Spirit Review - 10/19 - 10/29

Our family sailed on the Spirit 10/19 - 10/29 and had a fantastic time. There were six of us, my husband (40), DS' (9, 15), My Mom (61), brother (34) and myself (39). We have cruised prior, but this was the first time with NCL.

EMBARKATION - We live in Pennsylvania so we drove to the port in the morning. We arrived around 1:00 pm. We dropped off our luggage with the porter and proceeded to the parking area. The cost was $180 and there were plenty of parking spaces. When we saw the ship we were a little concerned because in our opinion it appeared aged and in need of a little TLC. We walked to where the escalators are located and were directed to the check in area. The security line was a breeze. As soon as we passed through security there was a long line in front of us and the line was moving slowly for the registration process. After getting through the registration line it took no time to get through the remaining stops. We received our cards, bypassed the pictures, and boarded. As soon as we boarded the ship all our concerns melted away. The inside of the ship is beautiful. It is tastefully decorated in an Asian theme. We went to our cabins to drop off our carry ons and then headed to Raffles for a quick lunch. After lunch we went to the Reservations desk to make reservations for the specialty restaurants. Unfortunately, the menus for the main restaurants were not available for viewing because new menus were introduced for this sailing, so we guessed what days might be best. We had a little time left before the muster drill so we browsed the ship.

CABINS - We had two cabins, one inside on the 4th deck and one balcony on the 9th deck. I thought the rooms were a little small but were adequate for our needs. A couple of suggestions I have are to bring extra clothes hangers and an alarm clock if you need one. We stored the life jackets (these were stored on the top shelf of the closet) and empty suitcases under the bed. Our 9 year old stayed in our balcony cabin. One of the things I did not like about the balcony stateroom was when the sofa bed was made up it left no room between the desk and the end of the bed to access the balcony slider. The solution we found was if my son was still asleep, we folded the bottom panel of the sleeper. He still had plenty of room and it created access to get to the slider without having to crawl over the bed. The pull out mattress was thin and looked very uncomfortable. I'm sure you could request an egg crate cover to go on top. My son did not complain about it. I think kids can sleep on anything and in any posistion. The balcony bathroom had a nice size shower with excellent water pressure. There was a sliding door that separated the bathroom from the vanity and shower area. The vanity area had plenty of shelves for storage. The inside stateroom had a bunk, two twins, and a trundle. I was a little surprised at this because we were told by a NCL customer service rep that this stateroom had two bunks and two twins. I never checked the room plan because on the other lines we cruised they have two twins and two bunks on the inside. I felt bad for my 9 year old because he had wanted to sleep on the "second" bunk. After realizing that there was only one bunk and the room would be too tight with my 15 year old who is 6' 1" and 245 lbs on the trundle, he decided to stay in our cabin. The same customer service rep also told me that there would be a fridge in the balcony stateroom which there isn't. I had called to inquire about the fridge because my husband's insulin has to be refrigerated. I know I read on these boards that the balconies didn't have refrigerators, but the customer service rep assured me that there was one. We had to go to the front desk later in the evening regarding a missing pc of luggage and asked about the bunks and fridge, the person at the reception desk told us that all of the inside staterooms have the same layout with the trundle and the balconies do not have fridges. This was not a big deal for us, we were just curious. Don't sweat the small stuff. The inside bathroom seemed to be a little larger than the balcony, but I think it was the layout. We thought the beds were comfortable. My husband requested extra pillows from our steward and received them within minutes. Our stewards did an excellent job. My son would go out each morning for ice. By the second morning, they knew him by name and would drop what they were doing to fill the ice bucket. Whenever they saw us in the hallway, they always would greet my son using his name. I read on the boards about the person claiming to have bed bugs in their cabin. We didn't see bugs or any evidence of a prior bug problem in either stateroom. Both rooms were clean and bug free!!

PUBLIC ROOMS: We thought all of the public areas were nice. The casino was small but had all of the usual game tables and slot machines. We went to the casino a couple of times and made our contribution. We did like that the Galaxy of the Stars, Stardust and some of the other areas are smoke free. We went to Henry's Pub a few times but really didn't go to the other bars. We all agreed that the Spirit is one of the nicest ships we have sailed on. It's obvious that the crew work very hard to maintain a clean ship.

