Spirit 6/11 - 6/18 - LONG

[tennis2sc]

Hey everyone-

I have just returned from the Spirit, and I wanted to share some of my experiences with all of you. Even though this is my first post, I have been "lurking" on these boards since February! I never had to ask any questions because others always asked the questions I had, and with a little research, I could always find the info I needed. That being said, I wanted to give you the details of my cruise to Alaska for those waiting patiently for any drop of info they may not already have! (I know that's how I was!!) :)

 

To begin: There were 6 of us: me (33, female) and 3 female friends, ranging from 34-50. Also, my parents (late 60s) decided to join us as it was was their 40th anniversary. We are from South Carolina, so we had to travel a bit to even get on the ship, but that made the trip even that much more special. The four of us had an inside cabin in deck 9, (yes, we all packed into one cabin!!!) and my parents had a balcony cabin on deck 11. We decided to pack into one room because we knew we would be spending more time in the public rooms than in our cabin, and it was worth it to us to save money for more excursions. We did not see much of our room steward, and he even skipped our room a few evening, but that didn't bother us as we were in Alaska for the views, not to have our bed turned down at night. My parents had a great steward who left towel animals every night and checked on them several times during the day. We were sure to bring extra hangers, and though it was close, we were able to fit ALL of our clothes into the room! ;)

 

THE SHIP: We LOVED the Spirit! She really is a beautiful ship, and once you realize that the carpet is color-coded, it is really easy to find your way around. We spent a lot of time in the Galaxy of the Stars, the Card Room, and the casino (I lost!). Everything you have read about the outlets is true. Only one... by the desk. There is a built-in hairdryer. I was worried when I read that it was 500 watts, but I had no problems with it. We joked that we felt like we were vacuuming our hair, rather than drying it, but it got the job done.

 

FOOD: Overall we were impressed by the food on the ship. We ate most nights in Windows. One night we ate in Garden and one night we ate in La Trattoria. I loved the Mediterranean Chicken special in La Trattoria... a definite MUST! We ate breakfast in Raffles every day, and found that we really enjoyed the barbeque that they had in Raffles Terrace at lunch time. They didn't have it every day, but when they did, we were sure to be there. One day they even had Halibut steaks! YUM!

 

ENTERTAINMENT: We were not as impressed with the entertainment on the Spirit as we have been on other lines. We attended many of the evening activities and found that we enjoyed the guest talent show better than any of the things NCL produced. But again, we weren't bothered because we had good friends and a deck of cards. What more could you want on a trip? :)

 

EXCURSIONS/ PORTS:

Weather: We were not as lucky with our weather as the people the weeks before us. Remember, we are from SC, so it was VERY cold to us! (While we were gone, the temps reached 90s one day here in SC.) But even the locals in Juneau commented on the cold weather.

Shopping: I read before I left that the shopping gets worse with each port and that is SO true! If you see something in an early port, buy it! Do not wait to find something better later on. You won't!

Ketchikan: We all split up in Ketchikan. I went on the Rainforest Ropes Course and Zip Line Tour. We LOVED it! Yes, it may not be suitable for someone who loves to climb mountains and such, but we had a blast! I would HIGHLY recommend it. The staff is great, so laid-back and easy going. It was definitely my favorite excursion of the trip. Two of my friends booked a fishing trip with an independent company they found at the dock. One of them caught a fish but had to throw it back because it was only 18 inches long, and the law requires that it be 28 inches long to keep. My parents went on the ship's Rainforest Tour. They were dissapointed because it was basically just a botany lesson, and they did not realize that is what it would be.

Juneau: We all went on Capt. Larry's whale watch. Had a great time! One whale popped up within 10 feet of the boat... so close we could literally smell its breath. We had no idea what that terrible smell was until Capt Larry told us! We also saw a Sea lion swimming next to the boat and a few other whales.

Skagway: We had booked the Helicopter tour, but it was canceled due to the bad weather. That was the thing I was looking forward to the most, so I was upset, but we found a local bar to shoot some pool and drown our sorrows! ;)

Prince Rupert: This was my least favorite port. We didn't find much to do here. Two of my friends rented scooters ($18/ hour or $40 for half day) and drove around for a while. They met some locals and learned a bit about the area. Then we once again found a local joint and hung out for a while. Then headed back to the ship early.

 

OVERALL: A great trip! :)

 

I hope that I have answered any questions you may have. If not, please feel free to ask!

-Tennis

[pratzert]

Tennis2SC,

 

Thanks for the review. How were the Breakfast meals ? Which meal and place was your "Favorite" to eat at? Was the service generally fast and friendly?

 

Did you make use of the Pool & Hot Tubs? Were they crowded?

 

And how about the bars.... did you do the Rum Punch Party or the Martini Class or the Wine Tasting?

 

We are scheduled for the Spirit on Aug.20th with our two kids ( 11 & 16 ) and hope they find friends and have a good time. If they are miserable, I know that they will make us miserable. I figure the bar will help if that's a problem.

 

Thanks, Tim

[nlrisgood]

What did your parents think of the cruise?

[tennis2sc]

pratzert-

 

We ate at Raffles every morning. I loved the waffles, and my parents had the made-to-order omelets every day. As others have said, some of the food on the buffet line wasn't as hot as we would have liked, but it was still pretty good food.

 

We really enjoyed Henry's Pub. Some of the top level staff (jewelry manager, port consultant, cruise staff, etc) hung out there regularly, and we found it to one of the most fun places. They had pub trivia often and we found that to be fun. They had two free Rum Punch paries on our cruise because the hot water went out one morning, so it was our "gift" for dealing with it. We found that some of the bars went VERY heavy on the rum... too heavy. Made the drink almost unbearable to drink. But others were quite enjoyable! ;)

 

We did use the hot tubs. They were not crowded at all. Any time we wanted to get in one, we were able to. There are also heated pools in the spa ( we used those as well).

