first time on Spirit 19/09/09

[frankie 57]

I have not been on Spirit before and would like some help with some questions.

1, How good are they about special diets, I an diabetic but don't want to make too much fuss ?

2, How up to date are the films at the cinema ?

3, Have you any info on the entertainment, and where to settle in the evening for an enjoyable evening ?

4, As you can not pre book trips do they book up quickly, is doing it on your own a good idea ?

5, Our ports of call are Lisbon, Portimao, Gibraltar, Malaga, Tangier, Porto and La Coruna any help would be great thanks,

[Scarey Mary]

Hi Frankie

 

As regards your diet I don't know about the Spirit but we have just returned off the Celebration and I am sure it will be the same. I won't go into details here but I am sure if you read my thread 'Special Diets on the Celebration' you will find it helpfull.

 

I don't know if you have already but you need to inform Thomsons before you go that you need a special diet.

 

On the Celebration things were marked up on the menu sugar free and in the Lido there were sugar free desserts labelled.

 

We were on the pirit last year and some of the more popular trips book up early but for most of them we had no problem. A really good one to do in Gibralter if you are not bothered about the Apes is the Dolphin trip. You go out of the bay in a boat to search for the dolphins and we had about thirty of them (babies as well) racing and swimming along with our boat. It was great and an amazing thing to see.

 

Anyway I am sure you will be well catered for and have a great holiday.

 

Wish I was going too.

 

Mary

[frankie 57]

Hi Mary thanks for your message,

I will check out your post re special diet, they are putting a sharps container in the Cabin for needles.

The Dolphins sound great,

Thanks

frankie

[kruzseeka]

I have not been on Spirit before and would like some help with some questions.

1, How good are they about special diets, I an diabetic but don't want to make too much fuss ?

2, How up to date are the films at the cinema ?

3, Have you any info on the entertainment, and where to settle in the evening for an enjoyable evening ?

4, As you can not pre book trips do they book up quickly, is doing it on your own a good idea ?

5, Our ports of call are Lisbon, Portimao, Gibraltar, Malaga, Tangier, Porto and La Coruna any help would be great thanks,

 

 

Hello frankie,

The films I think are relatively recent ones - the new Daniel Craig film was showing on the Celebration recently and Defiance, Frost/Nixon, Valkyrie,The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Milk, Seven Pounds,and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button - a different one each day. I'm not sure just how recent these are but it will give you an idea. I guess Spirit would be similar.

 

Horizons is a very nice bar up at the top of the ship for a drink and there is often a jazz group playing there too. The bar by the casino (is it Raffles on Spirit?) is also popular especailly now it's non-smoking and Explorers has a musician (pianist, violin/piano duo or similar) playing at different times during the evening. High Spirits is where the game shows take place (based on T.V. game shows) and these are usually good for a laugh. Later in the evening, there may be a cabaret in here and some evenings there may be a deck party too out on the Lido deck. Most people go to see the show (two performances each evening to cater for early then later diners) and then find somewhere else to settle down - wherever has the right 'feel' for them.

 

Lots of people adopt a DiY approach to trips as this is cheaper and you can decide on your own itinerary. However, you do need to do a bit of research if using local transport. Try reading up on your destinations before you go and see where you may prefer to do your own thing and where it may be advisable to opt for a ship's excursion.

 

The only trips which may cause a problem in terms of filling up quickly are those in the Destinations Guide which are marked as 'Limited Availability'. If you want to do one of these, then post your booking form a.s.a.p. at the desk. Otherwise, I think they will just arrange as many buses as are needed to satisfy demand - at least up to the day before. At some point they have to commit with the bus operators and may then close bookings if buses are full.

 

I'm not familiar with all of your ports, but it is quite possible to do Lisbon yourself - although there is usually a shuttle bus to take you from the dock to the centre. We had a short stop here and there was a lot of pressure on the shuttles.

Gibraltar is easy to do yourself - you can walk from the port into town and either go up the rock via the cable car or pick up one of the mini bus tours (near the cable car) which offer a similar trip to the ship's excursion, going to the caves, tunnels and stopping on top of the rock, for considerably less.

If you want to see the Alhambra from Malaga I think I would recommend taking the organised excursion as it would be difficult to do on your own (it's over an hour and a half through the mountains to get to Granada) and your visit into the Palace is precisely timed to regulate visitor flow. I'm not sure how you would go about doing this yourself other than through a private tour company which probably wouldn't be cheaper than Thomson's. (It's an expensive trip and lunch is included - but it's very memorable.) You can just walk off the ship though if you want to explore Malaga - there's the Castle and Alcazaba which are worth seeing and there's a good shopping centre. I believe train links to resorts such as Marbella are good from Malaga too. You could check out the timetables on the Internet before you go if you fancy doing that.

