Review of the Spirit 9-14-2008 Canada/New England Sailing

[AuntieBarb]

I’ll be posting this review in multiple parts, concluding with links to Freestyle Daily schedules. Your patience please……..

 

About us: Myself (51) and husband (42) were literally lured into taking this cruise, thanks to NCL’s “2nd Passenger 50% Off” sale back in June, coupled with multi-category upgrades also being offered at the time. This was our 2nd cruise aboard the Spirit, having last sailed on her repositioning cruise to New Orleans back in November 2007.

 

Since we had already sailed this past June and still have one to look forward to in November, we booked merely with lots of rest & relaxation in mind. However it ended up being everything but that!

 

This cruise was port intensive for its duration. Subsequently we did not utilize a lot of amenities or services afforded on the Spirit. So our review will concentrate more on the overall experience and a few specific points. Hopefully those of you planning this itinerary will still gain some beneficial information.

 

Itinerary: This was a 6 day cruise to Canada/New England. Our scheduled ports included Canada (Halifax, Nova Scotia & Saint John, New Brunswick) and New England (Boston & Martha’s Vineyard).

 

Although the Dawn had a similar 7 Day itinerary, we specifically chose the Spirit for the port of Martha’s Vineyard, even though we had since learned this port is often canceled due to weather conditions.

 

Highlights of Day #1: Embarkation

 

We arrived at Pier 88 some time prior to 11AM and were pleased to see the Spirit & the Dawn docked side-by-side. We were also happy embarkation was through this terminal, since it has been nicely refurbished and was a breeze the last time through.

 

The entire process started out like clockwork, as we had experienced last June. First our ticket and passports were reviewed before entering the queue line. Then off to the security check point to have our carry-on luggage scanned, etc. (My husband had a bottle in his backpack resembling a fifth of liquor, which security wanted to see. He had tried to explain it was merely a bottle of hazelnut syrup for our coffee, but “seeing is believing” you know! LOL! Plus, they confiscated an all-in-one tool he had as well) Next we had our embarkation picture taken, followed by our visit to Latitudes check-in.

 

Normally check-in is incident free and only a matter of minutes. That was not the case for this visit. The clerk wasn’t happy with the ticket contract I handed him, although I provided the ticket page exactly as it printed off of the eDocs location of their website. So I proceeded to get the entire document out of my backpack, only to find I did NOT have my backpack. Why? I obviously left it behind at the security check point. LOL! My husband saved the day by running back for it, which security had placed safely off to the side. I guess I had overlooked it during the tie up about our hazelnut syrup.

 

It turned out that the heading “Cruise Ticket” had printed on a prior page. No idea how that happened. Then he wanted our Guest Registration, which confused me because we’ve never had to present that before. Luckily I had printed it out as well, so that was not an issue. He stated they like to have hard copies in case their computer system goes down. We later heard others had NOT been asked for theirs, so I’m still clueless why this was necessary. Oh well…..now to get our key cards.

 

The clerk returned to us several times to indicate he was still looking into our key cards, for which he continually apologized. Meanwhile, we’re standing there watching others check in and out without incident. Another NCL representative came to the desk and asked if we were late in registering. I told her we weren’t late at all and that the date I printed the document is clearly on the paperwork. Nevertheless, after much to do about nothing, they reissued new key cards and we were finally off to the waiting area. There we met up with a couple we sailed with on our cruise to Bermuda last June; George & Michelle (saleandsail).

 

Embarkation finally started around 12:15. We were in group #4 and boarding by 12:30. Upon boarding, we received our glass of champagne. Let the party begin!

 

Embarkation Lunch: Our cruise was now a reality, as we were finally on the ship and settled in for a delightful lunch at Windows with our friends George & Michelle. Despite making public what seems to be a little known secret, there were very few passengers dining there along with us. No problem! It simply allowed service to be even better than normal.

 

Afterwards, we were off to our staterooms, which were ready before 2PM.

 

Our Fwd “BA” Balcony Stateroom 11516: I booked this stateroom for no other reason than it was the same one we stayed in on our last cruise aboard the Spirit. It is only 8 staterooms away from where the bridge extends out on the port side of the ship, conveniently located by the forward elevators (think Galaxy of the Stars, Le Bistro, Casino, Blue Lagoon) and is immediately below the spa & fitness center. Only two times during our cruise did we briefly hear any noise from above. Location was not a concern.

