Our Spirit Cruise 7/29 to 8/4/07

[twofit]

Have to say I really loved freestyle cruising! This was my 9th cruise, 3rd with NCL. Arrived at the pier around 10:45, and boarded about an hour later. Paid corkage fee for 4 bottles of wine carried on - well worth it. Could not get into room to drop off carry-ons until 2 - very strict with that! Had rain for sailaway, stayed in Galaxy of the Stars and had fun. Called for Teppanyaki late afternoon and got reservation for 7:30 that night! Not sure why so many people have so much trouble getting into the specialty restaurants - I called in the morning before 9 am on 4 other occassions and easily got into Shogun, La Trattoria, and Cagneys twice! All at 8pm! The Italian is nothing special, but the others were great. Raffles did get crowded at times, but no big deal - head to the back and there's always tables. Really enjoyed the fresh salad bar at lunch time.

14 yr. old DS had a blast, hardly saw him the whole week. 11 yr. old DD not as much, as 10 - 12 age group had strict sign-in/out by parents rule, and didn't always jive with plans. Rented a car in Port Canaveral and drove to Universal Studios for the day - 50 minutes! So glad we got Express passes - never waited more than 10 minutes to get on anything. Kids really had a great time there. Shopped with DD in Nassau, then joined by DH and DS for lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. Only spent an hour at night beach party at Great Stirrup Cay, as DD pretty bored; left DS and DH to catch last tender at midnight. BEAUTIFUL view of stars on tender at night! Got back to GSC about 10:30 next morning and enjoyed 2 hours of beach time - HOT!! Left DS sleeping in cabin...(2am curfew.)

Enjoyed adult show with shark bait; couldn't believe how many people removed bras for men to wear, took our false teeth, showed tattoos in very personal places - really funny. Also watched DH get hypnotized in show last night, pretty cool. Found staff to be overly accomodating, chatty and just plain nice. Everything really clean, efficient, although would love better shopping options on board (same old in the gift shop/jewelry store.)

Will gladly answer questions if anyone has any!

[neverthought]

Happy to hear you had a wonderful time. Enjoyed reading your review. Have a great evening:) .

[CHIPMUNKSMOM]

TWOFIT.. Thanks for the great review.:) I am going in less than 3 weeks. Any info on the arcade. I am sure 15 yo son will spend some time there.Anything else of interest your son did, any teen club activities he may have joined in on ?

Thanks again:p

[noenre]

Twofit...I wonder if our boys were together at all on the cruise?? Mine were out late at night too!

 

I managed to spend money at Columbian Emeralds. DH has been wanting a new (diamond) wedding band for years. Well, he got one. It was very expensive but worth the money. He was just disappointed that they DO NOT negotiate at all. He is used to going into Manhattan and shopping for the best deal! We shopped around in Nassau but the diamonds there were horrible, dirty and looked like glass.

 

I also thought the Sharkbait scavenger hunt show was hysterical. That was a definite highlight! I was so thankful my parents decided to go back to their room before it started!

[Surfgirl]

Thanks for the review! I loved the Spirit. I saw Shark Bait a few years ago when they were on the Crown.. those guys were great! Glad you had a nice time.

[lostie]

Thanks for the review, I leave on Sunday. Does the games in the Arcade take quarters? Is there a change machine, if so? I know both my DSs will want to visit everyday.:eek:

[noenre]

Thanks for the review, I leave on Sunday. Does the games in the Arcade take quarters? Is there a change machine, if so? I know both my DSs will want to visit everyday.:eek:

 

Yes to both questions! :D

[lostie]

Thanks Noenre!

[CheekyChops]

Hi

 

We just returned from the same cruise. I was disappointed to find that there was more specialty restaurants than "free" choices on this ship. Windows and the Garden restaurant offer the same menu items - the only difference being that Windows do not allow shorts/casual to be worn. Raffles, the buffet was always a good alternative but it was the only alternative - unless you wanted to eat in the snack place - which was always packed with kids and served high sodium fast food.

