Spirt review (1-26/2-3 2007)

[islahopper]

I had some much fun getting mugged over my last post, I thought I would try a review of my last cruise. Please remember this is IMO and I may not look at the world the same as others and my sense of humor may be hard to understand. I will keep this short as possible and will try to answer any questions, althought since I do this at work I my not respond until Friday.

Flew into SD a day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. Nice hotel, clean ,well kept, a little pricy but what a great view. Right across the street from the cruise dock.

Embarcation:Smooth as silk, very friendly and helpful staff. Left hotel at 11:30 and were 3rd and 4th on the ship at 11:50. Luggage was in the room by 2:30.

The Spirt: Not to big,not to small, just the right size. Elegantley proportioned and tastefully decorated. Beautiful lobby, the ship was very clean and showed no signs of age.

The Cabin:Got upgraded to a Penthouse suite #6217. Great cabin, 3 closets,large balconey,whirlpool tub and bidet , 3 sinks, and heavy duty robes. The bedding was very nice, excellent pillows, the room was quiet and sleeping was easy. Alfred the room steward was great, he cleaned out the mini bar, brought extra ice, ashtray, sewing kit and siccors for DW. Execellent and friendly service, always called us by our first names, kept room spotless.

Food: Breakfast buffet: good selection and quality.

Lunch buffet: Good selection, lines short, food was hit or miss.

Supper buffet:Didn't use but the selection seemed fine.

Sushi: Didn't try as it was to close to dinner,but it was always very busy.

Dining room breakfast: Okay, ordered milk the first two days and did not get any, so I just brought it from the buffet.

Dining room lunch: Okay, had the same problem getting milk.

Dining room dinner: Hit or miss, but there was some very good food, the rabbit, the dock, the steaks,snails and soups. Lobster was very bad (but look where I'm from), as was the beef wellington, salads and rolls. Waiter frindly and slow, but milk always showed up at the right time. Desserts were also hit or miss.

Supper Club: Graet food,great service, great music, well worth the extra money. One salad was lacking, the other excellent. Lobster was fresh and was very good.

Room Service: Suprised by how quick, sandwichs were good.

Bar Service: Did not use but they appeared friendly and fast.

Casino:Very nice, althought the entertainment in the bar area was a solo country singer who was not very good. I did not like the sing-a-longs and dancing in there as it was loud and distracting. Came home with over $1000.00 more than I took.

Crew: Very friendly, never walked by without speaking.

Actvities: The best indoor actviety package of any of the 9 crusies I've been on. They had plenty of triva and games(we won the Newly Wed Game, It's In The Bag and 5 bottles of champange, 2 hats, 4 SOS,polo shirts, picture frames and even a Fun Ship Freddie playing triva). They had adult arts and crafts and even a galley tour.

Shows: Same old same old, needs some work.

Music: Bands were good, the one on deck was great.

Pools,hot tubs and gym:The pools were comfortable, but the hot tubs were never quite hot and never opened until 8-9am. There were no chair hogs. The gym was large, clean and uncrowded. The hot was the coldest of all. I used the whirlpool in the room instead.

Stops:Acapulco, large city, did not fly the American flag at the port. Did the Shootover Jet Boat, what a rush, great fun wished the ride was longer.

Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa: Nice port, lots of shopping and dining with in walking distance, felt very safe. Did the Jungle Horseback ride and it was great, even got to ride in the ocean as dolphins saw past us. Did not see Ixtapa.

Manzanillo: A working port, not clean and had smog, people do not speak much english. Took a cab to Miramar beach and spent the day sunning and wave hopping.

Fellow Crusier: Mostly over 50, not a party cruise, very few kids. Everyone was very friendly, except for the people next to us who made rude comments about DW smoking on the balconey. They were from CA, so I'm sure if DW was a illegal alien than the smoke would have been okay.

Overall: A great time, I would not recommend this cruise to people from snow country looking to heat up as the first two days and the last two days were so chilly there was no one on deck not wearing a jacket. It was 95+ in the three stops.

Debarcation: Very smooth, went to a private lounge to wait where they had breakfast and music for us. Was off the ship by 9am and had no trouble finding our luggage. The staff at the dock was very friendly and helpful.

San Diego: What a nice city, seemed smaller than it is. Walked alot and always felt safe. people were always friendly from drivers, guides and wait staff. Would love to go back.

Sorry this turned out so long. Looking forward to the Legend in July and the Valor in Jan. Thank-you.

[interestedparty]

:eek:

I had some much fun getting mugged over my last post, I thought I would try a review of my last cruise. Please remember this is IMO and I may not look at the world the same as others and my sense of humor may be hard to understand. I will keep this short as possible and will try to answer any questions, althought since I do this at work I my not respond until Friday.

