First Cruise!! What can anyone tell me about the Spirit?!

Hi All!

My husband and I booked our first ever cruise on the Spirit in 48 days!! We are super excited since this will be our first vacation alone together in 8 years! We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

I picked this cruise primarily on the itinerary of the Greek Isles and Italy, but to be honest, I'm starting to get nervous with the less than stellar reviews I'm reading about the ships condition.

We are staying in an Aft balcony cabin - its supposed to be a larger than normal cabin. I very recently found a video walk through of the cabin from 2013 and let's just say.. I'm REALLY hoping the ship has had some sort of refurb since then. When we booked this ship we were told it was going to be dry docked and refurbished this past Jan, but from the posts I've been ready that hasn't happend.

Has anyone sailed the Spirit recently that can give me some insight? I don't mind an older decor, I just need it to be CLEAN.

Thanks!!!

Hi we have cruised on Spirit four times and have another cruise booked for December.

Its one of our favourite Norwegian ships for a number of reasons. Firstly its a friendly ship, it feels good and there is always a great ambience. Secondly, its a manageable size, easy to navigate around and with all the facilities you might need to enjoy a port intensive cruise. It feels at times as if you are on a giant private yacht. The food offering is good with some fabulous restaurants as well as two welcoming dining rooms. We like the aft bar with its open decks and what a place to have breakfast if you use the buffet.

We have not had an issue with cleanliness, either in our stateroom or the public areas. Our stateroom attendants have always been helpful and good at their job.

Yes its an older vessel and no it does not have the 'up to date' facilities you would find on more recent builds or larger ships. It has had minor refurbishments in the last few years. I also accept that others may have had some issues but we haven't and continue to enjoy our time onboard.

The various itineraries around the Mediterranean and Canaries have been superb.

Hi we have cruised on Spirit four times and have another cruise booked for December.

Its one of our favourite Norwegian ships for a number of reasons. Firstly its a friendly ship, it feels good and there is always a great ambience. Secondly, its a manageable size, easy to navigate around and with all the facilities you might need to enjoy a port intensive cruise. It feels at times as if you are on a giant private yacht. The food offering is good with some fabulous restaurants as well as two welcoming dining rooms. We like the aft bar with its open decks and what a place to have breakfast if you use the buffet.

We have not had an issue with cleanliness, either in our stateroom or the public areas. Our stateroom attendants have always been helpful and good at their job.

Yes its an older vessel and no it does not have the 'up to date' facilities you would find on more recent builds or larger ships. It has had minor refurbishments in the last few years. I also accept that others may have had some issues but we haven't and continue to enjoy our time onboard.

The various itineraries around the Mediterranean and Canaries have been superb.

One of the older ships in the NCL fleet, if not THE oldest but still our FAVORITE. You'll LOVE her!

We've sailed on POM, Jade (multiple times), Dawn, Escape, Spirit and Epic, with Star to come in November.

Of these we will not sail Epic or Spirit again as neither ship was a happy cruise for us.

In our experience Spirit suffered from vibration, indifferent senior staff, unhelpful guest relations and distinctly average food even in the speciality restaurants, also an awkward back to front layout.

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Hi we have cruised on Spirit four times and have another cruise booked for December.

Its one of our favourite Norwegian ships for a number of reasons. Firstly its a friendly ship, it feels good and there is always a great ambience. Secondly, its a manageable size, easy to navigate around and with all the facilities you might need to enjoy a port intensive cruise. It feels at times as if you are on a giant private yacht. The food offering is good with some fabulous restaurants as well as two welcoming dining rooms. We like the aft bar with its open decks and what a place to have breakfast if you use the buffet.

We have not had an issue with cleanliness, either in our stateroom or the public areas. Our stateroom attendants have always been helpful and good at their job.

Yes its an older vessel and no it does not have the 'up to date' facilities you would find on more recent builds or larger ships. It has had minor refurbishments in the last few years. I also accept that others may have had some issues but we haven't and continue to enjoy our time onboard.

The various itineraries around the Mediterranean and Canaries have been superb.

Thanks for the insight!! :)

One of the older ships in the NCL fleet, if not THE oldest but still our FAVORITE. You'll LOVE her!

Wow! So you've got experience! LOL Thank you!

We've sailed on POM, Jade (multiple times), Dawn, Escape, Spirit and Epic, with Star to come in November.

 

Of these we will not sail Epic or Spirit again as neither ship was a happy cruise for us.

 

In our experience Spirit suffered from vibration, indifferent senior staff, unhelpful guest relations and distinctly average food even in the speciality restaurants, also an awkward back to front layout.

 

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When did you sail Spirit?

Hi All!

My husband and I booked our first ever cruise on the Spirit in 48 days!! We are super excited since this will be our first vacation alone together in 8 years! We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

 

I picked this cruise primarily on the itinerary of the Greek Isles and Italy, but to be honest, I'm starting to get nervous with the less than stellar reviews I'm reading about the ships condition.

