Spirit from Mobile

[RoperDK]

Now that Spirit has sailed from Mobile for a few sailings, is there any feedback?  Interested in how Mobile is handling the restart and how service and condition of the ship is, along with food quality.  Any opinions? 

[aggie182]

I'd be interested in the table minimums in the casino, specifically on BJ and craps if anyone has feedback on those items.  We're a few weeks out from venturing to Mobile for a 6-day on the Spirit!

[BecT]

We were on the October 14 sailing out of Mobile. 

 

I didn't pay attention to the table minimums for craps and BJ but 3 card poker was $5-100. This was a premier cruise in the casino. Lots of giveaways for those sailing with on the premier option but not much of anything for the rest of us cruising with a non-premier casino offer. 

 

The port seemed to be about the same as before... Waiting to park is still a PITA if you want the garage. There was a slight delay before cats were allowed in. Once in the garage things went very smoothly early on. From car to boat was about 10 minutes. Friends of ours who arrived much later in the afternoon were delayed. Boarding was shut down for a little bit...gossip was someone tried to board with illegal drugs, but I can't confirm that. Debarking was a little slow but easy if you have a passport. Passport holders are processed through with facial recognition. Less than in hour from the time we walked out of our cabin to walking into our home across the bay. 

 

Boat was in decent shape. Lots of cleaning and repair work constantly being done. I will note that ALL the power on the ship shut off for about an hour one morning. Not a big deal as we were in port at the time. 

 

Food is always subjective so take what I say with a grain of salt. 😁Buffet food was ok. Pizza was surprisingly good. Guy's burgers were the same as on other ships. The main restaurant food was for the most part  pretty good. Serving portions were surprisingly generous and I never left hungry. I usually couldn't eat everything. Service was attentive but a bit hurried. We had 6pm dining time. We ate one night at the steakhouse. It was ok but not great. The casino comped a meal for 5 (for our premiere friend) but I would not go if I had to pay myself.  We did not try the other for-pay eating place. 

 

Those in my group who went to the spa were quite happy with their services from a deep tissue massages to manicure and pedicure. 

 

Room attendants appeared to be overworked. Rooms were serviced once a day and our attendant did a great job keeping it clean. Service was in the morning but he was often out late in the evening still working trying to finish cabins he didn't get to in the morning. He was assigned 33 cabins but he did have an assistant. 

 

Entertainment was mixed. The shows were good I liked the themes, dancing and choreography.  But there was one singer whose voice was what I considered weak and I did not enjoy listening to her... again subjective. 

 

Overall I enjoyed our trip and have booked another one on Spirit for this December. (Gotta love retirement)

 

I hope I answered your questions. If not let me know. 

[RoperDK]

13 hours ago, BecT said:

We were on the October 14 sailing out of Mobile. 

 

I didn't pay attention to the table minimums for craps and BJ but 3 card poker was $5-100. This was a premier cruise in the casino. Lots of giveaways for those sailing with on the premier option but not much of anything for the rest of us cruising with a non-premier casino offer. 

 

The port seemed to be about the same as before... Waiting to park is still a PITA if you want the garage. There was a slight delay before cats were allowed in. Once in the garage things went very smoothly early on. From car to boat was about 10 minutes. Friends of ours who arrived much later in the afternoon were delayed. Boarding was shut down for a little bit...gossip was someone tried to board with illegal drugs, but I can't confirm that. Debarking was a little slow but easy if you have a passport. Passport holders are processed through with facial recognition. Less than in hour from the time we walked out of our cabin to walking into our home across the bay. 

 

Boat was in decent shape. Lots of cleaning and repair work constantly being done. I will note that ALL the power on the ship shut off for about an hour one morning. Not a big deal as we were in port at the time. 

 

Food is always subjective so take what I say with a grain of salt. 😁Buffet food was ok. Pizza was surprisingly good. Guy's burgers were the same as on other ships. The main restaurant food was for the most part  pretty good. Serving portions were surprisingly generous and I never left hungry. I usually couldn't eat everything. Service was attentive but a bit hurried. We had 6pm dining time. We ate one night at the steakhouse. It was ok but not great. The casino comped a meal for 5 (for our premiere friend) but I would not go if I had to pay myself.  We did not try the other for-pay eating place. 

