Spirit Review 6/11/05

[therbst]

On June 11, we sailed on the NCL Spirit out of Seattle to Alaska. This was the seventh cruise for my wife and I and our first on NCL. My mother joined us. She had been on NCL for a few of her many cruises all over the world, but she had never cruised to Alaska. This was also the first stay in a balcony cabin for my wife and I due to a good deal ($750/person for a balcony guarantee) we picked up about 7weeks before sailing from an internet provider. Our cabin was assigned within a week of the purchase - cabin 11632 - deck 11, port side. My mother was on deck 5 with a window cabin.

We stayed over the night before at the Red Lion Seattle South for $49. They provide free 24 hour airport shuttle, and they shuttled all 3 of us to the port for $25.

We had e-tickets, so the first thing we had to do at the port was find the luggage tags. We brought along return address labels to save time.

I can’t add much to what others have said about the Spirit. It is, perhaps, the best ship we have been on for the following reasons:

a theater with comfortable seats and no posts to block sight lines,

a small movie theater with a large screen and comfortable seating,

The waffles,

complete athletic facilities including two individual swim tanks and 4 golf driving cages with clubs provided,

a room for viewing the bridge,

color-coded elevators (I only got lost one time),

a beautiful atrium without being overdone,

an exceptionally pleasant staff,

a wide variety of dining venues,

THE WAFFLES.

 

All of our other cruises have been to the Caribbean and along the western coast of Mexico. The Alaska cruise through the inside passage was a much different experience. I was up very early those first few mornings so as not to miss any of the scenery as we wound our way through narrow passages. It seemed there was always something to look at. It reminded me of the wilderness areas I have visited in northern Minnesota, but on a much grander scale. Although I had heard about the views and seen the pictures, there really is no way to understand and appreciate Alaska without the personal experience. The trip up Tracy arm, with huge chunks of ice bumping off the side of the boat, winding our way through narrow channels with towering, snow-covered peaks on either side, was truly the highlight of the trip.

 

When we pulled into Ketchikan, our first stop, we found ourselves with a great view of the city from our balcony. Just a block from the dock, we attended the lumberjack show. It was good theater and well worth the price of admission. We picked up a city guide at the visitor’s center and used coupons for $1 tee-shirts, wooden claws (for scooping pasta or salad - a big souvenir item) and a chopping knife (held by security when we returned to the boat).

As we pulled into Juneau, we received a call from home telling us my wife’s father had died in his sleep. We went ahead with our plans for the day as our daughter began making travel arrangements. We took a free shuttle bus from the dock into the tourist section (a five minute ride) where there were several booths offering a variety of excursions similar to those offered through the ship. We signed up for the $10 bus to Mendenhall glacier. Again, it is impossible to appreciate the immensity and stunning beauty without standing there, looking up at a wall of ice that seems to go on forever. Back in Juneau, we went to the library to use their free internet access to check in with home, and we decided my wife would stay until Prince Rupert and fly from there through Vancouver, and I would stay on board with my mother, but leave early out of Seattle while she stayed through Wednesday as we had planned to do.

The next day was Scagway where we rented a car from Avis for a drive across Whitehorse pass to Emerald lake. The coast of Alaska was shrouded in mist and clouds throughout our trip, but the eastern side of the pass was sunny and warm. We stopped often to take pictures and bask in the sun and gaze up at towering peaks lined with snow. The internet café in Scagway is also the only gas station and the laundromat. It was crowded with ships’ crewmembers and cost just $4 per hour. We went to a half price souvenir shop off on one of the side streets and an outlet store near the end of the main street with the lowest priced souvenirs we found in Alaska.

All three of the Alaska stops had many of the same jewelry stores we have seen in the Caribbean. That was not the case in Prince Rupert, Canada. Again in Prince Rupert, the port side of the ship was dockside, and we had a great view of the city. When we pulled in, there were as many as 30 bald eagles in trees near the dock, diving for fish beside a cannery. Although we often see bald eagles when we visit northern Minnesota, this was spellbinding. They often passed just a few feet from our balcony. The shops in the dock area sell primarily native art and crafts rather than jewelry and souvenirs. There is a Safeway just a few blocks from the dock and a mall just a few blocks beyond that for those who feel a need to shop, but I found a hidden garden through a tunnel within a block of the ship and, after seeing my wife off at the hotel where she boarded a bus to the airport, I took some time to wonder through the flowers. I also found a hidden internet café on the second floor of a popular bar/restaurant named Beakers.

