Live on the Christmas Spirit!

[cruzfvr]

Well, we made it onboard the gorgeous Spirit for our Christmas cruise. The embarkations was a breeze, as we were the only ship in port. We used the suite line/latitude line, as did our teens.

 

Our cabin is beautiful (AA Owners Suite), and we splurged for our teens a suite also (AC) next to ours. Both rooms are decorated Asian style, and the bathroom's tile, jacuzzi, shower...everything is gorgeous! Our jacuzzi in the bathroom has a window that opens up to our deck, which is nice.

 

We were a bit tired last night, and just went to the buffet for dinner, which was not as bad as others have written, so we were pleasantly surprised. The roast beef carving at the carving station was good. Our teens liked the ice cream station!

 

We had a nice Meet & Greet with the other Cruise Critic members on our cruise. I would say that about half of our roll call showed up, which made it about 45-50. They provided us with coffee, tea, and a nice selection of cookies. The hotel director, cruise director, food ad beverage director, and assistant hotel director showed up at the meeting, and introduced themselves, answered everyone's questions, and were very nice and helpful. The hotel director does read the boards, by the way!

 

The decor on the ship and all the little nooks and crannies keep you busy while exploring the ship. And yes, we already found the "dragon" that another poster wrote about.

 

We are off to Le Bistro (formal night tonight), and will write more tomorrow. Daughter and I have spa appointments tomorrow. Book early, because sea days go very fast. Also, book the specialty restaurants ASAP, because they fill up fast also.

 

So far it is a little bumpy sailing, but not as bad as we were anticipating.

 

We stayed in New York prior to sailing (our first time in NY), and we had a blast! We used the Greyline Hop On/Off 48 hrs pass, and found it enjoyable. Also, saw "Wicked" and was the best musical we have ever seen. We will definitely be back to New York again soon.

 

Any questions, let me know and I will try to answer them for you while I am still on the ship. ~Debbi

[foilman2002]

Debbi,

 

Thank you for the info. We will be sailing on the Spirit Jan 8, and are really looking forward to it. I'm glad to hear that the "negatives" aren't as negative as they sounded.

 

You said tonight is a formal night. How many nights are there? And how many people did dress up.

 

Also, is there an art auction on board?

 

Enjoy.

 

Larry

[cruiser82]

Which Owner's Suite are you in? We were just in 9708 on the 12/8 sailing. Enjoy the Spirit! :)

[electricron]

It's great news to read that the

 

:eek: D R A G O N :eek:

 

is still keeping passengers off the bridge. :D

 

Have a great cruise!

[Tomct]

 

We had a nice Meet & Greet with the other Cruise Critic members on our cruise. . . The hotel director, cruise director, food and beverage director, and assistant hotel director showed up at the meeting, and introduced themselves, answered everyone's questions, and were very nice and helpful. The hotel director does read the boards, by the way!

 

. . . ~Debbi

 

Who is the Hotel Director and AHD? How has the entertainment been so far?

 

Thanks for posting, always nice to have live reports.

[Cosmopolitan]

How exciting! It sounds wonderful!

 

We also loved "Wicked"..."Wizard of Oz" will never have the same meaning.

 

We have never sailed the Spirit but it sure sounds tempting!

 

Owners Suites are the BEST!

 

Enjoy every moment.

Thanks for posting:)

[Maryfrei]

Thanks for the post, I love going along on cruises while at work.

 

Have you noticed that vibration thing on the Spirit?:confused:

 

I hope you enjoyed a nice pot of Chocolate Fondue at le Bistro!:)

 

Mary

[logcabin]

Thank you so much for the "live" review of the Spirit. Which Owners Suite are you in. We are booked in suite 9710 for our July 22nd cruise on the Spirit. That is right next to the Owners Suite. I believe you said your teenaged children are staying in that suite. How is it? I'd love to hear more about it. Thanks again and I look forward to reading more.

[cruzfvr]

Our dinner last night at Le Bistro was great. Try the chocolate fondue for dessert...yummy! Service was exceptional.

I forgot to add that we ate in the Windows dining room for lunch the first day. The service was a little slow, but no biggie to us.

We went to the Galaxy of the Stars last night after dinner. There were about three small kids that were running around on the dance floor with balloons. Security went up to them and they found another play area. There are 600+ kids onboard, and for the most part, they are well behaved.

The pool was opened today(closed the first two days because of the seas) and there were quite a few people enjoying the area. We ate at the Bier Garten and barbecue and the food was good.

There are two formal nights on our cruise. Second night and next Tuesday night. Tonight is the Captain's Gala with lobster dinner in the main dining rooms.

