Review: First ever cruise, Star, Mexican Riviera, Deluxe Owners Suite, Toddler

[cadien]

Our original excursion plan was the semi-sub. DS was going through a major marine life obsession, thanks to a favorite cartoon. Naturally he completely moves on to a new favorite thing about two months before the cruise. It was still the plan but then the concierge calls us the night before. The sub has mechanical issues and so the excursion is canceled.

 

On impulse, we selected the dolphin encounter to replace it. It was a 20-30 minute bus ride. After a bathroom opportunity. Mostly scrubby countryside. When we arrived, there were changing rooms for people who weren’t already in their swim gear, then everyone put on life vests.

 

Any friends and family who want to just come along and watch can do so for no charge, and they even receive one of the sack lunches served later. There’s a viewing area with shade and benches and it’s fine to take photos from there even though they’re selling professional ones. Some dolphin excursions charge a reduced fee for being a viewer instead, so check the fine print.

 

Learn from my mistake: all ages should wear rash guards when doing this. I’d even considered buying a cute Lands End one before this trip but figured that for what I’d spent for my first bathing suit since junior high, that’s what I needed to be wearing. You can’t wear sunscreen (or jewelry) in the dolphin pool. My shoulders were scorched. It was really difficult to sleep for a couple nights. DH was fine but he grew up in southern California. DS had a rash guard as well as a long-sleeved shirt when out of the water.

 

While I’m issuing warnings, there was a poor woman there on the phone forever with her credit card company because she’d forgotten to tell them they were traveling out of the country.

 

We were divided into three groups, evenly spaced around a large pool. Our group had eleven people and the others looked about the same. Each group had their own dolphin, trainer, and photographer.

 

The excursion was almost an immediate disaster for us because the dolphin’s first trick was a gigantic splash of water all over us. DS freaked. Wailed. Wanted to leave. Fortunately he calmed down after five minutes or so and then had a great time. But the trainer would shield him whenever another splash was coming. (Our trainer bore a striking resemblance to Vin Diesel, which wasn’t an ordeal.)

 

The photos turned out wonderfully and were well worth the price, including a CD and a release form. After everyone had showered and changed, or just toweled off, they passed out sack lunches. Impressively, the turkey sandwiches were on multigrain bread with lettuce and tomato. There was also a banana, a random juice box (mango, guava, apple), and I think a cookie. Plenty of time to eat and get your selected photos printed before the bus came to bring us back to the dock.

 

 

[cadien]

Dinner was at La Cucina. I started with the meatless minestrone (I think there were three minestrone options) and they do the same thing as at Le Bistro where you get a bowl with a pile of the ‘stuff’ and then the waiter pours in the broth. I’d almost finished that when the kids club called again. He wasn’t falling asleep this time. He just wanted mom. Maybe his day was all the unfamiliar he could handle.

 

The restaurant agreed to deliver my entree and dessert to the room when they were ready and I picked up DS. (As you can imagine, I was very concerned when NCL announced soon after our return that they would eliminate takeout. And very relieved when they reconsidered.) Horribly, I had absolutely no cash when the food arrived but she seemed surprised I’d even try. She was wearing a La Cucina uniform instead of a room service one so maybe that changes expectations.

 

That was an amazing meal, despite circumstances. I even took a photo before I started eating but it doesn't look at all appetizing. I had the osso bucco, which cannot be found out here. Not usually enthusiastic about polenta but this was full of both butter and mascarpone. I was full halfway through but couldn't resist finishing it anyway. And even tried my rhubarb panna cotta, which tasted oddly of bleu cheese. The veggies were undercooked, which is a problem when it's eggplant. We'd ordered two bottles of wine for the table and the rest of the party thoughtfully sent along the first bottle with about two glasses remaining.

 

I did feel terrible the next morning, just in an over-ate sense. Thankfully the Lavazza also has chamomile tea pods.

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[triptolemus]

Door to empty space on the bridge. Straight down to the water.

 

Thank you for posting... I'm enjoying your thoughts and photos of the Star. I think these are the first I've seen of the DOS after the recent dry dock.

 

That door is used to access the maintenance rig which runs on the rails outside the bridge windows. Typically used for window washing and painting. You can see the rig is stowed on the port side in this photo, just behind the windows to the bridge.