 

Our excursion tickets and several invitations were on our stateroom door upon arrival; both anticipated as Latitudes, as well as some unexpected VIP courtesies. A “Welcome Basket” from Latitudes containing wine and fruit was sitting on the table.

 

We checked to see if there was any change in the bedding since our last cruise and the Freestyle 2.0 Initiative. Although balconies and below were to receive memory foam toppers, we found the mattress and bed frame were new. The mattress was firm, with a thin pillow top. The bed frame was much higher than usual, giving ease of access to luggage stowed beneath. There was a top sheet in place as well, along with a multitude of pillows and the beautiful comforter/duvet we like so much.

 

Cards were provided for a customized fruit menu and delivering snacks to our stateroom. However, we never requested anything additional.

 

Fresh baked cookies are promised for the final night. We received ours mid-cruise.

 

The closet, shelves and drawer space are quite adequate for at least two people. While hanging up our clothing, we found our NCL robes inside the closet.

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

For those not acquainted with the Spirit’s balcony categories, here are some pictures for you:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandatory Muster Drill: Prior to the 3:30 muster drill, we had out sights set on nothing else but FOOTBALL! So hubby and I grabbed our life vests and headed down to Henry’s Pub to join our friends. Hubby must have ESP, because as luck would have it, our muster station was immediately outside of Henry’s Pub! It took a bit of doing, but they finally managed to get the football package and tune in CBS for Sunday’s Vikings v.s. Colts game, followed by the Jets v.s. Patriots game.

 

The muster drill was a typical muster drill. However, I must say I wish those who find it so terribly boring would be more considerate of those in charge of the drill and those who are not acquainted with the drill. Be quiet already!

[AuntieBarb]

Sail-a-way: Being right outside of Henry’s Pub, we promptly returned to our table and more of the football game in progress. We ladies took a few minutes and ventured off to our staterooms to find that our luggage had already arrived.

 

Hubby had wondered what type of music would be played for sail-a-way on the pool deck, considering it wasn’t a cruise to the Caribbean islands. We never found out, opting to stick with football and watching from the Promenade deck.

 

There were at least five ships leaving port together that day. Of NCL’s, the Dawn pulled away first, with the Spirit following shortly thereafter. It was a beautiful sight seeing all of us headed for the Verrazano Bridge in short order from each other.

 

Once we were free and setting out to sea, we had a rare opportunity to see the Dawn sailing right along with us. Although she had departed first, there must have been an emergency because the Spirit later passed her by. The Dawn took no time at all to pass, but here she is while doing so:

 

 

Dinner @ Windows: Rather than order from the entrees of the day, we chose from the “Always Available” entrees. I had Sirloin Steak, which was prepared as ordered and tasty for that cut of beef. My husband selected Cheese Tortellini, which he greatly enjoyed but felt the serving was too generous.

 

Rarely do we go to a show on the first night, after such a long day. So we retired to our staterooms to unpack, enjoy some time on our balcony and simply relax.

[AuntieBarb]

Highlights of Day #2: Sea Day

 

Wake-up Call; 7:30 AM

 

CC Meet & Greet: After breakfast, we headed off to Henry’s Pub for our M&G, which was scheduled for 10AM. We had a good turn-out, despite several no shows. Refreshments were provided as usual, including juice, coffee, tea and various pastries. Numerous officers attended, including Frank Hasenwinkel (Hotel Director), Humberto Abarca (Concierge), Iain Bagshaw (Cruise Director) and Jorge (Cruise Rewards Consultant). Unlike previous M&G that we have attended where the officers stand in a line before the group to introduce themselves and give a brief presentation, they scattered about and mingled amongst us all individually, which I found much more personable.

 

The mystery about our missing key cards during embarkation was solved today. Humberto had them!

 

Ship Activities Today: Casino, Bingo at 3:30 PM, Latitudes Cocktail Party @ 5:15, Captain Kenneth Harstrom’s VIP Cocktail Party @ 7:15, “Lobster & Grouper” dinner (excellent) at The Garden Main Dining Room, and then off to bed for early wake up call.

 

Highlights of Day #3: Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

Wake-up Call; 5:00 AM for a 7:20 AM (Ship Time) Excursion Meet Time

 

Special Note to Remember: Unlike any cruise with NCL before, the Spirit remained on EST. They did not adjust their ship time to match local time! Our excursion booking indicated 8:30 AM. However, it started at 7:30 AM ship time and the meet time on our tickets reflected ship time.

