Awesome Grand Med on Spirit - Review & Photos

My travel buddy Dave, and I just got home on Thursday, October 4 from our fortnight in Europe, including the 12-night Grand Mediterranean sailing aboard Norwegian Spirit from Venice to Barcelona (September 20-October 3) plus one night each in NCL-affiliated hotels in Venice and Barcelona respectively. Bottom line: BEST VACATION EVER!

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, so let me know.

Who We Are

Dave and I are a couple of single, middle-aged guys with decent bank balances and plenty of vacation time. We both like to travel, and we get along pretty well, but it's always a challenge when you're suddenly with a friend 24 hours a day for two weeks. I think we did okay, but friends who travel together should probably consider that travel can be stressful. However, a cruise ship offers enough space that you can get away from each other when you need to. Also, since the itinerary on this cruise is so intensive, it kept the attention focused.

Getting There and Back

It's been 23 years since I've been to Europe, and who knew that international flights are so much nicer than domestic? On our nonstop flights between Portland, Oregon and Amsterdam, Delta fed us a snack, a full meal, a mid-flight sandwich and then another full meal. And beer and wine were free! Delta also features personal entertainment systems at every seat that are loaded with movies, TV shows, music, and other diversions. Bottom line: flying to Europe was easy and enjoyable and the biggest surprise of the trip. Each trip, coming and going, was about 15 hours, but it felt much shorter.

Pre- & Post-Cruise Hotels

We used NCL-affiliated hotels in Venice and Barcelona and were happy with our choices. The Hotel Papadopoli in Venice is perfectly located just across from the Piazzale Roma, Venice's bus terminal. It's a 350 meter walk to the front door, which we managed with our luggage. The hotel is elegant and it has a fantastic breakfast that is included in the price. Finally, the water taxi transfer to the Spirit was a fun way to arrive at the cruise port.

The Husa Oriente in Barcelona was a little less elegant, but the room was large. The main benefit of this hotel is its location on the Ramblas. It does have a fantastic-looking breakfast room, but we had to leave the hotel at 3 a.m. for our flight home. A big salute to the front desk staff who remembered our wake-up call and arranged the taxi. As some have asked, I will confirm that you do just show up at the hotel with your NCL voucher and provide a credit card for incidentals. Bottom line: NCL selected nice hotels and the transfers couldn't have been easier.

We did have to buy ATVO shuttle bus tickets at the Venice airport for our trip to Piazzale Roma. We paid 6 euro at the counter, put our own luggage on the bus and got aboard without talking to anyone. Super easy.

NEXT: The sweet life aboard the beautiful Norwegian Spirit!

So when we arranged to stay at an NCL hotel, we knew that one of the advantages was an included-in-the-price transfer from the hotel to the ship. Of course, I'm thinking bus, because that's the norm.

But, we're in Venice. There are no busses! But there are lots of water taxis, and that's how we got from the hotel to the ship. They couldn't pick us up from directly in front of the hotel as the tide was to high, so we walked about 100 feet to an adjacent canal. What an awesome way to arrive for a cruise.

Talk about the "romance of travelling on water." :D

WOW that is an adventure. Thank you for your review and pictures, I am loving this. Did any of the Spirit's Officers or staff stand out from the rest?

Welcome home.

Mandy

We are sailing on the Spirit in 20 days time. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.:cool:

So when we arranged to stay at an NCL hotel, we knew that one of the advantages was an included-in-the-price transfer from the hotel to the ship. Of course, I'm thinking bus, because that's the norm.

 

But, we're in Venice. There are no busses! But there are lots of water taxis, and that's how we got from the hotel to the ship. They couldn't pick us up from directly in front of the hotel as the tide was to high, so we walked about 100 feet to an adjacent canal. What an awesome way to arrive for a cruise.

 

 

 

So looking forward to this, going to bring back memories of the Spirit, past European cruises and a Spirit cruise to come next April :D

Enjoying your review so far - we are on the Spirit next July Barcelona - Venice and are very excited.

Just a quick question. My mom has mobility issues and is in a wheelchair with us pushing her. She can walk a few steps and do a few stairs with assistance. How was it getting on and off the water taxi getting to the ship? We obviously will be doing in reverse but I'm already wondering how she will handle it.

Thanks.

Can't wait for the rest of your review! We will be on the exact same cruise next June. And love your photos too!!

So glad to see someone writing a review of this trip. I'm on the same itinerary next summer, so I'm eagerly subscribing. :)

Janet

Can't wait to see more. Subscribed.

WOW that is an adventure. Thank you for your review and pictures, I am loving this. Did any of the Spirit's Officers or staff stand out from the rest?

