Spirit Suite Life Was So Sweet (review 2/20-2/27)

[terrymtex01]

Belle, our concierge, asked if we wanted to go to any shows to let her know and she would take us- I took that to mean reserved seats...:confused:

 

The few times we went we just walked in and found seats. I'm not too fussy about where I sit and prefer to be close to an exit in case I need to leave for whatever reason (if it's hot I can get a little claustraphobic, kid's crew looking for me etc). Our cruise did not seem as crowded as previous ones I have been on.

 

I'm SOOOOOO jealous you are going in Nov- be sure to let us know how about any dry dock changes. We really wanted this room again next year and even changed our week already but the best we could do was the middle suite. We likes the "hallway" before entering the living room as oppossed to the door opening right into the room.

 

Our son is very special to us- we adopted him from Russia 2 years ago and he has had tremendous medical challenges since coming home (including 3 open heart surgeries and a pacemaker). We cherish every minute with him and we love traveling (esp cruising) and are so glad he does as well!!!

At school and the YMCA he is known as "the mayor" because he is so outgoing and engages everyone he meets.:D

 

I have few regrets in my life, but not having a child is one of them. I wish adoption for gay couples had been easier when I was younger, but we have the life we have. What can you do. I try to make up for it by spoiling my nieces and nephews and their children as much as I can.

 

I hope your DS is doing well. Would love to meet you all on a cruise some day. 8-)

[russianmom]

I have few regrets in my life, but not having a child is one of them. I wish adoption for gay couples had been easier when I was younger, but we have the life we have. What can you do. I try to make up for it by spoiling my nieces and nephews and their children as much as I can.

 

I hope your DS is doing well. Would love to meet you all on a cruise some day. 8-)

 

Terry- I agree with you that all children need to find a forever family and gay couples make great (often better) parents than many other folks I know or have encountered in my 20 years as a pediatric nurse. It's a shame that peoples negative perceptions/ideas/discriminations etc make that so difficult or impossible.

 

Our son is doing well- thanks for asking. I hope that we can cruise with you and Doug as well. I enjoy(agree with) a lot of your posts/comments!

[luv2c00k]

Terry - we were in 9710 on this same cruise. Connor is a sweetheart. I smile every time I think of him or look at the pictures I have (of course his mom & dad are great parents so that helps!).

 

There are reserved seats in the theater for Penthouse suites. I had asked Belle about it when we first boarded. The reserved seats are on the right side, deck 8 (which is the balcony area. There is a sign at the door saying the seats are reserved for Owners Suites, Penthouse Suites. A couple nights some places had reserved signs for specific people (maybe these people were in the Owners Suites?). I did notice that once the shows got started people would fill in the empty places but we could get to the theater 5 minutes before the show and the seats were reserved.

[russianmom]

Terry - we were in 9710 on this same cruise. Connor is a sweetheart. I smile every time I think of him or look at the pictures I have (of course his mom & dad are great parents so that helps!).

 

Thanks Noreen!!! My friend has to work this w/e so no cherry blossoms for us:(

 

I'll have to send you a few more pictures- including the dolphin puzzle which I forgot to include last time. Hope all is well and your weather is warmer than ours!

[luv2c00k]

They actually had snow flurries in DC this weekend for the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Was 28* out this morning when we headed to the gym. My poor daffodils are having a hard time! :eek:

 

Terry - I second what Russianmom said. My younger brother would have made such a terrific dad (which is why we named him guardian for our kids when they were young). I know kids would have been a comfort to him since his partner passed away 2 years ago. He was young - 54. Was diagnosed with cancer in January and gone by the end of April. No matter how much we include my brother he says it's my family not his. :(

[cruisingisfun3]

Russianmom, thanks so much for sharing your adventure. we are going on this cruise at the end of May and can't wait!!! bring my parents for their 60th wedding anniversay i read your review to them and being this is their 1st cruise this has made them even more excited to go. you cover somethings we were unsure of, thanks again for all the info.

[vickic233]

Russianmom, thank you so much for your review! We are going on our first NCL cruise April 24th , Easter Sunday,... ( we usually cruise on Carnival in balconys or suites). Due to bills from my breast cancer we are going with an inside cabin this time (although it is 6035, suppose to be the largest inside). I read the boards everyday, trying to get ANY info possible about the Spirit. Your review was so great and made me feel I was on the ship with you, lol. Thank You!!!

I hope my 11 year old son enjoys it as much as yours did :)

[russianmom]

Russianmom, thanks so much for sharing your adventure. we are going on this cruise at the end of May and can't wait!!! bring my parents for their 60th wedding anniversay i read your review to them and being this is their 1st cruise this has made them even more excited to go. you cover somethings we were unsure of, thanks again for all the info.