 

We are staying in an Aft balcony cabin - its supposed to be a larger than normal cabin. I very recently found a video walk through of the cabin from 2013 and let's just say.. I'm REALLY hoping the ship has had some sort of refurb since then. When we booked this ship we were told it was going to be dry docked and refurbished this past Jan, but from the posts I've been ready that hasn't happend.

 

Has anyone sailed the Spirit recently that can give me some insight? I don't mind an older decor, I just need it to be CLEAN.

 

Thanks!!![/quote

 

We have sailed on NCL Spirit three times and have booked again for January 2019. She is our favourite ship and we have sailed on NCL Jade, Pearl, Gem, Star, Epic and Escape as well as other cruise lines including Cunard.

 

The ship is older but has had parts of it refurnished. However we love the old fashioned grandeur and we have always found the ship spotless both in our cabin and in guest areas. We have done the behind the scenes tour twice which has included the kitchen and food prep and the ship is immaculate behind the scenes. On our cruises all the staff have been very friendly, including the officers.

 

I’m sure you will enjoy your cruise.

We sailed the Spirt twice, once three years ago and once this spring. On our first cruise, the specialty restaurants left something to be desired. Our latest cruise was much better. All the restaurants seem to be improved and were excellent. We had a fabulous time and would definitely sail on the Spirit again. All the crew are friendly and strive to improve your experience.

When did you sail Spirit?

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We have sailed her twice. No,she is not our favorite NCL ship and it has been about 8 years since we last was on the Spirit. She is the oldest ship in the fleet, but is beautiful with a wonderful Asian flare. You are wise to have booked the cabin you did, the cabins are not as large as some other ships and the bathrooms are on the small side. So, go, knowing she is a bit older and enjoy yourself. I am sure you will and the itinerary you have chosen is wonderful. I wish I was going with you. :'):')

We sailed on Spirit a few years ago (Caribbean itinerary - pre dry dock). We stayed in a penthouse suite.

We loved the manageable size of the ship, the friendliness of the staff and the food was better than other ships we've been on (but we're not necessarily picky about food when we're on a cruise.) The ship was always clean and the common areas appeared to us to be in good condition, given the age of the ship.

The condition of our suite, albeit clean, was well worn and definitely in need of a gut-job. I'm not sure if cabins were part of the refurb, but they definitely needed it! We are people who DO hang out in our cabin in between activities and like a comfortable space. I LOVE a smaller, older ship but wish they would update the cabins, at least, to a more modern look. The heavy curtains that close the bed off from the bathroom area in the penthouse, looked like they were 100 years old!

That said, for port-intensive itineraries (like Europe), where you're essentially only sleeping in the cabin, I would prefer a smaller ship and would consider booking Spirit again.

We sailed her in the Mediterranean last October 2017 and again in the Canary Islands this February 2018 and have no complaints. I would gladly sail her again if the price was right.

We've sailed twice last time was Dec 2015 in an aft suite. Probably our favorite ship despite being oldest in the fleet. Find it easy to get around and is beautiful. Rooms are dated especially non-suites. Only had vibration (quite bad) when doing over 20 knots which wasn't much.

Where aft is your room - what floor?

Wouldn't hesitate to sail her again except she is in Europe and moving seasonally to China.

She is getting a aft to stern refurb before then but that doesn't help you. The last drydock not much was done.

You’ll be fine on the Spirit. I had similar concerns about our 12-day Grand Med cruise in August 2015. Prior to this our only experience with NCL was 1990 during our honeymoon trip on the Seaward. Since then we cruised on Carnival, RCCL and HAL. HAL was our favourite line prior to cruising on the NCL Spirit.

The 2015 itinerary was fabulous. Thank goodness we focused on the good reviews and made the trip. We have sailed the Spirit twice since, November 2015 in the Caribbean and May 2018 in Europe. All three trips were excellent.

Yes, the ship is clean. The only issue is with the bathrooms in both our balcony and inside staterooms. They need a complete over hall. It may be different in your suite.

Before our cruise in May I read a few reviews and once again there were some bad ones. Every cruise has a few who only cruise to complain. We see them every cruise, they magically think a cruise will make them happy. It never does. I recall one review I read before our May trip and I pitied the poor reviewer. He/she, indicated they pay attention to details and indicated the ship was a rusting bucket of bolts,they found screws missing or rusting on their balcony, ships water system inconvenienced some passengers (but not them) and they had reports the men’s public washrooms needed attention and cleaning (so I assume it was a she as they only got reports and did not bother to check the facts and enter the men’s washroom).

Enjoy your cruise. There may be rust but I was too busy enjoying my vacation to spend time looking for rust.

I sailed on her in April. I was a bit bored and probably wouldn't sail on her without a balcony. However, she is in excellent condition from what I saw and experienced. Everything was very clean.

Raffles Terrace is particularly good if you want to sit and eat/drink while looking out over the sea or port. The Galaxy of the Stars lounge is equally good in the evening, and seems to have inspired the Bliss Observation lounge.

There's no spa, if that's important to you.

Your itinerary is fantastic, and should be more than enough to distract you from any flaws - but I don't think you'll find anything major!

