What I didn't like about the Spirit

[SMNYCruise]

Overall, we had a wonderful time and would cruise on NCL again. There were a few things on the Spirit which need improvement:

 

*soda card policy...we were told that there is a new soda card system and would have to carry our big soda cup around the ship if we wanted soda's. My sister, who is a public health nurse, was appalled by the lack of hygienic practices.

 

*limited hours of dining in the afternoon...twice we came back from excurisions at 2:30pm, ready for lunch, and found the dining rooms and buffets closed. Only food choice is Blue Lagoon which was jammed and without many choices (particularly for vegatarians)

 

*entertainment was not great ...how many Second City improv shows are needed in one week?

 

*don't have the improv show on the last night in the Galaxy lounge. Not nearly enough seating and poor visiblity for all by a few tables. Hundreds of people we trying to fit in the lounge and had to leave.

 

*the constant pushing of instant win tickets before every show was annoying and tacky.

 

*debarkation was slow. Not the fault of NCL, but I don't ever recall waiting in line over an hour for immigration clearance. It was disorgainized and poorly managed. Tip: if you get a porter to help with your bags you are allowed to skip the long lines and get through immigration quickly.

[bluesea777]

LOL!!

 

It's not just Spirit!! It's the entire line!!

[sottovoce]

If this is all there was to complain about...

[garycarla]

Other than not being able to eat lunch or dinner in the middle of the afternoon, it sounds like they had an okay trip.

[Dolphins]

I think the problems the OP posted are legitimate and helpful. That is the purpose of "cruise critics," to inform and hopefully spur improvement.

[Toyz711]

you are right.

on any cruise ship, i have been on, on port days the food options are limited. with fewer passengers to feed (most eat on shore or on excursions) and with some of the crew on shore...port days are different. but you will find this is true for most cruise lines.

in the "olden" days, you were just out of luck..now, with most cruise ships have places like the blue lagoon, you can eat something. we had the same problem in alaska.

for a vegatarians it would be tough, for us (in alaska) the bowl of chili worked fine.

 

your problems with the soda card is the one the reason i bring my own pepsi. even when they don't use the "cup" method, people complained about slow service with using sticker. both ways seems to have many problems.

glad to hear the rest of your cruise was OK. your complaint are legit and i hope helps others.

[newmexicoNita]

Overall, we had a wonderful time and would cruise on NCL again. There were a few things on the Spirit which need improvement:

 

*soda card policy...we were told that there is a new soda card system and would have to carry our big soda cup around the ship if we wanted soda's. My sister, who is a public health nurse, was appalled by the lack of hygienic practices.

 

*limited hours of dining in the afternoon...twice we came back from excurisions at 2:30pm, ready for lunch, and found the dining rooms and buffets closed. Only food choice is Blue Lagoon which was jammed and without many choices (particularly for vegatarians)

 

*entertainment was not great ...how many Second City improv shows are needed in one week?

 

*don't have the improv show on the last night in the Galaxy lounge. Not nearly enough seating and poor visiblity for all by a few tables. Hundreds of people we trying to fit in the lounge and had to leave.

 

*the constant pushing of instant win tickets before every show was annoying and tacky.

 

*debarkation was slow. Not the fault of NCL, but I don't ever recall waiting in line over an hour for immigration clearance. It was disorgainized and poorly managed. Tip: if you get a porter to help with your bags you are allowed to skip the long lines and get through immigration quickly.

 

Andrew, when did you cruise? We were not as impressed with the entertainment as in times past, but we feel the same with all cruise lines in the past few years. Again, I guess it is part of the cut backs, don't spend too much on entertainment.

 

As for debarkation, we had a horrible slow down on the debarkation Dec 7th, but I was under the opinion this had been solved. Sounds like it happened all over again. You are right, this isnt' something NCL can control, it is the customs problem. You are also right about the porter and I think that sucks...

 

We didn't have the pushing of the instant win tickets at all, of course we only went to 2 shows, both at 9:30, don't know if this made a difference.

 

Last but not least, no food except Blue Lagoon? Did you try Brier Garden? Other than that, you are right, but again this isn't much different than many ships. Some do have the buffet open longer...

 

And Dolphins, I agree with you. His posting will be helpful I hope.

 

Nita

[SMNYCruise]

Dolphins--exactly right. We had a wonderful cruise, but I felt it would be helpful to point out some areas that need improvement. (I also filled out the surveys on the ship).

I forgot to mention: we had two cabins and both TV remotes were broken. The TV's were old and not all channels available on each one. (my sister got FOX news and we didn't) Again, not a big deal but its something that would improve the cabin experience.

[newmexicoNita]

LOL!!

 

It's not just Spirit!! It's the entire line!!

Can you explain what you are talking about? Debarkation slow throughout the entire line? I felt the op had valid points, but also seemed to enjoy his cruise. Most of his concerns can be seen over the entire cruise industry in the past few years...

 

Andrew, the TV thing, we had the same problem, all we did was call housekeeping and we had a brand new remote within about 15 or so minutes. I can't imagine why you couldn't get Fox, that is strange, thank goodness we did. LOL

Nita

[mactrio]

Overall, we had a wonderful time and would cruise on NCL again. There were a few things on the Spirit which need improvement:

 

*soda card policy...we were told that there is a new soda card system and would have to carry our big soda cup around the ship if we wanted soda's. My sister, who is a public health nurse, was appalled by the lack of hygienic practices.

 

 

And do what with the cup when you want a refill? Do they take it and refill it or do you fill it yourself like at McD's or other fast food places?

[Monaco02]

Does anyone know if this is a new soda card policy fleet wide? When we were on the Spirit last May we just needed to show our room card with the sticker on it. I know on Princess last year they gave you the sticker on your card and also a cup. You could use either to get your soda. The cup was a bit of an inconvenience though if you were out and about and got a soda you end up having to carry the thing around with you. It was actually a nice insulated type with a lid - we would put coffee in it in the morning from the buffet to take out to sit on the deck and used our card with the sticker on it for sodas.

[raudacruise]

The debarkation problems were because of the customs/immigration staffing at the Port of New Orleans, not NCL's fault. And its not a one time thing, its apparently been going on for years. One our fellow passengers said the same thing had happened 2 other cruises going in/out of NOLA. We were in that debacle on Dec 7 and it took 2 hours from walking onto the gangplank to finally reach a taxi. The custom agent who cleared us asked one of the NCL staff (jokingly) if they were "calling for our heads yet".