 

Shore Excursion: .NCL’s “Peggy’s Cove and City by Double Decker Bus” Tour

Duration: 5 Hours

 

First we boarded a motor coach for an hour drive to Peggy’s Cove. Our tour guide was very informative and delightful; an excellent representative of Nova Scotia.

 

Once there, we had the option of taking a brisk walking tour through this small village or adventure on our own for roughly 1-1/2 hours. Our guide stated that we needed to return to our bus by 11:30AM (Are you doing the math here?)

 

Peggy’s Cove is a quaint, picturesque village along a shoreline of weathered boulders. We traversed around the shoreline taking various pictures, followed by a visit to the gift shop.

 

 

 

When it came time to depart, two women were amongst the missing. Our tour guide made an attempt to find them and left word in the restaurant. However we had no choice but to leave without them.

 

Our take? They didn’t realize the return time stated by the tour guide was local time; not ship time! We never found out if/how they got back to the ship.

 

Once we returned to Halifax, we were taken back to the terminal area to catch a double decker bus, which provided a couple of options. 1) Remain on the bus for a tour through Halifax, equating to roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes or 2) Hop off/on at various points of interest, making sure to return to the ship by 3:30 for all aboard. (Again the guide was referencing local time. I corrected her as she was stressing this to one of the passengers. We needed to be back to the ship by 2:30 ship time.)

 

At this point we were hungry, so we opted to hop off the bus in the shopping district. Our objective was to have a Lobster Roll for lunch. A local suggested trying My Father’s Mustache, where we are delighted to say we enjoyed a very nice lunch of Lobster Roll and French Fries.

 

The double decker buses swing by each stop roughly every 20 minutes. By the time we hopped back on, we really didn’t have a lot of time to tour elsewhere. The stop at the Citadel did include sufficient time to hop off for some quick pictures, which we opted to do. Then back to the ship we went.

 

 

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

Our recommendation: If there are several locations you would like to visit in Halifax, skip the tour to Peggy’s Cove. Our friends spent time walking through the Waterfront area, which they said was very nice. That is also where the casino is located.

 

Ship Activities Today: Refreshments once back on the ship, 6:30 PM dinner reservations at Cagney’s (The King Crab Legs were excellent!), some time in the Casino and then off to bed for yet another early wake up call!

 

Highlights of Day #4: Saint John, New Brunswick

 

Wake-up Call; 6:30 AM for a 8:45 AM (Ship Time) Excursion Meet Time

 

Special Note to Remember: Again, the Sprit remained on ship time and the meet time on our tickets reflected ship time.

 

The night before, my husband mentioned that my cell phone should have an alarm feature that I might like to try for back-up of NCL’s Wake-up Call services. I found the application and set the time for 6:30AM. It worked fine except for one small problem I hadn’t considered. Cellular at Sea picked up local time; not ship time. Unfortunately, my husband was awoken far earlier than planned! Yikes! So if you set the alarm on your cell phone while in Canada, remember to set it by local time!

 

Shore Excursion: .NCL’s “Bay of Fundy Spectacular” Tour

Duration: 6 Hours

 

Upon boarding our motor coaches, our guide noted that when we return in the afternoon, the Spirit would be approximately 14 feet higher due to high tide. We all had a good chuckle that the ramp from the Promenade Deck would be quite steep by then! LOL!

 

We set off for the village of St. Martins, which is right on the Bay of Fundy. Opposed to the “Reversing Falls”, we would get a true snapshot of the tidal extremes that occur. When we arrived, there was very little water in the immediate harbor area; boats hardly afloat. The stilts of the covered bridges were clearly exposed. We were given approximately 25 minutes to walk about for photos and shopping at gift shops and tables of local vendors.

 

Next, we stopped by the Bay of Fundy to see the sea caves and the rocky shoreline soon to be engulfed in water at high tide. Then we were off to tour the Fundy Trail, with multiple stops along the way for some very scenic points of interest. Each stop again afforded sufficient time to walk about trails and/or steps for photo taking opportunities.

 

While in route to the Fundy Trail, we did see a moose of mass proportions and one impressive rack! Unfortunately as the bus stopped for us to get a glimpse, he was startled and ran off before we had a chance to take a picture.

 

The last of our scenic stops included a brief hike along the Big Salmon River (no salmon to be seen) to traverse a suspension bridge. Several people complained that my husband was making the bridge bounce; circumstantial evidence of course! Afterwards, we enjoyed a very nice picnic lunch of sandwiches and refreshments hosted by the locals.

