Awesome Grand Med on Spirit - Review & Photos

[sjbdtz]

Istanbul was the most exotic of our ports. :

 

 

..., skipped the Hagia Sofia because the line was super long (and I've been in a church before, even some really old ones), and we also went to the Basilica Cistern. Loved the cistern as it was cool, dark, and relatively quiet. The mosque was very busy and it was hard to feel reverential. Having said that, it was spectacular and I'm glad I saw it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Glad to see you plan to go back! Neat fact re: Basilica Cisterns.... they play a role in Dan Brown's new book Inferno. Also, James Bond is in them in the film To Russia With Love.

 

Also, if you return, try to see the Hagia Sofia. It was first the largest Catholic Church in the world at the time (before St. Peters), then it was the largest Mosque, and now it's a secular museum. It's fascinating to see how the Muslim's overlaid their artwork without destroying the artwork of the preceeding religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, for those of you who have been following along all this time, suddenly it comes to an end. We've arrived in Barcelona and it's time to disembark.

 

 

 

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Sorry. Quoted this post just to get the 'surroundings' of your photo into my posts for easy retrieval. ;)

 

 

 

 

Stephen

 

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P.S. I work for a company I'm sure you do business with, in library-land.

Edited October 29, 2013 by sjbdtz

[karinad]

Loved your review! I've been looking at this cruise for Oct., 2014 and was thrilled to see pictures of it! Now I'm waiting to see the right price! More than I want to spend, so far.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post it!

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Glad to see you plan to go back! Neat fact re: Basilica Cisterns.... they play a role in Dan Brown's new book Inferno. Also, James Bond is in them in the film To Russia With Love.

 

Also, if you return, try to see the Hagia Sofia. It was first the largest Catholic Church in the world at the time (before St. Peters), then it was the largest Mosque, and now it's a secular museum. It's fascinating to see how the Muslim's overlaid their artwork without destroying the artwork of the preceeding religion.

 

Stephen

P.S. I work for a company I'm sure you do business with, in library-land.

 

Hi, Stephen, thanks for all the hints! Someone mentioned to us about Dan Brown's Inferno, so I have the e-book on request (along with 300 other library patrons! :rolleyes:) I also heard someone say something about James Bond, but I did not know the Cistern was in To Russia With Love. I'll have to check it out. And you are the second person in two days to extol the virtues of the Hagia Sofia. You know how it is; there's only so much you can do in one day. But, I will be back! :p Cheers.

[cruisingcasinos]

enjoying your review! thanks so much- now you got me thinking about taking this cruise!

[wnycruisefam66]

Hello again: just popping in with one more question. Once you've boarded the ship in Venice & checked in, are you able to return to shore since the ship doesn't leave until 1:00 am? I just assumed yes, but was on the NCL site this morning & looking at questions people posted regarding the ship, this question was answered "probably not" (not a real definitive answer!). This will really affect our siteseeing in Venice as I'd hoped to have several hours on embarkation day to tour. Thanks!

[wnycruisefam66]

Sorry, me again! After posting my question above, I got to thinking that maybe a better use of our time would be to leave our luggage with the hotel (near P. Roma) & finish our siteseeing. Then pickup our luggage late afternoon & head to the ship. Do you remember what time the muster drill was scheduled for? Thanks again!

[rhinomike]

I have not done this cruise yet.... But from what I have read here. Yes you can get off the boat and get back on.

[fabnfortysomething]

Sorry, me again! After posting my question above, I got to thinking that maybe a better use of our time would be to leave our luggage with the hotel (near P. Roma) & finish our siteseeing. Then pickup our luggage late afternoon & head to the ship. Do you remember what time the muster drill was scheduled for? Thanks again!

 

thought would answer you based on our experience last year

 

lots of people checked in to the ship,had lunch and then headed back out to Venice

 

there was a muster drill late that afternoon but they had another the next morning for those people who were off the ship the previous day

[monkeyinhat]

Thanks for your review and pics. The Greece and Turkey pics were a very enjoyed.

 

We are trying to decide between Greece/Turkey Cruise on another line (have done most of the other ports previously) Love the beach idea, thanks for that.

or the Canary Island NCL with Casablanca being the major draw for me.

 

 

Can you give any opinions on the Spirit itself? Cabins , tv service, are there fridges . I know food is subjective but would appreciate your opinion. Shows aren't important.

 

We were on NCL Majesty so many years ago I am sure they do not compare now.

 

appreciate any advice on the ship, Greece and Turkey.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Hello again: just popping in with one more question. Once you've boarded the ship in Venice & checked in, are you able to return to shore since the ship doesn't leave until 1:00 am? I just assumed yes, but was on the NCL site this morning & looking at questions people posted regarding the ship, this question was answered "probably not" (not a real definitive answer!). This will really affect our siteseeing in Venice as I'd hoped to have several hours on embarkation day to tour. Thanks!

 

The most important thing to note is the time your e-docs indicate you have to check in. On our sailing, we had to check in at the port facility in Venice between noon and 7 p.m. Once you've checked in, you can leave the ship and return by the time posted on the gangway.

 

To maximize the time we had to explore Venice, we boarded as soon as possible and then disembarked after a quick lunch. We missed the mandatory lifeboat muster, but we were able to do a make-up session the following day. We were back aboard in time to have dinner, probably around 7 or 8 p.m. So, counting our morning explorations prior to the transfer to the ship, we probably had a good 10 hours to explore Venice on embarkation day.

 

I hope this answers the question? If not, let me know! :)

[wnycruisefam66]

Thanks for all the responses regarding check-in in Venice! It helps to know about the make up muster drill.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Thanks for your review and pics. The Greece and Turkey pics were a very enjoyed.

