How I Spent 4/23 Week on the Spirit

I was supposed to be on the Star Princess but we all know how that turned out. Fortunately, my SIL and two cousins were able to get on the Norwegian Spirit. My other travel friends were not so lucky. They ended up at a Jamaican resort. They missed out on a good time! This review will be a day by day review and I will not complete in one post. Hence, I will continue to add to this thread day by day. If you do not want to read about NYC, then skip the first section.

Pre-Cruise Fun in New York 4/22:

We flew JetBlue to JFK and took a cab to Holiday Inn in Mid-Town Manhatten. This hotel is extremely close to the NCL Spirit. On a nice day, you could walk from hotel to the ship. We paid a flat rate of 45 dollars plus 4 dollar toll for cab ride into Manhatten and a 7 dollar cab ride from hotel to the ship. The Holiday Inn is NCL's pre/post cruise hotel but we got it for 40 dollars less booking it ourselves (260 dollars...hey, it was a Saturday night...this one was cheap compared to the others)! The hotel was fine and breakfast on Sunday was included in the cost.

After checking into hotel, we ventured out in the downpour. According to Shoreguy, I brought my mud-season weather with me as it rained heavily all day into the next. My 5 dollar rain poncho was the best investment ever. I was the only in the city sporting it and everyone noticed me. The clear plastic glad-style garbage bag with a hood and holes for my arms kept me high and dry all day. I tried to make a few extra dollars by standing on a corner and holding my hand out as people walked by. No contributions as people were not in a giving mood due to the weather.

We found a nail place and had a manicure and pedicure to make our nails all pretty for the trip. The prices were much better than at home and they included a honey/sugar/cucumber massage for my legs. If you turn right leaving the Holiday Inn, it is the second nail place. You walk upstairs to get there (will have to find the card). We did a little shopping in the theater district area and found some great cruise clothes and sweatshirts for dirt cheap.

Afterwards, we walked over to the Ambassador theater to see if we could score matinee tickets to "Chicago." The booth-man must have felt sorry for us. Me in my bag-lady poncho and my sister-in-law soaking wet carrying her busted up 5 dollar NYC street umbrella. He "rush ordered" two tickets and we sat in the fifth row orchestra section for 26 bucks each. "Let it rain!" we shouted as we left the theater even though we had no idea what "rush" meant. The show was excellent.

We were supposed to go to McSorely's Irish pub but the rainstorm kept us from venturing too far downtown. Instead, we found Rosie O'Grady's Irish Pub two blocks from our hotel. The place was packed, the bartenders were cute, the drinks were good, and the reubens were the best ever.

We had good intentions on finding some nightclubs, but by 7pm we were pooped. That is the thing about NYC. There is so much to do that you are exhausted come night-time! Before falling asleep around 9pm, I added up the day up in my head. I spent in one day almost 1/2 of what it cost me to book the NCL Spirit...

Coka

Welcome home coka - as always I can't wait for this to unfold in several parts over several days - sorry I missed you in the city.

Looking forward to the rest of your review. "Rush" tickets are tickets sold at the box office for some shows for the same day at discounted prices. There are only a certain number of these of available each day and some are only available to students and some are done by a lottery. You were lucky to score them for the show you wanted. Great way to start a vacation!

Thinking about booking the Spirit for October, so can't wait for your review.

Coka,

Thanks for a great beginning to your cruise review. Glad you had such a nice time in NYC.

Looking forward to hearing more.

Jeanne

I have sailed NCL many times but never on the Spirit and never out of NYC. I did not research much prior to the trip because I wanted to be surprised. I was happy to see that the terminal was entirely inside. Once you get out of the cab, everything is completed inside the building. This includes handing over your luggage. Good thing since it was still pouring rain! I was prepared anyways in case my luggage got wet...my 5 dollar glad-bag poncho was lining the inside!

A very nice NCL employee escorted us to the latitudes waiting area which is upstairs. I immediately spotted WallyGator and his wonderful family. We talked until emabarkation as we were psyched for our trip. They let latitudes members check in first and the process took only 10 minutes once they began boarding. A tip: Do not be in a rush to get to the ship early. I counted over 20 employees checking in passengers...this is much more than I have seen out of Miami. The Spirit carries about 2100 passengers so you never feel the wait no matter what time you get there. The only exception is if you get there too early and the ship is arriving too late.

