5/7/06 Spirit Review Great Time!!!! (LONG)

[DJ4EVER]

Just returned home yesterday from 7-day Florida/Bahamas Cruise on the Spirit and we had a blast!!! After reading so many different reviews we decided to go with an open mind and make the best of it and thats exactly what we did. It was only my boyfriend and I getting away on a relaxing vacation and NCL was the perfect cruise line for us. It was his first cruise and I think I got him hooked to cruising:p ...I have seen some great reviews and I think I will use their layout so you get a quick summary of the great time we had.

 

Embarkation Day: Both of us being from Long Island, NY we hopped on the train to Penn Station and took a taxi to the pier it ended up costing us $15 for each of us and we didn't have to deal with looking for a parking spot, traffic and the $168 parking fee:eek: The quickest and simplest embarkation I have seen yet. We arrived at the pier around 11:45 checked in, waited for about 30 minutes and was aboard the beautiful Spirit. First thing we did was checking out our room. We stayed in an inside cabin on the 8th Floor Forward. We decided we weren't going to spend most of our time in the cabin and would rather spend more of our money on activities. Took a quick peak at a balcony room and def would do that next cruise. Our room was clean and room steward Mario did a great job in keeping it clean with fresh ice and towels every morning and night. The beds were comfy with nice down comforters and the bathroom was the best part. Shower had glass doors and a decent size for a cruise ship. We grabbed some lunch at Raffles sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Being born and raised in NY the sight leaving NY was breathe taking dont forget your cameras! We joined in for the BBQ and some typical sailaway music and sipped our fruity cocktails. We had dinner at LE Bistro that first night. Food and service was amazing. If you are a chocolate lover make sure you try the Fondue for dessert just that alone is worth the cover charge. Went to the show which was ok, it was dancing and singing to radio hits from the 50's - present. BF wasn't thrilled about it. Went to Maharini's night club for a little while and headed to bed was exhausted!

 

Day 2- At Sea

Woke up to an ugly and cold day outside, but probably happened for the best because it was plenty of time for relaxation. Went to breakfast at Raffles. Everyone remember its a BUFFET! Its not gourmet food but its still quick and easy. I wouldn't recommend the eggs unless you get an omelet made which can sometimes be a little bit of a line. My favorite were the waffles. Food was repeatitive for breakfast but how many different breakfast foods can you have when you have each kind everyday. The no tray thing didn't bother me at all. There were plenty of activities around the ship through out the day. We mostly looked around the ship and hung out at the Galaxy of the Stars (favorite room). As for the ship, in two words "Beautiful and Clean". The ship is smaller than the ones I have been on but enjoyed the dark wood and asian elegance. We did dinner at Windows and were very pleased, service and food was good. Menu had many choices and always had simple items such as ceasar salad, grilled chicken/salmon, baked potatoes etc if you didn't like the menu. The staff was very friendly in helping you get what you want for two nights we ended up getting extra entrees or starters b/c we wanted to try it all. We ate dinner at different times everynight and never waited for a table. I did see that larger parties did seem to wait more than parties of 5 or less. Free Style Cruising worked best for us. We liked that we were able to eat when we wanted to since some days we had dinner at 6:30 and others at 8:00 depending on what events we wanted to do. We also enjoyed just sitting with eachother and not with an entire table of strangers. Don't get me wrong we loved meeting new people, but it seems like dinner is nicer and more relaxing when its with people you know. Tonite was formal night so we did the portraits and then went to Galaxy of the Stars for their New Years Eve Bash with music by Fusion Wave. Great Band!(keep in mind these bands aren't record label artists or they wouldnt be on a cruise line) Played all genres of dance music and kept the crowd going.The staff at Galaxy of the Stars were wonderful very attentitive and by the third night already new what my BF wanted to drink, I like to try different things so was always getting a different drink. Many people might think they are pushy but its a different waitor asking if you need anything. I rather them ask then have to flag someone down to get a drink:) Had a great time at Galaxy of the Stars!

