For VIP players who prefer to sail from West Coast ports, the Star Club casino aboard the Norwegian Star is a very good bet.

The spacious, brightly colored main casino -- very similar to the casino found on the Star's East Coast sister ship, Norwegian Dawn -- offers 15 gaming tables, including 6 blackjack, 2 three-card poker, 1 Ultimate Texas Hold 'em, 1 Let It Ride, 2 roulette, and 1 craps table.

It also offers two of the games many Asian players favor -- Pai Gow Poker and baccarat. One of the baccarat tables was located in the main casino and a second, along with an additional blackjack table, was set off in a "high-roller" alcove with $50 and $100 minimums.

Separating the main casino and the VIP alcove is a Texas Hold 'em table, which was generally pretty busy nights on this cruise. While sailing from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera during the winter months, the Star on sea days also opens a low-limit blackjack table at one end of the pool-deck.

NCL's blackjack games, as we have noted before, are the most player-friendly at sea. The Norwegian Star-- like other NCL ships -- uses six-deck shoes and the dealer stands on soft-17. The Star uses continuous shuffling machines only at its $5 and $10 blackjack tables. Higher-stakes games are dealt from a shoe.

Surrounding the gaming tables are a couple of hundred slots offering wagering opportunities ranging from 1 cent to $100.

NCL remains the most advanced of any of the major cruise lines in establishing a Players Club and issuing the same type of card you get in a land-based casino to track play and reward VIP players.

Slot players only needed to insert the card in the machine of their choice to accumulate points that could be redeemed for rebates on onboard charges on the final night of the cruise.

Supervisors and dealers on the Star were among the most outgoing that we have encountered on NCL ships, and Players Club members were very well cared for.

Bottom line: VIP players cruising to Alaska this summer or the Mexican Riviera in the winter of 2007-2008 would have a hard time finding a better shipboard casino experience than that aboard the Norwegian Star.

--The Savvy Cruiser