Spirit

[Gingee]

We got off of Carnival Victory on Saturday and saw the Spirit. The man who helped with baggage said that the Spirit is a big ship and it takes a long time with that ship. Now to compare the two, the Victory is like 105,000 tons and the Spirit is 75,000 tons. So why would it be a bigger ship? We are scheduled on it in January so we were interested in it.

 

Also, we have never done Norweigen so we aren't sure if we are going to like having to come to the dining room and wait to get it. I was told from someone who was on it last year that you either have to get there at 5:00 p.m. or 8:30 to not have to wait to get in. We are having doubts about whether we want to still go on this ship. We like the itinerary so that is what drew us to this one.

 

We were also told that this was not a very pretty ship and the rooms are even smaller than Carnivals.

 

 

Any feedback anyone?

[tamarara65]

Carnival is known to have larger rooms than some of the other lines. The difference you will see is the style of the ship. Carnival , I thought had great dinners in the dining room. But Carnival has a basic decor. The spirit has a little more character-as it was made by an asian line. So it will be a little more "interesting".

[Toyz711]

as far as the main dining rooms, we have never waited longer then the time it took the hostess to check the seating book. but you MAY have a wait if you go at prime time...usually not. usually the crowds will be in the big main dining room...the windows...if that is the case, just go to the other dining room (the gardens). it's a small room, same menus. reservations for the surcharges specialities would save you any of this (we don't do the surcharges, we enjoy the main dining rooms and other included dining areas)

 

there are plenty of photos on the ship...including mine, linked in my signature. it is not the glitzy "big" mass market ship..it doesn't have a big shopping mall and such. it does have some beautiful asian wall covering, great asian statues (deck 8,near the asian dining venues) and deck 7, outside. the whole ship has a classy, subdued feel to it, very calming.

 

the rooms may be smaller then some other ships, but they are well laid out...nice bathrooms. they have recently changed some of the bedding and drapes, looking at the photos of the cabins...you won't see those stripped bedspreads anymore.

 

in nov, the ship goes into drydock...besides an engine repair, the ship is getting a totally cleaning...with carpet change. i hope they don't take out any of the asian artwork (please, NCL, don't remove any of the asian decor! please, please, please)

 

i am looking at prices every day, we are hoping to go (again) this december (depends on DH's work schedule). BUT if i had as much negative feelings as you do, i don't know if i would go. seems like you are looking for the negative? maybe it just the way it sounds...

 

 

 

one of the few ships where everyone, not just the suite passengers, can enjoy views like this

 

just have to keep my fingers crossed that we will be able to be back on her this winter!!!

[KerCar]

I've had two GREAT cruises on the Spirit (I've also sailed Carnival and Celebrity):)

 

On my last cruise I was with a party of 11 and we never had to wait more than 5 minutes to be seated for dinner. That being said, we always tried to make it to dinner before 7pm. In addition, no one in our party had any problems getting reservations for any of the specialties. Since we weren't restricted by set dining times, on port days we could stay ashore as long as we wanted or even eat early and then head back out again. I really love the flexibility of Freestyle Dining.

 

The Spirit has an Asian theme and IMO she is a classy beautiful ship. It's been a while since I've sailed Carnival so I can't compare cabin sizes, but the Spirit has by far the largest shower of any ship I've been on. Like Toyz said, the cabins are well laid out with ample storage.

 

Have a GREAT cruise:D

[mactrio]

Thanks for the photos. We're sailing the Spirit in Feb. (our 1st cruise) and have heard wonderful reviews about NCL from friends who just sailed the Sun.

[Phoenix cruiser]

We sailed NCL Gem and they had the restaurant style buzzers in the 2 main dining rooms that worked everywhere on the ship. You could wait in one of the lounges listening to music until your buzzer went off. Have they deployed that to other ships? It was a fabulous add.

[sailingnut]

I was on the Spirit this past June. It is a very beautiful ship. I would not hesitate to go back on her. I am taking the Dawn next May to Bermuda. The shower was very large, I hope the Dawn has one that large also. I am going to take a balcony room like I did on the Spirit.

[collegecruiser346]

I've been on a lot of cruises with a few different lines, but I always call NCL Spirit "my home ship." I'm not quite sure what it is about her, but I absolutely love sailing on her every time. I've been on her 4 times and every time is better than the previous. I've been on RCL's Voyager and Freedom class ships, as well as NCL's Gem, these are HUGE ships. So huge that you are getting lost up until the very last morning. The Spirit may not be the biggest ship out there, (still very very large), but like I said, there is just something about her that makes it feel right. I think its the layout of the upper decks. Its nice not to get lost every second of every day.

[Gingee]

Glad to hear some positive things about it. Is it a pretty stable ship? I am on the tenth floor. Would like to be lower but I only have a choice of one level lower (balcony).

 

So some of you are saying that you wait and some say you don't? (for food)

I don't want to pay for the specialty dinners. I don't go on cruises for the food - more for the destinations and the port it leaves from.

