Review of NCL Spirit 6th Jan 2014 Canary Isles and Casablanca

[mypleasure]

Well this was my 5th time on the Spirit and my second time on this winter itinerary. This year Casablanca was substituted for Tenerife.

 

We arrived at Barcelona airport around lunchtime and were out within about thirty minutes. Fast processing due to EU Passports. The taxi line organiser soon had us in a cab and we arrived at the port in about 20 minutes. Bags where whisked away and my sister and I proceeded to check in. There was no line at all and we were soon boarding. The atrium was like Bedlam on a good day and we decided to go directly to our cabin, 10098, a mid-ship balcony. As soon as we got in we saw we had a ton of envelopes, a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of sparkling and a plate of strawberries. We settled on the balcony glasses in hand and started to plough through the envelopes and the strawberries. I had finally arrived at Platinum status and some of the gifts were from that and some from my wonderful PCC who seems to love me very much. Thud outside so I opened the door and our bags were stood there. Baggage fairy working very fast.

 

We went out for a wander prior to safety drill and standing in the atrium was my dear friend Armando Da Silva, Hotel Director. He was with two guests so we hovered out of range but soon we were being hugged and kissed and welcomed back. We chatted for a while and I mentioned that as there was only about 6 people from cruise critic responding in the thread we were having a little meet up at Blue Lagoon next day should he feel like popping in to say hi. We left him to get on with work, I knew that he himself had only arrived back that morning, and didn't want to hog him to ourselves. We people watched over coffee then wandered to our muster station being the first 2 people ticked on the list. Sadly, as usual some folks turned up very late and we stood there for way too long. After more coffee we went back to unpack our things. Gosh the telephone doth ring! Who can this be? It was the concierge Francesco and he wanted to come and visit to discuss "matters" as instructed by Armando. What a charming youmg man Francesco is. I loved him the moment I saw him. He was now in charge of the Cruise Critic unofficial meet up and was taking it all very seriously indeed.

 

Since I am a smoker and so is my sister I went off to get an ashtray for our balcony. I went directly to the place I know the stewards hang out but before I got there, all of 20 feet, I was asked by a roaming steward if he could help me. I explained my need of an ash tray and he led me to the cave. On the way he asked my room number and told me my steward was randy. Noooo! Amazing, we have Randy! This perplexed him a little and soon he knew why. There stood Randy and another old friend Isagani. Both have looked after me before so more hugs and kisses and good to see yous. Randy wouldn't give me the ash tray he has as it had ash in it. I protested that he did not need to take it to clean it first as we were about to make it dirty again but I realised I was fighting a losing battle and retreated to the cabin without meeting anyone who knew me. Clean ash tray delivered 30 seconds later, ash tray dirty again one minute later...

 

We went to Windows for dinner and as everyone else also went to dinner at 8PM we got a pager. No problem, we were paged about 10 minutes later. We had a good meal, can't remember what we both had but we enjoyed it. It was hot, well presented and tasty. Service was good, friendly (I had not met them before) and efficient. After dinner we were tired and just wandered a bit and had an early night.

 

More to come later....

[SteveH2508]

We were in 10100 over New Year and Randy was our room steward. He is, without doubt, the best room steward we have ever had on any cruise.

 

Steve and Marsha send their regards.

[AquamarineBreeze]

Great start! I love to hear about how much you love the crew! I've been on the Jade 3 times... But the Spirit will be new for me when I go in spring.

Looking forward to more :)

[Big Chippy]

Hello Jean, delighted to hear you are back home and fit enough to commence your review. Great start, looking forward to the next "episode".

Stuart

[mypleasure]

Day Two, a Sea day

 

My sister woke up and started the coffee and this got me onto the surface. We sat

 

on the balcony looking at the sea for a while, actually about 2 hours, and decided

 

to go in search of food. we went to the buffett and sat in the Great Outdoors

 

area. Lots of folks about but we got a table. After yet more coffee we saw it was

 

time to go to Blue Lagoon and here we met Marilyn and Geoffrey from Glasgow and

 

Scott and Steve from Dallas Texas. We all hit it off very well. Francesco arrived

 

and moved us to Henry's pub where he put up a "Private Function" notice and stood

 

guarding the door against invaders.... Aztil who I knew from last summer arrived

 

with some crew and erected a table to set out the pastries and drinks. I protested

 

that this wasn't what we expected and that we were all happy with just a coffee

 

and the company. Chatted with Aztil for a while. Armando didn't make it due to

 

"things that happen" but we were all very happy with our unexpected little bonus.

