Just returned from the spirit 3/6 - 3/13

[queenbnpimpc]

all and all it was a great experience. yes, we had a delay but i give props to NCL trying to take care of the person who passed away. at least they did all the could to try and help him. our room was right next to the medical center and we could hear him. exiting the boat was a MESS. i understand why we had problems but i think NCL could have organized it better to make it a more smooth exit. it was not their fault but i do blame them for not having a better plan of exiting the people. yes i was upset for missing costa maya but the other 3 ports were great. i was prepared to miss a port because i read several places of missing ports due to winds, etc.....a little upset of the college kids being offered a drink package and not the rest of the boat but o well. (what ya gonna do) the food was not that great and the bars/clubs sucked. but the 3 ports we did make it to made up for the downsides. i will definitley do my homework before booking another. bingo prices were outragous. $70 to play bingo. i did get a great tan though and it sucks to be back at work today. think my next trip i will fly to roatan or cozumel. my prayers go out tothe family that lost a family member on this trip. i was not mad AT ALL due to our delay. NCL really did what they could to take care of him.

[webzila]

Why did the ship skip Costa Maya?

Also, have you heard anything about engine troubles? Someone mentioned that in the Spirit Medical Evacuation thread so I was just curious if there really is an issue...

 

Thanks

[1stTimer02/2011]

all and all it was a great experience. yes, we had a delay but i give props to NCL trying to take care of the person who passed away. at least they did all the could to try and help him. our room was right next to the medical center and we could hear him. exiting the boat was a MESS. i understand why we had problems but i think NCL could have organized it better to make it a more smooth exit. it was not their fault but i do blame them for not having a better plan of exiting the people. yes i was upset for missing costa maya but the other 3 ports were great. i was prepared to miss a port because i read several places of missing ports due to winds, etc.....a little upset of the college kids being offered a drink package and not the rest of the boat but o well. (what ya gonna do) the food was not that great and the bars/clubs sucked. but the 3 ports we did make it to made up for the downsides. i will definitley do my homework before booking another. bingo prices were outragous. $70 to play bingo. i did get a great tan though and it sucks to be back at work today. think my next trip i will fly to roatan or cozumel. my prayers go out tothe family that lost a family member on this trip. i was not mad AT ALL due to our delay. NCL really did what they could to take care of him.

 

Glad to hear you came back with a nice tan and had a good time in the ports you were able to get to... we were getting off the Spirit the day you were getting on.. :D

 

And i'm happy to read about someone NOT inconvenience by the medical evacuation, and that NCL did what they could... as well, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

 

Some people tend to get so wrapped up in themselves, that they forget the BIG picture.

 

Cocoa butter helps keep the tan a little longer... I'm smothering myself every day in it, and wear white to emphasize the tan!!

 

:p

[crew mom]

Why did the ship skip Costa Maya?

Also, have you heard anything about engine troubles? Someone mentioned that in the Spirit Medical Evacuation thread so I was just curious if there really is an issue...

 

Thanks

They could not dock in Cost Maya due to their berthing location and winds. They had the "Inside " berth and because of winds, docking was a hazard to the ship, dock and the ship docked on the other side of the pier. They did come around and attempt to dock but deemed it unsafe.

[newmexicoNita]

all and all it was a great experience. yes, we had a delay but i give props to NCL trying to take care of the person who passed away. at least they did all the could to try and help him. our room was right next to the medical center and we could hear him. exiting the boat was a MESS. i understand why we had problems but i think NCL could have organized it better to make it a more smooth exit. it was not their fault but i do blame them for not having a better plan of exiting the people. yes i was upset for missing costa maya but the other 3 ports were great. i was prepared to miss a port because i read several places of missing ports due to winds, etc.....a little upset of the college kids being offered a drink package and not the rest of the boat but o well. (what ya gonna do) the food was not that great and the bars/clubs sucked. but the 3 ports we did make it to made up for the downsides. i will definitley do my homework before booking another. bingo prices were outragous. $70 to play bingo. i did get a great tan though and it sucks to be back at work today. think my next trip i will fly to roatan or cozumel. my prayers go out tothe family that lost a family member on this trip. i was not mad AT ALL due to our delay. NCL really did what they could to take care of him.

just to let you know about the booze package, it is onlyoffered when there is a set number in a group that want to participate, obviously that is what happened on your cruise. As for better organized, New Orleans, in the best times isn't the easiest port. I can imagine what it was like yesterday. Often they do not have a full crew working the customs gates.

