Taste of Mexico - Norwegian (NCL) Review
Embarkation process:
Embarkation was pretty quick. After dropping our bags at the curb, checked in at the cruise desk and within 20 minutes we were on board (around noon). We brought 6 bottles of wine so were directed to a table where they put sicker son the bottles and we were charged $15 a bottle corkage fee. We went straight to kids club to register on deck 13 which was a good thing because a long line started behind us. It was Spring break so there were 1000 kids on board. We received a warning ahead of time (email) that some age groups may max out. This didn’t happen to us but I believe the More 6-9 year group did max out as I heard some people were turned away.
We were able to leave our carry on checked in at Ginza restaurant and went to lunch at Versailles which was very nice. Our rooms were ready right after lunch around 1 I think and we received our bags at 2:45.
Finding your way around the ship will take a few days. There are touch screens which can guide you on where you want to go. Some tips: On the carpet in the state room hallways the fish swim to the front. Also there is blue carpet in the forward elevator/stairs banks, mid has red carpet and aft green carpet. Deck numbers are at the top of the stairs and also highlighted in blue on the ship map by the elevators.
Dining/Bars:
For breakfast we mostly grabbed something at the Market Café which was always very busy. After a few days we discovered that there are really 4 buffets with mostly the same stuff so go to the one in the back or away from the main entrance to find a shorter line. We also went outside to the Topsider pool buffet one time which for breakfast wasn’t that busy.
I think you can make dinner reservations for all the restaurants once you’re on board but we didn’t try this and just winged it each night except for la Cucina where we made reservations in the morning.
We had dinner at O’Sheehan’s a few nights. The service was slow the first night but better the next. The food was decent American: burgers, fries, soups,etc. and a good shepherd’s pie. The desserts were not so great-very bland.
We tried Ginza (no longer specialty although you have to pay for sushi and “hot rock” dinners) two nights. The first time we had to wait a long time for our food (sushi included) and couldn’t even finish because we wanted to catch the show at 7:30. The second time was slightly better but their hostess system needs work. Desserts were actually interesting and good here.
We had dinner at Aqua (main dining room) a few night s which was consistently good and the service was great. We didn’t try Versailles for dinner due to the lack of pants but it looked busy every night.
We wanted to try Le Bistro but my husband didn’t bring long pants and for le Bistro and Versailles this is required for dinner time. We had dinner at La Cucina instead which was ok but probably not worth extra charge ($15 pp). A lot of the dishes they served can be had at Aqua and the service was slow.
Bars: We loved the new 5 o'clock somewhere bar. Friendly staff and great music (guitar) at night by Nick Di Gregorio. We also went to Gatsby’s a few nights and there was good piano and string music. The Bier Garten at the top of the pool decks doesn't do its name justice. The few times we went, they were slammed making mixed drinks and getting a beer was impossible. Table service was non-existent.
We didn't try the Mojito bar this time.
Entertainment
The Spinnaker lounge hosted a lot of trivia games, bingo, deal or no deal, perfect couple show, which were all pretty entertaining. The beautiful Stardust Theatre had a new show every night. We would go here after dinner and then move to the Spinnaker lounge for the game shows. We pretty much liked all of them: Band on the run was my favorite, Look of love (Burt Bacharach) music show was good and Marambollo had great aerial acrobats from Russia. The Comedy and magician show was ok but a bit rude with some off color jokes. The Paradis cabaret show also featured the Russian aerial couple. The other comedian they had one night was pretty entertaining.
There were different parties and dance nights but we didn't participate except for the white hot party which was fun to watch but the dance floor is small so we didn't dance.
Attractions
The one main pool with 2 slides was pretty busy on sunny days bit the water was cold so no wonder there were always a lot of kids in the hot tubs by the pool. There were some other hot tubs for adults only but we didn't try them since we have a hot tub and pool at home.
Kids Clubs (Splash Academy and Entourage) worked out great for our kids. They both made a lot of friends and were gone most of the day hanging out with them and participating in the organized activities. On your fist day make a note of how to get to the Splash Academy on deck 13 because you can only get there from certain decks. We ended up walking through the Market café on deck 12 aft and it’s at the end up the stairs.
The IConcierge app was great and we were able to text between us and our oldest daughter to keep track of each other ($7.95 pp for the whole week). It also provides the dining and bar options and the daily activities so you don’t need to bring the daily news with you. Although some of the youth activities were not listed on the app.
