Spirit Surprise! Review Boston to Bermuda 9/4/09 -9/11/09

[Cubechick]

Here is my review of our very recent sailing aboard the beautiful Spirit. As usual, there's a lot of detail, so I'll have to post in installments!

 

Day One:

 

It was a dark and stormy night…oh, wait. That was our last cruise aboard the Norwegian Spirit. ;) No 40-foot seas and 100-mile hour winds on this trip. We would be sailing from Boston with a beautiful and sunny 80-degree day heralding the start of our vacation. This would turn out to be a cruise filled with pleasant surprises, just showing how much the crew and officers on NCL ships wants you to have a great time.

 

A little background. This is our second time sailing the Spirit (the first being a NYC to Bahamas cruise) but our eighth Boston to Bermuda cruise. So we drove to the Black Falcon Terminal in Boston knowing exactly where to go and what to do. Or so we thought. They’ve switched things up a bit at the pier. You have to get in a line to have the porters take your bags, which I admit I don’t care for. I liked the old days better when the porters came to you. Struggling with 5 pieces of luggage by myself while DH parks the car is not easily done. From here everyone heads for security (in the old days you passed through security after checking in). This actually works pretty well and minimized the confusions outside (Latitudes vs. non-Latitudes lines).

 

Once through security we were quickly directed to the Latitudes line, which was about 25% as long as the other line. After waiting for a moment, a person came down the line asking for gold, platinum, and suite guests. We followed her and found ourselves in a line only 5 deep. Excellent! We were quickly checked in and directed to the concierge lounge to pick up our key cards. Our concierge, Erika Heim, greeted us right away, and explained her services to us. We made dinner reservations with her for that first night (Shogun, the Asian restaurant) and for the Enchanted Dinner. The Enchanted Dinner is currently only offered on the Spirit. We’d read about it on Cruise Critic and decided to try it ourselves after seeing the rave reviews. Seating is limited, however, so make those reservations early! (More detail about that to follow.)

 

Start to finish, I’d say it took us about 35 minutes to get through security, check in, and find ourselves sipping sparkling wine on the Promenade deck.

 

After a relaxing lunch at Cagney’s we re-acquainted ourselves with this beautiful ship. All of the Asian décor is understated and lovely. The central atrium area is airy with glass elevators whisking passengers to their destinations. I think the aft of this ship is a great use of space. A great pool area is available for the kids (similar to the Dawn) with slides and hot tubs and stadium style seating for perfect for watching your kids or the enjoying the wake of the ship.

 

 

There is also a bar and tables reminiscent of the Great Outdoors on the Jewel class ships. A nice blend of the best of both worlds.

 

 

The Spirit doesn’t boast a Tex-Mex restaurant, but otherwise offers you all of the dining options of NCL’s other ships.

 

We returned to our stateroom about a half an hour before the boat drill and found all of our luggage waiting. I don’t think we’ve ever received it that quickly before. So we unpacked while enjoying our pre-muster champagne (a little family tradition). Our muster drill was held on the Promenade deck. It was pretty hot but we were able to find some shade as our station was in the far aft of the ship. We’d arranged with some of our fellow Cruise Critics to meet at Raffles bar for sail away. As the Spirit backs away from the pier before turning around in the harbor, this was the perfect vantage point.

 

 

Despite the fact that we’d been on the Spirit before, we had never been to Shogun. That the Spirit was built in Asia is showcased in this beautiful restaurant. A kimono-garbed waitress gave us our menus and filled our water glasses adding to the ambiance. The food in Shogun was as good as we’ve had in the Asian Fusion restaurants in any ship. I opted for the Kung Pao chicken for the first time and could see why they label it a favorite. Yum! Erika stopped by to see how everything was going and we found out that she’d just arrived at the Spirit that morning. The way she hit the ground running I would never have guessed that she was shaking off the cobwebs of vacation.

 

We caught a bit of the first night’s show. I have to admit that we left in the middle of comedian David Naster’s act, as we just didn’t find him funny. Any time a comedian has to say “Thank you for getting that” each time someone laughs at his joke, you know he isn’t all that amusing... at least that’s how I felt!