 

We also had a problem with the kids program. My daughter just turned 13 and she really didn't fit in with the 13 to 17 kids program. Those kids were the ones you would see loitering the stairways at 2 in the morning. They were also the children you saw walking about drinking liquor and coming out of the nightclub using foul language and making out in the public toilets. I was shocked to see the amount of alcohol the under 21's but over 18's were allowed to have. Sure, they needed written permission from their parents to drink, but surely they should only be allowed a certain amount per day. So we asked if she could go into the 10 to 12 year old program and we were denied. It was a shame because she would have enjoyed those activities. They shouldn't put 13 year olds with 17 year olds.

 

I also thought that Darin Earl, the Cruise Director, was a tool. He was swarmy and came across as a used car salesman. He promised to get back to us regarding a small issue we had with our reservation and he never did. We actually heard many people complain about him throughout the cruise. He must love himself because each and every day there was a new program he was featured in on the tv. One of the programs featured him talking to the internet manager. He did nothing but contradict her and make immature and stupid comments. We all found his banter to be unprofressional and at most, infantile. How he got the job as CD is a mystery.

 

The room was always very clean and we had no problems with bed bugs as I have read about this ship. The sand bugs on GSC didn't bother us but we were told before we went there to make sure to put on plenty of bug spray. Thankfully we did take some with us so didn't have to pay for any on the ship. I do think since this is obviously a problem with the island we are being taken to and its a private island owned by NCL, they should either take care of the problem or give out free bug spray to the passengers. If it was a problem on the ship then it would be handled free of charge.

 

I found the bar staff to be very pushy with the buy 5 beers and get one free deal. Whenever my husband ordered a beer, he got the same offer. Even from the same waiter. We found out from a couple of the nicer waiters that from the standard 15% bar gratuity we are forced to pay, 10% of that goes to the waiter, 4% to the bar manager and 1% to the food and beverage director. So its in the waiters best interest to push that beer deal and any other expensive purchase on to the passenger. The bar wait staff don't receive any salary apart from this percentage of bar receipts. So that might explain why most of them are so pushy.

 

As for the "service charge" on each and every passenger (except for children under 2 or 3), that really needs to be sorted out. $10 per day for children and $15 per day for adults can get expensive. We are told this is for the housekeeping and restaurant personnel. Tips are a gift. You get a tip because its deserved. On other cruise lines we tip as we go on. We always make sure to leave our room steward a nice tip at the end of the cruise and tip the wait staff as we use the restaurant. I think this is a way for NCL to compensate for their lack of salary pay to their employees. We don't pay any less for a cruise on NCL than we do on other cruises so we don't agree with this. Yes, you can ask for it to be adjusted but you are given a real hard time by the reception staff if you do request a change.

 

My husband and I asked for our daughters part to be credited back because she wasn't able to participate in the children's program. The receptionist, Arleen Umipig, was very rude and nasty to us. First she told us that there was nothing they could do about it because we were already charge. When we told her we wanted it credited back to our charge card, she told us no. So we stood our ground and told her that it would be credited or we would ask for the whole thing to be credited - including ours. Then she got a form for us to fill in. It was a form that was for exactly that! So obviously it is done quite a bit. She tried to sell us on the reason why we shouldn't ask for it back. When I asked her for some private time to talk to my husband in private about how much we wanted credited, she stood there and told us we couldn't take the form with us to talk. Whatever that had to do with anything. We just wanted her to walk away while we decided how much to give them. We didn't want to walk away from the desk since we weren't finished and didn't want to stand in the long line again. I had to actually raise my voice and ask her for privacy. She took the form and walked away giving me a dirty look and commented in her native tongue to another girl at reception. Real classy.

 

My husband also thought they ripped passengers off on the bingo too. The prizes were awful. They must rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars with those games. The prizes were terrible. $29 was the smallest card you could buy. The electronic boxes were available from $59 to $129. From what we saw, only the people with the electronic boxes were winning. We were told by one of the entertainment people (and disgruntled employee) that the final game (where you can win the progressive) doesn't show the number that comes up as the other games do so basically they make up which numbers they will call out as they please.

 

After we heard that, we didn't play again.

 

The charges for the pictures were extortion at best. We didn't buy any of the pictures.

 

Since we are Latitudes members (we went to Bermuda with them last year), we did enjoy the cocktail party they had for us. A couple of free drinks and some Hor`Derves were nice.

