Cruising on the Spirit...a few questions

[1stTimeNCL]

First off, love hearing the very good reviews coming from the 8 night Spirit out of NYC, sounds like most everyone had a great time, and on a cruise how can you not...

 

We're gonna be celebrating our 4 yr anniversary on the ship, and this will be our 4th cruise, 1st with NCL.

 

A few questions, and all replies greatly appreciated!!

 

1)Cruise docs.....for this trip we were told by our TA that a birth certificate would be fine for the ports we visit, just making sure that's correct. I realize we're gonna need passports soon anyway, just making sure its not a necessity for this trip??

 

2)Freestyle....I'm assuming most nights we will be asking for a table for two in either Windows or the Garden room. How long a wait should we expect?? Should we bother making reservations when we arrive for the main dining room?? Also, I've read that the 2nd night is a formal night in the main dining room. Any other nights/menus anyone can remember in the main dining that we shouldn't miss, or others that we Should miss??

 

3)Specialty restaurants. Looking forward to trying most, if not all, specialty restaurants. Is it a must that we make reservations immediately? In other words, do these places fill up quickly??

 

4)How is the casino? How many BJ tables, min. bets etc?

 

5)Any recmmmendations for Bermuda or Tortola?? Anyone here do any private tours on either of those islands?

 

6)NYC Port...what time should we arrive? Is parking plentiful, or with the volume of ships in that port is parking gonna be tough?? Worst case scenario, we get shut out of the lot, what do we do?? Are there other lots nearby?

 

7)Entertainment-On our last cruise on the Voyager of the Seas, one of our favorite things to do in the past was go to the "secondary show lounge" at night, as they had a great house band. Does NCL also have music at nights, apart from the production shows?

 

8)Finally(again thanks for any help), what comes in the anniversary package?? Is it worth it??

 

Thanks all!

[Don Haynes]

Since I have not yet sailed out of New York, I can't answer all of your questions. But I can answer many of them.

1. Passport aren't needed until the end of this year. Certified birth certificate and drivers license will be okay.

2. Depends on the people on the cruise. If everyone wants to dine at the same time there will be a wait. I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes, the smaller the group the better. Sometimes large groups have to wait for a larger table, so if you are in a large group do make reservations for the main dining rooms. Small groups don't really need to make reservations.

3. The speciality restaurants are reservations only, and I suggest booking the first day onboard the ship, as the best times go early. Otherwise you may only receive a 9:30 booking or none at all.

4. I don't gamble, therefore I don't know. I did see several tables walking through. I also noticed a $5 table.

5. I always do the bus shopping tour or a beach the first time.

6. I have never sailed out of New York, but I have read to arrive before noon, that parking is available in the parking garage, although a bit expensive for my wallet. I have never heard of the garage selling out.

7. There is music in the other lounges, usually a swing band, a disco, a piano and/or acoutic guitar player, a besides the main shows in the showroom. Sometimes there is live music by the pool.

8. I have never purchased the anniversary package. Others will answer.

[johnql]

1)Cruise docs.....for this trip we were told by our TA that a birth certificate would be fine for the ports we visit, just making sure that's correct. I realize we're gonna need passports soon anyway, just making sure its not a necessity for this trip??

Yes, a bc and a photo id (e.g., driver's license) are fine (for now).

 

2)Freestyle....I'm assuming most nights we will be asking for a table for two in either Windows or the Garden room. How long a wait should we expect?? Should we bother making reservations when we arrive for the main dining room?? Also, I've read that the 2nd night is a formal night in the main dining room. Any other nights/menus anyone can remember in the main dining that we shouldn't miss, or others that we Should miss??

For a table for two, you should rarely have to wait at all - perhaps a short wait during peak time (7pm or so). Over the course of 5 Freestyle cruises, I've only had to wait once or twice, never more than 5-10 minutes.

 

3)Specialty restaurants. Looking forward to trying most, if not all, specialty restaurants. Is it a must that we make reservations immediately? In other words, do these places fill up quickly??

I wouldn't say it's a must but if you know that you want to dine in a specific alternative restaurant, I would make the reservation as soon as you've made the decision. The ones that tend to get filled up fast are the "included" restaurants (i.e., La Trattoria on the Spirit) and the small venues with limited seating (i.e., Teppanyaki, which seats only 10 people).

 

4)How is the casino? How many BJ tables, min. bets etc?

The casino is a moderate-sized one (for a cruise ship). The Spirit has 9 BJ tables; usually 2 of them are $5 min.

