Just returned from Easter on the Spirit

[vallelde]

I just arrived home from NYC and thought I would post some thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind. We had two balcony cabins on the 11th deck. They were adjoining and each had two twin beds that were pushed together. They also both had a seatee that opened to a single bed. Plenty of room in each for three. It is easier with two but doable with three. When the chair/bed is open it is tight. We put the three kids in one room and had one for ourselves. Quite nice. I did go down to see the suites on Deck 10 (as that is what we had originally booked (with an ajoining balcony) and while it was lovely was not worth the $2000 more. There were no upgrades due to the ship was full for the holiday. Sailings were nice and smooth. We had wonderful weather and the end of a full moon. I did not see one person getting sea sick. Food was adequate and presented well. To me, the help on this ship is the key. Most everyone (98%) went out of their way for us. Everyone was friendly and ready to make conversation. Ship was immuculate as were the staterooms. Maid cleaning twice a day and brought new towels, ice, etc. Never went to breakfast. We always ordered breakfast in our room for 9:30 and it was there everyday at 9:30. I thought the ship was very lovely in decor. The adult pool is small but deck space is large. Four whirlpools at each corner of the pool. Two sit down restaurants that can be used at all times and a full time buffet. Several speciality restaurants but with a fee. We did an anniversary package (our 24th) and received champage, wine, etc. and one free night in Le Bistro. Very elegant and food and service was wonderful. If you are going to pick one, pick this one. This was my first cruise so did not have much to compare it to. Heard lots of complaints. One of which was freestyle dining. While you are quite flexible in when and where you eat the flexiability comes at a cost. You wait most nights to get into the sit down dining rooms. They are much nicer than the buffet and I would go this route for dinner at the least. When you check in with the hostess she will tell you how long it is to wait. She will then give you a beeper and you can move about the ship until you are "beeped" that your table is ready. Great idea. Just start out early, go for a drink and before you know it your table is ready.. No complaints from us. Shows are so-so. The best, as already noted, is the Crews' Variety Show. It was towards the end of the week and it was great. My 18 year old loved the cruise as he could gamble and drink as we signed a waiver. He had a ball. My two 14 year olds were stuck at that inbetween age but I think did have alot of fun as well - and they did have each other. Be prepared to have your picture taken at every turn and everynight in the reception area a photo area is set up. Take advantage of the chance of having a nice family photo to take home. You can take as many as you want and just buy what you like.

 

I was very impressed with the total atmosphere of the ship. It was very nice and not tacky at all. Lots of cute little pubs and restaurants some serving food 24/7. Heard lots of complaints about nothing to do, so-so food, terriable food service and while there were moments....it was 98% fine.

 

My big complaint and one I heard often is the gratutity situation on NCL. I think this point is going to lose them customers. They nickle and dime you to death. I am a math major but it was still confusing to me. It is very inconsistent. You are charged $10 a day a person for tipping for CERTAIN PEOPLE. That would be $50.00 a day for our party of five. This is to cover dining room, maid and steward service. All others you can tip but there is a gratuity charge added to your bill when you order. Drinks are outrageous. Most drinks are at least $6 and then there is the 15% added. Our bill with drinks, tipping etc. (NO SHORE EXCURSIONS OR EXTRAS) was $1500.00. Be prepared.

 

We did not get off at Port Canaveral as we had been to Disney, Universal and NASA at least once before. It was a beautful day and we had the ship to ourselves. The ship can seem very crowded at times.

 

South Beach was great. WE took a taxi from the dock and for the five of us was $52.00 round trip and the cabbies are a wealth of information. Went to the beach for a while (HOT!HOT!) Yes, there is topless but I have been to many and it is no big deal. We then walked around the strip and there are lots of great shops, bars and restaurants. Be sure to go into some hotels. The art deco is great. Pick a spot on the side walk and have lunch al fresco. You will see some interesting sights. I would like to return to South Beach again and stay right there.

 

Loved, Loved, Loved Grand Stirrup Cay. Lots to do and fun. Pick a spot and get your chairs, umbrella and picnic table and swim. Yes it is crowded but it is a big island. Look around, find a spot and enjoy. When you get off the tender go to the right. Everyone else seems to go left. There are some vendors on the island where we bought some things. The water is beautiful but it was a hot day. We in our stupidity did get sunburned. It was however a very nice family day.

