NCL Spirit & recent reviews

[Ladybug487]

Hi all -

 

We are researching cruises for Spring 2017 to celebrate both milestone birthdays (50) for my husband and I and our 25th anniversary. We want to do a Mediterranean cruise. Honestly, we have a cruise book on the Azamara Quest, but the time frame is tight with our available travel time. We have found an itinerary on the NCL Spirit that works better with when we can be away from home and every single port interests us (the Quest offers great ports, but the Spirit itinerary is almost tailor made for us.)

 

 

We don't expect 5 star food, a palatial room (we book balcony staterooms), or being entertained 24 hours a day. We do want a comfortable room, a variety of edible food, and decent service. On sea days, we enjoy wine tastings, down time and relaxing. The casino and disco/dancing are not important to us. Huge, Vegas style entertainment is not a draw, but we would enjoy a comedian or a piano bar.

 

 

We are not super picky cruisers. The crowds on the larger ships have gotten a bit overwhelming, so the smaller ships are interesting to us. However, the most recent reviews on the NCL Spirit concern us a great deal. Would anyone who has been on the Spirit recently care to comment - especially since the reviews have been so poor?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Thanks so much!

[Tyskie]

This link is to All Things Spirit - and you'll see your post at the top. I found this was a good way to follow anything that was being posted about the Spirit. From what I understand, their Mediterranean cruise gets high praise.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/norwegian/spirit

[KeithJenner]

I know it isn't as recent as you are looking for, but we went to the Canaries on the Spirit over Easter 2014 and loved it so much that we were back last Summer for the Grand Med itinerary.

 

We're looking forward to being back onboard at Easter next year. The ship is showing its age in places, and the rooms are smaller than many other ships, but we love it.

 

The terrace at the back is a fantastic place to hang out. Henry's Pub is great especially when there is a guitarist playing.

 

Before we went for the first time there was lots of discussion on here about how bad the food was on the Spirit. We've always found it very compatible to other NCL ships.

[Cruisermom2nick]

We were on the Spirit last month and loved it! It is a beautiful ship with a unique Asian decor. The food was excellent, as were the shows and our entire family had a wonderful time. :)

[Ladybug487]

Thanks, everyone! We really appreciate hearing your experiences and your advice.

[Podie]

I'll be on Spirit two weeks from today and will report back. In my opinion you are comparing apples to oranges when it comes to Azamara Quest vs. NCL Spirit. Azamara's ships are classy with amazing food. My Med cruise on Celebrity was the best cruise I've ever taken. I haven't found any cruise lines, let alone ships, that compare.

[Ladybug487]

Oh, we completely understand that the ships and lines are not comparable.

 

However, the itinerary on the Spirit cruise is amazing. The Quest itinerary has a couple of ports that - while fantastic - don't interest us as much. We are much more interested in Rome, Athens and Ephesus rather than Monte Carlo. I'm sure Monte Carlo is fabulous and we should absolutely go there, but my husband is a minister and we would love to visit some of the Eastern Mediterranean ports instead. And, the Quest cruise leaves the Tuesday after Easter, and we cannot leave the U.S. until late afternoon Easter Sunday, so we'll be high tailing it to get to Europe! :)

 

Thanks so much for your offer to report back. We would appreciate it!

 

Thanks!

[Mr ncl]

I know it's long ago but I did spirit in 2007 and 2008 before any refurbishments and loved it. And I was 22 and 23 those years. As said above it does have more Asian decor as it intended to be used in Asia long ago. But she's really pretty and everyone had a blast.

[dexddd]

Oh, we completely understand that the ships and lines are not comparable.

 

However, the itinerary on the Spirit cruise is amazing. The Quest itinerary has a couple of ports that - while fantastic - don't interest us as much. We are much more interested in Rome, Athens and Ephesus rather than Monte Carlo. I'm sure Monte Carlo is fabulous and we should absolutely go there, but my husband is a minister and we would love to visit some of the Eastern Mediterranean ports instead. And, the Quest cruise leaves the Tuesday after Easter, and we cannot leave the U.S. until late afternoon Easter Sunday, so we'll be high tailing it to get to Europe! :)

 

Thanks so much for your offer to report back. We would appreciate it!

 

Thanks!

 

We were on about a month ago and what you posted as for what you want, you will pretty much get that on the Spirit. I would not hesitate to go on her again. CHeck out the few other threads where people are talking about the Spirit including those by nolatrvlgirl (or something like that).

