Spirit;7/3-8/5 - GREAT Review; Tips for families- VERY LONG review

[bergenctycruzer]

Spirit; July 30-August 5, 2006

Cabin 10019; Forward; Cabin Stewards; Roberto and Elisabeth

Passengers: 46 yr old Female, 11 yr old DD, 8 yr old DD, 68 yr old Nonna:)

We have cruised several Carnival, Royal Carribbean, and Celebrity

First Time on NCL

****************************

 

We traveled using Limo from Northern Bergen County NJ, took less than 1 hour. There was some traffic on Henry Hudson, but only delayed us a few minutes. We have cruised out of NYC before and knew the drill.

Arrived at the port in NYC at about 11:30. In less than 1 hour we were on board the beautiful Spirit. We had Pre-registered on NCL Website... Don't know if that made a difference, but the Embarkation was quick and easy and flawless!

 

GET IMPORTANT THINGS DONE FIRST IF YOU HAVE KIDS

1. Although we did not embark directly into the Atrium, we found the Atrium in no time and proceeded to ask about reservations.

 

A staff member pointed to the reservations desk and assured me that we (party of four) did not need reservations for the two main dining rooms; Windows and Garden, however we were welcome to make reservations for the pay restaurants. We decided to think about it over lunch. We went to lunch at Windows (we sat by the BIG windows that day and several other days/evenings- beautiful!) Lunch was superb... Service excellent. After lunch, I decided the best thing to do was make reservations for the entire week, alternating Windows and Garden for 6:30 p.m. We proceeded to the Atrium and set up the reservations for the week. NO problem making these reservations - table for four- we wanted to dine alone NO problem. They gave us small receipts as "reminders" of where and when our reservations were set, although ours was fairly easy to remember. (since everything is done electronically, we really did not need to present these "reminders" at dinner time - we just gave our name and cabin number and that was sufficient)

 

2. We proceeded to Deck 12 and ordered drinks and the "Smoothies Booklet". This was one of several "good investments" we made. There are twenty tickets in the booklet. The girls shared one booklet and used it for smoothies and juices during the shows, bingo, and dinner. Do the math, and you will see that this is a good deal.

 

CABIN

Finding our cabin was easy. All decks are marked very well. We were lucky that our cabin was on the same floor as the "children's activities" (more on that later), however, we were in the section with the Suites= better service?. Our Cabin had two single beds, a trundle(sp?) ,a bunk, and a chair that converted to a single bed and was spotless. Upon arriving in our room, we met our cabin stewards Roberto and Elisabeth and told them that we would like to use the twins, the trundle and the chair. (no one wanted to sleep on the bunk) We also informed them that we would be dining every night at 6:30 p.m. so that it may help with their "turn down" schedule. Our rooms were always made up on time and with plenty of towels.... all you have to do is communicate and you get whatever you like.

 

Plenty of room to store clothes: 4 draws, 4 shelves in closet for folded items, plenty of hangers and extra shelf on top for purchases. Extra shelf space next to TV and small doorless cabinet between the twin beds for accessories, kids stuff. Don't worry about the shoes. We flat packed 3 Abercrombie Shopping bags (they are rigid and strong) the girls shared one and my mom and I had one each. Believe it or not, it saved floor space and made everything look neater.

 

Bathroom was spotless and plenty of room. 4 small shelves around the mirror in the bathroom for storage. Clothes line in the shower. Shower Door which closed completely. Shower door had 3 hooks on the outside for damp bathing suits.

 

Although the Cabin was smaller than on other ships, we "worked with it". At night, the convertible chair (single bed) blocked passage to the bathroom, but can be gently lifted to allow traffic to the bathroom if necessary) It is also important to note that we don't spend much time in the cabin except to sleep and shower..... so cabin size does not matter in our case. We like to be part of the action all the time!

 

The room was always made up or turned down in a timely manner and the linens were all white and clean.

 

Our luggage arrived soon after we entered our cabin. We were able to go back on Deck 12 and 13 for sail away and pictures and unpack before dinner.

 

KIDS STUFF

The girls did not join the kids program on this cruise. They wanted to enjoy the outdoors and spend as much time at the pool. That said, here is our experience:

Kids Pool/Activity area: OH MY GOD! The best anywhere! The Aft Section, Deck 10 is devoted to the kids.

