Anyone just off Spirit after her Drydock changes??

[CruisnMom007]

Would love to hear reviews on Spirit after all the work that was done on her in dry dock the past month!! We will be on her in April!

[new_cruiser_75]

I've been looking for these people too. I'd love to see some pictures! Maybe in a day or two...

 

She's in port in SD right now, and normally I'd be gazing upon her via a webcam, imagining seeing her in person as we're on her in March, but the stupid webcam is down this morning. Frustrating!

[CruisnMom007]

I've been looking for these people too. I'd love to see some pictures! Maybe in a day or two...

 

She's in port in SD right now, and normally I'd be gazing upon her via a webcam, imagining seeing her in person as we're on her in March, but the stupid webcam is down this morning. Frustrating!

 

I tried to get on the CAM too! :confused:

[CruisnMom007]

Here is the webcam that works to see Spirit docked in San Diego this morning!

 

http://live6.truelook.com/face/newface.jsp?zoom=4.0&imagemap.x=566&imagemap.y=445&name=%2Fecodb%2F1amnorth%2Fcamera1&skin=Nov2004SOSD&pan=-98.20502&panfov=11.675&tiltfov=9.1&tilt=-7.055&oldimage=1329069670686192&width=640&height=480&oldscale=0.75&useapplet=false&vfadjust=0.44444445

[Pee-ah]

Count me in as 3rd.. Love to see pictures and hear a review of the ship :)

[cathyz]

Here are some official reviews, none sound very good. But having been on the Spirit a couple of times, one cruise just a few months ago and also immediately after her previous dry dock, I am sure that most folks had a great time, some people have the wrong expections and let one or two issues ruin the whole cruise.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=176

[crzndeb]

I'm lucky that I can stare out the window at my daughter's house...I can sorta see where my 7A cabin is for Australia cruise.

 

I went down and took pics of Green Thunder before Spirit left on her last trip...looks fun and scary!

 

A couple that is also on the Australia repo is getting off the ship today, so expecting to hear some updates about her.

[cardinalfan]

Here are some official reviews, none sound very good. But having been on the Spirit a couple of times, one cruise just a few months ago and also immediately after her previous dry dock, I am sure that most folks had a great time, some people have the wrong expections and let one or two issues ruin the whole cruise.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=176

 

 

I think you are wrong. Unless you were on the January cruise to Hawaii, you don't know about this cruise. It is not that people have the wrong expectations. I also have been on the Spirit other times and other ships and this was the poorest I have ever seen a ship maintained. There are pieces of furniture that are in such a state of disrepair that I don't even think a charity would replace them. The ship has paint chipping off, light bulbs that are not being replaced, poor management of the shore excursions. The theme of the crusie was disorganization. Embarkation was a nightmare. Many people, if not most people, waited hours just to board her. Tendering was chaotic and no one followed any of the "rules"--not even the staff. It was multiple issues. And I am guessing that most people had a good time but it was not what it should have been. My husband and I both stated that if this had been our first cruise, it might have been our last.

[iwannacruznow]

I think we need to know that dry dock is for working on things below the water line. I would think that to refurbish a ship would take a lot longer than 2 weeks

[Pee-ah]

I think you are wrong. Unless you were on the January cruise to Hawaii, you don't know about this cruise. It is not that people have the wrong expectations. I also have been on the Spirit other times and other ships and this was the poorest I have ever seen a ship maintained. There are pieces of furniture that are in such a state of disrepair that I don't even think a charity would replace them. The ship has paint chipping off, light bulbs that are not being replaced, poor management of the shore excursions. The theme of the crusie was disorganization. Embarkation was a nightmare. Many people, if not most people, waited hours just to board her. Tendering was chaotic and no one followed any of the "rules"--not even the staff. It was multiple issues. And I am guessing that most people had a good time but it was not what it should have been. My husband and I both stated that if this had been our first cruise, it might have been our last.

 

 

Having sailed on her last September i would agree that she was looking worn and not quite the same ship that i have sailed on 2 years earlier. Hopefully the issues will be fixed in time for our April sailing.

 

Also note that the staff that was on board were pretty much all new to the ship as most had gone on to other ships prior to the dry dock. I know from speaking with our dinning staff they were all leaving her. (and i might add they were amazing!!!!!)

 

(note to self never book a cruise for after dry dock;))

[CWcruisers]

I have sailed on the Spirit annually for Thanksgiving since 2009. I had aft wrap cabin 4237 both in 2010 and 2011 and the deterioration that occurred in that cabin in one year was incredible. The carpets were absolutely filthy and the rest of the cabin had a run down feel, as did most of the ship. My friends and I speculated that Carnival is waiting until it heads to Australia to bother upgrading it, and based on some of those reviews, I think I'm right. Too bad, it was my favorite ship in the fleet.

