Spirit review - July 15-21 (sorry kind of long)

[Littleclover]

Spirit review – July 15-21

 

Well, I have to say I have had some fabulous vacations in the past but this one does not rank up there with the others. I still enjoyed myself as I will always try to make the best of where I am but I didn’t feel I should have to work this hard on a cruise ship??

 

Embarkation – was a bit slow but in all fairness to Ncl I did show up about noonish since my flight arrived in Newark around 11am. Lines were organized and getting on board was easy. I was a bit surprised there wasn’t anyone around once inside the ship but we found our way around. We were able to reach our cabin around 2:30 or so.

 

I had an outside ocean view on deck 5 and thought the cabin space was very good. All the talk about some hard beds is very, very true. I did ask for an egg foam to be added but my back was hurting me by the end of the cruise. My room stewards were very nice and did a great job each day.

 

Weather was great except for the last day, we had cloudy and rain on/off. I was supposed to meet some other cruise critic members but our meeting place was closed at our suggested time so that was missed. It was quite windy in/out of NY port but once we arrived further South it was sunny and beautiful.

 

Food – I am a bit on the fence regarding the food. I think it was very much in abundance but was very tired by the end of the cruise of the limited selection. Every day was the same, burgers, dogs and fries. A little variety wouldn’t hurt but then I do know there is limited space. My son was extremely pleased to find ice cream every day so that was a plus that I was happy about. When my son is enjoying himself then it’s all good. We ate in Windows only twice for dinner, once with my son and once by myself. Both meals were very good but I have to admit, I like to eat and the small servings were kind of sad. I recommend the Black Cherry Soup, that was very good. Breakfast in the morning at Windows was nice so we didn’t have to fight the buffet crowd but the downside again is the smaller portions. I do give credit to the wait staff in the morning. I have to have my Diet Coke in the morning instead of coffee and a couple of times I was not charged even thought I was willing to pay. I did purchase the soda card for my son and it was well worth it to me.

 

Ports of Call – I liked the itinerary but would have preferred a bit more time in Nassau. We visited the Kennedy Space station in Pt Canaveral. My only piece of advice would be to consider your transportation options carefully depending on the number of people in your group. We were only 2 and our cab ride there/back ran us about $70. I thought that was high. I found out there was a shuttle but then the drawback to that is having to wait for the shuttle to fill.

 

In Nassau, we walked around a bit and then took the jitney and enjoyed the pool/beach at Wyndham hotel. I did like this port and will actually consider taking a vacation there at some point. I would have liked longer than 4 hours or so.

 

Clipper Island – we did not go the Island during the evening so I can not give any input on that aspect. We did go the next morning and had a good time. We hung out at the beach, tried kayaking but only did that for a short time. The cost was $20/hour but since I do not swim very well, I was getting too nervous and we stopped after a ½ hour.

 

Teen program – I have a 13yr old and he did go to some of the activities. He is not extremely outgoing so while he did have fun, I could tell how some of the other kids clicked in groups real fast. I think as he gets older it will be easier. He says he had a great time. He very much enjoyed the arcade, swimming in the pool, the Wii competitions, Sharkbait show and just relaxing. I did torture him and make him dress up and take pictures which of course is a must for families 

 

Casino- Where do I begin? I will say I am a gambler in slots and roulette. I didn’t do well in slots but I did see some big winners. I term big winners in the hundreds. There were a couple of $1k winners on Wheel of Fortune and a $1.3k winner on a quarter slot. As for the roulette table I was disappointed. There were 2 tables, 1 had a working number post and the other did not. Not sure why they couldn’t get the one to work but that was the one they would open up first all the time. It took for several of us to complain before they switched towards the end of the cruise to open the working one first. Even then, it would often light up the wrong numbers. I will say for anyone going, keep an eye on the table. These tables had MANY repeat numbers. That was the only way I walked away with a bit of money.

 

Bingo- I personally would not recommend this to anyone but this is only MY OPINION. I thought the price was too high and there were only 4 games played. Not worth it in my opinion and unorganized at times.

 

Photos – I think the prices were in line with RCI which I sailed 2 years ago but was disappointed in some of their packages. I couldn’t or should say I wouldn’t drop another $25 on a photo holder after spending $149. I received it free on RCI so this is just one little thing that stuck with me.

 

Disembarkation – I thought this went extremely smooth. We waited resting in our cabin until our color was called and walked off the ship within 15 minutes.

 

We spent Sat/Sun in Ny and would be happy to answer any questions if I can. I will repeat, we did have a good time but not a VERY good time, fantastic awesome time. I think there is much room for improvement or I am simply not a freestyle type of cruiser and have learned that lesson. Unless NCL can offer another cruise at a very, very good price, I most likely will stick with RCI in the future. My apologies for the long post.

 

I would be more than happy to address any questions if I can.

[klct39lg]

Thank you for the review!

 

I have a couple of questions about the food:

 

Can you have breakfast and lunch in the dining room?

 

Other than repetitive, is the buffet food tasty?

 

Could you tell me about the onboard entertainment and nightlife?

 

Thanks in advance.:)

[Seago2]

Sounds like a "ho hum" cruise, but at least there were no real lows. I just want to make one comment- you said that you were sick of the same old burgers, dogs and fries- in my experience one has to wait in line by the pool to get these- or the Biergarten- and they are not offered in either the main dining rooms or Raffles. Well, fries, maybe. I can see being sick of the same food after a week (I get VERY sick of tiny bits of farmed salmon appearing in every dish :rolleyes: ) but I can't see the burgers and dogs appearing everywhere!

[Littleclover]

Thank you for the review!