There are art auctions on board, but we don't go to them, so no info on that. They have martini clinics for $10, and we heard it was fun, so we may do one later in the week.

We are in cabin 9708 and our teens have 9710. Those who will be in them will be in for a treat. They aren't as large as other suites on different ships we have been on, but the decor is so beautiful, and the bathrooms are gorgeous. Hope you enjoy them as much as we are!

More later...Debbi

[logcabin]

Thanks, Debbie. It is so great that your doing this "live" review!! We are staying in 9710 in July and can't wait! I'm looking forward to your next installment.

[sclauss]

Entertainment and cruise director/staff are 100% better on the Dawn. NCL Productions are poor and cruise director isn't the greatest. I've had Paul Baya on 2 Dawn cruises and he was really terrific! Julie needs a lot of help from her staff and isn't nearly as visible.

 

I was in 10002, bow corner and think it's the best spot. Hardly any vibrations. We sat in the back of the ship for sail aways and noticed that there was a lot of vibration in the rear. Glad we picked the bow. 10002 rocks!

 

Sharon

[palmtre2]

Loving your review - like logcabin we will be in 9710 (tell the kids to keep it neat!!!!) but not til spring of '07. Could you please take a picture or 2 of this cabin??? I've been able to find pictures of other aft suites on the Spirit but not this particular cabin. Keep us informed.........

[palmtre2]

Double Post!!

[Maarlara]

Currently on the Spirit for Christmas and having a blast. Dinner is another story. Service for dinner in Windows seems to be very slow. Had better luck in the Garden. Met a number of great people, particularly the members of Cruise Critics. Did the meet and greet with upper staff and discussion was very informative as Debbie posted. Looking forward to the start of the port visits as we reach St Thomas tomorrow morning.

[cruzfvr]

OK, now comes the sort of bad news... We went to the Windows dining room tonight. We made 8:30 reservations, not too much of a line to get in, and were seated. We had our Butler bring down the champagne that we brought on board (and paid the $15/bottle cork fee when we embarked) like we did the night before for Le Bistro. NCL policy states that you need to be 18 to enjoy wine/beer, and our 19 yr. old son wanted a taste of our champagne. The waiter would not serve him, and told us he had to be 21. We showed him the cruise daily that states the drinking age requirements, and after a little arguing, he said he needed to talk to someone and would be back. By that time, our son didn't want any champagne because he was embarassed because people from other tables were looking at us. Well, the waiter comes back and said he would serve our son after all. After dinner (by the way, the lobster in Windows does not compare to the lobster in Le Bistro), the waiter came by and asked us where we got our champagne. I thought he was asking about the store we purchased it from, but he wanted to know if we paid our corkage fee. We told him we paid it and that there was a sticker on the bottle he could check. He talked with the Maitre'd, and then looked over at us. We felt he could have just looked at the bottle instead of asking us about it and making it into a hassle. Oh well...we are eating at Teppanyaki tomorrow night. By the way, a lovely waitress from Teppanayki on the NCL Sun three years ago, recognized our kids in Windows and came by to say hi. She is so nice and if not for her, our dining experience tonight would have sucked.

 

After dinner we went to Kareoke (sp) at Maharinis Lounge and it was a blast! They have it every other night, and we will be back!

 

As for the vibration in the aft cabins...it is there, but I think you will get used to it (we did), and it is not that big of a deal. When we were on the RCL Enchantment a few years ago, we were also in a aft cabin, and noticed the vibration even more. I did take a few digitals of each of our cabins, and I will try to get my son to put them up when we get back home, as I am challenged at it!

 

More tomorrow...Debbi

[logcabin]

Sorry to hear about your dinner experience. Being in a suite (VIP guest) I would mention it to the Hotel Director (or someone) who you met at the meet & greet. Tell them how embarrassed you and your family were. They may do something for you.

 

Keep posting! This is terrific!

[palmtre2]

It sounds like everyone's having a problem with Windows, I hope you enjoy the rest of your meals. Will you be dining in??? Are you having breakfasts brought to your cabin??? Since my family can't get out of bed in the morning (all except me), that will be a godsend!!!

[cruzfvr]

We had a nice day in St. Thomas. It rained for a short time, just enough to get us wet when we were shopping, but not enough to deter me from buying the canon digital 20D camera I wanted. It was at least $400 less than at Costco, so I went ahead and got it! We then went to the beach at a quiet little spot by the airport called Lindburg Bay. We had lunch at the Emerald Resort there, and enjoyed our day.