Other attractions were shuffleboard, golf driving range nets, chess, basketball court, casino, arcade games (small). There is also a spa which we didn't try but we took a tour and they explain all the options they have from acupuncture to massage,etc. Quite impressive. You can also buy a day or week long pass to just use their pool, hot tubs and lounge area. I think the week pass was $129 a person. Nice if you want to get away from all the kids on board. They also offered teen focused packages (mani/pedi, facials) which again we didn't try this time.
I wish they would have shown more movies in the Stardust theater. I only noticed one and it was not advertised in the Daily news I believe. We had 2 windy sea days so there wasn’t a lot going on since the pool and outside bars were pretty chilly.
They offer photography sessions in the atrium which we did one night. They turned out pretty good. Make sure to get there early because there was a line at times.
There are only 2 gift shops on board. One small one (Tradewinds) with logo merchandise and some clothing. The other with alcohol, jewelry, perfume and cigarettes (duty free). Flip flops were not sold on board and both my daughters broke theirs so be sure to bring an extra pair. There is one other sales counter (Tides) in the atrium that would have some specialty merchandise sales, something different every day (watches, gold/silver chains, hats/scarves). On the last day of the cruise they will have lots of sales and discounts and they even set up La Cucina as a sort of flea market with sales merchandise on tables. Go early (9am) to get the best selection.
Shore Excursions
Be aware that this cruise involves 2 time zone changes. From LA to Cabo/Mazatlan is one hour forward. From Mazatlan to PV is another hour. Be sure to keep track on one of your alarm clocks/watches. Our cell phones did not always reflect the right time and clocks are hard to find on board. They do leave cards at turn down to warn you of the changes and it’s listed in the daily news.
In Cabo we had to take a tender in a stuffy life boat. On the way back it was better with an open air boat tendered by the cabo port. Our excursion booked through NCL prior to the cruise was a luxury day sail. It was a good size boat and only about 15 people including our family on board. Raul our guide was very friendly and informative. There also was a photographer on board and we ended up buying her pictures for $35 total on a disk. They served a nice lunch with chicken Caesar salad, Fruit kabobs and ceviche and guacamole. It also was open bar but Raul would come around and ask you what you would like. There was a restroom inboard and towels. We did not get to go in the water but we did see whales and marlins. Afterwards we went to the Cabo Wabo bar for drinks. They had a good band playing. The town seemed pretty run down, maybe from the hurricane last year.
In Mazatlan you take a tram to the cruise terminal (good souvenir shopping). On the tram they talked us into a van city tour. The driver was very nice and the cost was only $25 pp. The driver/tour guide took us all over the city to some great look out poins (Dos Hermanos) and we were able to get out to take pictures. He took us to see the cliff divers and to old town into the cathedral. We also went to the market downtown but beware that some vendors do not take dollars. Then to the golden zone where all the fancy hotels are. We had lunch at Costa Marinara, a local seafood restaurant, per his recommendation and it was good (great shrimp) and right on the beach. He picked us up afterwards and took us back to the ship.
In PV we had booked a city tour and Mexican Fiesta lunch through NCL. The bus was nice and air conditioned- very comfortable. It took us through old town (church) first and we walked to the Malecon/boardwalk and visited the opal factory, a nice jewelry store where a lot of people ended up buying souvenirs. Then headed out of town but made a pit stop in another mall where we could use the bathroom or free. On to lunch at Hacienda Doña Engracia which was about half hour drive from town. First we got a tequila factory tour and tasting of about 10 tequila’s. Of course we ended up buying some. The food was pretty good and the entertainment was fun with different costumes and dances. There were different arts and crafts stands where more souvenirs could be bought. Please note that if you buy any tequila in town you have to hand it over for safe keeping when you board the ship. You then pick it up the night before disembarkation.
Disembarkation:
The day before disembarking you can pick up colored luggage tags (with your preferred disembarkation time) if you want your luggage to be taken off the ship the night before. You can also opt to walk of the ship with your luggage. We just packed everything except our PJ's and change of clothes and toiletries, the rest was taken off the night before. In the morning in the Atrium they will announce and show the color that can leave the ship. In our case they ran ahead of schedule and since we were ready to go we left earlier than planned when our color came up. There was quite a long line for customs to go through- probably waited at least half an hour. We then called the hotel shuttle and they came in about 15 minutes to take us back to our car at the hotel.
All and all we had a good time and enjoyed the different ports. The ship was kept up well and the food was decent and entertainment was good although we would have liked some more trivia, movies and game shows on sea days during the day. Our kids loved the kids clubs! Less
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