Spirit 1 NT-Review from 1st Time Cruiser

[CatskillsMom]

First of all, this review should not sway anyone from trying out the Spirit. Obviously, a much better and informed review would come from a full cruise. I will say that I did a lot of research on this ship and the Dawn prior to this sailing. I treated my best friend to this 1 night dinner cruise for her birthday and to get a feel for the ship because we are thinking of booking a last minute cruise for January (11 day S. Caribbean). The longer trip would include our spouses and 2 - 10 yr old kids. We were trying to decide between the two ships.

 

We are both in our mid-thirties and we like to travel and experience the good things in life but we're not divas either. In our daily lives, we're jean-wearing, sneaker-loving, no fuss gals who treat people the way we wish to be treated. We try to approach things with a sense of humor and we understand when things aren't perfect.

 

We easily made our way from upstate NY via the train to Penn Station and then hailed a cab waiting right outside, to the pier, which was only about 10 minutes away. Cab fare was around $7.00. We arrived at 11:am and checking in was fast and hassle-free. We were guided toward the 'newbie' section in the terminal to sit down and wait until we could board the ship which began at 11:30. There were only about 20-30 people waiting with us at this time. I must admit, we were jealous of the 'Latitudes' folks buzzing through the 'other line' while we sat there anxiously waiting to board! Lucky you-know-whats!;)

 

Well, we finally boarded and the grand atrium was very nice, like being in a a very large & swanky hotel lobby. We immediatley went over to the reservations table (thanks to CC members for that tip or we would have likely passed it by) to make a dinner res. for Cagneys. The only slot open was 6:30 or after 8:00. We booked 6:30 because we wanted to see the 8:45 comedy show starring David Naster.

 

Accommodations:

We happily trudged up to Deck 10 to our inside cabin #10519. Having never been on a ship, we immediately commented on the skinny cabin doors. We entered and the room was smaller than I imagined but fine for the two of us. The only problem was it wreaked of cigarette smoke but it wasn't worth complaining about for a 1 night stay. (We did request 2 more pillows and 2 more towels which were delivered to our room while we were out exploring.) The beds were narrower than a normal twin bed but comfortable. The duvets were very nice, comfy & warm. I completely disagree with anyone who says the in-cabin blow dryers are good. Ours was terrible, it took me a good 10-15 minutes to adequately dry my hair and I don't have overly thick hair (to put it in perspective, my home dryer takes 4-5 minutes). It didn't help that the air blowing out of the dryer also wreaked of smoke. That was nice:rolleyes: . It made me wonder how I could do an 11 day cruise with that thing. It would irritate me to have to put that much time into my hair every day as I'm not a primper. I just want to GO, which hubby loves. Bathroom was clean and a decent size, shower was GREAT with good pressure. Overall thought on the inside cabin: not bad for two people but I'm not so sure I could deal with it for 11 days with my DH and my 10 yr old son. We would definitely have to take turns getting ready so as not to walk into each other every time we turned around. I brought a travel clock, thank goodness. Those inside cabins mixed with a little drinking...& you could likely sleep until noon and not realize it! Our cabin was very quiet. I would definitely choose deck 10 again or any deck sandwiched in between cabin decks.

 

The Ship/Crew:

I had done so much research that it seemed like I had been on the Spirit already. It was smaller than I imagined but very clean and very nice. Everything seemed to be in tip-top condition. The carpets definitely looked new and we didn't notice any signs of wear or rust or anything. We boarded the ship early enough to check into our room and then go have lunch & explore. The crew was always smiling and they always acknowledged us when they passed by. One bartender in particular was making our drinks and poured the normal 'shot' of rum, he looked around and then poured more into our glass since nobody was around to see him do it. Needless to say , he got an extra tip! :D All the bartenders were super friendly.

 

The Tivoli Pool was much smaller than I thought it would or should be. I can't imagine when the ship is full on a sea day that you can even get a chance to get in there. It's got to be annoyingly crowded.

 

We explored every deck other than full cabin decks and we saw everything during the afternnon hours when it was dead. Most people seemed to board the ship between 3-5pm. The spa, gym, indoor pool area was o.k., nothing jaw-dropping. The observation/bridge area was very cool. Our favorite public room was Galaxy of the Stars. I liked the layout, the views, the overall ambience.

