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Spirit Trip - Nov 15 (a bit long)

Chris931

By Chris931,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Chris931

Chris931

Posted
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After all the help from everyone on these boards, I wanted to share our experience this past week. It was my second cruise (did a 3 day Disney cruise years ago) and my husband's first cruise.

 

Embarking/Disembarking: Both went very smoothly and quickly. We arrived at the port around 12:30 and were on board in under 30 minutes. We chose to carry off our luggage and walked right off around 8:45 am with no wait in customs.

 

Stateroom: We were in a porthole room on deck 4. I was a little worried about it but it was just fine. Our room stewards were excellent. The porthole was just enough for natural light and for just 2 of us the amount of space was fine.

 

Food: We ate at Windows most nights, one night at the buffet and one night we ate a Cagney's. Windows was fine.. nothing fabulous but no complaints. I was disappointed that there was no more Cooking Light options. I know how to eat healthy, but I also know that sometimes things that sound healthy have hidden calories. Even if they can't use the brand "Cooking Light," giving the nutritional info for at least 1 item in each category would be nice.

I enjoyed the buffet (especially for breakfast!) but since I have to watch my calories I tried not to indulge there too often.

Cagney's was by far my favorite meal and well worth the extra cost.

 

On Board Entertainment: I saw the show each night. Soul Rockin Nights was my favorite. I was looking forward to the Broadway show but was a bit disappointed. I also really enjoyed the magician.

 

Costa Maya: We did the ruins excursion through Native Choice. We booked through them after reading great reviews on Trip Advisor and here. While the guide and tour at the ruins itself was great, we weren't overly impressed with the guide from Native Choice (I think he was David.) The transportation to and from was not organized. He tried to get us in full size van taxi but didn't all fit so he had to get another cab. He said he would arrange better return transportation while we were on the tour but when we were finished we were all just standing around waiting. He said our bus was coming but then about 15 minutes later he started putting us in individual cabs to go back to the pier. I felt uncomfortable traveling an hour in a cab with just my husband.. neither one of us speak spanish.. if something were to happen on the way back we had no way to get in touch with Native Choice or the ship.

Also, not that I need a free drink, but the tour did promise 2 free drinks. A group of women questioned this after our tour and he got them sodas.. but didn't extend that to anyone else unless you asked.

 

Guatamala: We did the NCL Nature and Culture Boat Tour. It was very organized which was a relief. However, we didn't really see much. When we went back and read the description again, we noticed that it didn't promise we would see animals, so it is our fault that it was less than we expected. It was a little sad that the guide showed us pictures of the animals that live around there "in case we didn't see them." We saw only a few birds the whole 90 minutes and the poverty of the town side. The guide was friendly and likeable and tried to make it a fun experience.

 

Belize: We planned to enjoy the ship while it was a little more quiet. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate which was a disappointing but we did relax for the day.

 

Cozumel: We did the Atlantis Submarine tour through NCL. This was our favorite town and tour. While on the pricey side, it was very well organized and the actual sub ride was amazing. They also used cabs for transportation but it was much more organized. We had lunch and drinks at Senor Frogs which was great too.

 

Overall, we loved the trip. If I could improve anything, I would like to have more activities available onboard.. that don't cost extra. Especially if the weather isn't great. It rained our last day at sea and we ended up napping in our cabin. We had had enough of the casino and, while we would have done the martini tasting or wine pairing, we didn't feel like paying extra for anything. On the Disney cruise, they offered a movie every afternoon in the main theater.. we would have been happy to grab some popcorn and enjoy a movie.

Also, I would have happily paid for a "bottled water" plan like the soda program. I brought a few bottles of Dasani with me and planned to refill them with tap water. I didn't really like the tap water but didn't want to keep buying bottle water... I drink alot of water!!

 

Also, a little side note, that the fitness center is great. I used it every day.. very clean and great view..

 

Sorry for the long report. Hope it helps someone else.. Happy to answer questions..

 

Christine

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thescot123

thescot123

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Was also on the same cruise, on Deck 4, room 4479. This was an oversized room with no window. Having the extra size was nice except for the noise of the waves breaking the bow. The housekeepers did an excellent job and would also mention my name when walking by.

 

The entertainment was good especially the new Elements show which they introduced to us near the end of the cruise. It is a mixture of cirque soleil, magic and special effects. Spent most of my time listening to Alvin and Emily in champagne charlies. They were the bets singers on the boat in my opinion.

 

It was overall an excellent cruise, with nice weather in the four ports we went to. Only on the last day did it rain pour which kind of messed up being able to sun bath. The English cruise director, Paul Scally, did an excellent job.

 

I am already missing being on this boat as it was so much fun. most of the crew were from the Philipines and very pleasant to talk to. The ship does have a wrap around promenade where 4 laps equals about 1 1/5 miles. spent most early morning, 5.30 to 6am walking around it or the jogging track on Deck 13.

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EaglesRock

EaglesRock

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Was the "Elements" production show that Spirit introduced on October 22 not performed on your cruise?

I was on this same cruise and I agree with Chris931 that Soul Rockin Nights was more entertaining then Elements (which was performed the last night). The best thing about Elements was the magician's assistant. At the risk of sounding sexist, all I can say is WOW! That was one HOT lady!

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thescot123

thescot123

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Are the Spirit's 4 port stops on the 7 day cruise out of New Orleans tendered or does it dock in each ? Thanks.

 

In belize, due to tendering you have to wait for anyone who has an excursion booked to get off first. It took about 20 minutes to get to Belize City from the boat. In Cozumel, NCL gets to dock at the pier nearest to the downtown area which saves on the cost of getting a taxi.

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Bold Spirit

Bold Spirit

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We were on this cruise also. We were a bit disappointed in the food, not enough variety and nothing really to write home about. Our cabin steward was new and we had to ask for a lot of things. The ship was a smooth as you could ask for. We did NCL excursions in Guatemala and Belize and were somewhat disappointed in them. We too saw "pictures" of the animals we were supposed to see. All in all, though, it was a good cruise -- all cruises are good!!!:)

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EaglesRock

EaglesRock

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belize is always a tender port...there is no dock there.

cozumel is a nice dock, santo tomas you dock at a freight shipping area...hope they are still doing the "send a-way"?

Yes, they did the "send away" last week in Santo Tomas. I tried to take pictures but it was it was already starting to get dark so they didn't come out very clear.

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lovestocruise123456789

lovestocruise123456789

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I was on this same cruise and I agree with Chris931 that Soul Rockin Nights was more entertaining then Elements (which was performed the last night). The best thing about Elements was the magician's assistant. At the risk of sounding sexist, all I can say is WOW! That was one HOT lady!

 

I would have noticed that too... and spent the entire show watching her. :)

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