NCL Spirit Grand Med Barcelona to Venice May 19-31, 2015 Review

[Loving My Life]

Background:

 

It was just my husband and I on this cruise to celebrate our 17th anniversary. We left our three boys – ages 8, 10, and 12 – home with their grandmothers for this trip, and although they love cruising and wanted to come with us (couldn’t because they were still in school), they had a great time with their grandmothers, who spoiled them rotten.

 

My name is Carolyn (39), dh’s name is Dan (38), and we live in Massachusetts. This was my 6th cruise, his 5th cruise, and our first cruise on NCL (the previous cruises have all been with Carnival). This was our first 12-day cruise. We have done three 7-day cruises, one 5-day cruise, and one 4-day cruise. We went back and forth for months, trying to decide between Alaska or the Mediterranean, but obviously, in the end, the Med won out.

 

We originally booked this cruise in October 2014 in a big inside cabin – #6535 – with no amenities. I was really looking forward to enjoying this spacious cabin, but in January (before final payment), I discovered that a different online travel agency, which we have used in the past, was offering an ocean view cabin with UBP, UDP, and OBC for less than what I was paying for the inside with no amenities, so I cancelled and rebooked under the new promo. Then, about 3 weeks before our cruise, I noticed that the prices had dropped significantly, presumably to fill the ship at the last minute, so we were able to upgrade to a balcony guarantee for the free and keep all of our amenities – YAY!! We were instantly assigned cabin #10632, which was quiet and conveniently located between the aft and mid-ship elevators.

 

We had an active roll call here on cruise critic of about 50 people. Most of us chatted for over 10 months as we planned our cruises, and many of us planned small group excursions together. I ended up keeping an updated list of people who were interested in a Meet & Greet, so it made sense for me to contact NCL to schedule it. We ended up getting a bunch of perks for organizing the M&G which we were not expecting, but greatly appreciated. They definitely enhanced our cruise experience. These perks will be discussed later in the review.

 

We debated whether to get euros before we left Boston or use ATMs once we got to Europe. In the end, we decided to use ATMs because the exchange rate was better than what we could find in the US. This worked really well for us.

 

Our Itinerary:

 

May 14 – Flights to Europe

May 15, 16, & 17 – Paris, France

May 18 & 19 – Barcelona, Spain

May 19 – Spirit embarkation

May 20 – Toulon, France

May 21 – Cinque Terre (from Florence/Pisa)

May 22 – Rome, Italy

May 23 – Naples, Italy

May 24 – Sea Day

May 25 – Mykonos, Greece

May 26 – Istanbul, Turkey

May 27 – Ephesus, Turkey

May 28 – Athens, Greece

May 29 – Sea Day

May 30 – Venice, Italy (overnight)

May 31 – Spirit disembarkation

May 31 – Venice, Italy

June 1 – Flights (and train) home

______________________________________

 

Grand total = 20 days in Europe/Mediterranean

 

Overall Impressions:

 

This was by far our BEST vacation – cruise or land-based – ever!!! It far exceeded our expectations, although admittedly, we spared no expense on our excursions. We did everything we wanted to do regardless of the cost. The perks we received for organizing the M&G had a lot to do with our enjoyment of this cruise, as did the beverage and dining packages and the length of the vacation.

 

There were a few things that didn’t go as planned, but they were so minor that they did not detract from the cruise in any way. I will mention them, however, when appropriate.

 

This review will not be a direct comparison between Carnival and Norwegian, although I will likely make a few comparisons and suggestions.

 

Between the two of us, we took thousands of pictures, some of which I will attempt to include in this review. I won’t specify how many thousands of pictures for fear of sounding like a freak, but trust me, we have a lot to choose from. ☺

 

This is my first time posting a review. I am a full-time grad student (after a mid-life career change), so I will post as quickly as time permits. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them. I know how excited I was to read reviews of the Spirit before our cruise so I hope this will be helpful to those who are planning this cruise sometime in the future and will bring back fond memories for those who have been fortunate enough to sail this itinerary in the past.

[Linda the Book Lover]

I am actually looking forward to your thousands of photos!

[cardbucfan]

Can't wait to read it! We are doing this cruise next May (just booked our flights today!) and it's our first time on NCL and in the Med.

[OpenMind]

I'm going on the same cruise next week (NCL Spirit, June 12-24, Barcelona-Venice) ...so, please hurry up with your review!!!:)...

Edited June 2, 2015 by OpenMind

[Loving My Life]

I'm going on the same cruise next week (NCL Spirit, June 12-24, Barcelona-Venice) ...so, please hurry up with your review!!!:)...