 

Nita

[mistshar]

Queenbnpimpc,

 

I am curious. Since you were on the ship all day and the attendents had to get the rooms ready for the next group of cruisers, did you have to get out of your cabins earlier in the day or were you able to have access all day? We are going on the Spirit in May and I wondered how this is handled in case something like this happened during our cruise. Of course I hope it doesn't.

[queenbnpimpc]

yes, high winds stopped us from docking in costa maya. but this is not the first time this has happened. i guess costa maya's docks are not the greatest. we were able to stay in our rooms until 3. once they figured out we would be docking at 5 they let us stay until 3 and we didn't have to put our luggage out the night before. which was good too. luggage was taken at 1pm. i think the unloading part got messed up because SOME PEOPLE did not follow the rules. if NCL should have called out the luggage tags colors one by one and if you didn't have that color, then made you wait. whats the point of color coding everyone if your not gonna follow that system. so basically you had everyone trying to run out all at once. from 2 to 3pm they offered us free drinks due to the delay. which i think that was very nice of them. it was not something that they caused to go wrong. we were late because of someone hurt. which was completly understandable. so, that was very nice of them.

[mistshar]

It sounds like it was a mess. It seems like they need to work out some type of company wide plan to put into action when something like this happens so that everyone who works for them will know what to do and it could be more organized and things could work better. I believe there is a way that it could be done if they worked on it.

[jenpan]

I was on the Spirit from 3/6-3/13 also. The ports were fine but the spring breakers and the alcohol consumption was a bit much! I agree with other posters that NCL needs a better plan for times like this. We were in a suite so we were supposed to have priority disembarkation. When the concierge came to escort us out, I could barely get through the people, mainly college kids, standing and blocking the one exit door. Another reason I think there was chaos was that people boarding for the next trip were told to check in at 4 and they would board at 5. We didn't dock until 5:10. NCL had to have known the time schedule the Spirit was on, so you had about 2,000(I guess) people trying to get off and 2,000 waiting to get on. I also understand the people wanted to get on the ship and many had flown in and maybe had no where to go but to wait at the port. Traffic was so bad my father-in-law had to park 1/2 mile away to walk into the pick-up area and meet us. We then walked the 1/2 mile back to the car. Thank goodness for rolling suitcases!!

All in all is was a combination of things. My sympathies go out to the family of the person who passed away. Not sure if I will sail with NCL again, this was a first for us. I must say that the crew was very friendly and accommodating during the cruise but I think they were stressed at handling the spring breakers(not all but large portion), their irresponsibility, rudeness and lack of courtesy for fellow passengers. I wish I had a dime for every time I heard the" F" word and I'm not talking about "friend". I would be a wealthy person!!

[donnas902]

I cannot believe they would have an all-inclusive liquor package for spring breakers....don't these people watch TV?? I thought cruises were safe during spring break because all the party hardies would be in Cancun at the land locked AI's there!:confused:

[Ms belp]

At least here in Texas they warned all spring breakers NOT to go to Mexico at all. It's too dangerous now. And there are lots of kids who cruise during spring break. I would never cruise then unless it was a 9+ day cruise. They don't have the time or the money as much as the week long cruises.

[newmexicoNita]

I was on the Spirit from 3/6-3/13 also. The ports were fine but the spring breakers and the alcohol consumption was a bit much! I agree with other posters that NCL needs a better plan for times like this. We were in a suite so we were supposed to have priority disembarkation. When the concierge came to escort us out, I could barely get through the people, mainly college kids, standing and blocking the one exit door. Another reason I think there was chaos was that people boarding for the next trip were told to check in at 4 and they would board at 5. We didn't dock until 5:10. NCL had to have known the time schedule the Spirit was on, so you had about 2,000(I guess) people trying to get off and 2,000 waiting to get on. I also understand the people wanted to get on the ship and many had flown in and maybe had no where to go but to wait at the port. Traffic was so bad my father-in-law had to park 1/2 mile away to walk into the pick-up area and meet us. We then walked the 1/2 mile back to the car. Thank goodness for rolling suitcases!!

All in all is was a combination of things. My sympathies go out to the family of the person who passed away. Not sure if I will sail with NCL again, this was a first for us. I must say that the crew was very friendly and accommodating during the cruise but I think they were stressed at handling the spring breakers(not all but large portion), their irresponsibility, rudeness and lack of courtesy for fellow passengers. I wish I had a dime for every time I heard the" F" word and I'm not talking about "friend". I would be a wealthy person!!