* Pirate theme pool with two slides and shooting water. (approx. 2' to 3 1/2 feet) Under 12 years of age. The pool was heated, but refreshing. There is a "guard" at this pool, primarily to keep some of the kids from getting too wild and getting hurt. He was there at peak times, but NOT all the time. I stayed out there the entire time my girls were in the pool. It was quite clear which children were unsupervised because the guard kept blowing the whistle at them.

I must admit, this pool was very refreshing for me and Nonna too! Try it!

*"Toddler" wading pool which is very shallow. I did not see a guard.

*There is a "toddler play area" with toys etc. Shaded and gated next to

the Toddler wading pool. - very convenient

* There is a shower area to shower off the salt water.

* Clean towels and Soiled towels drop bins.

* Hot tub ; which is a great idea so the kids stay away from the adult

tubs

* Get there early for the chairs closest and level with the pool

Be careful of WET DECK... very slippery.

 

INSIDE on deck 10, is the Arcade (plenty of games!!!) and the Childrens Care center/playrooms. Both very well organized. Seems that the Care Center/playrooms were always very busy.... those I spoke with said the program was wonderful.

 

DINING

DINNER

We ate dinner every night at the two main dining rooms. NO COMPLAINTS! We are NOT gourmet chefs, however, we do enjoy well-prepared meals in Northern Bergen county at really nice restaurants - so we know what is garbage and what is not garbage. We are not fast-food junkies- nor are we picky eaters. It also helps that we have traveled through Europe and have experienced both fine dining and home made meals to die for.

Our meals on the Spirit were all good to very good to excellent. The service, however, was always EXCELLENT. We enjoyed the lobster, souffles, and I especially enjoyed the salad on Carribbean night. (tossed with pineapples, pecans, with yogurt dressing) Everything was fresh and well-presented. Always available and quite good was steak, salmon, grilled chicken, caesar salad, vegetables and baked potato. The girls never ordered from the kids menu. They enjoyed the items from the adult menu-- no complaints. We always ordered one appetizer, one main course and one dessert each. You can order as much as you want of ANYTHING and several of any course! We had double espresso/cappuccino every night. We always ordered two bottles of Evian water at all meals and wine-by-the-glass for dinner. The water on the ship was just fine - I tasted it at Raffles. No need to purchase bottled water.

 

A note about those parties of 6 or less who were told "not necessary to make reservations for the main dining rooms"....... YIKES! Were they upset upon approaching the dining room "desk" and were told they had to wait anywhere from 20 minutes to about 40 minutes and were handed beepers!!! One man was so angry, he muttered something about writing a letter to "corporate" about this. Lucky for us, who made reservations, we just strolled right in, breezed passed the hungry crowds and were escorted to our waiting table. IF YOU WANT TO EAT IN THE DINING ROOMS WHEN YOU WANT TO DINE, AND ESPECIALLY HAVE KIDS THAT ARE YOUNG OR USED TO A SCHEDULE, PLEASE MAKE RESERVATIONS. YOU WILL BE GRATEFUL YOU DID.

 

BREAKFAST LUNCH SNACKS

 

We usually ate both breakfast and lunch in the dining rooms because we enjoy being served on vacation and it is a good experience for the girls.

 

One morning we ordered room service breakfast - Just some light items - to "try" room service. Since it was late morning, we went to Raffles for breakfast. Plenty of choices, all was good, but very hectic. We appreciated the dining room experience much better!

 

We ordered room service one other time, cookies and milk - the girls loved it. We had coffee and shared some grilled cheese and fruit. It was fine.

 

We had one lunch at Raffles, but did not enjoy it/hardly ate, so we proceeded to the Poolside BBQ that day. Burger Chicken and Hot dogs were good.

 

Mid after-noon snacks at Raffles were OK for the kids. It held them over until dinner. I would usually grab a cup of coffee and pick at their plates. Everything was fresh and tasty.

 

We snacked one night (after a show) at the Blue Lagoon. The girls did not like the Tomato or Wonton soup. They had french fries and fried rice and liked that better. I tasted both and both were good. Otherwise, we did not snack at all! The meals were so satisfying in the dining rooms that we did not feel an urge to snack--- especially at night.