 

Contrary to what I had read I loved Nassua. We had a lot of fun strolling thru the shops and the Straw Market is not to be missed. We were only there till 12:30 so we had lunch on the boat. I enjoyed my stop here and thought it was very much like alot of the islands that I had been to in the past.

 

On and off in NYC was not that much of a hassle. We parked our car for the week (24.00 daily). Safe and easy drop off and pick up. Plenty of porters to help with your bags. Yes you do wait to get on the boat but the earlier you go the less of a wait. All in all, a little better than airport wait times.

 

As I said this was my first cruise. I think that I will probably go again but I will look into other lines. My two teenagers would have enjoyed in more if they had been older. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience. If you have questions, please feel free to email me. vallelde

[trex-de]

Nice review. Family is going on June 11th.

 

Did you notice anyone negotiating for a deal on photos on the last days? Some threads suggest that it is possible; some say that NCL will tear your photos in front of you. Just curious.

 

Thanks

[Ellen618]

You sound like you had a great trip. Wish we had booked that one. We did the one from 4/9-Easter and the seas were terribly rough. We had 2 balcony cabins on the 10th floor. 10628 and 10630 they were very nice and ample room for the 5 of us connecting. We were sea sick most of the time(all but my husband). We tried patches, bonnine,and sea bands. Nothing helped much. We didn't get to go ot GSC because of the tenders and the rough water. Also you couldn't go swimming in South beach because of rip tider. Pool was awfully crowded..Im not a fan of salt water but my son loved it. It was also very warm. We never got to a beach so we were a little disapointed. All in all we had a good time though. Magician and jugglers were a riot and food was good most of the time. Drinks can get expensive. Well Im glad you picked last week instead of the week before...:)

 

Ellen

[Lotteryfan]

Sorry Ellen that you had such a tough time. I was on the sailing before yours, April 2nd and everything was just beautiful..from the sailaway to the ports to the return home the seas were smooth and we hit all the ports. On saturday it rained a lot but the seas weren't rough at all. can't wait to go cruising again.

[vallelde]

I did not notice anyone negotiating for pictures but that does not mean it cannot be done. I can't believe that they would rather tear them up! I am sorry to read some people were sick on their cruises. I guess these things are very weather dependent. If we had had rain or rough seas the cruise would have been horrific. I forgot to mention that you can negotiate your $10.00 a day/per person service charge on Friday or after during your cruise. I had read this tip on cruise critic and it was invaluable. I did indeed go to reception and fill out a form to adjust by tips by half. We like to tip individually when a job is well done direct to the employee. There is no hassle in doing this and you can adjust as much as you like .... even the total amount.....but we felt there were employees we did not catch. They do not make this fact known and it is one of the invaluable things I learned on these boards.:p

[sweetpea-2]

:) sounds like you had a great experience....we loved the Dawn (which is a sister ship to the Spirit but newer, larger and a few more amenities than the Spirit and much better food :D ) and we do love the freestyle cruising ..... have experienced both and prefer freestlye.....but I think it is great to try different cruise lines and see what works best for you....

[newmexicoNita]

I just arrived home from NYC and thought I would post some thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind. We had two balcony cabins on the 11th deck. They were adjoining and each had two twin beds that were pushed together. They also both had a seatee that opened to a single bed. Plenty of room in each for three. It is easier with two but doable with three. When the chair/bed is open it is tight. We put the three kids in one room and had one for ourselves. Quite nice. I did go down to see the suites on Deck 10 (as that is what we had originally booked (with an ajoining balcony) and while it was lovely was not worth the $2000 more. There were no upgrades due to the ship was full for the holiday. Sailings were nice and smooth. We had wonderful weather and the end of a full moon. I did not see one person getting sea sick. Food was adequate and presented well. To me, the help on this ship is the key. Most everyone (98%) went out of their way for us. Everyone was friendly and ready to make conversation. Ship was immuculate as were the staterooms. Maid cleaning twice a day and brought new towels, ice, etc. Never went to breakfast. We always ordered breakfast in our room for 9:30 and it was there everyday at 9:30. I thought the ship was very lovely in decor. The adult pool is small but deck space is large. Four whirlpools at each corner of the pool. Two sit down restaurants that can be used at all times and a full time buffet. Several speciality restaurants but with a fee. We did an anniversary package (our 24th) and received champage, wine, etc. and one free night in Le Bistro. Very elegant and food and service was wonderful. If you are going to pick one, pick this one. This was my first cruise so did not have much to compare it to. Heard lots of complaints. One of which was freestyle dining. While you are quite flexible in when and where you eat the flexiability comes at a cost. You wait most nights to get into the sit down dining rooms. They are much nicer than the buffet and I would go this route for dinner at the least. When you check in with the hostess she will tell you how long it is to wait. She will then give you a beeper and you can move about the ship until you are "beeped" that your table is ready. Great idea. Just start out early, go for a drink and before you know it your table is ready.. No complaints from us. Shows are so-so. The best, as already noted, is the Crews' Variety Show. It was towards the end of the week and it was great. My 18 year old loved the cruise as he could gamble and drink as we signed a waiver. He had a ball. My two 14 year olds were stuck at that inbetween age but I think did have alot of fun as well - and they did have each other. Be prepared to have your picture taken at every turn and everynight in the reception area a photo area is set up. Take advantage of the chance of having a nice family photo to take home. You can take as many as you want and just buy what you like.

