April 16 Spirit Review-kinda long

[BOYNSEA]

Just back from the April 16 Spirit and first I would like to thank all those who have written before our cruise with their great hints and reviews. They were helpful to us on board.

We had a lovely cruise. The weather was fantastic up until debarkation in the pouring rain.

Embarkation was quick and almost painless. We arrived near pier 88 a little later than we had hoped. Our timing was off and we hit the traffic of those people picking up the new arrivals from the prior weeks cruise of both the Dawn and the Spirit. We maneuvered through the streets of New York and started up the ramp to the pier and dropped off our luggage and our party then my husband drove to the parking lot. Parking at the pier was a last minute decision and it proved to be a good one. More about parking when I get to debarkation.

 

It took about a half hour or so and we were aboard. Our first priority was to make dinner reservations. We booked dinner for that night at LeBistro. The special was ½ price for that night. We also booked a dinner at Cagney’s for Wednesday night. Later in the week we regretted that we could not get into Trattoria as they were booked up. We dropped off our carry on items in our cabins and then headed to Windows for lunch. This was a real treat that I learned here on CC. As many people headed to Raffles we practically had the whole Windows restaurant to ourselves. It was nice to sit and be waited on. It gave us time to relax after the hustle and bustle of traffic and boarding. After lunch we toured the ship and ended up in Galaxy of the Stars. This became a daily stop for us. As Latitudes members we received 20% discount every night at 5:30 to 6:30. Here we also met up with some of our favorite crew members. Savio, Elizabeth, and Regina were very attentive, quick and friendly. We enjoyed seeing them and getting to know them. A special favorite was Savio. He was fun to be with. He had a wonderful, warm smile and was there for my son one night when he could not find us. Savio surmised we were at dinner and steered him our way. My son thinks Savio is, in his words, Awesome!

Following the lifeboat drill, we headed to our cabin and unpacked. We had good weather for leaving the harbor and passing the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano.

We checked out the casino and purchased the chip special (pay $10 and get 3 $5 chip –one chip free) . After dinner we returned and had free rum punches as we gambled.

LeBistro was very good and one of our best moves of the week. Three of us had filet and one chicken. All of us were very happy with our meals and only paid $10 each. You really can’t pass up the chocolate fondue. Delicious!

 

Our first day at sea was a bit rocky but not unbearable. We tried to use the Spa in the AM but even at 9 it was already full. Walking the jogging track was just as enjoyable as a machine would have been although there was a bit of a wind that was tough at times. We chalked it up to more resistance and therefore more effective fat fighter.

It was a bit too windy for sunning. At 10:30, we met with our cruise critic friends in the Clipper Conference room. The room was arranged with chairs like a theatre set up but it didn’t deter us from getting to talk. The ship had cookies, water and orange juice laid out for us and the Hotel Director, Food and Bar director and Julie the Cruise Director were there to speak with us and answer any questions or requests that we had. I am sorry if I have the incorrect titles and that I do not have their names to post here. It was nice of them to attend with us and be there for any assistance. We appreciated it.

It was great to put faces to the people we had been chatting with for several months. We were also surprised to find that two of our members were related and originally did not know that mother and son were on the board bantering back and forth. Also, I got to meet Twinns. We discovered we had been on another cruise together a few years ago although we had never met then. Sharon and Rich…see you on C. someday.

This day started our daily trivia games. We sometimes made the 9AM trivia but always made it to the 6PM game. It was fun to get together and compete against other families/teams. We enjoyed getting to know the different teams.

 

Port Canaveral We pre-arranged to rent a car from Enterprise and planned a trip to Orlando and Blizzard Beach at Disney. We made some power moves in our exit from the ship and caught the Enterprise van, picked up the car and were on the road at 9:30. We arrived at Blizzard Beach at 10:30 and had a very enjoyable day. We had time for quite a few slides, family tube rides, and a couple of trips around the lazy river. We left about 4PM and were back in time at Henry’s Pub for trivia at 6pm. If you plan to go to Disney on this one day excursion, I recommend either of the water parks there. It was very crowded and I am sure the Magic Kingdom and other parks were very busy. The lines were probably long and you would not get much done. We shared the Enterprise van on the way back with a family that went to Universal studios Park and they only got on three rides due to the long waits on line.

 

Miami We took a ride to South Beach and enjoyed a day at the beach.

