No "spirits" on the Spirit.......

[BEAV]

Just back yesterday from the unique, post-drydock, 5-night Pacific Coastal cruise on the Spirit.

 

It's hard to imagine a cruise line being able to fill a ship with just 2 1/2 weeks notice. But when you offer $67 per diems for a balcony cabin, they will come. And they came......in droves!

 

We generally always arrive at the pier first thing in order to get in on early embarkation, check on dining reservations, etc. But since there was very little vacation time left to squeeze in this year, and this cruise coming up at the last minute it was necessary for me to work the day we sailed. So I sent my partner ahead to board at Noon to take care of all the necessities. I arrived just before 3:00 (4:00 sailaway) to still find long lines in the terminal. After about 20 minutes, someone finally came by soliciting Latitude members. Never was I happier to be picked out in a crowd! I was told to move ahead and look for the sign for Latitude check-in. On the way, I bypassed row upon row of NCL newbies snaking their way up to the check-in counter. In contrast, the Latitude line had no one waiting....so I was immediately checked in and on my way.

 

No sooner did I board the ship (about 3:30pm) when the computers went down and nobody could get their keys to unlock their cabin doors. Yes, the entire ship was locked out of their cabins! Luckily, my cabinmate was in the room and able to let me in. But no time to waste worrying about keys...time for muster drill.

 

While standing at the lifeboat drill, Gary mentioned he was surprised our luggage hadn't arrived yet since he had been among the first group to board. I suggested that maybe it would be there upon our return from the drill.

 

During the drill, the announcement was made acknowledging the key problem and that it would take approximately two hours to replace ALL the keycards. We would be called by deck to go to the central atrium to pick up a new set of keycards. Employees would be stationed in the hallways to let people into their cabins.

 

Upon return to our cabin, there was a note on our door (rather than the suitcase we had hoped for). Upon further examination, the note said one of our bags (we only brought one!) was "suspicious of containing item(s) prohibited in the passenger contract." Yessiree, the NCL booze cops were in full force in San Francisco! We were to report to the art gallery between 4:00 and 8:00 to claim our bag.

 

So we marched like prisoners down to deck 7 only to find a LONG line of fellow criminals. Locate your bag, get in line and wait your turn for Colonel Klink's inspection. When our turn came, Gary surrendered an entire 1/2 (yes one half) bottle of Crown Royal. He had thrown it in at the last minute while packing just in case we wanted a little nip on our balcony one afternoon or evening. In return he was handed a receipt indicating the hooch could be picked up the morning of disembarkation. A lot of time and trouble all for 1/2 bottle of booze! People who had packed wine could take it to their cabins by paying the $15 corkage fee on the spot. But at least we finally had our suitcase!

 

Back to up deck 10 to drop off our bag, but no one in sight in the hallways to let us in! So we left it outside the door and decided to walk around the ship. It was a fantastic day in San Francisco...warm & sunny. Not a could in the sky and NO fog. We were in for a terrific sailaway under the Golden Gate.

 

We made our way into the Galaxy of the Stars lounge. I always like a ship that has a forward observation lounge, and the Galaxy is one of the nicest we've seen. We ordered a couple of Fosters, and no sooner had the bartender rung them up, and we popped the tops on the cans than an announcement was made that beer and wine were "on the house" until 7:00pm due to the keycard snafu. I'm convinced NCL waited to make the announcement until after our two beers were rung up on the register! It was our punishment for smuggling that 1/2 bottle of Crown Royal! 1800 passengers and free beer and wine for two hours. Do the math between that and the 4 cocktails we would have gotten out of that 1/2 bottle of Crown Royal!

 

But enough about NCL and their liquor policies. You get the picture.....

 

At this point, I'm going to make a list of likes and dislikes of our 5 days aboard this beautiful ship.

 

What I liked.....

