Mini Star 1/28-2/5 Review

[Beachkeefes]

Embarkation was horrible -took from 1 to 3 PM just to get onboard. Flip side: Debarkation went like clockwork -we were off within ten minutes of their estimate. Ship is showing her age - she wobbles, and pitches and creaks, but: the mini suite (11502) we were in was extremely quiet (except for the creaks- I think its the wood panelling not flexing). Food presentation was outstanding -service was great from the waitresses (friendly, attentive, and competent) the waiters, on the other hand were mostly cold & brusque (a cultural difference?). Food quality was poor -tough beef & chicken -the fish was usually better. And, yes, the fish & chips in the Blue Lagoon was great! NCL should drop Manzanillo and stay in Cabo overnight. The Jean Ann Ryan singers and dancers were outstanding! As good as any we've seen in NY or L.A. But: there was no Playbill listing their names, a serious breach. More later...

[tuffy88]

How was the weather?

 

Charles

[7SeasLover]

From 1 to 3 to embark? Ya should have been in NY on January 5th ('03??) Embarkation was a nightmare! We left port 2.5 hours later than scheduled. The only thing that could have made it worse would have been snow. Given the long wait we were lucky, delightfully surprised, and extremely pleased as we saw Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Sailing out of Manhattan at night is an awesome vision!

 

A lot of times embarkation is not the fault of the cruiseline, but other entities. One just never knows how embarkation will be. I've waited hours for some, and I've walked right on for others.

 

Good think you enjoyed the rest of the cruise!

[love2relax]

Beachkeefes,

I love your avatar with the dolphin. You never know what's going to happen getting on and off the ship. Last summer, we cruised right at the start of Hurricane Katrina. We were bussed across Florida to go out of Fort Lauderdale instead of Tampa, but the wait wasn't too bad. We left port way later than scheduled though, since more than half of the passengers were not on board when it was time to depart!

By chance do you have any pics of your mini suite. My sister and I are going on a AK cruise this summer, and she has booked a mini suite very close to yours. I would love to see some pics if you have them. It will be her first cruise. (I was lucky enough to find some pics someone posted of the very AE suite I will be staying in, and I wanted to try to do the same for her.) Thanks in advance.

[Beachkeefes]

How was the weather?

 

Charles

 

Beautiful. Sunny and warm (about 76 to 80). The last sea day got cooler & foggy, but by then most of the deck chair people were pretty well burned to a crisp anyway.

 

Jim

[Beachkeefes]

Beachkeefes,

I love your avatar with the dolphin. By chance do you have any pics of your mini suite. My sister and I are going on a AK cruise this summer, and she has booked a mini suite very close to yours. I would love to see some pics if you have them. It will be her first cruise. (I was lucky enough to find some pics someone posted of the very AE suite I will be staying in, and I wanted to try to do the same for her.) Thanks in advance.

 

As soon as I can get them downloaded from the camera, I'll post them and let you know where they are. The dolphin was a little guy who wandered into Newport Bay last summer. I think he came up to see us as we paddled by, but that might just be wishful thinking.

 

Jim

[judyf]

Looking forward to reading more about your cruise. Please fill us in on what you did in the ports.

 

Thanks for posting

[Hikini]

I became a big fan of the fish and chips in the Blue Lagoon on our first Star cruise in 2004. (I learned about them from this very board.) So when we went on the Spirit last September, I was so disappointed to find out that they only served fish and chips for 2 hours on the 2 at-sea days, and it was in Henry's Pub instead of the Blue Lagoon. Not sure why that was, but I can't wait to be on the Star and have access to those fish and chips 24/7! LOL!

 

Hikini:D

[love2relax]

As soon as I can get them downloaded from the camera, I'll post them and let you know where they are. The dolphin was a little guy who wandered into Newport Bay last summer. I think he came up to see us as we paddled by, but that might just be wishful thinking.

 

Jim

 

Thanks Jim. I'll look forward to them.

[cruisingfromMN]

Beachkeefes,

I love your avatar with the dolphin. You never know what's going to happen getting on and off the ship. Last summer, we cruised right at the start of Hurricane Katrina. We were bussed across Florida to go out of Fort Lauderdale instead of Tampa, but the wait wasn't too bad. We left port way later than scheduled though, since more than half of the passengers were not on board when it was time to depart!

By chance do you have any pics of your mini suite. My sister and I are going on a AK cruise this summer, and she has booked a mini suite very close to yours. I would love to see some pics if you have them. It will be her first cruise. (I was lucky enough to find some pics someone posted of the very AE suite I will be staying in, and I wanted to try to do the same for her.) Thanks in advance.

 

Click below for pictures of a mini-suite!

[Beachkeefes]

Mary: The photos are here: http://cards.webshots.com/invite/pickup/111673062YqYl/album/547224601aXcXeC

 

I think.?.

 

Jim

[immargaret]

Mary: The photos are here: http://cards.webshots.com/invite/pickup/111673062YqYl/album/547224601aXcXeC

 

I think.?.

