A Solo Fashionista review of the Norwegian Spirit

[lara_lox]

Day 6 – At Sea

 

I finally managed to get a proper night’s sleep of about 8 hours! I went to Windows for breakfast, and surprised to see that the restaurant was open until 10am on sea days, much later than I’ve experienced before. I had salmon eggs Benedict and some grapefruit this morning, and although it was nice to be served my meal, I do think that the food in the buffet was actually better – fresher and hotter. After breakfast I had a walk round the ship and looked at the shops, plus all the stalls which had been set up in the Atrium. I also went to guest services and requested a copy of my on board account to check everything was in order, which it was. I like to do this at least once during the cruise so that if I do notice any discrepancies I can get them rectified there and then instead of having to queue up for ages on the last day.

 

At 10.30am there was ‘Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook’ held in Galaxy. I sat at the bar where I had a good view and I was joined by a few friends. This was basically a competition between the head pastry chef and two other crew members, who each had to assemble and decorate a birthday cake. The passengers then got to taste the cakes and judge the winner. The show was funny, though obviously the staff did it every week and each had a 'role' to play. I enjoyed a coffee whilst chatting to Tjibbe and the bar man at Galaxy was more than happy to fulfil my request for a cup of hot water and some milk so that I could make my own drink with my coffee bag! After this I finally went for a look round the salon and gym area. Being a smaller, older ship, the Spirit doesn’t have a thermal spa like most of the newer ships. There is a little gym area with separate sauna and steam rooms in each changing room. (So males and females are separate.) There was a small beauty salon too, though I decided not to use these services this time.

 

It was overcast and windy outside today so I read indoors instead. One of the comfiest and quietest areas I found to read in was Maharinis lounge, as long as the dance floor wasn’t being used for any classes. Because it is situated at the front of the ship, accessed by going through the casino, not many people seemed to think of going here, but that was a positive for me when I wanted some peace. Plus there were some beds (!) that people liked to relax or nap on there.

 

I went for lunch on the terrace where a Latin buffet with live music was being held. The executive chef himself was overseeing the food and he recognised me from the Chef’s Table and said hello. The food was fantastic, I ate loads! I tried a bit of everything – salads, seafood ceviche, very tender barbeque ribs, tasty blackened tilapia and ratatouille, then chicken fajitas and chilli beef tacos. There was also paella, which I didn’t try, but did look good. For desert I had some kind of black forest gateau, yum! After my feast Tjibbe found me again and we went down to Henry’s Pub to meet Andi for the Africaans lesson with crew member Gustaav. Now we didn’t really have any interest in learning the language, but Andi had been chatting to Gustaav the day before so wanted to go. It was actually really good, Gustaav explained everything really well and I rather enjoyed learning the language. Once the lesson was over I stayed in the pub and read for a while whilst I enjoyed a Bloody Mary.

 

I met some of the guys up at the Bier Garten for another drink and Mark let me use his Ipad and internet minutes to go online quickly and check in with home. We realised that there was another music trivia quiz being held in Charlie’s, this time about the Beatles, so after Mark’s triumph yesterday, Tjibbe and I decided to accompany him. I’m utterly useless at any kind of quiz or trivia, but I decided I could attend for moral support! It was fun but as expected, I was rubbish. Mark did very well again but we didn’t win today.

 

 

After the quiz I went to get ready for the evening and tonight I wore a new floral maxi dress with white wedge heels.

 

 

Once I was ready I met everyone back in the Champagne bar, as was now our routine. After a drink, some of us went to the show, which tonight was one of the guest acts, a male and female acrobatics team. The show combined gymnastics, contortion and ballet with aerial ribbon and hoop work. It was excellent and the skill and strength of the performers was incredible. Plus every woman and gay man in the room collectively gasped in awe when the incredibly attractive Dmitri came out for one sequence wearing only a pair of small white shorts! He was the talk of the ship after that lol!

 

 

 

We went to the Garden Room for dinner. Today were only a table of three and I’m not sure whether or not this was the reason why, but we found that the service was much quicker and the food a lot hotter tonight. I chose to have three appetisers instead of a main course, so I had a delicious crab cake (so good that Tjibbe took one bite and ordered another!), broccoli and cheese bisque, then mushroom quesadillas. My waiter brought me a double portion of the quesadillas seeing as it was my main course, and I felt bad because I couldn’t eat it all after my two starters. Also Mark and I didn’t finish our bottle of wine tonight, so I asked the staff if they could save it for me. They just fill out a ticket which they give you, and you can present this at any other venue and they will retrieve your bottle for you.