 

1. The fact a 5-night cruise round trip from San Francisco even existed. This is SO rare.

2. The Spirit, as a ship. Love her unique design and Asian decor.

3. Windows dining room. Beautiful room with those high ceilings and windows. We enjoyed breakfast there 3 mornings.

4. Central atrium. Love the waterfalls surrounding the piano on the platform.

5. Cabins. We had a balcony cabin on deck 10. Although very standard in size, the balcony was adequate and the bed very comfortable. Liked the duvets. Not a lot of drawer space, but no problem for a 5 day cruise.

6. Cabin bathrooms. Deserve special mention! Wonderful tiled stall shower. Great water pressure. Toilet in separate room that could be closed off from the remainder of the bathroom.

7. Galaxy of the Stars lounge/observatory. As I mentioned earlier, a beautiful venue with comfortable seating and great views. Like the see-through partitions between the observatory and the main part of the lounge.

8. An "observatory" of the bridge. Very interesting design I haven't seen on any other ship before.

9. Variety of dining choices. We had dinner in Gatsby's Steak House, Shogun (both Asian and Tappenyaki sections) and twice in Le Bistro. All meals were very good with higher quality ingredients than are used elsewhere about the ship.

10. Biergarten. We enjoyed sitting here on deck 13 and taking in the sun and great weather. Quieter than the pool deck below.

11. Express disembarkation. Although it was an hour late in actually taking place due to our late arrival back in SF, the concept is great and I'm sure it works well on normal itineraries.

 

What I disliked.....

 

1. The NCL booze cops, obviously. Nothing more need be said!

2. Bingo at 5:30pm in the Galaxy of the Stars lounge. This took away from the atmosphere while trying to view the scenery and sunsets over pre-dinner cocktails. Isn't there anywhere else they can conduct Bingo?

3. Blue Lagoon. Great concept with their 24 hour operation, but they weren't at all organized. We waited 30 minutes (no joke!) for a chili dog! The wait staff is unable to keep track of who comes in when. Chances are you'll be served after others who came in behind you. My suggestion would be to place your order at the counter, be given a number, and they call it when your food is ready. Have the current waitstaff just bus tables rather than trying to provide waiter service in a "to go" type of venue.

4. Inconsistant drink prices. This was a biggie in our extended group. One night we'd get the Latitude 20% discount in the Galaxy of the Stars, the next night we wouldn't. One friend of ours paid a different price for the same cocktail every night he ordered it. When we would questoin the bar server, he would first say it was a computer glitch. Then blame it on the bartender the next time. Then finally just shrug his shoulder the 3rd time. Another friend ordered one type of wine (by the glass) but was delivered something different. When questioned, the bar server simply brought him a 2nd glass (on the house) of the same brand as the first. :confused: The menu outside Shogun (Tappenyaki) listed Kirin and Sapporo for $3.75. When we got our check for the meal, they had charged $5.50. This was on night #4 of the cruise. We were too tired of wrangling over bar prices not to even question it this time. You win, NCL!

5. We had certificates for dinner for two in Le Bistro one night. I asked our server to divide it evenly among our group of four. When the 3 different dinner checks arrived, ours had been properly charged, but she hadn't adjusted the two others. In the end, we had only been given one dinner complimentary rather than the two we were entitled to. While she was able to make the correction, my point is that you have to monitor everything aboard this ship when it comes to your extra charges!

6. Our 2nd time dining in Le Bistro found them running full. They did not have near enough waitstaff to handle the load. This is no way suggests service was indifferent or unfriendly, but rather these poor folks are running themselves ragged.

 

 

Final thoughts and impressions....

 

As I said earlier, the Spirit is a beautilful ship and one of the most interesting I've sailed on. I'm grateful for the chance to sail her on such a unique cruise. Short sailings in/out of San Francisco are not at all common.