 

We probably won't be back on NCL. We do prefer Royal Carribean instead.

 

If you are taking this cruise, I'd give Disney a miss as well as the Airboat Alligator adventure. $54 to see eyeballs of about four alligators and a presentation about alligators with a snake thrown in isn't worth it. You are also charged $3 if you want to get a picture taken with the small alligator.

 

The bus ride on The FUN Bus cost us $10 for adults and $5 for children. There are three stops. Walmart, the mall and cocoa beach.

 

Nassau wasn't the greatest either. The port terminal was full of people trying to sell you on bus tours, taxi rides, carriage rides or getting your hair braided. They actually follow you asking you. We were tired of saying, "no thank you" over and over again. We were able to get stamps for post cards in there but other than that, we didn't buy anything.

 

We were able to get tshirts 3 for $10 in one of the shops on the main road right outside the port terminal. We didn't stay long walking about because we didn't feel that safe.

 

GSC was nice. However the charge to rent one of the inflatable tubes was unexpected. We don't understand why NCL doesn't just offer them to the passengers to enjoy. The little market stalls on the island were nice. We thought they were pricey too but if you are looking for last minute things and want tshirts that don't have NCL printed on them, here is your last chance.

 

Hope this helps.

[egurbi]

Hi twofit --

 

Question about Universal Studio Jaunt -- which rental car company did you rent from and how convenient to the pier? Also, the express pass at Universal entitled you to be in separate lines? Thanks in advance for the answers.

[lostie]

 

As for the "service charge" on each and every passenger (except for children under 2 or 3), that really needs to be sorted out. $10 per day for children and $15 per day for adults can get expensive. We are told this is for the housekeeping and restaurant personnel. Tips are a gift. You get a tip because its deserved. On other cruise lines we tip as we go on. We always make sure to leave our room steward a nice tip at the end of the cruise and tip the wait staff as we use the restaurant. I think this is a way for NCL to compensate for their lack of salary pay to their employees. We don't pay any less for a cruise on NCL than we do on other cruises so we don't agree with this. Yes, you can ask for it to be adjusted but you are given a real hard time by the reception staff if you do request a change.

 

I'm sorry that you didn't have a good time. Most of the things you mention, I already knew (Darin worst CD, Bug spray at GSC, Bingo rip off, etc). I did know they are not flexible with ages of the kid's clubs which seems to be a problem with many people b/c not all kid's are at the same place socially by age. The airboat adventure tells you that you are not guaranteed to see wildlife, but we are trying it anyway. My mom went and saw a ton of gators so I guess we could get lucky.

 

I am confused about the tips though. Did they raise them? When I booked I was told it would be $10 a day for adults, $5 a day for my DS 6 and the DS 2 would not be charged. You said it was $15/$10. Is that right?

[noenre]

I'm sorry that you didn't have a good time. Most of the things you mention, I already knew (Darin worst CD, Bug spray at GSC, Bingo rip off, etc). I did know they are not flexible with ages of the kid's clubs which seems to be a problem with many people b/c not all kid's are at the same place socially by age. The airboat adventure tells you that you are not guaranteed to see wildlife, but we are trying it anyway. My mom went and saw a ton of gators so I guess we could get lucky.

 

I am confused about the tips though. Did they raise them? When I booked I was told it would be $10 a day for adults, $5 a day for my DS 6 and the DS 2 would not be charged. You said it was $15/$10. Is that right?

 

Lostie...you are correct. It is $10 Per Adult per day and $5 per Child over 2 per day.

[lostie]

Lostie...you are correct. It is $10 Per Adult per day and $5 per Child over 2 per day.

 

Again thank you, Noenre. You are always quick to respond to my questions!

 

I wonder why OP said they charged her $15pp adult and $10pp child?

[lostie]

It wasn't OP it was CheekyChops.

[jkloni]

Whew! We are on the 15 night repositioning cruise and changing the gratuities from $10 to $15 would have changed our costs from $300 to $450! We may tip that much anyway, but I want to decide that.

