VERY LONG Spirit 12/20 Cruise Review - The great, the bad and the ugly...

[x2tpd]

Okay -- This was our 4th NCL cruise and I have yet to write a review when we were done but this cruise was unique and since many of the things we encountered seem to keep coming up in other posts I thought I would.

 

First - New Orleans - We stayed at the Drury Inn on Poydras. It was clean and the staff was excellent. They let us park our SUV there for the week for $15 in a fenced lot. Breakfast is included and starting in January so is our dinner appetizers. A steal for $130 with tax.

 

Day 1 - We arrived via Taxi. We had walked it the day before but with luggage the uneven streets would have been a pain. Taxi was $21 for three people. We got there at 10:30 am and were on board by 11:30 am despite there being a sign that said boarding would begin at 12:30 pm. EASY EASY! We did find signs on the floors saying the staterooms would not be available until 2 PM but they were actually available at 1 PM. We used the extra time to have some lunch, make our specialty and spa reservations.

 

When we got to the room I did not notice a great difference in size as we had read on others posts. Three people not a problem in a room as long as you don't keep the sofa bed out. We were in balcony cabin # 11050. The bathroom layout is nice but stops there for this cabin. The smell of mold was overwhelming and there was visible mold in the shower. The shower door didn't slide and the shower head finish was actually peeling off. There was visible rust (a lot of it) and the grout on the floor was missing and chipping out so that it came up when you showered. Later we also found out the shower was leaking and the carpet between the bathroom and the closet became so damp that we had to keep towels down for three days. I have photos of all of this for anyone who doubts it ;)

 

We went to Raffles the first night and it was OK. Since its much smaller size-wise the variety was less. There was a salad station, a vegetarian station and a crepe station where they would make things for you. The meat of the evening was lamb which wouldn't have been my first choice. It was OK but nothing to write home about.

 

My daughter had read that the sofa bed was uncomfortable and so she asked ahead of time for an egg crate and was very glad she did. The sofa bed is short.... My daughter is only 5'7 and her toes were hanging off. I thought out bed was the most uncomfortable of any of the ones I had slept on with NCL. The air conditioner also seemed not to be working well.

 

DAY 2 - SEA DAY - I enjoyed the spa! And I did enjoy the spa! WOW!! We ate and went to the casino. All and all fun! A nice day but the cabin was still the same (of course). Room service was prompt. We saw Duo Acrobatics that night and they were good to great! I really liked there show.

 

DAY 3 - Costa Maya - We liked this port. We went on the Dune Buggy Excursion. It was nice and ended up being our third favorite excursion and port. The dune buggies are in different states of repair so pick well! The guides, Adrienne and Omar were great! The shopping area around the ship is good. If you wanted to shop a bit (30 plus stores) get a bite to eat, a beach massage, and hang out on a bit of beach you could fore go an excursion but you definitely would have to be in the mood to chill.

 

DAY 4 - Guatemala - Our least favorite. Do yourself a favor and plan an excursion! Puerto Barrios the closest town is not worth going to. There is a small flea market and the prices are excellent. There were a few locals doing some dancing and acting. The ship docks in a commercial cargo type port so there is not much to see here. There are tour providers in the port and there is a supposed price lists that they are all suppose to abide by but we got offered "special deals with my brother" several times.

 

DAY 5 - Belize - Our only tender port. The tender was well ran and not a problem. We had an excursion planed and so met the excursion on the pier. We did the Land Rover Tour here. This is a good excursion and offers a lot more then I expected. I will post about it in excursions. Belize had a lot of shops around the port. Our second favorite excursion and our favorite port.

 

DAY 6 - Cozumel - Our second visit to this port. We met the excursion Jungle ATV's at the end of the pier. AN AMAZING EXCURSION!!! I will write about it in excursions also. Cozumel is obviously the most built up port for shopping. A ton of shops.