 

On our way back to Saint John, we stopped again at St. Martins to see that the harbor was now full of water, with the boats afloat and water all the way up to the base of the covered bridges.

 

Be sure to stay awake on the remaining trip back to port. Otherwise you would miss learning how to make moose calls. I’ll leave that a secret for those who choose this excursion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tour concludes at or just beyond time for all aboard. Buy your souvenirs during the trip, as you will not have time when you return to the terminal area. In addition to various opportunities during the excursion, the final stop is at City Market in Saint John, which offers a good selection of choices. Here we purchased t-shirts and some Moose Coffee (Guatemalan), which we are enjoying a cup of right at this very moment!

 

Sure enough the Spirit appeared to be approximately 14 feet higher than that morning. The gangway ramp was now attached to Deck 5!

 

Ship Activities Today: Refreshments once back on the ship, 6:30 PM dinner reservations at Le Bistro (The Filet Mignon was excellent!), some more time in the Casino (barely ahead of the game here) and then off to bed for yet another early wake up call!

 

Beware of Explainable UFOs: This evening before going to bed, I ventured out onto the balcony for my evening “fix” of sea air. Suddenly I saw this glowing light off in the distance from the stern, that shot out and then made a quick about face only to disappear. I yelled to my husband that I had just seen a real UFO and proceeded to describe what I had seen. He laughed and told me if I saw it again to let him know. Sure enough I did and quickly called for him to come out right away. This time it curved and was quickly coming along side. It was extremely bright and literally glowing. Then I couldn’t believe my eyes, when my husband pointed out that my UFO had wings. It was merely a seagull flying alongside the ship, reflecting lights from the ship. What a nerd I am! ROFLMAO!

[AuntieBarb]

Highlights of Day #5: Boston, Massachusetts

 

Wake-up Call; 6:30 AM for a 9:30 AM arrival at LongWharf

 

Special Note to Remember: Although the Sprit was now headed back to where ship time would correspond with EST, Cellular at Sea will be late registering that time zone. Much to my husband’s dismay, the cell phone wake-up call sounded off at 5:30AM! *sigh*

 

Shore Excursion: .Private “Whale Watch”, booked with Boston Harbor Cruises, located at Long Wharf.

Website: http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/boston-whale-watch/schedule-rates.aspx

Cost: $36 per person

Duration: 3 Hours

 

We booked this online in advance of sailing. Check-in was scheduled at 9:30 AM for a 10:00 AM Whale Watch. Given the Spirit wasn’t due to arrive until 8:30AM and U.S. Immigrations was mandatory before disembarking, we did everything possible to be processed through quickly in order to catch a taxi over to Long Wharf. Several people in our roll call booked this private excursion together and everyone arrived in time for sailing.

 

BHC navigated 24 miles out of the harbor to where the humpback whales were last spotted. The waters were extremely choppy that day, with seasonal weather on the chilly side and quite breezy. Our group claimed a spot outside on the bow viewing area, which provided quite an exciting ride out to sea. The boat was cruising along at the equivalent of about 38 mph, so it was only a matter of time before we started putting on some warmer clothing and/or jackets. Eventually our windy and bumpy fun was dampened by a good drenching of sea water. Then we were all hastened inside until we reached the whales.

 

All rewarding in the end, as we spotted numerous humpbacks, with several breaching and giving us a nice show. The only downfall was the choppy water. Had conditions been better, the whales would have come much closer to the boat. Capturing the experience on camera proved difficult, because we never knew which side of the ship the whales would surface. As soon as we had our cameras in position, we’d miss the shot. This is the best picture we were able to get!

 

 

 

 

[AuntieBarb]

Arriving back at the harbor around 1:30 PM, we still had plenty of time to adventure around the harbor area and Quincy Market. First we satisfied our need for food (ROFL), by having lunch at Joe’s (in the park across from Quincy Market), which we highly recommend. Their freshly made, crusty bread is delicious. Plus, we got to have Lobster Rolls again, also served in some of their toasted, crusty bread. Absolutely wonderful!

 

 

 

 

Ship Activities Today: Refreshments once back on the ship, 5:30 PM Bingo, 6:30 PM dinner at Windows with our friends George & Michelle, 8:00 PM show at the Stardust Theater; a lively and well entertaining show called “On the Radio”, a tad more time in the Casino (still holding our own) and then off to bed for another early wake-up call! Disappointed about that too, because we always attend the nightclub act called “Liar’s Club..”, which was scheduled at 10:45 PM *sigh*

[AuntieBarb]

Highlights of Day #6; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

 

Wake-up Call; 6:30 AM for a 9:00 AM Meeting Time in Stardust Theater

 

Happy to report that Cellular at Sea time now matched ship time! LOL!