Tangier is one of those places where lots of people say they feel more comfortable going with an organised tour. The traders do tend to be very persistent and can feel rather intimidating - but it's quite an experience to get a flavour of the town and culture, but I would favour safety in numbers - although it is possible to go and explore on your own.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[frankie 57]

Hi Kruzseeka,

Great info thanks sooo much.

It seems to be a ship you can take at your own pace and get to feel at home, we have done Ocean Village and spent most of our time in the Lounge but found it impossible to get a sunlounger.

On Spirit we are on the Promenade deck, do I need to get up early in the morning to get loungers ?

Are there any deals on drinks or problems bringing them back from port ?

Thanks sgsin for your help,

Frankie 57

[vwgolf]

Hi Kruzseeka,

Great info thanks sooo much.

It seems to be a ship you can take at your own pace and get to feel at home, we have done Ocean Village and spent most of our time in the Lounge but found it impossible to get a sunlounger.

On Spirit we are on the Promenade deck, do I need to get up early in the morning to get loungers ?

Are there any deals on drinks or problems bringing them back from port ?

Thanks sgsin for your help,

Frankie 57

 

Loungers do go quite quickly, unfortunately. Worse still are the people who "reserve" loungers by leaving a towel on them whilst they go to lunch. Do what we do - remove the towel and move the lounger a bit. It's they who are breaking the rules!

 

As for drinks, Thomson's are great for allowing you to bring your own drinks on board, so long as you don't drink them in bars or on deck. They'll even provide ice in your cabin for you!

[kruzseeka]

On Celebration last week, the Cruise Director was making regular announcements about not reserving sun loungers and saying that passengers should remove towels and personal belongings left on loungers if they wanted to use them. I must say there was still a bit of a problem, especially on the promenade deck where there is limited space but is one of the few places which has some shade for those who don't want to bake up on the top deck. But I hope Thomson keep pushing home the message and more passengers feel able to claim loungers left unattended. (I think generally speaking we are reluctant to do so although it is the people doing the reserving who are in the wrong!) If that becomes the 'norm' though, instead of the 'reserved' loungers we see so much of at present, perhaps the problem will eventually disappear or at least be minimal. Let's hope so.

 

 

Just a reminder that pool towels are provided free in your cabin - but there is a 'deposit' charge of £10 each which isn't charged unless you lose the towel, which is fair enough. Perhaps if more of those leaving towels to reserve loungers have to pay £10 for lost towels (when others remove them) it may make them think twice!

 

As vwgolf was telling you, Thomson are very good re bringing your own drinks on board and judging by some reports I've been reading on another site, this has to be a big plus - also Thomson's reasonable pricing policy on drinks. I couldn't believe the prices quoted on some cruise lines - to which they add 15% service charge too!!!!

 

I don't think there are any drinks deals available on the Spirit at the moment (usually the case with Thomson sailings out of the UK) but we feel they are reasonable with their charges. If you go part way through a 'mock booking' process on Thomson's site for your sailing date, you will see whether it's possible to buy an AI for your cruise under the optional extras, but unless you drink a great deal, or get a special offer on the AI, it's usually cheaper to pay as you go. It's a lovely freebie when you get it, but it can be expensive to buy as an extra.

 

Enjoy your trip!:)

[davecttr]

On my last Celebration cruise I found a secret supply of loungers, on the shady side of the ship, dozens of them stacked there so just collar a friendly crewmember!

[frankie 57]

Thank you all for your info,

Sun loungers do seem a problem, is there somewhere else to sit on the days at sea, a good place to read and chill out ?

Thanks for suggestions on drink on board, seems the drinks will not be an issue, no need to sneek the stuff on to the ship .

Thanks to you all

Frankie 57:D

[vwgolf]

Sun loungers do seem a problem, is there somewhere else to sit on the days at sea, a good place to read and chill out ?

 

Frankie 57:D

 

Space on deck isn't an issue, just loungers to sit on. If you're happy laying or sitting on the deck you won't have a problem. Failing that, there's plenty of room indoors!

[kruzseeka]

You can sit in any of the bars/show lounge/High Spirits - no need to feel you have to be buying drinks as these are lounge areas as well as having bar service. Outside there are tables/chairs out on the Lido deck, also Deck 6 at the stern. Horizons or Explorers are especially pleasant for reading.

 

But there are quite a lot of things going on during sea days - we seldom fit everything in that we want to do! There will be probably be a Destinations Showcase the first morning to tell you about your ports of call and other activities like quizzes/games/demonstrations with about 4 showings of the film of the day. On a sea day, the showteam often put on a play - perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but they are generally very well done and we have enjoyed seeing something different. When you fit all this into regular calls to the restaurants (:eek: !!!!) it's surprising how busy the day becomes. I would say, there's something available to suit most people. We love to get off exploring at ports of call (the more ports of call the better!) but I must say, a relaxing day at sea becomes a welcome relief sometimes! After all the hassle of getting ready for a holiday and travelling, it's good on the first day to be able to discover the ship at leisure and find out what's on offer.