I heard the Spirit had an Asian decor. She used to be the SuperStar Leo sailing the Orient. I was unsure how I would like it until I boarded and walked around. I fell in love with the ship. She was immaculate in the areas of cleanliness and maintenence. The Asian theme was subtle and not overbearing. If you face an elevator, you are facing forward. If you exit an elevator, you are facing aft. The rich colored carpets also helped you know where you were on the ship. The wood promenade deck reminded me of the Norway. The restaurants, lounges, nightclubs were unlike the other NCL ships previously sailed. My cousin loves Asian decor and she found the ship beautiful. My SIL thought it was "tasteful, classy and elegant." Good thing we had our nails done...

Before going to my balcony cabin 10532, I snuck a peak at the suites. I did not go all the way in, but from what I saw I wished that I was rich. Oh my gosh, they were absolutely gorgeous. Again, the suites reminded me of the old-style glory days of cruising. I had a penthouse suite once in my life and after seeing the ones on the Spirit, I think I would give up some things in order to save for one. Either that or get myself a sugar daddy...

I heard the cabins were small but I did not think they were that much smaller than other ships. I was just excited to see a bed! Since I was thinking she was built for the Orient, I was expecting to sleep in a drawer. Between my SIL and I, we had 160 pounds inside our luggage and we found a place for all of it. So, if we can put away all those clothes and shoes out of sight, then you should not have any problems at all. The best surprise of all in the cabin was our shower. It was rectangular and bigger than the other ships. It also had a sliding shower door. I actually could keep my legs inside the shower to shave.

Our cabin stewards were excellent. We had Ferdinand Fandealan and Sonia Condalor. They were very pleasant and it did not take them long to figure out our dining schedule and sleep habits. We made some special requests and they were very accommodating. The towel animals were cute too! Whenever we saw them they were genuinely nice to us. That is one thing my SIL and cousins noted about the employees...they are genuine and sincere with their interations. I already knew this. When I see happy employees all throughout the ship, I take my hat off to the senior officers.

In the Grand Atrium we signed up for a few specialty restaurants that you will read about later if you stay with me. Next was the the lifeboat drill and the sailaway party. I attend the sailaway parties to get an idea of what the week will be like in the passenger department. Every sailing is different depending somewhat on the pasengers. I was not sure what to expect from a New York/New Jersey crowd. Until we headed home, everyone was happy happy happy and everyone seemed to have a blast!

Lastly, no sooner did we pull out of the terminal did the rain stop and the sun broke free. It sure is something else to cruise down Manhatten under the Verazzono (sp?) bridge and past the statue of liberty while an excellent band is singing Americana songs...kind of a nice change from "hot hot hot!"

Okay, gotta go to bed because I got home only four hours ago (stayed another night in NYC). Will write more tomorrow night.

Coka

Coka ~

Keep it coming...great, as always:)

Having fun reading your account. Can't wait for the next installment. Thanks.

More!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your wonderful review thusfar. We will be on teh Spirit 7/16 and your info is so helpful, and also getting me VERY ecited about the cruise!

From what I've read so far, it sounds like you had a great time on the Norwegian Spirit.

Thanks so much for the review! I am really enjoying it. We are on the 6/11 Spirit in a cat AC suite. We cant wait! First time in a suite. We got a great upsell!!!

Sounds like you had a great time!

We had our bon voyage dinner in the Garden Room Restaurant. This restaurant was smaller than the Windows Dining Room. The Garden Room is shaped like a square horse-shoe so it never felt crowded. A noticeably new addition to NCL was the electronic status board located outside the two main dining rooms. You could look up at the board and see how full or how empty each restaurant was at any time. I concluded this was an excellent idea! Any time we went to eat, we would check out the boards and see which restaurant we wanted to visit.

I wrote on the comment card that I had the best freestyle experience since its implementation a few years ago. Some tables were for two people, some for four, some for six and some for eight. Instead of ushering everyone in at once and seating us until a table is full, you gave them your keycard and said how many were dining at your table. In less than sixty seconds they brought you to a table that matched your party. The card was used to keep track of how many were in the dining room.