 

I was very impressed with the total atmosphere of the ship. It was very nice and not tacky at all. Lots of cute little pubs and restaurants some serving food 24/7. Heard lots of complaints about nothing to do, so-so food, terriable food service and while there were moments....it was 98% fine.

 

My big complaint and one I heard often is the gratutity situation on NCL. I think this point is going to lose them customers. They nickle and dime you to death. I am a math major but it was still confusing to me. It is very inconsistent. You are charged $10 a day a person for tipping for CERTAIN PEOPLE. That would be $50.00 a day for our party of five. This is to cover dining room, maid and steward service. All others you can tip but there is a gratuity charge added to your bill when you order. Drinks are outrageous. Most drinks are at least $6 and then there is the 15% added. Our bill with drinks, tipping etc. (NO SHORE EXCURSIONS OR EXTRAS) was $1500.00. Be prepared.

 

We did not get off at Port Canaveral as we had been to Disney, Universal and NASA at least once before. It was a beautful day and we had the ship to ourselves. The ship can seem very crowded at times.

 

South Beach was great. WE took a taxi from the dock and for the five of us was $52.00 round trip and the cabbies are a wealth of information. Went to the beach for a while (HOT!HOT!) Yes, there is topless but I have been to many and it is no big deal. We then walked around the strip and there are lots of great shops, bars and restaurants. Be sure to go into some hotels. The art deco is great. Pick a spot on the side walk and have lunch al fresco. You will see some interesting sights. I would like to return to South Beach again and stay right there.

 

Loved, Loved, Loved Grand Stirrup Cay. Lots to do and fun. Pick a spot and get your chairs, umbrella and picnic table and swim. Yes it is crowded but it is a big island. Look around, find a spot and enjoy. When you get off the tender go to the right. Everyone else seems to go left. There are some vendors on the island where we bought some things. The water is beautiful but it was a hot day. We in our stupidity did get sunburned. It was however a very nice family day.

 

Contrary to what I had read I loved Nassua. We had a lot of fun strolling thru the shops and the Straw Market is not to be missed. We were only there till 12:30 so we had lunch on the boat. I enjoyed my stop here and thought it was very much like alot of the islands that I had been to in the past.

 

On and off in NYC was not that much of a hassle. We parked our car for the week (24.00 daily). Safe and easy drop off and pick up. Plenty of porters to help with your bags. Yes you do wait to get on the boat but the earlier you go the less of a wait. All in all, a little better than airport wait times.

 

As I said this was my first cruise. I think that I will probably go again but I will look into other lines. My two teenagers would have enjoyed in more if they had been older. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience. If you have questions, please feel free to email me. vallelde

Sorry, I have to totally disagree with you on the $10 per day. I have sailed every mass marketed line with the exception of Princess: $10 a day is less than normally suggested and I can't believe anyone, unless the service was awful would tip any less. We gave extra, last week, to our room stewardess, one particular cocktail waitwess and a casino employee. All lines add the 15% as do all resorts now; Miami adds 17% to all bills in restaurants and the Bahamas add 15 to 20% service charge to everything including the hotel rooms. What is it about $10 per day that bothers you? Yes, drinks are pricey, but on Celebrity in Dec they were actually a few bucks higher; not much. 1,500 devided by 5 is only $300 per person; that certainly doesn't seem outrageous to me. My bill, just off the Sun was about $500.00 and I didn't drink that much but did spend about $100 in the gift shop plus money in the casino.

