Questions about the Spirit

[newlondoncruiser]

Hi - it's great to finally post on here - I have been reading these boards for months now, and they answered so many questions I didn't even know i had, that I never got around to registering myself!

I'm making my first cruise in 15 years on Dec 8th on the Spirit out of New York. It's a surprise for my husband for his birthday - he won't have a clue intil we fly from England on his birthday and board the ship the next day.

Anyway, i digress - a few last minute questions.

1) Would anyone have any idea whether hair straighteners could be used in the cabin - i understand that my hairdryer won't, but i do want to try and look half decent!

2) If I bring an english power strip, with an American adaptor plug, would that work in my stateroom?

3) Has anyone stayed in stateroom 11628? If so how is it for noise, storage etc. we have an 8 yr old daughter. who will be on a sofa bed, and i am wondering where on earth we will put our cases.

4) any ideas what time we are likely to disembark, if our ship returns to NYC at 8am? Only i wanted to book a limo to pick us up and take us onto our hotel in NY. If not are taxis easily available at NY terminal?

5)Does anyone know if the shops in St Thomas will all be open on a Sunday?

6) Do I need to bring beach towels or do people use the ship ones when going on excursions

 

Just realised how silly all these questions sound, but because i am doing all this secretly I have no-one to discuss this with at home!

Sorry for very long post!

[grandsix]

We will also be on the 12/8/05 cruise. I believe you should be able to use your hair straightener. If there is no room in the closet for storage, most of us put our luggage under the bed or you can ask your cabin steward to store it for you. Stores in St. Thomas are open on Sunday. Plan on Disembarking around 10am as Foreign travelers have to go through a different procedure than U.S. citizens. There will be many Taxis available at the pier as you will in the heart of NYC., not some remote area. It is not necessary to bring your own towels. See you aboard

[monsignor]

Hi there.. My sister and I just got off of the Thanksgiving Spirit cruise. I can answer some of your questions:

 

1) Hair Straightener - depends on the wattage. There is a 500 watt max on the outlets.

2) Adapter should be fine so long as it fits in a standard American 110v outlet. Note: if you have no power you'll need to call down and have maintenance check the breakers. Our room didn't have power working. (11652)

3) Space - the rooms are decent. Smaller cases will fit in the bottom of the closet. Our large case had to stay out next to the desk. Noise is relative. Overall noise was fine for us. A bit of a rattle but I took care of that. Worst noise comes from loud neighbors.

4) Disembarkation process when you return to NYC takes a while. Figure on it beginning around 9:30.. Since ur on 11 you will be first to go with the luggage tag system.. Most likely about 10. If you don't have alot of cases you can opt for Express Disembarkation where you carry your luggage off yourself. You would get off about 9:30 then.

5) Shops will be open.. It's all about making money..

6) Towels can be signed out for excursions.. OR, you can snatch a few from the pool and bring them in a beach bag.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jerry

[Len3]

I know that we're all looking forward to our time onboard. We sail on the Spirit February 9th. Let's just hope that all of the posted problems have been worked out. NCL has alot going for it with these cruises our of NYC. They can't coutinue to mess up.

[SailAways]

Hi there.3) Space - the rooms are decent. Smaller cases will fit in the bottom of the closet. Our large case had to stay out next to the desk.Jerry

 

Just a little note here: All of our (3) suitcases fit under the bed, leaving the closet and room clear. There was still room under the bed for other things too. (Deck 10 inside)

[newlondoncruiser]

Oh thank you so much - that is really helpful. I hadn't realised how near the port was to the city centre - our nearest cruise ship dock is miles away.

What's the worst that is going to happen to me if I take a couple of bottles of Champers on board for me and Hubby to enjoy - I have ordered room decoration and a bottle, but at something like $57 dollars ( a lot more than it said on the web site) I am going to be broke after the first couple of days!

[Len3]

Save a little something for the casino:D

[greenie]

Oh thank you so much - that is really helpful. I hadn't realised how near the port was to the city centre - our nearest cruise ship dock is miles away.

What's the worst that is going to happen to me if I take a couple of bottles of Champers on board for me and Hubby to enjoy - I have ordered room decoration and a bottle, but at something like $57 dollars ( a lot more than it said on the web site) I am going to be broke after the first couple of days!

 

 

Newlondoncruiser--your DH is going to be THRILLED. What a great BD gift. :) I surprised my BF too--not with the cruise (he knew about that) but with a seriously extravagant upsell to an Owner's Suite on the Dawn last May.

 

Surprises like yours and mine can't fail to be a success! Have a wonderful time and don't worry about the recent posts that were negative. There were also some very postive ones. Besides, much of the complaints had to do with high seas (with perhaps some bad 'tude mixed in :rolleyes: ) as far as I can tell. And don't forget--food is subjective. I never listen to bad reports about the food, I end up disagreeing with them anyway! You sound like a positive sort so I'm betting you'll all have a blast.

 

Happy cruising!

[alioness]

Have an fantastic time, we sure did. If by chance any little thing goes wrong, because of coarse it can anytime, then tell someone right away, they will happily fix what they can and they won't make you feel bad about it.

 

One time we had the smell of paint come into our cabin. I asked the desk wether I should turn off the AC or close the balcony because I couldn't tell where the smell was coming from. The smell stopped within minutes and about twenty minutes later an officer and an engineer came up to the room to check and apologize. These really are caring people.

 

Anyways have fun, fun,fun

 

PS it's really no problem asking your room steward to take your large suitcase and store it for you.