 

We noticed several teens on the trip. A big group of them seemed to have bonded together and looked as if they were having a blast.

 

nlrisgood- My parents loved the cruise. This was their first cruise, and after this one, they are already talking about which one they will do next. They met a few people at breakfast one day and spent a lot of time with them. They didn't do any of the "typical" cruise stuff like play bingo, etc... But surprisingly, after hearing about our adventures in the casino, they got themselves in there and WON! They took over the blackjack tables for an afternoon, and made up for all the money the rest of us lost! It was a hoot to see them go at it!

[sci-tea]

What time could you board the ship? Were the lines to board long? We are going on the Spirit in Aug and it is my first cruise. Did you eat at Le Bistro?

[tennis2sc]

We were allowed to board at noon. They handed out numbers according to your arrival time, and then people were called on by numbers. We arrived at the pier around 10:50-11ish and were given number eight. We got on the ship around 12:20 or so. We did not eat at Le Bistro. We only stuck to the free restaurants, but I enjoyed all of those.

[mistychelle]

I am packing and counting down they days as I type this!!

 

How quick were you able to get off the boat back in Seattle? We have a 12:30 flight and from what I have read I should be OK.

 

Also, did you store suitcases under the beds? I am a little concerned that ours may be too big to fit.

 

Thanks,

Misty

[DrTigger]

Mistychelle,

We are going on the Spirit on 6/25 also...you should check out the Roll Call.

[sci-tea]

We were allowed to board at noon. They handed out numbers according to your arrival time, and then people were called on by numbers. We arrived at the pier around 10:50-11ish and were given number eight. We got on the ship around 12:20 or so. We did not eat at Le Bistro. We only stuck to the free restaurants, but I enjoyed all of those.

 

 

Thanks for your response. Are you a latitudes member? Just wondered since the posted boarding time is 1 and you were let on at noon. What did you do when you got on the ship soearly? Can you get off after you get rid of your luggage? Thinking of going to Pike place and buying some flowers.

[navygator]

Sci-tea

 

 

We were on the 6/4 Spirit. We got to the pier at 11:30 and our bags were taken right away. We checked in and were given group number 2 ( I am assuming that group 1 is Lattitudes members). Group 2 was called around 12:15 so there was plenty of time to go to Pikes Place and get flowers.

 

Hubby and I ate at Le Bistro while my parents watched our kids the last night. It was incredible! We ate early to get the 2 for 1 deal. Any reservations before 6pm are 2 for 1. The wait staff was great, the food was excellent but the dessert was to die for. I had a dark chocolate fondue with fresh fruit. Had I known about that earlier on the cruise I would have paid the $15 just for the dessert!!!

[Trina94]

I am going in Sept and have a Deck 11 Starboard (right) side of ship cabin. Which side gives best viewing in INside Passage, and ports?

[1cruiselvr]

The rumor is the starboard side but I will let you know for sure after our 7/2/05 Spirit cruise. We are on deck 10 starboard. When we booked, most of the cabins available were port side, starboard was almost gone. Happy Sailing!

[Candymanjim]

I am going in Sept and have a Deck 11 Starboard (right) side of ship cabin. Which side gives best viewing in INside Passage, and ports?

Just back 6/25, I think the Starboard side is definatly the side to be on.

Jim

[NCA]

Pratzert,

 

We were on the NCL Spirit last summer with our kids (then 7 and 10). The Spirit has a great kids pool with water slides (aft deck 9), that's where my daughter "lived". They also have a program called Kids Crew which is a great place for the kids to meet. It is broken down into age categories and goes up into the teens.

 

We just returned from the Hawaii Cruise on the Wind. The Wind is a nice ship too, but my kids liked the Spirit better (namely the pool).

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

NCA

[Hikini]

It was nice to read your review of the Spirit. We are going on her in September. I've been on The Sky and The Star and have LOVED both of those ships!

 

Hikini:D

[pratzert]

NCA,

 

 

Thanks for the info ! Did you buy your kids the Soda Card?

 

pratzert

[ehaas]

I was on the Spirit with a 16 year old son who had a great time with all the teens on board. He was involved with teen activities every night and has been in contact with many by e-mail and cell phones since we have been home. He was the last one in our cabin each night. It was a great teen group!

 

Once you get to the port you can check in your luggage and get a number. We went about 11 a.m. and were in group 8 and were on the ship by 12:30. Once you are on the ship you cannot leave.....but you can check you luggage then leave and go to Pikes Market.

[greenie]

tennis2sc, thank you for your review! it was great to read--you have a really good, balanced outlook on cruising, seems like you know how to make the most of the "pluses" and not let any "minuses" or "so-sos" ruin your adventure. :) That's the way to cruise!

 

we will be on the spirit next february (out of ny) and i am really looking forward to it. i'm glad to hear the carpet is color-coded--thanks so much for telling us that, I hadn't known (i had a hard time navigating the Dawn, so am thrilled to know I'll prolly do better this time!).;)

 

does the spirit have a martini class? loved that on the dawn and would greatly enjoy doing another. i don't have my martini diploma yet, so need all classes i can find, har har.

 

thanks again! so glad you had a good time.

[NCA]

NCA,

 

 

Thanks for the info ! Did you buy your kids the Soda Card?

 

pratzert

 

We bought them the backpack which includes the soda band, a tee shirt, a baseball cap and a few other things. We just let the kids get the pop and the rest of us just drank some of it. Other folks brought their own pop on the ship. Be forwarned though, the only pop NCL uses are Coke products. Doesn't help us Mtn. Dew drinkers any!:(

 

NCA

NCL Spirit -08/04

NCL Wind 06/05