Welcome home.

 

Mandy

Every crewmember and officer we encountered was pleasant and professional. However, Armando Da Silva, the Spirit's hotel director certainly made an impression because he knew who we were before we knew who he was! How officers manage to remember thousands of passengers--by name--is borderline miraculous to me. :eek:

We are sailing on the Spirit in 20 days time. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.:cool:

You'll be in the Canary Islands, yes? I'd love to see a review of that cruise. Cheers!

Life Aboard the Spirit

The Spirit is a nice, comfortable, well-maintained ship that feels like a Norwegian ship. Yes, it's a bit more Asian, but maybe a little less so than I was expecting. The atrium probably feels the most different. The biggest difference in layout is that the Stardust Theater is aft, above the Windows MDR. That's actually a huge point of convenience, as you don't have to do the post-meal walk across the full length of the ship. I assume the ship was fairly full, but it never felt crowded.

Dining: Thanks to the generosity of the amazing Armando Da Silva, Spirit's hotel director, we were able to have breakfast every morning in Cagney's, and that was a treat. We ate dinner all but two nights in Windows and were happy with the food and the service. (Dinner typically lasted about 75 minutes, which I've come to expect fleet-wide.) We had a fine dinner in Le Bistro one evening, and one evening I ate alone in the Raffles Court Buffet. As always, Norwegian's buffet is excellent!

Crew and Service: Some folks commented that staff seemed a little more reserved on this cruise as compared, say, with a Caribbean cruise. This is probably true, but I will say that every member of the crew I encountered was nice, friendly, and professional. And I was shocked at how many folks remembered my name! Edgars, a bar server I hadn't seen for several days called out “Hi, John!” One morning after breakfast Dave and I were wandering the ship and Armando, the fantastic hotel director, called out “Good morning Mr. Hunter, Mr. Jackson!” Cruise consultant Will on the second-to-last day of the cruise called out to me as I was passing through the atrium “Hi John!” After six NCL cruises, this was the best overall in terms of service and I appreciated every minute of it.

One more staff question, John, who was your Captain? Lars Bengtsson from Sweden or Vanja Litovic from Croatia? Both are excellent Captains and very nice guys. I have sailed on The Spirit with both of them and with Armando. He is amazing.

Mandy

Great start! I can't wait for the rest. Spirit is my favorite NCL ship.

Thanks for the great review! I love your details & thoughts.

My friend & I are considering the Spirit for a cruise & I've been a bit unsure... This is just what I need !

Keep it coming :)

Nice review John... glad you enjoyed the Spirit...one of our special favorite ships.

You'll be in the Canary Islands, yes? I'd love to see a review of that cruise. Cheers!

We sailed on the Spirit last year to the Canary Islands and it was an amazing trip... here is my review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1742648

Thanks again for your pictures and narrative.

One more staff question, John, who was your Captain? Lars Bengtsson from Sweden or Vanja Litovic from Croatia? Both are excellent Captains and very nice guys. I have sailed on The Spirit with both of them and with Armando. He is amazing.

 

Mandy

Captain Vanja was master of the vessel for our sailing. Dave and I talked to him a bit at one of the cocktail parties and he seemed very nice.

Sent from my phone using Forums mobile app

Can't wait for the rest...we are on the Spirit on the reverse itinerary in June. Looking forward to hearing about your excursion choices.

Hosted Events: Spirit staff hosted a Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle for us with the nicest spread of food I've ever seen at one of these events. All the department heads attended, as did about 40 members. I was told this was the best-attended M&M of the season, so yea us! (By the way, I never had to use the magic card with the names and numbers of all the department heads, but another Cruise Critic member did. Apparently the cards are magic, because the issue was resolved almost immediately.)

Also, major kudos to Norwegian for having a crew member host the first of the nightly LGBT gatherings in Champagne Charlie's. Not only did she make introductions, she got the party started with a complimentary bottle of champagne. This gay traveler can't say enough how nice it is that NCL does this, as it gives LGBT cruisers an extra level of connection that is truly appreciated. Dave and I made new friends that we spent time with throughout the cruise, both on the ship and in port. Grazie NCL! (The San Pellegrino is mine. I decided to not do the soda package on this cruise; I'm not sure I saved any money. I made more beverage purchases than I thought I would. As busy as this itinerary is, there was still plenty of time for relaxation around the ship.)

Sea Days: After leaving from Venice, passengers get to enjoy two full days at sea. The Tivoli pool was a busy area with a nice atmosphere. Music wasn't too loud, bar servers weren't too aggressive, and you could eventually find a lounger if you weren't too picky about location. We had fantastic weather throughout the cruise, so I think we were very lucky. As much as folks comment that this is a rough itinerary with long days in port, there was plenty of down time, too.