 

Shore Excursion: NCL’s “Highlights of Martha’s Vineyard”

 

Since Martha’s Vineyard is a tender port, all those booked on a NCL excursion must meet in the theater for priority tendering. While waiting to be cleared, we listened to a few announcements followed by comedic entertainment provided by fellow passengers. I must say that some of the jokes were actually quite good! LOL!

 

After waiting for about 45 minutes, we finally heard that dreaded announcement. The port was canceled due to unfavorable conditions for safe tendering, which we had already anticipated after seeing the choppy waters that morning.

 

So we got another sea day after all! We were disappointed to miss Martha’s Vineyard, especially considering we booked the Spirit specifically for that port. However, we also love sea days and weren’t accustomed to only having one on any cruises before.

 

 

 

Ship Activities Today: A much needed afternoon nap, 5:30 PM Caribbean Cruise Giveaway Bingo (for which we walked away losers, despite having hundreds of raffle tickets), 8:00 PM dinner at Shogun (very good) with our friends George & Michelle, some of the 10:00 PM “Spin City Scriptless” and the 10:45 PM “Quest” game show at Galaxy of the Stars, our final visit to the Casino (hubby left in the black thankfully) and then off to pack, set our luggage outside for disembarkation and to get as much shut-eye as possible!

 

Highlights of Day #7; Disembarkation

 

Wake-up Call; 5:30 AM for 8:15 AM Disembarkation

 

If you are an “Independent Traveler” (no bus or hotel transfers through NCL), both Express and Luggage Tag Disembarkation options were offered; Express meaning you transport all of your luggage off of the ship by yourself or “Luggage Tag” meaning you attach issued tags to your luggage, place them outside your stateroom before 2AM that morning, disembark as assigned and locate your luggage on the pier. Opposed to luggage tag color coding by deck, passengers needed to choose a designated disembarkation time by visiting the front desk; all scheduled on a first come first served basis.

 

Although we arrived in NYC as scheduled, disembarkation ran a bit behind schedule. We weren’t leaving the ship until roughly 9:30, but once we did everything went smoothly with ease of finding our luggage and a quick exit through customs. Our driver picked us up directly across the street from the terminal; lower level. We were back home in the Pocono Mountains by around 11:30 AM.

 

It never ceases to amaze me why passengers feel the need to line up for disembarkation far in advance to being called. Always in a hurry and blocking the halls with all their luggage, for those who need to get off before them.

 

Additional Comments:

 

A lot of reviews this past year have been indicating that service is poor on the Spirit. We’ve had a lot of difficulty believing this, but went on the cruise prepared to critique services and note any apparent changes from what we experienced in November of 2007. We are happy to report that from our perspective, service was still nicely above average to superb.

 

> Service for breakfast a couple of mornings was indeed slow. However, someone evidently reported it, because after an obvious walk through by the Executive Chef it was never repeated.

 

> Our cabin stewards were attentive without failure. The only negative to report – if you consider such a negative – is only having towel animals at turn-down twice during the cruise.

 

We have also read that the Spirit has been showing dire need for a facelift. We only concur on a couple of points.

 

> There were a few spots on our balcony with exposed rust and the balcony windows were never cleaned during the cruise.

 

> Crew were actively varnishing railings and painting throughout the cruise.

 

Krack-its: The winnings we’ve personally received have generally been $1 per $5 strip. On occasion we have won $5 per strip and a couple of times $100 per strip. I am happy to report that there really are $2,000 winners, as one gentleman was happy to announce during a bingo session.

 

Bingo:

 

> This sailing did not offer a Progressive Bingo Jackpot for the final game cover all. Payouts for all games ranged from $200 to $450.

 

> Electronic Bingo boards ranged in cost of $49 to $149; cheaper in the beginning and increasing as the days progressed. Eventually they started doubling the amount of cards, raffle tickets and free Krack-its included with each sale.

 

Suggestion for NCL: It really is a negative to have passengers conduct their time onboard subject to a ship time that varies from local time. This is the first we’ve seen you do this and hope to never encounter such again!

