Spirit Thanksgiving 2005

[BuddyGus]

The Food Is Disgusting. Speciality Restuarants Have Good Food, If You Pay For It.

 

First Day 11/17/05: Sewer Backup. Ship Smelled Like A Septic Tank On The 9th Floor. They Shut Ac Off.

 

Pool Was Open 2 Out Of 8 Days.

 

Soda Card For Adult $48.00

I Didn't Buy One Because It Costs Too Much.

 

Ship Rocked All The Time....really Had Lousy Time. Many People Agreed With Me.

 

When I Get Back I'm Going To Write A Letter To Ncl And Tell Them That This Ship Really Sucks.

 

This Is My Third And Last Ncl Cruise.

[alioness]

Sometimes it's just better if you'd leave.

[electricron]

Good bye!

 

I prefer cruising with other passengers with a postive frame of mind.

[emcemt]

Good bye!

 

I prefer cruising with other passengers with a postive frame of mind.

It's hard to be possitive when dealing with such a negative ship....review to follow.....

[annie m]

Sorry I missed the meeting I was in the spa. What Buddygus is saying is sad but true. We ate in the main dinning room one night and that was enough for us. We ate in the speciality palces and they were great. I'll have a review later after my lanudry. Bottom line is it's not the Dawn. We had a great time anyway....even if sitting by the pool meant sitting by the hole that should a pool!!!

[Don Haynes]

I can't imagine how the reviews of the week before, of the Panama Canal cruise could be so positive, while last week's cruise are so poor. After two summer seasons in Alaska, and one winter season in Miami, no one complained about the ship rocking so much or the area around the pool being so small.

 

This ship is not a sister of the Dawn, she is a different ship. There are other areas to catch some rays, on deck 13 above the pool and on the stern of the ship overlooking the kiddie pool. The Spirit has probably more public spaces aft than any other new ship in NCL's fleet.

 

Obviously, due to a rocking ship the pools weren't filled everyday, but I cannot believe the seas were calm if the ship was rocking so much as to not be able to fill the pool? If so, the only conclusion is possibly the stabilizers were not fully effective. On my Alaskan cruise we hit some high seas, but the ship didn't rock. The Spirit has the best stablizers in the cruise industry......

[SailAways]

Wow, these are not good reviews. I see a couple of others stating the same things.

I agree with you Don, our Alaska cruise in September was the

smoothest ever.

It will be interesting to find out what happened to the sewer, the crew, the food, and the stabilizers within such a short period of time.

So sad - we absolutely loved this ship and everything went beautifully.

Sorry to learn that the "tide" has turned, so to speak.

Please let us know what this is all about.

[annie m]

Obviously, due to a rocking ship the pools weren't filled everyday, but I cannot believe the seas were calm if the ship was rocking so much as to not be able to fill the pool? If so, the only conclusion is possibly the stabilizers were not fully effective. On my Alaskan cruise we hit some high seas, but the ship didn't rock. The Spirit has the best stablizers in the cruise industry......

 

Don,

 

It not only rocked - it would come down with a thud. While trying to dry my hair I had to hold on!!

[Don Haynes]

Possibly the stabilers weren't working for some reason. I went through some heavy seas on the Spirit off Canada a couple of summers ago, but the ship didn't rock with a thud. The Spirit has the same stabilzers as the Dawn, built by the same shipyard, Meyer Werft in Germany.....

[thewolffs]

They only use the stabilizers for certain motion. I can't remember if it is the side-to-side rolling or front-to-back up and down motion. When we were on the Dawn, the captain told us that they weren't using the stablizers because it wouldn't help and could be dangerous.

[Ginamarie]

Sorry folks.. I was on the cruise with Gus as well and I have to agree with him. There were some major problems on our voyage. If you read my review of the NCL Sea a couple of months ago, you would know that I'm an objective person and will include the good items of the trip in my review, but this cruise is causing me to reconsider sailing with NCL as a first choice, even with their great rates.

 

Had this been my first NCL cruise, I don't think there's any way I'd return to the line, but we had such a nice time on our first NCL cruise that I'll probably give them another chance.

[Leafpeeper]

We had planned on the Spirit's Thanksgiving cruise for 2006 and recently changed plans. Looks like a good change of plans. We loved sailing the Dawn Dec. 2004. Will definetely book that ship again.

