Welcome back Star cruisers!

[marilynbn]

Thanks Cactgurl you sure are quick to respond! It's almost like we are IM'ing!

Well I only have 3 months to plan and prepare for this trip...I better get crack'in ! Marilyn ;)

[SweetEmi]

Cactgurl: Thanks for the tip about the fried eggs...Hadn't thought of that - I'm not a big omlette fan.

 

Can't wait!!

Emi

[marilynbn]

Hi SweetEmi...It's fun to see you here on the boards with me! We must have similar tastes in travel since we both have done Hawaii (Yes, I know you live there!) next we are both doing Mexico and I too am thinking about Alaska next summer!! Marilyn ;)

[cactgurl]

marilynbn - packing - UGH! I waaaay over-packed. Advice - pack light weight, light colored, loose clothing for the ports. It's hot! The best thing I packed for our room was - nooooooooooo not duct tape - suction cup hooks! Good for hanging hats or your net shower thingy or bathingsuits after rinsing out. Bathingsuits don't dry very well inside, but we would transfer them to the balcony and they would dry out in no time. Pack a few bathingsuits. Oh, and the shoebag - hung it in the bathroom and cut off the bottom 3 rows or so. Within easy reach from the shower, too, so handy to just keep some items hanging there. My hubby now wants to find a place to hang it at home LOL (just kidding!). A good idea is the alcohol wipes for mouthpieces if you're snorkeling, too.

[SweetEmi]

Marilyn - Great Minds Think Alike!! I'm now thinking of maybe the Pride of America Repo from San Fran to Hawaii instead next summer...though not yet clear on that. I really would like to do Alaska.

 

Cactgurl: I bring clothes pins to hang stuff on the shower clothes line, that's pretty convenient. I remember when I went to Acapulco as a young adult - we hung up our suits outside and they never would dry because of the humidity...it was November then - around Thanksgiving time.

 

Emi

[Oppgaard]

What can you tell us about the casino?

 

Thanks for all your feedback.

[cactgurl]

Yes, clothespins are a good idea also, but found that the suits dried quicker on the balcony. We would put them outside first thing in the morning as we were still sailing and they would dry very quickly.

 

Casino - hubby won a little bit playing blackjack, but the slots odds aren't good. Even when I won a bit on the slots, the payout was bad. Didn't spend too much time there as it was a little bit smokey.

[marilynd]

Hi Marilyn This is Marilyn

 

My cruise is not on Jan 8 but Jan 24.

 

You can let me know all about it

 

Marilynd

[marilynbn]

Marilyn...will do! I hope to be as helpful as everyone else has been here! :)

[LindaO]

We are on the Thanksgiving cruise... just a couple quick questions..

 

Do they still grill lobsters on deck (at the BBQ) on Lobster night?

 

Can you give me some details on the Canapy tour... We've booked it and I really do not know what to expect~!!

 

Glad you had a great cruise...

[seahorse]

Great reviews,

 

 

What was the earliest time that you could get off the ship, and did anyone have to get a flight home?

 

I have a 12:30 flight from LAX. Do you Think that I will make it? My only other choice is a late afternoon flight to the East Coast:(

[agehman1]

Thanks for the update on the star. I have been starved for info. We are leaving in 3 weeks for the cruise on 10/28. The information is appreciated. I have read both good and mixed reviews on the ship and am going with an open mind. There is good and bad on any ship. My theory is that I am on vacation and will enjoy myself. If that fails a good drink helps. Thanks for your input.

[cactgurl]

We didn't see lobsters being grilled any night, but then we didn't even know when lobster night was...

 

The canopy tour was awesome. Dress comfortably - it's hot! And bring bug spray or buy it at their little store. It's a bit buggy as you're in the woods. The ride in the truck is a great way to begin and end this adventure. The fumes from the truck were a bit strong during the ride, but you get to see the local "scenery" and get a good 4-wheel drive ride.

 

The canopy tour - you're fitted into a harness and hard-hat. They give you the prep talk and off you go to the first tree. I don't want to give too much away because part of the excitement was also the unknown. The zipping from tree to tree was so exhilerating and fun. We had about 5 awesome guides and they were so much fun. Be prepared for some good natured ribbing - all in fun. You can't bring any water or good camera's with you, but you'll be given water on your hike back and they'll film you.

 

Linda, if you really want the nitty-gritty details, please let me know and I'll tell all.. :)

 

We were off the ship by 10:00 and my brother wished they had booked the 12:30 flight to the East Coast after all. We live in the SF bay area and we really could have taken a much earlier flight than our 4:35 PM flight. But, we didn't want the stress of the unknown. Now that the first cruise is done, I would say that you'll have no problem getting to the airport in time. Get your correct colored tags for the early disembarkation the last night and get in line early the next morning for the immigration inspection. One note - even though we got off later (9:30 colored tags), we wouldn't have had a problem getting to the airport on time.