 

Back in our cabin we’d found that the rooms stewards had taken care of our cabin and had added ice to our cooler (which we brought because the Spirit doesn’t have refrigerators) without our asking. Great service and a pleasant surprise!

 

Day two:

 

First mission of the day after a scrumptious breakfast at Cagney’s (I’d never had the banana-infused hotcakes before…delish!) was the Cruise Critic meet and greet. I’d ended up organizing it and was a little nervous as this was my first time as organizer. I needn’t have been worried at all. I called the ship’s Group Services Coordinator, Bruce van Der Boon and knew immediately that I was in good hands. Bruce is a bundle of energy, funny, and knows just how to put you at ease. Plus over 30 people from the roll call turned up, calming the fear that we’d have more ship’s crew than cruisers!

 

My second mission was to talk to Sean Wurmhoeringer, the Hotel Director about setting up a private martini clinic for our Cruise Critics. I remembered Sean from my first time sailing the Gem, during her inaugural season, when he’d been the Food and Beverage Director. He had been more than willing to set up a martini clinic for us on that sailing, and I was hoping he’d be willing to do so again since so many of us had expressed interest on our roll call.

 

Well, that led to another surprise. Sean actually remembered me from the Gem and gave me a big hug when he saw me. How on earth he could remember me is beyond me. Just demonstrates Sean's amazing attention to detail. We chatted for a few minutes before he brought his staff in and said a few words to our group. Sean brought all of the senior people that reported to him from the Food and Beverage Director, the Restaurant Manager, the Concierge, to the Executive Housekeeper.

 

 

He gave out everyone’s phone numbers (including his own) and meant every word when he told us to call any of them if we needed anything. They keep these phones on themselves day and night and are really there if you need them. All of the really good HD’s do this. They want to know of any problems you may have while you’re still on the ship and they have a chance to correct them. On the way out, Sean told me that he’d set up as many martini clinics as we’d like and that we’d talk later.

 

I wondered when “later” was going to be until I returned to my stateroom and found the invitation to the Captain’s cocktail party there. It was to be held in the Art Gallery, which was an area of the ship that I’d missed the first time I’d sailed the Spirit (it’s on deck “7 ½” forward above the casino on the port side). I don’t know why this always sneaks up on me. The party is always the evening of the first sea day and I always make dinner reservations that conflict. So I called Erika to change our reservation and she says, “Oh, I was just going to call you! I was going over the dinner reservations and saw that yours was the same time as the party. I moved your reservation to 7:45.” Wow. She is good.

 

The cocktail party was great. All of the senior staff were there including the Captain of course. The Spa Manager is a smart cookie. She set up a hot rock massage area for a free demonstration (on the arms only). We were traveling with friends and the husband had no interest in trying this. So the lady who was “selling the concept” set her sights on him. Next thing I know he’s in the chair with both the masseuse and the “sales woman” working on each arm. (He and his wife both booked massages before the evening ended!)

 

We confirmed the martini clinic with Sean for Wednesday at 3:00 (we would come to find that when Sean says “Done” he means it!). We also talked about the Enchanted dinner that would be held in the Art Gallery on Monday evening. He said that they got the idea when a customer wanted to have a private party for a group of 35. The Spirit doesn’t really have a bar or restaurant area to accommodate such a request. They came up with the idea to use the Art Gallery, which is a dedicated space of about 3,000 square feet, unique to the Spirit. The party went so well that they were inspired to invent the Enchanted Dinner.

 

Dinner that evening was at La Trattoria. I have to admit that on my previous cruise on the Spirit I hadn’t gone to this restaurant. I somehow thought that the food would be lacking since it’s really just a cordoned off area of the buffet. However, Cruise Critic reviews of this restaurant were fantastic so we gave it a go. First of all, they really do a great job of closing off this area. Once inside you feel as though you’re in a very nice, intimate restaurant. Secondly, fellow cruisers were right. The food was really, really good. (More impressive to me when I found out later in the cruise that the Spirit was built without any kitchen space in the buffet. All of the meals have to be cooked in the sixth floor kitchens and brought up by elevator or created on hot plates. It’s amazing what they can do with this logistical constraint!)