The same thing occurred when we ate at Windows. This restaurant is located aft and is large. Three beautiful huge windows cover the entire wall so that you have a beautiful view of the wake, sea and horizen. We ate at Windows a few times for lunch and a few times for dinner. Both restaurants had the same menus.

The servers in the Garden Room were excellent. Most noteable was Leonardo who served us on the first and last night. He was efficient, personable, and we had lots of laughs with him. Elizabeth served us on a different evening and she was fast. We also had lots of fun with Reina Tagaco who was so sweet! She also worked in the Blue Lagoon restaurant and my cousin had fun showing her his new magic trick. What had us amazed for hours, she figured out in two seconds! She was a sharp cookie and had an excellent personality. The Blue Lagoon restaurant is a great stopover for in-between meals or for any meals! They served buffalo wings, salad, oriental chicken soup, potato skins, and such. We found ourselves snacking there a lot!

That night we went to the Welcome Aboard Party with the cruise staff in the Galaxy of the Stars lounge. This lounge is the large observation lounge in front of the ship. The decor was pleasing to my eyes. I liked how the chairs near the windows were separated from the main area by glass. The cruise staff was very active throughout the week. Surprised that the earlier sail-away party lasted over one hour, I was surprised more that they were still going strong later on in the night! Most noteable is that they went out and got passengers onto the dance floor. They all worked very well together and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The Galaxy is a non-smoking lounge and a smoking room/cigar room is just off to the side of it. My SIL and I went in for a cigarette and the chairs were very comfortable. We sat next to some guy who was purely enjoying a big stogie cigar. He was enjoying it so much that I actually contemplated trying one. I found out the next day that we were sitting with cruisecritic's very own "CigarMan!" I should have known!

The last stop of the evening was Maharini's Nightclub, by far one of the coolest nightclubs at sea! It basically was three rooms. Two rooms had the dance floor connecting them. Lamps, oversized chairs, couches and ottomans were for sitting. Drapes covered the walls. The bar area was right near the casino and off one side was more furniture including three large beds. I immediately tried one of the beds and was curious to see if anyone actually sat in them throughout the week. I was even more curious if anyone used them late night! Overall, it was a unique decor and I thought it was a great concept. The bartenders were very pleasant. Frisco, Amit and Lonnie certainly worked hard for the money as did the others all week!

After dancing off all the calories I ate on embarkation day, I showered and went to bed. My latitudes pins were on the bed with the chocolate mints. For those who have my NCL reviews, you must know the question I had in my head as I got into bed: Would I finallly win the bottle of champagne for sailing NCL the most number of times? I dozed off sweating just thinking about the excitement of it...

Coka

Coka,

Keep it up!!!! :D

I am suppose to be writing my review also but it is only 1/8th done having been delayed by having to detox from the margarita tasting (still), unpacking, laundry, getting kids back to school, going back to work and now...reading your great review!!! :)

Your review is so on the money and I have experienced much of what you have written so far that I feel like I have set sail again.....wasn't sail away great with Fusion Wave! I am working on my review and am following yours as much as I can!!

Sue

You Go lady. Your're doing a great job. Thanks so much:)

I woke up drueling for the first time since my last NCL cruise so I knew I was in heaven. My SIL and I went to Raffles Court buffet to see the omelet man. I read on previous posts that some did not like the set up of the buffet...that the lines were confusing. I hardly ever saw a line at the buffet and found it BETTER that you could go up to the dish you wanted without having to wait for the everyone to walk by all the options. The waitstaff in the buffet areas were always on top of clearing tables and the area was always clean when we ate there.

I was used to the no tray concept and planned accordingly. I put my breakfast meal and silverware on the table of choice. I walked back and got my coffee/juice and returned to my table. Very Simple with a capital S!

WallyGator set up our cruisecritic party and it was in the Clipper Conference Room at 11am. NCL set up cookies, coffee and juice for us. Just about everyone who wrote on the roll call boards was there. It was great to put real faces to the internet names!

Hugo, the Hotel Director was present. Rob, the Food and Beverage Director was present. Julie, the Cruise Director was present. I think the fourth person was the Cruise Consultant (somebody help me with who she was). Each of them spoke and all were very nice and personable. Since we were a group, they mentioned that we could a group debarkation earlier if we needed to.

