Caribbean Cruise: Day 1: Welcome to the Norwegian Star

This trip is a 6-day Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa, FL, exploring Roatan, Bay Islands (Honduras), Costa Maya (Mexico), and Cozumel (Mexico). I am traveling with my mother, sister Doris, and friend Elizabeth. I hope you will enjoy our adventure.

Norwegian Star

We left Sarasota around 10 AM. Dennis made lattes for Elizabeth and me to sip on as we drove to the Tampa pier. Once Dennis dropped us off and we gave the porter our bags, it took roughly two hours before we finally embarked. Lots of mazed-lines to register and receive our boarding passes.

Exploring the ship (Front to back:  Mom, Elizabeth, and Doris)

Hungry and thirsty, we bee-lined to the Lido deck. While we quenched our thirst and stuffed our bellies, the captain announced that the staterooms were prepared. I was surprised to see that most of our luggage was in our rooms. Mom and I are sharing a mid-ship room with a porthole, Elizabeth and Doris are sharing a balcony room at the other end of the ship.

om in stateroom on the Norwegian Star

We spent the latter part of the day exploring the ship. Mom and I enjoyed a “Rebellious Fish,” the cocktail of the day and then we all went for supper. We decided to skip the Welcome Aboard shore and retired to our rooms.

Enjoying dinner in the Aqua dining room (Left to right: Me and mom in back, Doris and Elizabeth in front)

We learned that we would not be leaving on time because of a propulsion problem. The departure was rescheduled to 10 PM, but we did not leave until 3 AM. Elizabeth and Doris went up to the Lido deck to join other jubilant passengers. They then got up at 5 AM to see the ship go under the Skyway Bridge, and then see the sunrise. The joy of being on sea made the night fun, but being up all night made them ravenous.

Author: Jane V. Blanchard

I am an award-winning author of the "Woman On Her Way" book series, writing about my travel adventures. For more information on the books, please visit janevblanchard.com. I started the "Woman On Her Way" travel blog in 2013 to share my experiences as I explored 13 countries with my husband, traveling by ship, foot, bike, bus, train, and plane. Dennis and I continue to make memories and hope you will enjoy following along.

4 thoughts on “Caribbean Cruise: Day 1: Welcome to the Norwegian Star”

    1. This was the first time I cruised with women. We were multi-generational and varied in cruise experience from none to having completed double-digit voyages. It was a lot of fun, and I would do it again.

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