 

This was a pretty late dinner for us, so after a donation in the casino at the craps table we called it a night. Tomorrow Bermuda!

[jimswims]

Wow! A great start to this review. I am loving it and it brings me back to my August cruise on the Spirit.

 

I thought that the crew on the Spirit was exceptional. I really thought that Sean was incredible as well. He made our cruise extra special too!

[drsb]

I am from New England and every year consider a Boston to Bermuda cruise. You are making it harder to resist!

[kruiser68]

cubechick

 

By any chance did you bring home the Dallies? I would love to look at them ahead of time. We leave on the 18th, on the Spirit, out of Boston. With what the weather is now, I think that last year when we left on the Dream in October for Bermuda will be better than this trip in September.

 

Michele

[Cubechick]

I don't have the dailies, but did make lots of notes. If you have any specific questions, I may be able to help.

[debjo]

For Cubechick...

I can't begin to thank you for posting your "review"...it seems that the Cruise Critic Message Boards have been a bit quiet regarding the SPIRIT lately. Since we're on the next sailing, I can't begin to tell you how ravenous we are for the latest "news" on the SPIRIT.

 

One thing that I've been trying to find out is...what bands are currently playing on the SPIRIT. Last year when we sailed, there was an ensemble that played in Galaxy of the Stars called "AMAR". According to some of the Freestyle Dailies (June 2009) that were linked to on these message boards, the "AMAR" band was still onboard. We, so enjoyed them last year and would love to know if we'll be treated to the same amount of listening pleasures with them (although I'm sure any of the bands are great).

 

I know we'll avidly be looking forward to your next installments...thanks for taking the time to do this!

 

Debjo

[jimswims]

For Cubechick...

I can't begin to thank you for posting your "review"...it seems that the Cruise Critic Message Boards have been a bit quiet regarding the SPIRIT lately. Since we're on the next sailing, I can't begin to tell you how ravenous we are for the latest "news" on the SPIRIT.

 

One thing that I've been trying to find out is...what bands are currently playing on the SPIRIT. Last year when we sailed, there was an ensemble that played in Galaxy of the Stars called "AMAR". According to some of the Freestyle Dailies (June 2009) that were linked to on these message boards, the "AMAR" band was still onboard. We, so enjoyed them last year and would love to know if we'll be treated to the same amount of listening pleasures with them (although I'm sure any of the bands are great).

 

I know we'll avidly be looking forward to your next installments...thanks for taking the time to do this!

 

Debjo

 

Hi Debjo,

 

The AMAR Orchestra was on the Spirit in August. Is this the group you are referring to?

 

I am sure the cubechick will have the answer.

[Cubechick]

For Cubechick...

I can't begin to thank you for posting your "review"...it seems that the Cruise Critic Message Boards have been a bit quiet regarding the SPIRIT lately. Since we're on the next sailing, I can't begin to tell you how ravenous we are for the latest "news" on the SPIRIT.

 

One thing that I've been trying to find out is...what bands are currently playing on the SPIRIT. Last year when we sailed, there was an ensemble that played in Galaxy of the Stars called "AMAR". According to some of the Freestyle Dailies (June 2009) that were linked to on these message boards, the "AMAR" band was still onboard. We, so enjoyed them last year and would love to know if we'll be treated to the same amount of listening pleasures with them (although I'm sure any of the bands are great).

 

I know we'll avidly be looking forward to your next installments...thanks for taking the time to do this!

 

Debjo

 

Debjo, looking over my notes, I don't see a band by that name. What I have is Modal Magic, Amadeus, Flex and the Spirit Showband. Other music I have listed is Ted White (piano player), Arvin and Emily (we saw them at Champagne Charlies...found them to be a bit loud for the space...played Barbara Striesand and showtunes) and Mario Blanco who was at Henry's Pub in the evenings (enjoyed him...Buffet, Beatles, Johnny Cash, but have to admit that his sets were repetative.)