 

Tonight there was a Latin Party being held Galaxy so I met up with everyone up there and enjoyed some dancing. I’m not in any way trained in dance but I love the hip swinging style of Latin so had fun strutting my stuff, pretending I knew I was doing! I had a good time, but it got very hot on that dance floor so I had to keep breaking for glasses of water. The bar staff kept asking if I was ok, more used to me ordering a more adult beverage! I had one drink in Maharinis but then headed to bed ready for my visit to Morocco in the morning.

 

 

[jlajr]

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still enjoying your review.

 

It kind of feels like we were in parallel universes...

[lara_lox]

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still enjoying your review.

 

It kind of feels like we were in parallel universes...

 

Ha yes it does! It should give people a good impression of the ship though, reading about both our different experiences. I've been reading and enjoying your review too. Mine will be on hold until tomorrow now as I'm away visiting family, people will need yours to satisfy their Spirit cravings!

[Verfai]

 

After dinner I went to my cabin to drop off my presents and I found a letter had been left from guest services. In it they wished me a happy birthday and included a note from two of my very dear friends Sandy and Kristof. I met these guys on my very first solo cruise and we have stayed in touch ever since, I fly out to Belgium to visit them twice a year. They had contacted the ship with a special personal birthday message. This was what finally tipped me over the edge and brought me to (very happy) tears.

 

 

 

I thought this review must be up and running by now on the NCL board :D

OOOOOooooooooooooooooow, we where very happy to send you the note love! Least we could do not being there personally (wish we where especially that week)...I tried to get the cabin steward to give you a hug, they found that a little strange at NCL HQ for some reason!? ;) ;) ;) Now banded for life on NCL ;) LOL

X

[muenchner]

Ha yes it does! It should give people a good impression of the ship though, reading about both our different experiences. I've been reading and enjoying your review too. Mine will be on hold until tomorrow now as I'm away visiting family, people will need yours to satisfy their Spirit cravings!

 

Great you are doing this report .... as your cruise mate on this trip i can say it is very authentic ...... kiss.... "Lara" and thank you for the great time on the Spirit.

[jdvmd]

Lara, you have done it again! Love reading your reviews and seeing your pictures!. Great job as usual. Keep the comments coming!

[lara_lox]

Day 7 – Casablanca, Morocco

 

I had set my alarm to wake me up early, as I had to be in the Stardust theatre at 8.45am ready for my tour. I had pre-booked the NCL Casablanca Highlights and Hassan II Mosque excursion, for $49. I had never been to Morocco before, so it was a stop I definitely didn’t want to miss, but it was also a country where I knew I wouldn’t feel safe walking around as a female by myself, which is why I chose to do the ship tour. Morocco is a Muslim country, plus I would be visiting the mosque, so I wore my plain long black maxi dress with a white, long sleeved cardigan buttoned right up over the top. This meant that my shoulders and knees were covered as required out of respect in many religious venues, but I also felt that I would attract less unwanted attention whilst visiting other sights than I would have say wearing tight capris and a scoop neck t-shirt. In general, almost all the other tourists I saw dressed appropriately.

 

We had a wonderful guide, Niamah, who was a local lady, and very knowledgeable and funny. Our first stop was a brief walk around a local food market. I didn’t like this at all, as I felt very uncomfortable when immediately a local man pushed his way inbetween our tour group. He wasn’t just trying to pass through the crowd, like other market goers or workers were, he seemed to be deliberately weaving round and getting very close to people for several minutes. I kept my shoulder bag (which I was wearing over my head, across my body so it couldn’t be snatched) close to me and had hold of the strap. I was glad because the man suddenly appeared right in front of me and made as though to walk in front of me but put his hand out and went to grab at my chest! Because my hand was already at my front holding my bag strap I was able to jump back and put my hand in the way so he didn’t quite touch me. This made me very wary for the rest of the look round the market, which was only a small local market selling food, I didn’t see big stalls of spices or anything like that. However, this creepy man was the only person who caused any bother for me or my tour group for the rest of day, everyone else was friendly and seemed to find it funny to pose for tourist photos. We also experienced very little mithering from street vendors, we weren’t hassled much at all, though mavbe this is because we were part of the tour, as other people I spoke to later said the pressure was so unbearable they just returned to the ship.

