Boston to Bermuda 5/7-5/14

[Luv4dacruise]

It all started off pretty good, we live about 25 minutes north of the city with no traffic, however on a Friday morning trying to get to the pier for 10:30ish, make that about 2 hours north of the city :).

 

This was our 7th Boston to Bermuda run since '96, when the Royal Majesty was doing those runs (prettiest, prefect little ship, NCL, sorry, but you butchered her when you stretched her). Anywho, we too a little breather from the Boston to Bermuda runs for a few years and started going out of NY (never again) and then finally Bayonne (again in a heartbeat), however with Mom's deteriorating health and the fact that she is full time in a power chair now, we decided Boston would be our best option and the fact that the Spirit was now doing those runs was even better. Been on the Dawn and she was fully handicapped accessible with the exception of the coffee bar and forward sundeck (no biggie there) we figured the Spirit (being just a tad smaller than the Dawn) would be around the same accessibility wise, and boy were we wrong!

 

Having been on the Jewel of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Celebrity's Zenith (built in 1992 but believe it or not, far more accessible than the Spirit which was built in 1998). The destination itself for Ma is the ship, this was a new ship for her to explore, so we were thrilled about that, cause after being on 19 cruises but only 7 ships, it's nice to have a change in scenery :), this change however was not a good one. The shops were completely unaccessible to her as well as the casino as it was just too tight her power chair could not get down any of the aisles. The cabin (only outside cabin on the ship that was HC accessible) was alright in design, albeit a definite afterthought, walls were paper thin and could not figure out why, but there was not one piece of artwork in the cabin. Spoke to others about this and they said the same, the cabins were very sparse, which we expected after being on the Dawn. The furniture, like on the Dawn were just very plain and looked cheap, for instance the nightstands, looked like they were purchased from Walmart. Beyond that, the beds were hard as rocks, and the walls paper thin. Made the best of it though.

 

The food was actually decent, in comparison to the Dawn, we thought the food was horrid on the Dawn, but we did not get 1 bad meal the whole trip. The cutbacks are very noticeable though, no chocolates on the pillows, no signs of Freestyle 2.0 that i could see, no welcome aboard champagne or mimosa's, no upgraded bedding (or just very bad upgraded bedding) and anything that was supposed to be HC accessible, esspecially bathrooms, WERE NOT! HC bathrooms need to have raised toilets, none did, not even the one in the cabin. This ship was clearly retrofitted for the HC and should be dually noted in the deckplans what is and is not accessible to those in wheelchairs/scooters/powerchairs.

 

In closing i have to say, what is the point of Latitudes? We are Platinum, and this offered us nothing, has to be the worst rewards program of any cruise line. On Mother's day, most cruise lines (NCL used to as well) give out a flower, normally just a carnation to all the mothers onboard, just a nice gesture, well, thats gone as well. All in all on a 1-10 scale, i'd give this cruise, granted our special needs, a strong 4, but thats all.

 

Sorry NCL, were headed back to RCI and Celebrity where we know what to expect. Although with you bringing the Dawn up for the Boston to Bermuda runs maybe with the right price it might change our minds :p...We'll see

 

All in all we had a good time, its what ya make of it, but as far as being HC accessible, stay away from the Spirit.

[sottovoce]

When anyone tries to tell me the food on an NCL ship was "horrid," I tune out. Credibility gone. Ill-tempered rant ignored. Happy to hear they're going back to RCI.

[RalphWiggum]

Luv4dacruise,

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your experiences on the Spirit. I was in Bermuda earlier this month, but docked in Hamilton, which is hilly with narrow streets. Was wondering how your mom managed around Bermuda? Or did she stay on the ship the entire time?

[CruisinMaterial]

Luv4dacruise - I figured your review was not going to be very positive. From a HC perspective the ship really isn't designed for a wheelchair or any sort of immobility condition requiring assistance. I do agree there. As for the cutbacks - these are not new. They've been implemented for a while now. A lot of the cruise lines are cutting back to deal with the increasing fuel charges which they have yet to pass back onto us in the form on a fuel surcharge. Does really not getting a champagne when you come onboard matter? It doesn't really to me but it was a nice touch when they did it.

 

I guess NCL has changed so much as to not be an attractive product for you anymore but they do have the most sailings from Boston so who knows what the future will hold. Enjoy your future sailings with RCI. Don't be too surprised if they start cutting back on their loyalty programs... they've already begun to do so as well. :p

 

We have to get drinks again soon and kabitz about cruises!

~J

[JimHalpert]

When anyone tries to tell me the food on an NCL ship was "horrid," I tune out. Credibility gone. Ill-tempered rant ignored. Happy to hear they're going back to RCI.