 

The Spirit is a ship full of employees who were always cheerful with every encounter. But it is my belief they lack training in conflict resolution. As I mentioned earlier, the bar servers didn't know what to do when questioned about the differing drink prices. This attitude was prevalent in many venues. For example, friends of ours were seated at a table in Windows for breakfast one morning, only to sit for 30 minutes without anyone coming over to them. They remarked how they would watch the service staff stare at them with quizzed looks on their faces. Finally, our friend got up and went to the hostess. Turns out she had seated them in a closed section. Why didn't one of the members of the waitstaff just come over to them and remedy the situation rather than just let them sit there? Good training means taking the iniative to take ownership of a problem or situation. On the last night of the cruise, two NCL security men were in Champagne Charlie's dealing with two women who had accused a bar server of stealing their purse and keycards. Friends of ours who were in the lounge before we arrived felt the women were possibly "scamming" in an effort to get out of paying their ship tab come the next morning. Who knows. The security men interviewed them on and off for a good hour. During this time, various other officers, the cruise director, etc became involved. The whole episode compromised the atmosphere of pre-dinner cocktails with all eyes on the group. When you have a situation like this, take the parties involved aside into a private room so as not to disrupt the bar experience for everyone else.

 

As background, this was my 6th cruise on NCL. It won't necessarily be my last, but I walked away from the ship with the feeling that NCL's primary goal is to bleed me of every possible dime while aboard ship, then secondarily provide me with a vacation experience. In my opinion, there are other cruise lines who may very well have the same primary goal as NCL, however they do it with much more subtleness while providing the vacation experience at the same time.

 

Don't get me wrong - we had a wonderful cruise aboard a beautiful ship. I just won't consider NCL for an extended, major vacation. But for a quick 5-day getaway without airports, you bet! :D

[johnql]

Thanks very much for the review. I've been looking forward to comments about the "new" Spirit following her drydock since I'm booked on the Spirit in February.

[alderaniandad]

Comment on the late arrival in SFO. Actually, we were alongside Pier 35 at 9:00 inspite of the pea soup fog we had coming in thorugh the Golden Gate. However, I guess the Harbor Pilot wanted the ship to back in to the pier because of the heavy or rather swift currents. It took the assistance of two tugboats with their extra power to finally get us swung around so we could back in. Very tedious process and kinda interesting to watch.

[BEAV]

Comment on the late arrival in SFO. Actually, we were alongside Pier 35 at 9:00 inspite of the pea soup fog we had coming in thorugh the Golden Gate. However, I guess the Harbor Pilot wanted the ship to back in to the pier because of the heavy or rather swift currents. It took the assistance of two tugboats with their extra power to finally get us swung around so we could back in. Very tedious process and kinda interesting to watch.

 

Agreed, it was fun to watch them try to back that ship into the dock! What a show!

[electricron]

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed your cruise, sorry to hear you disliked their no carry on alcohol policy. After all, they are in the business to squeeze every last vacationing dollar out of you.

 

By the way, did you see bartender's wands in the lounges, or are the bartenders surviving mixing everything out of soda cans without them?

[BEAV]

By the way, did you see bartender's wands in the lounges, or are the bartenders surviving mixing everything out of soda cans without them?

 

Unfortunately, we weren't sitting anywhere near the bartenders to see how they were mixing. We were too absorbed watching the scenery in the Galaxy lounge, not to mention questioning the ever-changing prices on the bar bill !!!

[BEAV]

The shop which sells NCL logo clothing, etc, was closed the entire cruise as the remodeling work wasn't complete.

 

During the 5 day cruise, workers constructed a poolside grill. As a result, you couldn't get hamburgers or hot dogs in the pool area (except when they did occasional outdoor BBQ's). If you wanted a burger or dog at lunchtime, you had to go to Blue Lagoon on deck 7.

 

There were also many times during the day where you couldn't walk completely around the ship on the promenade deck. This was due to the on-going construction.