 

After the market we visited the mosque. Niamah arranged our entry then guided us around the interior. Hassan II mosque is an active place of worship, so it is unusual that tourists are allowed to visit, though you may only do so at certain times when no prayers are taking place. As such, you need to check this if you plan on visiting independently. Inside was absolutely beautiful. We saw the main prayer hall and also the absolution room, whilst Niamah explained everything to us. It was so interesting and the main reason I did this tour.

 

 

 

 

 

We had chance to use the bathrooms, but it’s worth noting that these were the French style toilets where you squat down over the floor, there isn’t a commode to sit on. I know that some of the older or less mobile people were able to use them because of this.

 

We were then taken to the Petite Paris area where we were lead straight to a large shop. Niamah encouraged everyone to buy things, saying this was a trustworthy establishment where no-one would hassle us and we knew we wouldn’t be ripped off. We spent (in my opinion) far too long there, as everyone got tourist fever and started grabbing up all sorts of things they didn’t need! There were some spices and Moroccan Argan oil beauty products that I did like, plus some pretty jewellery, but everything seemed overpriced and I could have bought it cheaper in the UK! As I said to one man, if you saw that product at home, for that price, would you buy it? If not then why are you buying it now?! The staff were friendly and not overtly pushy, but you couldn’t look at anything without someone encouraging you buy. I understand that people are just trying to make a living, but this is s stop I could have done without – I would have preferred to visit another historical building or sight.

 

We drove along the coast and through a more modern looking area. In contrast to the slums and unattractive industrial areas surrounding the port, this part of Casablanca was very nice, with shopping centres, a cinema, nice hotels, and lots of bars and restaurants over looking a lovely beach. Although perhaps less ‘authentic’ than the tourist perception of Morocco, it would have been a lovely place to visit and relax for a while. All the people who said they hadn’t enjoyed Morocco after just getting off the ship and wandering around near the ort would have probably been much happier here. We stopped for a complimentary drink and comfort break at a hotel before visiting the medina. In Morocco, ‘medina’ does not mean marketplace as most people thought, it means ‘old town’. There wasn’t much to see here but we did learn about some of the history and we go to see the beautiful façade of the Royal Palace which was guarded by Police with guns! I don’t think you were allowed to go without a guide as no-one else other than the ship tour groups went past them and Niamah had to speak to them for several minutes whilst they checked her ID.

 

 

 

By now I was very tired and hungry, so glad that it was time to head back to the ship. My tour was about 5 hours so I can’t imagine how people had managed the very long day of visiting Marrakesh. One fellow CC’er, Todd, who was on my tour, said his wife and daughter had got up at 4.30am, and had a 4 hour coach ride each way in order to do this!

[vie lee]

You are my young hero - I love to cruise solo and I also to dress up - going on the NCL Jewel in January with some friends and since no formal nights, I was afraid I would be out of place dressing every night but after following this thread - I am going for it! Thanks for posting the wonderful pictures!

70 and still a fashionista.........;)

[Malamel]

Day 3 – At sea

 

 

 

 

 

Where did you get your shoes in this picture? I love them.

[lara_lox]

70 and still a fashionista.........;)

 

Woohoo! Age doesn't matter to a true fashionista and I would like to think I will still be one at 70 also :)

[lara_lox]

Where did you get your shoes in this picture? I love them.

 

Thank you. They are just from a high street clothing store called Dorothy Perkins here in the UK. They often do very stylish but reasonably priced shoes. I would love to be able to shop designer instead but I would rather cruise and wear my cheap shoes lol!

[lara_lox]

Back on the ship I headed straight to Raffles for some much needed sandwiches. One thing I did notice was that the two sides of the buffet weren’t the same on this ship. For example, the left hand side had a large selection of fruit then the main meals, whereas to the right you could get sandwiches, pizza and burgers etc, so you needed to walk through the whole area to see what was on offer.

 

It was warmer than I had expected today so I decided to take advantage of the sun and lay out by the pool for the while. I relaxed there for the remainder of the afternoon before making one of my coffees to eat with some (very tasty) cake from Blue Lagoon. At Blue Lagoon you could help yourself to drinks and the cakes and cookies, you only had to order the hot food off the menu with a waiter, so it was quite a good alternative to the buffet for a quick snack. Once I’d done this I got ready for the evening, tonight wearing my specially planned outfit for the White Hot Party which was being held later that night. I wore a casual ensemble of white jeans with a pink, grey and white batwing top and white wedges.

