A suite Spirit of adventure 3/19-3/25

[vicocala]

Hi, my name is Vic. I am sixty and my wife. Laura is 54. This is our third Norwegian cruise, previously having sailed on the Getaway last June in a Haven Spa Suite and on the Sky in December in a mid-ship balcony.

 

Originally we were booked into a mid-ship balcony but called two weeks out and were able to move up to a Penthouse Suite. #10508

 

Normally we spend the night prior to cruising in the port city, but with Port Canaveral only a couple hours away we decided to risk it on this cruise. We arrived at the parking building at 10:30, paid our $120 to park for the week, passed off our luggage to the porters and found our parking spot.

 

After entering the terminal we quickly made our way through security and entered the suite line. It was empty and we were met and escorted to check-in. The suite cards weren't there so we filled out our health questionaires and were escorted to a roped-off area with plush seating, pound cake, assorted breads and cookies, coffee, tea, water and juice. There were TV screens to watch while we waited.

 

Around 11:10 our concierge, Patrick arrived and welcomed everyone and gave us a form to fill out for any reservations we may want to make. We received the UBP and free DSC's as well as a small OBC for our perks. Once I learned the specialties were going a la carte I decided to by the SDP for five nights. We had Patrick change our first night reservations from Cagney's to Teppanyaki since it can't be prebooked on-line.

 

Soon after, Teodore, our butler arrived with our sign and sail cards and escorted us to lunch at Cagney's. We were told we would have use of Cagney's each morning and at lunch for the duration of the cruise.

 

After lunch we headed up to deck ten to see if our suite was ready. As soon as we reached the floor Dingo Dave the CD came on the horn to announce rooms were ready. Perfect timing.

 

More to come later and if I can answer a question I will. I do not have pictures as I don't use web hosting sites. I'm sorry about that. C05 recently did a great photo review. You might want to check it out. My wife failed to save the dailies but it was the usual stand fare of activities that most lines do.

[NJLVW]

Thank you so much for doing this review. I am excited to read as you go along.

Did you happen to notice Cagney's menu? Does it have the crab cakes, lobster bisque, oysters rockefella (sp), & surf & turf on the dinner menu? Was it difficult getting dinner reservations once on board? I am so excited to be getting ready for my cruise. All information is much appreciated. So, thank you for taking the time to do this...

 

Norma

[vicocala]

Hi Norma! :)

 

The menus were supposed to of changed from what I had read before but the old menus were still in effect with a la carte prices from what I remember from December. For instance, the chocolate fondue is supposedly gone from La Bistro, but it was available last week.

 

I had pre-booked my reservations other than Teppanyaki, but from the boards eveything filled fast over the first two days of the cruise. I recommend booking on line or as soon as you board if you wait. There were 9:30 slots most nights, but not a lot else. You could still try walking up as most of the restaurants had seats open while we dined, but I prefer to be safe.

[NJLVW]

Hi Vic,

 

Do you remember if in Cagney's for dinner they had the crab cakes, lobster bisque & surf & turf? I know it is silly but those items I miss from years ago. Also, we have always just waited until on board to book dinner reservations. Hoping Patrick will be able to get us squeezed in. Love Patrick. Have been fortunate to have had him as our concierge several times now. I have been looking forward to seeing him on this cruise again. How was the room? I did see the pictures from the C05 review. Looks fantastic.

 

Waiting for more of your review. Thank you again.

 

Norma

[vicocala]

I do think they had lump crab cakes. I honestly don't remember if the other two were on there or not. I think there was some kind of surf and turf but I really didn't pay it any attention.

[vicocala]

Day One-Embarkation (Cont.)

 

Our excitement grew as we moved down the long port hallway, foreward. Just as we neared the front facing balconies we saw our door. "The Scorpio Suite" said the sign, and I eagerly stuck my card into the door and took a breath.

