THE SPIRIT...put my mind at ease!

[KarmaElectra]

We did the Spirit in March, and thought the food was great. We had breakfast almost every day at Windows, and dinner as well. (Had dinner one night at La Trattoria, and was disappointed at the menu...not as good as the Dawn a couple of years back.)

 

I'm a picky eater, and there was always something on the Windows menu that I liked. The one night that I didn't care for any of the selections, was the night we had to eat there (Murder Mystery dinner) and they made me a tasty plate of chicken, and the veggies/potatoes of the day.

 

I don't eat much red meat, but my traveling companion had steak, prime rib, and pork, and enjoyed them all.

 

The only thing I really didn't care for was the Blue Lagoon...mind you the food was quite tasty (which was why we went several times), but trying to get service there was an effort.

[bahamasbabe65]

I concur with the rest of the posters.

 

A vacation is what you make it, but being a parent I understand your concerns. I did tons of research on both the ship, as well as each excursion that I could find and decided in advance what we would do. I also read any posts I could find for the purpose of what to avoid and to gain valuable tips on what not to miss and it worked like a charm. I encountered bad reviews on everything, even the excursions, but ultimately knew what we and our kids would enjoy and went from there. I loved freestyle cruising and maybe if the other ships offered it I would venture, but it was great for us and the selling point of the entire decision to cruise NCL. I follow dress codes and schedules all year - I don't want that on my vacation!

 

Tips I can offer:

 

I never understood the difficulty to book reservations for the specialty restaurants. Try calling in the morning from your cabin and you should have no problem.

 

Arrive at the pier early (we were set to board at 3 and arrived at 11). There is some waiting time but most of it was spent on the ship as we were registered quickly and allowed to board within 1 hour.

 

Purchase the soda card and/or teen passport. The soda card will more than pay for itself for a family of four (each can use it separately) and the teen passport allows for 20 virgin smoothies or sodas which the kids loved.

 

Stick to what you know. If you hate buffet style dining, reserve the restauarants for your dinners and sample the alternatives to the buffet for the other meals. Poolside lunches are good like tacos/burritos, bbq are presented daily so you'll have plenty of opportunities to eat that. If you like a bargain, reserve the later seating which often offers a discount on the cover charge. You will find good and not so good choices but the choices are there.

 

Enjoy the decor! It's a beautiful ship and should be explored. Tasteful decorating in an Asian flair offers a more elegant feel than you would expect.

 

Do your homework on the excursions and private island. I read so much on this stuff that I had a planned attack to get the most out of our visit and it turned out fine.

 

Remember, knowledge is power!

 

You can email me if you have any specific questions if you like at secretsumm1@aol.com.

 

Have a good time - it's your vacation!!!:D

[Sonneteer]

My hubby and I enjoyed our June 10 sailing on the Spirit to FL and the Bahamas. Freestyle cruising is definitely "our style" cruising. We were able to get tables for two whenever we wanted; for us, that's a real plus. We were always seated immediately. Somewhere else I read that this cruise was at full capacity, but we never felt crushed, or rushed.

 

At the breakfast buffet, be wary of such things as pancakes and eggs set out on the buffet proper. In our experience, these things were ice cold. Opt instead for the omelet station, where they'll cook your eggs to order. I myself was in ecstasy over the smoked salmon at the buffet. It was good quality nova; I happily piled my plate. I also enjoyed simple breakfast items like raisin bran and fruit. I just wish they offered some "health food" brands of cereal too.

 

I thought the food was pretty good overall, especially the beef and most especially the beef wellington available in Windows one night. You have to be really really specific about how you like your meat cooked. Ordering "medium rare" sometimes resulted in meat so rare it was virtually raw, and sometimes in meat that was well done. Say exactly how you want it (e.g. a little pink but not red) and send it back if it's wrong. Appetizers and side dishes were usually top-notch and more innovative than main courses. Desserts were fantastic, both those in the dining rooms and those at the buffet. Cocktails were uniformly wonderful, whether it was a sweet pina colada or a classic cocktail such as the Manhattan.

 

My one big "downer" as far as meals: For a lunch at Windows, something billed as a middle eastern cous cous entree was just awful. Did the chef run out of spices? No flavor at all, just glop. Another disappointment: the coffee. It was a penance. I wish they'd offer Starbucks or Peets or something along those lines.

[CruzFamleof6]

I concur with the rest of the posters.

 

A vacation is what you make it, but being a parent I understand your concerns. I did tons of research on both the ship, as well as each excursion that I could find and decided in advance what we would do. I also read any posts I could find for the purpose of what to avoid and to gain valuable tips on what not to miss and it worked like a charm. I encountered bad reviews on everything, even the excursions, but ultimately knew what we and our kids would enjoy and went from there. I loved freestyle cruising and maybe if the other ships offered it I would venture, but it was great for us and the selling point of the entire decision to cruise NCL. I follow dress codes and schedules all year - I don't want that on my vacation!

 

Tips I can offer:

 

I never understood the difficulty to book reservations for the specialty restaurants. Try calling in the morning from your cabin and you should have no problem.

 

 

Arrive at the pier early (we were set to board at 3 and arrived at 11). There is some waiting time but most of it was spent on the ship as we were registered quickly and allowed to board within 1 hour.

 

Purchase the soda card and/or teen passport. The soda card will more than pay for itself for a family of four (each can use it separately) and the teen passport allows for 20 virgin smoothies or sodas which the kids loved.

