A Solo Fashionista review of the Norwegian Spirit

Hi everyone, it's me again!

I’m just home from my latest adventure, a 9 day Canary Island cruise aboard the Norwegian Spirit. We sailed from Barcelona but there was also the option to board in Malaga two days earlier. As usual this was a last minute cruise for me when I decided that I didn’t want to spend my 29th birthday at work then home alone! Because I hadn’t planned on taking a holiday at this time of year I didn’t have the funds to fly out to the US to go round the Caribbean, so I decided that the nearest place to find some decent weather would be the Canaries. When searching for a suitable cruise I had very specific dates to make sure I was away on my birthday itself, plus there are fewer flights available around Europe in the winter. In the end my only two options were MSC Armonia or Norwegian Spirit. Seeing as I was only just sailed on the Armonia in the summer, I decided to return to NCL and go with the Spirit. This is a ship I had never sailed on before, but many people have said how much they love the Spirit even though she is an older, smaller ship. I was a little apprehensive about being away for my birthday in case I didn’t meet any friends, but I figured that the worse case scenario would be having a delicious dinner served to me in a speciality restaurant, drinking nice wine. Compared to sitting at home feeling sorry for myself this seemed like a very good alternative! I feel I should point out that I'm not a complete weird loner (I don't think!) :eek: I do have friends and family who I would have seen at some point, but it is difficult to arrange things around the Christmas period as everyone is busy and has no money!

Before I continue I will give a quick background for those of you who have never read my reviews before. I am a single girl from Manchester in the UK, who travels solo. This was my 6th solo cruise and 4th with NCL. Although NCL is Freestyle, I like to get dressed up and because a lot of people ask about what to wear on a cruise, I always take photos of my outfits to share with everyone. It’s a joke on each of my cruises that I have to have an ‘Outfit of the Day’ picture taken especially for my blog! I also enjoy long several course meals and although I’m not a food snob I do like nice food. As a result my reviews tend to focus around the solo experience, my clothes, and what I ate. I write a long, very subjective, day-by-day blog rather a concise review split into topics, so please be prepared to do some reading... or just leave now! I also post in purple so it is clear which parts are the review and which are comments, as I find this makes for easier reading. I will include pictures but generally of people rather than places or the ship, as I am awful at taking photos and there are much better ones already out there on the web. My pictures are more to give an impression of the atmosphere and mood, so sorry in advance for the quality!

This is me:

Hey Lara, so glad you are back and can't wait to hear about your experiences!!! (So much that I had to welcome you back before finishing your first post!)

Jai

Looking forward to your review:)

Love your reviews and outfit pictures-can't wait!

Also, here are some of the stars of the story to come:

Now the introductions have been made, if you bear with me I will get onto the cruise itself next, I hope you enjoy…

Day 1 – Barcelona

To keep costs down I decided to fly into Barcelona the day of the cruise. I know this can be risky, but I don’t mind taking the chance when it is only a short flight to my destination. However saying that, I just read that someone had their flight from London cancelled yesterday and they were having to catch up with ship in Casablanca, so I guess I should count myself lucky that I didn’t encounter any such problems. I had been working right until the last moment, and due to doing shifts my sleep pattern was messed up meaning that I only had about two hours sleep before I had to get up and drive myself to Liverpool Airport. It’s funny though how much you don’t mind being tired when you are getting up for something good! The car park at the airport is only a 5 minute walk away from the terminal building so it was no problem for me to wheel my two suitcases there by myself. Yes I said TWO cases! Given the unpredictable nature of the weather in December, plus the very different climates of some of my destinations, I needed more clothes than usual. With the clever (or maybe that should be obsessive?!) planning you should have come to expect from me, I worked out a number of mix-and-match outfits that were based around layering, so that during the day I was prepared for all weathers. For travelling I wore a floral vest, long black cardigan, pink jeggings and black ballet pumps. I also took a beige belted raincoat and an umbrella just in case!

