Hints for the Spirit

[Princess & 4 Princes]

We are cruising for the first time on NCL in June on the Spirit out of Barcelona. We have cruised Disney & RC before. What should we know about cruising on the Spirit? Thanks in advance for all of your hints & tips! :D

[Sauer-kraut]

The Spirit is a unique ship, built for the Asian market. You will find the staterooms to be a lot smaller than what you are used to. She is beautiful inside though.

You won't have the same dining servers, you'll get to eat when you want to, you can eat wherever you choose and you won't have to dress up at all (if you don't want to.)

[buckeye82]

We enjoyed the Spirit. One of my favorite places was the Galaxy of the Stars lounge with big windows looking forward, interesting odds and ends to look at and cozy places to sit and read or gaze out to sea. Be sure to go down the spiral stairs to see the bridge.

 

Champagne Charlie's was a nice place to listen to piano music. I was not fond of the Blue Lagoon or the Shanghai Bar as they were right in a busy traffic area off the atrium.

 

The hair dryer in our cabin was the old fashioned kind with what looked like a vacuum hose coming out of it. The art work and decorations were lovely on this ship and we found the crew friendly and helpful.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Kroozen]

The Spirit is my favorite ship. Definitely check out the bridge viewing area by going down the spiral staircase in Galaxy of the Stars lounge. The Bier Garten on the top deck is a great place for a drink during sail away.

[Princess & 4 Princes]

We enjoyed the Spirit. One of my favorite places was the Galaxy of the Stars lounge with big windows looking forward, interesting odds and ends to look at and cozy places to sit and read or gaze out to sea. Be sure to go down the spiral stairs to see the bridge.

 

Champagne Charlie's was a nice place to listen to piano music. I was not fond of the Blue Lagoon or the Shanghai Bar as they were right in a busy traffic area off the atrium.

 

The hair dryer in our cabin was the old fashioned kind with what looked like a vacuum hose coming out of it. The art work and decorations were lovely on this ship and we found the crew friendly and helpful.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Oh man! I hope the hairdryers got updated in the last dry dock!

 

The Spirit is my favorite ship. Definitely check out the bridge viewing area by going down the spiral staircase in Galaxy of the Stars lounge. The Bier Garten on the top deck is a great place for a drink during sail away.

 

Our CC group is meeting in the Bier Garten for our "unofficial" meet & greet at sailaway! Is the food there free? Obviously, the "bier" isn't! :D

[milolii]

Oh man! I hope the hairdryers got updated in the last dry dock!

 

 

 

Our CC group is meeting in the Bier Garten for our "unofficial" meet & greet at sailaway! Is the food there free? Obviously, the "bier" isn't! :D

 

I do not remember any food there, but there is food below by the pool durning lunch hours.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Froggitt]

Sit near the theatre entrance/exit for the shows, as there is a big rush for dinner when the show ends, and youll end up at the back on an hour long line, or with a flasher.

[KeithJenner]

The Bier Garten regularly had burgers and hot dogs last week.

[mypleasure]

Oh man! I hope the hairdryers got updated in the last dry dock!

 

No they didn't but they are very effective

[AquamarineBreeze]

No they didn't but they are very effective

 

Good to know... Because I refuse to pack extra things like a hair dryer when I'm traveling!

 

I remember reading your last review of the Spirit when you ended up in hospital. I hope you had a wonderful cruise this time round :)

[dexddd]

Search for a post by "computerworks" when he was on the Spirit as he has tons of great pictures.

[buckeye82]

The back of the Spirit is kind of neat too. It has outdoor tables and there is often live music back there. But there is also a tiered lounge chair area overlooking the kids water play area and it was always very popular. It was a little on the cool side weather wise when we cruised, but this area was a little more protected from the wind. Nice area on the ship for some sun, drinks, music and relaxing.

[Princess & 4 Princes]

Awesome tips! Keep 'em coming! :D And thanks so much for all the good suggestions.

 

What time are the shows for the Med cruises? We have kids & are used to eating fairly early, so I am assuming we will get cleaned up after our port excursions, head to dinner & then do the later show, if possible.

[buckeye82]

Awesome tips! Keep 'em coming! :D And thanks so much for all the good suggestions.

 

What time are the shows for the Med cruises? We have kids & are used to eating fairly early, so I am assuming we will get cleaned up after our port excursions, head to dinner & then do the later show, if possible.

 

 

On our cruise in March the showtimes were 7:30 and 9:30.

