NCL Spirit 12/27 - 1/3 New Year's Cruise

[RaMar]

This was our 21st cruise (#3 with NCL). We flew to New Orleans the day before the cruise and stayed at the Hilton Riverside Hotel. Our flight left on time despite the weather and we were quite surprised as to how cool the weather was in NOLA upon arriving. I really enjoyed the stay at the Hilton. Very nice location and the room was very spacious and clean. It is close to the pier and having been to NOLA twice before, we knew exactly our way around. We got to the hotel at approx. 10:45 a.m. and they had our room ready; after dropping our stuff we went out to get a few last minute things at Walgreens (there is one at almost every corner in town). We walked several miles and made our way to Deannies for lunch, the food was great and they serve you large portions. My seafood platter looked like it could easily feed 2-3 people (yummy!). After lunch there was more walking and shopping. By the time we got back to the hotel it was time to repack things and settle in anticipation for the cruise.

EMBARKATION: We got to the pier which was right behind the hotel at about 11:15, we were given a blue card with number 1 on it and were directed to another area to get our check in completed. The process took less than 5 minutes and we sat down to wait until they started embarkation. We must have sat for 10 minutes and they called our number.

 

THE SHIP: Upon entering the ship I noticed that the Spirit is beautifully decorated. The Asian decor is very nice but not over the top. I skipped the champagne and went right up to the 9th floor to find our cabin. Note: The cabins are not ready until 2 pm but we managed to get into ours and drop our carry ons. After that we went up to Raffles to have some lunch. The subject of food varies from person to person and I'll talk about it later. After lunch we explored the ship until it was time to go to our cabin. We had a balcony cabin and I have to say that it was the smallest one that we've ever had. Even the balcony was small but we managed. In all fairness to this review, I must say that on most cruises we've stayed in mini suites and there is much more room. Our luggage arrived shortly after the fun muster drill which I was surprised that it was held out on decks and we did have to bring our orange gear. The cabin had four small drawers right under the t.v.(small t.v.), the closet had storage shelves angled(thank God for those because we always overpack). We were able to put all our things away and it forced us to be organized and keep things neat. The bathroom was adequate except for the configuration of the toilet, every time I was there I felt like I was in a phone booth with my pants down. However, the shower was great and I was so glad that there was no curtain creeping up in places. Sliding doors are for me! The balcony was smaller than usual but it was nice to have one.

 

To be continued soon....

[RaMar]

We had never sailed out of NOLA, and this was nice to experience. It got dark shortly after 5 pm and I kept thinking as to how much more beautiful this would be at some other time of the year when it isn't as dark outside. This cruise was a birthday present to me and I was determined to have a relaxing enjoyable time and not be under pressure at any time and I believe that I accomplished it.

 

FOOD: Very subjective but here are my comments, and trust me, I never went hungry!

 

Raffles Food Court: We ate breakfast, lunch and many dinners there. breakfast is breakfast but there was always a variety to choose from, and most of the time I am satisfied with a cup of coffee and a roll. Lunch was another story. If you like Chinese food this is your ship! Everyday there was Chinese food for lunch and dinner at the stirfry station and other areas of the buffet as well. I enjoyed the pasta station everyday and also the sandwich making station. Salads and soups were also good. Desserts were a hit or miss with three or four selections.

Specialty Restaurants: Had dinner once at Teppanyaki and it was very nice. If you're planning on eating there, make a reservation the day before or in the morning because the area accomodates just 10 people.

Cagney's: Had dinner there New Year's Day and I was not impressed at all with the food. It was just o.k. in comparison to other specialty restaurants.

I have to say that I enjoyed most of the dishes that I chose and there is always something to eat. I do wish that Raffles would have stayed opened a little bit later.

 

To be continued soon .....

[Tbuzzard]

Enjoying your review. We are sailing on Spirit on March 7th and recent reviews make the days go faster. How are the ports? Did you do Bourbon street in NO?

[nlt46]

Thank you for taking the time to write. We are on the Jan 24th cruise out of NO, and I enjoyed reading about your cruise.

