NCL Spirit was perfect in so many ways, especially for first time cruise. My wife and i flew from Manchester Uk to New York and spent 4 days in the Crown Plaza Midtown. My poor size nine feet became size 12's and i have never walked so far in my life. Last but not least, i felt safer in the big apple than i do back home in Liverpool or Manchester! Our cruise began some what negative, having been dropped off at the pier we were told that the ship had docked late. We were herded into various partitions and boarding became a nightmare. Im 45 and quite fit, how the disabled and people with children managed is beyond me. When we finally got within inches of the ship they insisted on taking our photos. Not such a good idea considering i looked like a Bull dog chewing a wasp. I smiled through gritted teeth. Once on board and in our room we were ready to instantly forgive and forget NCL's late arrival hiccup. Here was a clean, fresh, well decorated cabin with a good size bathroom. We were on deck 11 by means of an upgrade and the balcony view made it worth every penny. Plenty of clothes hangers and space, but no cases, they were to be delivered later. Having picked up a few tips of Cruise Critic members, we decided to go and pre book our restaurants and meal times. We also went to enquire as to what had happened to our Bon Voyage wine and decorations.

We then took the time to explore the ship and was totally impressed by its cleanliness and decor. By the time we had returned to our cabin we were greeted by our bon voyage gifts that we had pre ordered. (better late than never). The life boat drill was soon underway and took about 40 minutes to complete or 5 minutes for those people who thought 'so whats the hurry its just a drill?' This left the likes of me and the wife pinned to the side of the ship while those infront of us squashed us into submission like a mass tag wrestling team. We ate in Windows the first night and was indeed sat opposite the giant window at the back of the venue. Delightful meal and this turned out to be the case wherever we dined. Gardens and cagneys seemed to be slightly more to our liking and the food was always excellent. The crew and service throughout the ship was truly first class. Midway through the cruise we were lucky enough to be chosen to dine with the Captain. My wife and I were joined by an elderly gentleman from Norway and a very nice lady from south Wales. This was a splendid evening and the Captain was an excellent and entertaining host. The islands were somewhat similar in style and culture but welcoming all the same. We had decided to make this very much a beach holiday and made our own way from the ship by taxi to the nearest or best beach on offer.

These beaches consisted of , Megans bay, Dickinsons beach, Blue monkey beach. On one occasion we were asked if a group of us would share a taxi to Blue Monkey beach. Our driver 'Nick,' guided us to where he was parked, which was out of sight of the normal parking area. Like lambs to the slaughter 4 French Canadians, 2 Americans and 2 Brits jumped into the back of what can only be described as a green painted cattle truck. We bounced and laughed and held on for life as we careered down the treacherous Dominica roads. For emergencies there was a bicycle horn tied to the inside of the roof, to be used to grab the attention of the driver! Other high points; loved it when i learnt the rules to the roulette wheel and gambled a dollar at a time (hey big spender) my heart in my mouth. Yet some people were putting 25 dollar chips on nearly every number, the point is have a go and just enjoy. Other highlights included, leaving New York and having a Caribbean party on deck, cold but great. The shows in the theatre were good and entertainment was plentiful throughout the ship. favorite places was Henrys bar were karaoke took place most nights and the Galaxy of the stars always had good dancing music and singers. We used the internet daily to keep in touch with family back home. All in all The Norwegian Spirit and its free style dining was first class!