 

Doesn't mean that AMAR wasn't there, but I didn't come across them...

[kruiser68]

I don't have the dailies, but did make lots of notes. If you have any specific questions, I may be able to help.

 

Thanks for the offer, I did just find someone with a link to the freestyle dailies from June. That should give me a good idea of what is offered on the ship.

 

http://public.fotki.com/Radio88/norwegian-spirit--7/freestyle-dailies--/

 

I was surprised to see the pool slide in one of your photos, didn't realize there was one. I think the only other ship I've been on with one, was the NCL cruise around Hawaii on Pride of Hawaii. Not that either of these cruises we will be bringing the kids. Although I do remember now a slide on the Carnival cruise we took with the kids.

 

Thanks again, Michele

[pratzert]

We did one of the last Alaskan cruises the Spirit did before ti was repositioned to the East Coast.

 

We absolutely loved the ship. It was unlike any others we have been aboard.

 

We enjoyed the food no matter where we went. Unfortunately, we only did one Specialty on our voyage and I really wanted to try the steak house.

 

We LOVED the fish and chips in the piano bar.

 

But "MY" favorite little hideout was German outdoor Bar/Restaurant (Bier Garten) above the pool.... Heinekin on draft... what a treat. They had different food at different times, but always had soft pretzels and hamburgers. One day they had Schnitzel ! I ate my fill and thought I'd have to be lowered down by a crane. I let it digest while laying poolside sipping a frozen drink.

 

What was odd, was that there was almost never anyone but us in the hot tub at the stern. We sat in while we did Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm.

 

I'd book another cruise on the Spirit in a heartbeat.

[Cubechick]

Day Three:

 

Bermuda was in our sights, so we decided to grab breakfast at the buffet where we could sit outside and watch our slow approach to our favorite island (we weren’t scheduled to dock until 10:30). The Eggs to Order station is great. I ordered a ham and cheese omelet while DH had eggs over easy. We grabbed other items from the wide range offered at the many stations of the buffet (anything from fruit to biscuits and sausage gravy).

 

Watching our approach we were a little wistful as we approached the Town Cut that would lead to St. George, Gates Fort, Fort St. Catherine, and the spot where the Club Med used to be.

 

Turning the corner you have a glimpse of Tobacco Bay before continuing on toward Dockyard.

 

 

Staying at Dockyard just doesn’t have the atmosphere of St. George.

 

(okay, I'm posting an old picture of St. George just to make my point)

 

Dockyard:

 

 

 

We’d considered taking the ferry to St. George, but being that we were in Bermuda over a holiday weekend, we’d only have regular bus/ferry service on Tuesday. Therefore we figured to head out to Warwick Long Bay (and the Swizzle Inn!) on that day. St. George would have to wait until next time.

 

Erika had invited us to meet her at Henry’s Pub for an early escort off of the ship. This was a pleasant surprise, as I know that not all concierges offer this service. Additionally, as we’re docked in Bermuda for a full three days I hadn’t thought it would be offered. As we wanted to head straight to Snorkel Park (before it got too crowded) we took her up on her offer. There was a bit of a delay in the ship being cleared. We’d expected to be cleared by 11:00 but it wasn’t until around 11:30 that we were allowed off of the ship.

 

Finally, we stepped onto Bermuda and boy was it HOT! Not a whisper of breeze, either. The water was definitely going to feel good! Well, here was our first bad surprise…Snorkel Park wasn’t open! We waited around in the sweltering sun until noon and it still didn’t open (we finally found out that it wouldn’t open until 1:00). I understand that it’s Sunday and understand that there are customs to be followed but especially in this economy, I’d think they’d take advantage of the cruise ship’s arrival. Especially as all other areas of Dockyard where open, and in fact a gentleman at the end of the pier was directing everyone to the Snorkel Park. Well, we’re flexible, so we walked around the Craft Market for a bit (mostly to cool off I have to admit) and then had lunch at the Frog and Onion (we realized that it would be very difficult to get back on the ship for lunch with everyone else trying to get off).