 

I am glad you enjoyed yourselves though as we would like to do either ther Star or Spirit on our next cruise. NMNita

[jablomeh]

I was on the 4/16 Spirit too – we really enjoyed ourselves a group of 4 with a 7 year old and 10 year old.

The tipping situation seemed to confuse many – I think we would have tipped more to individuals than the mandatory tips – I was quite impressed with the service – staff was extremely nice.

The specialty restaurants were the way to go – higher level of service and intimacy – lower level of noise – Teppanyaki on the first night was an excellent way to start the cruise – as we knew kids would be in kids club each night at dinner time - also met other cruisers that we ended up spending the majority of time on the cruise with the whole week. I thought the best was Le Bistro – best food item on the boat during the week was the fois gras in Le Bistro for an $8 supplement (2nd was the beef carpaccio on the last night (Italian night) of the cruise. Went to Cagney’s twice it was good each night.

We brought three bottles of wine with us – an 02 Beaux Freres pinot that was great in Le Bistro, a small production Mondavi 99 To-Kalon cab from that was perfect in Cagney’s and an 02 Kistler that was a great pairing for Friday night lobster (actually lobsters!). No problem bringing the wine on board in our carry-on bags– and I was fine with paying the $15 corkage. I wish they had the full wine list online prior to the cruise to allow for a little research. Bought another 5 or 6 bottles on board – big winner was the 02 Nickel & Nickel Harris Vineyard at $56 – good price for a nice bottle that matched well with the prime rib in Garden restaurant. Only other wine comment – don’t pour so much in glasses – not enough room to swirl in the glasses. Decent stemware was a nice surprise.

Kids enjoyed kids club – only complaint is that kids club closed from 5-7 and pickup at 10 which forced us to have to decide between dinner and a show – and also forced us to wait in lines at Windows and Garden at the busiest time after dropping kids off at 7. We are used to dropping the kids off early in the morning on the Disney crusie and not seeing them until bedtime (they like not seeing us as well).

Room was small – but we got used to it – by not being in the room at all except to sleep. Only comment or suggestion about the rooms – especially the inside cabins bring a regular clock so you can see what time it is in the middle of the night. Also bring a surge protector strip as only having one outlet in the room doesn’t work too well for most.

On a final (for now) note -- I need Dramamine more now a full day after getting off the Spirit than I needed anytime on the boat – need my desk and computer screens to stop moving!

[Glamourgal]

Looking for some copies of the Freestyles? Can you post them?

[vallelde]

I still would like to be given the flexiabilty to tip who and what and how much I want to. We had some great service but on two occasions walked out of Windows on the Spirit before dessert was served as there was no waitors to be found. The dining room was not even full at this time. I do not mind the mandatory fee for adults but I traveled with three children who seldom ate at a sit down meal (buffets only) and never went to breakfast. We always ordered room service and tipped our steward. It just seems confusing and unfair to me.

[trex-de]

Kids enjoyed kids club – only complaint is that kids club closed from 5-7 and pickup at 10 which forced us to have to decide between dinner and a show – and also forced us to wait in lines at Windows and Garden at the busiest time after dropping kids off at 7.

 

Quick question for you or anyone else with experience on this. How long was the wait? Any suggestions? We will be dropping our kids off at the 7-10 pm and then go to dinner. Any tips for this process would be appreciated. Thanks

[jablomeh]

We did dinner 4 times in the pay restaurants - so always made an 8PM reservation those nights - - which was our preference.

 

On the other nights we went twice to Windows and once to Garden where we knew that a wait might happen showing up between 7 and 7:30

 

The longest wait was for a table for two in Windows where we were given a beeper for the 35 minute wait after a 7:15 arrival- so we went up to Galaxy of the Stars for a drink. Another night (the night of the magician Bob Trunell - a must see), we were seated immediately in Windows at 7:30 for a party of eight (four adults -four kids) . Wait at Garden at 7:15 one night was about 20 minutes (we got there earlier - but since I had shorts on was sent back to the room to change them after the wait while the three others were seated.

 

Although it seems that you can plan better to get the kids fed - it seemed like we were always busy in the pools, hot tubs, shuffleboard, ping-pong, card room with the kids up to rushing them to dinner at Raffles at 6:30 - so a trip back to the room after dropping them off at 7PM kids club was always necessary to change, etc.

 

After all - if the kids were not in kids club it was more important to spend time with our kids than try to avoid lines and took advantage of the time with them.