The hand luggage allowance was 10kg, which I didn’t want to waste, so I filled a small cabin bag sized case with wheels with all my shoes! Plus I like to take an outfit for that first evening plus a few essentials in case my luggage isn’t delivered in time for dinner, or it gets lost. My long term worry of travelling solo is that if my case doesn’t make the flight with me, I have no-one to share their things!

My flight went smoothly, and was made more enjoyable by having a very attractive lad as my seat mate ;) He chatted away to me and before I knew it I, along with my luggage, had arrived safely and on time in Barcelona.

Although I booked my flights independently, I still decided to use NCL transfers to and from the ship. It cost me £20 each way, whereas a taxi is about E38-40. The taxi would work out cheaper and quicker if there are 2-4 of you but for me it wasn’t worth it. The NCL rep was waiting in the arrivals hall and clearly identifiable. I had to wait for around 40 minutes for people on other flights to arrive before we were taken to our bus. We then drove to terminal 1, where we had to wait a further 30 minutes for passengers arriving there. As a result it took longer than expected (almost 2 hours) to finally make it to the port at around 1.15pm. The Latitudes check in line was actually longer than the regular one, so I went to that instead. Even though it was what I considered to be peak time, the terminal wasn’t too busy and it only took about 10 minutes to check in.

Before I embarked I stopped off at the little wine shop in the terminal, where I bought a bottle of Cava for E10 and a bottle of white wine (Vega Roja) for E7.50. As I have done before, I just carried these onto the ship in my hand luggage, which wasn’t scanned again. I was of course willing to pay the $15 corkage fee for each bottle, but no-one asked me or checked, so I didn’t. I later found out that this was also the case for a number of people I met. Another thing I did in the terminal area was sign up for the Chef’s Table. This is a 9 course tasting menu prepared by the Executive Chef, who explains each dish, and a sommelier pairs wines with each course. Spaces are limited with only 12 seats available, and once I had decided I wanted to do this as my birthday present to myself (discounting the cruise itself lol!) I was worried I wouldn’t get a spot in time. However, because there was a speciality dining stand already set up in the terminal I was able to sign up immediately, so I was happy. The cost is $89 but I found the experience to be well worth it. More to come on that later…

So I was finally onboard, woohoo! You enter the Spirit on deck 7, into the Atrium. I loved the grand feel of this which is missing on a lot of the newer, bigger ships. My cabin was ready immediately so I dropped off my little case but I didn’t stop as by now I was very hungry and getting cranky! So I headed straight for Windows, the bigger of the two main dining rooms, for some lunch. The restaurant was really quiet so I was seated very quickly at a lovely table by the window. I had olive and eggplant tapenade dips, followed by chicken Milanese with a rocket salad, all washed down with a glass of white wine. The tapenade was good but I found the chicken to be rather bland. Still, it filled a hole and I enjoyed a nice, relaxing start to my cruise.

After lunch I returned to my cabin (an ocean view on deck 8) and my luggage was already there; this was the quickest I have ever had it. My cabin felt more spacious than expected, and although it was nice, it was looking a little worn with a chip in the sink and slightly tatty bed covers. I unpacked then went to explore the ship for a while before the muster drill at 4.30pm. This was over fairly quickly then it was time to get into the holiday 'Spirit' (haha, I like to amuse myself!) with a Bloody Mary in the Galaxy of the Stars, a big lounge spanning the front of the ship, with panoramic views looking out to sea. The vodka made me sleepy so it was time for a nap before getting ready for my first evening. Tonight I wore a new body con gold and black midi dress with new, very high chunky black and nude heels.

I had joined my roll call here on CC, and noticed that there were a number of Solos on this sailing. One of the first hurdles for a sociable solo on NCL is what to do for dinner on the first night. With no set tables, and having not yet met everyone, the only real way to dine with others is to ask the hostess at one of the MDRs to seat you at a shared table and hope others are willing to join you. As a result I suggested that the solos meet up at 7pm in Galaxy of the Stars to go for dinner together. Everyone was able to see my photos from my previous reviews, so I was banking on people recognising me and coming to speak to me. This led to me grinning inanely at every random person who walked past me, in what I hoped was an encouraging manner, but I think probably made me look a bit simple or like I was trying to come on to everyone, oh dear! Still it must have worked because first of all I got chatting to a guy sat next to me. By strange coincidence Tjibbe wasn’t from CC but he was travelling alone. As we chatted, the rest of the solos, plus a few others they had found along the way joined us, and what was to be our group for the rest of the cruise was formed.