 

The Frog and Onion offers basic “pub grub” and good portions. Beware of the sticker shock if it’s your first time in Bermuda. Four sandwiches and 3 sodas cost a little over $80 (including tip). This isn’t news to us, but thought I should mention it as the price of things in Bermuda can be an unwelcome surprise.

 

Back to the Snorkel Park. Compared to the other beaches we’ve been to in Bermuda, I found this one to be disappointing (another poor surprise). I wasn’t expecting the famous pink sands or anything magnificent, but I was expecting clean! All of the beaches we’ve been to in Bermuda have been spotless, including this one as of last October. This year it was littered with bits of trash and cigarette butts. Extremely disappointing, but we weren’t going anywhere else at this point (especially with the limited transportation schedule).

 

Enough about that. We shook off the bad mojo and rented chairs ($10 per chair for the day) and set out to snorkel. The water was warm (a good 85 degrees)…almost too warm for people wanting to really cool off. But not for me as I’m a big sissy about cold water! There was an abundance of fish in the area, easily seen even without snorkel gear. DH thinks he found the reason for all of the fish…he swam outside the reef and saw a big ol’ barracuda parked out there. So with plenty of fish spotted and an ice-cold daiquiri in hand, we enjoyed the day.

 

Back at the ship, our friends decided that they wanted to go to LeBistro for dinner and asked us to join them. They were worried about getting last minute reservations, but I thought that being that we were in port it shouldn’t be a problem. Sure enough, we got our 7 o’clock reservation easily. (In fact the only specialty restaurant that we dined at that was full was La Trattoria, but there, seating is very limited.)

 

LeBistro remains our favorite restaurant on any of the NCL ships. The food and service are always excellent. We all ordered the escargot and I was relieved to see it was the “regular” recipe. (On the Pearl the escargot had some sort of a pastry topping that, although good, didn’t compare to the original.) I had the filet mignon, which was as perfect as always, DH went for the lamb chops, and we all saved a little room for dessert (crème brulee…YUM!).

 

The show this evening was the Second City, so we decided to check that out as it’s always a good time. There were some things repeated from other shows we’d seen, but plenty new to keep us entertained. Particularly like their version of the “Massachusetts driving test” which, of course, included being able to put on make-up while driving among other “necessary” skills. The end was hilarious when the audience gave three words that had to be acted out to two of the cast members for them to guess. They about killed themselves acting out (and guessing) the word avuncular.

 

So our first steamy day in Bermuda drew to a close. Tomorrow, steamy day number two and the much-anticipated Enchanted Dinner!

[jimswims]

Great pictures and excellent review so far.

 

We also went to snorkel park on the Sunday of our Spirit cruise. We got there after 1:00 pm but it appeared to be open before then since so many people were there. I wonder when the Sunday 1:00 pm opening began. I agree that this is not our favorite beach in Bermuda. It was good for a swim and a snorkel without any taxi's or buses since it was so close to the pier.

 

Keep the review coming.

[fiftyguy]

Cubechick - thank you for your detailed review. I can't wait for your next installment! I'm still 9 months away from my trip on the Spirit, so I need your great review to hold me till June 2010.

I agree with your opinion of Snorkel Park. My wife and I were in Bermuda this past June and stopped by the beach to check it out. We were very disappointed. The day we were there we were overwhelmed by an odor too.

I feel with more ship passengers coming to the Dockyard now, they need to spruce up the beach to handle the increased foot traffic.

[GMCOLT]

My wife and I were also on this cruise.

I agree, getting on was pretty painless. Doing security before registration seems to work real well.

The weather coud not have been better for sail away. The meet and greet was my first,which I enjoyed meeting folks. Good job cubechick in setting it up.

Having been on the Gem and Dawn we really enjoyed the Spirit even though the ship is smaller. Its layout is easy to navigate and never seemed crowded.The carpets are all very clean and bright.

The ship is well cared for by the crew. We liked the Asain decor alot.

Erika was very helpful to us as well. We enjoyed the CD Paul, he was around alot and very entertaining including singing AC/DC at the deck party.

We did the snrokel Park, sounds like my wife met the same Barricuda. The next day we did the jet ski toour,awesome! Went to a really cool secluded beach. We were the only ones on the tour, which added to the fun.