Nancy

[mbisson]

You seem to be having a little trouble Never again LOL

[RaMar]

Enjoying your review. We are sailing on Spirit on March 7th and recent reviews make the days go faster. How are the ports? Did you do Bourbon street in NO?

 

Yes, and I also walked all the way to the French Market.

[RaMar]

You seem to be having a little trouble Never again LOL

 

:confused:

[RaMar]

PORTS OF CALL:

Costa Maya: We did the beach break excursion. Went on a big comfortable bus basically through a jungle. Not much around except for swamps and trees. It took about half an houe to get to this place. I think it was called "Uvero Beach" or something like that. Lounge chairs are provided as well as complimentary drinks. The beach was o.k., it was a bit windy so I did not go in the water. We stayed for about an hour and then got back on a bus to go back to the pier.

 

Guatemala: We did Las Escobas Waterfalls. It was really nice and I really enjoyed the tour. It's a long walk and when you get to the waterfalls you can go in the water. The water was cool and refreshing and a welcomed relief because it was very humid there. The trees are huge and you can barely see the sky. Glad that we did the excursion because we were warned not to wander around by ourselves in town. Apparently the crime rate is high and tourists are a target.

 

Belize: Chose to stay on the ship because we had been there several times and didn't feel like taking the tender. It was wonderful to be on the ship as it was almost empty and it was very relaxing. Tendering takes a while and we were anchored very far away from the shore. If you are doing an excursion you just go down at your assigned time and there is little waiting but if you are going on your own, you need to get a tender ticket and wait until your number is called. At noon they made an announcement indicating that if you wanted to go ashore you no longer needed any ticket.

 

Cozumel: It was one of the warmest ports and we docked in Punta Langosta which is in the center of town. We spent the morning doing shopping and then went back to the ship as it was getting really cloudy. It poured for some time and then the sun came back out.

The weather was good and we were lucky not to have any wash outs!

 

Disembarkation: I had forgotten that NCL lets you choose the time to get off the ship which is terrific. Color tags for your bags are placed downstairs near the purser's desk and you choose the color that you want. When they call your color you simply depart the ship. It was not too bad and customs was a breeze as they just took the form that we filled out. They didn't even look at my passport. By 10:00 am. we were back at the Hilton around the corner. I was thrilled that we decided to stay in NOLA an extra day and it worked out great because the flight that we would have taken at 6:00 pm. was 4 hrs. delayed as a result of the weather in NY.

 

Overall, I really loved the cruise and enjoyed the relaxing time that we had. I was so glad that they don't really push "formal nights". People dressed how they wanted and it was just relaxing. Many passengers chose to get really dressed up while others including myself did not.

Looking forward to a future cruise with NCL! If you have any ??? I will try to respond. Bon Voyage and enjoy!!

[Slidell Mom]

Thank you for your reviews!!! I really appreciate it!! We will be cruising on the Spirit 2/14/10! So excited!!!

[RaMar]

Thank you for your reviews!!! I really appreciate it!! We will be cruising on the Spirit 2/14/10! So excited!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise and hopefully the weather will be warmer in NOLA!

[langleyfld]

Enjoyed the review! We are flying to NO on 2/25 and board the Spirit on 2/28/2010.

What time did you get off the ship in NO? What was the earliest time you could get off? We are a bit concerned due to the fact our flight time has changed and our boarding time is 11:30 am. Do you think we can make that with no problem?

[cacj]

Enjoyed reading your review!:)

[Shocker4]

Enjoyed the review! We are flying to NO on 2/25 and board the Spirit on 2/28/2010.

What time did you get off the ship in NO? What was the earliest time you could get off? We are a bit concerned due to the fact our flight time has changed and our boarding time is 11:30 am. Do you think we can make that with no problem?

 

 

We are driving and would like to know the "latest" possible time we can choose? Do you happen to know that also?