Flew into SD a day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. Nice hotel, clean ,well kept, a little pricy but what a great view. Right across the street from the cruise dock.

Embarcation:Smooth as silk, very friendly and helpful staff. Left hotel at 11:30 and were 3rd and 4th on the ship at 11:50. Luggage was in the room by 2:30.

The Spirt: Not to big,not to small, just the right size. Elegantley proportioned and tastefully decorated. Beautiful lobby, the ship was very clean and showed no signs of age.

The Cabin:Got upgraded to a Penthouse suite #6217. Great cabin, 3 closets,large balconey,whirlpool tub and bidet , 3 sinks, and heavy duty robes. The bedding was very nice, excellent pillows, the room was quiet and sleeping was easy. Alfred the room steward was great, he cleaned out the mini bar, brought extra ice, ashtray, sewing kit and siccors for DW. Execellent and friendly service, always called us by our first names, kept room spotless.

Food: Breakfast buffet: good selection and quality.

Lunch buffet: Good selection, lines short, food was hit or miss.

Supper buffet:Didn't use but the selection seemed fine.

Sushi: Didn't try as it was to close to dinner,but it was always very busy.

Dining room breakfast: Okay, ordered milk the first two days and did not get any, so I just brought it from the buffet.

Dining room lunch: Okay, had the same problem getting milk.

Dining room dinner: Hit or miss, but there was some very good food, the rabbit, the dock, the steaks,snails and soups. Lobster was very bad (but look where I'm from), as was the beef wellington, salads and rolls. Waiter frindly and slow, but milk always showed up at the right time. Desserts were also hit or miss.

Supper Club: Graet food,great service, great music, well worth the extra money. One salad was lacking, the other excellent. Lobster was fresh and was very good.

Room Service: Suprised by how quick, sandwichs were good.

Bar Service: Did not use but they appeared friendly and fast.

Casino:Very nice, althought the entertainment in the bar area was a solo country singer who was not very good. I did not like the sing-a-longs and dancing in there as it was loud and distracting. Came home with over $1000.00 more than I took.

Crew: Very friendly, never walked by without speaking.

Actvities: The best indoor actviety package of any of the 9 crusies I've been on. They had plenty of triva and games(we won the Newly Wed Game, It's In The Bag and 5 bottles of champange, 2 hats, 4 SOS,polo shirts, picture frames and even a Fun Ship Freddie playing triva). They had adult arts and crafts and even a galley tour.

Shows: Same old same old, needs some work.

Music: Bands were good, the one on deck was great.

Pools,hot tubs and gym:The pools were comfortable, but the hot tubs were never quite hot and never opened until 8-9am. There were no chair hogs. The gym was large, clean and uncrowded. The hot was the coldest of all. I used the whirlpool in the room instead.

Stops:Acapulco, large city, did not fly the American flag at the port. Did the Shootover Jet Boat, what a rush, great fun wished the ride was longer.

Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa: Nice port, lots of shopping and dining with in walking distance, felt very safe. Did the Jungle Horseback ride and it was great, even got to ride in the ocean as dolphins saw past us. Did not see Ixtapa.

Manzanillo: A working port, not clean and had smog, people do not speak much english. Took a cab to Miramar beach and spent the day sunning and wave hopping.

Fellow Crusier: Mostly over 50, not a party cruise, very few kids. Everyone was very friendly, except for the people next to us who made rude comments about DW smoking on the balconey. They were from CA, so I'm sure if DW was a illegal alien than the smoke would have been okay.

Overall: A great time, I would not recommend this cruise to people from snow country looking to heat up as the first two days and the last two days were so chilly there was no one on deck not wearing a jacket. It was 95+ in the three stops.

Debarcation: Very smooth, went to a private lounge to wait where they had breakfast and music for us. Was off the ship by 9am and had no trouble finding our luggage. The staff at the dock was very friendly and helpful.

San Diego: What a nice city, seemed smaller than it is. Walked alot and always felt safe. people were always friendly from drivers, guides and wait staff. Would love to go back.

Sorry this turned out so long. Looking forward to the Legend in July and the Valor in Jan. Thank-you.

 

i have no desire to hear about spirt :eek:

[steveNcindy]

But seriously, how was the pizza :D

 

J/K - good review, thanks for taking the time to post.

[islahopper]

Guess who can't spell. I was pressed for time and did not proofread this very well. I can't seem to edit my poor spelling. Spirit.

[interestedparty]

good review

 

cheers

[Boatdrill]

Stops:Acapulco, large city, did not fly the American flag at the port.

 

 

Everyone was very friendly, except for the people next to us who made rude comments about DW smoking on the balconey. They were from CA, so I'm sure if DW was a illegal alien than the smoke would have been okay.

.

