NCL Spirit post Dry Dock

[Cassicruiser]

I read a trip report from someone who sailed on the Spirit (last year I think) and said it was very well kept. The day they boarded maintenance knocked on their door and asked if they would be able to access the room to repair a tear on their couch and when they came back from dinner it was done. Another day they came back from port to find that their balcony railing had been painted. All without them saying anything. Very inconsistent.I guess if there is something that bothers you, you could report it to housekeeping. But I agree, it should not be like that in the first place.

[dexddd]

We noticed significantly more vibration on the Spirit than other ships. Especially at the back of the ship in the dining room. I'm sure the age of the ship is a factor.

 

Any recollection of how fast you were going for the vibration? We stayed aft on Spirit and it had a little bit of shimmy but when it was doing 20+ knots it had a lot of shimmy and rattled everything in our room.

 

 

Overall, the public areas of the ship were in great shape for the oldest ship in the fleet so I find it odd some people are saying it is not so nice now. I would say the rooms are probably an issue overall based on seeing some plus the pictures that people have posted.

[FSNA5861]

Any recollection of how fast you were going for the vibration? We stayed aft on Spirit and it had a little bit of shimmy but when it was doing 20+ knots it had a lot of shimmy and rattled everything in our room.

 

 

Overall, the public areas of the ship were in great shape for the oldest ship in the fleet so I find it odd some people are saying it is not so nice now. I would say the rooms are probably an issue overall based on seeing some plus the pictures that people have posted.

 

We were on the Spirit in April 16 on a B2B and the ship, although older, was in great condition. There were always crews painting, cleaning carpets, etc.

 

 

I agreee that the cabins could use some renovations and more specifically the bathrooms. We also found that the public areas were in great shape. As for the decor, we liked it and this is also subjective to your personal liking.

 

 

Not positive that the Spirit will undergo major upgrades under the Edge program as NCL confirmed that they will get four new megaships built. It just had a very short drydock in Jan 17.

 

We are all anxious to hear from recent cruisers about the level of improvements that have been implemented in such a very short timeframe.

 

 

Looking forward to cruise on her next April.

[jenf22]

We're doing an 11 day from Barcelona in April and it was a great price when I booked over a year ago. I compared itineraries/prices and nothing compared at that time. I probably wouldn't normally pick a small older ship but it will be fine for this port intensive cruise. I cruised on the Dawn last fall and thought it looked very fresh after the dry dock but this won't be the same type of dry dock.

 

We're doing a 10-night on her the last week of March (~4 weeks from now!) and we booked her for the same reason. It was a phenomenal price for what we are getting. So I'm not worried about the ship at all. I'm a little worried about the 3 of us in the balcony room. I swear it looks smaller every time I look at it! :D

[wdsted]

We've sailed on Spirit a couple of times and are booked for next month. The ship's decor is a little eclectic and the cabins are showing their age but we really like the layout, available open spaces (like Galaxy lounge on 12, I think), outdoor area in the buffet, and size. It's more than OK for port-intensive Med cruises. Wouldn't be our first choice for cruises with lots of sea days. There's lots of speculation that her days are numbered.

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

I'm thinking that for the price we paid for a balcony room, for three, on a port intensive cruise, the cabin looking a little run down can be overlooked by us. We have a 10day sailing with only one day at sea and one earlier (3pm) departure from port.

Though of course everyone is different. If there was a tear on the sofa I'd ask them to fix it or change it, especially as our 4 year old would be using it as a bed. Goodness knows what she would squirrel away in it lol!

 

 

And If I'd have paid the price it currently is, more than £1000 extra for the cruise, I'd be more upset.

 

 

The killer for me would be if I couldn't sleep because of excessive noise, ship vibrations or a very uncomfortable bed. It's all subjective tho.

[TrumpyNor]

I must admit that I am happy I have been following this thread, since I have an upcoming cruise on the Spirit in May. Last time I cruised on the Spirit was in January 2014, and she was looking "tired" already then and I was very happy that she was scheduled to go in to dry dock before our cruise. Now I am prepared and not expecting any "dry-dock-wonders" done to her, she will probably look even more "tired" now than she did before. The reason we booked the cruise originally was because of the itinerary and a great price, and not for the ship itself, so I will be a happy cruiser on board anyway. :)

[TrumpyNor]

For those of you who have been on the Spirit after the short dry dock, could you please tell me if they now have the new menu at Le Bistro or not. On other ships in the fleet, the new menus have been put in effect after the "Norwegian Edge" dry docks one ship at the time, instead of at the same time fleet wide. Thank you!

