Relaxation on the Spirit?

[BigMattT]

Howdy all --

 

On our last cruise on the Gem, we wanted relaxatoin... so we booked a balcony cabin near the aft of ship, found the sun deck with the circular couches for quiet reading away from the crowds, and spent lots and lots of time in the thermal suite.

 

Next cruise on NCL is on the Spirit. No thermal suite--where should we go to go to relax and unwind that's quiet-ish onboard? (without spending a fortune on upcharges or spa treatments)? (We have a balcony, but don't want to rely on that as our only "escape" from the crowds.) (Is the Spirit as "crowded and loud" in feel as the Gem?)

 

Thanks in advance...

~Matt

[suzieluvscruising]

The steam room / sauna / resistance current pool (or whatever it's called) are all available at no charge. I never did get up there to use them, although I had every intention of doing so pre-cruise. Had 2 couples stone massages - to die for! Go take the spa tour the first day and grab a massage to start your cruise. Check the daily. There was an insert in there indicating % off for 1st day cruises. I didn't see it until later, discovered they had charged full price but got credited back the difference. Also consider booking a massage (so worth it!) during a port day to get a discounted price. Other ways to relax - we were out on our balcony a good deal of the time. We got to see whales breaching off the side of the ship heading to Bermuda (1st sea day toward dusk if I recall). Went to Henry's mid afternoon for beer and soft pretzels (yum) and the place was empty. Wonder around the ship - there are always quiet areas to be found. Enjoy. Love the Spirit!

[OceanDreaming2]

If you want a dark, secluded place during the day, head to the Maharaja Lounge in back of the casino. It's empty during the day and they have double leather loungers.

[sottovoce]

If it's a cruise with few kids, there's a stadium seating area with lounge chairs overlooking the kids pool area. It's somewhat sheltered, convenient to the buffet for coffee and snacks, and looks out over the Spirit's stern. We sat there during our sea day cruising the Saguenay Fjord last fall. Very nice.

 

You also might check out a little secluded nook on the starboard side of deck 8 just off the atrium. It extends out over the promenade deck, is glassed-in, and there are four chairs, in two pairs, if I recall correctly.

[RYMOMA]

2000 passengers on my cruise last week....just got off yesterday

950 something crew

only 120 kids under the age of 12...

 

 

i never would of thought there were that many people on the ship.

 

it was quiet, only time you saw crowds were when the shows got out

getting to ready to go ashore, disembark...

 

i never hung by the adult pool...i was near the kiddie pool all week

it was quiet

 

love every aspect of this cruise

[brizon]

There were surprisingly a number of different places you could go to relax on the Spirit. My fiance and I spent a large amount of time in the galaxy of the stars. It was busy at times but we both enjoyed it. Maharanis lounge was always quiet, with the exception of the pub crawl day...We lounged on the sofa beds there and loved every second of it! We also loved going to the quiet zone, sundeck on deck 13. There are tons of places for peace, quiet, and relaxation!

[mom for life]

Just got off the Spirit on Friday and we loved to have our morning coffee in the Galaxy of the Stars while our 16 yr old DD slept in. Deck 13 has a Quiet Zone with lots of lounge chairs that was also nice to get away and relax. There's also a library that seemed quiet and low key.

 

However, our most favorite quiet area was our balcony...

[Don Haynes]

If it's a cruise with few kids, there's a stadium seating area with lounge chairs overlooking the kids pool area. It's somewhat sheltered, convenient to the buffet for coffee and snacks, and looks out over the Spirit's stern. We sat there during our sea day cruising the Saguenay Fjord last fall. Very nice.

 

You also might check out a little secluded nook on the starboard side of deck 8 just off the atrium. It extends out over the promenade deck, is glassed-in, and there are four chairs, in two pairs, if I recall correctly.

 

The stadium lounge area aft is my favorite area on the Spirit. Lots of lounges to choose from. Its not far up to the Raffles Terrace bar and buffet. Very quiet area suitable for book reading. No noise from a pool area bandstand either. And I love the veiw of the ship's wake, which on most new ships today is reserved for those who book the aft suites.

[Ms belp]

The Spirit has many places to go for peace and quiet. My favorite spot was outside on the aft near the kid's pool believe it or not! But we cruised in late March so it may be different at other times.

[BigMattT]

Thanks for the responses, all!

[pratzert]

One of My favorite quiet areas on the Spirit was at the "Bier Garten".

 

Heinekin on draft and Hamburgs/Sausages pretzels, fries and several tables.

 

Granted... it's sort of open and not real sheltered, but it was fine for me even on the Alaska cruise.

 

Almost never another person there so always had lots of space.

 

I had heard rumors they were planning on closing it, but I hope they didn't.