My Overdue Spirit Review ~ 6/18/06 ~6/24/06

[AnneNchris]

I am sorry that I did not do this review earlier, but unfortunately reality came to fast...but here I am now home for 2 weeks and so badly wanting this next year to fly so I can be on my next cruise...ugh...life at sea....okay so here is my long, but maybe helpful review!!!

 

I want to start off by saying that I unfortunately can not offer any advise about the buffets because my hubby and I do not eat at buffets ( I am a major germ freak) and I also no nothing about the kids programs because the kiddos stayed Home this trip they will be coming next year!!!

 

Embarkation~ 6/18/06

WONDERFUL!!! We arrived at the Pier at about 12:30 registration was a breeze....we then went to set up our account in cash and this took a few extra minutes because there were two large groups in front of us...but it was no biggie....we were on the ship by 1:20...we wondered around and visited the reservation desk and made reservations for two nights at specialty restaurants (which we later canceled, but only for good reasons) We checked out different areas of the ship...I think at first it is overwhelming and a lot to take in but we took our time exploring...we got into our room right at 2:00... we were in 9692...it was Beautiful and plenty spacious for the two of us...now I do want to point out that when we booked we booked a GTY category N...we were upgraded to a category II and two days before we left NCL called and asked if we would like a balcony for an extra 75 pp....so I feel like we SOOOO lucked out....aftre we checked out our room and the daily it was time to wonder again!!! We wondered until about 3ish and went back to our cabin and discovered our luggage had been delivered already...so we unpacked and then went to the safety drill...always fun:) We then went and watched New York city become smaller and smaller...this was my first time sailing out of New York...what a beautiful sight...the bridge...the statue of liberty...absolutley breathtaking!! After we sat for a while and people watched (such a favorite hobby of mine) we then went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner...We ate at Windows and YUMMY YUMMY...our server the first night here was Prince Charles and he could not have been any more pleasant...he only waited on us once..but remembered us and our names each and every time we saw him...the last day my husband made a point to go and find him and give him an extra tip...after dinner we went to The Galaxy of The Stars for the Welcome Aboard show...Ricky the cruise director is FULL of energy and it truly is contagious...(Hey heyyy baby..I wanna knoooww if youll be my girlll....once you meet him you will know what I am talking about LOL) after the show we went on to do yet some more exploring....we went to Karaoke* and had some great laughs...we hit the casinos for a bit and then we needed to hit the hay...but not before I ordered some chocolate moose from room service...yummy

 

*My star here is because there were very few things that bothered me on the ship...and NOTHING about NCL bothered me I will be more detailed later but I wanted to make a note here about the Karakoe...there was a group of young girls here ranging in age...two of these girls stood out to me...I overheard the one girl say to one of the other girls that she obviously just met..."hey I forgot my card in my room could you get me a bud light" well later I again overheard these two girls talking and they were 16 years old!!!! Where were there parents and why were they not around long enough for them to have to check in with them...I am by no means saying that these girls should not be given freedom, but hello???? Parents??? I am 29 years old and this made me sick...mainly because these girls were getting wasted and if something happened to these unsupervised teens well I am sure their parents would be the first to sue!! I do want to also note that we saw these girls frequently on the cruise and frequently they were definitely buzzed....*

 

Okay back on tot he positives and off my high horse!!

 

6/19/06~ Day at sea~ so very peaceful. We had ordered breakfast the night before and sat on the balcony and ate it...we then went down to the café and I had a cappicino...we went to the free card bingo with John the assistant cruise director (PUMP IT UP)...we had lunch at windows...again another YUMMY YUMMY meal...we went to afternoon trivia...we went to the art auction...then we went sat on our balcony and then got ready for dinner (wow we did a lot of eating LOL)...this night was the first optional formal night...people looked beautiful...we went to the early show off Standing Room Only...it was excellent...I am a fan of Broadway Music...and they did a wonderful job...I did not expect it to be Broadway material..becasue if all of the production staff was Broadway material...well then they would probably be on Broadway not NCL:) We then went on to the New Years Eve Party in the Galaxy of the Stars...and that was a lot of fun...with Ricky again...and of course his Brother from another mother John!! Then we did some casino time and then we stopped at the Blue Lagoon, got some food to go...headed back to our room..ordered more chocolate moose and fell asleep!!