 

5)Any recmmmendations for Bermuda or Tortola?? Anyone here do any private tours on either of those islands?

Can't help you here.

 

6)NYC Port...what time should we arrive? Is parking plentiful, or with the volume of ships in that port is parking gonna be tough?? Worst case scenario, we get shut out of the lot, what do we do?? Are there other lots nearby?

The sailing before yours is due back in NYC at 10am. I would arrive between noon and 1. Every post that I've read on CC concerning parking at the pier indicates that there is always plenty of parking. I don't think you need to worry about this at all.

 

7)Entertainment-On our last cruise on the Voyager of the Seas, one of our favorite things to do in the past was go to the "secondary show lounge" at night, as they had a great house band. Does NCL also have music at nights, apart from the production shows?

Yes, there are several bands that play at night.

 

8)Finally(again thanks for any help), what comes in the anniversary package?? Is it worth it??

Can't help you here.

[discjoker]

1) Birth Certificate and Drivers License are good for now.

 

2) The wait shouldn't be too long. I think the longest we had to wait on

on the 6/3 Spirit cruise was 25 minutes for a table for two (during a peak time). You are given a pager that works all around the ship. You can go for a drink while you wait for a table. Night 2 (first full day @ sea) was optional formal night.

 

3) We only dined at one speciality restaurant (Le Bistro) and had no trouble getting a reservation. The peak times might fill up fast but if you can dine early or late you most likely can get in. There was a line at the reservation desk the first day, I called and got through that way.

 

4) Casino is a lot of fun. Lots of slots, lots of tables.

 

5) Bermuda and Tortola we just walked around and didn't do any tours.

 

6) We arrived by taxi at around 11:30. We were onboard by 12:30, not too bad. I have heard that parking is very plentifull. Remember, as you are arriving thousands of others are departing and the spots they used are being freed up.

 

7) You will find music and entertainment in the different lounges. Also entertainment in the grand centrum. Lots to see and do.

 

8) Anniversary package was a great deal. We ordered it and "champagne" (actually a French sparkling wine), and chocolate covered strawberries were delivered to our stateroom on embarkation day. It was nice to have a private sailaway on our balcony. It also included a dinner at Le Bistro with a bottle of house wine (choose from red or white). Canapes were delivered to our stateroom one late afternooon. Also, included is the cake and champagne party for honeymoon and anniversary couples (champagne flowed, cake was plentiful and you got a complimentary photo included). The anniversary package was $79 and well worth it. Great value.

[ohkimmy1]

We were on the 6 day on May 28th and drove in from CT..during fleet week and arrived just before 10am. No traffic and we were on the ship right after 12:00. Parking lot holds 1000 cars and is for cruise ship passengers and they told me it has never been full. It cost $24.00 per day and you pay on the way in cash or credit.

 

As far as the dining rooms we realized after 2 days that you can make reservations for the two main dining room as long as you call before 5:30pm but I recommend calling earlier because they only take reservations for 10% of the dining room space.

 

Hope this helps and have a great trip!

[logcabin]

Hello 1stTimeNCL: First, why not drop on over to our July 22nd Role Call at : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=243205 and join the group. We have a lot of great people and famillies going on this cruise. You may enjoy getting to know us and joining our party that we have booked on the 23rd.

 

We have sailed out of NYC 5 times now. We always drive and have been there on the lightest days (only one ship) to the heaviest (4 ships) and have never had a problem parking. So, not to worry. My advice is to get there early, though. We always get there around 10:30ish. Before the real crush of departing passengers. We would rather wait in the waiting area (read, etc) and miss the crush. This way we are usually one of the first on board as well.

 

If you pop over to the Role Call you'll probably find a lot more answers to additional questions you may have. Hope to see you there :)

[sixpacksusie]

First off, love hearing the very good reviews coming from the 8 night Spirit out of NYC, sounds like most everyone had a great time, and on a cruise how can you not...

 

We're gonna be celebrating our 4 yr anniversary on the ship, and this will be our 4th cruise, 1st with NCL.

 

A few questions, and all replies greatly appreciated!!

 

 

 

5)Any recmmmendations for Bermuda or Tortola?? Anyone here do any private tours on either of those islands?