 

Great Stirrup Cay We enjoyed the day at the beach but oooohhhh so many people on a small beach. If you do not wish to be in the sun all day, it is important to catch a very early tender so that you can claim an umbrella with your chairs. The snorkeling off the beach was very good. The fish are practically tame and you actually can float out on a float and look down to see the fish.

I have read much about going right when you get off the tender. There is a small beach just over the little bridge. Not many people sat there so it is less crowded but the water is rocky and not as sandy as the other side. Meanwhile I took a long, long, long walk to the right along the shore and after turning two points I did see the isolated beach that was empty except for 5 or 6 chairs. Now this beach is appealing because no one is there but when you need the bathroom or food you have a long walk back. If you are really interested in being alone, I suggest you get off on an early tender and bring food from Raffles or room service. Then you can have a few hours alone and at least have food. It is a lovely spot. By the way, you definitely need beach shoes because it is volcanic rock and sharp and the water on the isolated beach is also rocky.

 

Nassau We had booked the Seahorse Sea and Snorkel excursion online and this was a fun, fun morning. We met Prince on the pier and we all traipsed behind him to the catamaran. We motored out to a reef and had an hour of snorkeling. We saw some very pretty fish and it was lots of fun. The sail back was very pleasant and the rum punches made by Amanda were pretty potent. Let me say very potent but yummy. If you plan to do this excursion, do not plan to do any shopping. When we got back we had about a half hour before the ship was to sail. The catamaran docked in front of the straw market and we darted in but really had no time to look around. We quickly made some purchases but if you have too many punches, even this could be a challenge.

Last day at sea This is always a sad day for me because you must start packing and thinking about going home. I did not find a whole lot of activities on board during the day. There were the trivia games of course. My son and I attended a German lesson which was very good. But there were not a lot of games, ie: Pictionary, Scattagories, putting contests, movies, etc. that I have experienced on other cruises. I’m not complaining because any moments spent on a cruise are enjoyable no matter what you do. Just reading on the promenade deck on the lovely cushioned deck chairs is a joy.

 

Casino Ok, people wonder if you really win anything on a ship. I witnessed a man winning $1000.00 from a poker machine on the bar. Thank you to him for the round of drinks that he paid for. We met him and his wife again the next day and she said she won $1,100. 00 the same night. Meanwhile like every cruise there was a free cruise giveaway. The woman who won the cruise, also won $2,700. on one bingo and $300. on another. I guess you win on a cruise but I didn’t cash in on any of it. We gave the Spin to Win a pull every day and a woman ahead of us won dinner for two. I don’t know if a cruise was won but it is well worth it to stop every day during the posted time and try a spin.

Read your Freestyle Daily for different specials. On Tuesday night it was free drinks for ladies playing from 11pm to 1am.

 

Windows We enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinners at Windows. The food was good and we liked the room especially the few times we were seated by the huge window at the rear of the ship. Quite the view.

 

Raffles We had a few breakfasts here at the buffet and one lunch. It was good. I just don’t like buffets. I prefer to be waited on and I always felt crowded. Having to find a table and carrying your plates while people buzz by you is not pleasant for me. I did enjoy a mid-afternoon snack several days. A favorite was the scones, jam and cream.

 

The Blue Lagoon During the whole week we wondered why people would enjoy eating here when it is a very busy walkway or corridor on the ship. Finally on Saturday we ate lunch here in the corner away from the traffic and it was a nice lunch. I had the chicken wings with celery and dip, hot dog with fries and a salad. Very good.

 

Henry’s Pub This was mainly a pub for the end of the day trivia for us but we did check out the fish and chips we read so much about on the sea days. I don’t eat fish but my husband tried it and said it was good.

 

Bier Garten I never made it here but my son enjoyed the pretzels. He only eats pasta and French fries so his whole week was spent in Raffles and in the Bier Garten for pretzels.

 

Le Bistro and Cagney’s I already spoke about Le Bistro and how we all enjoyed it. I had the Coq au Van and it was very good. I had Filet Mignon at Cagney’s. It was tender and delicious. I think it was worth the extra $20. for a such a delicious meal.

 

We never made it to Shogun’s or the Garden Room. The Garden Room has the same menu as Windows but is a smaller and darker room. Some might feel it is more intimate because it does not have the very high ceiling as in Windows.

 

Shows Sometimes we missed the shows because of late dinners. We enjoyed the magical comedy of Bob Trunell, The Second City were good. Of course, since they are improvisational group it depended on the subject matter or the ideas offered from the audience. We missed the “America’s Beat”, the NCL production but we did catch their shows, “Standing Room Only” and “On the Radio”. The SRO was fabulous and my favorite. We only caught a bit of the comedy show of EDGE. What we saw was funny.