 

Restaurants/Food:

We decided to eat lunch at Windows. We had a lovely table for two by the window overlooking the pretty brown Hudson River..lol! Windows is a very nice restaurant but the food wasn't the greatest. My Goulash soup was good but my entree of Shrimp with creamy noodles was very bland. The desserts were also very plain. I don't care what that menu says..that is NOT New York Cheesecake. It was dry and bland. We also had the 'Cooking Light' Butterscotch Cream Pie. It sounded good but the texture was really nasty, almost like a cross between custard and jello but firm. Ewww. We ordered a bottle of wine, didn't finish it and they offered to save it for us for dinner. Service was fine here and I'm sure the other food choices were better.

 

We ate dinner at Cagneys. One word: AWESOME!! They brought out our saved bottle of wine with no hassle. We both had Filet Mignon. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and cooked perfectly. We also had steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. I ordered the green peppercorn sauce to top my filet and my friend ordered horseradish/sourcream for hers. Really delicious and the freshly baked rolls in both restaurants were to die for. We ate them ALL and asked for more! The nerve of us!...lol! We chose the Chocolate Obsession for dessert, it was o.k. but not a match to the rest of the dinner.

 

We had breakfast at Raffles Buffet in the morning. It was crazy busy due to the nature of this one night cruise. The food was good with lots of choices.

 

Entertainment:

We went to see the comedian in The Galaxy of the Stars at 8:45pm. It was hyped as 'absolutely hilarious' and a 'must see'. He was awful. We snickered maybe twice during the whole show. He didn't seem to have his own schtick. His humor was based on audience comments i.e.: "Who is from New Jersey?" and then he would proceed to ask them questions and make a joke. It was unfunny and lame. We like observational humor like Seinfeld or George Carlin. This guy was even doing fart jokes for Pete's sake. How old are we?? I think he was probably hilarious to the folks who had 14 margaritas before the show. Maybe that should have been a requirement to see him:rolleyes: . We stayed for the full 45 minutes just because we were full and relaxed and content not to move for awhile.

 

After that was over...we went to the show in the Stardust Theatre. The theatre is very nice and there didn't seem to be a bad seat in the house.

The show was called 'Standing Room Only' and the performers did songs/dances from popular Broadway shows from Rent to Chicago to Les Miserables. It was pretty good if you like that sort of thing. The only part they really failed at was singing the Billy Joel songs. The guy singing had a very weak voice and it sounded very amateur.

 

We checked out the Art Auction, barely a soul there plus the art wasn't anything to write home about. We admit we're not art afficionado's.

 

The casino was decent, good size. We went when it was closed in the afternoon with the idea to come back later to play. Well, we stopped back that evening and it was so smoky and stuffy that we had to turn around and leave. We couldn't stand it. We also noticed this at Henry's Pub. We wanted to check it out but we weren't even in the door and you could smell the smoke pouring out of the pub. Turned around and left again.

 

This was our first 'cruise' so it was fun for us to get away and we had a good time. We realized that sea sickness was probably not a concern for us. We barely felt the ship moving. A little vibration here and there and a sway every now and then but nothing that bothered us. However, we're left with the feeling that we might want to experience a ship that offers more if we go on a family vacation. I wonder if the Dawn may be better suited for us for an extended cruise since she's larger (?)

 

The Spirit is pretty and I can see why many people love her but personally I wasn't in major awe or overly impressed by this ship.

 

For anyone who is curious; we ended up spending an additional $255.00 for drinks/dinner. It sure adds up fast!

 

I have the current Spirit CD, ACD names at work. I'll post them to

Intrepids thread tomorrow.

 

I look forward to seeing reviews from the cruise that's out this week!

[Don Haynes]

Thanks for your review. Yes the lunches in the main restaurants aren't as good as the dinners. The speciality restaurants do offer better food and service, but is it worth the extra price? The lounges and casino do reek of smoke on a one night cruise, everyone out partying. The value of the entertainment and the quantity isn't as great either on a one night cruise.

 

The balcony cabins do offer some more room in each cabin, and lets the early morning sunshine in. The inside cabins are for those who prefer to sleep in late. When you book the Dawn you'll notice that the pool on the Spirit is larger and deeper, the lounges and casino on the Spirit are larger, the children's area and the video arcade on the Spirit are larger, and the inside cabins are similar in size.

 

On a 7 day cruise, not eveyone hits the casino the same night, or the lounges, hopefully spreading the smokers out somewhat....

[shoreguy]

Thanks for the review - so you think the pool on the spirit is small - one of the largest. :D

 

Hope you had fun - As I warned the one day is a different experience - 2000 passengers trying to do it all in a matter of hours.