 

We skipped lunch and went to the Latitudes party in Galaxy of the Stars. Armando

 

was full of apologies for not coming and asked if Francesco had taken care of

 

things to our satisfaction. I told him he had done way more than expected and that

 

everyone sent their thanks. He told me "If we do it we do it right". Can't

 

disagree with that. It is the way Armando is and it is why the crew all love him. He has the right attitudes and looks out for all, crew or customer.

 

Oh yes just remembered, Armando sent us an invite to yet another party to make up

for letting us down. I hadn't felt let down at all actually but we found ourselves

at the VIP party with all the suite guests. Way too cool! Met a few officers from

before and a few new ones and had our photo taken with the Captain.Not sure what

we did after the party, I'm sure I only had one drink, but I recall getting

another pager when we went to dinner. This was a running theme. It appears

everyone wanted to eat at that same time around 8PM every night. We learned to go

around 8-45 instead and found that to work just great.

 

Day 3 Casablanca.

 

We were up and breakfasted and then the ship began the approach to Casablanca

harbour. I have never enjoyed roller coasters much and this was one hell of a ride! First a gentle side to side roll, then the books and anything not tied down fell to the floor as the ride got more interesting. We were glad to enter the harbour walls and find calm waters.

We had booked a tour to the Mosque and some other highlights. We liked the local market and a man gave us some tomatoes to eat. They were sweet and juicy and a real delight.It was a very good tour and the guide was very, very good indeed. There was one incident where we were at the drink stop. Two handsome locals tried to pick me and my sister up. We are not young women, more the age of their grandparents actually, but once she saw what was going on she came and gave them a real mouthful of Arabic invective. No idea what she said but the volume and tone were enough to see them running for their lives. Then she turned and grinned at us!

 

We were told that there had been a bad storm a few days earlier, the worst she had seen, and that she was over 30 years old. We saw some of the devastation the sea had caused and were told that the port had been closed and only opened that morning. That explained the ride into the harbour area. We chose to go back to the ship and not hang around in town when our tour ended. A crew member asked if we had a good day and we said yes. He said did we do a tour? He told me that those who do excursions like it but those who go out on their own come running back saying they hate Casablanca.

 

We hung around the atrium area a bit with some coffee then went back to our room. Randy told us he was going to lock everything down to prevent a repeat of that morning. I needed my medicine out of the fridge so he said he would lock it and leave the key on the bed when he was done. We returned after dinner to find a towel animal holding a key... Departure from Casablanca was about 30 minutes earlier than advertised. Apparently everyone was onboard and accounted for so the Captain decided to go. He told us the next day that there was no reason to stay a minute longer so he made the decision to cast the lines early. We were all revved up for another exciting ride but it never happened, we just sailed out of the harbour and out to sea as calm as you like.

[mypleasure]

Day 4 Sea Day

We followed our usual pattern of drinking coffee, drinking more coffee, getting breakfast, drinking coffee. We attended a Q & A session with the Captain, Chief Engineer and Hotel Director. We were slightly late arriving and I somehow managed to stumble right in front of the stage area. Everyone was looking at us as I waved to Armando and he waved back. The Captain looked perplexed, the Chief was giggling and I was glowing bright red. We had more coffee after the session, this time sitting on the promenade deck outside Henry's. A barman appeared and asked me if I was the lady who was Gusti's friend. "Yes I am, where is he now" Gusti, the best and funniest bar tender ever has gone to another ship. Rex did not know where. I miss Gusti, we had some great fun over the last few years but it was nice to know that I was remembered as Gusti's friend.

 

The weather this day was glorious. Calm seas and warm air plus sun. It was totally the opposite of the cruise a year earlier. We chatted with a few people during the day and most seemed to be having a great time. There are always folks who are not enjoying themselves for whatever reason but I was and that is all that matters to me and my sister. We had 400 Russians on board for this sailing and I was watching them in the casino. They all seemed very wealthy! The ones I spoke to were pleasant and very polite and wanted to practice speaking English. I am always happy to oblige. We went to dinner late tonight and walked right in at 8-45PM. We had 2 very enthusiastic servers tonight and drank what was left of our bottle of Merlot. I think I had the French Onion soup to start. It is a personal favourite of mine, then I had a fish dish and bread and butter pudding. All were hot and tasty. Another good meal. We went and played in the casino for an hour or so and turned $50 into $120, I kept the payout tickets to use later in the cruise. I should have cashed them in, this was a mistake on my part and I will tell you why later...