 

Jim

 

Great photos......

 

:)

[judyf]

Thanks for the photo link. I see you got towel animals.

[love2relax]

Jim and Cruisingfrom MN,

What awesome photos! Thank you so much for sharing. I have already forwarded links to my sister. Cruising, the pics of the kids in the "bed"room were precious. And wow Jim! You take photos of the stuff I like to remember, like the art and murals. I LOVE the flying birds. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your effort. The Star looks like a beautiful ship! I can hardly wait!

[melika091900]

we didnt get any towel animals :( im sad now..

JK, we had a great time, it was nice meeting you both !!! :)

 

melissa & ice

[Nilla]

Melika I think you should have complaines to your room steward. Richard and Victoria made us a monkey that was hanging from the ceiling. We left it there for the next few days! Man work sucks!!!:mad:

[flyingpirate]

We never got any towel animals either, what a disappointment. I even mentioned in passing conversation when the steward was in the room......nuthin'.

And how about NCL's month old policy of no pillow chocolate? :mad:

 

Your pix are great, hope to get mine up soon, too many lobsters to edit.

 

It was great meeting you, neighbors!

 

Keep the pointy end forward and the shiny side up!

[WeHo_Cruiser]

Sorry I didn't have a chance to hook up with you guys. With five in our party, it seemed like we were always on the go! I agree that NCL should drop Manzanillo, but should overnight in Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan. (Manzanillo is a pit. It reminds me of Broadway in downtown LA. Yuck!)

We had no problem with Embarkation. We were in our cabin and unpacking in about 20 minutes. Overall, I thought the food in the speciality restaurants was excellent.

 

I'll try to post a pix of our towel animal zoo. We had cats, dogs, peacocks, cobras, alligators, and even a towel-man dressed in my cap, jacket, sunglasses, shoes, and i-pod. Our cabin steward Garry was incredible!

[melika091900]

Sorry I didn't have a chance to hook up with you guys. With five in our party, it seemed like we were always on the go! I agree that NCL should drop Manzanillo, but should overnight in Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan. (Manzanillo is a pit. It reminds me of Broadway in downtown LA. Yuck!)

We had no problem with Embarkation. We were in our cabin and unpacking in about 20 minutes. Overall, I thought the food in the speciality restaurants was excellent.

 

I'll try to post a pix of our towel animal zoo. We had cats, dogs, peacocks, cobras, alligators, and even a towel-man dressed in my cap, jacket, sunglasses, shoes, and i-pod. Our cabin steward Garry was incredible!

 

manzanillo wasnt beautiful unless you were at the beach , we went to la audencia and it was beautiful and the snorkeling was awesome. i would go there again for snorkeling only... sorry you didnt like it .

and we never got towel animals ... im still sad.. oh well im over it :)

 

sorry we didnt get a chance to meet,dod you take any pics??? i have some , if any one wants to see them email me

melissaofoia@sbcglobal.net

[Beachkeefes]

Still trying to figure out why our Life Boat drill station was in the Stardust Theatre - I figure if we hit an iceberg, I'd want to be where the boats are!

 

Best kept secret is the indoor pool and hot tubs behind the Barong Spa. We had the whole place to ourselves most of the time.

 

Almost forgot to mention the Wings in the Blue Lagoon - as good as the fish & chips.

 

We didn't eat at the extra cost places, but loved the Endless Summer ambiance - a table for two overlooking the atrium is cool! Best food at Versailles seemed to be non-dinner...blintzes at breakfast...great luncheon choices. Had dinner at Aqua most nights...same food, different scene. On French menu night we had 5 appetizers, 1 dessert and NO entree. The chefs use a lot of imagination and care in preparation...too bad their raw materials are substandard. I gained the requisite 5 pounds anyway!

[Host CMLA]

Ship is showing her age - she wobbles, and pitches and creaks, but: the mini suite (11502) we were in was extremely quiet (except for the creaks- I think its the wood panelling not flexing).

Can you talk about this a bit more? The Star launched on November 19, 2001 It's a relatively new ship. I was on her maiden voyage and it was very creaky. I chocked it up to being new. We're looking to sail her next year but would like more info if you think it's showing too much aging.

[WineGuy]

Doug,

 

We also had Garry as our room steward in the Garden Villa on the 1/4/06 sailing. He is absolutely the best. Here are some pictures of the characters he created for us.

[Beachkeefes]

Can you talk about this a bit more? The Star launched on November 19, 2001 It's a relatively new ship. I was on her maiden voyage and it was very creaky. I chocked it up to being new. We're looking to sail her next year but would like more info if you think it's showing too much aging.

 

We haven't cruised that much, but Star just seemed a little worn compared to Celebrity Summit. The creaking appeared to increase when the side to side roll of the ship increased. I thought it might be that they weren't extending the stabilizers in order to minimize drag and keep the speed up. It must be embarrassing to be passed by Carnaval Pride every night. My comment about the wood paneling is because many years ago I paneled the inside of my '69 Chevy Van and it creaked just like that.

 

Jim