 

I met my friends for a delicious martini at the champagne bar as usual, then I suggested trying Shogun, the Asian restaurant for dinner. There is a $15 cover charge to eat there but I fancied a change from our routine of the show then the Garden Room. Several people also fancied trying here, and we were able to walk in and immediately get a table for 6 without a reservation.

 

 

 

We decided to order pretty much all the dishes and try a little bit of everything! The wait staff were very obliging and had no problem lining up all the food down the middle of the table and bringing us each a small plate so we could share it all. Everything we had was delicious (and hot!) but I think some of my favourites were the chicken lettuce cups to start, and the shredded pork pancakes entree. Several times we ordered more main courses when we found dishes we especially enjoyed, and again this was swiftly accommodated. I’m glad we did this because I hate wasting food, and I think it’s better to order more if needed, rather than be greedy and have lots left over. I loved being able to try a bit of everything too, as my problem when eating out is always choosing what to have. Not because I’m a fussy eater but because I love food and want it all! For desert I had the trio of crème brulees, which were unusual flavours but nice for a change. Also, I had no problem getting the remained of my bottle of wine that I had saved from the main dining room the night before, I just gave our waiter my little slip of paper and he brought my bottle very quickly.

 

After dinner Mark invited us to share some drink he had brought on the ship with him. Like me, he had made no effort to smuggle it on as such, the staff just never asked or checked so he didn't pay corkage. This lead to us having a very amusing (and maybe drunken?!) 'Port Party' in his cabin!

 

 

By the time we finished drinking Mark's port and being silly it was quite late so we headed straight up to Galaxy of the Stars for the White Hot Party. The venue was packed and the dance floor was busy, but with an awful lot of children. This was really the only time I noticed many kids, including at the kiddie pool. It was just unfortunate that now was the one time I did as I find it rather inappropriate to dance properly and enjoy a few drinks when there are children all over. By the time they had all left the party was over and due to the lack of a DJ, a laptop was just used to play random songs. Still, I enjoyed dancing for a while and was ready to carry on at the after party in the club. However, when we made our way down to Maharinis, as usual there was no party as there was of course no DJ or anyone to host it! Still, I got chatting to a few new people and had fun hanging out in the bar with everyone. For the first time this cruise I decided to go for a late night snack when someone suggested we go to the Blue Lagoon. I had a very tasty grilled chicken sandwich, some water and a cup of fruit tea, before finally making it to bed horribly late at 4.30am seeing as the clocks went forward!

 

 

 

 

[Rock Chick]

Thank you so much for this excellent review, Lara. I'm travelling Solo on the Spirit this Thursday, also flying from Liverpool. There aren't enough of us to organise a Meet and Mingle and there are no other Solos on our roll call so I'm so relieved to find out that there is likely to be a Solos get together on the first night.

I've learned alot about the ship from this review and I now have a better idea about what to pack, so thanks again. I've also cruised Solo on the Epic which of course is more geared up for passengers travelling alone.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Forums mobile app

[lara_lox]

Day 9 – Malaga

 

My late night food and water must have been what I needed all holiday beciase this morning I woke up rather late but feeling good! I went staright to Raffles and was surprised to see that some breakfast food was still being served, even though it was around 11.30am. I had a coffee and smoked salmon bagel out on the terrace, which I really enjoyed. I had planned to do my own thing in Malaga and had researched how to find to the cathedral and the fort. I had been expecting it to be a little cooler again now we were back further North so I had wanted to find things to do to keep me entertained, as I have been to Malaga before (though that time I just wandered around the town centre). However, after breakfast I bumped into some of my friends on deck and was amazed at how nice the weather was once again. I decided that actually I would rather enjoy the sun whilst I had the chance and so instead of going ashore I sunbathed and read with the boys. Our only walk was to the buffet for a group lunch lol! Again I enjoyed my food, eating tandoori chicken and various salads, follwed by some tasty chocolate cake. As you may have gathered, I tend to cruise for the holiday and the ship, rather than the ports and I don’t feel like just because we are in port I must get off. I actually find that this can be the best time to enjoy the ship, when it is less busy.