 

[cadien]

 

 

 

 

[cadien]

Our second consecutive port day (of three) was Mazatlan. We got a more leisurely start this time since it wasn't a tender port and we were just going to Stone Island on our own. Breakfast was in O'Sheehan's because it was too late in the morning for a dining room. Really, for a vacation context, breakfast ends way too early all over the ship. We had to order quickly as it was. O'Sheehan's breakfast was five minutes from ending and they were firm that we had to order by then, even though we weren't all there yet. So we kind of ended up ordering just one of everything (almost) and then switching things around in configurations to make everyone happy.

 

The ship docks in a cargo zone, but there are frequent (mandatory) shuttles to the exit.

 

 

DH found the wording on the sign hilarious.

 

At the exit is a sort of visitors center slash mini mall. You can exchange money there at a reasonable rate and for no fee. The pulmonia drivers are everywhere and eager, but we followed the consistent directions from the Mexican Riviera board and just walked. It really was simple. Turn left at the exit, straight two blocks of sidewalk then one of dirt road (still the same direction) and you're at the water taxi.

 

The water taxi was an adventure. It's a sort of skiff and the end you're getting into, while it's bobbing about, has nothing to grab onto. Not even the side, because that end has a cover over it. So you're getting up onto a sort of platform and then it's a couple steps until down into the boat. Only about a two minute ride across the bay and the same adventure getting out. The directions to the beach from there were accurate too -- just straight ahead up and over the hill, ignoring the road you cross in the process.

 

 

This photo was taken later, back on the ship, but you're basically going from the right of the shot to the left.

 

 

 

A water taxi at the Stone Island end.

 

Edited June 23, 2015 by cadien

[bobg529]

Thank you for your wonderful review so far. Very thorough and even handed, and excellent photos to boot. I'll be doing this itinerary in October 2016, so naturally am anxious to read all I can about this side of the world. Please keep posting, you are doing a great job! :D

[CC71]

Great review, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences :)

Edited June 23, 2015 by CC71

[cadien]

It was spring break for parts of Mexico as well so the beach was packed. We ended up just grabbing a covered table at the very first place. We only had a few hours, and didn't plan on a meal, so we didn't need to be picky about the food or even drinks. And with this being DS's first ever visit to a beach, we wanted to be sort of out of all the traffic. He did play very happily in the sand for about half an hour.

 

How awesome are these sand molds?

 

[cadien]

Then his father and grandmother persuaded him (eventually) to stand in the edge of the surf. Now all he wanted to do for the rest of that day and all of the next was chase waves. Too bad for him we're landlocked back home.

 

We were at one end. It got much more crowded to the left but I ended up without any photos in that direction. There were jet skis and kayaks and all kinds of water activities.

 

 

 

We packed up when we started seeing familiar green and white striped towels going back the way we came. It was probably 90 minutes until sailaway but I was paranoid about getting back in time. Pulmonias were at the water taxi stand to offer us rides back, and the others were tempted, but I was firm about not letting DS ride in one.

 

Back on the ship, we got cleaned up and changed and over to DIL's cabin in time to watch for pier runners from their balcony. Riders, in this case, with those mandatory shuttles. The announcements started with four or five names and slowly got shorter. They probably all made it.

[cadien]

That evening was date night for DH and I, which basically meant that the kids club had DIL's number to call if there was an issue, but this time he was fine. He'd adjusted to the times (not least because we were going east) and it was pirate night besides. That does remind me -- Those portable suite phones are handy if you're traveling with people in another suite. To keep in touch with each other, DH and I successfully used the text messaging feature on the iConcierge app. So we went for sushi, which is about half of our date nights, especially when visiting California. There were always huge lines for the Asian place (already free) when we'd walk by but this evening wasn't bad. We got two seats at the sushi counter within five minutes. Getting an actual table was about 45 minutes but we'd actually wanted the counter. Now remember we're not North Dakotans where seafood and sushi concerned. Until 6 years ago, we'd always lived on the west coast. This was not good sushi. This wasn't even as good as what you now get in North Dakota. The biggest problem was the variety. Our choices were tuna, salmon, shrimp. It was really good salmon. But really, just those three. Both on the conveyor belt and when we asked about special orders. And way too many of the rolls involved spicy mayo, which I just won't do. I think I found three that didn't. We'd also heard great things about the ribs from DILs, so it was a disappointment that the new menu eliminated them. There were no chopsticks. Again, even when we asked. That was blamed on the dry dock. Also, the waitress kept calling me My Lady. Oh well.