[mypleasure]

Good to know... Because I refuse to pack extra things like a hair dryer when I'm traveling!

 

I remember reading your last review of the Spirit when you ended up in hospital. I hope you had a wonderful cruise this time round :)

 

Thank You for your kind wishes. We had the most amazing time because my dear friend Armando, the Hotel Director, made it his mission to ensure it. Made some really good new cruise pals too. Spirit is a lovely ship with a great crew.

[gardiner41]

We are planning to book the 22 Day April -May 2015 on the Spirit.

Can anyone tell me average temps and weather at that time.

 

Also how crowded or not the sites will be.

We are hoping/thinking this should be a good time to cruise as the weather will be comfortable, not too hot, and less tourist crowds.

Is this accurate?

 

TIA

[Princess & 4 Princes]

We are planning to book the 22 Day April -May 2015 on the Spirit.

Can anyone tell me average temps and weather at that time.

 

Also how crowded or not the sites will be.

We are hoping/thinking this should be a good time to cruise as the weather will be comfortable, not too hot, and less tourist crowds.

Is this accurate?

 

TIA

I would agree with your assumption. We went June 22-July 3, and it was HOT & the sites were crowded, although several times our guides said that July & August were the busiest. :eek: I'm sure you could google the specific cities and get a more exact idea of the temps, though. I've read some trip reports where people went in Jan or the fall, and it was cold and rainy. I'd rather have sun & heat myself, even if it means more people.

[Princess & 4 Princes]

On our cruise in March the showtimes were 7:30 and 9:30.

 

Oooh, 9:30? No thanks. I guess we'll be working around the earlier show. How was the entertainment quality? Our RC Med cruise in 2012 had HORRIBLE entertainment & the CD was pretty lame, as well. He put absolutely zero effort into his job.

[Froggitt]

You get standard NCL fare.......Elements, the Broadway show medley, magician etc etc.

[mypleasure]

We are planning to book the 22 Day April -May 2015 on the Spirit.

Can anyone tell me average temps and weather at that time.

 

Also how crowded or not the sites will be.

We are hoping/thinking this should be a good time to cruise as the weather will be comfortable, not too hot, and less tourist crowds.

Is this accurate?

 

TIA

 

 

I think it is a good time to do this. The med is incredibly hot and crowded in summer. By going in Spring it will be cooler, but still nice and warm and the sites will be busy but not uncomfortably busy as they can be. There are less families with kids as they are in school at that time of year too. If I was going to do this then I would choose this time of year to do it or September.

[gardiner41]

I think it is a good time to do this. The med is incredibly hot and crowded in summer. By going in Spring it will be cooler, but still nice and warm and the sites will be busy but not uncomfortably busy as they can be. There are less families with kids as they are in school at that time of year too. If I was going to do this then I would choose this time of year to do it or September.

 

Thank you.

This was the good news I was hoping to hear.

We typically try to travel in Cusp seasons so everything is open but the kids are not out of school so there are less of them traveling and the temps are more comfortable for exploring. I went to Mexico in the summer once...learned from that mistake!

 

I see you have experience in the areas we are traveling to.

Would you mind commenting on some must see things to see and do in the Canary Islands and if you have any tours you can recommend that would be lovely.

We are doing a 22 Day on the Spirit in April 2015 Canary Islands and East and West Med.

[cjc3008]

If you want a quieter area for sunbathing or to get out of any prevailing winds go up onto deck 13 where there are more sunbeds too.

[dejanewkath]

April/May is a Fabulous time to go! Weather was amazing. There are still crowds but not too bad.

The entertainment was OK. I thought the entertainment on the Pearl in Alaska was better. I walked out of a few shows. But then, I was up early & out ALL day on amazing excursions in Europe, but Alaska the ports were not my favorite. I'm originally from Seattle so to me it was like looking out my back door.

This is an amazing itinerary, I am doing it again this Sept with a friend.

[gardiner41]

April/May is a Fabulous time to go! Weather was amazing. There are still crowds but not too bad.

The entertainment was OK. I thought the entertainment on the Pearl in Alaska was better. I walked out of a few shows. But then, I was up early & out ALL day on amazing excursions in Europe, but Alaska the ports were not my favorite. I'm originally from Seattle so to me it was like looking out my back door.

This is an amazing itinerary, I am doing it again this Sept with a friend.

 

Thanks for the feedback :-)

 

Like you we will be up early and gone all day touring so the entertainment and shows are of lesser importance.

 

If you have links to any of the tours you did or have some specific things in certain ports you recommend I would love to hear your suggestions.