 

Entering the cabin to the left facing the forward wall was a great wooden bar, equipped with an ice bucket, a silver tray with cups, saucers, creamers and sugars. Pods of various teas and coffees. A Lavassa (sp?) coffee maker.

 

The mini-fridge was located under the bar as well as extra glassware and a table cloth.

 

In front of the bar, a table for four could be found with a fresh bowl of fruit awaiting us and some chocolate covered strawberries from the butler. There is a doorway with sliding doors next on the left which leads to the sleeping and bathroom areas. The living room had a standard cruise line couch (which could sleep a third person), a small coffee table with roses and other fresh flowers in arrangement, a chair and what appeared to be a 42" flat screen TV.

 

The balcony was small as it did not stretch in front of the bathroom, which was a good thing actually. It had two padded wicker chairs and a small book table. A pretty standard balcony.

 

When turning left through the sliding doors, the real beauty of the suite stood out! A HUGE bathroom consisting of a shower with full length window, a jetted tub with bath salts, a double sink, a makeup desk with Q-tips and cotton balls, and a stand alone bathroom with real actual legroom! Grade A for the bathroom! :) The lack of the balcony stretching across the suite was more than made up for by the size of the bathroom, taking that space.

 

In front of the bathroom, to the left when entering, is the king size bed. It was a full mattress, not the two parter. Small nightstands on each side and a small flat screen TV make up the rest of the room. The artwork in the bedroom and living areas were beautiful.

 

More later....

[Clarea]

Nice start, enjoying.:)

[vicocala]

After enjoying our strawberries we decided to go out and explore the ship. We both thought she was the most beautiful ship we have sailed on. The dark wood, brass and glass just harkens back to another time for me and what I always thought a cruise ship should look like.

 

Laura and I both enjoyed three drinks before sail away from Port Canaveral and were charged Florida State Sales Tax. As we live in the state, it is normal for us. We ended up getting charged a little over six dollars total which went against our unrefundable OBC.

 

While there were lines for drinks the wait was always short. The bartenders work hard and I don't see them being tight with the pours either. The UBP is a perk and despite what some think, NCL wants you to enjoy it. Sooner or later I believe it will be included on all ships if the Sky experiment holds up.

 

3:30 came quickly and that meant muster drill. It went quickly. We did not need to take life jackets to the drill which made it go fast.

 

Tonight we got our reservation for Teppanyaki. I might be spoiled, but my local restaurant is much better in my opinion and I didn't enjoy it as much as some may. If you can go, I recommend trying it, your opinion may be, and probably is different than mine.

 

We ordered some DVD's through our butler. "God is not Dead", "The Hobbit" and one other which ended up scratched and unplayable. We planned on watching them on Monday which would be our first sea day.

 

We were both tired and turned in early. From traveling that day to drinking a few drinks it took its toll and we slept well. Key West awaited us on Sunday before we got that sea day.

[BirdTravels]

How exciting. We will be on board in a few weeks. Thank you very much for your live review!

[Ilikebigboats]

Enjoying your detailed review, I feel like I'm right there with you:)

Sorry you were underwhelmed with your teppanyaki meal, hopefully your next dining experience is more to your liking.

[tlecker]

Thanks for the review. I will be in the same room in 4 days.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[vicocala]

Thanks for the review. I will be in the same room in 4 days.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

You will love it! Tell Teo hi for me! Jun did a great job as room steward as well!

[tlecker]

Was the balcony situated that it provided plenty of sun?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[vicocala]

Yes, it is pretty much a closed loop around Cuba so you get light from all angles during the cruise. Unfortunately it was cloudy every day but Wednesday in Jamaica, but there was plenty of light.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report Vic.

[flapbreaker]

Do you mind saying what the upgrade cost - roughly. Also from what category did you upgrade?

Edited March 30, 2016 by flapbreaker

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your trip report.

 

Keith

[vicocala]

Do you mind saying what the upgrade cost - roughly. Also from what category did you upgrade?