[AuntieBarb]

Other Ship Amenities and Services: If you didn’t read about it in this review, we didn’t partake. I have provided copies of the Freestyle Daily activities for each day below. There is plenty to do throughout the day and night; all there for planning your freestyle day.

 

Daily 1: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/pcfamily/NCL%20Spirit%2009-2008/Misc/Daily1.jpg

 

Daily 2: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/pcfamily/NCL%20Spirit%2009-2008/Misc/Daily2.jpg

 

Daily 3: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/pcfamily/NCL%20Spirit%2009-2008/Misc/Daily3.jpg

 

Daily 4: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/pcfamily/NCL%20Spirit%2009-2008/Misc/Daily4.jpg

 

Daily 5: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/pcfamily/NCL%20Spirit%2009-2008/Misc/Daily5.jpg

 

Daily 6: http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/pcfamily/NCL%20Spirit%2009-2008/Misc/Daily6.jpg

 

Although we did not get the rest and relaxation we set out for, we still walk away from a very memorable cruise and a special loyalty to NCL for wonderful cruise experiences and recognizing us as a frequent guest and a part of the NCL family.

[ChrisM444]

Great review. Thanks for the Freestyles, I've been looking for some. Your pictures are beautiful. My I ask what kind of camera you have?

[AuntieBarb]

Great review. Thanks for the Freestyles, I've been looking for some. Your pictures are beautiful. My I ask what kind of camera you have?

 

Thank you!

 

Our cameras are simply the Kodak EasyShare models; 6.1 megapixel. They do a wonderful job, IMO.

[nlt46]

How nice of you to take the time to tell us about your trip. I will be in that area in 2 weeks on the Jewel. Thanks, Nancy

[sarahvch]

Thank you for this review. I enjoyed reading it very much. I can't imagine having to do math just to figure out the current time. I would hate that!

[meaclasact2]

:D I want to thank you on two different levels for the excellent review and pictures you've posted.

 

First, I have two friends who are going on their first ever cruise next Saturday on the Spirit on the same intinerary. I've sent them your posting and I'm sure they'll find it extremely helpful.

 

Second, you are my kind of cruiser - when presented with lemons (i.e., cancelled Martha's Vineyard), go with the flow and make lemonade. We recently went on a Jade cruise from London to Barcelona. We were really looking forward to one particular stop in North Africa. We were cancelled for the same reason you missed out on Martha's Vineyard. I had a brief moment of "oh darn" which then changed to "mmm...sounds like a sea day - lead me to the extended hot stone massage!!!". Eventually we ended up in Gibraltar and we had a blast.

 

We've now been on 3 NCL cruises - I have loved every single one. I don't expect perfection - I want to enjoy myself and relax - DH and I live by the "free to do whatever" approach. I love the staff on all of the ships we've sailed - they've always gone the extra mile for us. A sincere smile needs no translation - it speaks for itself.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to post. The pictures were terrific.

[tweetylori]

Thank you very much for your review. Having been on the same ship for the same sailing, it's so interesting to read a report of places and things we didn't get to do. This was our first NCL cruise, and we liked the whole Freestyle thing. We didn't book any tours, so it was great to hear how some of them went. In Halifax and St. John we just walked around, saw some really neat markets, found the worlds' BEST ale...Pump House Scotch...tried a lobster roll also, from the shore of Halifax for just $6.50. In Boston, we took a cab to the Prudential Center, bought Duck tickets, and went to the old Boston library while we waited (beautiful!). After the Duck, we found our way via $2 T tickets to the North End where we found a great Italian restaurant that was having a killer lunch special (1-5 selections for $6.95)...manicotti, puttanesca, chicken & broccoli, eggplant...awesome, and way too much food! Then we had to find a way back to the ship. After asking a police officer, we found we were very close to Quincy's, where we wandered through shops. Still not finding the cab stand the police officer had tried to direct us to, we went to a hotel and asked for a cab. They called one for us, and we got yet another friendly cab driver back to the ship.

I'm sorry we did not make the meet in Henry's Monday morning, as we accidentally slept really late. We did meet some wonderful people on the ship, found the crew to be amazing hard-workers, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This is the first I've felt truly rested in a long time. We did Pub Trivia in Henry's a couple times...and even won once (thanks to other couples we joined up with), did The Weakest Link, watched Quest, went to all the shows...did a martini tasting, ate and ate and ate...I haven't had the nerve to get on the scales yet. Think I won't as a matter of fact.

We were in the line to get off the ship early as we had an 11:55 flight out of LaGuardia, which we had no problem getting to in plenty of time. I think the crew does an incredible job with huge crowds.