 

Have a better plan for situations like what happened, it is so rare that of course the line isn't prepared for this, that is like saying a small town that gets a major snow storm once every 3 or 4 years should be better prepared. As for the druinken spring breakers, I think sailing, unless you have no choice the first or second week of March is asking for trouble. Yes, you mix college kids on their break just before the end of the school year and booze, you are not going to have a relaxed cruise.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I cannot believe they would have an all-inclusive liquor package for spring breakers....don't these people watch TV?? I thought cruises were safe during spring break because all the party hardies would be in Cancun at the land locked AI's there!:confused:

 

The cruise line has a booze package available for groups it there are enough in the group. They can not say "you are not allowed, but your group is" still all that purchase the package have to be 21 or older. There are no exceptions. Sign and sail cards are marked as to who is 21 and who is not.

 

I understand what you are saying, but to not allow the program would be considered discriminating.

 

Nita

[EileenN]

who was the hotel director on your cruise, please?

[crew mom]

Prem is the Hotel Director on the Spirit right now. He has tons of experience and is rated one of the top Hotel Directors.

 

Unfortunately the company cannot plan for every situation nor can they control non-compliant passengers in all situations. They try their best but some things are just beyond their ability.

 

I would never choose to cruise during spring break which is about a 6 week time frame during March / April. Too crazy.

 

Hopefully you will reconsider and try another cruise on NCL in the future. They really do try to give you a good cruise experience and no-one does freestyle the way they do.

[jenpan]

It seems companies should always have a Plan B and if they never have to use it, GREAT!! You can't tell me NCL has not had experiences before like what happened on the Spirit this past cruise. I also don't believe for a minute that all of those college kids who were drinking were OVER 21!! Come on!! I know drink cards were being shared, witnessed it quite a few times.I guess I was naive in thinking that Mardi Gras week wouldn't be a spring break week for colleges. Never considered it when I booked. I thought we would have local college kids who were off for Mardi Gras on the boat but not kids from Vanderbilt and Virginia Teach, just saw some of those names on shirts and the kids that showed up 30 minutes late to our/their Teppenyaki reservation because they were hungover, not seasick, were from Vanderbilt. That was real fun sitting and waiting for them to show up for dinner. I thought spring breaks came later in the end of March and through April.

 

Anyway, enough on this topic. It was fun in spite of everything that happened. I have learned that alcohol drives the souls of many college students. Personally, I think it is a shame, so go ahead and "flame me"for MHO if you must.

[taymiss2]

OMG, I literally put a deposit down for 6 Moms and our teenage daughters to take this cruise next year on March 18th. Never did it occur to me that it would be over run like that. Or that the college kids would be allowed to have an all inclusive alcohol package. :eek:

 

I am going to watch the reviews for the next few weeks and see what they look like.

 

No one else who is going has ever cruised before so I am going to feel responsible if it is a nightmare!!

[newmexicoNita]

Prem is the Hotel Director on the Spirit right now. He has tons of experience and is rated one of the top Hotel Directors.

 

Unfortunately the company cannot plan for every situation nor can they control non-compliant passengers in all situations. They try their best but some things are just beyond their ability.

 

I would never choose to cruise during spring break which is about a 6 week time frame during March / April. Too crazy.

 

Hopefully you will reconsider and try another cruise on NCL in the future. They really do try to give you a good cruise experience and no-one does freestyle the way they do.

 

We absolutely love Prem. In fact we think the officers on the Spirit are the best, overall we have seen. The only ship that could come close, might have been the Jewel on her first sailing frrom England to NYC>

[newmexicoNita]

OMG, I literally put a deposit down for 6 Moms and our teenage daughters to take this cruise next year on March 18th. Never did it occur to me that it would be over run like that. Or that the college kids would be allowed to have an all inclusive alcohol package. :eek:

 

I am going to watch the reviews for the next few weeks and see what they look like.

 

No one else who is going has ever cruised before so I am going to feel responsible if it is a nightmare!!

 

it isn't the college kids, it is a group program NCL offers as do other lines. If the group has X number of people in it and all decide on the plan it is offered. I will add, only those 21 and older can take part. I think I have mentioned this before. Let's face it, spring break is just not a good time to vacation unless you are a college kid.

 

Nita

[Rozee]

Just got back from that cruise myself. My Wife and I were with a group of friends celebrating birthdays.