[cathyz]

I think you are wrong. Unless you were on the January cruise to Hawaii, you don't know about this cruise. It is not that people have the wrong expectations. I also have been on the Spirit other times and other ships and this was the poorest I have ever seen a ship maintained. There are pieces of furniture that are in such a state of disrepair that I don't even think a charity would replace them. The ship has paint chipping off, light bulbs that are not being replaced, poor management of the shore excursions. The theme of the crusie was disorganization. Embarkation was a nightmare. Many people, if not most people, waited hours just to board her. Tendering was chaotic and no one followed any of the "rules"--not even the staff. It was multiple issues. And I am guessing that most people had a good time but it was not what it should have been. My husband and I both stated that if this had been our first cruise, it might have been our last.

I read about the embarkation problems and that is poor coordination on Carnival and the port authority's part, but returning from dry dock is often difficult, even tho we were on the Spirit immediately after her previous dry dock with not a single problem. I've ready many other reviews of Hawaii cruises, Carnival and other lines, many folks don't have a great time because they get so bored with all the sea days, so many times the reviews are poor.

 

I have to disagree on the maintenance of the ship, we were just on her on a 9-day in late October, that was less than 4 months ago, I can't believe it has gone down hill that fast, I saw nothing of what you say about the state of the ship, did they all of a sudden bring in furniture from the thrift shop, remove light bulbs, etc??

[surfer_00]

Oh no...I hope it is good in a couple of weeks.

[CruisnMom007]

When I was on Spirit this past Sept 2011, I thought the ship was lovely! We had an Aft balcony stateroom. It was very clean, our cabin steward was incredibly nice. Dining room was nice and the staff were FUN.The Captain and his close staff whom we met a couple of nights in one of the lounge areas were the most engaging I have ever met on any cruise. Very nice. Yes as do most of the older Carnival fleet, it was due time for a facelift. I am on her again in April and I can't wait to see the changes. I heard they changed carpet, brought in all new up to date gym equipment, all flat screen tv's in all the rooms, the new water park, crazy green thunder slide and Ohhhhh the nice Serenity area! I don't know what happened on that Jan 12th Hawaii sailing, but it was before she went to dry dock. I am sorry this first cruise after dry dock had crew issues and embarkation problems. I have heard this happens when such a large amount of crew shifting occurs at once. Hope they get it ironed out by April 28th! Anxious to read more about Spirit post dry dock and see pics.

[CruisnMom007]

Here are some official reviews, none sound very good. But having been on the Spirit a couple of times, one cruise just a few months ago and also immediately after her previous dry dock, I am sure that most folks had a great time, some people have the wrong expections and let one or two issues ruin the whole cruise.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=176

 

 

These reviews are all BEFORE her dry dock aren't they??

[CWcruisers]

These reviews are all BEFORE her dry dock aren't they??

 

No, the Hawaii ones are after. That's one of the reasons the ship left port so late was it was being restocked after dry dock.

 

It was the new water slide that they were complaing about not working, and from the sounds of it, carpeting was not changed out. Not all dry docks involve interior improvements.

[CruisnMom007]

No, the Hawaii ones are after. That's one of the reasons the ship left port so late was it was being restocked after dry dock.

 

It was the new water slide that they were complaing about not working, and from the sounds of it, carpeting was not changed out. Not all dry docks involve interior improvements.

 

 

 

ahhhhh OK I only saw the ones that were dated 1/12....I sure hope they get those kinks worked out before our trip!! Thanks for clarifying for me! :)

[CWcruisers]

ahhhhh OK I only saw the ones that were dated 1/12....I sure hope they get those kinks worked out before our trip!! Thanks for clarifying for me! :)

 

 

I have a friend on the ship right now who will be back on Thursday. I'll let you know about the slide.

[Gypsywych]

Photos too please!!!:D

[gigemaz]

Sailed the Spirit in November and just off the MR cruise.

 

Other than the obvious green change, it was mainly little things - signs in the buffet to help identify the stations, the tvs, serenity.

 

While it was still a great cruise, one of the reasons of taking it again so soon after being on the same ship was the changes to be made in drydock. To that, the slide, or lack thereof for almost the entire cruise, was a disappointment.

 

Also, the serenity area wasn't the most serene. The music playing on the deck, both type and volume, didn't seem to match the intent of the area.

 

The slide looked beautiful. And it was fun! At least the two times I was able to go down. About 5 of the fastest seconds ever. They just need to work out the kinks. It took 1-2 minutes between riders. It was only open for about 4 hours on a 8 day cruise. And the original slide was never opened the entire time.

