Pleasantly surprised on the Spirit 5/27

[10XCRUISE]

Well after 15 or so cruises with a hand full of each on Princess, Celebrity & Carnival this was our first with NCL. We boarded with a little apprehension since the boards haven't been so kind to NCL but we were pleasantly surpriseed.

 

First and foremost we have learned to be open minded about every cruise vacation we take and let the adventure begin the moment we leave the driveway.

 

Arriving at the pier at 10 am we settled in and amused ourselves watching the typical 'organized kaos' all the cruise lines experience on embarkation day.

Stepped on the ship at 12 noon and, thanks to this board, we went directly to Windows for the first of many decent quality meals.

 

Housekeeping was firm about not letting us into our balcony cabin until 2pm. The reason being on debarkation day the encourage everyone to remain in their cains and not clog the public areas the cabin cleaning doesn't start until later than usual. Generally we found our room stewards to be very accomodating and the cabin itself maybe a little smaller than the newer megaships but what the heck....We were on vacation.

 

Of all our cruises we found the NCL team on this ship to be the most gracious and without exception they all bent over backwards to make sure we were always satisfied.

 

Food wise we only snacked at Raffles since we all know how a much of a feeding frenzy buffets can be. Windows served the typical cruise food and remember the second night out is the lobster course. Dinner at Cagneys was wonderful but we enjoyed Le Bistro even more. If NCL could only make food more available after 9:30 at night. The only options are The Blue Lagoon ( voted the worst chile on any ship afloat ) and room service. Cabin service always took 40 minutes at night for delivery so be prepared. Food delivery was always preceded with a phone call from the galley and breakfast was served promptly as we requested

 

Didn't need do deal with chair hogs since we had our own balcony but we stayed on the ship during the Florida port and the second day at Stirrup Cay enjoying the topside facilities in relative peace and quiet.

 

The spa isn't the fanciest there is and the staff is not as high a caliber as some of the other ships we have been on but for a 9 year old 73000 ton ship I guess they are doing the best they can.

 

The Spirit's entertainment was interestingly more intimate than any other cruise line we have been on. There is a relaxed atmosphere and more passenger interaction than most other ships have. Although there aren't the big stage productions the larger ships have we still enjoyed what they had to offer. Practically no one sat in the $25 reserved seating they provide in the first row of the theater.

 

Well the ship docked at 9 am and at 9:45 we walked off the ship with Express Debarkation ending an enjoyable first cruise on the NCL Spirit.

[Retired not Expired]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on the Repo in Nov and it's always good to hear what others think about the ship.

[lostie]

The only options are The Blue Lagoon ( voted the worst chile on any ship afloat ) and room service.

 

The spa isn't the fanciest there is and the staff is not as high a caliber as some of the other ships we have been on but for a 9 year old 73000 ton ship I guess they are doing the best they can.

 

Someone else's review a couple of weeks ago said they LOVED the chili. I guess it's subjective or maybe they have bad taste in chili.

 

Did you get any spa services? I have a coupon for buy 1 get one half off and planned on using it, but if the services aren't worth it, I will reconsider.

[silkhair1]

Practically no one sat in the $25 reserved seating they provide in the first row of the theater.

 

 

 

I can't believe people actually pay $25.00 to have a seat in the theater. I can't believe they even charge to sit in certain places.

[10XCRUISE]

My DW got a manicure/hand massage and although it was 'cruise ship' priced she wasn't happy with the quality. Myself, I splurged on the teeth whitening which can be had on the mainland for a bit less money. The technician applying the treatment was rather vague with the follow-up procedure so I went online after the cruise and got more helpful info. Not a waste but not a bargain either.

 

Yes it is rather surprising the front row of seating in the main theater is a $25 charge each.....guess that's the reason almost no one sat there.

[VUCruiser]

You don't pay for the seat, you have to buy $25 in drinks/wine. We splurged on it one night and got a bottle and had a fun time with Second City. Had we not finished our bottle (wasn't a problem though :), we could have taken it with us. We find that buying a bottle of wine/champagne acutally can be more affordable than several cocktails for a party of two to four. We didn't do wine with dinner that night so it worked for us. Freestyle!

[Cosmopolitan]

You don't pay for the seat, you have to buy $25 in drinks/wine. We splurged on it one night and got a bottle and had a fun time with Second City. Had we not finished our bottle (wasn't a problem though :), we could have taken it with us. We find that buying a bottle of wine/champagne acutally can be more affordable than several cocktails for a party of two to four. We didn't do wine with dinner that night so it worked for us. Freestyle!

 

Sounds like fun:)

[halos]

Sounds like fun:)

 

That's what I was thinking!!

 

To the OP, thanks for the review! I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised. I'm in the same boat...was a little apprehensive booking, but I've read so many more good reviews than bad on this ship since we booked that I feel good about giving NCL a try. I'll be on the repo with Retired-Not-Expired in Nov!! I can't wait! :D