 

The drink package was very weird. Our group had one. It looked like everyone had one. Lots of big groups. Every time you got a drink or soda you had to sign a receipt and write the name of your group. It made a LOT more work for the staff, and caused long lines at the bars. In today’s computer age, it was just silly. They REALLY need to get that changed. The amount of trash created from that alone must have been huge.

 

And surely, the spring breakers where passing and sharing their drink cards with others. A simple solution would be to use wrist bands for those that have the drink package. Included on the band should be the number of people in your family so that you could get a drink for your wife or husband.

[phantomII]

OMG, I literally put a deposit down for 6 Moms and our teenage daughters to take this cruise next year on March 18th. Never did it occur to me that it would be over run like that. Or that the college kids would be allowed to have an all inclusive alcohol package. :eek:

 

I am going to watch the reviews for the next few weeks and see what they look like.

 

No one else who is going has ever cruised before so I am going to feel responsible if it is a nightmare!!

I would cancel that plan immediately. Teenage daughters with the college boys! Good luck!

[queenbnpimpc]

keep in mind im a Louisana girl........but all and all i didn't find the college kids did anything really out of line. i mean, yes they were cursing but come on now, they were drinking. my group was also but we are a lil older and had enough respect to watch our mouthes if kids were around. i really have to say, those virgina tech kids acted more respectful than what we're use to her in new orleans. the drink card did kind of pi$$ me off. me and husband both drink but not to get totally wasted. for 7 days between the both of us we spent a good $500 on drinks. one frozen drink was at least $8. and i know for a fact those college kids were not 21. i witnessed and asked them what was the deal because come saturday they were all at the bar with their I.D.'s in their hand. they told me they started I.D.ing them on saturday. WTH??? you let them drink for 5 to 6 days straight then you start to card them? kinda late....i did see one girl act retarded and i sure did let her know about herself. a young boy maybe 9 or 10 was coming down the stairs and tripped. he fell into a college girl with a drink in her hand. her lil drunk friend yelled at the little boy saying..........um excuse me, dont you see she has a f'ning drink in her hand, can't you watch what your doing??? I LET HER HAVE IT. and i would have whipped her a$$ if it would have came down to it.( you dont to kids that way) that was really the only out of line thing i seen from them.

[jmdlv]

I was on the same cruise and the spring breakers did impact the overall experience.One of them explained to my wife that one or two in a room got the drink package and would then pass the card to their freinds.

I think the staff caught on after a couple days as they started checking IDs.

I was extremely disappointed with a couple things with this cruise.With 2 days to go they were out of Bacardi and also out of club soda.This may have been because their were so many rooms that usually have 2 in them but were holding 4 spring breakers on this cruise.

I unfortunately paid a lot to upgrade to a suite and the overall experience was somewhat disappointing.

My last 4 cruises were on Celebrity and NCL just did not stack up.

I also agree with the earlier poster that disembarkation was a total nightmare.They simply did not calculate the amount of passengers intending to carry their luggage off the ship.It appeared that over a third of the passengers carried their luggage off which created a massive log jam.

[jmdlv]

Justa follow up to the 3/06 Spirit cruise.Did anyone hear what actually happened to the passenger who was ill.Earlier someone said he passed away.

There were many rumors on board about being hit by a car in Cozumel and other things.I was just wondering if the rumors were true.

[newmexicoNita]

Just got back from that cruise myself. My Wife and I were with a group of friends celebrating birthdays.

 

The drink package was very weird. Our group had one. It looked like everyone had one. Lots of big groups. Every time you got a drink or soda you had to sign a receipt and write the name of your group. It made a LOT more work for the staff, and caused long lines at the bars. In today’s computer age, it was just silly. They REALLY need to get that changed. The amount of trash created from that alone must have been huge.

 

And surely, the spring breakers where passing and sharing their drink cards with others. A simple solution would be to use wrist bands for those that have the drink package. Included on the band should be the number of people in your family so that you could get a drink for your wife or husband.

 

well there is sorta control, but there is still no way to watch that many passengers (kids) at once. I can remember being 18, 19 and 20. I don't know how many times we had dates buy us drinks or how many times we were questioned after being served? My understanding, they still have to show their key card when they use their drink card, if this isn't the case it should be, if it is, then that would show they were old enough to drink. So they order a drink, take it back to the table, the pool, wherever, give it to the under age drinker and then go get themselves another one.

 

Nita