Our favorite was actually the NCL crew show on Saturday. There were some very talented crewmembers performing for the crowd.

 

Speaking of the crew The best part of NCL is the crew. They were always friendly and efficient. Our cabin steward, Herman and his assistant, Karol were perfect. We hardly saw them and our rooms were always ready for us. We asked for robes and they were brought that afternoon and we had two nights of towel animals. The front desk people were very helpful, attentive and eager to see to our needs. We made friends with several of the bar staff. John at Henry’s Pub was lots of fun during our trivia games, and as I said the staff at the Galaxy of the Stars were great.

 

Most of the Musical entertainment was very good around the ship. Our favorites were Millenium. These ladies had powerful voices that sounded perfect in harmony. Scott Allman and Ariel Jacobe were also very good. Listening to Ariel at the piano in the grand Centrum made me wish he was in a smaller bar where we could sing around the piano.

Fusion played in the crew show and did a great job on a Queen song.

 

Debarkation this went pretty smoothly for us. We decided to keep our luggage and do the express exit. It does get a little crazy if you don’t line up early. The line begins on deck 7 at the Casino entrance and then goes down into the Grand Centrum and beyond. Around 9:30 to 10 it gets a little crazy around the elevators. People coming off and hitting into a line of people with their luggage. Half of our group went ahead and joined the line. They ended up in front of the excursion desk in the Grand Centrum. The other half of the group thought about sitting in the art gallery which is on the port side aft near the elevators. This could be a prime spot to wait as there are a few chairs and they clear out the elevator area often once the people start leaving the ship. We chose instead to join our group so we would be together. Even so it wasn’t too bad debarking. The worst thing was the pelting rain. Although we left NYC at pier 88 we returned and docked at pier 90. Fortunately, the elevator man at pier 90 advised us to walk down to 88 before we took the elevator up to the parking lot. If we had not done this we would have been walking quite a while in pelting rain. Because of his suggestion we were able to make the walk under cover. It was a good move to leave our car. It was less money than the limo we were planning to hire from Brooklyn to the pier. We were in our car and out of NYC and into Brooklyn by 10:30.

 

Back to reality. If you are going on the Spirit I know you will enjoy it. I liked the layout of the ship. It was very different from all other ships I have been on. The Asian aspect is quite beautiful. Don’t miss visiting the bridge. Follow the stairs that are in the Galaxy of the Stars room and you can witness the action on the bridge. That is very unique. It is especially neat when you are heading into a port to see the Captain in his chair. Keep your eyes out for the dragon. If you have small children, the children’s pool is the best I’ve seen. There are great slides and a pirate theme and the children looked like they were enjoying the play area. The adult pool was a good size and is filled with ocean water. There are many places to lay out in the sun especially if you don’t care if you are near the pool. Deck 13 aft near the helipad or the tiered levels overlooking the children’s pool always had plenty of room and lounge chairs.

The Cabin was small but it worked for three of us. I liked the idea of the sliding doors on the shower and the toilet. So if necessary there could be someone at the sink while others were showering or using the toilet. I found there was plenty of room for our clothes between the hangers and the shelves inside the closet. The four drawers are small and are really only good for small items like underwear, socks, bathing suits etc.

The many reports about the hair dryer are true. My hair is not that thick and I don’t usually completely dry my hair so it was not an issue. But if you had a lot of hair and thick hair, I would think the dryer would not be good enough for you. Bring a electric extension cord if you have curling irons and hair dryers. Bon Voyage!

[Hatsoff389]

Great Review, Glad You Had A Great Time!!!

[snorklinbarb]

Hi BOYNSEA,

Thanks for your review! We'll be heading out on the Spirit 5/20 and you've given me some good insights.

 

Do you happen to know how long Julie will be there as CD? Someone posted in a Dawn review that CD Ricky Matthews is supposed to be going to the Spirit. Did you hear when Julie will be going on vacation?

 

If you have your Freestyle Dailies, could you look in the very 1st one and check if Hugo V. (HD from the Dawn) is now the HD on the Spirit?

 

Also, we saw Edge last year on the Dawn. He was on the ship for several months. Do you know how long he will be on the Spirit this time?

 

I totally agree with you that the crew is one of NCL's strong points. It seems they always have a smile and hello wherever you go.

