BettyBrum

Hi,

Me and my hubby used to cruise quite a lots before we had kids having been on NCL, Princess and RCL.. Having not cruised for a while now we were toying with the idea of a 7 night Med cruise  on Marella Discovery and then a 7 night hotel stay (keeps both kids happy as one wants a cruise and 1 wants a hotel!). Appreciate that Marella might not be in the same league as the main cruise lines but main thing is seeing some fab places. But just wondered if anyone could offer any pearls of wisdom about this cruise? Just want to make sure we can have some good excursions and that there are enough things to keep the kids amused on the boat on the sea day. Also is the ship ok!

I'm not a fan of marmite! But it is definitely a good description!

Thanks for the replies! Interesting responses! We have cruised before and always just booked the cabin we want and been happy with our choices! On our last cruise though, I heard a lot of people saying they'd "researched" docking, sunsets etc and chosen accordingly, so I thought I'd see what everyone thought. Clearly those people were in the minority!!!

Hi!

We are looking to book a cruise on Freedom of the Seas around the Eastern Caribbean (CocoCay, Charlotte Amalie and St Maarten). Does anyone know whether we are better with a port side or starboard side cabin?

We like to see the action in ports, but also like the sun on our balcony!!

Any advice, gratefully received!

Betty!

Thank you Betty. Hope you have a great trip.

Steve O

Hi Steve!

Whilst I was on the spirit last week, I went and checked on 10572 and 10576 and there wasn't anything of note in front of the cabins. It does appear to be a crew area as there was a "crew only" door just past 10576. It was really quiet when I was walking past mid-afternoon.

Not sure whether that helps, but hope you have a great cruise!

Quite amazing that we've had so many replies to a fairly vague question about a hair drier. Just goes to show the value of Cruise Critic.

 

Still seem to be getting mixed messages. Big Chippy's photo shows one above the dresser but BettyBrum says no UK sockets. Interesting!

 

Would be interested to know what BettyBrum thought of the Spirit. We have cruised on Jade which is a larger ship but hoping Spirit is going to be nice despite being older. We are due shortly on Canaries cruise out of Barcelona so hoping the weather will be kind to us.

Del.

Hi Del!

Very interesting that you have had so many different responses! Just double checked our photos and there was no uk socket - very weird!!

In response to your question as to what we thought of the spirit....

We really liked it. We haven't cruised NCL before, having previously cruised with Ocean Village and Princess, but would definitely cruise NCL again. Our cabin (deck 9 with a balcony) was comfortable and clean if not a bit small. Bathroom was clean and comfortable, but if I was being picky I would say it was a bit tired.

Food was excellent. We ate in the buffet for breakfast and lunch - lots of choice and plenty available. For dinner we alternated between windows and the garden room. Both were great and the food was good. We preferred windows because it was lighter, brighter and more spacious.

Communal areas all good, no complaints at all. Lots of places to sit, chill or have a drink. Really liked the viewing area of the bridge. Entertainment was good and the elements show is fantastic as are the acrobats.

Daytime entertainment also plentiful and a good variety.

As you can probably tell, we really liked it! If there's anything specific you want to know (other than sockets!!) let me know!

It was quite rocky during our trip, but it didn't bother us. We just worked out the best places to sit! We liked all ports of call. In Casablanca we did a half day tour including the mosque which was amazing. We weren't too bothered with the town though. Lanzarote is ok and we enjoyed a walk to and from the town. Madeira is truly stunning and again you dock in port. Malaga was ok, we just walked along the prom, but my mother in law took the bus to a nearby town.

Have a great trip - wish I was going again!!

I have just got back from a great trip on the Spirit and I used the cabin hairdryer every night. It's not the best in the world, but travel hairdryers aren't brilliant either. I have very thick hair (bobbed just above shoulders) and it took me 10 minutes to dry my hair which I didn't think was too bad! The andle gets a bit warm but not unbearable.

There was definitely not a uk socket in our cabin (9th deck), but a us and European socket both of which did us fine! I used the American one for my ghds and it was fine.

Hope that helps and have a great time!!

Hello All,

we have tentatively booked 2 adjoining cabins on the Spirit Deck 10 (10572 & 10576) for a future cruise. Looking at the available Deck Plans there is a large blank area shown on the opposite side of the hallway.

Anyone have any clues on what this might be?:confused:

TIA

Steve O

I'm going on the spirit so will have a look for you and drop you a note when I get back!

Fantastic review! Can't wait for my holiday on the Spirit now!