Again...thank you for the pictures and the report!

[Jordie's home alone]

My wife and I were on the 9/7 Spirit Canada/New England. At sea, our Verizon cell phones displayed times 4 hours behind EDT (ie, the time zone 1 hour into the Pacific off of the West Coast), so to ensure a 6 am ship time cell alarm wake up, I had to set dual alarms for both 2 am and 6 am (or 7 am for the 2 Canadian calls), since I wouldn't know if the local cell towers would have commandeered my phone by 6 am ship's time.

 

Got that? :)

 

BTW, we had a very good to great cruise; just not sure when I'll get around to the review.

[AuntieBarb]

Thanks everyone!

 

:D I want to thank you on two different levels for the excellent review and pictures you've posted.

 

First, I have two friends who are going on their first ever cruise next Saturday on the Spirit on the same intinerary. I've sent them your posting and I'm sure they'll find it extremely helpful.

 

Second, you are my kind of cruiser - when presented with lemons (i.e., cancelled Martha's Vineyard), go with the flow and make lemonade. We recently went on a Jade cruise from London to Barcelona. We were really looking forward to one particular stop in North Africa. We were cancelled for the same reason you missed out on Martha's Vineyard. I had a brief moment of "oh darn" which then changed to "mmm...sounds like a sea day - lead me to the extended hot stone massage!!!". Eventually we ended up in Gibraltar and we had a blast.

 

We've now been on 3 NCL cruises - I have loved every single one. I don't expect perfection - I want to enjoy myself and relax - DH and I live by the "free to do whatever" approach. I love the staff on all of the ships we've sailed - they've always gone the extra mile for us. A sincere smile needs no translation - it speaks for itself.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to post. The pictures were terrific.

 

Thanks for commenting!

 

I'm happy to hear my review may be useful to someone going on the same cruise. This being our first visit to these Canadian ports, we concentrated more on seeing the scenery surrounding the area. Next time we'll probably spend more time closer to port and around the city.

 

We too feel the same way about the crew and NCL. No doubt we'll be sailing with them every year. We've been quite partial to the Dawn and now the Spirit, especially due to our ease of access to NYC. Next year we'll be going on some other NCL ships and new itineraries. So we have plenty to look forward to.

[AuntieBarb]

I'm sorry we did not make the meet in Henry's Monday morning, as we accidentally slept really late.

 

Again...thank you for the pictures and the report!

 

We're sorry you weren't able to join us, but do understand. Believe me, there having been several cruises I've wished the M&G were scheduled later in the morning. LOL!

 

Glad you got to tour the ports your way and were able to find some special places.

[AuntieBarb]

My wife and I were on the 9/7 Spirit Canada/New England. At sea' date=' our Verizon cell phones displayed times 4 hours behind EDT (ie, the time zone 1 hour into the Pacific off of the West Coast), so to ensure a 6 am ship time cell alarm wake up, I had to set dual alarms for both 2 am and 6 am (or 7 am for the 2 Canadian calls), since I wouldn't know if the local cell towers would have commandeered my phone by 6 am ship's time.

 

Got that? :) [/quote']

 

Oh bother! That would have driven me really crazy! LOL! But weren't you roaming via Cellular at Sea?

 

The folks I pity the most are the ones who rely on their cell phones for the time.

[halos]

 

GREAT Review Barb! I'm glad you had such a good time and great weather..except on Martha's Vineyard day, that is.

You pictures brought me back to when we did Nova Scotia (land vacation) WE loved Halifax and I agree that touring the town center is awesome! It's a fabulous place for a pub crawl!

 

If anyone ever goes to Halifax, please don't miss out on a tour of the Citadel. It's great!!

 

I so love the Spirit. All cruises will be measured against our 2007 repo.

 

:)

[AuntieBarb]

 

GREAT Review Barb! I'm glad you had such a good time and great weather..except on Martha's Vineyard day, that is.

You pictures brought me back to when we did Nova Scotia (land vacation) WE loved Halifax and I agree that touring the town center is awesome! It's a fabulous place for a pub crawl!

 

If anyone ever goes to Halifax, please don't miss out on a tour of the Citadel. It's great!!

 

I so love the Spirit. All cruises will be measured against our 2007 repo.

 

:)

 

Thank you, Angel!