 

Barb

[shirleygr]

and say hi to greenie. How have you been? (We were on the Dawn with her and her extravagant stateroom! Wonderful cocktail party, btw).

We've been busy, as always. Just came back from the Enchantment--great ship, great cruise. We are planning a cruise with the girls again in April '07 and debating between a 5 day on the Enchantment ( in a jr suite) and the 6 day on the Spirit (would need to do 2 cabins as there is no mini suite :mad: ).

I would love to go on the Dawn again, but her itinerary doesn't work with school vacation schedules. So here I am, looking around for information. :rolleyes:

Take care and talk to you soon. :)

Back to your regularly scheduled thread. :)

[cindycruise]

Those of you who have recently been on the Spirit, (my family will be sailing on this ship over Christmas).....

 

1. Did they have any 2 for 1 specials for the speciality restaurants?

2. Did they offer a Murder Mystery Dinner?

3. Is there a wine program?

4. Did they have dance lessons?

5. Do they serve ice cream during the day (this from my 15 year old dtr)?

 

Thank you all for the help I have received from these boards already.

Cindy

[newlondoncruiser]

Thanks Alioness and Greenie,

I know we will have a fabulous time - especially as DH thinks we are just going to a holiday camp in the Isle of Wight, Ha HA! We met on a cruise ship 15 years ago - he was in the band and I a passenger, and it will also be our anniversary on the last night, so it will be of sepcial significance to us. I admit to being disappointed by recent reviews, but I think this will just set it up to be even better, if I anticipate a few problems. Our family love every holiday we go on, wherever we go, because we love being together and being away - even when it rained solidly in the Dom Rep last year and our room was flooded out and our bed full of bugs we just laughed about it and had a fantastic hol, with some good dinner party material to share when we got home!

Also my husband's cruise ship 15 years ago, was sooo basic compared to what is available now, and he has been desperate to go back on the seas ever since, so he'll be blown away by this ship which looks absolutely super! Sorry - I'm rambling - it's excitement as a week today I'll be there! Yipeee!

[lunaseaII]

Those of you who have recently been on the Spirit, (my family will be sailing on this ship over Christmas).....

 

1. Did they have any 2 for 1 specials for the speciality restaurants?

2. Did they offer a Murder Mystery Dinner?

3. Is there a wine program?

4. Did they have dance lessons?

5. Do they serve ice cream during the day (this from my 15 year old dtr)?

 

 

1) No specials on the 11/19 sailing

3) Not last week

4) CD Julie gave a Salsa lesson

5) Raffles has an ice cream staion...scooped ice cream with assorted toppings

[alioness]

I didn't notice any 2 for 1 specials. We di however win 4 sets odinner for two at free spins.

 

We were offered two murder mysteries that Julie was generous enough to set up because there was so much interest.

 

My daughter attended dance classes apx. half the days we were on board. There was a couple brought on esp. for that. She had a blast and totally fell in love with the couple.

 

newlondoncruiser, I'm so excited for you. They have a great band on board, 60280. There were fantastic. Did mostly music from the 60's to the 80's and had lots of energy. Hope your husband enjoys them too. Check out the disco to see how things have changed since his time on the ships. Email me if you want to chat anymore or hints for your trip. randbfisher@yahoo.ca

 

Take care everyone, Barb

[greenie]

and say hi to greenie. How have you been? (We were on the Dawn with her and her extravagant stateroom! Wonderful cocktail party, btw).

We've been busy, as always. Just came back from the Enchantment--great ship, great cruise. We are planning a cruise with the girls again in April '07 and debating between a 5 day on the Enchantment ( in a jr suite) and the 6 day on the Spirit (would need to do 2 cabins as there is no mini suite :mad: ).

I would love to go on the Dawn again, but her itinerary doesn't work with school vacation schedules. So here I am, looking around for information. :rolleyes:

Take care and talk to you soon. :)

Back to your regularly scheduled thread. :)

 

Shirleygr! How great to hear from you again! How is DH and the fam? Joe and I loved aspects of the Adventure of the Seas (similar to Enchantment, I am assuming)--especially the adult solarium and pool and Johnny Rocket's. You should keep an eye on the Wotta Hoot Roll-Call as we are planning a cruise in April or May of 2007. NannyNY and SamtheBooKitty are in the Roll-Call, too. Maybe it'll jibe with your school holidays. It'd be great to see you again, girl.

 

Newlondoncruiser, I am SO excited FOR you, I swear to God. What a gorgeous and meaningful surprise for DH you have planned!

[Len3]

This is my first time cruising with NCL since the days of the Skyward, Starward, etc. Since then we have stayed with RCCL and Princess. My question is does NCL provide bathrobes upon request to the cabin steward? Leaving from NYC can be pretty chilly.

[cindycruise]

To alioness and lunaseaII,

 

A big thank you for answering all my questions. I appreciate your responses and help. It's great to know what is offered so one has the opportunity to have more fun. :)

Cindy

[electricron]

This is my first time cruising with NCL since the days of the Skyward, Starward, etc. Since then we have stayed with RCCL and Princess. My question is does NCL provide bathrobes upon request to the cabin steward? Leaving from NYC can be pretty chilly.

 

Other NCL ships do provide bathrobes when you grease that request with a decent sized tip. I foresee no reason why the Spirit would be different.

[newlondoncruiser]

oh I might actually be able to help with this one - I asked my TA to find out about this for me and she came back with the answer that they were not available in my grade of cabin (balcony)! I will try a bit of palm greasing and see - we English aren't very good at doing that!

[Len3]

It seems that alot of extra tipping is required on the Spirit in order to get what you want or need. Princess gives to robes just for the asking.