 

It was $500 pp from mid-ship balcony to Penthouse Suite.

[dexddd]

Was that the tall Patrick?

 

We had the new menus last week on POA and in Le Bistro they had the chocolate fondue in a pineapple so not sure if unique to that route but seems they are keeping the fondue at least in some fashion.

[vicocala]

He was relatively tall. He has been with NCL for 13 years if that helps. He was very interested in our day and always stopped by our table when we were having breakfast or lunch.

[vicocala]

Sunday- Key West

 

After a great nights sleep we arose around nine and hurried off to breakfast. The sky was overcast (as it would be every day that was not Ocho Rios) and we went up to the Galaxy of the Stars to watch as we sailed in.

 

Wait...this isn't Mallory Square! We ended up docking at the old Naval base. This was my third time to Key West, so this was a novel experience. Our tickets called for us to meet in the Stardust Theater at 12:15 so we headed back to our room to get ready. Our tour was called on time and we were given the priority escort to the pier that those with ship excursions receive.

 

We were taking the Taste of Key West tour. It was my first tour in Key West as the other two times we wondered Duval Street, hit the small shops and a couple of bars and walked to the marker stating you are at the most southern point reachable by automobile in the USA. This time, being far from Mallory Square and downtown we were provided transportation on the Conch trains that normally provide tours of the Key.

 

We were dropped at the loading area at the corner of Front and Duval and were told to cross the street where Amy our tour guide would meet us. We found Amy and off we went. This is a walking tour of the marina area of Key West.

 

The tour began with stopping at one of the resorts there and it consisted of a snack of two coconut shrimp, jerk chicken on a stick and a conch fritter. There was a bar there of course and you were free to purchase a drink if you wanted. I was leery of the conch fritter and have avoided trying them the last ten years but gave it a try. I'm not a big seafood fan but shellfish are usually ok. It was tasty but chewy. I recommend trying it out, it was much better than I feared.

 

After relaxing for a while watching the boats, we walked the docks and saw some tarpon circling in the water where a fisherman was cleaning his catch. That was followed by a stop at Pepper's. This was a hot sauce bar where you sampled various sauces from mild to some so strong that you tasted them on the end of a toothpick. It was a lot of fun and I noticed only the men on the tour tried the really hot sauces. lol

 

From Pepper's we walked down the street to Kermit's. Kermit's is famous for it's Key Lime Pie dipped in chocolate on a stick. They also carry various other Key Lime treats such as cookies, fudge, jelly beans and of course lime aide to drink. We also learned they have a new product, strawberry creme pie on a stick. We were treated to samples of the various products and each received the Key Lime on a stick. It was rich but yummy!

 

After that the tour ended. We tipped Amy and caught the Conch train back to the ship. It was a nice little tour but one that could easily be self done. Pepper's and Kermit's are open to the public so it is easy to do. It would be a cheap and easy day with plenty of places nearby for local food and drinks.

 

We lounged around the ship the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the UBP package, and prepared to go to Le Bistro for dinner. It was great. I had the Escargot, French Onion Soup and Lamb chops while the Mrs. enjoyed the pork loin. Each trip to Le Bistro has been a good experience and this one was no exception.

 

We were still adjusting to vacation and ended the evening early.

[vicocala]

Monday-Day at Sea

 

First Sea Day! That means a few things for us. The first is the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, the Latitudes cocktail party, a "Dress up or Not" day, hitting the shop, bars and restaurants.

 

We started the day with breakfast in Cagneys and at ten we went to our CC M&G which was hosted by our new friends Tim and Debbie. (Hi if you are reading this!) This consisted of a few snacks, coffee, tea and juice. An introduction to some of the staff followed without a Q&A period. We then proceeded to have a cabin crawl which included an inside, a balcony and our suite.