 

We ate at Cagneys that night and it was excellent. It is always one of our favorite dining experiences and the service is always wonderful.

 

DAY 7 - Sea Day- Sushi for lunch! ABSOLUTELY awesome! The Chefs are very nice if you engage them and made us some rolls that were not on the menu but that they love. That night we went to the entertainment finale and it was excellent. Each of the groups from the other nights did a small skit and it was excellent. This was absolutely the best!

 

DISEMBARKATION was simple and went as quickly as the customs agent could process your paperwork.

 

SO here are some general comments

 

DINING ROOM SERVICE: Very hit and miss. We waited for over five minute every time we sat in the dining rooms before anyone would even come to the table to pour water. This held true when we we were there when the opened, when they closed or anytime in between. Definitely the worst service I had experienced on NCL. The room service was prompt and friendly every time.

 

SPA: I went to the spa three times and found that the specials were definitely the way to go. The only exception being the specials are exempt from the buy three price special program. I thought the seaweed treatment was overpriced and would not do that one again but it is suppose to work for chronic pain and my daughter who had recently had shoulder surgery says her shoulder is still pain free since she had it done. I did not think the girls were pushy about the products but they did offer. Don't check a lot of conditions on the introduction paper they have you fill out or they will "suggest" more and more products and treatments.

 

FOOD (Non-Specialty): I loved the lobster being so available and I was always able to get an extra tail with no problem. The always available chicken and salmon were always good.

 

PUBLIC AREAS: This ship has a lot of private public areas. I liked that a lot. The Galaxy of the Stars was the nicest bar area that I have found on the all of the NCL ships. Deck 8 had a lot of stuck away little sitting areas that were very nice.

 

Any questions let me know....

[DMH15]

Thanks for the review. Sorry for the problems with the bathroom and MDR service. But it sounds like you still had a good time in spite of a few glitches... I commend you for that.

[OKCThunder]

Good rundown! I cant wait to get on and start vacationing!!! I am looking forward to your excursion reviews!

 

I am glad you did not let the negative things get to you!

[Sparkylok6]

Thank you for the well balanced review.

 

I do hope though that you reported the mold, and the water leak (probable cause fo the mold) to the front desk. That is something that really needs to be tended to. I would write a nice letter to NCL Corporate and let them know of this, as well as providing the pictures. Mold could cause a very serious health problem.

 

Overall it sounds like you had a good time. I hope that you continue your review.

[x2tpd]

WHOOPS .... I got started on another topic and didnt finish the mold story. I cleaned some of the mold away myself. Stupid I know but I feel so bad for the cabin stewards sometimes that I don't want to complain. After realize the carpet was wet I did call. The maintenance people were very prompt and the supervisor immediately said they were going to have to redo the bottom of the shower and said he was going to put a blower in the room to dry the floor. We had just got back on the ship after being in port all day and needed a shower. I asked if there was another cabin we could move to but they were all full so I said we would have obviously have to shower and with three people in the room couldn't have a two foot long blower in the middle of the room, not to mention the noise. He said they would work on it first thing in the morning then when we got off the ship. We took showers and my husband and I tried to take a nap but three other people came to look at the bathroom and we got three different calls about it. So no napping :mad: They were concerned though. ;) They did fix the grout the next day but never did a good cleaning, didnt fix the shower door or the handle. We had to keep the towel down for the next two days and then it dried too.

[islandgirlejfan]

Thanks for the review! Hubby and I are considering the Spirit as our next cruise so it's good to know the great, bad and ugly!

[bike1964]

Okay -- This was our 4th NCL cruise and I have yet to write a review when we were done but this cruise was unique and since many of the things we encountered seem to keep coming up in other posts I thought I would.

 

First - New Orleans - We stayed at the Drury Inn on Poydras. It was clean and the staff was excellent. They let us park our SUV there for the week for $15 in a fenced lot. Breakfast is included and starting in January so is our dinner appetizers. A steal for $130 with tax.