[mexico8]

Hi all -

 

We are researching cruises for Spring 2017 to celebrate both milestone birthdays (50) for my husband and I and our 25th anniversary. We want to do a Mediterranean cruise. Honestly, we have a cruise book on the Azamara Quest, but the time frame is tight with our available travel time. We have found an itinerary on the NCL Spirit that works better with when we can be away from home and every single port interests us (the Quest offers great ports, but the Spirit itinerary is almost tailor made for us.)

 

 

We don't expect 5 star food, a palatial room (we book balcony staterooms), or being entertained 24 hours a day. We do want a comfortable room, a variety of edible food, and decent service. On sea days, we enjoy wine tastings, down time and relaxing. The casino and disco/dancing are not important to us. Huge, Vegas style entertainment is not a draw, but we would enjoy a comedian or a piano bar.

 

 

We are not super picky cruisers. The crowds on the larger ships have gotten a bit overwhelming, so the smaller ships are interesting to us. However, the most recent reviews on the NCL Spirit concern us a great deal. Would anyone who has been on the Spirit recently care to comment - especially since the reviews have been so poor?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Thanks so much!

 

Be sure to read the Tyskie report in post #2. There will be tons of information in those posts to help you decide. (Wish I knew how to do stuff like that).

 

We were on the Spirit for 28 days late fall 2015 and love the ship and the crew. Food was varied and very good in all venues except the Asian Shogun where the food we had was way too sweet so we only went once).

 

The entertainment should suit you very well and there is a piano bar (Henry's) that is very popular.

 

I vote strongly for you to take the NCL Spirit.

 

Wendy

Edited January 17, 2016 by mexico8

[Jldevlin]

Also remember with the attack on tourists in Istanbul the Turkey ports might be cancelled ..so if those are a must see port there might be a change from what you see now listed.

 

We are going on the Spirit Med cruise in September and although we would love to go to Istanbul we found that this cruise has many other great ports even if Turkey were cancelled.

[put me on a ship]

We got off Spirit 8 days ago, and absolutely LOVED the ship! Lots of character, and the finishes throughout are topnotch. The entertainment was good, the food was great, and the crew was friendly and on top of their game.

[Tyskie]

We got off Spirit 8 days ago, and absolutely LOVED the ship! Lots of character, and the finishes throughout are topnotch. The entertainment was good, the food was great, and the crew was friendly and on top of their game.

 

 

Thanks so much for posting an update! So looking forward to our cruise at the end of the month[emoji41]

[Ladybug487]

All -

 

Thank you so much for your comments! We really appreciate your reviews and your reassurance. Looks like we plan to make a change to this trip. And, yes, if the Istanbul port is cancelled, there are many more amazing places to visit.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Blessings & Joy!

M & L in Texas

[Bear Down]

Does anybody know if three people can fit semi-comfortably in a balcony room? Looking to book a Med. cruise and love the itinerary on the Spirit, just wondering how tight a squeeze it would be for me, my wife, and her brother. And we'd probably only be in the room long enough to sleep and maybe relax some on sea days.

 

Thanks!

[pcur]

Hi all -

 

We are researching cruises for Spring 2017 to celebrate both milestone birthdays (50) for my husband and I and our 25th anniversary. We want to do a Mediterranean cruise. Honestly, we have a cruise book on the Azamara Quest, but the time frame is tight with our available travel time. We have found an itinerary on the NCL Spirit that works better with when we can be away from home and every single port interests us (the Quest offers great ports, but the Spirit itinerary is almost tailor made for us.)

 

 

We don't expect 5 star food, a palatial room (we book balcony staterooms), or being entertained 24 hours a day. We do want a comfortable room, a variety of edible food, and decent service. On sea days, we enjoy wine tastings, down time and relaxing. The casino and disco/dancing are not important to us. Huge, Vegas style entertainment is not a draw, but we would enjoy a comedian or a piano bar.

 

 

We are not super picky cruisers. The crowds on the larger ships have gotten a bit overwhelming, so the smaller ships are interesting to us. However, the most recent reviews on the NCL Spirit concern us a great deal. Would anyone who has been on the Spirit recently care to comment - especially since the reviews have been so poor?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Thanks so much!

 

I am LITERALLY at the same decision point you are. My bff and I are going next Spring, and we have the Quest, Equinox, and the Spirit all booked. Next weekend I'll be in her area, and we agreed it's decision time!

 

This thread is very helpful, and I'm very happy to see the great reviews. My friend and I each have one other NCL cruise each, and we were both disappointed. So, I will be happy to report to her next weekend what I'm seeing here.

