Spirit Review 3-22-3-29

[MobileMystic]

Very Long Review…

 

Just off the Spirit (March 22 -29). What a great cruise! This is my first review so here goes…. The Spirit is a lovely ship with very classic style design. Absolutely fell in love with her.

 

New Orleans – We spent Saturday night at the Drury Inn…Parked and Cruised. The hotel was very nice. Cocktails were included for happy hour and the hot breakfast in the lobby Sunday am included make it yourself waffles that were excellent. The front desk called a cab for us Sun morning, and in less than 5 minutes we were on our way. Another 5 minutes, we were at the dock.

 

The luggage drop off took no time at all, then up the stairs to security. The latitudes line appeared to be much longer than the standard check-in, but they soon allocated more desks to us so it really moved pretty fast.

 

 

When we boarded the ship we first stopped at the restaurant reservations desk and booked reservations at the Le Bistro (Thurs) and Cagney’s (Mon). Then DH signed up for the beer tasting (Monday at Henry’s). Then up to the pool area and the Bier Garden for a snack and adult beverage.

 

Our stateroom was ready by 2 pm. The stewards, (Rebecca and Roberto) took excellent care of us (and DH’s buckets of beer). We were in cabin 9503 which is an ocean view as far forward as you can get!...We had the same view as the web cam…facing forward…The cabin was a bit larger than we expected…always a good thing. I was surprised at the closet space, and bathroom area. I am a plus size gal and had plenty of room in the shower and yes, I even had room to shave my legs. We had dinner in the main dining room. I had beef goulash which I thought was good. DH’s “always available chicken breast” was just ok.

 

Monday: Up with the sunshine. After a cup of coffee we headed up to Raffles for breakfast. The omelet chef was very good. I recommend the western omelet. Plenty of rolls, breakfast meats (including the option for extra crispy bacon), fruit, yogurt,…Spent most of the day lying around in the pool area with the bucket of beer and a good book. Beer tasting was good fun. 4 half glasses of beer with food parings provided a serious afternoon snack. (Sure beat tea time). Had Dinner at Cagney’s. I had the surf and turf. Because the filet was small it was a bit over cooked, but tasted good. Husbands Prime Rib was very tender.

 

Tuesday Cost Maya: We opted for the NCL Dune Buggy excursion. Met a great couple that we shared the dune buggy with. (4 to a buggy). It was a good way to see the area. Much of this was very sad evidence of Dean damage, but all the people that we met on the was were all smiles. Made us feel extremely fortunate in spite of our economy. Had a snack at a resort are on the beach which was delicious. Then rode back to the pier. Sat around the pier for a little while and then it was time to board. Showered, and decided to stay casual for dinner and ate at Raffles. Many selections of good food.

 

Wednesday Santo Tomas deCastilla: We opted for the NCL Dulce River and Quirigua Ruins excursion. OMG! The hands down the best excursion I’ve taken. A very relaxing boat ride, gorgeous scenery, great lunch, very education trip including the Mayan to modern history. The guide was great. (I will post a full review on the excursion link). It was a very long day (9hrs) and we were late getting back to the ship (which is why it is sometimes best to take the NCL excursion). Took a quick shower, collapsed in the cabin for a while then had dinner in the main dining room.

 

Thursday Belize: Opted for a full day (7 ½hr) Sharkray Alley and Ambergis Caye snorkel through NCL. This excursion I think went well for those that were younger and more experienced snorkelers. The currents were very strong and should not be taken lightly. Lunch was at Coconuts and was very good. Was a little uneasy about the tour providers and would say this is not for the faint of heart. Full review will be posted on the excursion link. Ate a late dinner at Le Bistro which was very soothing and relaxing. EXCELLENT Filet au poive first class service.

 

Friday Cozemel: Opted to do tacky tourist shopping on our own. Wander aimlessly for the day picking up promised liquor, and souvenirs. Ate at Carlos and Charlies (always a good time). Balloon hats, goofy pictures, etc…Decided just to grab a bite at the Blue Lagoon since we had had a late lunch. ( special note…I bought candles here which were confiscated at hazard items which had to be picked up at security when disembarking).

 

Saturday: Sadly the last day of the cruise. Slept a little late...just because we could. Filled out the customs card, organized the packing. Ate lunch at noon at the teppanyaki, because it was the only reservation left and didn’t want to miss out. It was great. Food and service were excellent. Relaxing atmosphere, and the chef was very talented. Especially given that he performed on a moving deck! If you cannot get dinner reservations, try it or lunch.! Lounged around the deck until the winds picked up and temperature dropped. Gave up early in the evening.

