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Anyone just back from the Spirit?

Whippets

By Whippets,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Whippets

Whippets

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Has anyone just returned today from the Spirit Jan. 13-20? Since there has been some bad comments here lately just wondering what the current situation may be? Bad food? Bedbugs? Port delays due to ship problems? Noro virus? We board next Sunday and expect some of the problems to be resolved.

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adams.580

adams.580

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We returned on the 13th. I am still working on my review. Be rest assured - we loved our cruise! There was some talk of quarantines from noro, but the crew was making every effort to make sure that everyone was sanitized and not coming in contact with anything in the buffets.

 

We were a little late arriving into Roatan, but we still had plenty of time to hire a driver and see a lot of the island, including the West End beaches.

 

The crew was very friendly and helpful, and the ship was clean (and deck chairs were always available!). In fact, we like this cruise better than the one we took on the Star (bigger and newer ship) in April.

 

Please ask if you have any specific questions.

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rubythroatbird

rubythroatbird

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I was on this sailing. I did not encounter any bedbugs or Norwalk virus, although it was obvious that Norwalk virus precautions were being taken and that you can't just waltz up and start taking things from the buffet, especially drinks, a gloved staff member will assist you. Perhaps there was an outbreak on a previous cruise, because they are being very cautious.

 

No port delays other than arriving at 3 PM at Roatan, for which we had already been informed and received compensation of $50 apiece, which appeared on our statement automatically, without any further discussion or hassle. At Roatan we were off the boat by 3:10 PM and walked some ways down the street, instead of letting the first taxi driver we saw wave us down. We got a better price that way, at least a better price than what I'd been offered on the internet -- $20 apiece to tour the island and visit some photographic spots, such as the shipwrecks, scenic overlooks, and so on. We skipped the iguana farm and captive animal exhibits, but we were offered the chance to stop there if we wished. So it all worked out.

 

No problems with food. I wouldn't call it Emeril's but nor is it diner quality either. If anything, it's a cut above what I expected considering the cost. :-) Also, if you don't like an item that you order in the dining rooms, they will bring you something else, no questions asked. I didn't have to do this, but I saw it done. Being from New Orleans, I am a food snob, but while I could nitpick this and that, the reality is that the food was above expectations considering the number of people that had to be served at the price.

 

Very rough seas last night, Saturday, Jan. 19. I was seasick, as were some others. I was not sick enough to actually vomit, but I did have to take a pill and I had some trouble with dizziness until I ate a good meal. As I am prone to motion sickness and have experienced it in a variety of other situations, I can't blame this on the boat. No problem any other days. No problem on the tender to Belize or on the river boat cruises.

 

My only complaint with Spirit is that I felt the ice buckets were much too small. You need a critical mass of ice or it just melts too fast. They didn't automatically fill our cooler with ice, as other people experienced. We had to fetch our own or else make a point of requesting extra ice. A minor nitpick in the great scheme of things. I recommend ordering extra ice and extra juice from room service each morning, assuming you take the room service breakfast. Then you can put juice on ice all day for mixer or just for juice. In that way, you can avoid buying over-priced sodas. We went the whole cruise and never purchased a soft drink while onboard.

 

The water was drinkable too, despite my fears that it might be over-chlorinated or somewhat taste processed. But it was fine.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

Has anyone just returned today from the Spirit Jan. 13-20? Since there has been some bad comments here lately just wondering what the current situation may be? Bad food? Bedbugs? Port delays due to ship problems? Noro virus? We board next Sunday and expect some of the problems to be resolved.
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teacher2cruiser

teacher2cruiser

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We just returned today from the Spirit - Jan. 13-Jan 20 celebrating my husband's fiftieth birthday. This was our second cruise, with the first being ten months ago on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas. We had a wonderful time. Honestly, though, we were disappointed in the food. Did we go hungry? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It's just that we aren't very particular and don't do that much fine dining, but compared to our other cruise, the food on the Spirit was disappointing. Our cabin was clean, the staff was nice, the pool area was great, weather was beautiful, butSaturday night we encountered an angry sea, and boy was it rough! All in all, though, it was a WONDERFUL cruise!

I will post a review later, but to answer a couple of questions - neither my husband or myself got sick or saw any bedbugs. They were taking many precautions towards noro and I appreciated them all.

If anyone has any other specific questions, I'll be glad to answer.