Hugo, Rob and Julie were very visible all week long. I often saw them talking with passengers and making sure that all was well with what was going on. Prior to leaving the cruisecritic gathering, Hugo told us that if we needed anything...and he meant anything...to give him a call at xxxx. I thought he was very brave. We all talked about it afterwards and decided we would go on our own since we all had different schedules. Even so, what a great offer!

The day at sea was a bit too cool for me for laying out by the pool but some diehards were out there. I planned on Cocoa Beach for getting my first dose of rays but kudos to them who started early! I could have gone to the afternoon activities that included cooking demonstrations, martini clinics, art auction, bingo, line dancing, casino tournaments, arts and crafts, sports tournaments, makeover seminars, or conditioning classes. Instead, I went to the latitudes party because I had a bottle of champagne to win.

I still swear to this day that NCL has the best repeat customer parties. Free drinks, hor's d'oeuvres and raffles for prizes. They pull your invitation out of a box and winners get free specialty restaurant meals, something from the gift shop, a manicure/pedicure or facial from the spa, drinks from the bar and t-shirts. Sometimes they have a piece of art but I did not see one on this cruise. Two bottles of champagne were the last two prizes. I figured one was for the raffle winner and the other one was for me. As the last champagne sat there I waited for the traditional hand-raising of who sailed the most times with NCL. I was beat out last time on the Sun by a woman who sailed over 200 times with them. I did not spot her on board so I knew I was closer to winning. They never asked who sailed the most times. I was skunked once again when they pulled the last ticket out the box for the final bottle. My plan for sipping champagne all afternoon on my balcony was foiled yet again!

I returned defeated to my cabin and took a very long afternoon nap. As I fell asleep to the motion of the ocean, I conceded...Oh well, maybe next cruise...At least Wally won a t-shirt!

Coka

Hey SueSun and Wally! I am glad to see you made it home safely! I am trying to not read the others until done this one. Feel free to add to this if you want to...especially since you traveled with the kids! It was great meeting you both and I hope we sail together again!

off to write more...

Coka

Coka,

I am waiting till the end of your review for sure now.....you are doing a GREAT job!!:D ......I am ready to send your un-won, much deserved bottle of champagne to your home right now to continue your review. :D

Back to laundry folding for me......:mad:

Oh....did you mention they had a towel folding class???? Imagine my boys delight finding their skivies folded into a flock of swans on thier beds tonight....;)

Oh, and I forgot the mint!!!

I think the fourth person was the Cruise Consultant (somebody help me with who she was). Each of them spoke and all were very nice and personable. Since we were a group, they mentioned that we could a group debarkation earlier if we needed to.

 

 

Coka

The fourth Spirit Crew member at our CC get together was Angelina Belleza the Group Services Coordinator for the Spirit:) :)

I awoke to a knock on my door and a "Room Servus!" sound. I did not order anything but I answered anyways. A covered platter of canapes was handed to me. I took it and closed the door. Was this a mistake? Was this part of my "latitudes-loyalty-has-its-privileges?" I rushed to my exclusive onboard benefits letter and scanned it. It read invitation to latitudes reception, VIP Concierge service, VIP tender tickets, special in-stateroom amenities, champagne while shopping for jewelry, 20 discount off drinks during special times, 10% off spa services, additional minutes free internet with special purchases of packages. Was this my special amenity? I thought the bathrobes were...hmmm, I do not know anybody on this ship...was this delivered to the wrong cabin? I had so many thoughts that rushed through my brain as I ate those canapes...Never found out why but all week long I cherished those special deliveries! I chowed down specialty sandwiches, chocolate treats, shrimp cocktail, dark and white chocolate covered strawberries, and a Sushi platter every day between 4:30-5pm. I never gave a second thought to that champagne bottle!

My SIL and cousins came back from the casino and reported that they LOVED it. All three cruised before and they concluded the tournaments were great and the slots were loose. They have cruised other lines (Carnival, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean) and they loved the casino atmosphere on the Spirit. The dealers were very helpful and they loved the options of play along with the variety of tournaments all week long, including Texas Hold Em. A tip from them: Play the 5 cent Texas Tea machine...the one next to Fortune Cookie.

