Just off the NCL Spirit

[klupchak]

What did you all do at Santo Tomas? Any good shopping on land? S.

[chajec]

What did you all do at Santo Tomas? Any good shopping on land? S.

 

Due to high seas and winds, we were not able to leave Costa Maya on time so we missed Santo Tomas.

[HK Fan]

Beach Gramma, we did have 4 people (2 kids and 2 adults) in an interior cabin room. We tried to get an outside room but apparently there are very few if any outside cabins that will fit 4 people on the Spirit. We even tried to get a suite but couldn't do it with 4.

 

The room had 2 twin beds and a trundle bed that fit under one of the beds that the steward would slide out at night and would fit between the two twin beds and it would slide back under during the day. This was very easy to do and we would bring it out or put it back under if we were moving around the room. Then there is a bunk bed that comes out from the wall over one of the beds. It is actually recommended that an adult sleep on this top bunk because while there is a little railing, it is not very high. DD (8 years old) slept there the first night and was kind of scared a bit and then DH slept there the rest of the week. The trundle bed is just as comfortable as the other beds although it is a little narrower. The two twin beds are not combined if there are 4 people in the room because otherwise there would be no room to walk around.

 

I was actually very surprised by how well we were able to all fit comfortably in the room. I had been dreading the inside room with 4 and while we were cozy, I just didn't think it was as bad as it could have been. We try to pack light but we still had 2 1/2 suitcases worth of stuff plus 4 backpacks and we all fit in there fine. One thing we did was leave the bridge view channel on with the sound all the way down all night so it was a bit of a nightlight and it helped us figure out if it was morning.

 

We met another couple who were traveling with their child in a balcony cabin and they said they were kind of annoyed with their bed set-up because they couldn't walk around her bed but actually had to climb over their daughter's sofa bed to get to the restroom and they would invariably wake her up every morning.

 

Hope this helps. I would definitely do the Spirit again even though we would have to do an inside. We were in Room 9159 and thought it was a great location.

 

Klupchak, we did the Livingston Humanitarian Tour with Go with Gus. We had a great time. We just got on the tour at the pier although alot of people had contacted him over the internet before the cruise. The shopping at the pier was great and that is the only port where we bought anything. The send off on the pier was amazing. Don't miss it. Watch it from Deck 7 for a great view. We actually really liked this port and the tour was long but well worth it.

[radzer0]

Will the power outlets handle my U.S. gadget chargers? Is there any place (tv, radio) to plug in an MP3 player? I'm sure I will have lots more questions for you as I have never cruised on NCL before. Thanks for offering to give info.

 

 

 

The tv in our cabin was 220v. Just as a note.

[Don Haynes]

The tv in our cabin was 220v. Just as a note.

 

There is one American 110v outlet on the Spirit. Bring a power strip. Its good for everything you will use except high wattage hair dryers. There is a hair dryer installed in the bath room, but its not very powerful.

[klupchak]

HK, thanks-I got lost in the threads and couldn't find the reply at first. On another thread, I asked: if anyone would recommend horseback riding in Cozumel (I know how to ride); if you can bring pop on the ship in New Orleans; what of interest for souvenirs is there to buy in which ports (that can't be found in Chicago). Excited to be leaving 4/12 on the Spirit!!!!

Thanks, Shawn

[klupchak]

Hi-so kids could wear jeans for long pants at the special restaurants? A few years ago, they would not allow jeans> Thanks, Shawn

[Toyz711]

HK, thanks-I got lost in the threads and couldn't find the reply at first. On another thread, I asked: if anyone would recommend horseback riding in Cozumel (I know how to ride); if you can bring pop on the ship in New Orleans; what of interest for souvenirs is there to buy in which ports (that can't be found in Chicago). Excited to be leaving 4/12 on the Spirit!!!!

Thanks, Shawn

 

yes, you can bring pop/soda on board.

[HK Fan]

We thought the shopping was really good in Santo Tomas. There were also alot of shops at the pier area in Costa Maya. We didn't even look in the other 2 ports so we couldn't tell you about those places.

 

Don't know about horseback riding in Cozumel. We did Tulum with the cruise line. In all other ports, we just hired tours/guides at the piers. In Santo Tomas, there is a building that you walk into right as you get off the ship and there are a bunch of tour operators available. Go With Gus and Happy Fish seem to be the bigger names. We were real pleased with the Livingston tour. They took us to a bunch of different locations and we got to try all sorts of exotic fruits at one stop. We got snacks and lunch and saw how the people in the area live along the river. Very very neat day but it is long and hot. I heard others say they did the waterfall excursion and seemed to like it. We thought ds (3) was probably a bit too young for that tour.

 

Jeans were definitely acceptable in Windows and the Garden Room on our cruise. My kids were actually in shorts at Windows. I had clothes to dress them up in but I didn't fight to get them into dressier clothes since their attire seemed to be acceptable. The hosts/waiters etc would just gush over them. I actually prefer to get more dressed up for dinner but noone else in my family agrees with me. So I would dress up a bit and everyone else would look a little sloppier. I guess that's why dh prefers NCL to all other cruise lines.

[packard89]

HK, thanks-I got lost in the threads and couldn't find the reply at first. On another thread, I asked: if anyone would recommend horseback riding in Cozumel (I know how to ride); if you can bring pop on the ship in New Orleans; what of interest for souvenirs is there to buy in which ports (that can't be found in Chicago). Excited to be leaving 4/12 on the Spirit!!!!

Thanks, Shawn

 

 

Answering your question about bringing soda, I put luggage tags on a couple 12 packs of diet coke and I also brought a 12 pk of water and it was sent right to my cabin on the Spirit. Be sure to put some tape over the luggage tags to make sure they are secure.

[cruiseljh]

I blew the power in my room on the 4th day while using my high-powered hair dryer from home (which I read in several posts would happen but gave it a try anyway. Guess it worked for 3 days). I then went up to the women's changing room (next to the fitness center) and used their high power dryers the rest of the cruise.

Before our cruise, I read/heard that jeans were not allowed in Windows. I saw some people in jeans at Windows (while others say they saw people in jeans not allowed to dine there). Also, upon checkin at Windows, I noticed a sign which stated what type of clothing was prohibited in the Spirit restaurants (such as bathing suits, tank tops, etc. Jeans was NOT on this list).

Since this particular sign was posted in Windows and did not specifically state jeans were prohbitied, it would be my understanding that jeans would be allowed in Windows. But, I ultimately can't confirm whether or not jeans are allowed in Windows.

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseljh]

White Hot Party (in my opinion) was probably one of the best 'dance parties' of the cruise. The DJ played all the traditional dance hits (disco, 80's, 90's, current) that kept the dance floor packed all night long - Holiday, Celebration, YMCA, Cha Cha Slide, Staying Alive, White Weddings, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Dancing Queen, Electric Slide, Right Round, etc., etc., etc.). There weren't any games/activities associated with White Hot Party, just good music and dancing (if you like this music).