San Diego: What a nice city, seemed smaller than it is. Walked alot and always felt safe. people were always friendly from drivers, guides and wait staff. Would love to go back.

 

Just curious about an interesting comment you made about the American flag.....where/why was the American flag supposed to be flown at the port Acapulco ?

 

About smoking on the balcony, from a ship's safety stand point, it's dangerous. Did the finished butt go overboard or in an ash tray ? Overboard is definitely not the right answer. And a cigarette butt left in an ash tray on a balcony can re-ignite and start a fire. Happened on a Princess ship, and someone lost his life because of it.

 

From your neighbor's viewpoint, the cigarette smoke probably found it's way into their cabin. We in California are mostly non-smokers.

 

If your DW was an illegal alien, the embarkation staff would have realized it when she was asked to present her proof of citizenship at check-in, and she would not have been allowed to board. Instead, she would have been arrested. Yes, right there, in the terminal. And no, she would not be able to retrieve her luggage off the ship before she was deported. It's happened before, in California, at the pier in San Diego.

 

Thank you for the nice comments about San Diego. I'm glad you enjoyed your time there.

[NeptunesGoddess]

Nice Review. We go on the Spirit in October and can't wait!

 

 

Boatdrill,

Not sure how much is tongue n cheek about the illegal alien stuff, but he was just kidding around.

 

Also, smoking on the balcony is allowed, so he was within his rights to do so. If it is such a HUGE safety hazard then they would disallow it and make it a violation. Also, there are still plenty of smokers here in California, they just are forced to hide, so you don't see them. hehe. (for the record, I don't smoke, but my hubby does)

[mazbarth]

Hi read your very helpful posting on all the details of the Spirit. We are taking off on the 11th for the same cruise as you decribed.

 

I have one question... How did you come by an upgrade to a suite??? I'd really like to upgrade from where we are so any hints most appreciate! :)

Thanks, Michele

[islahopper]

In Acapulco they fell the flags of many countries in a line just off the dock, I just throught it was odd that they did not have the American flag. They flew the French, German even Korean. DW cigarettee butts were put out in a large water glass so they would not blow away until she got a ashtray which she dumped into the toilet after smoking. She never smoked in the room. As far the upgrade, we had booked a Cat 11 and had asked our travel agent to check if we could get moved to a wrap around, so she kept checking each week for us. The people next to us also got upgraded to the Penthouse.

[EggDropErin]

Thank you for your review. :)

[Crusin Karen]

We were on this same cruise (same week) and had a wonderful time also. Great weather, tho as OP mentioned, the sea days going down and back had a very chilly wind. I always enjoy the last day on Lido when everyone goes a little wild, but there was hardly anyone there because the wind was so strong. Hint: if you go to the aft pool, it is usually warmer, tho not as much fun! We were in aft wraparound balcony cabin 8268 which was fantastic. Cabin was big and the "living area" and bedroom were seperated by a door so DH could sleep in while I puttered! Location was great too because I could walk right up the stairs to Lido and grab a tray and load it with goodies and bring down to our cabin.

And btw, Spirit DOES have trays. So many ships don't have them anymore and I applaud those who do. Only thing that angers me about Carnival: they don't have hand sanitizers "yet." I say yet because I have been waiting for years for them to install them. I can't see the reasoning behind this. We stayed 2 days pre cruise and l day post cruise at the Hampton Inn which is just a block away from the pier (and the Holiday Inn where OP stayed) and I have to say, I fell MADLY IN LOVE with San Diego. I didn't bat an eyelash getting off the ship, but I cried my eyes out flying out of SD!:( If anyone needs any info or advice about this cruise, e=mail me. This was a wonderful cruise, a beautiful ship and a very friendly crew. I am still dreaming of that chocolate melting cake! :p

[Boatdrill]

Also, smoking on the balcony is allowed, so he was within his rights to do so. If it is such a HUGE safety hazard then they would disallow it and make it a violation.

 

Thanks, I know smoking on the balcony is allowed. It's the old story...just because you can do it doesn't make it a great idea.

 

Carnival won't forbid smoking on the balconies...they know there would be a riot if they did. Have you seen the thread about the new non-smoking policy in the casino on the Paradise ? And that ship used to be 100% non-smoking !

 

Carnival will do as little as possible to upset the natives (another reason for no hand sanitizers, no health form questionnaire at check-in, no requirement for notarized letters from absent parents if their minor child is travelling with someone else...the list goes on and on).

 

It can be a scary cruiseline, but everyone seems to have a great time ! :)

[Family Man]

Good review. Some day we will sail her again so we can go on the southern itinerary. Thanks to Hurricane Sergio, we were rerouted to the "traditional" Mexican Riviera plus Ensenada. I would like to see Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, and Manzanillo some day.