 

 

 

The Virgin Gorda Baths Snorkle and Swim was the absolute BEST!! They drop you off the back of a dive boat, which you are transported to from the ship, you swim to shore (a few hundred feet, really not bad) climb through some incredible rock formations, and come out onto a beautiful cove that has incredible snorkling-you swim back to the boat and have a relaxing trip back to "The Mother Ship" the island of Tortola is lovely, very laid back and un-commercialized. The Snorkle equipment is provided as part of your excursion cost which was a bargain at $49. This was probably one of the best deals as far as excursions go. Make sure you sign up for the one that leaves EARLY as there is not much time on Tortola. Book it online before you leave (like NOW) I think it is a popular tour.

[Glamourgal]

1.) My son only had a birth certificate and he had no problems at all. Make sure that you take along a phot ID (drivers liscense or such). You will need your ship card and photo idea when you get back on the ships at your designated ports.

 

2-3.) I would think for a table for 2 you shouldn't have a long wait at all. If you are going to eat in the specialty rest. I would make reservations early, especially for the Italian restaurant, even though it is free, it fills up fast, and for Teppanyaki, table space is very limited. Also, one other night you may want to make reservations, is if you plan to eat in Windows or the Garden Rest. for the first formal night, which was Sunday night on the 8-day cruise. The lines were quite long that night. We made almost all of our reservations the first day on board at a table set up in the atrium. You can also make them from your room, we just happened to be walking by and the line was short, so we jumped in.

 

4.) I do not know how many BJ tables there were but the casino was pretty loose when we were there. I heard many people saying they won or broke even.

 

5.)Recommendations for Tortolla, I will second everything Sixpacksusie said. That was a wonderful excursion but you do have to be able to swim. There are 2 similar excursions to Virgin Gorda, the one that Susie was describing was the Virgin Gorda Bath's and Snorkel, the better of the 2. In Bermuda, you can take a ferry to Hamilton, it is very easy to get there immediately after you get off the ship, go to your left there is a window right there that sells the tokens and passes. If you only want to go to Hamilton just get the tokens ($8 round trip), if you want to adventure out you can buy a pass for the day that includes the ferry and busses for $12. Don't take the bus to Hamilton from the dock, it takes over an hour and the ferry ride is only 20 minutes. We got the 10:30 ferry to Hamilton, the 1:00 ferry back to the ship, had lunch on the ship and then we went to the Snorkel Park that is a short walk from the ship. It is small but the snorkeling was very good, and it is free.

 

6.) Parking in NYC is VERY easy and secure. My husband dropped us off at the terminal (Go to cruiseclues.com to find out what pier the ship will be at) get dropped off at that terminal. I went and got in line, he parked the car and by the time he met up with me we were next in line. When we got off the ship we collected our bags, got on the freight elevator and up one floor to the parking lot and we were on our way within 5 minutes. It cost us $180 to park there.

 

7.) I did not hear one bad band on the Spirit, the music in the lounges was wonderful, no matter where you go. Fusion Wave, Corey Jones, Greg Czaja and Ariel Jacobe were our favorites!!

 

8.) The anniversary was more than worth the price. Bottle of sparkling wine and strawberries on embarkation day, crepes, Dinner for 2 at Le Bistro with a bottle of red or white wine, and a anniversary and cake party with a free 5 x 7 photo. We did not make the anniversary party but they left us take $10 off another photo of our choice.

 

You are most welcome. You will have a wonderful cruise, happy 4th anniversary!!

[Glamourgal]

:o SORRY, you didn't get crepes with the anniv. pkg, it was canapes!!

[electricron]

To add about Driver's Licenses, make sure they are current.

A friend of mine just flew to North Carolina and back to DFW on business. It wasn't until he got back to DFW airport before they discovered his license had expired recently. They did a full body search and hand searched his bags thoroughly before releasing him.

 

And for birth certificates, make sure they have a raised seal, not a photocopy of one without the raised seal. Like my friend, you may get through several airports and onto the ship before an agent discovers it isn't up to snuff, but it only takes one delay at security, which seems to last for hours, to mess up your vacation.

[Blossum]

I know the rate is $24 a day...is there a max amount....so we are giong on a 10 day cruise...wouild we pay $240 or the $180??? thanks!

[KeystoneCruiser]

Remember, all formal nights on all NCL ships are OPTIONAL. You do not have to dress up if you don't want to. Even on Formal Night, only about 40% of the passengers will be dressed up. You can eat in any restaurant you want on formal night as long as you are at least in resort casual (polo shirt and kahkis for example).

 

BUT, if you want to dress up, feel free and you will not feel out of place.

 

The joy of Freestyle, the option to dress as you like for meals. (well within the limit of Resort Casual.)