 

Those in my group who went to the spa were quite happy with their services from a deep tissue massages to manicure and pedicure. 

 

Room attendants appeared to be overworked. Rooms were serviced once a day and our attendant did a great job keeping it clean. Service was in the morning but he was often out late in the evening still working trying to finish cabins he didn't get to in the morning. He was assigned 33 cabins but he did have an assistant. 

 

Entertainment was mixed. The shows were good I liked the themes, dancing and choreography.  But there was one singer whose voice was what I considered weak and I did not enjoy listening to her... again subjective. 

 

Overall I enjoyed our trip and have booked another one on Spirit for this December. (Gotta love retirement)

 

I hope I answered your questions. If not let me know. 

Thank you BecT, that was exactly what I was looking for!  Mobile has always been a bit quirky for embarking and disembarking. The port is just a few hours from our house and I am happy about not having to do an all day drive and wrestle with a hotel.  How much was the daily parking fee?  We avoid casino cruises because of the crowds.  My other casino offers are fine and less stressful than trying to find places to play on those cruises. How was the drink service in the casino and how long after leaving the port before the casino opens?  I seem to remember that it took several hours and was longer than expected. Thanks again for the great info!          

[BecT]

You're welcome!

 

Parking was $20 a day.  We paid $160 for 8 days.  

 

I believe the casino opened around 7pm. They opened soon after we cleared the bay. 

 

Drink service was painfully slow in the casino even when giving generous tips. Beer/water/soda cans were given typically unopened. Mixed drinks I had were tasty. One of the bartenders would actually check the flavor of the drink before sending it out to make sure it was right ( used a straw to put a little of the drink on his hand to taste). 

 

I didn't realize it was a premier cruise until we got on the ship.  Casino was crazy busy hard to find a machine or a spot at a table. Several tables were not opened until after 9pm. If you are a nonsmoker then you may have to wait until then to get a seat.  By the end of the cruise it wasn't nearly as busy. 

 

Since we moved to Alabama we have enjoyed sailing from Mobile. Not having to fly or stay in a hotel makes all the difference in the world. 

 

Another thing about arriving to park. Don't arrive to early because they will make you park under a bridge and then  they will allow others to start a new line later on and your stuck at the back. My advice is find a spot on that "back road" a little far back and don't move until around 10:30. You're more apt to get in quickly that way then lining up on the main road. 

 

Do you have a cruise booked for Mobile yet?

[n6uqqq]

On 10/27/2023 at 7:48 AM, aggie182 said:

I'd be interested in the table minimums in the casino, specifically on BJ and craps if anyone has feedback on those items.  We're a few weeks out from venturing to Mobile for a 6-day on the Spirit!

In May craps was $10 for the pass line. I think this is pretty much the standard now, it was the same on Panorama in Sept.

[RoperDK]

21 hours ago, BecT said:

Do you have a cruise booked for Mobile yet?

We booked a Feb. 2024 6 day cruise just last month.  We are cruising with old friends that we haven't seen for a while.  Looking forward to catching up.  We are Platinum on Carnival (not too far from Diamond), but we switched to Royal for an improved cruising experience. If this experience is good, we will add Carnival back into the mix as Royal's prices are waaay too high. I hope that Mobile is successful.  It is so convenient, but only worth it if it isn't a PITA to sail from there.  I am a casino rat and have DOU, but we still buy the drink package with OBC because I don't want to spend $100 on a slot machine waiting for a "free" drink, lol.  I appreciate your input. It will help us immensely!      

[Colorado Beach Bum]

On 10/28/2023 at 10:55 PM, n6uqqq said:

In May craps was $10 for the pass line. I think this is pretty much the standard now, it was the same on Panorama in Sept.

$10 had been my experience on most ships but this past week on celebration it was $15. 

[vcop]

We are sailing on Spirit the week of Thanksgiving. We have been to Mobile before but usually park at the hotel & shuttle over.This time we are parking at the port. We are Platinum so we are going early.My question is can we line up about 9:30 or will they turn us away? I know the port opens at 10:00 but I wanted to be in line. I don`t mind the wait but was a little confused on lining up.

Thanks for your help!

