NCL Spirit: Likes and/or dislikes of the Spirit

[Pope Francis]

We are long time NCL cruisers, however are taking our first cruise on the Spirit in January 2016. Likes and/or Dislikes, Favorite nooks and/or other layout comments, Staff Interactions...Your reviews please.

[dtiger]

I love the Spirit, it's unique as it had been made for the Asian Market. Enjoy your cruise.

[biker@sea]

Best ship in the Fleet . :D

Classy old school ship !!

Edited March 22, 2015 by biker@sea

[minaco]

We LOVE the Spirit. We have sailed on her twice out of New Orleans to the Western Caribbean. We are booked to sail on her again in August out of Barcelona to Venice. Such a classy ship and we love the decor.

[Single Cruiser]

We are long time NCL cruisers, however are taking our first cruise on the Spirit in January 2016. Likes and/or Dislikes, Favorite nooks and/or other layout comments, Staff Interactions...Your reviews please.

 

Just back from my second trip on her.

 

Likes: nicely laid out ship with plenty of open deck space, great Biergarten bar. One of the friendliest crews I've had both times onboard. Plenty of wrap-around walks on top and promenade decks.

 

Dislikes: some of the bars like Henry's are very small and you have to get there early to get a seat. Some of the room features designed for what must be 5ft 5 people, in the bathroom the toilet cubicle is smaller than on a plane!

[Pope Francis]

We LOVE the Spirit. We have sailed on her twice out of New Orleans to the Western Caribbean. We are booked to sail on her again in August out of Barcelona to Venice. Such a classy ship and we love the decor.

 

Thanks;

[Pope Francis]

Just back from my second trip on her.

 

Likes: nicely laid out ship with plenty of open deck space, great Biergarten bar. One of the friendliest crews I've had both times onboard. Plenty of wrap-around walks on top and promenade decks.

 

Dislikes: some of the bars like Henry's are very small and you have to get there early to get a seat. Some of the room features designed for what must be 5ft 5 people, in the bathroom the toilet cubicle is smaller than on a plane!

 

Thanks;

[Levanah]

Our first cruise was on the Spirit. We loved it for the reasons mentioned here. Very beautiful and unique decor. Small intimate size. Excellent service. We are really hoping we are able to sail her again before NCL stops sailing her. We are not fond of the behemoth ships.

[Pope Francis]

Our first cruise was on the Spirit. We loved it for the reasons mentioned here. Very beautiful and unique decor. Small intimate size. Excellent service. We are really hoping we are able to sail her again before NCL stops sailing her. We are not fond of the behemoth ships.

 

Thanks;

[ColinIllinois]

Anyone else think it's funny that Pope Francis is asking about the "Spirit"?:D

[Levanah]

Anyone else think it's funny that Pope Francis is asking about the "Spirit"?:D

 

Yes, I did notice. Hilarious :)

[Pope Francis]

Anyone else think it's funny that Pope Francis is asking about the "Spirit"?:D

 

Seems like a perfectly appropriate thing for me to ask about since I am going to cruise on her.

[AquamarineBreeze]

I thought that the crew were particularly kind and helpful on the Spirit. Every single person working aboard was superb... Even in Guest Services which I have to say is the one and only place I've ever had a negative experience with bad attitude from an NCL employee (Jade).

I think you'll definitely enjoy your time on board :)

[Pope Francis]

I thought that the crew were particularly kind and helpful on the Spirit. Every single person working aboard was superb... Even in Guest Services which I have to say is the one and only place I've ever had a negative experience with bad attitude from an NCL employee (Jade).

I think you'll definitely enjoy your time on board :)

 

Thank You!

[twoatcuse]

We were lucky enough to do the Mediterranean last summer on the Spirit. Our very favorite spot was the Raffles Terrace Bar behind the Raffles buffet. We picked up our breakfast at the buffet and left the noise and chaos behind to eat there almost every morning. They have tables in the shade or tables in the sun if you prefer. It's just beautiful back there and it seems that most people don't know about it. It's also a relaxing spot to have a drink, or read or play cards in the afternoon after touring. Sometimes in the afternoon there is a live band or soloist playing (but nothing loud like the main pool) and they had a barbeque out there once. There are steps down to terraced seating and the kiddie pool area. Our cruise had very few children so that area was an excellent spot for sunbathing away from the crowds.

The Observation lounge was terrific also. It has very comfortable seating and a wonderful forward view. People just relax and can order drinks if they like. It's nice and bright in there and if Bingo's your thing, you can play in daylight instead of in one of those interior lounges where you feel like you're in a tunnel!

Enjoy the Spirit! I'm jealous!

[SteveH2508]

All of the above are lovely features of the Spirit (particularly the stern area and the observation lounge). The one thing we were not so keen was the Blue Lagoon seating. It is on a corridor - however - being small and close knit the service was swift.