 

Thank you!:)

[dejanewkath]

But of course!

What we did/what we are doing this time

Athens - DIY - We walked to the train station & went to the Acropolis. Go early! Lines get long. Before entering walk to the edge & stand on the rocks & just breath in the view of the city. WOW!

Spent a few hours there. Walked the back way out to find a place for lunch. Did a little shopping. Don't miss the iced cappuccino. VERY different from here & SOOO good. Getting THREE this time!

Doing the same thing this time.

 

Kusadasi, Turkey - different port - did not do Ephesus last time & regretted it. Definitely doing this time. From this port I believe you are able to do Ephesus & the bazaar. I also believe this is a port you can DIY. Go to the meet & greet 1st day at sea, find some people you like or make some acquaintances on the roll call & share a taxi. MUCH cheaper.

 

Istanbul, Turkey - another DIY port for me. We walked to the Mosque, stopped at a great sweet & coffee shop on a triangulated corner (Clean potty break as well). Another port you can share a cab if you like, but the walk is doable. IMO, stay away from the Grand Bazaar, all knock offs, I saw fake silver & WAY overpriced. I will do Spice Market & there were lots of great shops outside of Grand Bazaar. I bought 20 Pashminas for my store. The Blue Mosque was ok, I want to do the Hagia Sophia this time but again, go early. The lines to this can be brutal. Dress appropriately. No shorts, knees & shoulders must be covered, bring a shawl or use theirs. On the way back to the ship the fog was coming in & the hills across the water looked like a floating city. Have your camera ready because it goes away quickly!

 

Mykonos, Greece - Although pretty, a little boring for me. I am not a beach person. We went ATVing ($25). Roads are very narrow. We did see some pretty doors that go to nowhere, some farm life, some windmills. After a few hours I was sort of done, and COLD! Bring a light jacket or shawl. It was very pretty though just my least anticipated port to go back to. I plan to possibly rent a scooter this time (my traveling companion is 64!). It is cheap, about $25, the gas tank will be EMPTY! Fill right away. If on a Sunday the gas stations close at 1 or 2. When we were done we walked a little & did a little shopping. There are some lovely beaches if that is your thing.

 

Naples, Italy - We did 3 tours with Joe Banana Limos, I highly recommend them. If you do 3 ports you save 50 euros per port. I will be DIY for everything but Florence & maybe Rome as they are so far from port. I recommend this also. We did the tour to Pompeii, Amalfi Coast & Sorrento. It was lovely.

This time I am DIY. Walking through Naples, I want to see 'The Veiled Christ' statue. We will walk to the train station & take it to Herculean. From there if time we will go to Vesuvius or to the next train stop that looks interesting. I also LOVE small villages, so we will see.

 

ROME - ROME - my favorite! Athens was my close 2nd. We will be flying into Rome for 3 days first so still not sure what we will be doing here. What we DID do was through Joe Banana - The best of Rome tour. The Vatican Museum (couldn't do Basilica because the Pope was there that day). Next was the Coliseum, then the Trevvi Fountain, we saw the Forum from above, drove past many sites, went into a few others. This is a WHIRLWIND tour seeing much! I loved it. Since I will be on the ground for a few days I might opt for Tivoli Gardens. Since this port is so far away, you really do need transportation. There is a train, but people we knew did this & the return was VERY crowded, hot & stifling.

 

Florence - We met Joe Banana Mercedes Limo & went straight to Pisa. I did not want to do this but everyone else (private tour of 8 I put together on roll call) did. It was beautiful. AND it was an anniversary of Lamborghini & we saw about 300 of them parading through! Next we went to the Academia for David. A rather small museum but beautiful sculptures including the main attraction, David. Then to Florence for lunch & shopping. It is a lovely city & had the best leather prices of all the cities in Italy we visited.

We will do close to the same, not sure about Pisa, substitute the Uffizi for the Academia.

 

Provence (Toulon), France - DIY day again. We started to walk to some park with a friend. Gave up after a half hour of nothingness. Went back to street market. I loved street markets. Not a lot to do. Might do a tour into Provence this time. I don't drink so no wine country for me. I love lavender so see if I can find a field!

 

I did not care for Barcelona - But I think after 3 weeks we were just tired & tired of spending money. I did not find good food until last night (3 days here). Others will differ with me here. My experience in talking about Barcelona is people hate it or love it. I did not plan out Barcelona the way I did everything else. So there you go.

 

So there you go. About as close to a review as I have ever written ! WHEW!