 

Working on it! :o Do you have any specific questions or concerns in the meantime?

Edited June 2, 2015 by Loving My Life

[b_cruise]

OMG. IM PUMPED FOR THIS REVIEW... I hate when people post and don't just wait for the whole review but here I am doing what I hate, lol...so excited...cruising same july 6!! Carnival cruiser too... I really need to know how many spin classes were offered?

[realtrip]

can't wait to hear more. I'm a carnival cruiser , first time on NCL coming up. I'm looking forward to the differences you have noticed.

We are going to a few of the same ports.

Thanks for doing a write up!

[blan2]

Looking forward to hearing about your trip.....we are booked for next fall! I love reading reviews and appreciate you taking your time to share with us.

[Stillfloatin']

Keep 'em coming!

[Lucinarei]

Excited for the review! Doing the reverse of your cruise in July and I can't wait!! :D

[Mistizoom]

Can't wait to hear more!

[shukapaw]

We depart on this same trip on June 12 so are hoping you get part of the review posted prior to that. Glad to hear you had a great time. Our situation is similar to yours.... mostly Carnival background and this trip will be our longest cruise and our first with NCL. Like you, we are not holding back on excursions.

 

thanks for taking the time to do this

 

Brian

[dexddd]

Working on it! :o Do you have any specific questions or concerns in the meantime?

 

Thanks for taking the time. We are going back on Spirit - last time on Spirit was 8 years ago.

 

What shape was the ship in? How about the condition of your room? Was Blue Lagoon full/hard to find a seat? What was the wait like for the Specialities?

[tmackel]

Did this cruise in September 2014 and it was awesome! Can't wait for the rest of your review.

[wanderingoz]

Looking forward to this review. Hope we get to read it before we sail on July 6th :D

[Loving My Life]

Thanks for taking the time. We are going back on Spirit - last time on Spirit was 8 years ago.

 

What shape was the ship in? How about the condition of your room? Was Blue Lagoon full/hard to find a seat? What was the wait like for the Specialities?

 

The ship is in great shape! The crew was hard at work 24 hours a day to clean, paint, replace, and refurbish. Our cabin was impeccably clean. As soon as we got to our cabin on embarkation day, 2 crew members knocked on our door to ask if we were going to lunch because they wanted to reupholster the sofa in our cabin. It looked fine to us so I asked why they were fixing it. They pointed out a 1/2 inch tear that didn't even go all the way through the faux leather. When we came back from lunch an hour later, we had a newly upholstered sofa. Also, on our NAPLES day, they repainted our balcony railings. The only thing I noticed was that there was a large, what appeared to be wine, stain on the carpet in one of the hallways. The crew cleaned it as best they could but it never fully went away.

 

We only ate in Blue Lagoon once during the trip but had no trouble finding a table when we went. However, it was usually really busy around the time of all aboard on port days. So, if we had to be back on the ship at 5:30pm, it would be mobbed from 5pm to about 6:30pm. Sometimes it would be really busy around 10:15pm when the second show let out.

 

We had the dining package so we ate in specialty restaurants most nights. Tepanyakis was full most nights but we were able to book it for twice during the cruise on embarkation day. Most nights there was no problem getting a table for 2 in Cagneys, Le Bistro, or Trattoria, but it was more difficult to get a table for 4 or 6. The only night that we were not able to get a reservation was the second sea day. One of the perks of of organizing the meet and greet was having a concierge so I don't know if that made a difference. Your best bet is to either prebook or get on the ship early on embarkation day and book right away. Most shows in the theater were at 7:30 and 9:30 if that helps you plan.

[Loving My Life]

OMG. IM PUMPED FOR THIS REVIEW... I hate when people post and don't just wait for the whole review but here I am doing what I hate, lol...so excited...cruising same july 6!! Carnival cruiser too... I really need to know how many spin classes were offered?

 

Ummm.......I have a confession to make. Although I should have, I never went to the gym on this (or any other) cruise. :p

 

According to the Dailies, they offered morning and sunset stretch every day at 7am and 7pm. Then they alternated between yoga, awesome abs, total body conditioning, body sculpt, pilates, TRX training, and fight klub in the mornings and afternoons throughout the rest of the cruise. On Day 6, they offered Tour De Cycle at 8am. On Day 10, they offered Indoor Cycling at 8am. Most of these fitness center activities had a fee associated with them, but I don't know how much the fee was.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Loving My Life

[Tyskie]

Thank you for your review - excited to hear more. ;)

 

We're doing approximately the same cruise but on Island Princess. We mostly cruise NCL or Princess. Having the concierge for arranging a M&G was such a surprise to us as well (Gem). Talk about being spoiled ! :)

[Tyskie]

We debated whether to get euros before we left Boston or use ATMs once we got to Europe. In the end, we decided to use ATMs because the exchange rate was better than what we could find in the US. This worked really well for us.