 

Day 3- Port Canaveral

Woke up to another cloudy day was a little disappointed but that was soon to change. The BF and I did the Horseback Riding excursion a little pricey 89/person but well worth it. Got on a bus for a 45 min ride to the ranch. (keep in mind there were huge brush fires going on and I95 was closed so we needed to take a different route) Staff at the ranch was very friendly. We had a relatively big group so half of us stayed on the ranch and saw the stalls with the stallions and watched one of their trainers do jumps with one of their horses while the other half went on their trail. We were the second group to go and was just in time for the sun to come out shinning. Tip always wear sunblock even when its cloudy because the sun pops out and you get burned in no time. Trail was about a little over an hour, longest I have been on in NY and Arizona, which was nice. Horses were tamed and friendly. Trail was through the marsh and wetlands of a large preserve. We headed back to the ship by 2:30 did a quick change and freshened up and went to Cocoa Beach for some shopping and site seeing. This was nice but hot, was glad it was for a short period of time. Headed back to the Spirit and had dinner at Windows once again we were pleased and asked for the same table the next night. Went to the show that night, they had a juggler "Edge"...great show entertaining with a mix of comedy. Does some different types of juggling that keeps the people enteretained and not bored after seeing a few juggling acts. BF loved this show. Went to the casino to play a little bit on the slots and BF won $900:D this was great. We did Galaxy of the Stars for a little bit and then a quick stop at the Blue Lagoon for some french fries and wonton soup. This became a nightly event.

 

 

To Be Continued.....

[AnneNchris]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time...I am looking forward to the reading the rest of the week:)

[Glamourgal]

Wow!!! Thanks, for a great review!! I can't wait to get on her in less than 3 weeks now!!

[DJ4EVER]

Day 4 Miami, FL - We did the Ocean Drive on the Rocks Excursion...Tip if you don't like to drink I would not suggest this excursion. There was an older couple and you could tell that they had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. But they were good sports about it they did have a shot at one of the bars with us. We had a great time. Our tour guy Edwin, very tan, bleach blond hair 40ish year old with a very thick European accent, was fun and knew how to party. Bus dropped us off and we walked about five blocks. We went to 4 different bar/restraunts on Ocean Drive and sampled their popular drinks. Excursion lasted about three hours, spent about 1/2 hour at each. Third bar was the best, Scott great bartendar. First bar Fat Tuesdays make sure you order the 190 Octane Drink but be careful it hits you like ton of bricks but boy is it yummy. We met a lot of great people that day that we continued to hang out with them for the rest of the trip. After the excursion it was hot tub time and a quick nap to recuperate. We had dinner at Windows and then hung out at Champagne charlies listening to Lira and Brothers for some soft oldies but goodies. A little different pace from what we did at Sout Beach. We attended the Carribean Party up on the Pool Deck and had a good time with the cruise director and staff. Lots of games and entertainment and dancing. We hit up the Blue Lagoon for some food and then time for bed.

 

Day 5 - Great Stirrup

We had breakfast at Raffles once again and got on the 9:45 boat out to the island. First impression of the island was lots of chairs very close together. We got their relatively early compared to the others on the ship and were able to get two chairs with an umbrella which helped out a lot with the sun. The beach was clean with some hammocks towards the back, two volleyball courts, picnic tables, BBQ area and in the back they had a few little huts for some shopping. If you dont want to be in the crowded area with everyone go to the right when you get off the boat. There is a little section of the beach there that nobody sits at but it is a bit of a walk to the food and restrooms. We rented the snorkel gear for the two of us and loved it. This was our favorite port. We saw lots of fish and the two stingrays Bert and Ernie. We liked doing the snorkeling on our own and not being confined to a tour. Took lots of pictures of the fish and hope they all come out. BF enjoyed playing some volleyball for a little while with some friends and I sat in the sun. We stayed the whole day until one of the last boats back. The beach does get crowded but you have to make the best of it and get there early if you want an unmbrella and a specific spot. We went to dinner at Windows and once again had great food and service was able to get another table by the side windows which was great to watch the sunset. That night we went to Galaxy of the Stars to watch the Newlywed show LULU from Hawaii made it hysterical and had great spirit. We quickly made it to the hypnotist Fernandez which was also a great show. One of the our friends that we met on the cruise was on the stage and we had a blast watching him. Very Funny. Went to the sports bar to get the Yankee score and then bed after that (Tip...drinks seemed to always be made stronger at the sports bar)

 

To be continued...

[Angiebear]

DJ4Ever

I am glad you anf you BF had a good time. I am leaving on the Spirit on Saturday5/20 and your review is really adding to my excitement. Keep up the good work.:)

Angela