 

The frustration was the over promise and under delivery.

 

Again, don't get me wrong. It was a great cruise. Had the same cabin steward, who actually remembered me. Also found another great wait team. Just little things brought out some frustration. But not enough to thoroughly enjoy the cruise.

 

Below are some pictures of Green Thunder and the new waterworks area.

[Phamer55]

Thanks gigamaz for the info. Not sure why you need to wait over a minute for the next rider for a 5 second ride. Hopefully they will figure out how to speed that up. Did you happen to notice what the height requirement is for the Green Thunder? Really hoping my rather brave 7 year old will be allowed on it.

[Rockitman]

Well you guys are in luck. I was on the Feb 4th to 12th cruise.

 

AND, I was the very first passenger to ride the Green Thunder. The thing was down the first few days of the cruise and one day I'm sitting in the Jacuzzi with my girlfriend on the Serenity deck and we're watching the slide techs and white suits up on top at the slide. There were a bunch of them up there and after a while one of the white suits looks down at us and I hold up my arms in a "is it ready yet?" gesture. The guy nods and motions for me to come on up. I jumped out of the tub and beelined it up the stairs and was their guinea pig. It was a blast, very short ride though. There is a revolving curved door that opens, you walk in, they close the door and then a recorded voice says "3.. 2... 1.." and the trap door your standing on pulls back and it's like a freefall........whhheeeeeeeee!

They were running the slide for about 10 minutes and I was in line for another go when the dammed thing malfunctioned and they couldn't get the trapdoor to open anymore. So they closed it down for another 2 days, and finally had it open again for a day near the end of the cruise.

The other slide was never open and the Waterworks is okay, mostly meant for the kids.

I thought the interiors of the ship were in fine condition. New flat screen tv's, new linens, not sure about the carpets, they didn't really look new but they didn't look bad either.

Our service was impeccable, our cabin steward was topnotch, our aft cabin was well worth it. Anytime Dining was a breeze. We never waited and food was served promptly. Chef's Table was awesome! We had it on Day 1 Cabo and man was I wasted! We started that day off by hanging out at the resort Finesterra for a few hours at the swimupbar, then got on a Pez Gato catamarran for a snorkel and drink cruise, then got back on ship for Chef's Table where the wine glasses were never allowed to go empty. We actually never got off the ship for Cabo day 2, we were so worn out.

The Serenity deck was just ok. Nothing fancy, the good seats got taken quickly and the dammed hot tub always seemed overful of people. And yeah, like the other poster stated, I wish they would have turned the dammed music down a bit, or at least play something more serene.

The food in the MDR was great, never felt the need to do a Steakhouse night. The lobster on formal night was cooked to perfection. I had 3 tails as well as 3 servings of the shrimp.

The trip back to San Diego got a bit wavey. We were running into a 30knot wind the whole way back and the swells were topping over 10 feet at times. But I slept like a baby with all that rocking.

It takes a day or two to get your "landlegs" back after all that motion. I was walking around the house like I was still drunk. Yowsa!

 

 

PS: you have to be 48 inches or taller to ride the Thunder. The reason it took so long inbetween rides is that there is a key system that the operator has to go through, and they are still getting a feel for it.

[CruisnMom007]

Well you guys are in luck. I was on the Feb 4th to 12th cruise.

 

AND, I was the very first passenger to ride the Green Thunder. The thing was down the first few days of the cruise and one day I'm sitting in the Jacuzzi with my girlfriend on the Serenity deck and we're watching the slide techs and white suits up on top at the slide. There were a bunch of them up there and after a while one of the white suits looks down at us and I hold up my arms in a "is it ready yet?" gesture. The guy nods and motions for me to come on up. I jumped out of the tub and beelined it up the stairs and was their guinea pig. It was a blast, very short ride though. There is a revolving curved door that opens, you walk in, they close the door and then a recorded voice says "3.. 2... 1.." and the trap door your standing on pulls back and it's like a freefall........whhheeeeeeeee!

They were running the slide for about 10 minutes and I was in line for another go when the dammed thing malfunctioned and they couldn't get the trapdoor to open anymore. So they closed it down for another 2 days, and finally had it open again for a day near the end of the cruise.

The other slide was never open and the Waterworks is okay, mostly meant for the kids.

I thought the interiors of the ship were in fine condition. New flat screen tv's, new linens, not sure about the carpets, they didn't really look new but they didn't look bad either.