 

CHOCOHOLIC BUFFET

 

This was an experience that was way over the top! The kids loved it!! There was sooooo much to choose from. NO complaints. It starts at 2pm. - Windows dining room. The line was already long at 1:20. But don't get discouraged, it moves fast and they keep bringing stuff out. There is "no sugar added" items and fresh fruit that you can dip in chocolate, chocolate covered bananas for those of us who were still making a sad attempt at watching calories.... Yeah right!:p

 

ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES

 

TIVOLI POOL

 

This is the main Outdoor pool. (approximately 5'-7') There are stairs to walk down and ladders to exit. There is a nice "wading area" around the pool for keeping cool while sitting along the wall around the pool. We were out here only one day when the childrens pool was closed because of a diaper "accident":eek:

There are several Hot Tubs and showers. This pool is also heated, salt water. Pool Lounge Chairs are tough to find. We only took one, plopped our stuff on it, and I spent most of the time in the "wading area" talking to other passengers while the girls swam. There was music, entertainment and games in the afternoon.

 

PHOTOS

 

The more you pose for, the better chances of getting some great shots!

They took a great picture of the girls and I had them convert it to Christmas Cards with the greeting, year and all!! ANOTHER good investment! (saves me headaches at holiday time)

 

SHOPS

 

Who can resist?

 

TATOOS/DANCE HEADS

 

We do tatoos on every cruise. (custom color 12.00 each for small size) Dance Heads is a great souvenir for $20.... we could not resist and have never laughed so hard!!

 

BINGO/CASINO

 

When Nonna was not at the pool (afternoons) with us, she spent much time at Bingo. The girls and I joined her twice. There were some nice jackpots including a free cruise for two (which someone did win) and a $17,000 jackpot game that no one won. Nonna spent much time at the casino too and actually won $400 one night.... she paid for our last Bingo game!;)

 

SHOWS

 

We went to all of them except the adult shows which were later in the evening. Seymour and Alfred were our favorite. Do not miss their "teaser" show early in the week.... it warms you up for their main show... HILARIOUS..... the girls loved it too!

 

HAIR SALON/SPA

 

Nonna got her hair washed and blow dry. ($63) She was very happy with the results. The service was wonderful and the Austrailian girl who styled her hair was excellent.

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

NASSAU - we have been to resorts on the islands before, so we stayed on the ship.

 

GSC - We did not go to the evening festivities that were offered. We heard it was very nice,but buggy. We were up early the next day, took the tender at approximately 8:30 a.m. and there were already many people on the island. (first tender is at 7:30) We found chairs, but not the reclining ones- they were all taken. Mats can be rented for $10 each and Large tubes for $20. We took the tube because it was HUGE. Both girls shared it and it kept them both in ONE place!!:) - easy for me to keep track of them.

 

PORT CANAVERAL - We took the pcv713 "Fun and Sun Day at the Beach" ($39/adult $29/child) This was very organized. The tour operator, Sunward Tours was prompt for pick up and drop offs and the bus was clean and air conditioned. HOWEVER..... I was disappointed with the beach in Cocoa beach and the resort (Holiday Inn). The beach was dirty (litter, empty cans) and the water was not what I had expected. (IMHO the Jersey shore water and beaches i.e. Wildwood Crest is cleaner) We rented boogie boards ($15 each) and ate lunch at the resort restaurant. It was OK... average. The highlight was a stop at RON JON surf shop where we made several purchases and then headed back to the ship. I would not book this excursion again.

 

CRUISE DIRECTOR AND STAFF

 

Julie was our cruise director. Although she was very nice, (we spoke with her one night after the Seymour and Alfred show) she lacked the energy and "personality" of a cruise director. As I read on CC already, she lacked the "it" factor. She did not get us "pumped UP"..... although we do not need that to have a good time, it always makes it more fun when the Cruise Director is excited about her job.

 

The staff was superb! Everyone was polite, friendly and would do anything to help you....... Total Dedication to their jobs!