 

The evening didn't improve. Like I'd said, there is little storage in the master bedroom. The only drawers were in the bedside tables, so that's where my pajamas were. The one on the wall side. Alongside the foot of the bed was a sort of credenza, placed beneath the tv. It's a bit of a squeeze past that to get between the bed and the wall and I didn't pay enough attention. Smashed my toes right into the corner of the credenza leg. Even worse, DH was a witness to my dramatic reaction. Even before I got to bed (already unable to lay comfortably due to the sunburned shoulders, remember) two toes were lovely dark shades of purple.

 

More random advice: If you buy an inexpensive waterproof wrist watch right before the trip, which is not a bad idea, be very sure you have packed the instructions. The time zone changes every day on this itinerary and I never could figure out the proper sequence of the little buttons.

[cadien]

When sailing away, I questioned whether we'd fit through that gap up ahead.

 

This is the view from DIL's front balcony on deck 10.

 

[cadien]

Random tour boat with a sense of humor.

 

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[cadien]

Third and final port day - Puerto Vallarta. Another late morning so we ate in the buffet. I was really impressed by the unlimited lox, although it's odd that they have the toaster (not self-serve) so far away from all the toppings.

The omelet station was a bit chaotic. People would push in and order ahead of their turn and the cook would just make it without saying anything. And when one passenger asked for his (truly overdone) omelet to be remade, he got an argument.

On the other hand, there was an incident at the toaster station where a passenger asked for a kind of turnover and they'd run out. He just shrugged it off and got something else. But about ten minutes later, I saw the toaster attendant walking through the dining room with a big fresh plate of the turnovers, looking for him. That was nice.

[MissLiss76]

Thank you for posting such a great review! We're doing this trip on the jewel with our DD who will be about 3 1/2 next year. I really appreciate all the photos of the ports! Looking forward to more.

[cadien]

This stop had been a real planning challenge for me. The planning for each port was all left to me, for good or ill. There were many appealing choices for Puerto Vallarta but no clear winner. After months (months!) of dithering, the big water park was eliminated because of the car seat issue. The pirate ship was an obvious choice for children but DS seemed too young. But there’s a big difference between almost 3 years old and almost 4. By the time we were actually cruising, he looked like the kids in the marketing, so that was back on the table. What I was most interested in was one of the food walking tours, although MIL would then need to babysit. Or we could make use of Splash Academy. Finally, a day pass at the nearby Crown Paradise resort sounded like a good idea for DS, especially after a thorough photo review from someone on the Carnival board. It’s actually two resorts side by side and the other half is adult-only, so you’re not annoying anyone.

 

In the end, we decided to play it by ear, which wasn't entirely wise. Especially the part about not setting an alarm. The pirate ship was pulling away from the dock by the time we woke up. There was also a steady stream of overloaded catamarans off to other excursions. The food tour was obviously eliminated because I could barely walk. I was able to tape up my toes at least.

 

Actually taken after they returned:

[BSR]

Enjoyed your review and pictures. We will be on the Jewel in December sailing to Mexico.

Edited June 23, 2015 by BSR

[cadien]

I think it was close to 1pm by the time we were all off the ship, which was kind of a wasted day probably. We had to be back by 5.

 

There are half a dozen parrots at the dock but sort of tucked off to the left side, in the shade.

 

 

Speaking of the docks, we really appreciated those cold damp towels they hand out at every port as you're reboarding. Having somewhere covered to sit and wait for the rest of your party, with beverages to boot, was a really nice touch as well.

[cadien]

The Crown Paradise -- not even a block from the pier -- was out of day passes by then of course, so we just continued up the street and ended up at a Hilton. We managed to get a couple lounge chairs beneath an umbrella on the beach, with a little table in between, and waiters came by regularly for food and drink orders (included).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cadien]

They even brought ice cream cones when we needed to bribe DS to give everyone else a break from the water. And it wasn't that yucky ice milk like we got from the beach vendors in Mazatlan.

 

 

 

 

 

There were a lot of small sharp rocks once you got down to the waves. DH really wished for water shoes but DS didn't seem to notice. We even tried the gift shop but they didn’t have any. They did carry swimsuits and sunscreen, however.

 

 

It does turn out that a resort section of a beach does not necessarily mean a lack of vendors. There were still many, but not aggressive.

 

Speaking of aggressive, DH waited out front of the port about 20 minutes for the rest of us and apparently the taxi drivers were pretty pushy with their tours, but not competitively priced. One just would not leave him alone, even after DH explained we already had a plan and it didn’t involve driving.