We went for dinner at Windows, and as we were a party of 8 and it was the prime time of 8pm, we had to wait for a table. We were given a pager (but no vouchers for a free drink whilst we waited anymore) Still, we discovered the free liquor tasting in the Atrium, and so I sampled some of these instead! Once we were seated I had I had a shrimp and potato salad to start, which was very tasty, followed by beef in gravy with vegetables which was again good but only lukewarm, then a nice chocolate cake with raspberries. One of my new friends Mark shared a bottle with me, which became a standard practice of the cruise, making him my wine buddy!

After dinner we all went back to Galaxy for a drink and I met another CC roll call member Steph and her husband after she recognised me.

A few of us ventured down to Maharinis, the night club and bar, where I met further people as I danced the night away, even though the place was almost empty!

We did this cruise in October and did the chefs table too, looking forward to hearing the rest!

With no offense intended, I cannot for the life of me figure out why you are "solo"! You are quite possibly one of the most adorable 29 year olds I have seen in a long time... And if your personality is half as bubbly as your writing style, then there are some daft men out there.

I also admire your courage. At 29, I traveled alone, but only to places that were close enough to drive to.

I am really looking forward to the rest of your review. I am on this sailing in 5 weeks!

:)

With no offense intended, I cannot for the life of me figure out why you are "solo"! You are quite possibly one of the most adorable 29 year olds I have seen in a long time... And if your personality is half as bubbly as your writing style, then there are some daft men out there.

 

I also admire your courage. At 29, I traveled alone, but only to places that were close enough to drive to.

 

I am really looking forward to the rest of your review. I am on this sailing in 5 weeks!

 

:)

I agree! Ive been following you on CC and the single men out there are CRAZY!

I took one solo vacation as a single. Went to Acapulco- I had been there the year before with a friend so I knew my way around a little. Made friends with another single gal on the flight over, so that was nice. The 2nd night there-Yep 6.5 earthquake!!! The next night tremors as well and the girl I met wasnt staying at my hotel! Needless to say I had a great time but was thrilled to be home-my whole family was at the airport to meet me as they were all worried about me!:eek:

So glad you are back and taking us along on another of your great adventures! Looking forward to much more!

Tracy

With no offense intended, I cannot for the life of me figure out why you are "solo"! You are quite possibly one of the most adorable 29 year olds I have seen in a long time... And if your personality is half as bubbly as your writing style, then there are some daft men out there.

 

I also admire your courage. At 29, I traveled alone, but only to places that were close enough to drive to.

 

I am really looking forward to the rest of your review. I am on this sailing in 5 weeks!

 

:)

Thank you :) I think I have just got used to being by myself and am very picky now!

Day 2 – At Sea

I woke up very suddenly and earlier than I would have liked this morning, for some reason feeling incredibly happy after my late night and lots of drinks. Maybe I was still a bit drunk?! It was a very late one but the clocks did go back an hour which helped. The benefit of being up early is that I could go to the restaurant for breakfast, which is exactly what I did this morning, whilst I had the chance. I ordered tea, a freshly made omelette and some melon. The omelette was delicious, really hot and tasty. As I was finishing I saw that Mark was sat in front of me so he came to join me and we had a very funny discussion which lead to us laughing more than is usual for a hung-over early morning!