Unfortunately, I am running out of time. To be continued..

Thanks for the great review. It was good of you to mention your cabins were " bug free". I will be sailing on the 30th and have been quite concerned as to what I have been reading on the boards.

Thanks for a great review. We tell the truth here at Cruise Critics, its not that the NCL reps tell falsehoods as much as they truely really don't have a clue.

Thanks for taking the time to post. I'm looking for=ward to your next installment.

Thanks for the great review. It was good of you to mention your cabins were " bug free". I will be sailing on the 30th and have been quite concerned as to what I have been reading on the boards.

We were also on the 10/19 Spirit cruise out of NYC. Cabin 6590. Bug free. You can read my review on the review portion of this web site - Under POKERFACE....

Thanks for another great review on the Spirit! We're really looking forward to our upcoming cruise, and all these great reviews makes the anticipation even greater!!

Did anyone see this post on another website?

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/bedbugsOct29.html

Did anyone see this post on another website?

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/bedbugsOct29.html

It has been thoroughly de-bunked on other threads. She couldn't keep her story straight, she didn't have any proof (such as pictures or copies of complaint forms) and several other veteran cruisers happened to be on that cruise and reported no "bug" issue.

So, in other words, bed bugs know not to invade the cabins of veteran cruisers.

According to the posting, they physically brought the evidence to cruise officials. Are you suggesting they went through the effort to pack bed bugs, so they can unleash them on a cruise and try to get an onboard credit or another free cruise?

Or, are you suggesting they made up the entire story?

So, in other words, bed bugs know not to invade the cabins of veteran cruisers.

 

According to the posting, they physically brought the evidence to cruise officials. Are you suggesting they went through the effort to pack bed bugs, so they can unleash them on a cruise and try to get an onboard credit or another free cruise?

 

Or, are you suggesting they made up the entire story?

I recommend you read all of the threads and posts, and then think for yourself.

ENTERTAINMENT - We went to see a few of the production shows. They were very high energy and well done. Ed Alonzo, the comedian was really funny. We went to both of his shows. Second City from Chicago performed some really funny skits. They performed in both the Galaxy of the Stars and Stardust Theater. Patti and Jose are very talented. There were a couple of performances that were in the Galaxy of the Stars. Unfortunately, we arrived late and it was standing room only so we didn’t stay very long. There was another comedian, Peter Sasso, who was not funny. We saw quite a few people leaving during his routine. Urban Fusion was talented. I have read mixed reviews about Julie, the cruise director. I think she tries very hard and did a nice job.

PORTS - We enjoyed all of the ports on this itinerary. We had previously visited St Maarten, St Thomas and Tortola. I scheduled a lot of excursions on my own which worked out really well.

St Thomas - We scheduled an island tour that included some shopping, beach time and touring. The tour started out with about and hour of shopping in the main shopping district. This was the least favorite part of the tour. I love shopping, but I hate to get hassled. It was a Sunday and the stores close at 1pm. A lot of shop employees and owners were out on the sidewalks trying to persuade people to come in and look around. They were pretty aggressive and some were really rude. At the end of the street where the stores end, one of the shops employees approach us and told us not to go any further down the street because it was not the most desirable neighborhood. After touring the island, we were given the choice to go to either Sapphire Beach or Coki Beach. My kids picked Sapphire Beach. Sapphire was not crowded and had pretty good snorkeling.

Antigua - The kayak tour we did also included some hiking, sightseeing and snorkeling. My kids learned so much on this excursion. The guide was really knowledgeable and very involved in preserving the environment. The snorkeling was not as good as some of the other islands and there were a lot of jelly fish in the area. After the kayaking, the owners set up to have one of their employees take us on a tour of the island. He was 77 years old and gave an excellent tour. He showed us all the highlights and a lot of other areas of the island. The island is beautiful.

Barbados - We didn’t see much of Barbados. We grabbed a cab at the port and went to the Boatyard. This was one of the most relaxing and fun days at the beach.