 

The ship diagram at each elevator that outlines what is on each deck, lists cabins 13000-13526 on deck 13, despite the fact these cabins aren't there yet. One of our friends spoke with one of the contractors overseeing the remodeling work who said the deck 13 cabins were cancelled due to 400 Polish workers having their visas pulled in San Francisco. Who knows if the contractor who arranged for them to do the work is the one Colin Veitch was quoted on another thread as NCL having the problem with.

 

It was very apparent that construction about the ship was on-going. This did not bother us at all. We felt NCL was smart by marketing the cruise at the prices they did. In our opinion, that made up for the fact the ship is still a work in progress, although sailing revenue cruises simultaneously.

[alderaniandad]

We don not drink alcohol so limited ourselves to the non-alcohol menu. Our prices stayed the same - no problem. The drinks were delicious. There is a bar menu on each of the tables with the prices listed on them. I found that there were a lot of new crew on board and were kinda training under fire if you will. Oh, interesting to note --- a number of the stakk officers have come over from the Norway. No final decision has been made on the disposition of the Norway. Asbestos is the big problem. Cleaning it all up will cost a fortune. There is talk that she will become a training ship for Star and NCL. Just what I heard.

[mrg0433]

Our family is sailing Spirit for Thanksgiving 2006. We just got off RCCL Jewel of the Seas Boston to Bermuda/Caribbean and my DH said he was sick of the nickel and dime stuff on our cruise.

 

We sailed NCL Dawn last December and remembered my daughter warning us about booze cops. We packed a cardboard box of wine in our suitcase and had no problem. It's the bottles that they catch on the scanner. On the Dawn, we could buy a bucket of beers and get one free after 11pm (different bar different times). We always had a stocked fridge. With those deals, it wasn't worth smuggling beer. We always saw lots of people carrying helmets of beer around and figured they also went up to the bars for the 2 for 1 after 11pm to stock up.

 

We loved RCCL Jewel but really missed the freestyle dining and all the restaurant choices on NCL. We've taken two RCCL cruises since the Dawn and felt frustrated with traditional dining eating at the same restaurant, same table, same people, same waiter, same time each night. Fortunately, the newer RCCL ships have alternative restaurants for a price. Forget the older ships with one dining room and one buffet--I won't do that again unless it is a 3-4 night cruise.

 

Another problem we've had with all RCCL ships is that you must walk through a smoke filled casino or piano bar to get to the theater. The NCL Dawn was extremely well designed for asthma sufferers and people with allergies because they have a hallway around the casino. The English Pub on the Dawn was smokey, but you could pass through the non smoking Blue Lagoon next door or even walk outside to avoid the Pub smoke.

Did you notice any problems areas where smoking was a nuisance on Spirit?

 

Finally, the one thing I love on RCCL ships is the solarium with the hot tubs and indoor pool for either airconditioning on hot days or warmth on cold days. Does the Spirit have a nice indoor pool and hot tub? I didn't care for the indoor pool on the Dawn.

 

Summary: ANY 2 FOR 1 BAR SPECIALS AFTER 11PM? ANY SMOKING ISSUES? HOW DID YOU LIKE THE INDOOR POOL & HOT TUBS?

 

Thanks!

 

Mary

Plymouth, MA

[kff1]

We are in our late 50's and this was our first cruise on the NCL. We had an oceanview cabin on deck 5 and had no complaints about the room. There were problems with the key cards the first day, but otherwise it was a great cruise. Many of the staff were new to the ship and they were in training and learning their jobs. We were the guinee pigs, but that is probably one of the reasons for the great price for the cruise. The food was good, service great, and the bar bill was always correct. We tried Cagney's and found are steaks done to perfection as did the other five people in our party. We ate at the free Italian restaurant and also thought the food was good. The entertainment was excellent. We are booked for another NCL cruise this coming March. We have been on 6 other cruises with other major cruise lines and found NCL to rank with the best of them. We enjoyed the free style experience. I would definately give NCL a try. Of course you can not please everyone.

