Spirit review 5/13-5/19

[DeeCT]

Hi Everyone…

Here is our review of the Spirit. We sailed on 5/13 and returned 5/19 we did the Bahamas and Florida itinerary. My Husband and I have only cruised one other time and that was on the Dawn 12/03. I am 33 and DH is 39.

Embarkation: We couldn’t have asked for anything better than this! We shared a ride into NYC with another couple we met here on CC( HI Mjkacmom!!!). We had a mini van pick us up in North Jersey at 10:30 we got to the pier at 11:00. We were told to go upstairs; we had an Owners Suite this sailing, so we were able to get priority embarkation. I believe we were on the ship by no later than 12:05 (at this time I had stopped looking at my watch we were on vacation!) just a FYI the staff at the pier are great! The couple we were traveling with were in a balcony, but they were kind enough to let them embark with us, all you have to do is ask. We headed to our cabin to drop off some of our things, and then we were off to lunch at Windows.

 

Owners Suite: Ok you don’t get any better than this! We were offered a upsell the week before our cruise, and since we were celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary we chose to take it. The Suite is beautiful! I found it smaller in comparison to the Penthouse on the Dawn, but still great! The room does have some major vibration while you are moving, if you are a light sleeper this may bother you, I was fine since I am a heavy sleeper. The Jacuzzi tub was wonderful, just a note.. Don’t grab the towel bar near it while you get out, I did and took a good flop on the edge of the tub, I also got a nice bruise that will remind me of out cruise for a few weeks I’m sure. The shower is great as well, the only thing bad about it was that while we were in port the stairwell outside was a favorite spot for the staff to make cell phone calls from, they could look right inside the porthole, so always check first! Our room stewards and butler were fantastic, and they couldn’t do more for us. Lisa the concierge was wonderful as well, even though we only had her make dinner reservations for us twice.

 

Food: Now this subject can get beat to death on the boards, and I do realize that that it is subjective, but here is my take. I found the food in the Main dining rooms and in the specialty restaurants wonderful. I was never disappointed. However, the buffet was down right lousy! I am not a picky person, I am blue collar to the max, but I do like food that is at least tasty. Wow, a big difference from the Dawn. There were many curry dishes. I do enjoy curry on occasion, just not everyday. The best food at the buffet was the Pasta, the salads, and one day I had a baked potato for lunch. Yes, I did eat lunch there a few times during the week, I just knew what to look for. La Trattoria, was a little disappointing. Cagney’s was our favorite! We ate there twice, everything was superb.

 

Ship: The Spirit is a beautiful ship. She is well cared for. Through out the week, we saw many people painting and cleaning. The Asian influence is everywhere. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I did! We always found a spot to sit on the ship. The pool seemed to fill up quickly, so get there early, but you can always find somewhere to sun.

 

Staff: I never once met a staff member that wasn’t polite, and welcoming. I have read about a lot of people complaining that they were rude. I witnessed a few of the girls at reception dealing with some people that were VERY rude and they always had a smile on there face. When we first boarded the ship, my DH and I were walking around trying to get the feel of the Spirit, and we happened to walk down the same hallway about 7 times, one staff member said ‘welcome aboard’ all 7 times we passed him LOL!

 

All in all we had a great time on the Spirit. I would sail on her time and time again. The only thing I would change is the itinerary, this one is not the greatest, but it sure beat working at home for the week!! If I can answer any questions for anyone I will do my best!

Dee

[Joan G]

Great review, well balanced for pros and cons. We will be on the Spirit in September. Was your cruise NYC to NYC? How was getting off the ship, was it as organized as getting on. What time were you off by?

[Cubechick]

Thanks for your report, Dee! I too loved the Spirit and am glad that she'll be back next in NYC next summer.

 

You're so right about taste being subjective when it comes to food. The only dish that I had that was completely inedible on the Spirit was pasta from the buffet! It was with the mushroom sauce, and I couldn't bring myself to choke it down!

 

Go figure! :D

 

As far as disembarkation went, we got to NYC kind of late. I think we didn't dock until 10:00, but were on the road by 11:15. We were on deck 11 and just took part in the regular disembarkation process.

[mjkacmom]

Great review (we are the travelling companions - LOL). Since we were with Dee, we got off the ship first - I believe it docked around 9, we got off at 9:25, and were in NJ by 10 - it was wonderful! I thought the food was good to great, and I even found things I liked at the buffet, and I'm not a big buffet fan (I loved getting a fried egg, and putting it on an english muffin with a slice of ham and cheese, and a big salad at lunch - I stay away from anything fancy at buffets). We loved Cagney's, Le Bistro, and the sushi bar, although I would've made earlier reservations if I had known how long the dinners can be in the specialty restaurants.

 

We had a balcony, and it had plenty of room for the 2 of us - with all of the creative use of space and shelving, I found we had more storage that a hotel room 3 times as big. The staff was great - always happy and accomodating. The common areas were always clean, and we always found room at the pool, even during the most crowded times. I enjoyed the gym - it is really neat to be running on a treadmill while the ocean is passing by you!

 

This was our first cruise, and we had a great time. Oh, and if you like martini's, try the clinic - $15 gets you a lot of martini, right Dee?!

[IHeartMickey]

Dee, I think I saw you on the ship! I thought I recognized you by your picture in your avatar but I wasn't sure and didn't want to feel weird. Were you in a blue bathing suit on the first sea day, on the side of the lounge chair that didn't have any sun? If so, my mom and I were right next to you.

[silkhair1]

I can't wait to go on the Spirit in january!!!!!!!

[DeeCT]

How could I forget getting off the ship in my review?!?!?! LOL mjkacmom got it right... we were the first ones off the ship, I was home in Connecticut by 12:00!!! come on doesn't get better that that! and the Martini clinic.... it was great! the best 15 bucks I ever spent in my life...

 

Dee

[DeeCT]

Iheartmickey,

 

Nope that wasn't me :) I didn't get a chance to sit in the sun till thursday!

 

Dee