 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed my review. let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Have a great trip! I am sooo jealous!!;)

[russianmom]

Russianmom, thank you so much for your review! We are going on our first NCL cruise April 24th , Easter Sunday,... ( we usually cruise on Carnival in balconys or suites). Due to bills from my breast cancer we are going with an inside cabin this time (although it is 6035, suppose to be the largest inside). I read the boards everyday, trying to get ANY info possible about the Spirit. Your review was so great and made me feel I was on the ship with you, lol. Thank You!!!

I hope my 11 year old son enjoys it as much as yours did :)

 

 

I'm sorry about your cancer and hope things are going well for you.

The Spirit is a smaller quieter ship- which was perfect for us to relax!

The ports are great. Hope you enjoy your trip- let me know if you have any other questions

[zazou]

Love your review! we were on the Spirit in January and this stirred a lot of good memories.

 

beautiful pictures too!

 

thanks,

[russianmom]

Love your review! we were on the Spirit in January and this stirred a lot of good memories.

 

beautiful pictures too!

 

thanks,

 

I keep reading it too... hoping the time will go by quickly until we can board again!:D

[terrymtex01]

They actually had snow flurries in DC this weekend for the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Was 28* out this morning when we headed to the gym. My poor daffodils are having a hard time! :eek:

 

Terry - I second what Russianmom said. My younger brother would have made such a terrific dad (which is why we named him guardian for our kids when they were young). I know kids would have been a comfort to him since his partner passed away 2 years ago. He was young - 54. Was diagnosed with cancer in January and gone by the end of April. No matter how much we include my brother he says it's my family not his. :(

 

Wow.. Sorry to hear about your "brother-in-law". I undestand how your brother must feel.. as far as the loss. This year will mark 12 years for Doug and me. If anything were to happen to him I don't know what I would do.

 

Terry - we were in 9710 on this same cruise. Connor is a sweetheart. I smile every time I think of him or look at the pictures I have (of course his mom & dad are great parents so that helps!).

 

There are reserved seats in the theater for Penthouse suites. I had asked Belle about it when we first boarded. The reserved seats are on the right side, deck 8 (which is the balcony area. There is a sign at the door saying the seats are reserved for Owners Suites, Penthouse Suites. A couple nights some places had reserved signs for specific people (maybe these people were in the Owners Suites?). I did notice that once the shows got started people would fill in the empty places but we could get to the theater 5 minutes before the show and the seats were reserved.

 

Thank you for this information. Honestly I never thought I would care about reserved seating in the theater until we had the OS on the Star. When we booked the Spirit for this year, it was a tough decision because I really wanted to pay the extra for an OS just to have the reserved seating. Now I'm glad that will leave us more for the casino.. LOL.

[vickic233]

I'm sorry about your cancer and hope things are going well for you.

The Spirit is a smaller quieter ship- which was perfect for us to relax!

The ports are great. Hope you enjoy your trip- let me know if you have any other questions

 

Thank you so much for your well wishes. I think that I was so concerned with how my family was taking the news, surgeries, etc, that I forgot to feel sorry for myself. My Dr says I am a "glass is half full" kind of girl and thats what helped me...I am now cancer free and look at every day in a different way...enjoying life :)...We are doing Maya Chan and also in Roatan we are going with Victor B. to see the monkeys and then beach time. I am still not sure about Belize or Cozumel.....I want to make sure I get some shopping in at one of the ports. Do you know where we dock in Cozumel? When on Carnival, we docked at a very large shopping area with some bars/restaurants. We weren't sure if this is the same area? Thanks!

[luv2c00k]

Wow.. Sorry to hear about your "brother-in-law". I undestand how your brother must feel.. as far as the loss. This year will mark 12 years for Doug and me. If anything were to happen to him I don't know what I would do.

 

They were together 18 years. Best brother-in-law anyone could have asked for.

 

 

FYI - if you book excursions through NCL and need to meet in the theater early in the morning you can go out the door that is between 9708 & 9703. Go down 2 flights and then head in the first door on your right. You will be on deck 7 right outside the theater.

 

You all will have such a great time. Chacchoben Mayan ruins are good but the ones at Altan Ha are larger.

 

Wish we had another cruise booked!

[russianmom]

Thank you so much for your well wishes. I think that I was so concerned with how my family was taking the news, surgeries, etc, that I forgot to feel sorry for myself. My Dr says I am a "glass is half full" kind of girl and thats what helped me...I am now cancer free and look at every day in a different way...enjoying life :)...We are doing Maya Chan and also in Roatan we are going with Victor B. to see the monkeys and then beach time. I am still not sure about Belize or Cozumel.....I want to make sure I get some shopping in at one of the ports. Do you know where we dock in Cozumel? When on Carnival, we docked at a very large shopping area with some bars/restaurants. We weren't sure if this is the same area? Thanks!

 

 

Glad to hear things are going great!:D:D If you can do the beach first and then the monkeys in Roatan you will have a better chance of getting a good spot on the beach and it will be less crowded.