[dexddd]

For those of you who have been on the Spirit after the short dry dock, could you please tell me if they now have the new menu at Le Bistro or not. On other ships in the fleet, the new menus have been put in effect after the "Norwegian Edge" dry docks one ship at the time, instead of at the same time fleet wide. Thank you!

 

 

We sailed Spirit Dec. 2015 and had old. Wytinman sailed a couple months later and he said they had the new ones.

[TrumpyNor]

We sailed Spirit Dec. 2015 and had old. Wytinman sailed a couple months later and he said they had the new ones.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I was on the Jade in September 2016 and they still had the old menu at Le Bistro (only difference was that a la carte prices was added, all menu items were the same as they have been earlier). I somehow got the understanding that new menu would come after dry dock. Great news if the new menu is already offered on the Spirit!

Edited February 18, 2017 by TrumpyNor

[lujaha]

I too have been wondering about the dry dock. I last went on the Spirit 2 years ago, and while the public rooms were fine, the cabins were in need of a facelift even back then. I am going next Monday on said ship and if no-one has posted before I will report back on my return on 23rd Feb.

 

 

Apologies for the delay, due to computer problems.

 

Not much to report however. Cabins still the same, although my shower floor had been regrouted! Galaxy of the Stars had new carpet and chairs and looked very smart, but it is a lovely room. I think the buffet had new carpet from my last visit 2 years ago.

 

I enquired at the Cruise Next desk about the full refurbishment, and she said there was nothing scheduled she knew of.

 

I took a peek at our mattress and would say it was new. It had a topper and was comfortable, if a little firm for my taste. We had, yet again, a brilliant cabin steward, Switley. We had to make a complaint about noisy neighbours 4am every morning. This was dealt with promptly and efficiently and we had no more problems. Furthermore on our return to our cabin there was a bottle of wine and a tray of chocolate treats waiting for us from customer services.

 

So that is it really. Spirit is a very elegant ship, let down only by the cabins, and the buffet furnishings. We have picked a cruise for next year which will involve the Spirit again, so fingers crossed for some changes ??!!

[FSNA5861]

Apologies for the delay, due to computer problems.

 

Not much to report however. Cabins still the same, although my shower floor had been regrouted! Galaxy of the Stars had new carpet and chairs and looked very smart, but it is a lovely room. I think the buffet had new carpet from my last visit 2 years ago.

 

I enquired at the Cruise Next desk about the full refurbishment, and she said there was nothing scheduled she knew of.

 

I took a peek at our mattress and would say it was new. It had a topper and was comfortable, if a little firm for my taste. We had, yet again, a brilliant cabin steward, Switley. We had to make a complaint about noisy neighbours 4am every morning. This was dealt with promptly and efficiently and we had no more problems. Furthermore on our return to our cabin there was a bottle of wine and a tray of chocolate treats waiting for us from customer services.

 

So that is it really. Spirit is a very elegant ship, let down only by the cabins, and the buffet furnishings. We have picked a cruise for next year which will involve the Spirit again, so fingers crossed for some changes ??!!

 

 

Thanks for the information and I hope that you had a great cruise.

 

Can you confirm if La Trattoria is an enclosed restaurant or still a section of the buffet on the Port side that is partioned in the evening to act as a restaurant.

 

If Platinum, were you given another option aside La Trattoria for the second Latitude dinner.

 

Who is currently the Hotel Director?

[lujaha]

We had a great cruise. The Trattoria is still a part of the buffet. We didn't go there partly for that reason. We are not platinum yet, still gold and have to get a few more points under the new system at that.

 

If you or anyone has anymore questions I will be happy to answer, if I can!

[lujaha]

Sorry forgot to say Armando is Hotel Director. He is a very funny guy, you must see him in the cake decorating competition.

[KeithJenner]

I was really surprised to read someone say that they thought that their Spirit cruise was overpriced.

 

I agree with most of the other comments that it is incredibly cheap.

 

If all my cruises, the four cheapest I have ever booked (based on price per person per day) were the four Spirit cruises I've booked. The Spirit is generally coming in at less than half the cost of other ships.

 

It's one of my favourite ships, but the price is an additional attraction.

[trvlgirlmq]

I was really surprised to read someone say that they thought that their Spirit cruise was overpriced.

 

I agree with most of the other comments that it is incredibly cheap.

 

If all my cruises, the four cheapest I have ever booked (based on price per person per day) were the four Spirit cruises I've booked. The Spirit is generally coming in at less than half the cost of other ships.

 

It's one of my favourite ships, but the price is an additional attraction.

 

We are booked in a quad family inside for an 11 day cruise for over $4200. I think it is very high. Especially when I compare it to the 10 day cruise in a quad balcony on the 5th sailing of the new Carnival Vista that cost $3900. Old ship with rooms that are worse than a Motel 6 and nothing for kids/teens to do for more than a brand-spanking new ship with lots of stuff for my teens to do. I say it is not a good value and the only reason I booked is because my mom's bucket list includes Dubrovnik and Venice.