 

As someone who was on the same cruise and was trying NCL for the first time, I can attest to the general feeling of disappointment with the quality of the food and cabins. This is the fifth cruise line I have tried (Disney, RCCL, HA, Carnival) and it was by far the weakest of all of them. We had an outside balcony and the room was not very clean and had a general feeling of cheapness. We enjoyed the concept of Freestyle, but found the food unimaginative and quite often poorly prepared.

 

On the positive side, the crew was pretty good and we liked the itinerary, and of course we had a great time.

 

I've read on other boards about the ferocity of NCL loyalists, and the message that I've quoted seems to be from one of those people, but I do want to lend some credence to the OP's comments. Nothing we experienced would cause us to not cruise NCL again, but we would definitely hope for better experience.

[Don Haynes]

Everytime I board a ship I use the white glove test on doorsills and tops of furniture to gauge cleanliness. I have never seen a dust bunny, they must be vacuuming the carpets. NCL passes everytime.

 

Please describe what you found dirty? Was the bathroom wiped down? Did you find a hair or a gum wrapper under the bed? A mint wrapper in the garbage can?

 

Did you inform the reception desk that your cabin was dirty? When I asked to replace a light bulb someone showed up within a couple of hours...

 

Some won't be happy unless they steam cleaned the entire cabin, carpets, floors, and bulkheads every day...

[Luv4dacruise]

When anyone tries to tell me the food on an NCL ship was "horrid," I tune out. Credibility gone. Ill-tempered rant ignored. Happy to hear they're going back to RCI.

 

Um, ok, if you actually read my entire post you would have read that the food on the Dawn was horrid but not "one bad meal on the Spirit".....

 

Read the whole post next time.....

[Luv4dacruise]

Luv4dacruise,

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your experiences on the Spirit. I was in Bermuda earlier this month, but docked in Hamilton, which is hilly with narrow streets. Was wondering how your mom managed around Bermuda? Or did she stay on the ship the entire time?

 

Well, thats one good thing about the Dockyard, over the years they've really built it up feature wise, and have made it far more accessible for the HC. As much as we loved docking in St. George for 4 straight days, that was many moons ago, when Ma still had her unmotorized mobility :p. Same goes for Hamilton.

 

The destination though will always be i'd have to say 80% ship 20% itinerary for Ma, but in terms of accessiblity, the dockyard has come a long way and would suit anyone in any sort of mobility device just fine :p

[Luv4dacruise]

Luv4dacruise - I figured your review was not going to be very positive. From a HC perspective the ship really isn't designed for a wheelchair or any sort of immobility condition requiring assistance. I do agree there. As for the cutbacks - these are not new. They've been implemented for a while now. A lot of the cruise lines are cutting back to deal with the increasing fuel charges which they have yet to pass back onto us in the form on a fuel surcharge. Does really not getting a champagne when you come onboard matter? It doesn't really to me but it was a nice touch when they did it.

 

I guess NCL has changed so much as to not be an attractive product for you anymore but they do have the most sailings from Boston so who knows what the future will hold. Enjoy your future sailings with RCI. Don't be too surprised if they start cutting back on their loyalty programs... they've already begun to do so as well. :p

 

We have to get drinks again soon and kabitz about cruises!~J

 

Well, thats the thing, i figured, she was built in '98, and only hvaing 5 HC cabins, i could tell off the bat it was a retrofit, to be honest, no better than the Majesty with the exception of a few extra automatic doors and so fourth, so i knew what we were in for and prepared Ma and Dad, Ma was just excited that it was a different ship for her to explore. The thing is, withonly having 5 HC cabins, it would be so easy and cheap for them to swap out 10 beds to make them higher and add some toilet risers, i certainly can't be the first to complain about this. Nevertheless, we had a good time all together, just wish it were noted in the deckplans where and where would not be accessible public room wise, cause that was a real bummer for Ma.

 

I know all the lines are trying to cutback where passengers will notice the least, and the easiest way is in the food department. Irregardless of the fact that NCL spends less per day per passenger than any other major competitor, the food on the Spirit was GOOD (had to do that for that other poster above that still MAY HAVE NOT GOTTEN IT), i have to say. What i must have missed was this whole Freestyle 2.0 thing falling by the wayside, our last NCL cruise was on the Dawn in '06, thats how long weve been away from them, so, i may have set my standards a bit high based on all that talk about it a while back. Lord knows im not on these boards much at all anymore. And the Loyalty programs, yeah, they are all cutting back, but not to the point of getting virtually nothing, all the major players still got a pretty good gig going on. I guess NCL being the first to start the Freestyle concept, they may as well be the first to start the complete dismantlement of Loyalty programs....LOL

 

But, as i said, been on the Dawn, we know her like the back of our hand, and Ma can get around everywhere. As long as NCL does not buthcher her like they did the Star, it's fairly certain we'll give it a whirl next May.