 

By late afternoon the sun felt much cooler so we moved over to the Bier Garten for a Pina Colada. A mix of the cold breeze and my frozen drink made me shiver and feel rather uncomfortable so I went for an early shower to warm up. Mission completed I took a cup of tea to the peace and quite of Maharini’s lounge to read for a while before getting dressed for dinner. I needed to up the glamour again after last night’s forrary into the world of jeans, so I wore a black and cream playsuit with a gold waist belt and my cream and black chunky heels.

 

 

After meeting at the champagne bar we all headed to the theatre to see the famous NCL Elements show. This features all the acts from during the week – the singers, dancers, magician and the aerialists. It’s a fantastic show, the enjoyment of which was only marred slightly for me by the fact that I had seen it before on the Jade a couple of years ago. It’s still definitely worth watching though. Once this finished the cruise director Gio hosted the farewell show, saying this was because tomorrow everyone would be packing and getting early nights. All the staff and crew went on stage and it was really lovely and rather moving.

 

Because the two shows had been tagged together we left the theatre much later than anticipated and Andi practically leapt down the rows of seats to make his way to the dining room to beat the queues and secure us a table! He succeeded and our large party was quickly seated in the Garden Room. I had a tomato and mozzarella salad to start, which was rather bland, then a steak from the everyday menu, which was cooked very well and I enjoyed. Instead of desert everyone wanted to go to the Chocoholic buffet held in Raffles. Because I much prefer savoury food to sweet, I asked our waiter if he could arrange for a large cheese plate for me to take up there with us! This was done with no problem and we had a disgustingly unhealthy feast of chocolate, cheese and more chocolate up in Raffles! The displays were fantastic and it’s worth going just to see these even if you don’t eat chocolate. Also, because we arrived quite late on, we missed the stampeding masses who seem think that the chocolate will run out, and we easily found a large table.

 

 

 

Tonight was a 50’s and 60’s music event in Galaxy, and although the band were good, I was too full to enjoy it properly so I didn’t dance. I spent the rest of the night chatting away to everyone down in Maharinis, including two of the great ladies I had sat with at the Chef’s table.

 

 

 

 

After the success of last night I returned to Blue Lagoon for a burger before turning in (like I hadn’t eaten enough already!), again resulting in me going to bed really very late.

[js4rq]

Loving your review so far. :cool:

[lara_lox]

Day 9 – At Sea

 

And so it was suddenly my last full day onboard the Spirit. I woke up late again after my late night so I just had a quick breakfast from Raffles on the terrace but it was cooler today so I retreated to the warmth of Galaxy of the Stars where I read a magazine and chatted to some friends. I also finally made my way down the little spiral staircase at the front of the lounge which leads to the Bridge viewing room. This is adorned with all sorts of plaques and mementoes about the Spirit, almost like a little museum. It was really nice down there and I had the room to myself, I suppose most people went to check it out earlier on in the cruise. It’s only now that I can’t work out why I didn’t take any photos?!

 

Quite a few different events were being held in the different bars and lounges but I just felt like chilling out by myself today, so I had to hunt for somewhere suitable. Even though it was lunch time I wasn’t hungry after my late breakfast so I ended up enjoying a Bloody Mary at the Café in the Atrium instead. This was only a small area so I’d not sat here before, and although it’s not very relaxing seeing as it is in the busy Atrium at the heart of the ship, it did make for a great people-watching spot. I finally decided it was time for food so I headed to the Blue Lagoon for a change from the buffet. I pigged out and had chicken tenders, a mozzarella and prosciutto panini and fries! It was all really good, albeit naughty, food. I was left in a junk food coma so I collapsed on one of the comfy sofas in the now quiet Maharinis and read for the rest of the afternoon before dragging myself away to pack, boooooo.

 

I got changed for the evening into a transparent grey shirt, black leggings and my killer pink heels before going for our last meeting at the champagne bar.