 

agehman1, great plan! We did exactly the same and had a wonderful cruise.

[ar_annie]

cactgurl

"We call NCL to order liquor prior to the cruise. Fairly expensive, but nice to have the option of a cocktail while in our room."

 

I found a wine list and a gift order form on the NCL website, but didn't see anything about liquor. Did you find a list with prices?

[LindaO]

cactgurl... thanks for the hints on the Canopy Tour.. will definately take a disposable camera, bug spray... and wear light weight clothes... No more details needed.. just wanted a little preview... it sounds great... and I can't wait!! Thanks again!!

[cactgurl]

ar_annie, We got pricing when we ordered our wine as liquor bottle pricing isn't listed anywhere. Good luck - it all depends on the person answering the phone (we had to call a few times!).

 

Linda - make sure your camera has an elastic strap on it so you can put it up on your arm. I don't know when you'll be able to snap a photo though...

[chilidog6]

Are there one or two formal nights? Sailing on Oct. 20th. Getting very excited, thanks for all the info.

Cheryl

[Bennett'sCruise]

Bump & Update

[Jessica_2020]

Ok..will be going on the Star on the 28th of this month!!!! Getting soooo excited as it will be our first cruise! Was just reading about some descriptions of public places on the ncl website! I saw that the Red Lion Pubs description was: Traditional English Pub featuring darts, pool and large screen TVs.

 

Has anybody been to that pub and do they really have a pool table?? I didn't imagine a pool table would work on a ship!

 

Another question I have is are the seas calm or rough in the mexican riviera waters??? I am a little bit worried about getting sea sick. What was the motion like on the Star?? Could you even tell that the ship was moving??

 

And does anybody know if those seasick bands work???

 

One more thing...:) I thought somebody posted something about the free dailies! Is it possible to get those???

 

Thanks in advance!

[ar_annie]

Another question I have is are the seas calm or rough in the mexican riviera waters??? I am a little bit worried about getting sea sick. What was the motion like on the Star?? Could you even tell that the ship was moving??

 

And does anybody know if those seasick bands work???

 

Jessica,

It's hard to say how much motion there will be on the ship, depends on the day, and the weather. In calm seas, you'll notice little to no motion.

I've been on several cruises and was not bothered by sea sickness, then all of sudden, I went on a cruise and was bothered. I would suggest you purchase bonine, and take one every night before you go to bed as a preventative. That's what I do now, I lost a whole night and day on one cruise because of seasickness, and I won't let it happen again. Not sure about the bands, I've never tried those.

Annie

[SweetEmi]

I have the Relief Band, which costs about $65 or so (Reusable with batteries). They work really great with no side effects. They were originally invented for chemotherapy patients apparently. I got mine at Drugstore.com.

 

I wasn't bothered by the motion on either of the 2 cruises I've taken before but sometimes it can be very comical trying to walk down the corridors....*smile*

 

Emi

[mich2]

I was wondering, is the Sprinkle's Ice Cream place still on the Star? I got a daily from yesterday and I didn't see it listed.

[cactgurl]

There was one formal night. But, most of the people dressed nicely for the rest of the nights, too.

 

The seas were calm, but you could feel the slow "sway" of the boat. It took me a day or two to get acclimated to that feeling, but once I did, it didn't bother me at all. Now I'm still feeling the "sway" :).

 

The Red Lion Pub was fun! David was good and very friendly. We tried to get there more than the one time we made it, but we were always too busy! I can't remember if there was a pool table or a dart board. We were having too nice of a time listening to David I think. There was a large screen TV and sports were playing when we would walk by during the day.

 

I have all of the daily's, but won't be able to scan them until early next week - sorry! One of the good things about cruising is that you can't check email or voicemail, but one of the bad (?) things is that you're swamped when you come back!

 

I also have the sheet with all of the restaurants that I'll scan, too.

[Oppgaard]

One of the bumpiest rides we ever had was on the Mexican Riviera itinerary in December of one year. We did it last February and all was fine so guess it all depends.

 

I buy OTC Motion Sickness pills from Wal-Mart which is a generic for dramamine. I think a bottle of 100 costs less than $5. I usually take a couple before getting on the ship just in case and then if the water starts to get rough I will continue taking them. Just once did I get a little sea sick and that was enough to convince me to always carry the pills with me. Even though I infrequently need them, I have found that they come in handy for other people.

[SweetEmi]

I'm pretty sure Sprinkles is still there. I remember reading someone's post on it (probably from Alaska). It is still listed on my brochure from NCL, but then again so is Dazzles and I know that isn't there anymore.

 

Emi