 

We are trying to decide between Greece/Turkey Cruise on another line (have done most of the other ports previously) Love the beach idea, thanks for that.

or the Canary Island NCL with Casablanca being the major draw for me.

 

 

Can you give any opinions on the Spirit itself? Cabins , tv service, are there fridges . I know food is subjective but would appreciate your opinion. Shows aren't important.

 

We were on NCL Majesty so many years ago I am sure they do not compare now.

 

appreciate any advice on the ship, Greece and Turkey.

 

We were happy with our oceanview cabin. There is a fridge, with a glass door no less. TV service is very limited; I think BBC World was the only channel in English. However, I'm not a fan of TV on a cruise, so this wasn't a problem for me. And I was happy with the meal service, especially considering the volume of food that is served on a ship. I only had one dish--Thai Chicken & Shrimp--that I thought was badly overcooked. I liked the vibe on the Spirit very much, especially Champagne Charlie's overlooking the atrium and the pool area. Those were my two main hang-outs. The ship does have a grand feel, so I think it might compare favorably with the Majesty. :confused:

 

Athens and Istanbul could be DIY ports, based on your comfort level. Ephesus requires an excursion, I think. And Mykonos is an obvious DIY port. I would recommend you look at the boards on Cruise Critic for the individual ports. I thought they were very helpful. Good luck! :)

[Cruisercl]

Dear John,

 

What a great review! Thank you.

 

I am booked on my first Med cruise on the Jade in April 2015 - eastern and western Med.

All of your 'tips' are very helpful. I'll have to go back and take notes for my trip. :D

 

Caron

 

(P.S - you look great after all of your hard work to transform yourself. :))

[legriff]

Wow John, like so many others here I just wanted to say thank you for such a comprehensive review. My wife & I are very interested in this particular itinerary tho' we are almost cruise virgins as we've only been on one cruise before with Carnival last year, again on the Med. (Why have they stopped european cruises? It's a shame as we really enjoyed the Breeze.)

 

One of the comments to come out of the Carnival's european cruise's reviews was that they were very relaxed about bringing local wine on board at the various ports but were much more strict in the Caribbean. I just wondered if anybody knew if that was NCL's attitude or are they very strict about wine being held by them until the end of the cruise, even in Europe?

Edited November 24, 2013 by legriff

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Wow John, like so many others here I just wanted to say thank you for such a comprehensive review. My wife & I are very interested in this particular itinerary tho' we are almost cruise virgins as we've only been on one cruise before with Carnival last year, again on the Med. (Why have they stopped european cruises? It's a shame as we really enjoyed the Breeze.)

 

One of the comments to come out of the Carnival's european cruise's reviews was that they were very relaxed about bringing local wine on board at the various ports but were much more strict in the Caribbean. I just wondered if anybody knew if that was NCL's attitude or are they very strict about wine being held by them until the end of the cruise, even in Europe?

 

Sorry for the delay in my response. :o I appreciate your kind words very much! I haven't sailed Carnival (yet...) so I'm not familiar in any way with their practices. I do know that Norwegian lets you bring wine aboard, but there is a $15 per bottle corkage fee. Consequently, I'm certain you will be allowed to bring any local wine purchases aboard, but you will almost certainly be charged the fee. I hope this helps, and I hope you end up choosing to sail aboard the Spirit! :)

[legriff]

Thanks so much for all the information John. Apologies here too for tardiness. :)

 

It's been a hectic time here trying to add a blog to my website with not a huge amount of website talent! I haven't even mentioned Christmas...... or have I?!

 

Steve

Edited December 6, 2013 by legriff

[karoo]

I brought wine on board in Marseille and voluntarily gave it to security when getting back on board. I then paid corkage as I went. I didn't want to pay full corkage as I was unsure how much I would drink.

 

 

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[tourexpert]

Thanks for the informative review. I'm planning to sail the West. Med in April 2014 and your review has definitely added to my decision making...now I just need to get the right price!! Sounds like you enjoyed the Spirit and the Med. I cruised NCL once and loved it. Looking forward to seeingthe real thing for myself. Again great job on the review :)

[legriff]

Thanks Karoo, did you then just ask for a bottle from security/customer relations as & when you wanted one of the bottles you'd brought aboard & then get charged?

[karoo]

Thanks Karoo, did you then just ask for a bottle from security/customer relations as & when you wanted one of the bottles you'd brought aboard & then get charged?

 

Yes. I was given a form. I had to take it up to the swimming pool area, the towel exchange, pay corkage using my cruise card and redeem the bottle. Just paid as I went. That was on the Epic.

 

 

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[jdvmd]

Something you should know - If you pay the corkage fee and you do not drink the wine, you can get a refund very easily.

[xenagurl]

Awesome review and photos! Thanks for sharing. :D

[karoo]

Something you should know - If you pay the corkage fee and you do not drink the wine, you can get a refund very easily.

 

Thanks for the tip. I didn't realise.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Awesome review and photos! Thanks for sharing. :D

 

Thanks, Zenagurl! Just as the vacation was beginning to fade a bit, the thread has come back to life! Look for my review of of the Poesia 9-night western Mediterranean itinerary on the MSC boards (with my niece) next October, and Dave and I just booked the 12-night British Isles aboard the Star for September 2015. Now I just have to sneak in a 4-night NCL cruise to somewhere so I can be Platinum when we're on the Star. ;)

[legriff]

Thanks also jdvmd, a good tip 2 know.

 

Wow John! I thought we were planning ahead with a cruise in 08/14 but a British Isles cruise in 09/15 beats me hands down! Hope you get one of our Indian summers as September can be a tad unreliable on the weather front here in Blighty. :p