 

Day 5 Madeira

 

We were in no rush this morning as we were going to do Madeira on our own. We left the ship after the crowds and got the shuttle for $8 per person. It just takes you out of the port area and drops on the sea front opposite the ship.After negotiating some major road works we decided to take a ho-ho bus and we went one full circuit before getting off at the cable car station. Oh look a cafe. We had coffee and then took the cable car up the mountain to the top. We went around the tropical gardens, saw an exhibition of African masks and another of loads of gemstones and crystals. We had thought to do the toboggan back down but as I had somehow bought return tickets for the cable car we just took that down to the town again. This time we had Gelato with our coffee and very good it was too. I used this time to call home and tell my husband what we had been doing and what a great time we were having. I had left him incharge of my business while I was away and gave him a few directions on some things that had happened. We realised we did not have enough time to go on the bus again so we just walked to the shuttle stop and returned to the Spirit. We had a good day in Madeira.

 

We went down to windows for dinner, 8-45 again and were seated right away. I ordered soup, prime rib and English Trifle. I was enjoying my meal very much and then suddenly I lost my appetite. I also started coughing a lot. Looks like I have a cold coming. We decided that our after dinner coffee needed something in it so we had Irish coffees. Lovely. Early night in order as we have an excursion booked at Lanzarote and I am really looking forwards to it. Fire Mountains and Camel Ride. Can't wait to get big sister on a camel, this is going to be fun.

 

Day 6 Arrecife Lanzarote.

 

We are scheduled to arrive at 12 noon and I was glad of this. I was up a few times in the night coughing and appeared to have a fever. I didn't want anything to eat so Pam went and got herself something and I sulked on the balacony with my coffee. Randy provided a box of tissues for me to keep by the bed to save me getting up in the night. He is so thoughtful. I felt a bit better and off we went to the excursion. We drove down to the south of the island and entered the national park. The guide had poor English so a lot of things were a total mystery but the scenery was nice. We arrived at a a parking area and went to see the demonstartions. I leaned on a wall and discovered it was just like leaning on a radiator. The forst demo was to hold some sand. It was really hot! The second demo was some brushwood in a pit which burst into flames and the 3rd was some water down a pipe which then erupted 20 seconds later as a fountain of steam. Excellent, I really liked all of that and the national park guide spoke decent English so we were able to follow what was going on. Then after a few minutes to get drinks and souvenirs at the shop we got back aboard the bus. We now wound our way through the park and saw some very dramatic scenery. Everyone seemed to like this a lot, lots of oohs and aahs and picture taking. Finally we left the park and arrived at the camels.

 

It was 2 people per beast and me and my sister are far from being super models in stature. We were pulled from the line and a big hefty, strong camel was selected to carry us. Of course our camel had got the vibe from us and decided to go maverick. The camel guy dragged us back into line and got spat on, by the camel I hasten to add, for his trouble. We ambled along for a while and then stopped at a view point. I was wearing a Morocco T shirt bought in Casablanca, the camel guy was from Casablanca and he offered to take my camera and make a nice picture of us because we had been to his country. Of course everyone else now wanted their pictures too so we were there a while. On the way we had had pictures taken by some guy who was lurking on the track. Later we were offered these at 5 Euro each. They were in a nice folder so we bought our two pictures as did most people on the bus. Seriously, they ask a lot more than 5 Euro at other places I have been and the quality and size were very good. Nice souvenir.

 

Next we went to the coast to see some lava cliffs and dramatic scenery. We enjoyed our little wander and took loads of pictures. I was feeling quite unwell by now and when we arrived at the winery I gave my wine to the lady who sat in front of us on the bus. Pam went souvenir shopping while I sat on a wall feeling sorry for myself. Back to the ship I was tired and decided on a nap. Pam sat outside topping up her coffee intake which had been low all day. I was freezing cold so I decided to put my dressing gown on back to front and lie with it as a sort of blanket over me on the bed. I am told that between coughing and sneezing fits I slept for 2 hours. I looked a fright with my hair all sticking up in a mohican mess and someone is knocking our door. My sister is totally deaf in one ear and it fell to me to see who it was. I expected Randy but found an officer instead. He must have really wondered what was going on! It transpired that somehow the phone had got knocked off the hook and the wonderful Francesco had been trying to call. He decided a welfare check was needed and dispatched the housekeeping supervisor. How embarassing. I put the phone back on and told Pam what just occurred, she said the way I was wearing the dressing gown made it look like a stright jacket and the poor man must have thought I was a lunatic. Gee who needs friends with a sister like this?