We got all glammed up for formal night and had our portraits done in the atrium. They have portraits available every night so do not feel you have only one time to have your pictures taken. Different backdrops are offered and we usually selected the stairs. A good Latino band played in the middle of atrium stairway and I often saw many people sitting and enjoying the music while people-watching. I noticed some people dressed up and some were casual. That is the beauty of freestyle. Oh, at different times on the same evening a piano player entertained with a variety of music. We enjoyed his Frank Sinatra.

I read the menus had changed since I last cruised NCL in October. I looked for and could not find any noticeable major difference other than cold soups offered at lunch instead of dinner. So, for all those who miss the cold soups, you can still get them in the dining room at lunch. I remember Intrepid-Guys review laughing at the Italian meatball. I want to let everyone know that I received TWO and they were extremely tasty! We mostly ordered beef every evening and none of the four of us ever had a bad meal. Personally, I found the food presentation the best yet.

I had not been into the StarDust Theater until the second show Monday evening. I informed my relatives that we should sit in the back in case it was not good. I was surprised upon entering the theater that the only entrance is in the front on both sides. You walk in, walk up stairs, select your seat, turn around and face the stage. The upstairs had balcony seating on the sides only. Luckily, I discovered you enter from the front up there too. Even so, few could see you if you had to leave up there. Every seat had a great view and the chairs were extremely comfortable. We found the last row near the side balcony was perfect. Most of the time we stayed for the shows. A few times we left.

The show was The Second City, a comedy troupe from Chicago. They performed improv. Some of it was okay and some of it was not. Do not get me wrong here. People in the audience were laughing but the four of us just did not understand why. As we snuck out the balcony entrance, I gave them the benefit of the doubt ... Improv is extremely difficult to do.

We went to the casino so my relatives could win more money. I watched them win and held myself back from joining them. The only tip from the casino I can give is for the ladies wearing heels: while in the casino walk either on the tile or on the carpet only. The carpet and tile do not meet evenly and therefore a little ridge is waiting to grab your heel if you step on both at the same time.

We later went to the last part of the New Year's Party in the Galaxy of the Stars with the cruise staff and Fusion Wave Band. Fusion Wave is a five person band with two female singers. Overall, we found ourselves heading to where they performed. Every performance was dynamic and they entertained the crowd. Even when there was a small crowd on the last day at sea...and it was difficult to stand and perform, they still gave 200 percent. They smiled throughout and I give them very high marks. They also perform the best Bohemian Rhapsody other than Queen themselves!

My relatives pooped out on me by midnight and went to bed. So I finished the evening entertaining myself on the dance floor in Maharini's nightclub until the wee hours of the morning. There were very few twenty-somethings and more people my own age there. Everyone in the nightclub was still kind of "watching" each other but I left knowing that by the third night we would all be the best of friends. Night Owls and Dancing Diehards are like that...

Coka

We awoke to breakfast room service delivered on time and with a smile. They call ahead to let you know they are on their way and so that you can put your bra on before answering the door. Outside the weather was beautiful and we were ecstatic to begin work on our tans. I was supposed to meet up with Dbarry from the RCCL cruisecritic boards but she called and gave the same reason Shoreguy gave as to why she could not make it to meet me. That was it. They were not able to make it to meet me. I admire both dearly so I refused to take it personally! haha you two!

I have sailed Royal Caribbean twice out of Port Canaveral so I was familiar with the pier. Very easy to get in and out of. Outside cabs waited along with the buses ready to take people on their tours. If you have never been to Disney, want to go again or are travelling with children, then this is the port to take the tour to Disney. You have plenty of time (about 12 hours) and my cousins reported they had a blast at Islands of Adventure in Orlando. The ride is about 50 minutes one way.

If you have never been to the space center, then that is another option. It is definitely cool to see the museum, the launch pad and all the shuttles outside on display. I think the ride is about 20 or 25 minutes.

My SIL found a couple to share a cab with to Cocoa Beach. I suggest if you take a cab anywhere that you ask around who is going to the same place as you. The cabs set their own fares and you should negotiate before getting in. We had three quotes to Cocoa Beach: 50 dollars from the guy in van, 25 dollars from guy behind him and 17 dollars from nice lady. Divided by four people, $4.25 per person was not too bad at all.