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Camposyka

Camposyka

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We just returned today from the Spirit - Jan. 13-Jan 20 celebrating my husband's fiftieth birthday. This was our second cruise, with the first being ten months ago on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas. We had a wonderful time. Honestly, though, we were disappointed in the food. Did we go hungry? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It's just that we aren't very particular and don't do that much fine dining, but compared to our other cruise, the food on the Spirit was disappointing. Our cabin was clean, the staff was nice, the pool area was great, weather was beautiful, butSaturday night we encountered an angry sea, and boy was it rough! All in all, though, it was a WONDERFUL cruise!

 

I will post a review later, but to answer a couple of questions - neither my husband or myself got sick or saw any bedbugs. They were taking many precautions towards noro and I appreciated them all.

 

If anyone has any other specific questions, I'll be glad to answer.

 

We also just returned from this cruise and agree with the above post. The food was VERY disappointing at the buffet and Windows/Garden. We were happy with the sushi bar and Teppanyaki grill tho. The staff was the nicest we had ever encountered on a cruise and the ship was spotless.

The bad news is my wife contracted NORO and we were quarantined in our cabin the last day. Not much fun as we had an inside cabin and only a 13 inch TV for entertainment. Room service only has a limited menu but we managed. We also found out that your on board account is deactivated while you are quarantined. I'm glad I went straight to the photo shop from the medic before our account was locked or we wouldn't have had any pictures.

As far as Freestyle Cruising we have mixed feelings. The only really good thing is that it was easy to get a table for 2 (honeymoon). The bad is ...well the food wasn't very good. All in all we prefer traditional dining.

The staff entertainment wasn't much to our liking and seemed geared towards an older crowd. We thought the Second City Comedy show was hilarious.

We had fun at all the ports and the ships tours were well done.

Overall it was a good but not great cruise. We will probably not sail with NCL again as we prefer the more traditional cruise lines.

Be sure to wash your hands well and bring IMODIUM!

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SANDPEBBLES

SANDPEBBLES

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Camposyka, I'm so terribly sorry to hear your wife became ill. It must have been awful for her.

 

We are boarding the Spirit on January 27. She's a very dear ship to us, and we are hoping nothing major goes wrong. By major, I mean Noro Virus.

 

It's my understanding the crew is working very hard to keep the ship as clean as possible, and I was really hoping there would be no cases of Noro this past week. Did you hear of anyone else being affected?

 

I know we can contract it anywhere, etc. Still, if I am destined to get it, I want to get it at home.

 

Hoping your wife is fully recovered.

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MrsLeo

MrsLeo

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Sea Hound lol! Room Service is free. Just tip a buck or two. Let's hope none of us get quarantined so we don't find out! They kill your card while quarantined, to assist people who have no self control from getting bored and going out into the ship and infecting other passengers. Especially those who can't resist shopping or the casino.

 

Yes and that was a very good question!!! What about those engines? Did anyone do any sleuthing?

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rubythroatbird

rubythroatbird

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There is no charge for room service, but it is considered courteous to tip a buck or two -- we usually tipped $2 for breakfast, $1 if it was just to bring ice. I would assume that the purpose of turning off your account while you are quarantined is to discourage people from breaking quarantine. There is no charge for medical services related to Norwalk virus or treatment for GI disease, according to the Freestyle Dailies. So if you were quarantined, look on the bright side, your expenses will be at a minimum!

 

 

 

Has anyone else encountered this? Why would that be? How could you charge room service if the account is deactivated?

 

Sea Hound:D

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Sea Hound

Sea Hound

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Room Service is free. Just tip a buck or two. Let's hope none of us get quarantined so we don't find out! They kill your card while quarantined, to assist people who have no self control from getting bored and going out into the ship and infecting other passengers. Especially those who can't resist shopping or the casino.

 

Yes and that was a very good question!!! What about those engines? Did anyone do any sleuthing?

 

I understand that room service is free but let's say my DW is quarantined and I want to have the butler deliver a meal to my suite from Cagney's. If my account is frozen, I can't do that?

 

Sea Hound:D

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KerCar

KerCar

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I understand that room service is free but let's say my DW is quarantined and I want to have the butler deliver a meal to my suite from Cagney's. If my account is frozen, I can't do that?

 

Sea Hound:D

 

Good question. If one member of the cabin gets quarantined do all other people staying in the same cabin get their accounts frozen as well???

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