 

Francesco finally got hold of me and said Armando wished to have dinner with us the following night! Great I can give him the Stourbridge Crystal glassware I brough with me for him. You see this is why Armando and I became friends. I live near Stourbridge which is famous for it's hand cut lead crystal glassware. All the glassware on Titanic was from there. Armando knows his crystal and has visited Stourbridge a few times in the past. We also share a sense of humour that is very British. We arrange to meet at Le Bistro at 8PM on Sunday night. But tonight is Saturday so we toddle down to Windows. I manage a bowl of French Onion, pick at my main dish and have 2 dishes of ice cream to soothe my throat. No casino tonight, more Irish Coffee and an early night. I was exhausted but it had been a really good day all things considered.

[mypleasure]

Day 7 Sea Day

 

I was very unwell and scoffing Paracetamol to get my temperature down. I felt drained and very tired. We went and got some coffee but I soon headed back to the room. Randy had left another box of tissues for me. Good Man God Bless Him! I sat outside on the balcony most of the afternoon and then we got ready for the Latitudes party and dinner with Armando. I refused the normal hugs and continental kisses greetings as I had germs and did not want to infect anyone. Armando had to rush away to attend to an emergency of some sort so Francesco escorted us to dinner. Armando called to say he wasn't going to make it but we were to have a good time and that Francesco was to be our companion. Dinner was great. We learned a lot about Francesco, how he once sailed on Costa Concordia as a kids club staffer, how he moved to NCL to work in guest services and that I know his girlfriend Carmen who he was missing a lot as she was on leave in her home of Peru. I am liking this fellow more and more. I could not eat a thing. I ate one scallop and left all of my main course, declined dessert. Pam and Francesco were doing great and that is what mattered to me most, even though I felt dreadful I wanted them to have a good time. Service was as always amazing but extra amazing as we were with Francesco. We bade each other good night and returned to our room. I found I was experiencing difficulty breathing and could not lie down at all. After several attempts at sleeping I sat on the balcony watching as we traversed through the straits of Gibralter. With a duvet off the bed and a dressing gown I spent the whole night sitting upright on the balcony coughing, trying to breathe and not sleeping.

 

Day 8 Malaga

 

My sister was clearly worried but I said I was OK, just a nasty bad cold blah, blah. She coffee'd me up and went to get food, we would decide what to do when she came back. While she was away I decided we should get off and find a Doctor in Malaga. Since Spain is in the EU we are entitled to free treatment. We decided to talk with the taxi drivers about a doctor or hospital that we could go to. So off we went to the hospital and it was there that my cruise ended.

 

I reported difficulty breathing and chest pain. This got me to the front of the line and seen in minutes. The doctor who spoke good English was concerned about my previous heart attack and the lack of oxygen in my body. I was quickly taken for ECG and chest x ray. I was in a bay and my sister came in. "Bad news, you are going to stay here" No we can't we must go back to the ship and fly home on Wednesday. Doctor says you need tests, antibiotics and medical supervision. This cannot be right, I have a bad cold thats all, give me some antibiotics and let me go. The English speaking administrator arrives and upon finding I have insurance arranges to move me to a private hospital. Here in the UK I am a Community First Responder with West Midlands Ambulance Service. I attend medical emergencies of all kinds and have extensive knowledge of advanced life support so when I was loaded onto an ambulance and connected to the exact same machine we use here I saw the numbers and got very, very, scared indeed. My blood pressure was sky high, my pulse was at a very dangerous level and my oxygen level was at a scary low. With sirens blaring we carved through the Malaga traffic to the next hospital. They soon had me in a private room, cannulated and on a drip as well as oxygen. Pam went back to the ship to arrange things there.

 

At the ship she called Armando but he wasn't picking up so she tried Francesco. He was amazing. He came to the cabin and helped Pam pack our things. He arranged a porter to carry our things for her as she left. He got all of the paperwork expedited and escorted her to the taxi that was waiting. She said he was visibly upset and kept saying he wanted me to get well and that he would, and already was praying for me. Pam made the dreaded call home for me, I could barely get the breath to speak anyway. Armando called my cell phone. He was devastated that he hadn't been there to help. Turns out he was at the very same hospital I had just been admitted to getting some emergency dental work! I spent a total of 9 days in that hospital. It was Thursday when I started to breathe a little better and the doctor announced that I was making progress at last. Turned out I had pneumonia in both of my lungs and had been desperately ill. By Saturday I was getting out of bed but had not eaten, intravenous stuff is not food, for about a week. I was as weak as a kitten. On Monday I stole outside and breathed some fresh air outside. We sat on a bench outside the hospital looking at the cathedral for a few minutes and then went back. On Wednesday I was discharged and I flew home.