Cocoa Beach is a very long beach but keep in mind that it is a Florida beach and not a Caribbean beach. The cab drops you off at the public area with a changing room and a few beach restaurants nearby. We got 3 hours of sunshine and went for a nice walk to a pier further down the beach. I suggest you bring your own water or cooler that you can get at a 7/11 nearby. You will not have any NCL waitstaff asking if you want a drink there! We had snacks at a biker-style bar where the locals hang out instead of the touristy one nearby. Afterwards we went to Ron Jon Surf Shop which was a hop, skip and a jump away. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed shopping there. I can now cross that off my list as something I thought I was missing out on all these years. A Walmart or pharmacy type store was across the street and we purchased bamboo beach mats for 1.99 and some sun block that we forgot to bring with us. A nice lady gave us the local number to Yellow Cab and we called for a ride. As we waited about 15 minutes outside we met three other passengers from the ship so we hooked up to share the fare back.Back on board I peeled off my suit and compared the white skin versus the red skin before taking my afternoon nap. Miraculously by the time I woke up, the red was a bit more brown and I did not burn too much.

We had reservations at the Teppanyaki restaurant and IT WAS AWESOME! I never had it before this trip. My SIL is a bit more cultured than I and has experienced it many times. She was very impressed too. We had the imperial feast. The chef and waitstaff were professional, fun and were attentive to detail. We were stuffed by the time we done but I still found room for coconut icecream. Luckily for us the passengers we dined with were very friendly and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The big show was "America's Beat" featuring the NCL Production Company. I learned this was not affiliated with the Jean Ann Ryan (JAR) Company. I kept an open mind and I found myself enjoying the show more and more as it progressed. The difference between JAR and this company is that there is a lot more dancing with the production company. JAR has more stage props and hoop-la. This production company was a nice change for me. I enjoyed the entertainment and watching the dancers. The America's beat show was all Americana stuff. Examples included a Native American dance, spirituals, tribute to 911, and red/white/blue songs.

After the show we went to the 70's Disco Groove Party. For those who care, I saw probably one of the better Gloria Gaynor and John Travolta contests. The passengers really helped to make it fun. All week the passengers were very good in this area. For example, the pool contests and other goofy fun things to participate in went over very well. Let me just conclude that all were better than I had expected prior to boarding!

My cousins and SIL ditched me again around midnight so I headed to Studio 54 Night at Maharini's nightclub. I was going to dance with all my new late-night best friends! The next morning was Miami and I was not in any hurry to get off the ship.

Coka

Coka....

I can't wait to read another installment. :) Your review is so good! I need another "Servus" or a "SueSun" installment! I LOL with your "Servus" comment....that is how I came up with my CC nick. And after this week....I AM changing my name to SueSun..!!! Susan, Sue can go!!:D

I am sure you are as busy as I am trying to unpack, etc and I am trying hard as heck to get my review done...wont be till after weekend though.

SueSun I miss you! I am writing this at the washing machine whirls away...

The four of us awoke from a great night's sleep and went to windows for the Eggs Benedict. Walked off the ship and said hello to all my NCL employee friends who asked, "Hey, weren't you just here?" LOL

We had plans on going to Bayside and then to South Beach. We skipped South Beach since we had too much sun from the day before. The cab ride was about 10 dollars including tip. Two-fifty per person was not a bad deal.

I have been to Bayside before, but I spent the most amount of time here on this trip. The three of us gals had fun dressing up the only guy in our group at the Havana Store. Excellent store for pants/shirts/hats for males. All sizes readily available. Once we had him covered with two new Cuban style outfits (gosh, I love that look) and the cologne in the cigar bottle, he had to suffer through our shoe/accessory and Caribbean outfit try-ons. We were all very pleased with our purchases.

My cousin's hubby (CH) and I had fun at the magic store located at the entrance on the right where the taxi drops you off. We learned a lot and CH purchased about 300 dollars worth of stuff. He loved the magic on his last cruise and found a new hobby for himself. The more he bought, the better the deal. The owner has a website and we were lucky that he was at the shop that day...

Bayside also has a lot of boats and yachts to look at. I noticed some were available for tours. If you do not want to book tours through the ship, then you may want to do some research on the internet with what they have to offer. One of my late-night friends told me he and his travelling party went to swim-with-the-dolphins through the ship tour and THEY LOVED IT. He reported it was the best tour he had been on. I have yet to go one and I always regret not booking it. Other late night friends reported they went to South Beach and had fun. I have been there for cruise stayovers and I always recommend the Clevelander Bar or Mangoes. The Clevelander is an outside/inside bar and you can people-watch all day and all night long in a very safe environment as it is a tourist bar.