 

Stick to what you know. If you hate buffet style dining, reserve the restauarants for your dinners and sample the alternatives to the buffet for the other meals. Poolside lunches are good like tacos/burritos, bbq are presented daily so you'll have plenty of opportunities to eat that. If you like a bargain, reserve the later seating which often offers a discount on the cover charge. You will find good and not so good choices but the choices are there.

 

Enjoy the decor! It's a beautiful ship and should be explored. Tasteful decorating in an Asian flair offers a more elegant feel than you would expect.

 

Do your homework on the excursions and private island. I read so much on this stuff that I had a planned attack to get the most out of our visit and it turned out fine.

 

Remember, knowledge is power!

 

You can email me if you have any specific questions if you like at secretsumm1@aol.com.

 

Have a good time - it's your vacation!!!:D

 

Thank you so much and after we book, I will email you directly if I have any more questions! I just loved the ports....completely different than Western Caribbean we have worn out! If I have to see Cozumell one more time in the next 2-3 cruise, I will pull my hair out of my head....:eek:

[awatt]

We are booked on the 1/20/08 Spirit. This will be our 3rd time on this ship- need I say more?

 

but I will. Our girls love the Spirit. It is well designed for families with the latge kids pool area aft and the girls really liked the kids crew as well.

 

It is a lovely ship, both elegant and charming. Service was wonderful.

 

Food was very good to excellent. Really liked the new menus on our June cruise.

 

As for dinner reservations, i can't comment. We always make a standing reservation for 6PM, same table/waiter because that is what works for us. I did notice some nights, especially the optional formal night, there were very long lines from 7PM on. So if you don't like lines, dine early or late. Or make a reservation in the specialty restaurants.

 

If you can swing a suite, go for it. The suite peerks and service are outstanding. They really pamper you.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy your cruise!

[cruiseinfoseeker]

......I thought the food was pretty good overall, especially the beef and most especially the beef wellington available in Windows one night ......

 

The beef wellington was out of this world. I'm not much for the wellington part, but the beef was the most tender...(my mouth is watering thinking about it)

 

I have sailed the Spirit twice; May 2006 and May 2007. We enjoyed the food for the most part on both sailings. I think that at any food venue you will find things that you like and dislike. And the table next to you may rave about something you think tastes awful. Can the beef get overcooked? Well, yea, and I have had it overcooked at great steakhouses on occasion as well. I think the added luxury of cruising is that you can say "hey, I don't like this, can I try the other dinner on the menu" or even just order more than one.

 

One of my favorites on the cruise was in the Italian restaurant and it was the pasta fagioli soup. Now it wasn't pasta fagioli like my grandmother made, nor like I make (which is different than grandma, mom, dad, etc.) but it was yummy and I asked for a second bowl after the meal.

As far as food, I expect to try different things on a cruise, and if I don't like the menu offerings I can choose to go to the buffet instead or order chicken or steak any night.

 

As far as the staff on the Spirit: We found everyone in the public areas to be delightful. In addition our cabin Steward and Stewardess in 2007 were very very good, cleaned the room almost immediately after we left. We stayed in a suite on the May 07 sailing and I was actually disappointed with our butler, he just seemed not interested in helping too much and even reluctant at times. I don't think at all that we were demanding. We requested his services an average amount I would suppose. He wasn't awful, but after reading some reviews of other butlers, I just hoped for more.

 

I believe the OP said that there will be children traveling with them. As far as the Kids Club: My son is 5. He went to the kids club probably five of the eight days and he really enjoyed it. We used the evening sitting for $5 an hour on a couple of the nights.

 

If you have picked a cruise with itinerary that you like, I don't think that you will be overall disappointed with anything on the Spirit.

 

Enjoy!

[cbmc4]

We just got back from an 8 day cruise on the Spirit with our 2 kids and they preferred it to Disney! Well worth the money. The kids club was wonderful.

[bahamasbabe65]

Thank you so much and after we book, I will email you directly if I have any more questions! I just loved the ports....completely different than Western Caribbean we have worn out! If I have to see Cozumell one more time in the next 2-3 cruise, I will pull my hair out of my head....:eek:

 

No problem - I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have! :D

[Too blessed to be stressed]

Did you read the latest spirit review. I think it was from Fay. She said they do random drug checks when she was trying to exit the ship they forced her family back to her cabin then sent in the drug dog. Made her miss her excursions, and they seemed not to care. Thats enough to make me cancel my cruise right there. Do you think this is true? I never heard of such a thing. Whats your thoughts.

[klct39lg]

Did you read the latest spirit review. I think it was from Fay. She said they do random drug checks when she was trying to exit the ship they forced her family back to her cabin then sent in the drug dog. Made her miss her excursions, and they seemed not to care. Thats enough to make me cancel my cruise right there. Do you think this is true? I never heard of such a thing. Whats your thoughts.

 

Where is this review, I would like to read it.

Thanks:)

[jimswims]

Where is this review, I would like to read it.

Thanks:)

 

I do not know what to make of the drug sniffing dogs. I have never seen this happen before:confused: .

 

You can go to the member review section on CC and select Norweigan Spirit. All of the reviews will be there. If you click on the posters name, you can see if there are other reviews written by them as well. This particular person also did not like the Grandeur of the Seas.

 

We are going on the Spirit again in 2008 for our second time. I think that a cruise is what you make of it, I plan on having a great cruise and I know that I will.