New to Norwegian, but not cruising

[Cigar Dude]

Hi everyone. Some of you may know me from the Carnival boards. We're looking at a 12 day European cruise on the Spirit. It looks amazing. Anyone familiar with this cruise?

 

Looking at a balcony room. The only bad news is I see where cigars are not allowed on the balcony. That seems strange since you can smoke cigarettes out there but...apparently that's the rule.

 

Where is the cigar bar onboard? Which deck, which part?

 

What about cigar smoking on the open decks. Which side does Norwegian designate? Etc.

 

Looking at some pics of the interior of the ship it appears to be quite ornate. If you have any pics to share please do so.

 

The ports look really good. If things come together in the next month or so we'll be booking this for April, 2015.

 

Any input from you is welcome.

[Cloudyrain]

The Smoking Room is fwd deck 12 just inside of Galaxy of The Stars (my favourite room in the world ever!).

 

There was smoking on deck areas, but I don't know if cigars are included - I guess they would be, but didn't notice any.

 

We went a few weeks ago. Briefly I personally think:

- spend time in Barcelona if you can, theres loads to see;

- do guided tours in Morocco (we loved the Hassan Mosque and Casablanca NCL tour);

- do Funchal on your own;

- Be prepared to not dock in Lanzarote so look into Tenerife too just incase;

- there are loads to things to see in Malaga, but probably avoid doing the Gibralta trip as there are customs issues there for the forseeable.

 

We had a balcony room and really liked it (11560 - nice and quiet, but a bit of a walk from the stairs).

 

In April be prepared for some possibly cooler/showery days - it won't be scorching.

 

P.s. Sorry if I have just said something that you already know as an experienced cruiser - I'm a bit of a newbie myself, but only having just been thought it might be useful stuff :)

[Cigar Dude]

I should have clarified;

 

Our cruise is the 12 day to:

Barcelona (embark)

Provence

Florence

Rome

Naples

sea

Mykonos

Istanbul

Kusadasi

Athens

sea

Venice (disembark)

 

REALLY nice itenerary! :)

[kcwingwalker]

You will love the Spirit:)

[russianmom]

Welcome!

 

The Spirit is my favorite NCL ship.

 

She was made for the Asian market so looks and feels different than the other ships in the fleet.

 

The staff is the friendliest I have encountered.

 

Freestyle, in my opinion, is the best thing, eat when you want, where you want and with who you want!

 

Computerworks takes awesome pictures :D

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1740735&highlight=spirit+pictures

[mypleasure]

The 12 day Grand Med is a fantastic itinerary, I have done it twice.

 

The Spirit is an older ship but a very nice ship with an excellent, friendly crew. Someone else has pointed out the location of the cigar bar. Smoking is also allowed on the Port side on deck 7 and the port side of deck 12.

 

April is not a bad time to go unless it is easter. The weather will not be too hot like it will from Mid June to September and the big cities will not be as crowded. Easter is different as it is a major holiday in Europe and schools have 2 weeks holiday meaning places will be busier, fares higher and the ship more crowded.

 

It is a very port intensive trip and very tiring. The freestyle system is incredibly well suited to this itinerary, you just eat where you want to when you want to so no rush when you get back from your day touring to get ready for your dining time. There is no formal night either which is another burden off your shoulders.

 

I might do this a 3rd time this May or maybe switch to the Jade for something different but I would recommend this cruise to anyone.

 

I am sailing on the Spirit in a little short of 3 weeks time. Great ship.

[Stu K]

Thanks Cloudy Rain those tips work for me!

 

How easy is Madeira on your own we looking at cable car and tobogon! Monitoring Gibraltar at the moment as i really fancy the trip. Hope things settle.

 

Stu K

[nw_man]

I should have clarified;

 

Our cruise is the 12 day to:

Barcelona (embark)

Provence

Florence

Rome

Naples

sea

Mykonos

Istanbul

Kusadasi

Athens

sea

Venice (disembark)

 

REALLY nice itenerary! :)

 

Kind of did that cruise last year, with a very few small alterations in ports ( plus we did it backwards ).

 

I did a short review on Tripadvisor at the time if you are interested :

 

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10703-k5891995-NCL_Spirit_Review_Oct25th_2012_Eastern_and_Western_Med-Cruises.html

 

 

If not, move on, nothing to see :D