spirit 3/12 review - tips and tricks

[cruiser01]

we just got back from ncl spirit out of ny from 3/12-3/19. we had an excellent time and would definitely recommend this ship :)

 

since we know most of you read this board religiously, we will not bore you with repeated details. we will only talk about the things that are rarely mentioned, but would be very useful to know.

 

1. free drinks

many people have stated that there is no opportunity on board to receive free drinks. this is not true. the first three nights on the cruise, there were opportunities each night to have some free alcohol. the first night from 5-6pm in the casino, there was unlimited rum punch (very tasty) and no gambling necessary. you do have to know about it though, as we saw some people buying drinks as they were unaware. day 2, there was free champagne at the art auction, but be aware that you will only receive this if you go for the preview. also, either day 1 or 2, there was free liquor tasting at the duty free. day 3 from 11:30pm-1:30am in the casino was ladies night (free drinks for all ladies gambling even penny slots). this was absolute chaos, so be prepared to wait and fight for your drinks.

 

2. dinner reservations

make your dinner reservations on the first day you arrive if you want to choose your times and days. we went to the steakhouse, italian and the teppanyaki. at the steakhouse, make sure to have the caesar salad as it is made differently than anywhere else on the ship. most people don't know but the italian is free. the teppanyaki (where they cook at your table) only holds 10 people at a time with 3 seatings per night at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30. if you do the math, only 210 people can eat here on a 7 day cruise. needless to say, it was fully booked after day 2. book early! we did not know this crutial fact ahead of time, but at windows you can make reservations ahead of time and you will be able to walk right in. while without reservations the wait was rarely more than 10 or 15 minutes, this is not true on formal nights. waits can be upwards of 2 hours (especially the second formal night as they close half the restaurant early to set up for the chocoholic buffet)

 

3. great stirrups cay

to get on any tender you want, all you have to do is book a lifevest for each person at $0 (yes zero) ahead of time at the excursion desk. the electronic system for excursions will not work as you must sign a waiver for injuries. if you do not have an excursion ticket or lifevest booked ahead of time, you will have to pick up a tender ticket in the morning and will most likely have to wait unless you get up really early. if you have an excursion ticket or free lifevest booked, you can board any tender at any time.

we were on the third tender and still could not find any lounge chairs. there were plenty of regular chairs, but none left where you could fully lie down. needless to say, you must be there early.

if you want to see great fish up close, bring one of the buns from the bbq on the island with you in the water. just throw pieces of bread and fish will swarm and jump right before your eyes :)

 

4. embarkation/debarkation

please note that any citizens outside the US will have to surrender their passports upon checking in. they keep the passports on the ship the entire cruise and only hand them back when leaving the ship. we suggest you make a photocopy of your passport and bring this with you, especially in the bahamas incase you ever got left behind.

the express embarkation and debarkation are only available to US citizens. so, even if you arrive at the port early, you will have to wait seated and will be called only when the customs officers are available to greet you.

 

5. breezes in nassau, bahamas

we had a great time at breezes! one word of warning, they do not always give day passes. we took the jitney #10 to breezes for $1 per person and upon our arrival were told the resort was oversold and that they were not selling day passes. we brought this to a manager's attention and just barely convinced her to sell us the tickets. during our time there, they refused 3 other people day passes and said they would not be selling them until atleast april. our suggestion would be to maybe call ahead of time to make sure they are selling them and get the person's name just incase.

 

6. freestyle daily

a lot of information was learned in reading the freestyle daily. on of the best suggestions we received prior to taking our trip was to bring along a highlighter as this helped to plan to be at the important events.

 

more tips and tricks to come....

[coloradowahine]

:) Wow! Great tips! I took notes and we are on the 3/26 sail so I will be using all your suggestions in just a few days. I like the GSC tip- where do you reserve the life vest? At the excursion desk? And do you reserve one for each member in your family? Are you reserving a lifevest that is on the beach?

 

I like the free drink tips too. I haven't heard any of those other than the champagne at the art auction.

 

I look forward to hearing more. Thanks!

[Hatsoff389]

Great tip cruiser on the fish feeding. Have done it all four times i have been to Great stirrup Cay and it works. Just bring a few buns with ya, break them up a little, drop them in the water, and the next thing you know, you have 100 fish swimming all around you. Its fantastic!!!!!!! And if there are kids around you, it will amaze them.

[Seago2]

Awesome tips! Thank you so much!

[gigizhere]

I have a question about GSC....we sail 6-11 and we are docked there from 7pm until 2pm the next day....can we get off the ship when we get there at 7pm? or will we have to wait until the next morning?

[cruiser01]

:) Wow! Great tips! I took notes and we are on the 3/26 sail so I will be using all your suggestions in just a few days. I like the GSC tip- where do you reserve the life vest? At the excursion desk? And do you reserve one for each member in your family? Are you reserving a lifevest that is on the beach?

 

I like the free drink tips too. I haven't heard any of those other than the champagne at the art auction.

 

I look forward to hearing more. Thanks!

yes, you book lifevests at the excursion desk and you need to get one for each person in your party. you pick them up on the island when you get there. you are required to wear the lifevest if you go snorkeling, but even if you don't go snorkeling, it's your free ticket on any tender!

[cruiser01]

I have a question about GSC....we sail 6-11 and we are docked there from 7pm until 2pm the next day....can we get off the ship when we get there at 7pm? or will we have to wait until the next morning?

i'm pretty sure that you have a beach party when you get there. not positive though cuz we were only there from 7am-1pm the same day.

[pt in ct]

They paint at kids crew....don't send your child wearing anything that you wouldn't want to get paint on...our casualties are 2 shirts and a pair of pants!!!

 

We went to the restaurants (Windows and Garden at 5:30-6:00 most evenings and had no wait at all!

 

Bring lots of sun block...we went through 2 bottles!

 

I'm sure that I will think of more!:)