 

6~20~06 ~ FLORIDA!!! We woke up early so we could get breakfast at Windows...great omlets....then we left and headed to meet our bus for the Air boat Alligator Adventure...that was a great time...we saw aligators..tasted fried alligator and just enjoyed being a part of nature...after this tour we headed back to the ship and guess what...ATE, LOL...we had lunch at windows...headed back to our room and fell asleep for about 3 hours...then I knew we were truly relaxed...my hubby and I have a 2 year old and a 10 year old...so to be able to stop and nap it was wonderful...of course now you may roll on the floor laughing when I tell you what we did next...we got up...showered and went to eat...LOL...windows again...over dinner we discussed how wonderful the food was, and how it was rather silly that we were going to go to specialty restaurants when we were eating so good at the restaurants that were included...so after dinner we went to cancel our reservations...which was no problem because we did it with enough notice so we were not charged the $5. We then went on to see the show The Second City...they were very very funny...it was clean enough for families...but old enough for adults!!! GREAT show...The NBA Finals were on Heat VS Mavericks...so this was a must to watch and we were really glad that NCL made arrangements for this game to be on in a few different rooms...we also went to Karakoe...and listened there...I only listen as I do not want to hurt anyone's ears, LOL...after this and the HEat's victory we headed to the Blue Lagoon...and then soooo very tired:)

 

Okay this is the first three days...I will finish the last three days later...I have to get some homework done:):)

[sweetpea-2]

nice review so far and we did the same thing except one night with the specialty restaurants on the Dawn also as we found the food excellent...hope to hear the rest soon ;)

[Maryfrei]

Thanks, can't wait to read the rest!

[pengu1n]

 

*My star here is because there were very few things that bothered me on the ship...and NOTHING about NCL bothered me I will be more detailed later but I wanted to make a note here about the Karakoe...there was a group of young girls here ranging in age...two of these girls stood out to me...I overheard the one girl say to one of the other girls that she obviously just met..."hey I forgot my card in my room could you get me a bud light" well later I again overheard these two girls talking and they were 16 years old!!!! Where were there parents and why were they not around long enough for them to have to check in with them...I am by no means saying that these girls should not be given freedom, but hello???? Parents??? I am 29 years old and this made me sick...mainly because these girls were getting wasted and if something happened to these unsupervised teens well I am sure their parents would be the first to sue!! I do want to also note that we saw these girls frequently on the cruise and frequently they were definitely buzzed....*

 

 

If they were both 16, I'm wondering how they were able to charge a beer on their card? I know the birthdates are on the card, and after traveling last year with one over 21 & one under, I questioned them about this. They said the bartenders do check that (although my now 23 year old looks about 16). Plus, I checked the charges occasionally to see what they were up to and quizzed them about any charges that weren't self explanatory. My older child is not a drinker so I don't worry (much) about that for her. My son, who will turn 21 one month after the cruise drinks some but not to the extend that I see others his age doing. I will probably sign the consent slip to allow him to drink beer & wine, but will monitor his charges pretty closely. (And quiz his sister!)

[pengu1n]

P.S. Thanks for review! I love reading everything about the Spirit, as we will soon be aboard!

[maurick]

Great review. We were on April 2nd with a balcony cabin too. Joved it. Glad you ahd a great time.

[1sttimecruiserlady]

Thanks for posting your review on CC.. It is so good to know that you had a good time and that there is a good time to be had apon the Spirit.

I just read a negative review about her and I got a little worried . My family and I are sailing on her July 16th for our first cruise. I would love to read more about your review and any tips that you might want to ad for 1sttimecruisers.

 

 

1sttimecruiserlady

NCL Spirit July 16th 2006

[tinker]

Waiting patiently for the rest of your review. We were also on the 6/18 sailing and cannot understand the new negative review of the 7/2 sailing.

[dongordon]

Waiting patiently for the rest of your review. We were also on the 6/18 sailing and cannot understand the new negative review of the 7/2 sailing.

 

Tinker...cruises are very subjective, especially food.