We ate at both main restiarants and had great food with excellent service. The only place we missed was the Bistro. Again, very happy with the service and food.

We went to St Georges on the ferry, nice ride. Tobacco bay was excellent snorkelling. saw some pretty big colorful fish. The water there was cooler, more refreshing.The adjacent Fort looks cool, did not get over there.

The last sea day was rough, but not 40 footers, thank god. Still looked nasty if one were on a smaller vessel, but rode it fine.

I liked the deck seven promenade with the teak wood deck.

Here are some pictures-secluded beach, Tobacco Bay, rough waters,promenade at night and St Georges with no ship.

Enjoyed meeting the ship's officers, who were very freindly.

[Crissy699]

Did you customs catch your monkey too?! ;)

[cruiselover85]

quick question. You are only required to have the printouts of the edocs right? now im reading that some people have had them mailed to them. ANd my cruise is this friday. Please please tell me, that there isn't another form of documents that I am unaware of, thats necessary to board this ship........ oh this will surely be a disaster if not....

[welove2cruise232]

Aimee, great review so far! I love how you put the photos in! I didn't see Bernhard at the M & G -- was he still on board?

 

quick question. You are only required to have the printouts of the edocs right? now im reading that some people have had them mailed to them. ANd my cruise is this friday. Please please tell me, that there isn't another form of documents that I am unaware of, thats necessary to board this ship........ oh this will surely be a disaster if not....

 

E-docs (and passports) are all you need. I'm presuming you filled out the pre-registration forms on NCL's website? You might want to check those in the next few days because I read here that some changes were made.

[Cubechick]

Peggy we didn't see (or hear mention) of anyone named Bernhard, so I'm guessing he was no longer on the ship. As a matter of fact, Sean himself is on vacation starting September 25th, so it seems we're catching the ship in transition.

[Cubechick]

Day Four:

 

After breakfast we got off of the ship and walked around. Yup it was another very hot, windless day, but this time the Snorkel Park was open (and it wasn’t even 10:00). We walked over to the mall really just to see what was there and what was open. Being that this was Bermuda’s Labour Day, we’d been told that all of St. George and Hamilton were pretty much closed. Well, all of the businesses at Dockyard were open, so for those traveling to Bermuda during a holiday, rest assured that you won’t be left completely high and dry.

 

Our friends expressed interest in taking a snorkel excursion. I enthusiastically encouraged DH to join them as he loves snorkeling and I had idiotically gotten sunburned the day before. Staying in the cool comfort of the ship sounded perfect to me. We went back to the ship, and found that the excursion booth was closed, but you could by tickets from a machine. You simply inserted your room key, picked the excursion you were interested in, it told you how many spots were left, and you chose how many tickets you wanted to purchase. I’d never seen the ticket machine before because if we’ve booked excursions through NCL, we’ve always done so online before the cruise. I thought it was pretty clever.

 

The excursion wasn’t until 2:00, so DH gathered what he wanted to bring and we went for a light lunch. After they left I went to the spa to see if there were any openings (reasoning that as we were in port there could be), but of the things I was interested in, they were booked. Oh, well, it was worth a shot. I walked around the ship for a bit, and then went back to our cabin to relax and read. Eventually I cleaned up for dinner and ordered a snack from room service for DH figuring he’d be hungry from snorkeling.

 

DH returned from the Barrier Reef Snorkel a little after 5:00. The excursion took place aboard the Consort with Captain Ronnie at the helm. DH said that the captain is a true “Onion” who comes from a line of lighthouse keepers. In fact his father was the keeper at St. David’s Lighthouse at one time. The Captain kept up a good commentary during their voyage, including mentioning that Bermudians truly love their holidays and “celebrate” to such an extent that it often takes the island a week to get back on schedule. :D

 