 

Your disembarkation sounds a little harried. Frankly, I've never quite understood with freestyle why folks leave their cabins and gather in a lounge somewhere when you can just stay and relax until your color is called. Otherwise it becomes the same mad rush as other cruise lines.;)

 

Glad you had a great time.:D

[old faithful]

Thanks for the great review - makes me miss our trip - I sailed with my mom 4/9 - 4/16/06 .... we also found the the crew friendly and efficient..... I agreed with all of your points ....

 

Galaxy of the Stars was our favorite spot on the ship .... our rountine turned out to be - eating at 5:30 (waited 5 mins for the doors to open) ....then up to the theater by 7:00 to get front row seats for the 7:30 show ...then to the cabin (mid shhip deck 10) to use the bathroom/make a drink to take with us ... and the rest on the night we stayed at Galaxy of the Stars... we loved Millenium - they are great!

 

one night we had the best seats in the house for the shows at galaxy of the stars... we were there for bingo ...liar liar... and then the adult comedy show - a very special night ...

 

When it was raining last Sunday we were happy we didn't have to deal with the rain on our sail - but we felt bad for those who did ... it has been two weeks since our sail and everyday we ask each other if we want to go to Windows or the Garden Room for dinner - what time Millenium will be on .... if Cagney's is open or what time we want to head up to the Galaxy of the Stars .... mom took some napkins and the paper glass covers from the bathroom .... small throw away items from the ship show up at my house to give a smile and keep the memories alive ...... looks like our 7 day cruise will last a lifetime as we relive our cruise with the names/places from the Spirit ... our memories of the Spirit have become a part of our everyday normal lives ..... Actually these memories just have last until we cruise NCL again - can't wait!!!!

 

Dontations will happily be accepted (visa/mastercard/AMEX/personal check ~ LOL)

 

Old Faithful

[iluv2cruise830]

BOYNSEA -

 

We went to trivia at 6 the 1st three nights. It was pretty hard, wasn't it?Did you win at all?:)

[misslots]

putting my previous thread on "windows" behind, i'd like to say that this was the first time in 20 cruises i publicly complained. i always make the best of the worst & this cruise was no exception. We all (11 of us) had a wonderful vacation. for those going on a future cruise u will too.

 

embarkment -5 min after arriving @ 11:45 we lined up. went fast-unfortuanately we had a problem with our boarding passes. referred to the back desk. i can not praise the people working there enough. what could have started as a bad trip was greeted by a wonderful, patient, & efficient staff. THANK YOU so much. for those who thought the infamous "11" cut the line. we were directed to the front to the personnel that knew our problem.

went to rooms. they were fine. ask for some more hangers & u will find plenty of room. used the dollar shoe bag (hint from board) for all little extra items. ate in raffles then explored the ship. loved the decor & easy layout.

ate @ 6 & just made the welcome aboard show.

 

sea day--had our cc gathering-appriciated Julie & her staff for taking time out of their busy schedual & welcoming us & enlightening us on any questions we may have had. loved meeting people we talked to for so long.had some good laughs. everyone went in different directions & did their own thing-slot tournament-bingo-pool-cookingdemo etc.met up at garden & split up to different tables in order to see the show.

 

port canaveral-decided to do space center on our own in case kids couldn't handle the 7 hr. tour. did land up saving about $15 or so a person plus we came & went at our own pace. met my brother there & that was a plus for our family. split up for dinner. some went to mex buffet-2 went to windows. no problem for 2 @ prime time. & i went for a peaceful meal with hubby at Bistro. loved it. caught end of show & danced at galaxy

 

miami-9 of us got hopper & went to south beach other 2 rented a car & did sightseeing on own- great day. 6 ate in windows. missed show but the deck party was fun

 

private island-been there before. went for short time. returned to quiet pool area to relax. ate in shogun-delightful-saw show-fun at sock hop.

 

nassau-cab to atlantis-returned to shop- too short of time there. splitup for dinner at garden

 

seaday=loved crew show. make sure u explore the ship fully. there are plenty of surprises hidden in different places.

the kids loved "kidscrew" which gave their parents some alone time they needed with 5. the newly married daughter had a rest from work she needed badly & myself & hubby were delighted that everyone enjoyed this years family vacation & will be starting to plan next years soon.

[BOYNSEA]

Hi BOYNSEA' date='

Thanks for your review! We'll be heading out on the Spirit 5/20 and you've given me some good insights.

