Live From the NCL Spirit- A "Suite" Escape to the Western Med.

[TracieABD]

Hi Tracie,

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this excellent account of your NCL Spirit experience. I enjoyed reading it and marvel at your willpower in regards to food (quantities) on a cruise.

 

I thought it was quite interesting that the captain was "monitoring" your progress during the trip. Who does he think he is? The NSA?? ;)

 

We are scheduled to sail on the Spirit next June for 12 days in the Mediterranean. This ship seems to have less written about it than most others so yours was most appreciated.

 

I was a bit dismayed to read your comment in regards to the MDR food. You have written a very objective review and obviously do not have an axe to grind. In general, it seems that there are more complaints about the food in the NCL boards than on others. This has me a bit worried. I certainly do not want to purchase the UDP out of fear of the MDR food. We have always been quite satisfied with eating in the MDR on both Carnival and Princess and were hoping to continue that tradition on NCL. Maybe the Spirit was not the ship to select for our first experience with NCL. However, it was the ship with the itinerary that fit our scheduling needs.

 

 

Once again, thanks for the excellent write-up. I see you just returned from a trip to our home state of Alaska. Hope you had a great time.

 

Brian

 

Hi Brian-

Food is so subjective... I love the food on Princess and most of the food on Holland. With the Spirit, the service was just very slow so the food came out about 20 degrees too cool. The taste was actually fine.

 

In spite of my previous statements, I am probably not going to purchase the UDP on my Spirit cruise in November. This cruise is very port intensive, and I would like the option to eat on land. I will probably try the MDR one time and eat at specialty restaurants on a per diem basis.

 

I certainly hope you find your cruise on the Spirit as enchanting as I did. From what I hear, the ship is just different from most of the other NCL ships. Some love it, some others... not so much.

 

I am not looking for a party cruising experience, though I certainly get those who love to cruise for the party. I want something that is more sedate and refined. I have found that on the Spirit.

 

Thank you also for enquiring about Alaska. We had a "grand" time, and I did a little live from of that cruise as well. Princess is so predictable to me, and that is something that I really like!

 

Good luck and let me know if you have more questions!

Tracie-Lynn

[David&Raja]

Hi we were on this same cruise with wonderful Tracie and thought the food was great. We never ate in any of the speciality resturants. Sometimes service was slow and food not hot enough but I always asked the waiter to ensure the food was very hot for me and it was. Good luck.

Hi Tracie,

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this excellent account of your NCL Spirit experience. I enjoyed reading it and marvel at your willpower in regards to food (quantities) on a cruise.

 

I thought it was quite interesting that the captain was "monitoring" your progress during the trip. Who does he think he is? The NSA?? ;)

 

We are scheduled to sail on the Spirit next June for 12 days in the Mediterranean. This ship seems to have less written about it than most others so yours was most appreciated.

 

I was a bit dismayed to read your comment in regards to the MDR food. You have written a very objective review and obviously do not have an axe to grind. In general, it seems that there are more complaints about the food in the NCL boards than on others. This has me a bit worried. I certainly do not want to purchase the UDP out of fear of the MDR food. We have always been quite satisfied with eating in the MDR on both Carnival and Princess and were hoping to continue that tradition on NCL. Maybe the Spirit was not the ship to select for our first experience with NCL. However, it was the ship with the itinerary that fit our scheduling needs.

 

 

Once again, thanks for the excellent write-up. I see you just returned from a trip to our home state of Alaska. Hope you had a great time.

 

Brian

[TracieABD]

Hi we were on this same cruise with wonderful Tracie and thought the food was great. We never ate in any of the speciality resturants. Sometimes service was slow and food not hot enough but I always asked the waiter to ensure the food was very hot for me and it was. Good luck.

 

OMG, D&R! The men in my life who have taugth me how to SKI!!!

 

I am back on the Spirit on November 2nd. Don't you want to come along? I promise ya'all can have all of my wine samples! :)

[hlsess]

Day 8

January 22

 

Today dawned sunny and bright, though cold. We changed a little money, ate breakfast in Cagney's, and got ready for the our private tour with Spain Day Tours/Top Day Tours to Granada and the Alhambra. When we made our way downstairs, we found that we were 22. We were told that when we reached the Alhambra, we would be split into 2 groups. The bus took just over two hours (with one rest stop at a very clean bathroom) to reach the Alhambra in Granada. Our tour guide, Rafael, was a veritable fount of knowledge. He had studied architecture in Spain, France, and England, so we learned a lot about a lot of things. He also had moments of being pretty funny. We traveled to Granada by bus and the weather changed about 25 times. This is my warning to people who are going to Granada... It is cold! We were seriously underdressed. I am so glad that I brought my rain jacket. My poor mother had on a very light shirt and sweater. We think that the weather is a conspiracy to make people buy hot chocolate from the vending machine... We referred to it as "hand warmers".