St Maarten - I scheduled a island tour which was great. The guide was really friendly and informative. We went on both the Dutch and French sides. One of the highlights of the trip was Maho Beach. What an awesome experience. Three planes came in while we were there. Orient Beach was really crowed and the water was rough. There was tons of shops on Front and Back streets. St Maarten was really busy and crowded because there were three ships in port.

Tortola - We had previously visited the Baths (a must do), so we decided to do the Bananas Crawl tour. It wasn’t exactly what we expected, but it was fun. We stopped at some of the beaches, a few bars, and included a tour of the island. The tour also included a lunch which was good. I felt bad because we signed my 9 year old up for Kids Crew and he was the only one there. When we returned, there was a note telling us he was “assistant cruise director” for the day and was on a behind the scenes tour. From that day on, everywhere we went on the ship he would tell us some fact he had learned. He had a total blast.

POOLS - We did not go to the Tivoli pool much. The pool area was crowded and the chair hogs were out in full force. After dinner we would go in the hot tubs, which was so relaxing. There were very few people in this area after 7pm. Most of the time we hung out in the Buccaneer area at the back of the ship. There was plenty of seating and you had the option to be in the sun or shade. There is also a hot tub and a wading pool for children in this area. The kids were having a blast going down the slides and climbing through the “caves”. All of the kids were really well behaved. On one of the sea days, the kids crew staff played games, had water slides races, and a balloon toss with the kids. They loved it.

KIDS CREW - The kids program is one of the best I have seen. My son was very upset if we picked him up before 10 pm. I was a little surprised that they didn’t have kids crew during port hours, which is not a big deal to us because our kids usually go on shore with us. Some of the other lines we have sailed were open during port times. A “babysitting” service was offered during the times the kids crew was closed. The rate was $5 per hour for one child. I think they give you a price break if they watch 2 or more from the same family. The Kids Crew had a lot of activities and games for the kids to participate in. My older son went to some of the teen functions that were organized through the ship. He met a nice group of kids his age. They went to some of the shows and had dinner together most nights. There were not a lot of kids on this sailing.

FOOD - I am not going to hit a lot on the food. There is so much information on this site about food We love love love the freestyle concept. To have the flexibility to eat when you want to and not be assigned to a dining time every day was great. New menus were introduced on this sailing. There were two versions of the kids menu available. We are not picky eaters and there was plenty of food selection. The chilled soups are delicious and were offered at lunch and dinner. We ate dinner in both the Windows and Garden Room. Both of these dining rooms are nicely decorated. The Garden is much smaller than the Windows. We enjoyed the Garden atmosphere more than Windows. On a couple of nights the entrees did not appeal to me, so I ordered the strip steak and baked potato. The first night the steak was a little dry but edible. The second night the steak was cooked to perfection. We never had the same servers, but every one of them strived to make sure everything was satisfactory and everyone was enjoying their selections. We dined at a couple of the specialty restaurants. We took advantage of the early seating special which I think was offered every night at Le Bistro, Cagneys, and Shogun.

La Trattoria - We thought the food here was below average. The breads, appetizers, and desserts were good, but the entrees were disappointing. The chicken was dry and the pasta dishes did not have a lot of sauce on them. We asked for additional sauce which was no problem. The restaurant was really empty, but the service was really slow. After my son finished his entrée, he asked for another entrée. The server told him she would put in the order, but it would be a really long wait. This was our least favorite dining spot.

Cagneys - This restaurant is awesome. The servers were excellent and the food was delicious. We dined during the 50% off early bird special. My husband ordered the lobster which according to him was one of the best lobsters he ever tasted. The shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and New England clam chowder was delicious. The entrees listed on the separate menu (surf and turf, 1 ½ lb lobster, and another that I can’t remember) do not qualify for the 50% off special. The main menu items qualify for the discount.

Blue Lagoon - My kids loved the wings and cheeseburgers. The service was really fast.