 

Prior to going down for the meeting I had told the butler we would be doing a cabin crawl. The great guy he was, he left a bowl of trail mix, a plate of cookies and a bowl of m&m's for us to share with our guests. We all enjoyed getting together and with the Spirit being a smaller ship we ran across other members of the group frequently all week.

 

Soon it was time for lunch and that meant another trip to Cagney's. I had the french dip and truffle fries for lunch and passed on desert.

 

At one, it was time to go to the Galaxy for the latitude party. There was a live band, VIP, playing with waiters passing out rum punch, red and white wine. We opted for the punch and danced a couple of dances. The crew was introduced, many we had seen that morning, and door prizes were given away.

 

After the party we headed back to the room. Laura had gotten another DVD to replace the scratched one and watched "Horrible Bosses". I wondered around the ship for a while and came back to catch a nap before dinner.

 

We had previously asked Teo to bring us a dinner menu from the MDR as we wished to eat in as we didn't bring any formal wear. We ordered dinner and about an hour later Teo came in, put a table cloth on the table, set the dinnerware and left us to enjoy a good dinner.

 

Later we picked up drinks at a couple of the bars and wondered around the shopping area of the ship. There was a show that night but we decided to pass. The Captains party was this night but we passed on that too. I'm sure Captain Peter didn't miss us. :p

 

Again, we did not hit the nightlife and retired early to get ready for Grand Cayman.

[vicocala]

Tuesday-Grand Cayman

 

Tuesday morning we had an 8:00 appointment in the Stardust Lounge to gather for the "Taste of Cayman" tour. We gained an hour last night before arriving. We were a bit worried about tendering in when we got up. It was dark and stormy looking. We did stop but we weren't in Georgetown! The MSC Divina was moored nearby and we both used a small pier that I didn't get the name of. Maybe someone can volunteer the information.

 

We started the morning with my typical omlette, potatoes, orange juice, and for this cruise, hot chocolate! We made it to shore without incident and were carried off for our tour from the pier.

 

While the Taste of Key West was about food, the Taste of Cayman was about alchohol. We started out with a visit to the Tortuga Rum Cake Factory and tried samples of rum cake and the liquid variety as well. The location sells their wares as well as various spirits too. Today we sampled chocolate and pineapple and both were great.

 

Our second stop carried the rum idea one step further as we went to the Tortuga Rum Factory where many free samples of rum were tasted, a tour of the production facilities and an interesting story of how they mix their rum by putting it in the ocean 42 feet underwater. Thus their name brand is Seven Fathoms Rum. One fathom equals six feet.

 

Our final stop was Caybrew, the national brewery of the Cayman Islands. One funny thing happened while we were driving to the brewery. A guy in the back asked a question about the people and called them Caymans. The driver bristled and asked if he meant Cayman Islanders. Lol, I don't think the guy realized he just called an entire island of residents lizards. :D

 

The brewery was interesting, but similar in ways to the rum factory. I have been to a Busch factory before so it wasn't anything new to me. We each were given a glass of one of their brews from tap. I tried a dark ale which wasn't bad.

 

Some folks stayed with the driver after the tour to go into Georgetown. We have been several times and there was nothing for us there so we returned to the ship. I had a cheeseburger and truffle fries at Cagney's. We went back to our cabin and enjoyed more treats from Teo and watched The Hobbit.

 

Dinner was a very pleasant surprise as we ate at the Spirit's Italian venue, La Trattoria. I say that because the Italian restaurants always seem to be at most peoples bottom end of specialty dining. I had an amazing minestrone and the Osso Bucco was surperb. I wish the restaurant itself was not part of Raffles but the food was great and Captain Peter dined with another couple while we were there.

[vicocala]

Wednesday-Ocho Rios, Jamaica

 

Wednesday morning was fantastic. We finally had blue skies for the first day of the cruise and temperatures ended up with a high of 88F.