 

I cannot begin to express my appreciation to the Spirit crewmembers who helped us through a difficult situation as we adjusted our departure plans. The officers and staff at the pursers desk were kind and generous with their time as they provided us with various alternatives for debarkation and information about the process we would need to follow to clear immigration. At Prince Rupert, the immigration officer escorted us off the ship, then offered to give us a ride to the hotel to catch the bus.

At Seattle, I was able to carry my luggage off, get a cab, and make a 9:30 flight.

 

My wife and I agree, although we generally prefer new experiences, we hope to cruise to Alaska again, and we hope we have an opportunity to sail on the Spirit again.

[cliffd64]

I take it you enjoyed the waffles? :)

[greenie]

On June 11, we sailed on the NCL Spirit out of Seattle to Alaska. This was the seventh cruise for my wife and I and our first on NCL. My mother joined us. She had been on NCL for a few of her many cruises all over the world, but she had never cruised to Alaska. This was also the first stay in a balcony cabin for my wife and I due to a good deal ($750/person for a balcony guarantee) we picked up about 7weeks before sailing from an internet provider. Our cabin was assigned within a week of the purchase - cabin 11632 - deck 11, port side. My mother was on deck 5 with a window cabin.

We stayed over the night before at the Red Lion Seattle South for $49. They provide free 24 hour airport shuttle, and they shuttled all 3 of us to the port for $25.

We had e-tickets, so the first thing we had to do at the port was find the luggage tags. We brought along return address labels to save time.

I can’t add much to what others have said about the Spirit. It is, perhaps, the best ship we have been on for the following reasons:

a theater with comfortable seats and no posts to block sight lines,

a small movie theater with a large screen and comfortable seating,

The waffles,

complete athletic facilities including two individual swim tanks and 4 golf driving cages with clubs provided,

a room for viewing the bridge,

color-coded elevators (I only got lost one time),

a beautiful atrium without being overdone,

an exceptionally pleasant staff,

a wide variety of dining venues,

THE WAFFLES.

 

All of our other cruises have been to the Caribbean and along the western coast of Mexico. The Alaska cruise through the inside passage was a much different experience. I was up very early those first few mornings so as not to miss any of the scenery as we wound our way through narrow passages. It seemed there was always something to look at. It reminded me of the wilderness areas I have visited in northern Minnesota, but on a much grander scale. Although I had heard about the views and seen the pictures, there really is no way to understand and appreciate Alaska without the personal experience. The trip up Tracy arm, with huge chunks of ice bumping off the side of the boat, winding our way through narrow channels with towering, snow-covered peaks on either side, was truly the highlight of the trip.

 

When we pulled into Ketchikan, our first stop, we found ourselves with a great view of the city from our balcony. Just a block from the dock, we attended the lumberjack show. It was good theater and well worth the price of admission. We picked up a city guide at the visitor’s center and used coupons for $1 tee-shirts, wooden claws (for scooping pasta or salad - a big souvenir item) and a chopping knife (held by security when we returned to the boat).

As we pulled into Juneau, we received a call from home telling us my wife’s father had died in his sleep. We went ahead with our plans for the day as our daughter began making travel arrangements. We took a free shuttle bus from the dock into the tourist section (a five minute ride) where there were several booths offering a variety of excursions similar to those offered through the ship. We signed up for the $10 bus to Mendenhall glacier. Again, it is impossible to appreciate the immensity and stunning beauty without standing there, looking up at a wall of ice that seems to go on forever. Back in Juneau, we went to the library to use their free internet access to check in with home, and we decided my wife would stay until Prince Rupert and fly from there through Vancouver, and I would stay on board with my mother, but leave early out of Seattle while she stayed through Wednesday as we had planned to do.

The next day was Scagway where we rented a car from Avis for a drive across Whitehorse pass to Emerald lake. The coast of Alaska was shrouded in mist and clouds throughout our trip, but the eastern side of the pass was sunny and warm. We stopped often to take pictures and bask in the sun and gaze up at towering peaks lined with snow. The internet café in Scagway is also the only gas station and the laundromat. It was crowded with ships’ crewmembers and cost just $4 per hour. We went to a half price souvenir shop off on one of the side streets and an outlet store near the end of the main street with the lowest priced souvenirs we found in Alaska.