[electricron]

In the Galaxy of the Stars, the starboard side was non smoking, the port side was smoking, and some non smokers didn't figure that out until late in the cruise. :D

In the Spa area, there is a small pool where you swim stationary against the current, otherwise there wasn't an indoor pool. I don't recall seeing any indoors hot tubs. They're all outside. :(

There's a daily special alcoholic and non alcoholic drink, and happy hour times, but I don't remember happy hours being that late.:confused:

[BEAV]

ANY 2 FOR 1 BAR SPECIALS AFTER 11PM? ANY SMOKING ISSUES? HOW DID YOU LIKE THE INDOOR POOL & HOT TUBS?

 

 

Hi Mary,

 

We never noticed any 2 for 1 bar specials after 11pm. Also, the Spirit cabins don't have minibars or refrigerators, making it difficult to store 2 for 1 buckets o' beer. Also I never noticed this cruise running the 1/2 off early bird prices in the alternative restaurants others mention on the more regular sailings.

 

There were two, small indoor lap pools in the fitness center and spa area.

 

We are non-smokers and had no complaints in that area at all.

 

The food was good, service great, and the bar bill was always correct. We tried Cagney's and found are steaks done to perfection as did the other five people in our party.

 

I guess we should have followed you around wherever you ordered drinks! And I had a wonderful filet in Cagney's. Delicious asparagus, too, which surprised me how fresh and tender it was.

[Rat]

Beav, great review! Now. regarding the bottle of Crown Royal, shame on you guys! BUSTED!!!! LOL :p Next time, I'll lower the booze down to you guys when the ship sails underneath the Golden Gate Bridge! :eek:

[Carol & Jim]

Beav, thanks for the review. Think I'll wait awhile for another NCL. Shame on them for taking your booze away!:p

Hey, Rat, forget lowering booze, we better be on whatever ship B & G are sailing under the Golden Gate on next time!! :D

[alderaniandad]

We did not notice the odor of smoke anywhere aboard even in Galaxy Lounge. Hadn't thought of it. The odor of fresh paint at times was very noticable. And the odor of the new carpet was pleasant as well. Every now and then someone's cabin door would be open and you could catch the smokers' odor but was not nearly as bad as it was on the Dream where the smoke could gag you at times. There is a gigar bar next to Galaxy but the door is kept closed so the odor is not noticable outside the room.

[johnsfo]

Beav--Thank you for your thoughtful and well balanced review. When I first arrived to my cabin and could not open the door I asked some staff members if they could help. Their answer was only that I should go to the main reception desk on deck 7. Finally, an officer happened by and told me they could not help as a matter of security. I told him that I had a piece of paper with my cabin number on it. Thereafter, he opened the door. After I went down to the main reception desk on deck 7 to pick up my cabin's new key card, I discovered it still did not open the door to the cabin. One of the staff members let me in and I phoned the front desk. They asked me to come back to deck 7 to pick up a thrid key card. I asked for the Hotel Manager and advised them that a staff member should deliver the third key card. Finally, a supervisor delivered the third key card which worked. I also thought the public rooms on the Spirit, including the decor of the alternative restaurants were particularly beautiful with their Asian themes and artwork. However, even thou I did not bring liquor aboard the ship, I was dismayed at NCL's policy of liquor confiscation and the 15% corkage charge for wine. While I understand that the ship was just out of drydock and there may have been many new staff members on board 'learning the ropes,' I thought the general service provided by staff members was just OK. More important, I got the impression that because NCL's prices are low, they more than make up for those prices by nickle and dimeing passengers everywhere possible. I am very happy that we have so many different cruise lines to choose from--further, I appreciate that there are many people for whom NCL is a favorite. However, I have come to the conclusion that even thou I enjoyed this trip, NCL is simply not for me.