Back on the ship we went to the Blue Lagoon for our daily fix of snacks. We returned to cabin and found two maintenance guys outside our balcony hanging on those things they hang on. They were varnishing the railing. I immediately thought of my "underwear" drying in the sun on the chair. I noticed it was in my cabin near the balcony door...So I was going to have some fun with them...I threw open the balcony door and exclaimed, "HEY! WHO threw my bra on the floor?!!" They looked like two deer caught in headlights. They were scared. One said, "I touch chair" and he motioned with his arms how he held chair and moved the bra into stateroom. "I no touch it!" I busted up laughing and told them I was just having fun with them. They were quite relieved to find out I was not serious.

We napped and then got ready for dinner. I received an invitation to the Captain's VIP private party located in the Art Gallery. The art gallery had its own room all week long where you could view the work. I got nervous about this invitation because the last two parties I attended on previous cruises I left feeling like an idiot. The first time I was way underdressed (who really knows what resort casual is...??) The second time I decided to drink a couple of shots before I went. This time I was prepared. I was dressed appropriately and I was sober. I think I had more fun on the first two. The party was well attended and a lot of the Spirit's officers were there. Actually, the most I have seen yet. What do you do? Do you go up and talk to them? Do you wait for them to talk to you? Do you just go up and talk to the other passengers? Is it appropriate to do so when they are in their group talking? Who knows. The only thing I think is if I was an officer on the ship, these parties are the LAST thing I would want to attend. So, as a passenger I am afraid I am going to say or ask the same boring thing or question they get asked every week. Maybe some of you cruisecritics have a different perspective and can enlighten me. Even so, I would never turn down a future invitation...My SIL and I consumed ten free rum punches in a 45 minute period. We could have had champagne or other drinks. Sinclair the art director was friendly to us. He did tell me that ParkWest is working on trying to comp free cruises for passengers who purchase over 1,000 dollars worth of art. He said to be on the lookout within the next few months if this works out. I left the party giving kudos to NCL...invite the rich people to private party and put them in a room full of art for sale! LOL

The Caribbean Deck Party was later that night. This is fun with the cruisestaff, ice-carving demonstration and an excellent barbecue on deck. NCL has great barbecues and be sure to be on the lookout for them in your freestyle daily. Sometimes they are available at lunch on days at sea and sometimes they set it up for sailaways. The chicken and ribs are always yummy.

Coka

Coka keep it coming!!:)

Hooray! We awoke in Great Stirrup Cay! I love Great Stirrup Cay! This is NCL's private island and I have always enjoyed it very very much. Since being there last, NCL has added some new buildings and there is a small straw market for shopping.

We got on the beach about 10:00am and found some chairs/umbrellas near the snorkel rental area. The water was beautiful, the weather was great and we all had fun. There were plenty of hammocks and picnic tables for those who did not want to sun on the beach. I rented a float for ten dollars and had fun in the water. My cousins and SIL had their own snorkels and they said they saw lots of fish and some stingrays.

The barbecue was very good. Everything was very sanitary. They brought the hand sanitizer machines with them and the crew served you as opposed to everyone touching the utensils. Plenty of water/lemonade and ice tea. We went to the covered bar area instead of ordering from our lounge chair. If you do not want to walk that far, then they also set up a portable bar area near the snorkel rental building. We drank our drinks at the bar and I told my SIL that I thought I caught a buzz off the margarita I just drank. She replied that I must have because I had a pina colada.

The pool band plays music and they have volleyball and ping pong tables to use. I think the cruise staff does some fun stuff with passengers but we missed it because we had a date with the sun. I enjoyed watching the families build their sand sculptures and fathers playing with their children in the water.

If you want to venture out from the main beach, you can walk to one side and climb on the rocks and watch the snorkelers. If you want a more quiet area, then go right when you get off the tender. Everything is to the left, but there were chairs and hammocks on the right too. I thought it perfect for quiet time. You can also walk to a lighthouse further from the area...never did it yet but I will someday!