After breakfast I wanted to relax and read somewhere quiet for a while so I decided to check out the library. One thing I find on cruise ships is that the coffee is dreadful! I don’t drink instant coffee even at home, I have a Nespresso machine. I was lucky on my last few cruises because on the Norwegian Epic there is a proper coffee machine in the Studio Lounge, and on MSC proper coffee was included in my drinks package. So with some forward planning I brought several Lyons Coffee Bags on the ship with me. These work exactly like tea bags, but have fresh ground coffee inside. I would just go to the buffet and get a cup of hot water from there, add my coffee bag and voila! Decent coffee. I found a chair in the corner of library where I read and enjoyed said coffee. Outside quite a few people were lying out in the sun, but it really was too cold for me to do that. At 10am it was our official CC Meet and Greet, however I was not feeling sociable or at my best at that time, as I expected, so I didn’t go. I had already arranged an informal meeting later that day in Henry’s Pub, so my plan was to go to that instead.

Out on the Raffles terrace at the back of the ship there was a Bavarian buffet with live music over lunch time. It looked good but I wasn’t hungry so I didn’t eat anything. I really liked this area as there were was a bar and dining tables as you came out the buffet, then several tiered decks with tables, leading down to the amazing children’s pool area at the bottom. I wished I was a kid so I could play on the cool slides! With beautiful views out to the wake, and sheltered from the wind, this was one of my favourite areas of the ship.

At 1pm it was the Latitudes Party in Galaxy for returning passengers. I met Mark and we joined another solo traveller Peter for complimentary drinks (a non alcoholic punch for me!) and canapés, whilst the crew and senior staff were introduced. We bumped into some of the rest of our group and went straight down to Henry’s for our 2pm meeting. However this was a bit odd because although there were quite a few people there, not many people mixed, but sat separately and I was with all my friends I had already met. This pub didn't really allow for large groups and socialising with more than a few people at a time. We went to the Blue Lagoon for a snack, but sat in the adjacent Shanghai bar as it was busy. I had chicken wings and fries, as did most of us, so were laughing as plate after plate of wings was brought to us! One thing I would say is that the wings weren’t ‘hot’ as I requested, but tasted more like they were covered in tangy ketchup.

After this I returned to my cabin for a much needed nap before Norwegian’s Night Out, the old Dress Up or Not night. Obviously I dressed up to satisfy the Fashionista in me! I wore a short one-shouldered party dress, not formal but brightly coloured and fun, with my favourite high deep pink satin platform heels.

I had arranged to meet my friends at Charlie’s Champagne bar in time to take advantage of two-for-one happy hour, which was held from 5-7pm. When I arrived I couldn’t see anyone, but as I went to the bar I saw two Dutch lads I had met in the club last night. I joined them for a while, and they got chatting to a lovely Dutch lady, who was also travelling solo. As we were there we heard a public announcement over the tannoy, telling us that we would not be stopping at Casablanca, Morocco tomorrow as planned. This was something to do with unscheduled overcrowding at the port. Instead we would dock there later in the week, and the other ports would be slightly altered to accommodate this. Any excursions booked were just transferred automatically. I didn't mind this as it didn't really affect me in any major way, but it;s worth noting, because people with independent travel plans would have had a lot of rearranging to do.

I saw the other people I had arranged to meet so I joined them and some of us went to the Stardust Theatre to watch tonight’s show, a mix of Broadway musical performances. Each night the shows were held at 7.30pm then 9.30pm. I generally prefer to eat late, so the first show was best for me, where as some people would eat first then see the second show. Tonight’s show was fun but the singing was only ok, there were a few dud notes! We then tried the smaller and less formal of the two dining rooms, the Garden Room, for dinner. I had salmon tartare, melon and prosciutto, Thai shrimp and chicken, then a cheese plate. These are all dishes I have had on NCL before, but the last time, on the Epic, I felt the quality had gone downhill. Tonight however I was pleased to see it was all as good as it had been originally, and I enjoyed my meal.

Because we were now at sea tomorrow after all, there was no need for an early night so we met the rest of our group in Galaxy, where I enjoyed dancing to the live music for a while with Andi. There we also met up with my Dutch friends and had a few group photos.

