Awesome Grand Med on Spirit - Review & Photos

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Thanks also jdvmd, a good tip 2 know.

 

Wow John! I thought we were planning ahead with a cruise in 08/14 but a British Isles cruise in 09/15 beats me hands down! Hope you get one of our Indian summers as September can be a tad unreliable on the weather front here in Blighty. :p

 

I'm prepared to make full use of the hot tubs! :p

[portcbob]

Hi Cruiser Bruiser.

 

Bob from AUSTRALIA.

 

In 2012 did a 14 nighter out of Venice ( Eastern Med ) on the Jade and loved the cruise and the ship.

In 2015 I am contemplating taking the 12 nighter ( Grand Med ) from Barcelona to Venice. I am really interested in these ports, some I haven't been to as yet.

 

We love cruising with NCL, however I am a bit worried about the Spirit???. I would be booking a Midships Balcony stateroom about Deck 10. I believe the staterooms are extremely small on this ship???????. Is it a great ship and do you recommend this itinerary??????

Thankyou Bob.:):):)

[SteveH2508]

Hi Cruiser Bruiser.

 

Bob from AUSTRALIA.

 

In 2012 did a 14 nighter out of Venice ( Eastern Med ) on the Jade and loved the cruise and the ship.

In 2015 I am contemplating taking the 12 nighter ( Grand Med ) from Barcelona to Venice. I am really interested in these ports, some I haven't been to as yet.

 

We love cruising with NCL, however I am a bit worried about the Spirit???. I would be booking a Midships Balcony stateroom about Deck 10. I believe the staterooms are extremely small on this ship???????. Is it a great ship and do you recommend this itinerary??????

Thankyou Bob.:):):)

 

Bob

 

We did the 14 nighter out of Venice on the Jade in 2011 (deck 10 BA balcony). We are doing the Spirit in less than two weeks (Woo- Hoo) in a deck 10 BA balcony so, hopefully, we can give you a heads-up on the differences in the cabins.

 

Have seen afew videos on youTube of people's cruises on the Spirit and it looks to me like a nicer, more interesting ship than the Jade:eek:.

[xenagurl]

Thanks, Zenagurl! Just as the vacation was beginning to fade a bit, the thread has come back to life! Look for my review of of the Poesia 9-night western Mediterranean itinerary on the MSC boards (with my niece) next October, and Dave and I just booked the 12-night British Isles aboard the Star for September 2015. Now I just have to sneak in a 4-night NCL cruise to somewhere so I can be Platinum when we're on the Star. ;)

 

 

Looking forward to reading (and seeing) them! Happy Friday! :)

[portcbob]

Hi Steve.

 

Mate, have a great cruise on the Spirit. Gee, 2 weeks, bet you cant wait. Yes, I have also seen You Tube videos of the ship/cruise and it looks good. I just hope it is at least as good as the Jade. Was going to do the same cruise again on the Jade, as we loved it soo much, but I thought a new itinerary and ship would be nice second time around in the beautiful Med.

Keep us posted on your cruise.

Email add...... robertporter07@hotmail.com

 

Cheers/Thanks Bob.:):):)

[karoo]

Hi Bob,

 

I've been on the Spirit. Compared to the Jade it is a smaller older ship. I also had an inside cabin and no bar fridge. We still had a great holiday and cruise-we sailed out of New Orleans, but we didn't think the ship was as nice as the Jewel class ship. The ship is very Asian in appearance. We preferred the décor once again of the newer ships.

[tweetybeets]

John,

Wow! What a great review and beautiful pictures! So very helpful! My family of four will be taking this cruise in July 2014 and we are very excited!

But first, I will be heading out to Oregon in a few months for my yearly trip. :-)

Thanks again!!

Edited December 29, 2013 by tweetybeets

[Carterwest]

Loved reading your review! We are going on this cruise in July 2014 to celebrate 35 years of marriage. We can't wait!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[richhl]

John,

 

Will be doing Barcelona to Venice in July 2014 as graduation present for two girls. Your review has provided lots of great information. Initially I was disappointed with the arrival in Florence on a Monday but seems like still plenty to do and see. Thank you again for your review.

[AquamarineBreeze]

Hi,

Just wondering if you know.... Are the safes in the cabin big enough to fit an iPad? I can't quite decide which ship to choose and it's coming down to the little, little things...

 

Thanks and happy sailing in 2014 :)

[BonTobPat]

Hi,

Just wondering if you know.... Are the safes in the cabin big enough to fit an iPad? I can't quite decide which ship to choose and it's coming down to the little, little things...

 

Thanks and happy sailing in 2014 :)

 

Hi, we were on the grand med on NCL Spirit in October, I locked my ipad in the safe all the time, there was still room to put my travel cross body bag in there too when I needed to.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[AquamarineBreeze]

Hi, we were on the grand med on NCL Spirit in October, I locked my ipad in the safe all the time, there was still room to put my travel cross body bag in there too when I needed to.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thank you for the fast reply... From half way around the world :):)

[gardiner41]

Thanks for the great review! I love your details & thoughts.

My friend & I are considering the Spirit for a cruise & I've been a bit unsure... This is just what I need !