[electricron]

Inside cabins are almost impossible to air out. That's a major reason why non smokers should get a balcony cabin, at the least. The ability to open the glass door and air out the entire cabin is worth the extra price.

 

All ship casinos can be filled with smoke. Also, on the Spirit, there should be some smoke free areas onboard. The starboard side of every lounge should have been smoke free, as smokers are confined to the port side of the ship or area.

[shoreguy]

Inside cabins are almost impossible to air out. That's a major reason why non smokers should get a balcony cabin, at the least. The ability to open the glass door and air out the entire cabin is worth the extra price.

 

All ship casinos can be filled with smoke. Also, on the Spirit, there should be some smoke free areas onboard. The starboard side of every lounge should have been smoke free, as smokers are confined to the port side of the ship or area.

 

The problem on the one day is many have no clue. On the Dawn one day port starboard smokers everywhere. 10 guys standing just outside the entrance to the pool area on the non smoking side all with cigars. It was a bit much and I smoke:eek:

[Polish Falcon]

Many Thanks For Your Review!!

 

So...Are you going to book the Jan Cruise????????

[thewolffs]

I did the 1-nighter also. I've been on the Dawn twice. If I had to pick, it would have to be the Dawn. I didn't dislike the Spirit. It was a very nice ship. I just found myself comparing it to the Dawn the entire time. It reminded me of the Dawn in some ways, but smaller with a more Asian decor. I would do the Spirit on a shorter cruise, but I don't think I would like it for a 10 or 11-night cruise. Although, if the price was right, I may change my mind.

 

The Negatives:

It was the little things I missed. On a longer cruise, I think I would miss having the 2 other free restaurants. I would miss having a fridge in our cabin and filling it up with the 2-for-1 specials at night. Only the Dawn has that. The Blue Lagoon on the Spirit didn't have my favorite buffalo wings and the Lo Mein didn't have the cashews in it like the Dawn. Like I said, it is the little things. Most people wouldn't even notice something like that. If I had never been on the Dawn, I wouldn't know what I was missing. I also didn't love the layout of the ship. I felt like I was always running into dead-ends. I'm sure after a few days, I would get used to it. The pool area did feel crowded. There are hardly any lounge chairs near the pool. The sundeck above the pool was very crowded. There is barely any room to walk around the lounge chairs. I couldn't imagine getting a chair on a sea day. I also liked the atrium on the Dawn better. The Spirit doesn't have the Java Cafe in the middle of the atrium like the Dawn. I loved sitting there on the Dawn. The Spirit has a coffe cafe over to the side with a few chairs and couches to sit on.

 

The Positives:

The pool was nice and the hot tubs were great. I loved the outside bbq buffet area. Le Bistro was fabulous as always. The new lounge in front of the casino is really cool. The casino itself is nice. It seemed pretty big. I loved Galaxy of the Stars. The new gift shop and photo gallery were nice. The back of the ship is really neat. There is plenty of outdoor seating. I could imagine bringing my meals from the buffet out there in warmer weather. The kid's pool area is great.

 

It is hard to get a feel for a ship in 24 hours. I'm glad we did the 1-nighter. It was a fun night out.

 

Christie

[flashdog_1]

Thanks for the review. We're doing two two-nighters and I think I know after reading your review, what to expect, in comparison to a longer cruise. I'm taking my adult kids on one, and they may be deterred because of the crowded feeling on a shorter cruise where everyone is trying to do it all in a short period of time, but I'll let them know it's more relaxed on longer voyages. Short cruises, are, however, a nice, relatively inexpensive way to experience more ships.

[sclauss]

Christie - I agree completely! I too went straight to Blue Lagoon for the Chicken Wings and was soooo disappointed! The chili also wasn't as good. I didn't like the atrium nearly as much and don't remember the casino on the Dawn being that smokey. Also, the slot machine variety on the Dawn was much better (only 3 Wheel of Fortunes!). I also missed the jacuzzis in the spa and those wonderful lounge chairs in the spa area to sit and stare out at the wake. There are no indoor jacuzzi's.

 

I was totally spoiled twice on the Dawn being in the Owners Suite and the balcony cabin on the Spirit was very small. The beds were very hard even with the egg crate mattress but after coming in at 3am, I passed out anyway!!! I'm going on 12/8 for the 10 day and am hoping the experience on the 10 day will make me grow to love the Spirit as much as I love the Dawn.

 

It was fun seeing Chris the casino manager from the Dawn!!! A familiar face. He's moving on to the Jewel this week.