[Toyz711]

you were worrying about being too high way back in may:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=781393

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=756218

 

one deck up is not going to make that much of a difference. we were on deck 9...we had perfect seas..very calm, no waves at all for most of the week. BUT it's not always like that!!

the spirit is as stable as any other cruiseliner, no better, no worse. if the seas are calm and ride is great, if there are high waves..it's not going to be as nice:eek:

[kat89447]

You will have a great time. There just is something about the Spirit that people love, it feels like an old friend. I too hope they don't change too much in the dry dock because it is beautiful. We had a party of 12 in June and never had to wait longer than a few minutes for any resturant. Just long enough for them to put a couple tables together. We did Le Bistro and Cagney's as well and never had a problem getting a reservation.

My parents were in a suite on deck 10 very close to the bow, and other than the wonderful sway the Spirit has there wasn't any problem with motion. The sway can be felt everywhere, it's side to side like a slow moving hammock. One of my favorite things about the Spirit was that sway, some ships don't feel like they are at sea at all and you might as well be in a hotel on land. You will love her and as much as I love traditional dining, freestyle made a believer out of me and my family. I just love that I choose where and when I eat and never feel rushed to get anywhere, I am on vacation after all.

[KerCar]

Glad to hear some positive things about it. Is it a pretty stable ship? I am on the tenth floor. Would like to be lower but I only have a choice of one level lower (balcony).

 

So some of you are saying that you wait and some say you don't? (for food)

I don't want to pay for the specialty dinners. I don't go on cruises for the food - more for the destinations and the port it leaves from.

 

I stayed on deck 10 on my last cruise. On the first night, we sailed through gale force winds so there was some rocking and rolling, but this was the same for people we knew who were on the lower decks as well. The rest of the week was fine. No problems at all. We stayed on deck 9 the year before. Both decks were pretty comparable.

 

I think the consensus on the wait time is as long as you use common sense and avoid the small window of time that is considered "peak" you will be seated right away. Like I said above, between my 2 cruises, I have had 14 dinners on the Spirit and have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. Out of those 14 dinners only 2 were at the specialty restaurants. I ate one time at Garden and the remainder of my meals at were at Windows. IMO it is the most breathtaking DR of any of the ships I have been on.

[CastawayCruiser]

So some of you are saying that you wait and some say you don't? (for food)

 

We have sailed 44 nights on NCL and only had to wait once at the main dining rooms and we go to dinner at different times - that's what is great about freestyle. I think if you have only sailed NCL once and had to wait a night or two perhaps because of a really full ship and picking a peak time you might have the impression that you "always" have to wait on NCL. Those of us who have sailed a few times know that it doesn't happen very often.

 

In my opinion waiting 10 minutes for dinner on occasion is a very small price to pay for the freedom that NCL provides.

[klct39lg]

Yes, there is something about the Spirit...we really loved that ship. :) We were on the March 9-16 spring break cruise, and we hope to sail on it again.

 

As for waiting at dinner, it never happened with us. We only ate in either the Garden Room or Windows, the 4 of us never had to wait for a table, never had slow service. We did dine fairly early, 6-ish, so that may have been part of the reason. We felt the service was a little better in the Garden Room, though.

[newmexicoNita]

We got off of Carnival Victory on Saturday and saw the Spirit. The man who helped with baggage said that the Spirit is a big ship and it takes a long time with that ship. Now to compare the two, the Victory is like 105,000 tons and the Spirit is 75,000 tons. So why would it be a bigger ship? We are scheduled on it in January so we were interested in it.

 

Also, we have never done Norweigen so we aren't sure if we are going to like having to come to the dining room and wait to get it. I was told from someone who was on it last year that you either have to get there at 5:00 p.m. or 8:30 to not have to wait to get in. We are having doubts about whether we want to still go on this ship. We like the itinerary so that is what drew us to this one.

 

We were also told that this was not a very pretty ship and the rooms are even smaller than Carnivals.

 

 

Any feedback anyone?

My oh My, you are starting to worry about things someone told you. Isn't that often referred to as listening to gossip or rumors? If the porter didn't know which was the larger ship, certainly lots of people have their facts wrong or just have different opinions. We have sailed using freestyle 6 or 7 times, we only waited once and that was a group of 20 plus. Being told you had to get there at 5 or wait is like the person who came on here about a year ago and claimed he had to pay for hot dogs on the ship and they had no free water. Don't listen to all this.

 

Is it a pretty ship? We will cruise her in November, I can just base my opinion on rumor like you are basing yours: I do know it is very Oriental in decor, some love it, some do not. Are the cabins smaller than Carnival? Yes, every single ship at sea regardless of the line (except for Disney) has cabins, class for class, smaller than Carnival.

 

I hope this alleviates some of your worries. Now I see from reading further, you are concerned about how stable the ship is, I think you are working yourself into a tissy, worrying. This isn't a little ship like we all sailed back in the 80s. 75,000 tons is not a little baby...