 

I have a couple of questions about the food:

 

Can you have breakfast and lunch in the dining room?

 

Other than repetitive, is the buffet food tasty?

 

Could you tell me about the onboard entertainment and nightlife?

 

Thanks in advance.:)

 

We had breakfast in the dining room and buffet. Portions were a bit small but the food was good. I did like the waffles with banana compote? Not sure on the spelling of that. We did not try lunch in the dining room, since we were doing stuff either on land or the activities, we always seemed to have missed the timing.

 

From what I ate it was good. I had the pasta bar, some other stuff that I tried some I liked some I didn't. I just don't remember the names of the foods but it wasn't typical fare food.

 

I saw 2 of the shows, Sharkbait and Retro. The Sharkbait show was on 2 different evenings, I saw the final show. I did think they were good at with their act of juggling and the jokes were good also. The Retro was nice since it had music that I like and there was a good ending. My son saw the first Sharkbait show and he said it was very good.

 

There is the Maharaj's nightclub behind the casino and the music was pretty good. Typical club music. I know there were some other shows but I either wasn't interested or missed it depending on what I was doing with my son or was in the casino.

[Littleclover]

Sounds like a "ho hum" cruise, but at least there were no real lows. I just want to make one comment- you said that you were sick of the same old burgers, dogs and fries- in my experience one has to wait in line by the pool to get these- or the Biergarten- and they are not offered in either the main dining rooms or Raffles. Well, fries, maybe. I can see being sick of the same food after a week (I get VERY sick of tiny bits of farmed salmon appearing in every dish :rolleyes: ) but I can't see the burgers and dogs appearing everywhere!

 

You are correct, the burgers and dogs were not in every place all the time but they were by the pool and biergarten everyday. I guess what I meant to say was they could have mixed that part up a bit. Also the Blue Lagoon has the same menu always which I understand why it should. The lunch buffet and dinner buffet had the same pasta and sauce. To me it just seemed like it was the same menu every day which I can understand but I really was expecting more variety.

[klct39lg]

Thank you for answering my questions.:)

 

I thought of another: Is there a theater with movies each night?

 

We like to have dinner then go to a show then to a late movie.

 

We are looking to cruise the Spirit on spring break.

[Littleclover]

Thank you for answering my questions.:)

 

I thought of another: Is there a theater with movies each night?

 

We like to have dinner then go to a show then to a late movie.

 

We are looking to cruise the Spirit on spring break.

 

No movies but there are movies playing in the staterooms. Some current some older. I would assume you can always get some late night snacks/drinks and chill out watching a movie.

[halos]

You said you ate in Windows only 2x during the cruise, does that mean you ate at the buffet the other 5 nights, or did you dine in surcharge restaurants? :confused:

 

Having been on CCL and Celebrity, I'm thinking that if I dined in the buffet for 5 nights, I'd be bored of the selection as well. There are only so many types of food you can do buffet style, I think.

[maryellend]

I am booked on the 7/29 Spirit. I read your review and wondered about the Wyndham hotel you went to in Nassau. Did you book this before hand or on board? Did you take a taxi to the hotel? What were the costs and time?

 

This is all I want to do in Nassau is go to the beach and I know there is limited time.

 

Thank you.

 

med327@comcast.net

 

Maryellen

[Littleclover]

You said you ate in Windows only 2x during the cruise, does that mean you ate at the buffet the other 5 nights, or did you dine in surcharge restaurants? :confused:

 

Having been on CCL and Celebrity, I'm thinking that if I dined in the buffet for 5 nights, I'd be bored of the selection as well. There are only so many types of food you can do buffet style, I think.

 

We ate the buffett - Sun/Thur night

Windows - Monday/Friday - those were the evenings were dressed up

Blue Lagoon - Tuesday - more of late lunch/early dinner

Room service - Wed

Very late night service we either did room service/blue lagoon

 

lunches were either the bier garten or raffles buffett

[KarmaElectra]

Breakfast portions small at Windows?! Well, maybe if you just order one thing. We usually had french toast or pancakes with hash browns and bacon or sausage...that was a full plate!!! Plus the pastry tray...fruit...cereal...we were usually stuffed!

[Littleclover]

Breakfast portions small at Windows?! Well, maybe if you just order one thing. We usually had french toast or pancakes with hash browns and bacon or sausage...that was a full plate!!! Plus the pastry tray...fruit...cereal...we were usually stuffed!

 

Guess I eat too much :)

[emjayel56]

HI,

Many thanks for taking the time to share your opinion on your cruise. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me... I am cruising on the spirit 8/18 and we will have our 11 year old daughter with us. It is her first cruise; she too is a bit introverted and apprehensive about participating in the teen program. Can you give me some more ideas of what activities they do for the youngsters and if you recommend it. Thanks.

Maryjo

[Littleclover]

HI,

Many thanks for taking the time to share your opinion on your cruise. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me... I am cruising on the spirit 8/18 and we will have our 11 year old daughter with us. It is her first cruise; she too is a bit introverted and apprehensive about participating in the teen program. Can you give me some more ideas of what activities they do for the youngsters and if you recommend it. Thanks.

Maryjo

 

Sorry I can't be of much help. The program my son was in was for 13yrs and up. If I read the sign correctly, your daughter will be with the 9-12 yr old kids. I think that age is pretty easy to get along. For my son's group I can tell you they had scavenger hunts (both seeking specific items and digital picture taking), karaoke, dance nights, ball pit time (yes the let the teens run amok in the child's center and play in the ball pit - they loved it!)

 

From the comments of other parents of younger kids, it seemed the girls have a good time, boys had to work just a bit harder. I think your girl will be just fine and have a great time. Enjoy