 

Day 1 - We arrived via Taxi. We had walked it the day before but with luggage the uneven streets would have been a pain. Taxi was $21 for three people. We got there at 10:30 am and were on board by 11:30 am despite there being a sign that said boarding would begin at 12:30 pm. EASY EASY! We did find signs on the floors saying the staterooms would not be available until 2 PM but they were actually available at 1 PM. We used the extra time to have some lunch, make our specialty and spa reservations.

 

When we got to the room I did not notice a great difference in size as we had read on others posts. Three people not a problem in a room as long as you don't keep the sofa bed out. We were in balcony cabin # 11050. The bathroom layout is nice but stops there for this cabin. The smell of mold was overwhelming and there was visible mold in the shower. The shower door didn't slide and the shower head finish was actually peeling off. There was visible rust (a lot of it) and the grout on the floor was missing and chipping out so that it came up when you showered. Later we also found out the shower was leaking and the carpet between the bathroom and the closet became so damp that we had to keep towels down for three days. I have photos of all of this for anyone who doubts it ;)

 

We went to Raffles the first night and it was OK. Since its much smaller size-wise the variety was less. There was a salad station, a vegetarian station and a crepe station where they would make things for you. The meat of the evening was lamb which wouldn't have been my first choice. It was OK but nothing to write home about.

 

My daughter had read that the sofa bed was uncomfortable and so she asked ahead of time for an egg crate and was very glad she did. The sofa bed is short.... My daughter is only 5'7 and her toes were hanging off. I thought out bed was the most uncomfortable of any of the ones I had slept on with NCL. The air conditioner also seemed not to be working well.

 

DAY 2 - SEA DAY - I enjoyed the spa! And I did enjoy the spa! WOW!! We ate and went to the casino. All and all fun! A nice day but the cabin was still the same (of course). Room service was prompt. We saw Duo Acrobatics that night and they were good to great! I really liked there show.

 

DAY 3 - Costa Maya - We liked this port. We went on the Dune Buggy Excursion. It was nice and ended up being our third favorite excursion and port. The dune buggies are in different states of repair so pick well! The guides, Adrienne and Omar were great! The shopping area around the ship is good. If you wanted to shop a bit (30 plus stores) get a bite to eat, a beach massage, and hang out on a bit of beach you could fore go an excursion but you definitely would have to be in the mood to chill.

 

DAY 4 - Guatemala - Our least favorite. Do yourself a favor and plan an excursion! Puerto Barrios the closest town is not worth going to. There is a small flea market and the prices are excellent. There were a few locals doing some dancing and acting. The ship docks in a commercial cargo type port so there is not much to see here. There are tour providers in the port and there is a supposed price lists that they are all suppose to abide by but we got offered "special deals with my brother" several times.

 

DAY 5 - Belize - Our only tender port. The tender was well ran and not a problem. We had an excursion planed and so met the excursion on the pier. We did the Land Rover Tour here. This is a good excursion and offers a lot more then I expected. I will post about it in excursions. Belize had a lot of shops around the port. Our second favorite excursion and our favorite port.

 

DAY 6 - Cozumel - Our second visit to this port. We met the excursion Jungle ATV's at the end of the pier. AN AMAZING EXCURSION!!! I will write about it in excursions also. Cozumel is obviously the most built up port for shopping. A ton of shops.

 

We ate at Cagneys that night and it was excellent. It is always one of our favorite dining experiences and the service is always wonderful.

 

DAY 7 - Sea Day- Sushi for lunch! ABSOLUTELY awesome! The Chefs are very nice if you engage them and made us some rolls that were not on the menu but that they love. That night we went to the entertainment finale and it was excellent. Each of the groups from the other nights did a small skit and it was excellent. This was absolutely the best!

 

DISEMBARKATION was simple and went as quickly as the customs agent could process your paperwork.

