First Timer Confused!!

[ccrgjalk]

I have booked an 11 night cruise on 12/10/06 on the ncl Spirit. I am pondering the idea of bringing my 2 kids(3 and 5). Is this a good idea for me and my wife? Is the spirit a good ship? Are the balconies nice, i have 9086? Does the ship provide ample babysitting and do the kids have to pay the extra fee for the fee related restaurants?

 

Thanks for any help you can give

Chris

[sammymd]

Chris,

I was on the Spirit for an Alaska cruise last

August. Thought the ship was beautiful. I did notice

a very cute pool for kids, can't help you with the

other information. I'm not sure how big or good a kid's program

ncl has. Did not stay in a balcony, but have been in one, and they

are not real big. I'm sure you would have a good time

with your kids, but it might be pretty crowded.

If you have good-babysitters, you might think about

leaving them at home. You can always take them

when their older, but that is your decision.

I have seen some couple's with small children,

but in 5 cruise's, not that many.

I know Disney gets a ton of kids.

 

Not sure about the rest. fee's, I'm sure others on

this board can help you with that.

 

By the way, I have a 14 month old grand-daughter,

I would love to take her on a cruise one day.

 

You might do a search on these boards, I'm

sure you can find some old posts.

Enjoy your cruise.

sammy

[cmdchiefthom]

I took my 3 and 5 year old grandsons on the Spirit last year. For kids, it is the best ship at sea.;) Several parents who were with us said NCL's program was actually better than Disney. Your kids will love it!:)

[pt in ct]

Kids crew is fabulous....times available are 9am-12pm, 2pm-5 pm and 7pm-10pm on sea days and 7pm-10pm on port days.

 

Child care is available on port days, but I don't know the details.

 

Extended care is available from 10pm-1am. The cost is $5/hour for 1 child or $8/hour for two children.

 

The age groups are 2-5, 6-9. 10-13.

 

My kids (6 & 9) loved it. The staff was very energetic. They have funny names like "Nat the Brat", "Smelli Kelli" and "Coconut Casey". They do not go swimming with the kids crew.

 

I would definitely recommend the kids crew program on the Spirit.;)

[pt in ct]

You do pay for your children in the specialty restaurants. We went to Cagney's and it was $10 per child. They ate off of the children's menu but had a Cagneys dessert.:)

[electricron]

The Spirit is one of my favorite ships. You received some misinformation earlier, so I will take some time to answer all your questions.

 

I have booked an 11 night cruise on 12/10/06 on the ncl Spirit. I am pondering the idea of bringing my 2 kids(3 and 5). Is this a good idea for me and my wife?

Yes! The Spirit is one of the better ships for small kids at sea. Here's a review from Cruise Critics web site.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=299

 

Is the spirit a good ship?

Yes! Some will argue that other ships are better since they are larger, but the Spirit is still a grand ship. It's beautiful Asian decor is unique in American waters. Here's a link to a web site that has 360 degree views of the cabins and public spaces aboard the Spirit.

http://smillay.cruisesinc.com/travel/cruises/virtual_tours.jsp?pg=0

 

Are the balconies nice, i have 9086?

The Spirit's balcony cabins are not the largest or smallest in the NCL fleet. But they are nice and should be large enough for your family at 161 sq. ft. with a 40 sq. ft. balcony. For example, the Pride of Aloha's balcony cabins are 154 sq. ft. with a 48 sq. ft. balcony. The Dawn's balcony cabins are 166 sq. ft. with a 37 sq. ft. balcony. The Spirit's balcony cabins are average ins size. Here's more information about your cabin.

https://seaweb.it.ncl.com/consumer/stateroom_detail.cfm?Cat=II&SC=SPIRIT&Num=9086&B1=Submit

 

Does the ship provide ample babysitting?

Here's the NCL web site that should answer all your Kids Crew questions.

http://www.ncl.com/more/kidscrew_mini.htm

 

Do the kids have to pay the extra fee for the fee related restaurants?

Not if they eat exclusively from the Kids Menu. An earlier responder kids ate from the Speciality Restaurants desert selections which is why they paid a smaller fee. By the way, here's the Kids Menu for every NCL ship.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/353890389/1353899609071143579AeteMe

 

The Spirit also has a :eek: DRAGON:eek: for good luck!

 

[newmexicoNita]

I took my 3 and 5 year old grandsons on the Spirit last year. For kids, it is the best ship at sea.;) Several parents who were with us said NCL's program was actually better than Disney. Your kids will love it!:)

Interesting you would say that about NCL: I have clients that said the same thing: the kids were a bit older and preferred the Sun to Disney. NMnita

[garycarla]

Good luck on your cruise FirstTimer.

 

In the future, you might think about being more descriptive in your subject line. Everyone here was a first time once, and many still are. And, trust me, most of us are confused.

 

You may also want to scan back through old post and/or do a search to get more opinions.