Raffles - This is your normal buffet. There was plenty of selection and the food was fine. We had breakfast here. The French toast and waffles were tasty. My husband enjoyed the omelet station. Getting through the lines was total chaos. People were cutting in and out of the “lines” and trying to reach around people that were blocking the food because they were waiting in either the waffle or omelet station line. There were two stand alone areas that had cereal, fruits, and other selections. There was also an ice cream dipping area. An NCL employee dipped the ice cream for you. There were toppings available and a warm dessert.

SERVICE - I thought all of the waiters, room stewards, and other staff were always accommodating. We were always greeted with a hello. I cannot imagine trying to keep a smile on your face and working the hours they do. I think all of them do an exceptional job.

The only rough part of the cruise.. Literally was on Saturday night returning to New York. The ocean was really rough and it was really windy. During the cruise, I think the upper outside decks were closed two times due to wind, but this was the worse. There was water coming over the balcony railing and seeping into our cabin through the balcony door. The carpet and drapes got pretty wet. At first we thought a pipe had burst in the soffit area because of the way it sounded. My husband got out of bed and realized that the water was filling the threshold inside the cabin. The water was draining out through the weep holes in the threshold, but it was filling up so fast it was spilling over onto the carpet. My husband called the front desk to report the problem and explained that the carpet and drapes were getting wet. No exaggeration; the maintenance people called back and told my husband not to worry that this is normal. We accepted that because the majority of the water was draining back out. Needless to say, we didn’t get that much sleep. The next morning we opened the balcony slider, there were panels hanging from the ceiling area. Thank goodness they didn’t break loose and cause some serious damage.

DEBARKATION - The ship was 1 ½ to 2 hrs late getting into port due to the weather. We did the express checkout which was so easy. We waited in the 4th deck stateroom which was really close to the gangway. We carried our luggage off, went through customs, took the elevator to the parking area and were on our way home in no time.

Would we cruise NCL again,.. Definitely. NCL has been added to the favorite list. I love the fact that you can sail out of New York. No airlines, hotels, car rentals, etc is a wonderful thing. We chose to try NCL because of the Free Style which we loved. I hope this review helps someone and doesn’t bore someone else to tears. We tried to go with a open mind and not compare to the other lines we have sailed. We had a great time and would go again in a mega second.

I would like to thank everyone on CC. I happened to stumble on this site months before our cruise. The information and tips that are posted are so helpful. As I said, we have cruised prior so we were familiar with the cruise experience, but after reviewing these boards it made this cruise experience even better. Thanks

Thank you so much for the wonderful details. I can hardly wait!!!

Lovely detailed filled review! I enjoyed it.

So, in other words, bed bugs know not to invade the cabins of veteran cruisers.

 

According to the posting, they physically brought the evidence to cruise officials. Are you suggesting they went through the effort to pack bed bugs, so they can unleash them on a cruise and try to get an onboard credit or another free cruise?

 

Or, are you suggesting they made up the entire story?

Wasn't this story done by a troll?

we will be in st maarten next week and noticed the positive mention

of maho beach. is the beach calm for swimming ? how long does it

take from the pier?

larry

So, in other words, bed bugs know not to invade the cabins of veteran cruisers.

 

According to the posting, they physically brought the evidence to cruise officials. Are you suggesting they went through the effort to pack bed bugs, so they can unleash them on a cruise and try to get an onboard credit or another free cruise?

 

Or, are you suggesting they made up the entire story?

IMHO I think she's fibbing, not one other person has reported bed bugs, and if you've been on these boards much you know we would hear from many more ppl

Wasn't this story done by a troll?

I posted the "story". Again, I stand by it. It my account of occurances on my cruise. What is it that makes you think I am a troll. No need to believe me, Just be aware that this is a growing problem. know what to look for and check your bedding, couch, etc in your staterooms/hotel rooms. This has been a nightmare!

I have just spoken to Eva @ the CDC (Disease Surveillance Parasitic Diseases Branch). The CDC is responsible fo random, routine inspections of cruise ships. They will be investigating this. Here are the links she sent me:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnbedbugs.pdf

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05574.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/bedbug.htm

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/bedbugs.html#pics

http://www.afpmb.org/pubs/tims/TG44/TG44.htm

IMHO I think she's fibbing, not one other person has reported bed bugs, and if you've been on these boards much you know we would hear from many more ppl

Just check the bedding and sofas in your staterooms/hotels. It's better to be cautious. If you unwittingly bring them home, it is extremly difficult to rid them.