Once it quietened down there we went down to Maharinis, which was busier than last night. This was mainly due to a lot of the entertainment crew being there, enjoying some free time. I had fun chatting to some of the male dancers who liked my outfit (!), but I made sure to drink less tonight. One thing about this club is that there was no DJ. This really ruined the atmosphere as the club wasn’t really open, more of just a space where you could dance to the CD music which was playing the bar area. As a result, the dance floor and surrounding seating areas were practically empty every night, with people sitting in the bar area instead. This did end up being my final destination pretty much every night though, where I always found people to hang out with. Apparently there should have been a dj, but for some reason he had suddenly had to leave the week before and they were unable to find a replacement. I heard several rumours as to why this was but I never really found out the real reason. This was one of the few (minor) things I think could have been better on this cruise.

When I made it back to my cabin this little critter was in my bed!

So happy you are writing another review! Can't wait to read more.

Really enjoying your review. We are on the spirit next week and its good to have a recent insight of the ship and the 2 for 1 offers etc which we will want to take advantage of..

Its making it more exciting now. Thx

Hi Lara.

I too am enjoying your review.

I think you boarded the Spirit the day I disembarked. I'm single and I also traveled solo.

Even though I live and usually fly solo, this was my first-ever truly solo cruise, as at least one family member had been on all my previous cruises.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review.

Once again I'm enjoying your review. I do two cruises a year solo and two with bf so I love reading your review from a solo travellers point of view. You did the Epic before I did. I also thought about the Spirit for my next cruise Dec/Jan, but I've booked the Jade instead. Did they have a solo travellers get together on the Spirit?

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

How nice for me to come home from work and find your review to read.... Travel and fashion :)

I'm considering the Spirit for a cruise but can't decide if I should try the Epic instead (I love the Jade but I've already gone three times). So reading your review should help me get a better idea.

Looking forward to reading more!

Did they have a solo travellers get together on the Spirit?

Yes they did but it was at 9.45pm on the first night in Galaxy. It was for single and solo travellers, and was the only meeting of this kind. I though that this was a bad time to hold it though, we were all eating dinner at that time so missed it. 6-7pm or so would have been much better, this is why I arranged our own little meeting earlier on.

Day 3 – At sea

Once again I woke up very suddenly and needless to say that after weeks of very little alcohol, my late nights and drinks caught up with me this morning and I was not feeling good! Probably because I also had only about 4 hours of sleep. I don’t know why but I always have barely any sleep on my cruises; as much as I try to sleep in, I just wake up. I went to Raffles buffet for breakfast, choosing sausages, tomatoes, hash browns and scrambled eggs, all of which were hot and good. I also had some fruit salad which was nice and fresh. I was very pleased with food offered in the buffet throughout the cruise. I sat out on the terrace again whilst I ate, and even though it was a sea day there were plenty of tables free. In fact I don’t think I ever had a problem finding one actually.

I had a coffee by the pool and saw that again a lot of people were sunbathing. The weather did look nice and the sun was shining so I changed into a bikini to enjoy it. However the wind was cold and I felt uncomfortable so I had to go and change back into my warmer clothes in order to stay out there! I chilled out and relaxed, but I really didn’t feel very well so in the end I went to my cabin for a lie down. Once I felt better I returned to Raffles for some lunch. There was a BBQ being served by the pool, which looked and smelt very good, but I had a pizza craving. The pizza in the buffet was the only item I wasn’t fussed on – it was fine but nothing special. During the course of the day I bumped into lots of the different people I had met. That was the nice thing about this ship, it was really easy to find people and I always saw someone I knew. I took a cup of tea from the buffet and sought solace in the much warmer library. It was so warm and peaceful that I could hear several people snoring though!

Tonight was my eagerly awaited Chef’s Table, and as the meeting time was 5.45pm (much earlier than I would usually be ready) I had to go and get changed. I wore a dressy turquoise top with black leggings and my cream and black heels. I wanted a loose outfit so I could fit all food in, haha!

When I arrived at the Champagne Bar, there was some kind of quiz being held and the venue was extremely busy. This made it very confusing and difficult to work out who I was meant to be meeting, but after a few minutes I found the lovely hostess Grace, who took the 12 of us participating in the dinner to a revised location of Maharinis lounge so we could enjoy our champagne in peace. The Chef and our serving staff were introduced to us then were taken to the atrium for a group photograph. We also had a photo taken with the Chef later at our table, and both of these pictures, along with a signed coy of the menu were included in the price of the dinner.