 

The Alhambra is lovely. And old. And really, really well restored. And reasonably priced (13 euro). I will offer another hint... Buy your tickets in advance. They only let you into the "palace" section at a specific time that is printed on your ticket. If you buy your tickets the day of, you may find your time to be 3:00 pm (as a certain young gentleman did). You may also find it prudent to have a guide, as there is a lot to see. I really loved the summer palace and the gardens the best. The craftsmanship is unbelievable.

After the Alhambra, we were let loose in downtown Granada for a couple of hours. My mom and I sampled the tapas, and then shopped a bit.

 

I do want to add a side note here. My mom and I have traveled all over the world. She has mobility impairments and occasionally, she cannot access all areas of the local attractions. I was amazed at how accessible the Alhambra was. They had ramps everywhere. The staff there were also willing to help. For those of you who need a wheelchair or love someone who does, this is amazing and unusual.

 

The saddest part of visiting Malaga and Granada is one day is just not enough time. This little corner of the world is so lovely and enchanting. I am trying to find a way to come back to stay longer. I have not been to Spain since I was very young, and my memories of Madrid are not my fondest.

 

All aboard was 6:30 pm and we pulled in at 6:25. Fortunately, we came in with an NCL shore ex, so there were no frowny faces. I pushed my mom up to our room, and when she opened the door, she exclaimed that it really needed to be vacuumed. Upon further inspection, we found that the room had been completely decorated for my birthday! This included many balloons, streamers, signs, and confetti all over the floor. In the bedroom, instead of a towel animal, there was a "towel birthday cake"! So cute! This was truly an "above and beyond" demonstration by the crew. I am most certainly grateful.

 

We dropped our bags, took a bunch of photos, and headed to the Stardust Theater for the Elements Show. I have to say, NCL has it over Princess and HAL in their entertainment. Most cruise ship entertainment is really, really cheesy (and there was a bit of cheese on NCL, as well), but there were were a couple of production shows I would have paid to see.

 

After the show, I dropped my mother in the casino and made my way to the Blue Lagoon for a bit of soup. The service here was great and they really keep the people moving.

 

Tonight also hosted the Chocoholics Extravaganza. We convened at Deck 11 at 9:45. While much of it looked delicious, it might have been too much of a good thing. I had a pineapple crepe and a chocolate banana. And a glass of milk!

 

That's it. Stick a fork in me. I am done! It was a wonderful and fun day!

 

More later,

Tracie-Lynn :)

 

I am looking at doing the Alhambra - My mother and Sister in law say is it a MUST DO- taking my children 20 and 23- never been to Spain- I've read on TA to book thru ship... what do you think- do not want to get left by ship!! How cold was it??

[j-9]

We did the Alhambra last year around this time, through a private company. We used Spain for a day (I think) and we arranged it through our roll call.

Absolutely do not miss this. I was a bit skeptical before going, but thoroughly enjoyed the long day. Even the bus ride was interesting seeing the scenery as we went inland.

And we were cold. It was sunny and warm at the port, and we did not dress appropriately for the drizzly day and chill of the Alhambra. It actually took a warm bath to stop the shivering when we got back to the ship! (We actually didn't PACK appropriately for the entire trip. We thought it would be much warmer than it turned out to be)

[TracieABD]

I am looking at doing the Alhambra - My mother and Sister in law say is it a MUST DO- taking my children 20 and 23- never been to Spain- I've read on TA to book thru ship... what do you think- do not want to get left by ship!! How cold was it??

 

I loved Grenada and Malaga. This may have been my most favorite and memorable port on this cruise.

 

I would caution you to take warmer wear and even a hat and gloves. I now own a self-packing puffy coat, and it has been quite the life saver on a number of occasions. I sure wish I had that when we were in Spain.

 

We used Spain Day Tours, and they were excellent in delivery and price. My mom and I really had a great day with them.

 

Now, on a sad note... (for those of you who have followed along with my live froms on other boards). This July, my mom, brother, SIL and I took a Princess cruise to the British Isles. Ten days after returning home, my mom had a stroke and died five days later in my arms. She and I shared such amazing travels and memories. While we were finishing out our days together in Hospice, I read and reread my travel blogs to her, hoping to send her off with amazing memories.

 

The moral of this story is do not postpone joy. Take every opportunity to spend your time with those you love the most. And tell them how you feel. I am comforted by the notion that my mom and I had such grand adventures. She knew how much I loved her because I told her several times a day.

 

This cruise was one of our most favorite. This is the blog I return to when I miss her the most.

 

Thanks for reminding me what a wonderful time we had on our travels to the Western Med.

 

Tracie Lynn