DH enjoyed snorkeling over the Barrier Reefs that speared from a depth of 50 feet up to just 18 inches below the waters surface. He thought the different varieties of coral that they got to see were cool, but found that he didn’t see any varieties of fish that he hadn’t seen snorkeling from the shore. On the return from the reef, they stopped over the wreck of the HMS Vixon to feed the fish. Apparently hundreds of fish live in the wreck and start following the boats when they show up knowing that they’re going to get fed. As it was Labour Day, the bakeries were closed, so instead of feeding the fish bread, which was usual, they used cat food. DH said it was amazing to see the surface of the sea boiling with fish as they fed. As soon as the boat left, the fish all darted back into the sanctuary of the wreck. Another thing he noted was the cash bar. Not a complaint, but we’ve never done an excursion on an island where they didn’t offer at least one complimentary rum punch. All-in-all, he thought the main reason to do this excursion was because it was a holiday. In 9 trips to Bermuda, this is the first time any of us has gone on an excursion because we find it generally unnecessary.

 

We were going to skip meeting for a drink before dinner because we knew that we’d be served plenty of wine at the Enchanted Dinner. However, in my perusal of the Freestyle Daily I found that premium martinis were 20% off at Maharini’s Nightclub. As the nightclub was below where we wanted to be for dinner, we thought this was perfect. After a martini each, up to dinner we went.

 

I want to pause here to mention a couple of things. I already mentioned how the Enchanted Dinner came about, but I didn’t mention Sean’s pride in what they were doing there. The response had been so tremendous, that they’d rolled out another culinary experience, “The Taste of India”. Sean was particularly enthusiastic about this new experiment. It had occurred to them that some of the finest chefs on board were from India and here was an opportunity to showcase their talents. Sean would ask us a few times over the length of the cruise to try this, but it never worked into our schedule.

 

 

On our last cruise, the HD, Denis Prguda had said that he thought that NCL was going to start letting the individual ships shake thing up a bit food-wise and I think what we’re seeing on the Spirit is evidence of that. I defy anyone traveling on any of the major cruise lines to find food on the level that we found on the Spirit. I love that NCL, always the innovator, constantly experiments and strives to improve their product.

 

On to the Enchanted Dinner. First I have to say we’re idiots because none of us thought to bring a camera. The candle-lit tables scattered about the Art Gallery created a beautiful setting. Before we got started, Executive Chef Barrington Burke stopped by each table, sharing his excitement about this menu. He’d been allowed free reign and had not only created the menu, but had actually cooked our meal. Here was a surprise. Although I was expecting a great meal (at $65 per person) I never thought that the Executive Chef for the ship would personally be cooking our meal. He also said he was constantly tweaking things so not to be surprised if something arrived that wasn’t on the menu. It was obviously great fun for the chef to get his creative juices flowing and his hands dirty.

 

The only “off-note” of the entire meal was the wine served with the first course. It was an asti that was simply too sweet for the shrimp it was paired up with. Art Manager Chris said they had just tried it for the first time with our meal and that they normally serve a prosecco. Well, we’ll give them points for experimentation, and note that for the rest of the meal, the wines were paired beautifully.

 

There are three appetizers served and you are encouraged to try them all. Of course if there is something that you simply do not want to try, you only need to tell your waiter. The first course was a salad with jumbo shrimp and a grape seed oil dressing. Delicious. Next was a Finnish Salmon Cream, which turned out to be a flavorful cream broth with chunks of salmon floating in it. Next were boneless frog legs in a garlic Chablis sauce. I have to say this was wonderful. I won’t say that the frog tasted like chicken, because in fact it was even milder tasting, and seemed to absorb the flavors of whatever is was cooked in. A very delicate, succulent, appetizer.

 

Chef Burke then threw in a new spin and sent out a sorbet to cleanse the palate that he enhanced with a shot of Lemoncello that he personally poured onto the sorbet at tableside. This was a nice way to move onto the main course. I’d ordered the filet mignon and DH had ordered the Lobster “Termidor Style”.

 

The filet mignon was probably the best cut of beef I’d ever had. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, but bursting with flavor uncharacteristic of most tenderloin and served on a bed of a to-die-for mushroom sauce. DH’s lobster was Maine lobster (although we think frozen) just swimming in cream. What’s not to like?