 

We had our breakfast in Windows and enjoyed it. The hash browns are silver dollar processed ones as opposed to diced potatoes in Cagneys. Service was good and we never had any service issues at any of our meals. The service on this ship may be the best we have had on any ship. It certainly rivaled that we received ten years ago.

 

We again went to the theater to meet for our excursions. Some were disappointed as a vendor for the ship canceled two of their excursions. The ship either issued credit or removed charges for those affected. They offered to try to re-book them on any remaining space on other tours with vacancies.

 

We did Dunn River Falls. It was a lot of fun climbing the falls but I recommend you be in at least minimal physical conditioning because it would be hard to climb the falls otherwise. My wife did stumble and fell on her backside and received a bruise. I lost my balance once but was able to recover. I did have a vision of falling backward to the bottom though. I'm not as young as I once was. :rolleyes:

 

The falls was great but as an excursion it was a mess. We got there just fine but for some reason we had to line up just outside while they got our tickets and held us up for a while. Hundreds entered while we waited. :(

 

Once inside we had a walk down an incline (decline?) to meet guides. There was a mob on the ramp. Finally reaching the guides we find out we have to go get lockers to store our stuff. No one told me at the time they could hold our camera and take pictures for us, although the guide did say that right before our climb started. By then I had left my camera in the locker since it wasn't waterproof.:mad:

 

We made the climb although it was very crowded. We finished near noon and when we came out we were amazed that crowds twice as large were waiting to get in. No way I could of enjoyed it with that many people. My advice, go early, bring water shoes (although they could be purchased there) or just don't go.

 

We enjoyed the park, which had some gardens to sit in and we enjoyed a soda after our hard climb and warm day. We exited through the vendors and caught a quick van back to the ship.

 

We ate at Le Bistro again and both dinner and service were sublime. We also caught a song and dance production "Soul rockin' nights" more rock than soul but not bad.

Edited April 2, 2016 by vicocala

[vicocala]

Thursday-Sea Day

 

I'm going to try to wrap this up in this post if I can. We had breakfast and lunch at Cagney's, watched more movies, enjoyed our snacks and for dinner we went to Shogun's. The food tasted great, but Laura and I both had an upset stomach later that night. Service took an hour to receive our entree's despite being amongst the first seated for the evening. The show was Elements which was fantastic. It was packed and we were glad to have reserved balcony seating, another suite perk.

 

Friday-GSC

 

Another overcast day on the cruise. Patrick got us on one of the first tenders and we parked under our favorite shade tree we found in December. This time I wanted to walk to the point to look across and see Coco Cay, RCCL's island. I had seen the view from that side and wanted to see it from this one.

 

We also found hiking trails and used those to reach the goal. Nothing to be seen on the primative trail other than vegatation I can see near my home.

 

We headed back and had lunch. Tonight was Cagney's and everything was great. I had a filet, brocolli, mushrooms and Cagney fries. Excellent.

 

Saturday- Debarkation

 

We arose at 6:00 and did self assist, taking our bags to Cagney's for one last omlette. They opened at 6:30 we ate and Patrick announced he would escort anyone ready at 7:30. We were quickly off the ship and headed back to Ocala.

 

Summary:

 

While we did have a little adventure, we spent more time in our cabin than usual. The poor weather during the week as well as the spaciousness of the suite was condusive to a lot of lounging.

 

We found the service on board to be exceptional, perhaps the best we have ever had. I asked a couple of people what there experiences were who were not in suites for perspective. I was told that the crew was just as good to them.

 

I therefore recommend the Spirit to any who have a chance to sail her. She is a beautiful smaller ship that was a pleasure to sail on. I hope I get another chance someday.

 

Yesterday I booked a December cruise on the Escape. I had planned to do that cruise instead of the Sky last year but a new granddaughter changed our plans. Get those Next Cruise certificates! I wanted to get one but the wife was hesitant, less than a week later we booked another anyway.:rolleyes:

 

Thank you to all of you who followed this review and I wish you happy sailings in your futures!