 

Sharon

[bragstarr]

Michelle,

 

No cruise ship has a big pool! I think those of us who used to watch the Love Boat and were never on a cruise imagined Olympic Size swimming, but the truth of the matter is, they are TINY! My first cruise was on Explorer of the Seas, bigger than ANY NCL ship, and the pools were not exactly big....

 

On another note, I've been on 4 cruises, three of them in an inside cabin. I never, ever smelled smoke in any cabin I've stayed in. I do wonder if they were in such a hurry to get people on to get the most time they could for their one day experience, and try to positively impress them, that they did not clean and disinfect as well as they could have. Just a theory.

 

I have to say all these reviews of the Spirit vs. Dawn have me a bit on the Fence. We went on Dawn early this year and are booked on Spirit for next. Wanted a change of ship, and had heard great things. But the two things that keep coming up praising the Spirit are the kids facilities and the casino, neither of which I have much use for (OK, maybe I'll spend some time at the 25 cent slots). I guess I'm going to sit on this a bit more until I hear from the people who go on the longer cruises....

 

If you weren't overly impressed by Spirit, and have never been on a long cruise, I would definitely suggest Dawn. I did 7 days inside cabin with my 18 year old son and husband. It wasn't bad, we were hardly in there, but it's no bigger than on Spirit. There's just more ship on the Dawn to explore!

 

Robin

[MarkMark]

I was on the 1-nighter as well and feel your comments were pretty accurate. However, I saw the comedian at 10:45 and did enjoy it. (bette show or more drinks?)

 

I was very impressed with the kids area, lots of space an room, and a great water play area. With regards to the small pool, this ship was originally built for the Asian market. The market there is much less of a sun/water crowd, and much more of an entertainment/casino crowd.

 

The ship was elegant. The food was good (ribs at the BBQ were excellent). Casino was packed (only one night for everyone to try their luck). Overall I was not dissapointed and enjoyed the night.

[e.durban]

Some things you just come to accept with ship travel...like smallish pools! We had lunch on the Spirit yesterday (Saturday) and were surprised at how LARGE the pool was! Certainly bigger than the Dawn's. Lots of great public rooms and the Galaxy of the Stars Lounge was tremendous...so many great window seats overlooking the water (and just slip down that spiral staircase to the glassed-in observation area for the Bridge.) The Spirit is full of unique and eccentric touches. We loved the Dawn (for 11 days) but we can't wait to get back onboard the Spirit...

[CatskillsMom]

The Spirit pool is bigger than the Dawn's, huh? Wow. Guess we won't be swimming on sea days!

 

I think I would definitely have to go with a bigger cabin next time. I was hoping to see some of the other cabins on this 1 nighter but never had the opportunity. I tried to 'peek' in when someones door opened but I didn't want to be rude.

 

BTW-I appreciate all the info from CC members prior to this cruise and expect I'll be asking some more questions for any future cruises.

[shoreguy]

The Spirit pool is bigger than the Dawn's, huh? Wow. Guess we won't be swimming on sea days!

 

I think I would definitely have to go with a bigger cabin next time. I was hoping to see some of the other cabins on this 1 nighter but never had the opportunity. I tried to 'peek' in when someones door opened but I didn't want to be rude.

 

BTW-I appreciate all the info from CC members prior to this cruise and expect I'll be asking some more questions for any future cruises.

 

Well here are the two pools Spirit embedded. Dawn attached

 

[thewolffs]

I think the pool's are around the same size, but the area around the pool is bigger on the Dawn.

[shoreguy]

I think the pool's are around the same size, but the area around the pool is bigger on the Dawn.

 

And almost twice as big on the Jewel with two pools:)

[alioness]

We ( group of 5 adults ) all just had the most amazing holiday on the Spirit. We were spoiled rotten! I can't imagine a freindlier. more fun loving, helpful crew anywhere. I still miss them so much and still see their smilimg faces in my head all the time. The service was incredable on all levels.

 

The pool was never a problem. We had so many hot day and lots of them were at sea days. It never felt crowded. We had so many fun filled pool party games. We laughed so much at the antics of these most wonderful cruise hosts. They provided us with so much fun. There was always quiet spots for the sun lovers and readers to enjoy themselves as well.