Ivica (aka "Rambo") the Restaurant Manager from Croatia was cordial to us. I remembered him from years ago when my hubby and I sailed the Wind. It was nice to finally see someone that I knew/recognized from previous sailings. He is very hard to forget since he is the coolest-looking guy and he has a great personality.

I saw WallyGator and his family and I allowed him one picture of me to post. I kind of got into trouble having it taken, but I pretended to not hear the person telling me that I could not do that...I did it anyways...

We left GSC just in time before the clouds came around 3:15pm. Went back for nap and then the four of us went to dinner at Le Bistro. Le Bistro is a constant successful specialty restaurant on all NCL ships. We had the escargot, mushroom soup, ceasar's salad, filet mignon, the chocolate fondue and a second dessert. Joseph was an excellent waiter and CH had fun showing him magic tricks. It is kind of nice to entertain the staff once in a while since they work so hard for us 24/7. We were seated in the booth and we loved the entire experience. My cousin, who had service, let me use his cell phone so that I could call my husband and wish him a happy birthday. He was enjoying it back home just as we were enjoying it at sea. He happily reported that everyone called him, including his ex-wives. Kitty even brought home a mouse! Thank God I remembered.

Ater dinner we went to the magic show with Bob and Sarah Trunell. They were very good with the magic, comedy and audience participation. I will admit that CH and I knew some of the tricks after our stop at magic store in Bayside but we left scratching our heads at most of them!

The fifties and sixties sock hop was very crowded and we had fun watching the contests. It seemed all the passengers were having fun there.

I am pleased to announce that the chocoholic buffet is no longer a secret. Advertised in an appropriate location of the freestyle daily, it was held from 11:30pm-12:30am. You are allowed to take photos beforehand from 11:00pm-11:15pm. I did not attend because I felt rather committed to attend the Ship N'Males show. I asked Julie the Cruise Director at the cruisecritic gathering if they were having shipnmales this week. She stated no but that she would try to work something out. I have seen them on previous ships and it is a lighthearted show where people of all ages, male and female have a good laugh. She worked something out. While debating chocolate versus cutie crew strippers I really thought it would have been rude if I did not attend the show...I could tell you more, but sorry...what happened there stays there. On a serious note, the show was fun and tasteful. Er, for the most part. Good thing my SIL and I were the oldest ones in there. I left surprised.

My SIL went to win more money in the casino and I went to cabin to get a good night's sleep since Nassau was early the next morning and we were only there until 1pm. Once in, I opened up the balcony door and a bird flew into the cabin. I screamed because I thought a bat had whisked across my head. I tried to get the bird to fly out but it was more scared than I was. I couldn't help but screech every time birdie crashed into doors and walls. I thought of trying to catch it with my bathrobe. No, I would just scream more and the neighbors would think somebody was going overboard. I thought of opening the cabin door and letting it fly down the hallways. No, that is not right. I thought of killing it with my $1.99 bamboo mat. No, that is really not right and probably bad luck for life! Could I smoke it out with a cigarette? No, remember Star Princess. I thought of possibly keeping it and waiting for it to scare the bejesus out of my SIL when she returned. No, that was not fair to the bird.

After 15 futile minutes, I concluded that I needed a man. My next immediate thought was of HUGO! Did he not tell us at the cruisecritic party that if we needed "anything" to call him at xxxx? Yes, yes, call Hugo I thought. Then I pictured it...waking the guy up in the middle of the night: "Ummm, Mr. Hotel Director, I have a bird in my cabin and I can not get it out. Can you help me?"

I waited some more for birdie to figure it out because I certainly was not coming up with any great ideas myself. I finally accepted defeat. I called reception. "Excuse Me?" they replied when I told them my problem. After repeating the story three times I am sure they thought I was making a prank phone call. They said they would send someone up to help me. No sooner did I hang up the phone did that little warm-blooded egg-laying feathered vertebrate fly out the open balcony door. Fortunately for me, it was still on the balcony by the time help arrived. I think his name was Ricardo Costa and he was from India. He went out on balcony where birdie refused to leave. He had me turn off all the lights. As he told me to turn on the balcony light, he showed me the bird in his hand and he gently put it out into the ocean air. In slow motion, birdie gently flew to freedom.

Now that was the coolest thing to witness. This just goes to show that NCL rocks and hires the best employees!

Coka