I cannot say enough about our cabin stewards Roberto and Elisabeth! We made it a point to give them a generous thank you gift on the last night. (we brought our own envelopes for this and wrote a small message) Although we know that the tips are automatically on our account, we felt it in our hearts to give something extra.

 

Debarkation

 

We were able to carry our own luggage and chose the Express Debarkation. (you must fill out a card for this and submit it to the Reception at the Atrium before 6pm on Friday night-I think?) When the announcement was made we left our cabin, took the elevator down and we were off the ship and on the street in less than 15 minutes. I phoned my limo service (who was awaiting us about 5 blocks away in NYC) from the street. We were in Bergen County in less than one hour.

 

Summary

 

We enjoyed our stay on the Spirit. From the Asian decor to the enormousl windows in the Windows Dining Room to the plush theater seats at the Stardust...... from top to bottom.... it is a splendid vessel!! We were treated very well, the ship was immaculate, and service was exceptional.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Spirit... YOU WILL LOVE IT!

[Quinnsrcruzin]

Thanks for the review! Anyone else have a poor Fun and Sun experience? Anyone else hear other excursions which people took and loved. We didnt think there is ample amount of time for water parks. NASA is too long of a day for the number of kids we have and their ages. Any suggestions.

 

BTW, thanks so much for you review. I was happy to hear that tyhe experience overall was a good one. There are so many negative remarks out on the site that its scary to see.

 

Thanks a lot for your effort in informing all of us.

[sailorsixx]

Very nicely done review. We were on the 7-22 to 7-30 8 day spirit cruise. Review is probably back many pages by now. Glad your family had such a good time. Agree with your take on Julie.

[bergenctycruzer]

Quinn,

I didn't choose any of the other excursions (in Florida) because of the time factor.... too tight ...and we would be rushing to make it back to the ship. I don't like to have that stress on vacation.:eek:

 

I did see many families take the Universal etc. tours and the others like Nasa and theme parks.

 

Perhaps there are some on CC that can give input on how the time factor played into their excursion and if it was well-worth it.

 

Any questions just ask!

[vamcd]

excellent review. we are on the 11/9, 10 day excursion. i was wondering the differences between garden and windows. i have read garden room is smaller and more attention to detail, whereas windows is bigger and not as good. i was wondering how you found these two restaurants. also, if you dined at 6:30, did you have any problems making the show-early or late shows? thanks alot for your review. we aren't wishing the summer away, but we are excited for 11/9 to get here!!

[bergenctycruzer]

Vamed,

 

Windows appeared to be much larger, more airy. Could have alot to do with the high ceilings in the section where the large windows are. (we requested to sit in that sections for all meals we took at windows.)

 

Garden is average ceiling height throughout, and may be smaller in size. However, due to the way it is designed it is hard to tell which has more square footage. I would guess Windows is BIGGER. I liked Windows better, it felt GRANDER!

 

Service was excellent in both. Both share the same kitchen, thus the same menus every nite - same food choices.

The servers/waitstaff is alternated throughout so they are balanced. One night a waiter may be at Windows for dinner, the next day he is at Garden for lunch. etc etc.

 

We ate at 6:30 every nite. We took our time with all our meals.

Shows are at 7:30 and 9:30. (there is one show - I think - the first nite which is only held at 8:30) We always went to the 9:30 show and got the best seats in the house. Plus it gave us time after dinner to shop, take pictures, walk around and digest a bit instead of rushing into a theatre and sitting for an hour or more.:)

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[Maryfrei]

Nice review, many thanks!

[NJBear]

Thanks for a GREAT review, you did say one thing in your review that I have found to be very true..it also seems to be the one thing that some people writing the very bad reviews forget to do..that one things is......

 

.... all you have to do is communicate and you get whatever you like

[highseas1]

bergenctycruzer,

Thanks for the review. I will be going with my girls 8 and 10. Any more advice for my girls as they are very similar in age to yours?

Did they want their hair braided?

What is a dancing head?

What have you enjoyed to do in Nassau in the past?

Did your girls spend much time in the kid's club?