 

 

Whilst I was there I nipped down to guest services as I had decided to put the euros I hadn’t spent towards my onboard account. I had to queue for a while because some other guests seemed incapable of understanding simple things the staff were telling them so I started to get frustrated. Eventually it was my turn and after the $10 commission the ship charges, plus ridiculous exchange rates, I couldn’t help but wish I hadn’t bothered. I got a rather bad deal and I came away annoyed in general. There was nothing for it but to enjoy a soothing martini in Charlie’s! I wasn’t hungry after the pig-fest in Blue Lagoon so as much I wanted to enjoy a final meal with all my friends, I declined when they went for dinner because there was no point going if I just wasn’t hungry. A few others decided they would prefer to wait also so we had another drink. I wanted a change from the Garden Room, so I suggested trying Windows, as I hadn’t been there since my first night. I had actually fancied trying the Italian restaurant (I can’t remember the name now) but I didn’t want to pressure everyone into having to go to another restaurant with a cover charge after it had been me suggesting them all week, and my friends having waited with me so that I didn’t eat alone. Well things didn’t get any better because when we arrived at Windows we were turned away because two of the guys were wearing casual shorts. I had completely forgotten about the dress code because I know I am always dressed up so it’s not something I really have to think about. I like the fact the NCL do enforce this in the larger of their main dining rooms, but it was just typical that this was the one day we came here and we couldn’t stay.

 

I know that the guys felt really bad so I didn’t make a fuss, we just went to the Garden Room after all, where the dress code is much less strict. But unfortunately we were sat at the worst table ever! It was right by the restaurant exit and also directly in front of the doors to the galley. This meant it was very loud and very busy with the staff coming and going. I also only then noticed how much nicer I thought Windows was, seeing as I had the immediate comparison. Whereas Windows is a large room with high ceilings and large windows (funnily enough!), the Garden Room is more of a walk through area with tables, and is much smaller and darker with a low ceiling. I again tried really hard not to show my thoughts too much because one of my friends kept apologising, saying it was his fault because of his shorts, but I wasn’t really enjoying my last dinner experience. Things went from bad to worse! I couldn’t hear a thing anyone was saying around the table because of the noise from the galley, and four of us were spread out around a big table meant for larger groups. As it was now getting quite late and was the last night, the wait staff seemed to just want to get us in and out. They weren’t anywhere near as friendly as previous servers had been, we weren’t offered any drinks and we had no bread until we requested it. I ordered a crab cake, followed by French onion soup then a Mediterranean chicken dish. Our soups were brought first and mine was very good. Unfortunately the waitress also brought out our other starters at the same time and just left them on the dresser behind us whilst we finished our soups. That was fine for my friend’s salad but of course it meant that my crab cake was cold by the time I ate it, which was a shame because it was tasty. No sooner than our starters were finished our main courses arrived. My chicken looked like something served in a foil tray on an airline and really not very appetising. Then when I tried it, it wasn’t just lukewarm but stone cold. I told the waitress who immediately offered to get me another, but I told her not to bother as I didn’t want it anymore. Tjibbe wasn’t very hungry so persuaded me to share some of his spaghetti carbonara. This in contrast was piping hot and delicious!

 

That was my main issue with the main dining rooms on the Spirit; the food was so inconsistent. Some dishes were fantastic, whereas others were not so good (though never disgusting or awful) and cold, but there seemed to be no rhyme nor reason to it, such as certain servers/days/times etc. Still, this was the only meal I was really disappointed with, and that was just because everything about the dinner seemed to go wrong from start to finish! I was just really upset that this was my final meal with my friends and it felt like a horrible way to end the cruise. I really wished that I had just insisted on leaving everyone when the first group went to eat, saying I would catch up with them afterwards, and had gone to the Italian for a relaxed last dinner by myself. Oh well.

 

My main group of friends met back at the champagne bar to say our goodbyes, and several people left to pack or for an early night but I wasn’t ready for bed yet. Instead I carried on to Galaxy then Maharinis to see everyone else and enjoy a few final drinks together. This cheered me right up and I soon forgot my disappointment of dinner. I was having so much fun chatting that I suddenly looked at my watch and realised it was far later than I thought and I had completely missed the 12am deadline for putting suitcases outside the cabins! Luckily I’m more than capable of carrying my luggage myself as I had an unexpected ‘easy walk off’ instead! I had some small sandwiches and dips from the casino snack area to make up for my lack of dinner so I was happy. I then finally got round to playing the quarter drops in the Casino, which was something I had said I would do all holiday, but never got round to. It was only thanks to Mark suddenly presenting me with a bucket of quarters that made me finally play. This is the extent of my gambling capabilities so I didn’t exactly have to worry about losing much money, but my friends came to watch and found how it is strangely addictive! It really was time for bed by then so I returned to my cabin for my last sleep aboard the Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jlajr]

Ha yes it does! It should give people a good impression of the ship though, reading about both our different experiences. I've been reading and enjoying your review too. Mine will be on hold until tomorrow now as I'm away visiting family, people will need yours to satisfy their Spirit cravings!