[KeithJenner]

We are booked in a quad family inside for an 11 day cruise for over $4200. I think it is very high. Especially when I compare it to the 10 day cruise in a quad balcony on the 5th sailing of the new Carnival Vista that cost $3900. Old ship with rooms that are worse than a Motel 6 and nothing for kids/teens to do for more than a brand-spanking new ship with lots of stuff for my teens to do. I say it is not a good value and the only reason I booked is because my mom's bucket list includes Dubrovnik and Venice.

 

 

 

That is a hell of a price to pay for the Spirit. I'm not quite sure how you managed to pay that much, as it's about 50% more than I have ever paid for three of us in a balcony on the Spirit with the beverage package included. We usually pay around $3,000 at exchange rates when we booked.

 

The price you are paying sounds about what I would expect for the other NCL Ships in the Med, but the Spirit is usually quite a bit cheaper in my experience.

 

It certainly doesn't sound like a very representative price for the ship.

[trvlgirlmq]

That is a hell of a price to pay for the Spirit. I'm not quite sure how you managed to pay that much, as it's about 50% more than I have ever paid for three of us in a balcony on the Spirit with the beverage package included. We usually pay around $3,000 at exchange rates when we booked.

 

The price you are paying sounds about what I would expect for the other NCL Ships in the Med, but the Spirit is usually quite a bit cheaper in my experience.

 

It certainly doesn't sound like a very representative price for the ship.

 

 

Hmm, do prices ever come down? We booked in late January our fare for 4 is $3696 with port taxes and fees of $556 for a total of $4252. We did not choose any of the "free at sea" items.

[KeithJenner]

Hmm, do prices ever come down? We booked in late January our fare for 4 is $3696 with port taxes and fees of $556 for a total of $4252. We did not choose any of the "free at sea" items.

 

 

 

I don't know whether they come down. I tend to book fairly early, so that may be why your fare is relatively higher.

 

Perhaps your particular cruise is selling well, so the prices are holding up. I know the one I'm on is pretty well sold out, so I imagine prices are fairly high on the remaining rooms.

 

Certainly, comparing the different ships for cruises a similar time out the Spirit is usually the cheapest of the NCL ones in the area, in my experience.

[trvlgirlmq]

I don't know whether they come down. I tend to book fairly early, so that may be why your fare is relatively higher.

 

Perhaps your particular cruise is selling well, so the prices are holding up. I know the one I'm on is pretty well sold out, so I imagine prices are fairly high on the remaining rooms.

 

Certainly, comparing the different ships for cruises a similar time out the Spirit is usually the cheapest of the NCL ones in the area, in my experience.

 

 

We are not cruising until May 2018! Thought I booked really early :D

[KeithJenner]

We are not cruising until May 2018! Thought I booked really early :D

 

 

 

That is odd then. I've got an April 2018 booking on the Spirit, again at a really good price.

 

I can't explain why yours seems to be so high. I can see why you think it's expensive.

 

Keep an eye on prices in case they come down.

[Cassicruiser]

Wow, sounds like an awfully high price, especially with no perks.

Have you shopped around? You should be able to do way better than that given that your cruise is over a year away.

When you find a better rate perhaps you could rebook and cancel your existing booking.

[Cassicruiser]

Lujaha thanks for coming back and reporting. We are on the Spirit next month so am eagerly following this thread.

When you say the buffet furnishings weren't great, were they just outdated? And it sounds like they have replaced beds, I wonder if thats the case in ALL the cabins.

Anything else to note?

Thanks again

[lujaha]

Hi Cassicruiser. yes the tables and chairs are outdated, but not tatty. We had a balcony cabin on deck 9 and whether all the mattresses were replaced I couldn't say. If I were you I wouldn't worry too much about the Spirit. I think it is lovely and will be happy to go on it next year, changes or not. I think the most important thing is the destination of the cruise, and the one I want to go on is the Spirit, so that's fine.

 

Also it is a very friendly boat and the staff always seem happy. I didn't hear anyone complaining when I was aboard. It was our 4th time. Last year was the Epic for the same cruise.

 

Any more questions, just ask and enjoy your cruise.

[Jetlagged787]

Hmm, do prices ever come down? We booked in late January our fare for 4 is $3696 with port taxes and fees of $556 for a total of $4252. We did not choose any of the "free at sea" items.

 

 

I've just costed up the dearest (largest) inside family room for that cruise on the NCL UK website and it came out at the equivalent of $5009!

 

At least you could grab $200 of that back by taking the Free at Sea offer of OBC.