[bergenctycruzer]

Dear Highseas,

 

The girls had their hair "wrapped" this time. (using string and beads). Price was $2.00 an inch. You can choose "standard" beads, or the deluxe version which of course are prettier and they just HAD TO HAVE THEM.:)

Total cost for the wrapping was about 60.00. We did this during the excursion we took to Cocoa beach - at the Holiday Inn Resort. (I didn't get the price to have it done on the ship-nor do I know if they do it on the ship-but something tells me that they will do anything at the spa!;) )

 

Just so you know, last time we were in the bahamas, at a resort (non-cruise vacation) they both had their hair braided. (the natives offer this service at the resort and was totally legit.) We kept it in for about 3 weeks and was murder to "undo". I took them both to my salon at home where I paid a small fortune to remove, brush out and condition--- THE SPLIT ENDS took a long time to grow out!! We swore we would never braid again... maybe we left them in for too long.... I don't know for sure.

They told us 4 weeks to 6 weeks would be fine. Use your own judgement on this one!:)

 

Dancing Heads is a video (dvd) made where the customer (in our case: it was me and the girls) sit in front of a video camera and they superinpose (sp?) your heads over cartoon-like bodies. You choose the music you want (we chose HOT HOT HOT). Then, electroncally your head and the cartoon bodies work as one and it seems you are dancing to the music. HYSTERICAL It is tuff to explain. There may be another CC on the boards that can describe it better. We bought it, took it home and still laugh... so funny!

 

Previous visit to Bahamas was all inclusive resorts. (many water sports and activities - all geared for "outside") I had planned to take them to swim with dolphins, but they made so many friends at the resort that they did not want to leave.... oh well.

 

The girls ALWAYS join the kids club in all our previous cruises. This time they just wanted to hang out at the kids pool and stay outdoors. I can tell you that the programs on all the ships I have been on are excellent.

... And based on what I observed this cruise line is no different, maybe better because they were Hopping!! BUSY BUSY BUSY

Two years ago I had to fight with the girls to join me at the Captains Nite cocktail because they insisted on staying in the program all day/nite.

The Key to getting them to join up: GO TO THE KIDS WELCOME ABOARD PARTY THAT THE KIDS CREW HAS SOON AFTER THE LIFEBOAT DRILL. KIDS CREW PERSONNEL ARE USUALLY STATIONED WHEN YOU INITIALLY EMBARK IN NYC - THEY WILL MENTION THIS TO YOU AND GIVE YOU THE TIME AND MEETING PLACE...... If you want to have time FOR YOURSELF/HUSBAND..... casually bring them to the WELCOME ABOARD PARTY.. You will be glad you did. If they don't attend the WELCOME ABOARD KIDS CREW party, it may be tough to get them to go later on.

 

Any questions, just hollar!:)

[judyf]

Nice review thanks for taking the time to post.

[Boston_Cruiser]

Very nice review!!! Thank you for putting the effort into posting it!

[phillyf]

bergenctycruzer

 

Is there an Adult Smoothie Card? I just tried to order the card via phone and the rep said that my 12 year old could only by a soda card.

 

Where did you buy the card at the bar on deck 12? I hope I can purhcase the book for my son since he love smoothies!

[Zeno]

Very nice review with good advice! The only thing that surprised me was that you feel small parties should make reservations for the main dining rooms. On our 3 NCL cruises (we were a party of three), we never made dining room reservations and ate anywhere from 5:45PM to 7:30PM - our longest wait to be seated was 5 minutes. However perhaps things are different on the Spirit - we were on the Sun and the Sky.

[bergenctycruzer]

Dear Phillyf,

 

As far as I know there is NO adult version of the smoothie card... and it's a good thing for me because they are sooooo creamy and good that I would have gained MORE weight on this trip.:eek:

 

We purchased ONE BOOKLET(which holds 20 order receipts which you need to give to the server when ordering a smoothie/juice- ONE per drink receipt). We purchased it at "sailaway" from a server walking around taking drink orders at the Bier Garten. The girls shared the booklet.

 

During the trip the girls got smoothies and juices at Bingo or the Shows.

There were several times I finished off the remainder of their smoothies because they were so good.:D

 

Twenty were enough for the week. We have about 8 left over!

 

If we wanted, I am sure we could have ordered the girls their drinks, walked to another server and used their receipts and ordered some for ourselves. ;) (but like I said..... the weight gain would have been disasterous!)