 

Our group was a mixed age. My Mom is 80 and had a wonderful time. Everyone was so helpful everywhere. Onthe pool deck they would get her chair for her, escort her to and fro ( esp. Billy as worked that area a lot) Every time we entered the pool area he would say " Grandma over here " and take us straight to her. It was like we became one huge family. My husband and I are in our mid fifties and had a blast like we haven't in years. Also we seemed to have adopted a number of crew member that are welcome in our home anytime as we would love the chance to repay them all they did for us. Our daughters are in their twenties and even though they were a minority age group they also had a blast. There were so many fun activities planned that a person could never get bored. There were always quiet, peaceful areas for those that wanted to relax. We just had to open our mouth and suggest that we would love to do.....anf Julie the CD was right on it and arranged whatever we requested.

 

All the officers and front desk personnel were first class and personable. They went out of their way to get to know us individually. Once after going the the Martini Clinic ( not to be missed, a most generous experience) my mother happened to mention how much she enjoyed it, the officer in charge booked two more before the trip was over. This is what it was like with everything. If you opened your mouth they went out of their way to please us. One time they were painting below our balcony somewhere and we got the smell of paint in our room so I phoned the front desk just to inquire how we might remedy the problem. It was delt with right away and about 20 min later an officer and an engineer came up to our room to check that all was well and to appologize.

 

On this cruise we were always treated like royalty even though we were typical, average, mid income people.

 

We can't thank NCL enough for make this trip a vacation we will always remember as "the time of our life"

 

Ask any quetions you like and I'll try to answer, keeping in mind it's back to reality and I do work so it may be a while before I anwser.

 

Barb

[Glamourgal]

Wow have you inspired me!! We are going on the Spirit June 3 (late 40's) with our 3 grown kids 19, 22, and 24. I was a little concerned about them. This will be their first cruise. What did you daughters do at night? They are all pretty positive kids so I think they will have a great time and after reading your post I feel very confident. Thanks.

[alioness]

Your kids will be so well taken care of and have such a good time. We often saw the kids escorted around the ship and into the theater to see the shows that were appropriate for them. They always looked like they were having fun. We personnally heard reports about how well they were taken care of and what fun they had. It will be great!!

 

Barb

[intrepid_guy]

I am SO looking forward to my trip on the SPIRIT!!! Still 2 months and 7 days to go, and I am dying!! I am going to NYC tomorrow for the Macy's parade and staying thru Sunday... I am going to make sure I get to the top of the ESB or 30 Rock because the SPIRIT will be in port on Sunday!!! I don't know if it will help to see it, or only make the waiting worse...:confused:

 

I hope to read many more reviews in the next 2 months.

 

~Intrepid

[intrepid_guy]

I am SO looking forward to my trip on the SPIRIT!!! Still 2 months and 7 days to go, and I am dying!! I am going to NYC tomorrow for the Macy's parade and staying thru Sunday... I am going to make sure I get to the top of the ESB or 30 Rock because the SPIRIT will be in port on Sunday!!! I don't know if it will help to see it, or only make the waiting worse...:confused:

 

I hope to read many more reviews in the next 2 months.

 

~Intrepid

[SailAways]

We thought the pool looked huge for a cruise ship - we were awed by it, and the surrounding hot tubs.

The ship itself didn't seem small to us at all either.

We too had an inside cabin, and for the two of us, it was perfect. No smoky smell in either our cabin, or others whom we were traveling with.

The ventilator in the bathroom runs constantly to keep the room feeling

and smelling nice. We had taken along Fabreeze Air Freshener just in case, but did not need it at all.

The room steward will provide an air purifier for you upon request if your

cabin indeed has any type of odor. The folks down the hall from us did

exactly this, and were very satisfied with the outcome.

It is a shame that you did not have longer on the ship to truly appreciate

all of it's unique beauty.

Hopefully, your next cruise experience will more fully fill your shipboard desires.

[flashdog_1]

How did they handle gratuities for a one nighter? Were you required to tip in cash or could you still put them on your sea pass? Thanks.

[Maryfrei]

How did they handle gratuities for a one nighter? Were you required to tip in cash or could you still put them on your sea pass? Thanks.

 

Same as a longer trip, $10 pp per day added to the account.

[Maryfrei]

We thought the pool looked huge for a cruise ship - we were awed by it, and the surrounding hot tubs.

The ship itself didn't seem small to us at all either.

We too had an inside cabin, and for the two of us, it was perfect. No smoky smell in either our cabin.

 

This was our experience also. We were wowed by the size of the pool, and even though it was November in New York, I couldn't resist a soak in the hot tub.

 

Fortunately, our inside room was odor free. I hope someday we get to cruise the Spirit for a longer trip!:)