 

Do you happen to know how long Julie will be there as CD? Someone posted in a Dawn review that CD Ricky Matthews is supposed to be going to the Spirit. Did you hear when Julie will be going on vacation?

 

If you have your Freestyle Dailies, could you look in the very 1st one and check if Hugo V. (HD from the Dawn) is now the HD on the Spirit?

 

Also, we saw Edge last year on the Dawn. He was on the ship for several months. Do you know how long he will be on the Spirit this time?

 

I totally agree with you that the crew is one of NCL's strong points. It seems they always have a smile and hello wherever you go.

 

Your disembarkation sounds a little harried. Frankly, I've never quite understood with freestyle why folks leave their cabins and gather in a lounge somewhere when you can just stay and relax until your color is called. Otherwise it becomes the same mad rush as other cruise lines.;)

 

Glad you had a great time.:D[/quote']

 

Sorry, Snorklinbarb, I don't know if Julie is leaving and the Hotel Director (HD?)was a woman but I do not remember her name. Don't know how long Edge will be aboard.

Our embarkation was a bit harried. The weather accounted for alot of that but we had to drive to Brooklyn, then to a suburb near Boston and then to Cape Cod so we were anxious to get started on the road. We could not afford to wait until after 10. Sorry I can not scan Freestyle.

[BOYNSEA]

BOYNSEA -

 

We went to trivia at 6 the 1st three nights. It was pretty hard, wasn't it?Did you win at all?:)

 

We had a lot of fun with trivia. We won two nights, I believe. Our 13 year old son was a big help on a lot of questions. It pays to have a couple of generations on some of those questions.

[linsue1231]

Boynsea,

 

What a great review filled with tips...thanks for taking the time out to share it with us....I just wish I did not still have 196 days left before I see it for myself...LOL :)

 

Linda

[electricron]

It's nice to hear from another satisified Spirit passenger.

 

The :eek: DRAGON :eek: is smiling once again. :)

[linsue1231]

I have seen mentioned a few times about the "Dragon", can someone tell me about this Dragon...LOL :confused:

 

Linda

[electricron]

I have seen mentioned a few times about the "Dragon", can someone tell me about this Dragon...LOL :confused: Linda

 

You find its lair in the Bridge Observatory, where all the ship's plaques and photos are on display, and where you can watch the Bridge watchstanders.

 

Here's a photo of the :eek: DRAGON :eek:

 

 

Here's a link to a 360 degree view of the Bridge Observatory::

 

http://www.nlgsolutions.com/c/media.asp?hid=17152&i=&vessel=439&lineid=34&d=&d2=&mpg=t&p=/tours/thumbs/norwegian_34/439/34_439_Bridge_Viewing_Gallery_pub.jpg&pg=3&dsc=

[linsue1231]

Wow...very cool...thanks. I will be looking forward to seeing it up close and personal in Nov.

 

Linda

[intrepid_guy]

Sorry, Snorklinbarb, I don't know if Julie is leaving and the Hotel Director (HD?)was a woman but I do not remember her name. Don't know how long Edge will be aboard.

 

I imagine the HD is still Alexandra Schroeder. She has been there quite some time. She is tall and blonde with a German accent. Is that her? She was awful nice when we were aboard in February. I hope she is still there in June for the 1 nighter we are going on.

 

~Intrepid

[BOYNSEA]

I imagine the HD is still Alexandra Schroeder. She has been there quite some time. She is tall and blonde with a German accent. Is that her? She was awful nice when we were aboard in February. I hope she is still there in June for the 1 nighter we are going on.

 

~Intrepid

Yes, It was Alexandra Schroeder. And you are right, she was very nice.

[bermudafan8]

I sailed on the Spirit 4/16 - what a lovely ship! I'd recommend bringing along a multi-outlet thing because there was only one easily accessible outlet in the room. I used the hair dryer in the bathroom - it was definately not as good as mine at home - I just had to allow a little extra time to dry my long hair, and saved space in the suitcase by not bringing along my own. Don't miss Love Brothers & Lira, a music group that played at the Latitudes party and nightly in the Centrum. I believe they are onboard until December. We enjoyed trivia at the Pub also. The first time we went on a wim - we were the Fighting Cheeseheads (from Wisconsin, team was me, my bro, and parents) and much to our surprise won - we each got an NCL pen. The ship is beautiful - very clean. Cabin steward very efficient. A great trip. Very smooth sailing.