I was on the Spirit "one-nighter" and thought the ship was beautiful, service very good, (especially for a one-nighter!) and found the food very good as well in Windows (breakfast and lunch) and in Cagney's (for dinner)

 

I'll be going back on the Spirit - July 22nd for a "full cruise" and can't wait!

 

Don

[tinker]

We didn't realize that the Spirit had gone out on a one nighter on 6/17 and when we boarded on 6/18 we were saying Gee, no one has a tan!! Must have had bad weather. LOL

 

But anyway for $780 for a balcony we had a great time. Could I complain, sure and here are some things but not enough to tarnish my entire vacation.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I give the cruise an 8.

 

Raffles ( the buffet) is way too small for the 2400 passengers on our ship and on the first day were wiped out of everything. (We were told they are aware the 2 lines are insufficient and already have the materials to expand the area to 6 lines, like the Dawn on next dry dock.)

 

Drinking glasses and coffee cups way too small.

 

Beds and pillows very hard.

 

No shrimp cocktail to be had.

 

Seating and service spotty in the main dining rooms.

 

Waiting to get on and off the ship tiring with a full ship.

 

Not enought time on Great Stirrup Cay.

 

No fresh ice put in our ice bucket a few nights.

 

My room card became demagnitized at the drop of a hat and had to replace it THREE times.

 

Store was very small and not enough sizes or selections in the shirts.

 

So I would consider the above my "opinions" and not complaints.

 

Really, how can ANY cruise be a bad one!!!!!!

[judyf]

AnneNChris thanks for taking the time to post a review. I love reading all about the ship and ports we will be visiting. Can't wait to read the rest.

[cruisin07family]

We're looking into cruising on the Spirit in 2007. The prices I'm finding at quite a bit more than $780 for a balcony. Can I ask how you found that price, is that allowed?

[tinker]

Cruisin07family

 

I got the price by booking only 60 days ahead when final payment was due, booked the lowest priced balcony guarantee and used an online agency. Not sure I can say who.

 

My experience is that it is not who you book with but WHEN you book.

[VampyBuff]

skyauction.com, *****.com and generally any site that comes up when you do a google search for "cheap cruises" will find you rates at least 25% cheaper than NCL advertised prices.

[Dancyalien]

I have to agree with Tinker about price being determined upon when you book. It has been my experience that all cruises are the same price, even when booking through online agencies. As a former agent cruise prices are made up of several componets. Not to bore you all with the specifics, but depending on the online cruise agency they will advertise differently to make there price seem cheaper. However, when you get down to the final price it will be the same as NCL or anyother site. What these sites can do it offer perks like onboard credits and coupon books.

 

I find lately NCL has been running there best specials on Wed.'s....

 

Prices are strongly influenced by when you book. For example, the prices for NCL Gem right now are cheaper for higher categorys. Probably, because they'd rather fill those first. They can also run a really cheap price on a GTY to get people on.

 

Also, the time of year plays a part in the price. I booked my spirit cruise for sept and got a price of less then $600 pp (after port charges and taxes) with a $150 onboard credit. However, I did watch this cruise for a few weeks till I thought I was getting the best deal.

 

If a ship is not full the cruise lines will sometimes run awesome deals right before sailing as the above poster mentioned 60 days out. On the other hand sometimes this can back fire on you. My parents waited till the last minute to book there summer cruise and the prices went up so much, from when I told them to book, that they couldnt afford to go.

 

I think the best thing to do is look and find a few cruises your interested in. Print out the prices from NCL and watch what they do for a bit. Check all the online sites to see what kind of promotions they are running. When you think your getting the best deal then book....

 

If you find a good agent they should do this for you. Also remember to keep checking prices up until final payment is made because you can sometimes get an adjustment.

 

Hope this helps....

[PhilBiker]

If a ship is not full the cruise lines will sometimes run awesome deals right before sailing as the above poster mentioned 60 days out. On the other hand sometimes this can back fire on you. My parents waited till the last minute to book there summer cruise and the prices went up so much, from when I told them to book, that they couldnt afford to go.

No kidding it can backfire. My brother decided he wanted to join my wife and I, and the sailing sold out that very day!