 

SO here are some general comments

 

DINING ROOM SERVICE: Very hit and miss. We waited for over five minute every time we sat in the dining rooms before anyone would even come to the table to pour water. This held true when we we were there when the opened, when they closed or anytime in between. Definitely the worst service I had experienced on NCL. The room service was prompt and friendly every time.

 

SPA: I went to the spa three times and found that the specials were definitely the way to go. The only exception being the specials are exempt from the buy three price special program. I thought the seaweed treatment was overpriced and would not do that one again but it is suppose to work for chronic pain and my daughter who had recently had shoulder surgery says her shoulder is still pain free since she had it done. I did not think the girls were pushy about the products but they did offer. Don't check a lot of conditions on the introduction paper they have you fill out or they will "suggest" more and more products and treatments.

 

FOOD (Non-Specialty): I loved the lobster being so available and I was always able to get an extra tail with no problem. The always available chicken and salmon were always good.

 

PUBLIC AREAS: This ship has a lot of private public areas. I liked that a lot. The Galaxy of the Stars was the nicest bar area that I have found on the all of the NCL ships. Deck 8 had a lot of stuck away little sitting areas that were very nice.

 

Any questions let me know....

 

A couple of questions:

 

1. You mentioned that the a/c wasn't working well. Was that corrected or did you just live with it? I have read several complaints about the a/c on this ship and we sail in Feb. I am a warm blooded person and I like a nice cool cabin. We are on deck 10. I wonder if it's only on the upper decks since cold air "settles"? I am not looking forward to 7 nights of sweating.:eek:

 

2. You also mentioned that you were able to get Lobster, Chicken and Salmon anytime? Did I read that correctly? if so, is this available in the buffets or in the Dining Rooms?

 

Thanks in advance.:)

[x2tpd]

We told them about the AC after a few days and when it started flashing red (heat) and blue (ac) on the panel. It seemed cooler after they worked on it.

 

There is ALWAYS chicken and salmon in the dining rooms. There was lobster tails atleast three of the nights in the dining room. We ate at Raffles once, and Cagneys once .. Out of the 7 nights that leaves two I am unsure about. I can tell you if there had been lobster I would have ordered it so must not have been every night. I meant to say that it was a lot more then before... sorry if I said every night.

[Don Haynes]

Things happen such as gout leaks in the bathroom, toilets back up, lights burn out, and air conditioners and their thermostats freeze. Its always best to report any problems. I am always too cold, whereas my brother is always to warm. He hates coming to my house and me to his. At least the repair crews worked on the problems, addressed the issues. Fixing them is another story. Sometimes they don't have the parts necessary to fix the problem, but will eventually fix them later when the part arrives.

 

Did you ask your waiter and Maidre D why it took so long to get water? A squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you don't complain when they service you, they don't know they are falling short of expectations. Five minutes is a long time before water appears. Was the waiter serving another table nearby? I always tell the waiters I don't mind them working another table, but I do expect a glass of water at my table within a few minutes. Speak up! You have nothing to lose...

 

Thanks for the good and ugly balanced review. Happy you had a great time with your shore excursions. I believe a western Caribbean cruise the best itinerary after an Alaskan itinerary...

[mactrio]

Thanks for the balanced review, we sailed the Spirit last year and we're sailing her again on 2/14/10 & we can't wait.

[Kathyh1313]

Thank you for your review. Sounds like you had a very enjoyable vacation even with a few issues on the ship. I appreciate hearing about the good and the not so good.

 

We sail on the Spirit this Sunday and are very much looking forward to wonderful, relaxing time. We have been on the Spirit before and very much enjoyed her unique decor.

 

Agreed- Galaxy of the Stars lounge is the BEST!:)

[bike1964]

We told them about the AC after a few days and when it started flashing red (heat) and blue (ac) on the panel. It seemed cooler after they worked on it.