 

I forgot to write about our spa experience. My daughter had a manicure/pedicure and neck, shoulder massage. She enjoyed it. I had the hot stone massage which was very nice as well. The only complaint I would have is that the robe they give you is old and yellowed. I guess they don't have to worry about you taking off with it! The sauna is nice, the ladies side has a view to the ocean. They also have a steam room. We didn't go to the weight/exercise room, but it looked like a lot of people were in there. The blow dryers are great in the spa area. As for the ones in the cabins...it takes us twice the amount of time as it does at home, but they do work. If you use a blow dryer to combat frizz like I do, bring a style product for your hair. If you just want to dry your hair like my daughter, it will be fine.

 

Tonight is Teppanyaki, and we are looking forward to it. There are a few people complaining about lack of food choices when coming from port. You can eat in the Blue Lagoon 24 hours, but the Raffles buffet is open at 5:30 pm when coming back to the ship after port. The won ton soup is pretty good (Blue Lagoon), and they serve hot dogs, hamburgers, and fried rice dishes, Asian dishes, and the delicious banana bread that we are all gaining weight on!

 

More later...~Debbi

[cruzfvr]

We have been so busy, haven't found the time to write!

 

We had dinner at Teppanyaki last night, and it was delicious, and we also had great service. Tonight we ate at Cagneys, and I thought the steak was good at Le Bistro, but it was even better here. Service was exceptional also.

 

We were in Antigua today, and we took Antigua Adventure (Eli's) tour. He wasn't with us, but the crew was great and very friendly, and we had a great time. The banana bread they serve for lunch is even better than the bread on the ship!

 

Tomorrow we are on the Silver Moon II for sailing in Barbados. Don't know if I will swim with the turtles or chicken out, but will write back about the day.

 

More later...Debbi

[Don Haynes]

It appears the Spirit has a wonderful intinerary of the Southern Caribbean and you are having a great time onboard. Please continue to post live from the Spirit, I think she is one of NCL's better ships. Since the picture house movie theater was changed into the giftshop area during her recent drydock, are they showing any movies in any of the other venues onboard, or just on the tv?

[cruzfvr]

Since the movie theater is now a shop on the ship, they are showing movies in the Stardust lounge at 11:00 at night. Tonight is "Christmas with the Kranks," I believe.

 

We spent a great day aboard Silver Moon II today in Barbados. Just so relaxing, and they served us non-stop. Felt like an episode of "Life with the Rich and Famous." The crew is so nice, and friendly, and the food is really good. We stopped to swim with turtles, and then another stop to snorkle at a shipwreck, and another for lunch. If you have this booked, you will definitley enjoy it!

 

When you get off the ship in Barbados, there will be buses for transportation to a cruise terminal where you will take your tour, or get transportation into town/beaches. It is a free shuttle, and if you want, you can walk the way to the terminal.

 

I think someone asked about having breakfast in our cabin. We are doing this every morning. My husband went up once to the buffet to check it out, but we are having room service from our butler so we don't have to fight the lines up there.

 

Our room stewards (we have two, Wilson and Eva), and great. They make towel animals every night for our room and our teens room. Our butler, Armando takes great care of us, and is professional and a very nice guy. The conceirge, Lisa, is also friendly, and very outgoing. She made all of our reservations for dinner for us, and she has stopped by our cabin a couple of times just to see how we are enjoying our cruise, and to see if she can help us with anything. Really, there are so many friendly crew members on this ship. Lots of smiling faces and hellos. It is going to be hard to leave the ship in a few days.

 

We are dining at Shogun tonight. More later...Debbi

[NoCruiseBlues]

Debbie: I too want to thank you for your daily reviews, they are interesting as well as informative. We and some friends will be sailing on the Spirit in early January. In one of your earlier postings you mentioned that the ride was "bumpy," did this occur prior to entering the Caribbean? How high were the waves and did many suffer from sea sickness. I am very much looking forward to your next review. Happy Sailing. May all your crusies be PLEASANT & MEMORABLE ones.

[bangzoom6877]

Debbi, I am bringing my son on our cruise on the Spirit in July. I would like to try the steakhouse because it sounds wonderful. Do you think we could bring our son, who will be 18 months old at the time, to the steakhouse if we go when it first opens at 5:30? Do you think the atmosphere is okay for him? We take him out to restaurants with us on a weekly basis and he behaves very well and is a happy little boy. I hope he continues to behave well. As long as he is still like that (because every child is different), do you think it would be all right? Do you know if they have highchairs there? Thanks!

 

Bonnie

[johnql]

Thanks to cruzfvr for taking the time and making the effort to check in during the cruise. The periodic reports are much appreciated. I hope the remainder of your cruise is fabulous!

[singitalto]

How has the motion been on the ship. People have mentioned that there was alot of movement on the Spirit. Are you finding this to be true?

(I'm a little paranoid since my last cruise was really rough.)