A pool-side meal was served every day and featured grilled meat and salads. I love these meals. To me, the hot tub is the best place to meet folks, and I did from all over the world during my 5-hour stints. (Spain, France, Germany, UK, Australia, USA, and even Oregon.) The guy I'm shaking hands with is from Spain and we conversed entirely in Spanish. At one point, I had a conversation going in English, French and Spanish. We discussed global politics, the Euro crisis, ports, etc. And of course we talked about cruises. How many, what lines, when's your next one... ;) A little different than the topics on my last Bahamas cruise.

Oh, and because I'm willing to engage in a stunt programming to boost ratings, yes I include a giant shot of me in a Speedo. Dime a dozen on this cruise. That's how you know you're not in North America, I guess! :p That should light up the comments. Hello? LOL. :cool:

Awesome comments and pics! Thanks!

Here's the rest I can think of to say about the ship, accompanied by some random images.

Gym: It was relatively easy to get into the gym. I never had to wait for equipment, and they had the usual mix of treadmills and elliptical machines.

Blue Lagoon is the most unique looking venue on the Spirit, I think, as compared to how it looks on other ships:

Entertainment: I liked the many musical acts on the ship, especially Trio Royale (which was very European) and Ian (piano and vocals). I have to confess that aside from hanging out in Champagne Charlies or out on deck, I didn't actually attend a show until the last four nights of the cruise. I saved the best for last, though. I especially liked Broadway Classics in Champagne Charlies featuring members of the production cast; Tenors of Rock in Stardust; Angels (featuring aerial acrobatics) in Stardust; The Flamencos in Stardust; and Elements (the best NCL show I've ever seen) in Stardust. As you might expect, entertainment is selected for broad multilingual appeal.

Elevator lobbies are nice with sculpture:

The forward observation lounge, Galaxy of the Stars, was mostly empty. There was entertainment scheduled for the venue, but I never saw it busy in the 3-4 times I wandered up there. Bliss was also very empty.

Cabin: We had a oceanview cabin on Deck 5 forward. Lots of room, excellent bathroom configuration, and all the storage you expect from NCL. By the way, the ship barely moved at all throughout the cruise; apparently the Mediterranean is just a giant bathtub.

I can't think of anything else to mention about the ship. I'll start talking about the ports next. Thanks for tagging along.

I'll be on this cruise in 6 days!!! Loving your review -

Sea Days: After leaving from Venice, passengers get to enjoy two full days at sea. The Tivoli pool was a busy area with a nice atmosphere. Music wasn't too loud, bar servers weren't too aggressive, and you could eventually find a lounger if you weren't too picky about location. We had fantastic weather throughout the cruise, so I think we were very lucky. As much as folks comment that this is a rough itinerary with long days in port, there was plenty of down time, too.

 

 

A pool-side meal was served every day and featured grilled meat and salads. I love these meals. To me, the hot tub is the best place to meet folks, and I did from all over the world during my 5-hour stints. (Spain, France, Germany, UK, Australia, USA, and even Oregon.) The guy I'm shaking hands with is from Spain and we conversed entirely in Spanish. At one point, I had a conversation going in English, French and Spanish. We discussed global politics, the Euro crisis, ports, etc. And of course we talked about cruises. How many, what lines, when's your next one... ;) A little different than the topics on my last Bahamas cruise.

 

 

Oh, and because I'm willing to engage in a stunt programming to boost ratings, yes I include a giant shot of me in a Speedo. Dime a dozen on this cruise. That's how you know you're not in North America, I guess! :p That should light up the comments. Hello? LOL. :cool:

Hi John

Great to read your postings of the cruise on here! Wasn't it great?! Back to normality now for us, working in cloudy England again although yesterday was sunny and 20 degree's - amazing for us in October! Anyway, it was great to meet you and yes, you did spend an awful lot of time in that jacuzzi, lol! Until next time... Rebecca (& Darran) - the Brits - aka the Catherine, Dutchess of Cambridge look-alike!!

Hi John

 

Great to read your postings of the cruise on here! Wasn't it great?! Back to normality now for us, working in cloudy England again although yesterday was sunny and 20 degree's - amazing for us in October! Anyway, it was great to meet you and yes, you did spend an awful lot of time in that jacuzzi, lol! Until next time... Rebecca (& Darran) - the Brits - aka the Catherine, Dutchess of Cambridge look-alike!!

P.P.S Your spelling of the Aegean was correct, afterall!! So I owe you one!