[aggie182]

41 minutes ago, vcop said:

We are sailing on Spirit the week of Thanksgiving. We have been to Mobile before but usually park at the hotel & shuttle over.This time we are parking at the port. We are Platinum so we are going early.My question is can we line up about 9:30 or will they turn us away? I know the port opens at 10:00 but I wanted to be in line. I don`t mind the wait but was a little confused on lining up.

Thanks for your help!

I'm no help with parking, but we'll be on the Spirit with you!  We're parking at the hotel and shuttling.

[vcop]

I am excited ready to go!

[Bostwick girl]

2 hours ago, vcop said:

We are sailing on Spirit the week of Thanksgiving. We have been to Mobile before but usually park at the hotel & shuttle over.This time we are parking at the port. We are Platinum so we are going early.My question is can we line up about 9:30 or will they turn us away? I know the port opens at 10:00 but I wanted to be in line. I don`t mind the wait but was a little confused on lining up.

Thanks for your help!

We were on the 10/22 sailing. I think everyone decided to arrive early! Our checkin time was 10-10:30. We picked up the rest of our group at the hotel across the street and drove the block to the line. We got in line at 10:15. There was lines on every street as far as we could see and no one or no signs directing traffic. People kept breaking in line, maybe they were trying to get out, not in, no way to know. Some cops finally arrived and started directing traffic, and we finally started moving. It was a while before we got close enough to see what the problem was. Too many trying to get to the same place at the same time! We waited in traffic over an hour, probably 11:30 before we got in the drop off area. Once all that was done, we went inside to wait on the rest of our party. We all went inside to the check in area and that and security went pretty quick except one of our friends was pulled aside to have her little manicure scissors she’d had in her carryon for 20 years confiscated! They said it was because they were pointed! What BS! Anyway, we made it to our room to drop off luggage by 12:30.

 

Guess my point in all this is that if people wouldn’t arrive an hour before their arrival times, things may go smoother for others. This was our first and last time from Mobile. We cruise out of port canaveral, choose 12-12:30 checkin time and usually have no problems. They’re better equipped to handle the traffic I suppose. Not that it matters, but this was our 45th cruise. The cruise itself was great! Love the Spirit enough to drive from south of Jacksonville to mobile to sail on her again!

[ledges1]

Mobile is a real parking problem with the lines. If you get there too early, they may send you to the overflow lot to wait to prevent blocking the street. However, you never know when to leave the lot to get in line. There can also be two lines trying to get into the parking deck. If you carry on your luggage, you have to wait in line with those dropping off. It is difficult to pass them and go into the deck. Also, you may want to consider prepaying if you are parking your car in the deck. If not, you have to get in a line after you park to pay at the kiosk.

[Bostwick girl]

14 hours ago, ledges1 said:

Mobile is a real parking problem with the lines. If you get there too early, they may send you to the overflow lot to wait to prevent blocking the street. However, you never know when to leave the lot to get in line. There can also be two lines trying to get into the parking deck. If you carry on your luggage, you have to wait in line with those dropping off. It is difficult to pass them and go into the deck. Also, you may want to consider prepaying if you are parking your car in the deck. If not, you have to get in a line after you park to pay at the kiosk.

Yes, we did prepay, but I believe from what I saw, you’re better off parking in one of the outlying areas and being shuttled in. I doubt very seriously we’d sail from there again!

[Robert & Debra]

We were on the cruise with BecT. We had 11:30 to 12:00 arrival time and we got there right at 11:30. We live close so we had my son drop us off. We couldn't get into the terminal because of a mass of people who were blocking the entrance. No one was helping to know what was going on. When we found out that these were people who arrived early and were not being let in we were able to go around them and the ones who were up front were nice enough to give us just enough room to get through. Took us about 35 minutes to get past that. Why they didn't clear them from the area that they were letting people in I don't know.

 

The cruise itself was fine. We don't gamble much but I do have an observation about the casino. Walking through I didn't notice the cigarette smoke like I have on other cruises. We thought the shows in the theater were very good. Disappointed in the comedy shows and the piano player in the piano bar. Food was good. Did anytime dining. This was the first time we didn't request to stick with one serving team. They were all good but nothing special. Getting off the ship was as bad as getting on.

We did love the layout of the ship. We hope to cruise out of Mobile again next year because its so close.