 

Hope to talk to ya soon bud.

[NYcruzzer]

I did read your full report and thought you made some valid points. Especially in regards to HC acessibilty onboard. You said that being Platinum "offered you nothing" Did you not get a free dinner in LeBistro, a complimentary bag of laundry cleaned, and priority embarkation and debarkation ? By the way if you read the latest reviews on the Dawn, the food is getting high marks. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion...

[Cruzinnana47]

OP, we were on the Spirit the same week as you. I do find some of your remarks valid, but we still enjoyed sailing on this ship and the unique Asian-themed decor and lovely atrium area. I would imagine that having a problem with lack of handicapped accessibility would be disappointing. For the most part, the meals we had were good, and enjoyed the entertainment. And of course, Bermuda is a great destination.

 

We were pleased overall with our experience on the Spirit. Have just reached "Silver" level, so haven't progessed far enough yet to enjoy any extra perks, other than an invitation to a wine & cheese party.:rolleyes:

[Luv4dacruise]

I did read your full report and thought you made some valid points. Especially in regards to HC acessibilty onboard. You said that being Platinum "offered you nothing" Did you not get a free dinner in LeBistro, a complimentary bag of laundry cleaned, and priority embarkation and debarkation ? By the way if you read the latest reviews on the Dawn, the food is getting high marks. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion...

 

No, actually, none of those perks were offered to us, and we did the bag of laundry and i have the final bill to prove it....LOL

 

As far as priority embarkation, we always get that anyways just because of Ma's disability.

 

And as far as food, hopefully we'll see, much chorter ride to boston than Bayonne :p

[CruisinMaterial]

OP- Great to hear you'll come back to NCL when the Dawn comes to Boston next year. She's a good ship. I sailed on her for my first NCL cruise and really liked the ship and that is definitely more accessible than the Spirit is. :)

 

The only remaining FreeStyle 2.0 initiative is the White Hot Party. Everything else has pretty much disappeared. You know me... I love to party so the White Hot Party is perfect. I can't wait to see what they do with it on the Epic! :D

 

The loyalty programs on each ship do vary. Princess cut back on their loyalty stuff a few years back as well. Everyone is cutting back to remain competitive and while NCL might be doing more than others in this department I still find their top tier benefits well worth it and am working my way towards it. If you're Platinum I would have brought up the bag of clothes charge to the Lattitudes Rep onboard or to the Hotel Director. I think you sailed the first week Prem was back onboard so you missed Frank. :(

 

Can't wait for tomorrow!!

[snorklinbarb]

No, actually, none of those perks were offered to us, and we did the bag of laundry and i have the final bill to prove it....LOL

 

As far as priority embarkation, we always get that anyways just because of Ma's disability.

 

And as far as food, hopefully we'll see, much chorter ride to boston than Bayonne :p

 

sorry you were disappointed with the accessibility features or lack thereof on the Spirit. Since she was originally designed for the Asian market, with different requirements perhaps in that area, maybe many things on the Spirit are retrofit or afterthought. I have no idea but you seem to raise a valid point.

 

Regarding food, I won't comment because, although you liked the food on the Spirit, you found the Dawn's food "horrid" or "horrible." Having been on the Dawn many many times (and many other NCL ships), that has not ever been my experience, but you are entitled to your opinion for sure.

 

However, where I do have to jump in is your comment that Platinum status yields "nothing" and later "virtually nothing." If you were not offered a welcome basket, priority embarkation & disembarkation, complimentary bag of laundry, behind the scenes tour, dinner for 2 in Le Bistro (with wine), the extra party (usually wine & cheese for silvers and up), then didn't you inquire at the Cruise Consultant's office? Perhaps you were totally left off the list. When you get to your cabin there's always a note in the Freestyle Daily that if you don't get the invitation to the general Latitudes party to see the Cruise Consultant. They have office hours during the day & evening and are usually quite accessible. When you received "nothing," did you look into it at all?:confused:

[NYcruzzer]

No, actually, none of those perks were offered to us, and we did the bag of laundry and i have the final bill to prove it....LOL

 

As far as priority embarkation, we always get that anyways just because of Ma's disability.

 

And as far as food, hopefully we'll see, much chorter ride to boston than Bayonne :p

 

Are you sure you are Platinum ? Why didn't you check with guest services or your room steward for your perks ? I hope you give the Dawn another try when she sails out of Boston next year. She is a great ship. I'm sailing her this Summer or the 6th time !!