[mbisson]

You seem to be having a little trouble Never again LOL

 

:confused:

 

It made sense before posts from a roving troll were deleted last night. He called himself NCL Never Again

 

Now- it makes no sense at all (they should have removed my response to him as well)

 

I'm enjoying the review btw! :D (Never Again wasn't ;))

[mactrio]

Thank you for your reviews!!! I really appreciate it!! We will be cruising on the Spirit 2/14/10! So excited!!!

 

We'll be cruising with you. There are 6 of us.

[bluefish17]

We were on the Spirit over New Years as well and also had a great time. It's hard to be back at work with the cold weather now.

 

Our return flight was changed after booking to 11:30am and we decided not to chance it on a holiday weekend. We flew out at 5:14 pm. I did see people lining up with luggage about 7:30 for self walk off. Not a big line. They began leaving at 8am. We stayed on as long as possible which was 10am. No lines in customs. Sent bags with Rush it Courier to airport and spent the rest of the day in the French Quarter.

 

You probably can make the flight at 11:30 if all goes well. I would call the airline and find out what would happen if you miss the flight. For us it was standby on the next and last flight at 5:14 (which was full). If you didn't get on stanby, you had to fly out the next day paying a $100 change fee plus any difference in the price of the flights. Not worth the risk for us.

[red lobster]

I enjoyed your review RaMar, I stayed on in Belize last year too, but this year we are taking the same cruise and I think we may do the Beach Break. I read that they pick you up at the ship so that wouldn't be as bad as tendering and then taking other transportation to the beach. Thanks for taking the time to post about your trip.

[texgen]

Enjoyed the review !! My husband and I are doing this in March 2011....... I know....long way off !! I'm reading everything I can about the Spirit.......as you can see...we've gone mainly Carnival !! Our first cruise was on the Norwegian Sea and we loved it so we're really getting excited about going on the Spirit !! We have friends going next week........ can't wait to see her pictures...menus and such !!! Thanks for the review !

Ginnie

[Slidell Mom]

Enjoy your cruise and hopefully the weather will be warmer in NOLA!

 

I live here, and it's not getting much out of freezing now!! Hopefully, it will be by then!!! :rolleyes:

[Slidell Mom]

We'll be cruising with you. There are 6 of us.

 

Cool!! I am so excited! We are traveling with a couple of families!!

[RaMar]

Enjoyed the review! We are flying to NO on 2/25 and board the Spirit on 2/28/2010.

What time did you get off the ship in NO? What was the earliest time you could get off? We are a bit concerned due to the fact our flight time has changed and our boarding time is 11:30 am. Do you think we can make that with no problem?

 

We got off the ship in NOLA at approx. 9:40 am., but our hotel was literally around the corner. Please clarify your boarding time issue?

[RaMar]

It made sense before posts from a roving troll were deleted last night. He called himself NCL Never Again

 

Now- it makes no sense at all (they should have removed my response to him as well)

 

I'm enjoying the review btw! :D (Never Again wasn't ;))

 

Sorry that I am having a big time senior moment and still don't understand you. Hope that I don't offend you.

[RaMar]

We'll be cruising with you. There are 6 of us.

 

You will love it, go with an open mind and don't let insignificant issues get in the way! No such thing as a bad cruise!

[RaMar]

I enjoyed your review RaMar, I stayed on in Belize last year too, but this year we are taking the same cruise and I think we may do the Beach Break. I read that they pick you up at the ship so that wouldn't be as bad as tendering and then taking other transportation to the beach. Thanks for taking the time to post about your trip.

 

Never did the beach break, please let us know how it was. I wish you a wonderful cruise and have a blast!

[RaMar]

Enjoyed the review !! My husband and I are doing this in March 2011....... I know....long way off !! I'm reading everything I can about the Spirit.......as you can see...we've gone mainly Carnival !! Our first cruise was on the Norwegian Sea and we loved it so we're really getting excited about going on the Spirit !! We have friends going next week........ can't wait to see her pictures...menus and such !!! Thanks for the review !

Ginnie

 

You will have a great time. I've only done one Carnival cruise(New Year's 2008 out of Tampa) and I loved it. Looking for future nice itineraries on Carnival. Keep reading the reviews and enjoy your future cruise.