Booked this cruise for family visit -- one relative in LA and one was cruise staff. Flew to LA a day early and stayed at the San Pedro Inn & Suites, which was very economical, very satisfactory, and quite close to the San Pedro pier. Took complimentary hotel shuttle at noon to the pier, and were aboard by about 1 p.m., having the benefit of VIP treatment.

Really enjoyed the look and feel of the Spirit, and found almost all crew were excellent -- cheerful greetings in the corridors, etc. Had most lunches on Lido deck; the salad bar was a favorite of ours, but we used several other food stations as well. Dined in MDR (flexible time) every night except for one night in the premium Steak House. Most meals were excellent, although my wife may have had a bad reaction to the dessert cheese tray in the Steak House, forcing us to cancel a shore excursion the next day. MDR waiters Ponsak and Elena were especially good to us, as was the host Ekaterina (no maitre'd on second level). Ditto for Room steward Adul.

For entertainment we saw all the music theatre shows which were great! Hypnotist was hilarious. Didn't care for Cruise Director Stu, whose jokes were repetitive and often tasteless. Theatre show staff (singers, dancers and musicians) were superb. Read more