 

There is ALWAYS chicken and salmon in the dining rooms. There was lobster tails atleast three of the nights in the dining room. We ate at Raffles once, and Cagneys once .. Out of the 7 nights that leaves two I am unsure about. I can tell you if there had been lobster I would have ordered it so must not have been every night. I meant to say that it was a lot more then before... sorry if I said every night.

 

Thanks for the response, and the review.:)

[halos]

Great review...thanks for taking the time to post :)

[wkpcruise]

for taking the time to post your thorough review. We're sailing on the Spirit in late January and I love reading others experiences. It just makes me that much more exicted!

 

I do have a question and hope you can answer it. You said there were various sitting areas on the ship. Can you tell me if there were nice, out of the way, sunning areas? Some place I can relax with a book while getting a few rays?

[Isabella Benjamin]

Thank you so much for the review. I copied a lot of it onto my "cruise info" document to refer to when we're on the Spirit next month.

 

I will definitely be checking the bathroom in our room immediately and complain if there are any problems!

 

Do you recall any of the prices on your spa treatments?

[Tbuzzard]

I would like to complement you on your balanced and objective review. I don't think I have ever been on a cruise that was perfect but I don't stop cruising or let the imperfections get in the way of having a great time. I sounds like you had fun and thats what vacations are all about.

[x2tpd]

for taking the time to post your thorough review. We're sailing on the Spirit in late January and I love reading others experiences. It just makes me that much more exicted!

 

I do have a question and hope you can answer it. You said there were various sitting areas on the ship. Can you tell me if there were nice, out of the way, sunning areas? Some place I can relax with a book while getting a few rays?

 

Deck 13 has a lot of private areas where you could get some sun. I read somewhere that deck 13 had topless areas but we never saw anything like that.

[x2tpd]

Thank you so much for the review. I copied a lot of it onto my "cruise info" document to refer to when we're on the Spirit next month.

 

I will definitely be checking the bathroom in our room immediately and complain if there are any problems!

 

Do you recall any of the prices on your spa treatments?

 

Any specific treatments? I have the whole menu and all the dailies with the specials. I can tell you that the seaweed wrap was the most expensive I did and it was in the $230 range. There was a bunch of specials in the $110 range $130 with auto gratutity. If you want the whole list let me know I can photograph it and send it to you via email.

[Toyz711]

Deck 13 has a lot of private areas where you could get some sun. I read somewhere that deck 13 had topless areas but we never saw anything like that.

 

 

some of the NCL ships do have a special deck..."freestyle" deck. the spirit isn't one of them. deck 13 was nice to enjoy the sun and a good book. no shade areas, but they do have wind shields. bar service is available.

[Iwant1]

Hi ~ thanks for the great review. We'll be on the Spirit in just a couple weeks and I can't wait :)

 

You mentioned Sushi for lunch...is that in a specialty restaurant and if so, do you remember the upcharge? Thanks!

 

Also, are you going to post the Daily's? I'd love to see them :)

[x2tpd]

Sushi was $15 a person for all you can eat. I will post the dailies this weekend.

[x2tpd]

Here are some of the bathroom photos so that you know I am not crazy!! :D

[Barb Nahoumi]

Thanks for the review. We're considering the Spirit for a Boston to Bermuda cruise some time this summer.

 

We have done this cruise on the Majesty. The best reason------no flying.

 

Barb

[Maryfrei]

Enjoyed your review, thanks!

[Beauts]

Thanks for your great review! We are sailing the Spirit from NOLA to Boston in April. I would love to read some of the dailies!

Did you notice if the pool water on the Spirit was ocean or chlorinated? My good friend has allergies and cannot swim in chlorine. I did hear it was from the sea and it was also drained and replaced every night but just thought you could confirm.

Also, if you didn't have a balcony room (which for the first time we are not..) where would you say would be the best place on the ship to sit and watch while the ship leaves and pulls into port that isn't incredibly packed with people and also where hubby may be able to have a cigarette?

Thanks so much!!!!!