[johnsfo]

Beav--Thank you for your thoughtful and well balanced review. When I first arrived to my cabin and could not open the door I asked some staff members if they could help. Their answer was only that I should go to the main reception desk on deck 7. Finally, an officer happened by and told me they could not help as a matter of security. I told him that I had a piece of paper with my cabin number on it. Thereafter, he opened the door. After I went down to the main reception desk on deck 7 to pick up my cabin's new key card, I discovered it still did not open the door to the cabin. One of the staff members let me in and I phoned the front desk. They asked me to come back to deck 7 to pick up a thrid key card. I asked for the Hotel Manager and advised them that a staff member should deliver the third key card. Finally, a supervisor delivered the third key card which worked. I also thought the public rooms on the Spirit, including the decor of the alternative restaurants were particularly beautiful with their Asian themes and artwork. However, even thou I did not bring liquor aboard the ship, I was dismayed at NCL's policy of liquor confiscation and the 15% corkage charge for wine. While I understand that the ship was just out of drydock and there may have been many new staff members on board 'learning the ropes,' I thought the general service provided by staff members was just OK. More important, I got the impression that because NCL's prices are low, they more than make up for those prices by nickle and dimeing passengers everywhere possible. I am very happy that we have so many different cruise lines to choose from--further, I appreciate that there are many people for whom NCL is a favorite. However, I have come to the conclusion that even thou I enjoyed this trip, NCL is simply not for me.

[johnsfo]

I apologize for the double post.

[Ahhh]

Beav

 

Great review of the cruise! We felt like it was a "dress rehearsal" for alot of the staff who seemed to be new. It was not a problem for us as their heart was in the right place. We also felt that there could have been language barriers for some in comunicating with each other and with passengers. Overall we had a wonderful cruise at a GREAT price!

 

Did you notice any problem areas where smoking was a nuisance on Spirit?

 

Mary,

 

Being allergic to cigarette smoke myself, I can tell you that the ship seemed to be well designed in that area. I only encountered problems in the Pub (they allow smoking in there and it is small - I did not stay), and having to walk thru the casino to get to the new Disco (I ran ;) ). Although they allow smoking in certain sections of both the new Disco and Gallaxy Lounge, I did not find it offensive, though neither were crowded.

[cindycruise]

Beav~thank you for the great review. It was both entertaining and informative. I'm going on the Spirit in December so your information could not have come at a better time. Cindy

[Polish Falcon]

Given the latest reviews of the Spirit...

Given the latest reviews of the Dream...

Given the latest reviews of the entire NCLA Fleet....

 

PASSENGERS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO BRING AS MUCH BOOZE AS CAN BE BE CARRIED ONBOARD...FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES...........

 

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnql]

Methinks the Polish Falcon enjoys indulging in a little hyperbole.

[seahorse]

Just a few thoughts........this was a "shakedown" cruise after the dry dock........new staff.........ship may not be completely finished........computers go fritzie, etc.

 

As far as the "Booze Police" anyone who reads these boards knows this. There should be no surprises.

 

For anyone booked on the Spirit I wouldn`t worry, these glitches will be worked out.

 

Methinks the Polish Falcon enjoys indulging in bashing NCL.

[LFM]

:D Thanks to all for their reviews and info. We're great fans of RCCL and Princess, but we're giving NCL a tryout of NYC in Feb. Hope all goes well or it will be our first and last with NCL.

[BEAV]

For anyone booked on the Spirit I wouldn`t worry, these glitches will be worked out.

 

 

I posted this on a different thread, but it bears repeating here as well.

Any disappointments we had with this cruise (few, actually) weren't so much as problems with the Spirit itself, but NCL as a whole. As it was our 6th cruise w/NCL, we know what to expect service-wise going into a cruise. In the end, it was a very typical NCL experience to us, drydock having nothing to do with it. The Spirit is a BEAUTIFUL ship, and that we all agree on!

 

As to the booze police, we just found the whole incident to be comical when you consider the lengths NCL went to stop us from enjoying a couple of cocktails on our balcony - while at the same time making an announcement that beer/wine are "on the house" for the next two hours!!