Beverley and I find that an excellent way to start the
day is a light room service breakfast (we eat a little less that way),
followed by a trip to the gym. You don’t need fancy sports clothing to
enjoy the fitness centre. People of all ages, shapes and varying degrees
of fitness use the centre.
| The
Barong Spa is a luxurious treat. I enjoyed using the indoor lap pool, which
happens to be the longest indoor lap pool onboard any cruise ship in world,
at 40 feet long and 13 feet wide. In the same room you have a whirlpool,
and hydrotherapy pool. All this with a floor-to-ceiling view of the Pacific
Ocean. |
The
elegant Versailles Dining room
|
All of the public areas have been designed
to provide a sense of intimacy. For example, the largest of the 10 different
restaurants seats just 392 guests. The Red Lion, an authentic British pub
serving a variety of beers, has a capacity of 92. There is a cozy and well-stocked
library, and a comfortable reading room. Card enthusiasts will enjoy the
opportunity to join fellow guests for a game of bridge in a room dedicated
to card games. There is also a room set up for informative lectures and
presentations. Perhaps you might be interested in some investment guidance,
a history of the Mexican Riviera, or a talk about the stars that shine
so brilliantly over the Pacific Ocean. One of my favourite locales is the
Java Café, located on the Atrium. This is the hub of activity on
the ship, and an excellent place to enjoy an espresso or café-au-lait
while watching the unfolding scenes of life at sea.
| The
Star has a brand new 10,000 square foot casino with all the latest slots,
a large number of tables for Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, 3 card poker,
Caribbean Stud Poker, and Craps – the latter with odds paying out 3, 4,
and 5 times to 1. So if you feel that Lady Luck is on your side, you’ll
enjoy yourself in The Star Club Casino. |
Balcony
stateroom
|
There is accommodation for a variety of
budgets. Cabins with balconies are very popular and The Star has 372 standard
staterooms with balconies, 36 suites, and 107 mini-suites with private
balconies. The Star has 20 cabins for people with disabilities. There are
a variety of options for family accommodations. Most cabins have a sofa
bed for a third or fourth person.
Also, there are suites that include a separate
bedroom and bathroom, which is ideal for children or teenagers! All staterooms
were nicely appointed with rich cherry wood. Also, each is equipped with
a small fridge and coffee maker.
| If
you’re in high cotton, you might be interested in one of the Garden Villas,
complete with private garden hot tub, terrace, lounge and dining area.
Each 5,350 square foot villa has a large living room (large enough for
a baby grand piano!) a dining room, and three separate bedroom suites,
each with their own complete bathroom ensuite. |
Outstanding
entertainment
and
production shows
|
You don’t have to be wealthy to enjoy a
cruise onboard the Norwegian Star. Freestyle cruising means a relaxed dress
code, with resort casual (no jeans or shorts after 6 pm) being the dress
for most evenings. There is an optional formal evening, usually the Captain’s
Welcome Cocktail Reception. We saw instances where one group dressed in
tuxedos and cocktail dresses would be adjacent to another group in slacks
and golf shirts; and no one felt out of place.
Excursions are a major part of any cruise,
an opportunity to experience the local scenery, culture, or sports activities.
The waters off the Mexican Riviera are the breeding grounds for over 2,000
humpback whales, making this an excellent location for whale watching.
We saw whales and dolphins from our ship balcony. There are detailed explanations
of all the excursions, and the Shore Excursion Manager and his staff are
available to help you select those that match your interests. There is
enough variety that you could do this cruise a few times, and still have
new discoveries to make.
| Los
Angeles is the home of Hollywood, movie sets and stars, and the cruise
line has a variety of pre and post cruise packages available. In keeping
with our theme of suspended reality – we recommend that you take a couple
of days to explore Los Angeles and Hollywood – the home of make-believe. |
|
You may want to visit the Norwegian Cruise
Line website for more information about The Norwegian Star, The Mexican
Riviera, and Alaska. www.ncl.com
Bon Voyage!
|