 

We also have given thought to booking Spirit for Oct 2006 for 8 nights to Bermuda, St. Thomas, and Tortola. I will be interested in reading future posts to see if the ship just needs time to work out problems.

[Host CMLA]

I will be interested in reading future posts to see if the ship just needs time to work out problems.

If you read other posts you'll see that some members have given glowing reviews of this ship. In my opinion, you shouldn't disregard the good reviews and totally believe the bad ones.

[monsignor]

Cecilia is absolutley correct. As adults we all need to be objective. Some positive reviews would be positive even if the ship sunk. Same with negative reviews. Some people go on with a bad attitude to begin with.

 

Annie M and I are objective adults and passed along info, both positive and negative, so that other objective adults can make good cruising decisions.

 

Will we sail NCL again - sure..

 

I am no optimist nor pessimist but when my glass gets half emtpy - Annie just fills it up again... lol...

[BuddyGus]

The Spirit may be the best ship in the world. All I know is that it was my sixth cruise and I had a lousy time with all the rocking and rolling on calm waters.

 

Maybe something happened in drydock to the ship...I'm sure NCL knows what's going on. They're not going to admit that anything was wrong. Why should they...they'd have to give credits to us or something.

[Host CMLA]

The Spirit may be the best ship in the world. All I know is that it was my sixth cruise and I had a lousy time with all the rocking and rolling on calm waters.

 

Maybe something happened in drydock to the ship...I'm sure NCL knows what's going on. They're not going to admit that anything was wrong. Why should they...they'd have to give credits to us or something.

You'd like compensation for the ship rocking? Isn't a rocking ship something inherent to cruising? I've had some pretty rough rides when the seas looked very calm. If I can get compensated for it, I've got three or four cruises to report. ;)

[ts01854]

You'd like compensation for the ship rocking? Isn't a rocking ship something inherent to cruising? I've had some pretty rough rides when the seas looked very calm. If I can get compensated for it, I've got three or four cruises to report. ;)

 

I think they should do something on the ship to make it better for you

 

2 for 1 drinks or half off specialty restaurants

[BuddyGus]

My second cruise was RCL Sovereign of Seas in November 1994. Hurricane Gordon welcomed us with rough waters and winds. RCL closed all doors leading outside. I had on my patch and loved it.

 

I had a great time on that cruise.

Great food and great destinations...

 

The rocking during the hurricane on RCL was less than calm seas on the Spirit. You figure it out.

[emcemt]

You'd like compensation for the ship rocking? Isn't a rocking ship something inherent to cruising? I've had some pretty rough rides when the seas looked very calm. If I can get compensated for it, I've got three or four cruises to report. ;)

I think your confused cecilia....he wasn't asking for credit first of all....he stated that if NCL did admit that there was a problem people would be expecting some sort of credit. You know what....between the rocking of the ship, the sewage smells, the lack of the pool being open and other problems encountered on this ship I think something like a free open bar for 2 hours or a small shipboard credit would have made us all feel a little better. It would have at least shown that NCL acknowledged that there was a problem...but we all know that isn't NCL Method of Operation :rolleyes:

[HAPPYMETODAY]

Who is a host and how does she help me with what really happened on that cruise. Is the boat really shaking like that?

[Host CMLA]

I think your confused cecilia....he wasn't asking for credit first of all....he stated that if NCL did admit that there was a problem people would be expecting some sort of credit. You know what....between the rocking of the ship, the sewage smells, the lack of the pool being open and other problems encountered on this ship I think something like a free open bar for 2 hours or a small shipboard credit would have made us all feel a little better. It would have at least shown that NCL acknowledged that there was a problem...but we all know that isn't NCL Method of Operation :rolleyes:

I got it...sorry. I didn't understand his original comments. But still...can I have a credit of some kind for part of my South America cruise, part of my Baltic cruise and two bad days on my Hawaii cruise? :D Those were some pretty rough sea days.

 

Sorry the cruise wasn't up to par emcemt. That's too bad especially during a holiday week.

[bangzoom6877]

Sometimes the seas look calm and it is still rocky due to the wind. I have been on several cruises under those conditions, on NCL, ROyal Caribbean, Carnival and Celebrity. If I judged a ship by that, I would never cruise!