 

NCL really took care of me while I was in hospital. Every day I got 3 calls. One from Tara at Customer Care in Miami, one from Francesco and of course one from Armando. These people kept my spirits up and along with wi-fi at the hospital enabling me to get on facebook with my friends and family I felt I was still part of the world and not forgotten.

 

The Future

 

My doctor told me yesterday that it will take a bit of time to fully regain my health. That's OK. This morning I applied to renew my passport as it expires in April and I have big plans for April. The Spirit is calling me back to her and I have a few people see and thank not to mention a cruise to complete.

 

So, this started as a normal review and I bet you didn't know this was how it was going to end. Nor did I when I boarded in Barcelona. Anything you want to know ask away.

[buckeye82]

Enjoyed reading your review, as my husband and I are considering this cruise. Best wishes for your speedy complete recovery!

[IluvZ]

I am happy to hear the good ending to your story but sorry that you were so sick. I am sure you'll be off on the Spirit again soon! I love her as much as you do!

[Lydia B.]

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your review. And indeed I was surprised at the ending. I sure hope that you get to be feeling good soon. I will be departing on the spirit I think the same route on April 4th. Your words of encouragement make me really look forward to it. I just might have to book that, lol. Enjoy your next cruise and use that gambling money on that. Lydia of snowbound Ohio

[TracieABD]

I am so sorry to hear your cruise ended so abruptly. How awful it would be to be so sick. I am very glad to hear that you are on the mend.

 

I just got off of the Spirit on Friday (we were the cruise after you). I had the chance to meet Armando several times. He is genuinely charming. Everybody just adores him.

 

Francesco was our concierge. He is such a lovely young man. He left the ship on the same day as us, for his new assignment on the Breakaway.

 

I think you need to start planning your "make up" cruise stat! The Spirit is such a lovely ship, I can understand why you keep returning to her. She is very unique and special.

 

I will keep you in my thoughts. Be well.

Tracie-Lynn

[mypleasure]

Thank you all for your good wishes. I am regaining my strength and have already applied to renew my passport as it expires in April.

 

Lydia I am looking at the April 4th sailing as one of the possibles. I am also looking at a cruise at the end of Feb which would include my birthday. I need to get back and thank my friends for their kindness.

 

Tracie, I followed your review from my hospital bed, at least the hospital has wi-fi so getting online gave me something to do other than stare at a blank wall. You seemed to have fun and enjoy the cruise as much as I did. It was one of those things that kept me "connected" to the real world outside.

 

Armando is a hotel director that really gets it. He understands that each and everyone of his crew are the most important people on the ship as they are the ones who meet the passengers most. He does a lot for them and they repay him by looking after each and every guest on board. He has customer service running through him and is a really funny guy.

 

Francesco should be back in about 4 weeks, his trip to the Breakaway is a temporary move due to dry dock and a shortage elsewhere. He stays until mid May. If Armando gets his way he will be staying forever.

 

The day before I left hospital I got to spend some time outside. The hospital was right next to the Cathedral so I visited there and also wandered the old quarter which was really nice. Some good places to sit and have a coffee and people watch. The architecture is nice if you are into those things. I didn't venture far from the hospital but the frequent coffee stops helped when I felt tired, about every 200 yards or so. I also enjoyed some churros and a nice fish lunch.

 

I would recommend this cruise to anyone. The Spirit is very special indeed.

[Lydia B.]

If u decide on the April 4th let me know. I did start a roll call but not much activity. But whatever date you choose Happy Birthday. Lydia

[Stu K]

Great review with a very surprising ending! Glad you are on the mend now. That the sort of review we need how good NCL sort things when they go wrong. We are traveling on the spirit in March 1st cruise with NCL.

 

All very well none eventful cruise great service but great to here the bad made good.

 

Stu K

[mypleasure]

A quick update.

 

I am now almost totally recovered from the Bilateral Bronchial Pneumonia just a little tiredness that will sort itself out in time.

 

Today I booked for Tony and I to sail on the Spirit 15th April to the Canaries. I am totally looking forward to going back and seeing everyone and showing Tony around Malaga.