From here we went to a private dining room off Cagney’s. The whole experience was absolutely amazing and I was so glad I did it. The food was exquisite, the wines beautifully complimentary, and the staff were fantastic. I really enjoyed myself. I won’t go into detail about each course because there were so many, and they were each so complex, but if you search for the Chef’s Table Menu on the main NCL board you can find copies of the full menu, plus photos of each dish. This is a fleet wide event, so every ship serves the same dishes, and the food was indeed what I had already read about. I also think that Chef’s Table is easily worth the money. They are very generous with the drinks, offering champagne before dinner, two whites and a red with dinner, plus a digestif. These were all very frequently refilled, to the extent I had to decline on several occasions or else I would have been under the table! After the meal we were escorted back to the Champagne bar, where a secluded area had been reserved for us, and here we had liqueurs and coffee. By now most people were rather tipsy so we had fun taking some photos together. I really liked the group of people involved, everyone got along nicely and I chatted with several of them later on in the cruise.

I excused myself after a while and went for a quick nightcap with my friends in Maharinis, but I was tired and full, so I went for an early night. Again I had a friend waiting for me!

A Bat!!!! Now that's a towel animal I've yet to see!

Just wanted to add to the review love-your solo trip on the Mediterranean Epic encouraged me to go,and I've enjoyed the other reviews as well. I'm actually doing a solo bday on the Epic next month,although I'm a couple years older, it's nice to see that the idea isn't too crazy! I think you have a similar travel style to me,so I really feel like I'm seeing how my cruise would be- I think we'd have fun if we ever ended up on the same sailing LOL! Looking forward to hearing if the Spirit is one I should try( the last cruise line that you reviewed didn't sound as appealing as the NCL's, but who knows).

Happy belated bday btw!

Stacey

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Great review as always.

What did you think of the older Spirit compared to the newer Epic?

Day 4 – Lanzarote

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeee! I woke up to some very loud strange noises and vibrations so big that my bed was shaking! It was something to do with how we were docking, but it was very odd. I had a quick breakfast at Raffles then went to meet Mark and Tjibbe as we had arranged last night. I had mentioned that I wanted to visit the Fire Mountains in Timanfaya National Park, and both guys also wanted to do this, so we decided that we would just get off the ship and see what trip options were available. At the pier there were loads of official taxis lined up and waiting, with one main English speaking man arranging them. There were boards set up offering two different tours around the island for a set price of E95. One went to the Fire Mountains, as well as a couple of other stops, so we decided to do this. The man agreed that we would pay E30 each and told our taxi driver (who spoke limited English) which trip we were doing and the price. Our taxi driver put a CD on to act as information guide for us, and he had these in several different languages. At first we really had to laugh because rather than telling us about Lanzarote and what we were passing, it gave us rules such as ‘conserve water, as this is precious in Lanzarote’ and ‘don’t leave rubbish’! Once we got past this rather odd introduction then the information was actually very interesting. After a short drive we came to our first stop, La Geria wine cellars, one of the main vineyards on the island. In Lanzarote the way of growing the grapes is really different due to the unusual land conditions – the vines are on the ground in the volcanic ash, with the roots reaching down to the soil below. Stones are placed into partial circles to stop the plants blowing away. This made for a really strange landscape. There was a main room where there were information boards and we were able to try a sample of the wine, plus of course the opportunity to buy some. There was also a large gift shop full of usual tourist mementos, a restaurant and bathrooms. We only stayed a short time for a quick wander and of course our taste of wine!