[twofit]

Cheeky Chops - everything you complained about is information widely available before you travel - sounds like you made a poor choice in your vacation. ALL the cruise lines switched to auto-tipping on your account years ago, not just NCL. Alcohol is their biggest profit center, no surprise there. Nassau is a poor country and the tourist trade is their livelihood - what did you expect?? The choice of dining and cost is well discussed on these boards. The ages of the kids' programs is also on the NCL website, like I said, all things you could have looked into before traveling. Your complaints ring very hollow, especially since it is only your 2nd post. You actually expect them to GIVE bug spray to 2000 people? And big floats? Do your homework, it works the same way on all the lines.

Now that my rant is over-

egurbi - used Budget, reserved online from home. They transport you from the pier to their facility, a few minutes away. Yes, Express Pass has it's own line at every ride.

chipmunksmom & noenre - DS hung out with a group of 15/16 year olds. He did say some were drinking, getting it from older teens, but he tried to stop them (!)

The arcade is the only thing onboard that takes real money!! There is a change machine. He volunteered to dress as an elf one night and hide anywhere on the ship, and he went all the way to the back and no one found him! (Except some amused adults who admired his big ears, green outfit and bells :) They played GOTCHA (remember the movie?), ate dinner together in Blue Lagoon very late, and hung out in the card room. I did not witness any bad behavior from any teens all week. I actually felt the people onboard were the best behaved ever!

[lostie]

Whew! We are on the 15 night repositioning cruise and changing the gratuities from $10 to $15 would have changed our costs from $300 to $450! We may tip that much anyway, but I want to decide that.

 

Ditto! We are on Spirit back to back for 14 days and that would change us from $350 to $540!:eek: I may tip my room steward more b/c he/she will essentially be the only one that serves us for the entire 14 days.

[lostie]

Cheeky Chops - everything you complained about is information widely available before you travel - sounds like you made a poor choice in your vacation. ALL the cruise lines switched to auto-tipping on your account years ago, not just NCL. Alcohol is their biggest profit center, no surprise there. Nassau is a poor country and the tourist trade is their livelihood - what did you expect?? The choice of dining and cost is well discussed on these boards. The ages of the kids' programs is also on the NCL website, like I said, all things you could have looked into before traveling. Your complaints ring very hollow, especially since it is only your 2nd post. You actually expect them to GIVE bug spray to 2000 people? And big floats? Do your homework, it works the same way on all the lines.

 

Not to mention A LOT of Caribbean countries are like that. I've been pestered in Jamaica, Cozumel, San Juan, AND Philadelphia were I live! My DH and DS have been bit by sand fleas in Atlantic City and I was so mad that the casinos did not pass out bug spray.:mad::p:p:p:p

[Seago2]

I wonder why NCL doesn't spray GSC....

[electricron]

I wonder why NCL doesn't spray GSC....

 

Spraying isn't being environmentally friendly.

 

The sand fleas are harmless, health wise, except for the constant itching.

 

Why not try spraying yourself with deet before going ashore?

[1kycat]

The sand fleas are harmless, health wise, except for the constant itching.quote]

Not true at all. Ever heard of leishmaniasis? I know a couple who contracted it from sand fleas in the Caribbean...not long ago. It's very painful...and it might affect them for the rest of thier life. 2.5 million people a year are affected.

[bahamasbabe65]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise! Good for you! I agree about the reservations. In fact, I posted the same thing a while back regarding the easy time I had just calling them on the phone.

 

Cheers :)

[electricron]

The sand fleas are harmless, health wise, except for the constant itching.quote]

Not true at all. Ever heard of leishmaniasis? I know a couple who contracted it from sand fleas in the Caribbean...not long ago. It's very painful...and it might affect them for the rest of thier life. 2.5 million people a year are affected.

 

Well, what about spraying yourself, and what about the environment?

 

If little bugs scare you, you don't have to go ashore.:eek:

 

From the CDC:

 

The best way for travelers to prevent leishmaniasis is by protecting themselves from sand fly bites. Vaccines and drugs for preventing infection are not yet available. To decrease their risk of being bitten, travelers should:

 

Stay in well-screened or air-conditioned areas as much as possible.

Avoid outdoor activities, especially from dusk to dawn, when sand flies are the most active.