[socalag]

See my review that was posted on the 11th from last month.

 

Jim:cool:

[johnql]

I know the rate is $24 a day...is there a max amount....so we are giong on a 10 day cruise...wouild we pay $240 or the $180??? thanks!

The $180 is the maximum. It is the "Monthly Rate (For Parking in Excess of 8 Days)".

[1stTimeNCL]

Talk about a coincidence, I booked the Tortola Baths and Swim last night, almost immediately after I posted the original message. Glad to hear it is highly recommended.

 

I thought of a few more questions(and thanks to all the replies so far, very helpful!)

 

1. On our last RCCL cruise, the dining room menu was fixed at lunch, the same thing every day. We really enjoyed eating away from the buffet for lunch on our 1st two cruises, wondering what peoples experiences have been on the Dining room's for lunch on the Spirit(same menu every day? how was the food?).

 

2. Any recommendations for a good hotel in NYC in close proximity to both the Pier and Theatres? We were hoping to catch a show on Friday before we sail.

 

3. I realize this is highly gluttonous, but I've often ordered 2+ entrees or appetizers in the dining room on other ships...is this frowned upon on NCL? What about at Cagneys or other specialty restaurants??

 

4. I pre-registered last night on the NCL website. We got bumped from a BF to a BA, right in the middle of the 11th deck. Wondering if anyone has had a cabin on that level...also wondering how much nicer, if at all, a BA is than the other balcony rooms?? Does our cabin # being on the website indicate our docs should be ready, should i call my TA?

 

 

Again, really appreciate the help

 

 

Thanks

[johnql]

1. On our last RCCL cruise, the dining room menu was fixed at lunch, the same thing every day. We really enjoyed eating away from the buffet for lunch on our 1st two cruises, wondering what peoples experiences have been on the Dining room's for lunch on the Spirit(same menu every day? how was the food?).

The menu is not fixed for lunch in the sit-down dining rooms.

 

2. Any recommendations for a good hotel in NYC in close proximity to both the Pier and Theatres? We were hoping to catch a show on Friday before we sail.

Can't help you here.

 

3. I realize this is highly gluttonous, but I've often ordered 2+ entrees or appetizers in the dining room on other ships...is this frowned upon on NCL? What about at Cagneys or other specialty restaurants??

No problem ordering multiple courses (including entrees) in the main dining rooms. In the surcharge restaurants, you can order multiple soups, salads, appetizers and desserts, but I'm pretty sure you are limited to one entree per surcharge.

 

4. I pre-registered last night on the NCL website. We got bumped from a BF to a BA, right in the middle of the 11th deck. Wondering if anyone has had a cabin on that level...also wondering how much nicer, if at all, a BA is than the other balcony rooms?? Does our cabin # being on the website indicate our docs should be ready, should i call my TA?

Your cabin assignment does not necessarily mean that your docs are ready. Typically, you should receive your docs 2-4 weeks before sailing.

[judyf]

Lunch menus are posted outside the restaurant so you can see what's offered.

[rossbabsy]

Talk about a coincidence, I booked the Tortola Baths and Swim last night, almost immediately after I posted the original message. Glad to hear it is highly recommended.

 

I thought of a few more questions(and thanks to all the replies so far, very helpful!)

 

1. On our last RCCL cruise, the dining room menu was fixed at lunch, the same thing every day. We really enjoyed eating away from the buffet for lunch on our 1st two cruises, wondering what peoples experiences have been on the Dining room's for lunch on the Spirit(same menu every day? how was the food?).

 

2. Any recommendations for a good hotel in NYC in close proximity to both the Pier and Theatres? We were hoping to catch a show on Friday before we sail.

 

3. I realize this is highly gluttonous, but I've often ordered 2+ entrees or appetizers in the dining room on other ships...is this frowned upon on NCL? What about at Cagneys or other specialty restaurants??

 

4. I pre-registered last night on the NCL website. We got bumped from a BF to a BA, right in the middle of the 11th deck. Wondering if anyone has had a cabin on that level...also wondering how much nicer, if at all, a BA is than the other balcony rooms?? Does our cabin # being on the website indicate our docs should be ready, should i call my TA?

 

 

Again, really appreciate the help

 

 

Thanks

 

2) Check out Radio City Apartments on Google and check it out on discount hotel sites. Someone on our 6/3 cruise stayed there and said it was reasonable and clean. I believe that they are efficiency apartments.

 

Also check out the Murray Hill Hotel, its small and near the Empire State Building.