Then it was onto the main attraction, Timanfaya National Park. This is the protected area where the volcanoes are situated, (hence the name fire mountains) with a moon-like landscape that was truly a unique sight. There was the opportunity to take a camel ride, but I thought this was a horrible idea, so we just took some pictures. I stayed well away from the camels, worried one would try to bite me or spit at me! They actually looked very docile and well behaved, though people’s face as the camels knelt down to let them off was very funny. There was a E9 fee each to visit the mountains, which we had already been told about at the pier – this was not included in out taxi price. You cannot just walk about, everyone has to take a precarious feeling coach ride through the mountains, which is narrated in several languages. The views and sights were incredible, and at times it felt like we would fall off the edge of the mountains, even though the drivers were clearly very skilled and knew the routes inside out. The drive lasted about 30 minutes, then we saw various experiments to show how much heat and energy is still in the earth. We saw water poured into the ground, causing a geyser to spurt out, and grass set alight when pushed into a hole in the ground. There was also a large barbecue cooking meat for the restaurant, using only the natural heat.

Out final stop was to see a large famous sculpture by the island's famous artist Cesar Manrique. It was apparently a fertility symbol, so I made sure not to touch it haha! Though Tjibbe rubbed it three times in hope that would bring him three lovely ladies that night, haha!! The stop was fine for a few photos opportunities but we only stayed a few minutes, and all agreed that we wouldn’t want to be on one of the coaches that were stopping there, as there was not much to do!

We were now hungry and tired so although our driver asked if we wanted to go anywhere else, we decided to just go back to the ship. The whole trip took about 3 ½ hours, which we felt was a good length. Our trip also seemed very good value as the equivalent NCL excursion to the Fire Mountains was $59 each, and of course that was on a whole coach of people rather than a private trip. Our driver never tried to push us for any more money or a tip either, we just paid him the agreed amount at the end of our trip, with no issues.

Back on the ship the three of us went to the Raffles Terrace for lunch, where I enjoyed some sandwiches and salad and a birthday glass of wine. The weather was lovely (though windy up in the mountains, I was glad I had worn a long sleeved t-shirt) so Tjibbe and I sunbathed and napped by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. I tried out the hot tub before getting ready for dinner.

For my birthday I wanted to get dressed up so I wore a little black dress with my pink heels and a sparkly clutch bag. I had decided I wanted to eat in my favourite restaurant Le Bistro for a special meal, and when I asked if anyone would like to join me, the majority of my new friends accepted. As such, the day before I made a reservation for 10-12 people and the staff were very accommodating, and said it was no problem if I needed to chance the numbers, just let them know.

I met everyone in the Champagne bar and saw that they had all made such an effort to dress up and look nice. As soon as I walked in, Ian, who provided wonderful piano music in this bar each night, stopped his set and began to play Happy Birthday! The whole bar turned to watch as all my friends sang and cheered their way through the song very loudly! I was incredibly touched and amazed by the generosity shown towards me. I had thought that maybe I would have a couple of celebratory drinks bought for me, but I actually ended up with loads of presents, including perfumes, earrings, chocolate and a ship photo. I treated myself to the martini tasters, which are 6 different mini martinis for $15. This was a great way to try the various flavours without going to one of the official tastings held during the week.

We then headed to Le Bistro, where at my seat at the head of the table there was a note and a red rose lay across my plate! One friend, Jorge, had arranged this for me and it was a lovely touch. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner with delicious food and attentive service. I tried the four cornets with different fillings then the asparagus to start, followed by the duo of duck then my favourite ever desert, crème brulee. I was very happy with all my food, as were all my friends, and I think the $20 cover charge for Le Bistro is very reasonable. The staff brought out a cake and everyone sang happy birthday to me again! Mark kindly paid my cover charge and Wine Buddy Mark insisted on getting that night’s wine. (We particularly enjoyed the Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon, which we ordered on several nights.) I was utterly spoilt and couldn’t believe how kind these people who were previously strangers had been to me. They made my birthday very special and I couldn’t have even begun to imagine how good it would be. Far better than being at home!