 

I agree, and I'm glad you're enjoying my review.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not writing installments of my review on workdays.

 

As you may have gathered, I tend to cruise for the holiday and the ship, rather than the ports and I don’t feel like just because we are in port I must get off. I actually find that this can be the best time to enjoy the ship, when it is less busy.

 

Here, here! :)

Edited December 18, 2013 by jlajr

[BettyBrum]

Fantastic review! Can't wait for my holiday on the Spirit now!

[lara_lox]

Day 10 – Home time :(

 

I woke up incredibly tired as expected from staying up too late the night before! Even though I was now carrying my luggage off myself, I was booked on an NCL transfer so I decided I should still leave at the same time to make sure I didn’t miss it. My allocated disembarkation was at 8am, so I was up at about 6.30am I think, so that I had chance to get myself sorted and have some breakfast first. NCL asked that everyone was out of their cabins by 8.30am, so even if I had arranged a taxi or something instead, I would have only been on the ship an extra hour or so anyway. I went to Windows as I find this a much nicer and more relaxing way to enjoy my last meal. I had poached eggs and some fruit as I tried to wake up a bit! Funnily enough this was also the nicest breakfast I had in the main dining room. There were no lounges allocated as waiting areas – it was just a case of the tag colour being called over the tanoy (but only after 7am, which I thought was considerate, so you didn’t get woken up!) then you made your way off the ship from wherever you were. I encountered no queues, no problems and was fine carrying both my cases. It was a really smooth, easy disembarkation, in complete contrast to the stressful melee that was my last NCL experience on the Epic back in January. I made my way to waiting buses, and there were NCL reps everywhere to tell you which one to get and checking your transfer vouchers. I boarded my bus and that was it, goodbye Spirit!

 

 

I really wasn’t looking forward to my wait at Barcelona airport, because my flight wasn’t until 1.50pm, and even after dropping most people off at Terminal A, I still arrived at Terminal B at around 9am. Last time I flew home from Barcelona airport, the Jet2 luggage drop desks in 2B didn’t open until 2 hours before my flight, which meant I was stuck on the cold, hard benches with just one measly café before security for hours. It wasn’t a fun wait! However this time I was flying with Easy Jet from 2C. It took me a few minutes to work out where I was going but then I was delighted to be able to check my case in straight away. There were no lines for this, or for security, then I was in a large, pleasant space with several shops and cafes. There were big banks of comfy chairs, and I was perfectly happy sat there reading with a coffee (which was deliciously fresh and strong!) all morning. I had also made up a couple of cheese and ham salad rolls at the buffet before I got off the ship, to bring with me, as the food at Barcelona airport has always been disgusting, with only plasticky pre-packed sandwiches available. Again, here there was no need as the baguettes, pastries and cakes at the café I went to looked pretty nice and not too overpriced.

 

After a smooth flight, on which I tried to catch up on some much needed sleep, I was back in Liverpool and back to reality. Another fantastic cruise was over and I was happy to return home feeling that not only had my expectations for this holiday been met, they had been completely exceeded.

 

Thank you for reading, especially if you made it this far, I know I tend to drag these things out a bit lol! But I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about my latest adventures and that I may have given you some helpful information. So until next time guys, HAPPY CRUISING! Xxx

[BlueJai]

Awesome review Lara! I loved every minute of it! Thanks for taking the time to post about your adventures, awesome!

Jai

[lara_lox]

Awesome review Lara! I loved every minute of it! Thanks for taking the time to post about your adventures, awesome!

Jai

 

Thanks Jai, glad you enjoyed it :)

[TracieABD]

I loved your review! (And the week it took to post and read it brought me one week closer to my cruise on the Spirit!)

 

Thank you for taking the time... This was such a gift!:)

[nursesusiee]

Thank you for this wonderful review! You looked like you had an amazing time!

[Big Chippy]

Great review really enjoyed reading it. We were on the Spirit last April and are back on her again this coming March. We, like you, cruise primarily for the enjoyment of the ship itself, the ports of call are a bonus :)

[dollydosh]

Great review Lara, many thank for taking the time to give such detail from your cruise.

 

We are going on the Spirit for the 1st time on 1st March 2014, and am really looking forward to it having read your review.