 

We are already leaning heavily toward the Spirit because of the itinerary. I was also able to book during their promo and got 5 nights specialty dining, plus a $200 credit for shore excursions. The fact that the itinerary we have booked includes the major Italian ports, PLUS it ends in Venice, is huge to us. We will be spending 1-2 nights post-cruise in Venice, then take the train to Rome to have another day there (it's also on the cruise itinerary).

 

The price for the Spirit is literally half of the Quest for 4 additional nights, so it's really a great cruise.

 

If you decide on the Spirit, I recommend you watch the promos to see if they offer the multiple perks promo again. Right now they are offering one perk for our sailing.

[Ladybug487]

It is a really tough decision! I am reading the review recommended by one of the responses. High praise for ports, but some criticism of food (and photos of bathroom that don't look so great...) But, you are absolutely right about the comparison. We booked the Quest during a double upgrade sale, so I have a balcony for the interior price. We're not huge drinkers, so their wine of the day and standard spirits would keep us happy. NCL's ultimate drink package promo would balance that out. Right now, I'm trying to guess airline (based on this year's rates) to see if what our bottom line might be....

 

Good luck.

[KeithJenner]

Does anybody know if three people can fit semi-comfortably in a balcony room? Looking to book a Med. cruise and love the itinerary on the Spirit, just wondering how tight a squeeze it would be for me, my wife, and her brother. And we'd probably only be in the room long enough to sleep and maybe relax some on sea days.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

We were three in a balcony room, but one of us was only 9 the time. It is certainly more of a squeeze than on most other rooms we've stayed in. No table on one side of the main bed for example.

 

If room 10686 is available then consider that one. It's a lot bigger.

[missinver]

We are just off the Spirit on Saturday after a 7 day western Caribbean cruise. I have to say we were also concerned about the bad reviews we had been reading. We needn't have worried, we had a ball. We had no issues at all, the food was great - we ate at Windows, Shogun, Le Bistro & Cagneys & enjoyed them all. Our balcony cabin was fine & I certainly didn't have any issues with the bathroom.

We spent most evening in either Champagne Charlies where there was always entertainment, Barry on the piano or a duette singing, or at Henry's pub. We didn't go to any shows but heard good reports about them.

Its a smaller ship than some we have been on, but that doesn't in any way stop it from providing a great cruise experience!

[pcur]

It is a really tough decision! I am reading the review recommended by one of the responses. High praise for ports, but some criticism of food (and photos of bathroom that don't look so great...) But, you are absolutely right about the comparison. We booked the Quest during a double upgrade sale, so I have a balcony for the interior price. We're not huge drinkers, so their wine of the day and standard spirits would keep us happy. NCL's ultimate drink package promo would balance that out. Right now, I'm trying to guess airline (based on this year's rates) to see if what our bottom line might be....

 

Good luck.

 

I have a suggestion. When we had to pay our first airfare to/from Europe, we each got a Chase Sapphire Visa. Paid for the cruise and other travel expenses with the card, got double points for them, and then got 40,000 bonus points for each new card.

 

We each had 46,000+ points, which is worth $575 in airfare, total $1,150. Chase Sapphire has their own booking tool, or you can get a 1:1 credit on your card, or you can get a check mailed to you, also 1:1, or you can transfer the points 1:1 to Southwest, British Airways, United, or Virgin Atlantic loyalty programs.

 

We now have used one of these cards for years, and I'm using points for my air in 2017.

[dexddd]

We are just off the Spirit on Saturday after a 7 day western Caribbean cruise. I have to say we were also concerned about the bad reviews we had been reading. We needn't have worried, we had a ball. We had no issues at all, the food was great - we ate at Windows, Shogun, Le Bistro & Cagneys & enjoyed them all. Our balcony cabin was fine & I certainly didn't have any issues with the bathroom.

We spent most evening in either Champagne Charlies where there was always entertainment, Barry on the piano or a duette singing, or at Henry's pub. We didn't go to any shows but heard good reports about them.

Its a smaller ship than some we have been on, but that doesn't in any way stop it from providing a great cruise experience!

 

Did they have the new ala-carte pricing at some of the specialties (e.g. Cagneys) or was that going to be the sailing after yours?

[missinver]

Yes, a la carte pricing is in all speciality restaurants.

[KeithJenner]

Yes, a la carte pricing is in all speciality restaurants.

 

 

Can you confirm whether the menus are the same as the Escape ones which have been posted previously?

[missinver]

where are they posted Keith & I'll have a look.

[KeithJenner]

This is Cagneys:

 

 

Le Bistro page 1:

 

 

Page 2:

 

Edited January 19, 2016 by KeithJenner