After dinner I went to my cabin to drop off my presents and I found a letter had been left from guest services. In it they wished me a happy birthday and included a note from two of my very dear friends Sandy and Kristof. I met these guys on my very first solo cruise and we have stayed in touch ever since, I fly out to Belgium to visit them twice a year. They had contacted the ship with a special personal birthday message. This was what finally tipped me over the edge and brought me to (very happy) tears. The rest of the night continued with a lot of drinks, first in Galaxy, then Maharinis and some interesting chats one-on one-with some of my friends. I finally made it to bed, somewhat worse for the wear, at 4am!

What did you think of the older Spirit compared to the newer Epic?

They are very different ships of course and I think both have their pros and cons. Obviously the Epic is more modern and has more facilities, and I love the entertainment and dining options offered. But being so large, it is less personal and as many people comment, more like being on a floating resort.

I felt that the Spirit had a lovely feel and atmosphere. She was showing her age in places but was a more classically beautiful ship. It was easy to meet people, the staff were fantastic and very friendly, and you always knew you were at sea, with nice open views of the ocean.

But all these points of course will often be the the differences between a small ship and a mega ship. I really like both for different reasons and I wouldn't hesitate to sail on either ship again.

Day 5 – Tenerife

I had already pre-empted that I would be hung-over this morning after my birthday celebrations, so I had no specific plans to go ashore. True to form, I once again woke up far too early, and I decided to stay onboard, there was no way I could have enjoyed Tenerife properly feeling tired and ill. I had a very low key day, but luckily today was also the best weather we had all cruise. Clear blue skies, warm sun and only a small breeze meant that I was able to sunbathe and snooze the day away up on the quiet deck all day. I also ate a disgusting amount, starting with boiled eggs and toast on the terrace, then a much needed cheeseburger from the Blue Lagoon, and finally some surprisingly tasty lasagna and salad from Raffles. Oh it’s hard life, lying about in the sun stuffed full of food cooked by someone else!

It did the trick though and by late afternoon I accepted when my friends encouraged me to go for a sail-away drink at the Bier Garten. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 was in port with us and sail-away gave us chance for some photos as we pulled past her.

That evening I remained more casual, wearing a plain black maxi dress with a gold waist belt, and flat sandals.

I arrived at the Champagne bar to find Mark asking for 6 glasses and his bottle of fizz to be brought out. We were sitting with the champion of today’s ‘Name that 80’s Tune’ quiz! He had been participating by himself but still managed to win, so he kindly shared his spoils with us.

This evening’s show was ‘Soul Rockin’ Nights’, a motown and soul themed production. Some of us went to the 7.30pm show and enjoyed it, but again agreed that the dancers were far better than the singers. As soon as the show finished we made a very hasty exit and rushed to the Garden Room for dinner. Our plan worked and we missed the long queues which inevitably formed at the restaurants after the shows ended. By chance we bumped into the rest of our group so we were able to all share a large table together.

Last night when I received my message from my Belgium friends, I also received a voucher from guest services, saying to present this to staff on the night of my celebrations. Because I didn’t see this until after our meal yesterday, I decided to use it tonight. I wasn’t sure what it was for, and although I had already had my cake accompanied by a round of ‘Happy Birthday’ so didn’t need another, I didn’t want to ignore the voucher in case it was something Sandy and Kristof had arranged, or it was for drinks. As a result I asked my waiter what it was for, explaining that I already had my cake. He just smiled and told me to wait and see.

Tonight I had sausage with feta and hummous, which was far more appetising than it looked, then teriyaki chicken kabobs with rice and mango salsa. I didn’t enjoy the chicken very much as it was a bit dry and the sauce was too sweet for my tastes, though the salsa was good. So to fill up I ordered both apple pie and the cheese plate. The cheese was a lot nicer than when I had it the first night for some reason. As I was eating my cheese, as if from no-where loads of waiters suddenly popped up behind me singing Happy Birthday… again! They presented my cake and must have wondered why we were all laughing hysterically! Now ok, I know it’s not really that funny, but for some reason it amused us all, and for the rest of the cruise, every time someone was sung to, we joked that it was for me again.

After dinner we headed up to Galaxy as usual, but by now I was so tired that I barely managed a quick night cap before going to bed for an early night with my latest cabin buddy!