I have sailed on every Norwegian ship built since 1999 and the Wind, except for the POA and the Joy.

She is not the oldest ship in the fleet. She was preceded by the Sky.

The Spirit is a beautiful ship like none other and different from all the rest but shares some similarities with the Dawn Class.

We sailed on her 3 years ago and would sail her again in a heartbeat. Her staff is wonderful under the capable leadership of the longest standing Hotel Director at NCL, Armando da Silva. She was originally built for a Malaysian Princess and in today’s $$$, cost a small fortune to build as her interior is all mahoghany. And allow me to be the first to tell you that the crew work their tails off to keep her shining.

No, she is or will be, if I am not mistaken, the last to get the Norwegian Edge refurbishment (she won’t get that till just before she is redeployed to Asia in 2020).

But please, DON’T let that deter you from having a good time. Your cabin location is great but your itinerary is amazing.

Google Norwegian Spirit and read the Wikipedia highlights. Have an awesome time !! :D

We loved the Spirit.

We told a ships officer that our room was being visited, and he

said: "That's why the call the ship the Spirit".

We had neighbors down the hall that told us they had very

similar experiences...

We are the Moore's

Bliss Dec. 1st>8th :cool:

I have sailed on every Norwegian ship built since 1999 and the Wind, except for the POA and the Joy.

 

She is not the oldest ship in the fleet. She was preceded by the Sky.

 

The Spirit is a beautiful ship like none other and different from all the rest but shares some similarities with the Dawn Class.

 

We sailed on her 3 years ago and would sail her again in a heartbeat. Her staff is wonderful under the capable leadership of the longest standing Hotel Director at NCL, Armando da Silva. She was originally built for a Malaysian Princess and in today’s $$$, cost a small fortune to build as her interior is all mahoghany. And allow me to be the first to tell you that the crew work their tails off to keep her shining.

 

No, she is or will be, if I am not mistaken, the last to get the Norwegian Edge refurbishment (she won’t get that till just before she is redeployed to Asia in 2020).

 

But please, DON’T let that deter you from having a good time. Your cabin location is great but your itinerary is amazing.

 

Google Norwegian Spirit and read the Wikipedia highlights. Have an awesome time !! :D

Better let NCL know since they show Spirit built 1998 and Sky 1999.

We are in the same room in Oct ! We ca't wait to go. We were just on the Bliss for their Panama Canal Cruise. We had an aft balcony, it was very nice ! The only issue we had was, oh, wait, we had nothing to complain about, as usual !! We're so lucky, we can Cruise, how can you complain, 99% of the people in the world will never be able to vacation as we do ! Complain, hardly, we're too busy giving thanks !!

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Better let NCL know since they show Spirit built 1998 and Sky 1999.

LOL ... okay, NCL used the dates they were put into service as a member of the NCL fleet. ;)

 

There's no spa, if that's important to you.

 

We sailed on the Spirit in April of 2016 and had an absolutely wonderful couples massage in the spa.

(They end it by putting your hands together and ringing a little bell. When they did that this past April at the end of our massage on the Jade, we laughed remembering it from the last time.)

Did they close the spa since we were on the Spirit in 2016? I've been looking at Mediterranean cruises on the Spirit for next year but will look at a different ship if they no longer have a spa. :(

Did they close the spa since we were on the Spirit in 2016? I've been looking at Mediterranean cruises on the Spirit for next year but will look at a different ship if they no longer have a spa. :(

Sorry - I was referring to the lack of the thermal suite element - sauna, steam room, loungers, thalassotherapy pool etc. They still have treatment rooms.

Hi All!

My husband and I booked our first ever cruise on the Spirit in 48 days!! We are super excited since this will be our first vacation alone together in 8 years! We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

 

I picked this cruise primarily on the itinerary of the Greek Isles and Italy, but to be honest, I'm starting to get nervous with the less than stellar reviews I'm reading about the ships condition.

 

We are staying in an Aft balcony cabin - its supposed to be a larger than normal cabin. I very recently found a video walk through of the cabin from 2013 and let's just say.. I'm REALLY hoping the ship has had some sort of refurb since then. When we booked this ship we were told it was going to be dry docked and refurbished this past Jan, but from the posts I've been ready that hasn't happend.

 

Has anyone sailed the Spirit recently that can give me some insight? I don't mind an older decor, I just need it to be CLEAN.

 

Thanks!!!

We sail for the first time on Spirit this September. We may be in the same cabin after you sail? 10686? If so let us know what you think when you get back! We are looking forward to this line up of wonderful countries to explore!

We've sailed twice last time was Dec 2015 in an aft suite. Probably our favorite ship despite being oldest in the fleet. Find it easy to get around and is beautiful. Rooms are dated especially non-suites. Only had vibration (quite bad) when doing over 20 knots which wasn't much.

 

Where aft is your room - what floor?

 

Wouldn't hesitate to sail her again except she is in Europe and moving seasonally to China.

 

She is getting a aft to stern refurb before then but that doesn't help you. The last drydock not much was done.

We are all the way at the end of the hall on the 10th deck.