May you never experience what I (and my family) have.

It has been thoroughly de-bunked on other threads. She couldn't keep her story straight, she didn't have any proof (such as pictures or copies of complaint forms) and several other veteran cruisers happened to be on that cruise and reported no "bug" issue.

Explain to me how this was debunked. I am curious because I lived it. I have one video clip taken of the one that ran down my arm, before I took it to the hotel director, and will post a still as soon as i understand how. There was no "forms" I met with (1st) the asst front desk manager, (2) the front desk manager and (3rd) the hotel director. I have not inculded their names because I am under the impression that one does not post the actual names on a news group.

Please, point out where my "story" is not "kept stright". I have been nothing but factual in my posts. I have posted to seek help from others with any experience and to alert passengers to learn and check. All of the professionals that I have contaced (Pest control, CDC, websites, etc) have all said often the bugs go unnoticed. People only find them after they go to their doctor about a rash or they become severe enough to be seen in daylight or when you flip/move bedding. They are small flat nocturnal parasites between the size of a poppyseed to(I have read) 1/2+ of an inch. In addition to bedding, they hide in sofas, carpet, edges, any type of dark crevice. Most of the adults were 1/4 inch. The one that ran down my arm was about 1/3".

How have you been shown a phony? That's easy: re-read the threads. They speak for themself. There is also no proof that you didn't carry the bugs on board yourself. Unintentionally, of course.

Your shifting story, your lack of proof and the fact that it has not been corroborated by any other passenger does not bode well for your "story." Coupled with the fact that it's a 35 year-old rouse straight out of "Steal This Book," leads any reasonable person with the opportunity to reject your entire claim.

Why would any sane person claim they found a finger in Wendy's chile?

I think the cruise die-hards don't want to believe it.

Sounds like another die-hard group that has been in denial for the past 36 hours.

Good thing they don't serve Kool-Aid on cruise ships.

I just wanted to say Thank-You to all of you. I am going on my first cruise in April, NCL Spirit. I was hearing bad reviews about this ship and was getting nervous about going. But all the feed back has assured me that this trip is going to be well worth it. Also if you have any feed back for a first time cruiser, please sent it! Thanks =)

I just wanted to say Thank-You to all of you. I am going on my first cruise in April, NCL Spirit. I was hearing bad reviews about this ship and was getting nervous about going. But all the feed back has assured me that this trip is going to be well worth it. Also if you have any feed back for a first time cruiser, please sent it! Thanks ..

ps sorry i didnt mean to post this twice...my computer is wacky =)

212cruiser, I have read the threads. My telling of our experience has not changed, nor "shifted". Perhaps that is why you can not be specific. Just because you or others say it did not happen, does not make it so. The couple that I just saw on Inside Edition three days ago, did not even know they came in contact with bed bugs on their cruise until shortly after their return, now their home is infested. I count us as lucky in that we found them before we came home and took some precautions.

To cantwaitt- thank you. I have learned that there is a small number of members that can not stand the thought that this is a very real problem that is growing (through lack of a good pesticide and ignorance). So, they would rather classify it as crap. If denial lets them have a happier vacation and allows them to sleep at night. It's their house. Let them think only happy thoughts. until that one day when one of them starts to wonder why they have an unexplained rash.

To those of you who have offered kind words, empathy and helpful information. Thank you. This has been very stressful. And your kind words and helpful information is valued and appreciated.

Has anyone thought that this might have been a isolated incident. I am sailing on the spirit and considering it like that fact that ther are a 1/4 pound of mouse dropping in every 10 pounds of rice. I mean statistically speaking with all the people boarding all the ships there are bound to be a small percantage of rooms that are going to have this problem.

I understand your concern on how they handled the situation. I also appreciate the information on what to look for. But on the other side of the coin I think you may have a little bit of the sky is falling syndrome.

Just my 2 cents.