Just got home from 3 week vacation...was on Spirit to Alaska

Hi everyone,

Excellent vacation...just got back last night. I am really excited to post my review of the ship but I will do so tomorrow. Can't wait to tell everyone about it. Excellent experience for me as it was my first cruise and I have nothing to compare it with but I can tell you that things have surely improved on the ship compared to some reports that were posted early on a few months ago.

Will try my best to post a review tomorrow and in the meanwhile if anyone has questions about the ports, NCL Spirit etc....go right ahead and fire away. :D

I'll be looking forward to your review. My husband and I will be doing Alaska on the Spirit in Sept. 2005. A very long time to wait! In the meantime, I'm trying to get as much information as I can. Glad you had such a great time. The more I hear about this ship, the more happy I am that we chose her.

Sue

Hi, glad you had an awesome time! I'll be going on the Spirit next Saturday and just wanted to clarify that the ship would be docked at Pier 66. I also have some questions on the day you board...what's the earliest time that you can board the ship? Was there a long line? Where is the closest parking lot? After you check in yourself and your luggage you can have lunch right? Are the pools filled yet? Thanks!

Glad you had a great time, snoopy_leogirl. :D

mkfan87--I can answer some of your questions. We took a taxi so I can't help with parking. I don't recall exactly what is the earliest time you can board the ship, but there was a long line when we got there at 1:30, except for Latitudes members. That was very very short and we breezed right through the embarkation procedure. Yes, you can have lunch and yes the pool was filled.

Hi, glad you had an awesome time! I'll be going on the Spirit next Saturday and just wanted to clarify that the ship would be docked at Pier 66. I also have some questions on the day you board...what's the earliest time that you can board the ship? Was there a long line? Where is the closest parking lot? After you check in yourself and your luggage you can have lunch right? Are the pools filled yet? Thanks!

We parked right across the street from Pier 66 at the Bell Street Parking Garage. The cost is $12 a day and we left our car there the whole week.

http://www.portseattle.org/seaport/cruise/parkingandtransportation.shtml

We got to the terminal about 11:15 and there were a lot of people there but no lines at all. They didn't start boarding until about 11:45, though. After we got onboard, we dropped off our carry-on stuff in our stateroom and went to Windows for a wonderful lunch - sitting by the window watching everyone else boarding. Any other questions?

Are you registered with our Cruise Critics group who are sailing next Sat? If not, check out the Roll Call page and look for the post for "8/21 Spirit".

There is a nice women "cpayne" who has orginized a gathering for us and also got us on the VIP list. We have directions to go to the VIP lounge for embarkment which they say begins at 11:30. Email her, maybe she can get you on the list too.

Hope to see you in a few days !!!

Can older teenagers go into the clubs/discos? I realize no alcohol could be ordered......Any other restrictions such as no one under 21 after a certain hour?

One more question: is there a laundry room on the Spirit? How much money per load? Do you have to bring your own detergent?

One more question: is there a laundry room on the Spirit? How much money per load? Do you have to bring your own detergent?

No self-serve laundry on the Spirit, sorry!

You cannot do laundry on the ship. The room stewards leave two bags in your closet with a price list for laundry but quite expensive ($1.25 per pair of underwear!!). Cruise was fantastic though - great weather and great ship. Beds were extremely comfortable and never had to ask for egg crate cushions. You'll love duvet comforters. Very, very friendly service throughout ship. Teens can go into the celebrity disco until 11:00 PM. My teens found many friends and I hardly saw them. They felt the teen center was too young for them. My daughter is 16 and my son is 15. They had a blast!!

Does anyone know anything about perhaps a Cruise Critic gathering or VIP list for the 9/11 sailing on the Spirit?

please advise,

-cm24

Just off the Spirit. We dropped our luggage at the early check-in desk at 10 a.m. Spent some time walking, looking, shopping on the pier. Returned to gate at 11:15 a.m. Were on board by 11:30. Luggage arrived early afternoon. Virtually no lines that early! Go for it! Take advantage of the ship's tour conducted by crew on embarkation day!

Thanks for the tip about early luggage drop off. Hope your trip was wonderful!

When can we expect to see your review, Snoopy Leogirl?

I can give you my review. We did the 8/7 Alaskan cruise on the Spirit. It was wonderful. We were pleased with the courteous crew, the food and the entertainment. In fact, we were so pleased that today we just booked another cruise on the Spirit in March to the Southern Caribbean. And, in fear of sounding too giddy, my husband and I won a total of $5,000 at the casino which is paying for the new cruise. So, don't think for one minute that the slots don't pay. They sure did for us!

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post it as yet but I will do that in a few minutes. It is a long review, but I felt that I needed to put in details which would help people. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. But the experience was great within itself. I really want to cruise to Alaska again, even though we just off the ship about 4 weeks ago.

Congrats to Phoenixlady & your husband winning the money for your next cruise!!! Now, that's the way to really enjoy cruising!