Keep it coming :)

 

DITTO! I have just started looking in earnest at itineraries, ships and lines to decide which we are going to book for our Med. Cruise next summer (2015) This is one I am considering so this is perfect timing for us as well. So few European cruises are reviewed this is re- freshing!

[ExcitedMightPee]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a wonderfully detailed review. I am so glad I found it after it was completed, I don't know if I would have been able to stand the wait of each section as you posted them!

Your insight has been invaluable! I will be taking my 16 year old son on the Spirit (Barcelona-Venice) in June, and needless to say we are very excited. Even more so after reading your thoughts, and seeing your photos.

We booked an inside cabin, so we could spend more $ on tours etc. but now I am thinking a ocean view would have been better. Oh well, I will keep my fingers crossed for a price drop, or upgrade and know we will have a blast no matter where we lay our bone tired bodies!

Thanks again for all of the insight and photos!:D

[rhinomike]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a wonderfully detailed review. I am so glad I found it after it was completed, I don't know if I would have been able to stand the wait of each section as you posted them!

Your insight has been invaluable! I will be taking my 16 year old son on the Spirit (Barcelona-Venice) in June, and needless to say we are very excited. Even more so after reading your thoughts, and seeing your photos.

We booked an inside cabin, so we could spend more $ on tours etc. but now I am thinking a ocean view would have been better. Oh well, I will keep my fingers crossed for a price drop, or upgrade and know we will have a blast no matter where we lay our bone tired bodies!

Thanks again for all of the insight and photos!:D

 

We are on the Spirit in June too. Barcelona to Venice. We leave June 11th I believe. Must be the same cruise as you. Me, my wife and our 4 teenage sons.

[beekash]

We had an inside cabin on this cruise, and it was just fine. Deck 10. Slept great. Most of the time on the ship was at night so there was not much to see anyway. If we wanted to see outside, it was easy to just walk out to the promenade or several other areas. Keep your money for the ports - they are all amazing!

Liz

[RollTideGuy]

My partner and I are on the Getaway in May for our honeymoon (our first cruise ever) and after reading this review we are seriously considering making this Med cruise our one year Anniversary trip in 2015!

 

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review.

Reading it, I felt like I was on the trip with you and your friend!

[Tikibird]

Fantastic review! We will be on this cruse in around 4 months so thanks for the sneak peek!

 

Did they have any local entertainment at any of the ports? Singers, folk dancers, etc? Or is it all generic variety/musical/magic shows?

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Fantastic review! We will be on this cruse in around 4 months so thanks for the sneak peek!

 

Did they have any local entertainment at any of the ports? Singers, folk dancers, etc? Or is it all generic variety/musical/magic shows?

 

I think you are asking if there was unique entertainment brought aboard the ship at each port? If that's the question, unfortunately the answer is no. However, the entertainment was lovely. One of my favorite memories was sailing away from Mykonos with one of the ship's bands accompanying a sail-away buffet at The Great Outdoors. The lead singer was a stylish European woman, and the band were playing a variety of pop songs from Europe, so that fit the mood perfectly. :)

[Lucinarei]

Thanks for such a great review! DH and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary with this same cruise in July '15. SO excited… and your review just added to that excitement! Thanks for sharing your experiences and your pictures! :D

[TracieABD]

i am doing the reverse of your itinerary in November. I am wondering how many of the ports can I "DIY"?

[Lucinarei]

i am doing the reverse of your itinerary in November. I am wondering how many of the ports can I "DIY"?

 

TracieABD- Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your Spirit "live" review!

 

I'd also like to know more about DIY ports. Right now, I'm planning to do Mykonos, Athens, Istanbul, and Toulon as DIY ports.

[TracieABD]

TracieABD- Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your Spirit "live" review!

 

I'd also like to know more about DIY ports. Right now, I'm planning to do Mykonos, Athens, Istanbul, and Toulon as DIY ports.

 

Thank you! That is very kind.

 

I really do love these boards. I have learned so many interesting things here, and I feel it is my duty to pay it forward, by sharing my experiences.

 

I have every intention of doing another live from in November.

 

I really prefer to tour in very small groups, so DIYs are great. i tend to catelog that which I have done on foot, and am always willing to chat about it. :)

[ttnc4me]

i am doing the reverse of your itinerary in November. I am wondering how many of the ports can I "DIY"?

My family of 6 (aged from 10-62) did every port ourselves except Ephesus. It's possible, and the ports boards are a wealth of information.

[ozzie01]

I think you are asking if there was unique entertainment brought aboard the ship at each port? If that's the question, unfortunately the answer is no. However, the entertainment was lovely. One of my favorite memories was sailing away from Mykonos with one of the ship's bands accompanying a sail-away buffet at The Great Outdoors. The lead singer was a stylish European woman, and the band were playing a variety of pop songs from Europe, so that fit the mood perfectly. :)

Loved reading all your posts re: your trip from start to finish;) My husband and I are traveling the spirit Sept 3rd this year Venice to Barcelona 12 days. We too have booked tours, my confort level doing the ports on our own is just not good either! Thanks for sharing , seeing the pictures and discriptions was the best!! ;)