When outside, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks. Tuck your shirt into your pants.

Apply insect repellent on uncovered skin and under the ends of sleeves and pant legs. Follow the instructions on the label of the repellent. The most effective repellents are those that contain the chemical DEET (N,N-diethylmetatoluamide). The concentration of DEET varies among repellents. Repellents with DEET concentrations of 30-35% are quite effective, and the effect should last about 4 hours. Lower concentrations should be used for children (no more than 10% DEET). Repellents with DEET should be used sparingly on children from 2 to 6 years old and not at all on children less than 2 years old.

Spray clothing with permethrin-containing insecticides. The insecticide should be reapplied after every five washings.

Spray living and sleeping areas with an insecticide to kill insects.

If you are not sleeping in an area that is well screened or air-conditioned, use a bed net and tuck it under your mattress. If possible, use a bed net that has been soaked in or sprayed with permethrin. The permethrin will be effective for several months if the bed net is not washed. Keep in mind that sand flies are much smaller than mosquitoes and therefore can get through smaller holes. Fine-mesh netting (at least 18 holes to the inch; some sources say even finer) is needed for an effective barrier against sand flies. This is particularly important if the bed net has not been treated with permethrin. However, it may be uncomfortable to sleep under such a closely woven bed net when it is hot.

 

NOTE: Bed nets, repellents containing DEET, and permethrin should be purchased before traveling and can be found in hardware, camping, and military surplus stores.

 

I wonder how effective spraying the beach will be with insecticide after the following high tide, which washes the insecticide away?

[avidreader]

Twofit

I watched that hypnosis show, which one was your husband.

Hopefully not the one with the itch? That show was hysterical.

And to think they were all volunteers.

I rode the elevator with the itchy guy when it was over and no one would tell him what he did. Then later ran into the girl who could hear the jokes. She said she was just outraged that his #%^&* would be saying stuff like that.:D

[ldelato]

We were also on this cruise and we all (myself, DH, & DS's) had a wonderful time. We arrived before 11 AM and were able to check in right away and then were asked to sit in the waiting area. At that time there was a sign that said boarding would be at 1 PM. As we were waiting they closed the check in lines and the agents left the area. The boarding time was moved up to 11:45 AM. Soon we were told to head through security to board the ship, we saw around 30 agents setup to check in the rest of the passengers while we went right on the ship (after out first picture of course). So get there early and you can board early! We are not particularly picky about food except my younger son who found what he wanted at the Blue Lagoon when he didn't like something in the dining room. The choices in the Windows dining room were good and I thought the service was very good. We went to island twice and did not have any problems with sand fleas, it wasn't that hot in the evening and with the ocean breeze I didn't notice any bugs at all. The next day we went to the island around 9 AM and then also went to the ship's pool after getting back from the island early before everyone else came back. That was nice, I would recommend that, you were able to enjoy the best of both. We went to a couple of shows and really enjoyed Second City. Sorry after reading the boards that we didn't make it to Sharkbait. Won some money in the casino $800 and the gift shop prize drawing. Did alot of relaxing, we especially enjoyed sitting outside and enjoying the ocean view and fresh air. We loved when the US fighter plane flew over the ship and dipped it's wing to greet us, everyone cheered, it was quite something to see. We went to Universal and also used the Express Pass which was great, we waited no more than 10 minutes for each attraction. We booked this excursion through NCL it was pricey but for us it was worth every penny. We had a great time. Nassau we took the pirate tour which was OK, it took a bit long and when it was over we have only about an hour before we had to get back to the ship, so not much time to shop which was probably a good thing! The ship was very clean, our rooms were spotless thanks to our stewart. I thought everyone on the ship crew and passengers were very friendly. Getting off the ship was the best we have encountered we really liked waiting in our cabin for our tag color to be called and when it was we were off the ship in about 10 minutes. My son's said I was more relaxed with the Free Style crusing since we didn't have to be to dinner at a specific time although I do enjoy having the same waiter/waitresses you have on other cruise lines. Sorry this is so long. If anyone has any questions just let me know. Yes we spent money, it was vacation, I stayed within my budget and came home with cash thanks to my lucky 25 cent slot machine in the casino.