All three of the Alaska stops had many of the same jewelry stores we have seen in the Caribbean. That was not the case in Prince Rupert, Canada. Again in Prince Rupert, the port side of the ship was dockside, and we had a great view of the city. When we pulled in, there were as many as 30 bald eagles in trees near the dock, diving for fish beside a cannery. Although we often see bald eagles when we visit northern Minnesota, this was spellbinding. They often passed just a few feet from our balcony. The shops in the dock area sell primarily native art and crafts rather than jewelry and souvenirs. There is a Safeway just a few blocks from the dock and a mall just a few blocks beyond that for those who feel a need to shop, but I found a hidden garden through a tunnel within a block of the ship and, after seeing my wife off at the hotel where she boarded a bus to the airport, I took some time to wonder through the flowers. I also found a hidden internet café on the second floor of a popular bar/restaurant named Beakers.

 

I cannot begin to express my appreciation to the Spirit crewmembers who helped us through a difficult situation as we adjusted our departure plans. The officers and staff at the pursers desk were kind and generous with their time as they provided us with various alternatives for debarkation and information about the process we would need to follow to clear immigration. At Prince Rupert, the immigration officer escorted us off the ship, then offered to give us a ride to the hotel to catch the bus.

At Seattle, I was able to carry my luggage off, get a cab, and make a 9:30 flight.

 

My wife and I agree, although we generally prefer new experiences, we hope to cruise to Alaska again, and we hope we have an opportunity to sail on the Spirit again.

 

therbst, I am so very sorry about your father-in-law. My heart goes out to your wife and the rest of the family. :(

 

Thank you for taking the time to post a lovely review. You really made me feel like I was there as I read it. We are booked on the Spirit next February (Caribbean) and I so enjoy reading about her. You've made me feel even more glad that I will be sailing on her.

[Zeno]

I am sorry to hear that your otherwise good cruise was interrupted by such a sad event - my condolences. I am glad that Spirit crew members were of assistance. On a lighter note - waffles - yummy!

[Armchairtravelwoman]

<cabin 11632 - deck 11, port side. >

 

Glad you were still able to enjoy your cruise, so sorry about your loss. We are booked in the same cabin for our trip on 9/17/05! Did you find that being on the port side was a disadvantage while at sea? I'm glad to hear that you got such good views of the towns while docked. Anything we should know about this cabin, hints or tips? Did you feel a lot of motion on Deck 11 being more aft than foreward? Thanks for the nice descriptive review!

[therbst]

Thank you for the condolences. In the past, I've often heard about others faced with family emergencies and wondered just how the ships handled these situations. I would have preferred not to experience the process first hand, but I was impressed by proficiency and kindness of all involved.

 

The problem with 11632 was that we were about 25 steps from the buffet - down the hall a bit and up one flight of steps and there was all that food - much too convenient. (Did I mention the Waffles?) The upper decks are much easier to get around on than the lower decks of the Spirit.

I think the port side was the best side - good views of the islands, Bora Bora, and sunsets going north, and views of the distant shore going south.

There was no real sea motion until the last day sailing outside the protected waters of the passage. I'm used to riding down low in the middle of the ship, but I didn't find the motion up top at all uncomfortable.

 

Hope you enjoy the trip as much as we did.

[SailAways]

Thank You for a wonderful review.

We will be on the Spirit in September. With all of these glowing reviews pouring in, we can hardly contain ourselves.

Too bad that the Spirit won't be here next year for the Alaska cruise.

Guess we will need to seek out another, and pray that it is as nice as she is.

We would like to add our condolences for you and your family.

It is assuring to know that the cruise line came through in such an admirable way.

Thanks again - my DH was thrilled with the mention of waffles!!

SailAways :)

[Suesan Jean]

First, I am so sorry for your wife at the death of her Father. My Dad died in January so I know her sadness. And I am glad the the Spirit staff assisted you well in your time of need.

 

Second, thank you for the review, I am looking forward to cruising on the Spirit when she sails out of New York, from what I have read, she is a beautiful ship!!

 

Alaska is such a beautiful state!! My sister lived in Delta Junction for about 12 years, we would visit every year. I fell in love with the HUGENESS, the VASTNESS of Alaska. From the frozen tundra to the lush green of Valdez... It is a unique land, I tell people to put it on their "MUST SEE" list!!!

 

My DH will be VERY HAPPY with the Waffles!!! Were they regular of Belgian Waffles???:D

 

Suesan:) :) :)

[Glamourgal]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I was happy to hear that you were treated with such kindness from the NCL crew. It is nice to know that there are still kind and thoughtful people living in our world today.

 

We were otherwise encouraged by your review. I do Atkins (but not on cruises) so I was so HAPPY to hear about the WAFFLES!! Only 333 more days til I sail the Spirit to the Caribbean.

 

Thanks for a great review!!