 

The important thing is to USE them! (usually the girls were so full from dinner that they couldnt fit anything more)

 

Any more questions, just hollar

Enjoy your trip.. it goes too fast........

[bergenctycruzer]

Hi Zeno

 

As a parent, you never want to hear your kids whining..... especially on vacation! YIKES!

 

In order to enjoy the trip, I always plan ahead when I forsee a disaster possibility. I just did not want to take a risk. I always take "insurance" when I know it is available.It's just my personality. :D In this case, I played it safe and made the reservations at 6:30 the entire week alternating windows and garden.

 

Other families with children I spoke with did the same, regardless of number in their party, also for windows and garden. I think there were about 900 children on board.......which means MANY families who probably would NOT be going to PAY restaurants.

 

It was just a precaution and I am glad I did it.

Any questions, just ask!:)

[phillyf]

Thank you, I can't wait for the cruise and to get the smoothie card. Did you try the Sushi and how was it?

[judyf]

The smoothie card is a teen program.They were available by the pool on the Star the first day on the ship. Didn't see them on the Spirit a few weeks ago.

 

Ask at the pool bar abnd I'm sure you can get them there.

[phillyf]

Thanks Judy, Just a few more days until 8/19

[highseas1]

Dear bergenctycruzer ,

 

All your tips were great and I consider them keepers.

 

Thanks again.

[Zeno]

Hi Zeno

 

As a parent, you never want to hear your kids whining..... especially on vacation! YIKES!

 

In order to enjoy the trip, I always plan ahead when I forsee a disaster possibility. I just did not want to take a risk. I always take "insurance" when I know it is available.It's just my personality. :D In this case, I played it safe and made the reservations at 6:30 the entire week alternating windows and garden.

 

Other families with children I spoke with did the same, regardless of number in their party, also for windows and garden. I think there were about 900 children on board.......which means MANY families who probably would NOT be going to PAY restaurants.

 

It was just a precaution and I am glad I did it.

Any questions, just ask!:)

 

WOW 900 hundred kids! I can understand that when you have small children

"whining avoidance" becomes a top priority!

[sadiwest]

Bergenctycruzer,

I'd actually be interested to know what limo company you used, how much their fee is, etc etc. Please let me know either here on the board...or let me know on the board if you'd rather email it to me. I'm in NJ also and will be looking for service to NYC when we take NCL in September.

Thanks, in advance!

Sandi

[bergenctycruzer]

Hi Sadiwest,

 

We always use AMBASSADOR Limo from Mahwah NJ.

After calling several limo services (for this cruise and previous cruises) I found that AMBASSADOR is the ONLY one (out of those I called) who actually are IN NYC the day you are scheduled to return; the others drive INTO NYC after you have reached the port in NYC. YIKES!

 

Ambassador parks about 5-10 blocks away from the pier. When you get your luggage and get down to street level, call them on your cellular phone and tell them which (number) pole you are standing next to. This helps them find you in the crowd. They are at your feet in 10 minutes or less.

 

What this means to me: This means that I don't have to wait for my limo to get across the G.W. and (possibly) hit Henry Hudson traffic......:eek: I travel with my two daughters, 8 and 10, and my mother 68. I don't want them to have to wait for a limo.

 

This had worked EVERY time we cruised out of NYC. (approximately 5 times) and NO complaints.:)

 

Are you in Northern Bergen County? We are in Mahwah. When you call, ask for Mike. Please tell him what they did for me. If you like, you can give me your e-mail address and I will give you my name, more details.

 

If you have small children, elderly, this can be important.;)

[sadiwest]

Hi!

I'm actually in Jackson NJ, but we're not yet sure how we're getting to NYC. My dad lives in Staten Island, and we're considering taking a cab from there. My dad can pick us up when we get back...

We're just not sure.

If you could send me the info, I'd appreciate it. I'm at sadiwest@aol.com

Thanks in advance for sending the info.

Sandi

[rock59]

We were on the Spirit the first week in July. We got the "teen passport" (smoothie coupon booklet) for my 17 year old at the Cafe in the Main Atrium. My boyfriend does not drink, but he sure enjoyed many non-alcoholic pina coladas using the coupons. They only asked him once who it was for...he just said it was for his daughter.