Edited March 23, 2015 by SteveH2508

[Pope Francis]

We were lucky enough to do the Mediterranean last summer on the Spirit. Our very favorite spot was the Raffles Terrace Bar behind the Raffles buffet. We picked up our breakfast at the buffet and left the noise and chaos behind to eat there almost every morning. They have tables in the shade or tables in the sun if you prefer. It's just beautiful back there and it seems that most people don't know about it. It's also a relaxing spot to have a drink, or read or play cards in the afternoon after touring. Sometimes in the afternoon there is a live band or soloist playing (but nothing loud like the main pool) and they had a barbeque out there once. There are steps down to terraced seating and the kiddie pool area. Our cruise had very few children so that area was an excellent spot for sunbathing away from the crowds.

The Observation lounge was terrific also. It has very comfortable seating and a wonderful forward view. People just relax and can order drinks if they like. It's nice and bright in there and if Bingo's your thing, you can play in daylight instead of in one of those interior lounges where you feel like you're in a tunnel!

Enjoy the Spirit! I'm jealous!

 

Thank You...That is just the input we were looking for...Why be jealous...come along...Every year I get really excited about a particular cruise and/or ship and every year I have not been disappointed. Hopefully when we retire, I will be able to cruise more then once per year. Again Thank You!

[Pope Francis]

All of the above are lovely features of the Spirit (particularly the stern area and the observation lounge). The one thing we were not so keen was the Blue Lagoon seating. It is on a corridor - however - being small and close knit the service was swift.

 

That reminds me of the way the Blue Lagoon was on the Star, Dawn and Jewel before the first dry docks...I'm even excited to see that. Thanks;

[newmexicoNita]

We are long time NCL cruisers, however are taking our first cruise on the Spirit in January 2016. Likes and/or Dislikes, Favorite nooks and/or other layout comments, Staff Interactions...Your reviews please.

 

Loves: the staff and their willingness to work with everyone even if you have a complaint.

The Asian restaurant: very good food.

the overall beauty of the ship; one of the nicest I have seen.

 

Drawbacks or negatives: very tiny cabins, designed for the Asian population and not some of us larger people.

The aging process of the ship. Last time we sailed her (have done it twice) she was really showing her age on the balonines and places like that. There was a lot of rust. I am not saying the ship was dirty, it was not, it just showed its age. SO do I am a matter of fact, but I am not showing rust.

[Pope Francis]

Loves: the staff and their willingness to work with everyone even if you have a complaint.

The Asian restaurant: very good food.

the overall beauty of the ship; one of the nicest I have seen.

 

Drawbacks or negatives: very tiny cabins, designed for the Asian population and not some of us larger people.

The aging process of the ship. Last time we sailed her (have done it twice) she was really showing her age on the balonines and places like that. There was a lot of rust. I am not saying the ship was dirty, it was not, it just showed its age. SO do I am a matter of fact, but I am not showing rust.

 

Thank you for your comments...You are the 2nd person that has commented on the size of the cabins, at this point I am thankful that we reserved the largest available inside cabin.

 

Rust and showing her age I can deal with, but was struck and interested in your comment of her overall beauty. I found on the Sun that she wasn't pretty...However there were a couple of really relaxing places that we enjoyed spending time in and I hope there are those spots that we find on the Spirit as well.

 

Again, Thank You!

[danacline]

We were on the Spirit last summer, from Barcelona to Venice. There were 4 of us (all about 6 feet tall) in an inside cabin. Quite cramped but we made it work.

 

The sauna/steam room was great, and I used the shower there more than the one in the cabin (more room!). The food was only OK, and I have no idea if that's because it was Mediterranean or because it was NCL (it was our first NCL).

 

The food in port was awesome! Some things to get, that you can't get at all in the states - wine from the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius, and wine from Cinque Terre. Also got ouzo, grappa, Viejo wine from Barcelona, and limoncello. Managed to get it all home with no broken bottles.

 

Dislike - the only place to view forward was the lounge, and the windows were too filthy to take a photo through. And they never washed them!

 

If you visit Ephesus, or the Acropolis, wear shoes with good tread. That marble, walked on for many centuries, is incredibly slick! If you visit Istanbul, go to the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.

[Snowrose]

We LOVE the Spirit! Gorgeous decor, very Asian.

 

Favorite nook was the bridge viewing area on deck 11, which was just down the hall from our cabin. And we loved sitting in the atrium with a drink, listening to the bands.

 

Really loved Blue Lagoon there, too. Atmosphere and food were much better than the one on the Jewel, in our opinion.

[portcbob]

Sorry to be different than the other posters.

Have cruised on the Star, Jade and Spirit and we thought the Spirit was the worst out of the 3.

Reasons being is small cabins, Entertainment was very ordinary to say the least especially the so called live music around the ship. We also thought the food was the worst we have had on any ships.

Our spirit cruise was a 12 nighter in the Med. Although we still enjoyed this cruise we probably wouldn't sail on her again.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Cheers Bob.

[PH8]

Looking at photos on NCL.com and it seems there aren't any drawers for storage........all I see is a desk..how is the storage???

[DebJ14]

We found the cabins to be very small. DH is not that tall, but he found the low sink in the bathroom and the shorter bed annoying. That being said, it was an enjoyable cruise. The food was good and the crew was great.