 

As far as the sewer backup that happens sometimes due to another passenger doing the wrong thing. It says in the Dailies that if you abuse your cabin toilet it can affect yours and 50 others!

 

As far as the use of the pool, when you sail out of NY in November you cannot expect to be able to swim outside for your entire cruise. I was on the Dawn in April 2004 and we couldn't sit outside until we got to Florida. We still had a great time.

 

Food is an opinion thing as far as I am concerned. Pay low prices for a cruise, don't expect a 5-star dining experience. But the food on NCL is not disgusting as far as I am concerned. Have I enjoyed certain types of entrees better on other cruiselines? Yes. But others, I like better on NCL. And we ate at none of the cover charge restaurants on the Dawn.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience. Like Cecilia said, we cannot only consider bad reviews, just as I am sure many of us would not totally overlook them and only focus on positive reviews. Everyone has their own opinion. Same thing with resorts. Ask 10 people how they like the same resort at the same time and you would get different answers.

 

Bonnie

[cliffd64]

I was on the Thanksgiving Spirit cruise, and to be honest, I can't fathom why we had two such different experiences (meaning the OP and subsequent complainers).

 

1.) Rocking of the ship:

For a ship that spent alot of it's time on the OPEN ATLANTIC, there was HARDLY ANY MOTION AT ALL. If you felt there was too much motion on this cruise, cruising out of New York will NEVER work for you. Stay in the interior of the caribbean. This was by far the smoothest anyone could expect out of New York in this time of year on open ocean. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised at how smooth the ship was in the Atlantic, especially after having survived 25 foot seas on the Dawn in December of 2003. Seas were never higher than 3 to 4 feet at ANY point, and this is a FACT, not a feeling, or a guess. The Atlantic is not a sheltered sea like the caribbean, it is open water and you should expect it to be a little bumpy. But, as I said, this was nothing at all for the Atlantic... just as calm as should be. No dramamine or otherwise was consumed by anyone in OUR party. In fact, the last leg was so smooth, the captian had to slow the ship down so we didnt arrive in New York too far ahead of schedule!

 

2.) Food in main dining room: Food was just fine in the main dining rooms. we ate there every night. No different than on any of the other 7 NCL cruises we have been on. Menus were varied, and interesting. We had wanted to go to Le Bistro again, but it was booked solid. Apparently the reservation policy has been altered to allow you to book any night in advance, not just 24 hours ahead.

 

I will write a more complete review as soon as I can... still unwinding and getting re-acclimated.

[logcabin]

Thank you, cliffd64. I'm looking forward to reading another level headed, well written, constructive review. As oppose to this thread.

 

NCL is not a luxury line. It is a mid-priced line. You get what you pay for. If you want luxury with NCL, book a suite like we do. Is the food on NCL 5 Stars? No. But, it is enjoyable, varied, well presented and interesting. If you want more of a "5 Star" type meal on NCL, make reservations at Le Bistro or Cagney's. I have only sailed from NYC over the past 5 years. We are use to "rocking and rolling". It comes with sailing out of NYC. Especially in the late fall and winter.

 

I have personally sailed CCL, RCCL and NCL. Although I enjoyed all cruises (a cruise is what YOU make of it) I prefer and will continue to sail NCL. If you don't like them or aren't happy with an experience, move on and sail with another line.

[logcabin]

Thank you, cliffd64. I'm looking forward to reading another level headed, well written, constructive review. As oppose to this thread.

 

NCL is not a luxury line. It is a mid-priced line. You get what you pay for. If you want luxury with NCL, book a suite like we do. Is the food on NCL 5 Stars? No. But, it is enjoyable, varied, well presented and interesting. If you want more of a "5 Star" type meal on NCL, make reservations at Le Bistro or Cagney's. I have only sailed from NYC over the past 5 years. We are use to "rocking and rolling". It comes with sailing out of NYC. Especially in the late fall and winter.

 

I have personally sailed CCL, RCCL and NCL. Although I enjoyed all cruises (a cruise is what YOU make of it) I prefer and will continue to sail NCL. If you don't like them or aren't happy with an experience, move on and sail with another line.