Nita

[Katink]

I'm so pleased to read all the positive comments on this thread. NCL comes highly recommended to us by someone whose opinion we value and their prices really can't be beat, especially with their current sale. But......after reading some of the CC reviews, I was concerned and had second thoughts about booking our first NCL cruise. So I started a thread asking for more info and comments on the Spirit and got many replies from Spirit cruisers, many of them repeat cruisers. Their comments and yours did the trick and helped me decide. Yippee!!! :D Check out my countdown clock, I just booked for next October and now all I have to do is wait.

 

Thanks to all.

Katink

[Gingee]

That does help some. My sister took her first cruise on NCL this past year and I don't think they will take another cruise. Said it cost them a lot at the restaurants. This is one thing I am trying to avoid.

[Toyz711]

whether you go to the surcharges is totally up to you. we don't...even the buffet area we found: carved meats, made-to-order salads, made-to-order pasta (loved this) and made-to-order crepes that went with the ice cream served in the buffet area. we like this when we don't feel like a "set" meal and want to taste new foods.

in the dining rooms, DH had some of the best duck entrees he has ever had. he wouldn't share he coq au vin, so i can't say on that...but it sure smelled good.

many times, he wants to eat one place and i want to eat another...or at different times. even without the surcharges, there is just sooo much food!! we perfer the quiet dining room of the gardens, most perfer the bigger room of the windows (too much noise for me)

by each elevator, there is a computer screen...you can look at that and see which if the dining rooms is the busiest or which has the most open seats.

[Gingee]

As long as we are not forced into just eating in the buffet areas. I do like to dress up for dinner but I am not sure if Norweigian is dressy at all. Any comments? My sister said they did not see anyone dressed up.

[Phoenix cruiser]

Since I was the one who mentioned wait times for dinner, I should clarify that a) out of a 7 day cruise we only needed the buzzer twice and b) they had electronic boards all over the Gem showing the status of the dining rooms so it was our choice to head to a venue that showed red. At the same time other dining areas were green or yellow. We are looking forward to our 3rd NCL cruise (11th overall). As always, thanks to everyone for the information on the Spirit.

[Toyz711]

As long as we are not forced into just eating in the buffet areas. I do like to dress up for dinner but I am not sure if Norweigian is dressy at all. Any comments? My sister said they did not see anyone dressed up.

 

on the spirit, to the western caribe (last dec) there were nights that people were dressed up. you will see everything from tux/formal gowns to suits/dresses to kahki/casual slacks. yes, some people to dress up...just to ready to have the person dining next to you to not be dress up as much as you are. i would say that 60% were dress up in suit/nice dresses or better. the lines for photos were long, with families dressed for a nice family portait.

but i am trying to figure out how anyone can force you to eat at the buffet area? no one will pressure you on where to eat..if anything there are TOO many choices.

[Gingee]

I know noone will force us to the buffet lines (no problem there anyway) but I do like the formal dining room for dinner. I just don't want to feel like you either eat in the buffet room or the "ones you pay for the dinner" places.

 

Swaying? Someone mentioned that. Is this ship more swaying than others? Stabilizers not very good?

[zimmerjulie]

The Spirit is a beautiful ship and those views from the aft terrace area (see earlier post) are fantastic. That is something that many of the newer, bigger ships are lacking. I love to commune with the ocean on my cruises and this ship is great for that.

 

We did not spend a penny on dining on the Spirit and enjoyed the food and ambience quite a lot. We ate in Windows (big, gorgeous main dining room) 6 nights out of 7, had great, varied meals and never had to wait for a table. The 7th night we went to LeBistro because we had won free dinners there on the slot machine in the casino. It was an excellent meal and subsequent to that I have tried to eat in at least one specialty restaurant per NCL cruise.

 

Regarding clothes, I have to ask, your sister did not see anyone dressed up? Wow. That is strange.

 

I have found that there have always been people dressed up for dinner on my 10 or so NCL cruises. There are also people alongside dressed in khaki's and golf shirts, capri's, sundresses, etc. Resort casual is the rule, but many people do get dressed up, in my experience. I like to dress up too and have never felt out of place or overdressed.

 

I agree with other posters that the bathrooms are quite nice. I love NCL's REAL SHOWER DOORS, as opposed to the clingy curtains of other lines.

 

Also we were on deck 10, aft and felt very little motion, if that helps with that question. As others have mentioned, that all depends on the sea.:D

 

So my overall opinion of the Spirit: I love this ship. :D

[KerCar]

I know noone will force us to the buffet lines (no problem there anyway) but I do like the formal dining room for dinner. I just don't want to feel like you either eat in the buffet room or the "ones you pay for the dinner" places.

 

Gingee~

 

The 2 main dining rooms on the Spirit offer a wonderful dining experience. Like may of us have already stated, there is no need to eat in the surcharge restaurants if you do not wish to as the food, service, and ambiance of Windows and Garden are top notch.

[alanna1122]

Hi - I have never cruised before - and my extended family has decided to do a trip together next June on the Spirit... I am wondering how hard it will be for my husband and I given that we will have a 3 year old and a 9 month old traveling with us. Has anyone traveled with such small children on this ship before and how did you work sleeping arrangements and what kind of room did you have? Thanks for any advice you can spare!