Our service was impeccable, our cabin steward was topnotch, our aft cabin was well worth it. Anytime Dining was a breeze. We never waited and food was served promptly. Chef's Table was awesome! We had it on Day 1 Cabo and man was I wasted! We started that day off by hanging out at the resort Finesterra for a few hours at the swimupbar, then got on a Pez Gato catamarran for a snorkel and drink cruise, then got back on ship for Chef's Table where the wine glasses were never allowed to go empty. We actually never got off the ship for Cabo day 2, we were so worn out.

The Serenity deck was just ok. Nothing fancy, the good seats got taken quickly and the dammed hot tub always seemed overful of people. And yeah, like the other poster stated, I wish they would have turned the dammed music down a bit, or at least play something more serene.

The food in the MDR was great, never felt the need to do a Steakhouse night. The lobster on formal night was cooked to perfection. I had 3 tails as well as 3 servings of the shrimp.

The trip back to San Diego got a bit wavey. We were running into a 30knot wind the whole way back and the swells were topping over 10 feet at times. But I slept like a baby with all that rocking.

It takes a day or two to get your "landlegs" back after all that motion. I was walking around the house like I was still drunk. Yowsa!

 

 

PS: you have to be 48 inches or taller to ride the Thunder. The reason it took so long inbetween rides is that there is a key system that the operator has to go through, and they are still getting a feel for it.

 

 

Sounds great!!! Thanks for the review. I am really looking forward to April! Not sure if I will do that slide but I am happy to watch! :eek:

[mjl1960]

Well you guys are in luck. I was on the Feb 4th to 12th cruise.

 

AND, I was the very first passenger to ride the Green Thunder. The thing was down the first few days of the cruise and one day I'm sitting in the Jacuzzi with my girlfriend on the Serenity deck and we're watching the slide techs and white suits up on top at the slide. There were a bunch of them up there and after a while one of the white suits looks down at us and I hold up my arms in a "is it ready yet?" gesture. The guy nods and motions for me to come on up. I jumped out of the tub and beelined it up the stairs and was their guinea pig. It was a blast, very short ride though. There is a revolving curved door that opens, you walk in, they close the door and then a recorded voice says "3.. 2... 1.." and the trap door your standing on pulls back and it's like a freefall........whhheeeeeeeee!

They were running the slide for about 10 minutes and I was in line for another go when the dammed thing malfunctioned and they couldn't get the trapdoor to open anymore. So they closed it down for another 2 days, and finally had it open again for a day near the end of the cruise.

The other slide was never open and the Waterworks is okay, mostly meant for the kids.

I thought the interiors of the ship were in fine condition. New flat screen tv's, new linens, not sure about the carpets, they didn't really look new but they didn't look bad either.

Our service was impeccable, our cabin steward was topnotch, our aft cabin was well worth it. Anytime Dining was a breeze. We never waited and food was served promptly. Chef's Table was awesome! We had it on Day 1 Cabo and man was I wasted! We started that day off by hanging out at the resort Finesterra for a few hours at the swimupbar, then got on a Pez Gato catamarran for a snorkel and drink cruise, then got back on ship for Chef's Table where the wine glasses were never allowed to go empty. We actually never got off the ship for Cabo day 2, we were so worn out.

The Serenity deck was just ok. Nothing fancy, the good seats got taken quickly and the dammed hot tub always seemed overful of people. And yeah, like the other poster stated, I wish they would have turned the dammed music down a bit, or at least play something more serene.

The food in the MDR was great, never felt the need to do a Steakhouse night. The lobster on formal night was cooked to perfection. I had 3 tails as well as 3 servings of the shrimp.

The trip back to San Diego got a bit wavey. We were running into a 30knot wind the whole way back and the swells were topping over 10 feet at times. But I slept like a baby with all that rocking.

It takes a day or two to get your "landlegs" back after all that motion. I was walking around the house like I was still drunk. Yowsa!

 

 

PS: you have to be 48 inches or taller to ride the Thunder. The reason it took so long inbetween rides is that there is a key system that the operator has to go through, and they are still getting a feel for it.

 

 

Thanks for the best review I have seen since she came back from dry dock. I am going to be on her March 2nd, and will try to do a good review when I return. I kind of had hesitations on going on the Spirit, being it is a smaller ship, but we had friends on the Valor that said that she was their favorite ship...so we decided to dive in head first and do our first 9 day cruise on her.

[Rockitman]

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. The weather for our trip was darned near perfect everyday. Even in PV, where it can get pretty muggy, was just right. In fact, after our massages at the Krystal, which is just short walk from the ship, we beach walked it all the way to the Malecon. That was quite a trek but worth it. Found a beachfront hole in the wall Mexican restaurant that made us some swell authentic stuff with ice cold Pacificos to wash it down. Burped all the way back to the ship in the taxi. :)