 

Sunday New Orleans: Up early enough for breakfast one last time at Raffles. Disembarkation was on schedule. We were called at 9:30 and we had cleared customs by 10:00 and were on our way.

 

In general I must say that I never encountered any ship person that weren’t helpful, pleasant, and courteous. The staff always seemed enthusiastic and ready to serve. Also as an observation, I found the passengers on this cruise to have been more considerate and friendly than on previous cruises. Perhaps just the luck of the draw.

 

Ok I’ll stop running on now, Sorry for the long winded review I’ll will be looking to cruise again asap.

[dtiger]

Very nice review, thanks.

[Don Haynes]

Let's keep these positive reviews of the Spirit coming.

 

I noticed the Spirit is visiting Seph-Iles, Quebec twice this fall and next fall. Any suggestions for a shore excursion?

[Don Haynes]

I meant Sept-Iles, Quebec. T instead of an H. Anything to see? Its a new port of call.

[mactrio]

Great review, thanks.

[red lobster]

Great review. Thank you for taking the time to post, very positive and informative.

[SpankyBlue]

It was a wonderful cruise for us, as well. We were traveling with another couple, and the husband is visually impaired; the staff and crew were so very helpful and accommodating that we were all very impressed!

 

We opted for the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins shore excursion on Tuesday, and it was terrific. Santo Tomás de Castilla was fun: we went with one of the local tour services (Happy Fish Travel) and had a wonderful boat tour of the river, ending up in Livingston (where lunch was provided as part of the ticket price). Belize was okay, but it seemed to us to be somewhat limited if you hadn't booked a shore excursion. Cozumel was lots of fun; we were there as part of our first cruise in '04, and managed to have lunch in the same restaurant we visited the first time. We were generally happy with the whole trip. The Spirit is a gorgeous ship, I presume in part because of the recent remodeling. The dining rooms were fabulous, the buffet was pretty good, Cagney's was marvelous, La Trattoria was adequate, and the Bier Garten Grill was a disappointment because there wasn't much German about it.

 

We ate breakfast in Raffles every day; I always stood in the same "eggs to order" line, the one served by Antony. He was always cheerful, and extremely competent. It would be nice to figure out a way to have hot eggs and hot toast at the same time, but perhaps that's more than can reasonably be expected of a buffet line.

 

If we had unlimited resources, we'd have just stayed aboard the Spirit for another week. We had a grand time. Oh, and if the couple we met on the Guatemalan boat tour reads this, thanks for the lovely gift of a bottle of wine at dinner...that was very nice of you. Please call or email us soon!

[BonnieVA]

Oh, I just can't stand it any longer ... next week at this time my family & I will be celebrating my sons' 13th birthday in Costa Maya, thanks to the Spirit getting us there! I'm jumping out of my skin. We just can't wait! I've read so MANY great things about the Spirit. Sadly, I'm already mourning our disembarkation ... like you, I could stay onboard for longer than a week.

[cg2148]

We just got back also from the same cruise. It was for our sons Senior Spring Break from High School. 7 of his friends and their families also went. We all had a great time also.

Up at the Bier Garten the one waiter people should meet is Remo. He seemed to always remember us and what we liked to drink.

[flightguy]

We were on the same cruise and also had a great time!! We were also next door neighbors, we had 9505-9507-9509. We had inside cabins which were sufficient for us. Bathrooms were good sized.

 

Ate dinner in Windows every night. No more than a 5 minute wait for the 8 of us, usually eating between 6- 630. Had great service every night, especially Donald and Eric. Food was average to very good, leaning heavily toward the very good side. Raffles every morning for breakfast, very good omelets as mentioned.

 

Costa Maya - taxi to town for beach day. Great day!

Guatemala - just shopped in the market at the pier. Very friendly people, not pushy at all. Native entertainment going on all day. 30 mins of internet for $3, 60 mins for $5. Fairly fast connection.

Belize - Cave tubing with Major Tom. What a great excursion!! He and his staff give a very informative talk on the bus ride and during the tubing experience.

Cozumel- 2 girls in the group did the Royal Swim at Dolphin Discovery and loved it.

 

The Spirit is a great ship with a wonderful crew!!! Don't hestitate to book a cruise on it.

[MobileMystic]

So it was you guys we ran into in that looong hallway from the elevators! I loved the view from the front though....I had expected a lot more movement there than on other parts of the ship, but there didn't seem to be! I'd take the same cabin in a heart beat!

[nlt46]

You make the Spirit sound wonderful. I'm looking forward to getting to be on her myself. Thanks for writing. Nancy

[Schnauzergirl]

Thanks for the timely review! We are going NEXT! I can't wait! Glad to know that you enjoyed everything and had a great time!