 

We did indeed luck out on the weather (which I neglected to mention), but thankfully the pictures confirmed it. We missed Ike completely and had nothing but clear, sunny skies the entire trip. Just a bit chilly and windy in the New England area. So we had a bumpy ride to see the whales, rocked to sleep that night and a canceled port. Whatever! LOL! I was cruising! :D

 

I was really looking forward to some time inside the Citadel, but our excursion simply didn't offer sufficient time. There is always next time!

 

Yep, we had a great time last November, didn't we? Some officers and staff are amongst the missing now, but the Spirit still has a great team!

[AFAMILY]

Highlights of Day #6; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

 

Wake-up Call; 6:30 AM for a 9:00 AM Meeting Time in Stardust Theater

 

Shore Excursion: NCL’s “Highlights of Martha’s Vineyard”

 

Since Martha’s Vineyard is a tender port, all those booked on a NCL excursion must meet in the theater for priority tendering. While waiting to be cleared, we listened to a few announcements followed by comedic entertainment provided by fellow passengers. I must say that some of the jokes were actually quite good! LOL!

 

After waiting for about 45 minutes, we finally heard that dreaded announcement. The port was canceled due to unfavorable conditions for safe tendering, which we had already anticipated after seeing the choppy waters that morning.

 

So we got another sea day after all! We were disappointed to miss Martha’s Vineyard, especially considering we booked the Spirit specifically for that port. However, we also love sea days and weren’t accustomed to only having one on any cruises before.

again!

 

What a terrific review! It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

We did this cruise on the Dawn 2 years ago and loved it. We will most certainly do it again at some point.

 

We had the EXACT same experience with Martha's Vineyard as you, AND it was the port we were most looking forward to also. The only difference was that it was the first scheduled port rather than the last. We had a great time as well though.

 

Thanks for taking so much time to share your cruise with everyone here.

 

Happy Cruising! :)

[arielmurphy]

Thanks for such a great and thorough review. Could you tell me what program you downloaded your pictures onto your computer and then uploaded onto the post? I can never get any bigger than thumbnails, I use Windows picture viewer, then upload with the manage attachment feature.

I will be sailing in 2 weeks (hopefully - plans still tentative, last minute cruise decision) I would love to do the whale watch excursion, but wonder about timing - did you feel too rushed to get the 9:30 excursion? Were there any later sailings dureiong the morning, or whould they return too late to be back for Spirit sailing?

It looks like the terrain was a little rough in Peggy's Cove, did you have trouble walking? If sailing, I would be doing that excurion - I love lighthouses!

[AuntieBarb]

Thanks for such a great and thorough review. Could you tell me what program you downloaded your pictures onto your computer and then uploaded onto the post? I can never get any bigger than thumbnails, I use Windows picture viewer, then upload with the manage attachment feature.

I will be sailing in 2 weeks (hopefully - plans still tentative, last minute cruise decision) I would love to do the whale watch excursion, but wonder about timing - did you feel too rushed to get the 9:30 excursion? Were there any later sailings dureiong the morning, or whould they return too late to be back for Spirit sailing?

It looks like the terrain was a little rough in Peggy's Cove, did you have trouble walking? If sailing, I would be doing that excurion - I love lighthouses!

 

You're welcome and thank you!

 

We transfer our digital pictures to our PC by simply inserting our memory card into a slot on our printer. Many have a simple USB cable transfer or camera dock for doing so as well. Then we upload to online storage (typically using PhotoBucket.com). So my post is merely displaying pictures from PhotoBucket. They are not attachments.

 

BHC is only offering one tour a day now that it's late in the season; 10:00 AM. They ask that you arrive 1/2 hour early, but I've got to say that nothing happened to justify that. Folks merely got in line for boarding. You'll just need to make sure you get through Immigrations early and ready to debark the ship at the earliest opportunity. A cab drive to Long Wharf was only $12 total for 4 of us and it was a relatively short drive. The ship also has a shuttle to Quincy Market for $17, which is immediately across the street from the docks.

 

Peggy's Cove was definitely tricky to navigate; especially over the boulders. There is a brick path from the parking lot to the base of the lighthouse, making it somewhat wheelchair accessible, but there are stairs to climb as well. If you like lighthouses in particular, NCL has a "Lobster & Lighthouses" excursion, as well as a "Peggy's Cove & Lobster" one. We just tried to do too much and fell short on other places of interest right in Halifax.

[unclepaulie]

Barb,

 

The Feds called. I may have to go to area 51 to help them identify!:eek:

 

UNCLE PAULIE!!!!!