 

In Cozumel we docked at Puerta Langosta(sp?) You had to walk thru a huge shopping mall to get out to the sidewalk where the cabs were.

 

In my opinion do a ship's excursion in Belize then you can get on an early tender in the morning and no chance of missing the last tender back to the ship.

 

If you like the beach there are lots of all inclusives such as Nachi Cocum, Mr Sanchos, Paradise, Playa Mia. Some are more part atmosphere's than others but I think they all have websites you could check out and see which fits your needs best.

[russianmom]

They were together 18 years. Best brother-in-law anyone could have asked for.

 

 

FYI - if you book excursions through NCL and need to meet in the theater early in the morning you can go out the door that is between 9708 & 9703. Go down 2 flights and then head in the first door on your right. You will be on deck 7 right outside the theater.

 

You all will have such a great time. Chacchoben Mayan ruins are good but the ones at Altan Ha are larger.

 

Wish we had another cruise booked!

 

Noreen- just wanted to say I'm sorry about your brother-in-law. How hard that must be for all of you. Wishing him comfort and good karma:)

 

I also liked Altun Ha- nice experience, worth the tender and bus ride.

[Alvarado]

Hi, we have room 9710 in October on the Spirit. If your reading this lov2cook could you tell me about the cabin? Thanks JoAnna Russianmom you are totally right children make all the difference.

[russianmom]

Hi, we have room 9710 in October on the Spirit. If your reading this lov2cook could you tell me about the cabin? Thanks JoAnna Russianmom you are totally right children make all the difference.

 

 

9710 is the mirror image to 9210. It had the "hallway" as well. I'm jealous- doesn't anybody have room in their suitcase for me??:rolleyes:

[1luckycruiser1]

Hope this works...:confused:

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/109298756336431395839/Spirit2001?authkey=Gv1sRgCIT0oLDolbKKbw#

Thank you so much for posting your pictures.. :DThese answered a lot of questions. I will be traveling with my Aunt who has a dissability. Not sure if she will be able to walk the long pier at one of the ports. We want to get off the ship and do all Beach excursions.

[russianmom]

Thank you so much for posting your pictures.. :DThese answered a lot of questions. I will be traveling with my Aunt who has a dissability. Not sure if she will be able to walk the long pier at one of the ports. We want to get off the ship and do all Beach excursions.

 

 

The two long piers are Costa Maya- where they have a tram and Cozumel where they had "rickshaws"

[luv2c00k]

Hi, we have room 9710 in October on the Spirit. If your reading this lov2cook could you tell me about the cabin? Thanks JoAnna Russianmom you are totally right children make all the difference.

 

Here are some pictures of 9710:

[newmexicoNita]

Wow.. Sorry to hear about your "brother-in-law". I undestand how your brother must feel.. as far as the loss. This year will mark 12 years for Doug and me. If anything were to happen to him I don't know what I would do.

 

 

 

Thank you for this information. Honestly I never thought I would care about reserved seating in the theater until we had the OS on the Star. When we booked the Spirit for this year, it was a tough decision because I really wanted to pay the extra for an OS just to have the reserved seating. Now I'm glad that will leave us more for the casino.. LOL.

 

Terry, good for you and Doug. Our foster daughter and her partner are going on 18 years and I know Lori would not know what to do if she didn't have the "other" Lori in her life. It is pretty interesting they are both Lori's. We call them Lori and Lori, Lori, but I guess their friends call them Lori 1 and Lori 2.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

Thank you so much for your well wishes. I think that I was so concerned with how my family was taking the news, surgeries, etc, that I forgot to feel sorry for myself. My Dr says I am a "glass is half full" kind of girl and thats what helped me...I am now cancer free and look at every day in a different way...enjoying life :)...We are doing Maya Chan and also in Roatan we are going with Victor B. to see the monkeys and then beach time. I am still not sure about Belize or Cozumel.....I want to make sure I get some shopping in at one of the ports. Do you know where we dock in Cozumel? When on Carnival, we docked at a very large shopping area with some bars/restaurants. We weren't sure if this is the same area? Thanks!

You are doing very similar to what we did. It is a great itinerary. We did Victor as well and Maya Chan, both were well worth every cent plus some. We just walked around, did a little shopping and ate at Ponchos in Cozumel because we had been there many times.

 

Vicki, you do have a great outlook. A bridge friend of ours has been fighting ovarian cancer for about 5 years. Her theory,

 

If God gives you a lemon, make lemonade.

 

Nita

[russianmom]

Nita- There you are!!:D

Hope all is well with you and Pat- haven't seen you on here much lately

Did you book your next cruise yet?

[newmexicoNita]

Nita- There you are!!:D

Hope all is well with you and Pat- haven't seen you on here much lately

Did you book your next cruise yet?

 

yep, we are going on the Sun in Feb, next year. BTW, I really have been here with my mouth flapping all the time as usual.

 

Nita