 

Dessert was a “Chocolate Avalanche” paired with Baileys served in a dark chocolate cup. Warm and delicious and not too sweet, this was the perfect ending to the meal. A nice surprise was that we each received a “free piece of art” for attending the dinner.

 

 

After nearly three hours of decadent dining was the Chocoholic Buffet. Ugh. Erika had invited us to go up early for a photo op before the buffet was opened to the general public. Waddling around in our food coma, the food looked lovely, but not remotely tempting. Sean was there and kept trying to get us to try something, but it simply wasn’t possible (and we did mention to him at another time that maybe the Enchanted Dinner shouldn’t be the same night as the Chocoholic Buffet). Chef Burke was there and we thanked him profusely for a fantastic meal. His answering grin was evidence of the pride he’s taking with this meal (and rightfully so).

[jimswims]

I am so glad that you enjoyed the enchanted Dinner Aimee! It was one of my favorite meals of the cruise. You had some differences in your appetizers from what we had. We had duck liver, which was very good, instead of the shrimp. The rest was the same. We loved the filet as well, incredible! The fact that the Enchanted Dinner changes the menu a bit will make me want to book it again when we return to the Spirit!

 

We could not eat a thing at the chocolate buffet either, LOL! We saw the Captain up there and since we had just seen him at the Enchanted Dinner he said he was surprised that we were able to eat anything. I assured him that I was not able too and the kids were going to eat my share, haha!

 

We did not notice or see the "Taste of India" offering on our cruise in August. When did it start? Where do they do this? It looks great.

 

I love the fact that the Spirit offers some unique experiences on-board. I think that this is great for NCL.

 

Keep that review coming!

[Cubechick]

Jim, I remember you mentioning the duck liver, and have to admit giving a little sigh of relief when I didn't see it on the menu! :rolleyes:

 

They made a big point of emphasizing that this menu was gong to continue to evolve. They really want feedback from every diner to find out what is working and what isn't.

 

The Art Manager mentioned that his next ship will be the Jewel and they're trying to figure out where they can do the dinner there. I'm assuming that the Art Gallery on the Jewel is in the same place as on the Pearl and Gem, which means it's in a hall between Bliss and the Internet Cafe...so I don't know how they'll close it off. He seems up for the challenge though!

 

I don't know when the Taste of India started, but it had to be recently. Sean said that it was held in Shogun. They have a room with one of those low-style tables where you essentially eat seated on the floor. The table seats 12 with 3 people to a side. It was offered on both Tuesday and Thursday (Thursday's seating was filled up by Monday afternoon).

[veggie59]

Thanks for your review! I told hubby about the Enchanted Dinner....but I dont think he will go since I would not. He loves food.....and wines very much. I am a vegetarian....and could really careless about wine. I do drink it on occassion....but nothing I would spend that much money on. I wish he would go as he would truly enjoy it. I wonder if someone can attend solo......or if not.....if I could just sit there with him to keep him company without participating (and without paying $65 for something I wouldnt partake in)?

[snorklinbarb]

Hi Aimee,

Sounds like you had another incredible cruise with lots of special touches. Sean is just top notch in every way and doing so many innovative things on the Spirit.

 

The Enchanted Dinner sounds great. But I love the looks of that Indian dinner and would do it in a heartbeat. We were invited to a private dinner in that tatami room in Shogun and it is such a fun experience. The table goes up and down. Of course, you remove your shoes before entering.;):D

 

Can't wait to hear some feedback about that. Anyway we're Bermuda bound as well with a big group of CC'ers but on the Dawn. Your review is getting me excited.

 

How was the entertainment? Modal Magic has been on the last few cruises we've been on.

[chrisaf]

Can you please tell me - while the ship is docked in Bermuda for 3 days - is the casino open at all during that time? I'm thinking about this cruise, but I know that my husband likes the casino at night. Thanks.

[discjoker]

Can you please tell me - while the ship is docked in Bermuda for 3 days - is the casino open at all during that time? I'm thinking about this cruise, but I know that my husband likes the casino at night. Thanks.

 

The casino is not open while docked in Bermuda.