 

 

Curious, I was told by some "seasoned" travelers to get the euros here in NY. Doesn't ATM's charge you a processing fee? Do you remember your exchange rate for the ATM ?

Edited June 3, 2015 by Tyskie

[mugtech]

Waiting to compare to our 2014 May Venice to Barcelona.

[Loving My Life]

Curious, I was told by some "seasoned" travelers to get the euros here in NY. Doesn't ATM's charge you a processing fee? Do you remember your exchange rate for the ATM ?

 

It probably depends on your bank. When we inquired, we could get euros in the US with an exchange rate of €1 = $1.19, plus a one-time processing fee of $9.99. At ATMs in Paris, Barcelona, and Athens, the exchange rate was €1 = $1.11, $1.09, and $1.09 respectively, without a transaction fee if we used certain banks/ATMs, which we had no trouble finding. Not a huge difference, but we also didn't want to carry €3000+ on our persons in cities well known for pick pocketing. This way, we never had more than €500 on us at any time. We also used a credit card with no foreign transaction fees on occasion.

 

Your best bet would be to call your bank and discuss both options with them.

[Tyskie]

It probably depends on your bank. When we inquired, we could get euros in the US with an exchange rate of €1 = $1.19, plus a one-time processing fee of $9.99. At ATMs in Paris, Barcelona, and Athens, the exchange rate was €1 = $1.11, $1.09, and $1.09 respectively, without a transaction fee if we used certain banks/ATMs, which we had no trouble finding. Not a huge difference, but we also didn't want to carry €3000+ on our persons in cities well known for pick pocketing. This way, we never had more than €500 on us at any time. We also used a credit card with no foreign transaction fees on occasion.

 

Your best bet would be to call your bank and discuss both options with them.

 

Thank you for your quick response. I got 1.19 at my bank with no fee. I wanted to have my private tour money and some to start with in Venice (people mover, etc). We will use CC with no foreign fee for hotel pre & post stay. The ATMs you used were they associated with your bank here in the states? I've been told to use ATMs at banks, not random ones. :) Again thanks, looking forward to your posts.

[blan2]

What day did NCL plan your Meet & Greet? I have already mentioned in my Roll Call that I am interested in organizing the event, as I did one for our Alaskan cruise a couple years ago. Was it the first sea day? I also like trying to organize a few other informal get togethers and I think I would like one of them before the official one if it isn't until the fourth day in. Thank for your time.

[jeffregpuck]

We did this same itinerary back in November of last year. I agree...this was the MOST awesome cruise either of us has ever taken. We are Norwegian platinum, so not a lost of comparison to other cruise lines, but I see no need to go anywhere else. The only reason I would switch would be if a comparable cruise line offered a better itinerary for less money, and more perks.

 

I also agree with the OP.....if you need to save money...do it in your cabin, and save your money for the excursions. Mediterranean shore excursions are expensive, mostly because you have to travel from the port to the main city, but DON'T hold back here.

 

I'm not going to hijack this thread, as the OP is giving some great advice and review...HOWEVER...just in case we did some different excursions and you want to know about them, I will be happy to give you that info.

 

Toulon/Marseilles - we did not do a ship's tour here as we were saving for grander ports.

 

Florence/Pisa - Ultimate Florence and Pisa with Tower Climb (ship's tour)

 

Rome - We have visited Rome before, so did this city on our own. Be careful if you do this!! The train took a little longer than expected to return, and we almost missed the ship. Scary

 

Naples - We used Shore Excursions group for this one, and did the Exclusive Pompeii and Amalfi Drive

 

Mykonos - We did a tour here, but I honestly don't remember which one. I think it had something to do with Photo spots.

 

Istanbul - Classical Istanbul (ship's tour)

 

Ephesus - Ultimate Ephesus and Terrace houses with Roman Feast (ship's tour)

 

Athens - We hired a private taxi here and he showed us around. We have been to Athens twice, and used the same taxi twice. These were awesome!!!

[Loving My Life]

Yes, the official M&G was on the first sea day at 10am in Henry's Pub, which was the 6th day of the cruise for us. So, we planned an unofficial M&G for embarkation day immediately following the Muster Drill. We met in the aft of decks 10 and 11 where there is graduated, covered seating...and a bar. :D