missskybird

Hello Everyone

I have been trying unsuccessfully to remove a couple of my countdown clocks and adding some new ones. Any suggestions or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

This has gotten me more excited for our June 18th cruise!

I think the countdown can be just as exciting as the cruise itself! I love the whole shore excursion planning experience and doing the research ;)

We love ...love the Spirit .... just big enough ... and just small enough ...We would sail on her again in a heart beat .. enjoy your cruise you have some great ports

Thank you that's great to hear!

Just got off the Spirit last weekend. Oh god it's been a week already. I need another holiday. What was I saying? Oh yeah, the Spirit - I've been on four Norwegian ships now, and the Spirit is probably my new favourite.

 

While there was no significant dry dock, they are making improvements to the ship. For example, our balcony cabin had a new carpet installed right before we boarded (we could smell the newness of it for a few days, and frankly they did a bit of a dodgy job with some carpet glue up a wall near my side of the bed). Not sure if they've made any changes to the general areas though.

 

The food was great in the speciality restaurants, and the same as normal in the MDRs. One thing to note is that they're using the slightly older menus. No lobster, but no upcharging for it in the MDR and some of the older dishes still being on the speciality menus. That was a delight, as I missed the lamb from Le Bistro last year, so I was pleased to be able to get it one last time. There's also a Blue Lagoon and a pub, having never had them replaced with an O'Sheehans. Blue Lagoon is a somewhat odd space, as it's relatively tiny, and a walk through area as well. But they served hand cut chips/fries, which I thought were the best on the ship.

 

There was only two downsides - the reservations in the MDR means that you pretty much always have a wait if you're turning up any time after 6. Ironically, the one time we made a MDR reservation, we missed it having been delayed coming back from an excursion (we overnighted in Haifa). The other issue was simply the level of peeling paint on the hull and promenade.

 

Staff were exceptional. We kinda felt ignored on the Epic apart from the terrific cruise director. It was the reverse on the Spirit - only the cruise director was a bit sub par. Perhaps it was simply because of Fernando, the deputy director, since he was so larger than life that he overshadowed the actual CD. Not that the CD was bad, just a little subdued.

 

But all in all, just take the Spirit to have the chance to sail on NCL circa 2012, and you'll have a great time. Already looking at the Spirit for our next NCL cruise next year.

They do seem to offer a lot more variety with their itineraries, especially for the Adriatic, just a shame they go to Koper rather than Kotor but regardless we are blessed to have the experience. Thank you for your response, I appreciate you taking the time :)

I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about the suites, but we're just recently back from a Barcelona-to-Venice cruise on the Spirit, and we were in a balcony cabin on deck 9, aft, with my mother in law in the connecting cabin next to us. This was our first cruise on the Spirit, but our third NCL cruise overall. We've mainly cruised on HAL.

 

We LOVED the Spirit. What a beautiful ship! The main dining rooms were very nice, the library was sufficient to keep my mother in law entertained, the showroom was good, the specialty restaurants were good. We loved the decorations, with the "foo dogs/lions" and the terra cotta warriors, the stunning atrium, just everything about her. Our balcony rooms had sufficient space for us, the balconies were a little small but sufficient to sit on and enjoy the views. We would sail on the Spirit again in a heartbeat!

 

Best wishes! Enjoy your cruise!

That's wonderful news..we are very excited about the itinerary, especially sailing in and out of Venice!

We love ...love the Spirit .... just big enough ... and just small enough ...We would sail on her again in a heart beat .. enjoy your cruise you have some great ports

I appreciate the feedback, it is always difficult to try a new cruise line...you have made me feel pleased with the choice :)

just returned from NCL Spirt. YOU WILL LOVE SPLIT!!!!. The old town is a manageable walk from the dock. Lots of local foods, artists selling art work ( bought a couple of small water colors), and I did not see a starbucks anywhere. Took a tour off ship and it took us to the Waterfalls ( 1 hour out of Split and amazing) , the town of Trogir ( nice, but an hour there is long enough). The weather was nice, but I hear during the summer it can get hot. I found the food in Le Bistro and Cagneys on the bland side ( not enough seasonings). If you sail from Venice, make sure you tay on your balcony , the views are just amazing

Thank you! Yes we have an overnight in Venice and I am really looking forward to sailing both in and out, it is such an amazing city. Can I just ask what you thought of the ship overall, public areas, restaurants and service?

We have just booked our first NCL cruise on the Spirit visiting the Adriatic including Venice, Malta and Corfu May 2018.

I am now a little apprehensive particularly after reading many less than glowing reviews about the condition of the ship.

We have previously sailed with Celebrity in their Suites (but they are now ridiculously priced) and have booked a Penthouse Suite for this cruise. Any views on the condition of their Suites would be very much appreciated.

I would also love to hear from anyone who has cruised these ports Dubrovnik, Koper, Split, Corfu and Malta as we have previously cruised Italy and Greek Isles.

Thank you :)