This was our second cruise on the Spirit. Our first journey was an 11-day cruise over Thanksgiving in 2006 with two inside staterooms on deck 6. The latest was an 8-day, ending today (8/26/2007) in NYC after calls at Bermuda, Tortola and St. Thomas. On both cruises we had two inside cabins, side by side on deck 8. We are a family of five including two teenage daughters and a 4-year-old son. This review takes into account our collective experiences, which will be particularly helpful to those who are looking at whether the Spirit is 'right for them.'

Overall Experience We would recommend NCL's almost 10-year-old Norwegian Spirit to others. It was a family-friendly crew on an equally impressive deck plan. We are particularly impressed with the family-related activities on board and the included-in-the-price "Charlies" kids club. Our teens were equally happy on board and were never bored with the programming offered by the Spirit staff. We suggest that you read the history of the Spirit, as it was originally a Star Cruise Lines-flagged vessel titled the Superstar Leo. Geared for the Asian market, this ship has many interesting features such as lowered railings, Asian artwork and Eastern colors. We cruise a lot and have no other ship to compare it to.

Embarkation NYC's piers are full of history, so I normally overlook the dated and unfashionable deco nature of the surroundings. Clearly, the greeting teams in NYC are friendly and fast. Whether you're rolling up in a taxi or a minivan (my situation), provided you're in the right hand lane and are parked, you've got instant service with a smile. We dropped off all tagged luggage, were easily parked ($180 for pier parking on an eight-day cruise) and in the line with our documents within 15 minutes. The line, x-rays and check-in was about a half-hour with a one-cruise granted Latitudes club membership. We're not big on ship photographers, so we bypassed the photographer as quickly as possible. Once aboard, we were kindly greeted by every single staffer. It was not until we sat down to dinner that we recognized a crew member from last November. All but four dining room staffers left the Spirit since then, mostly joining the Dawn and new Gem teams. Still, we were very pleased with the level of service we received during our first hours on board. Read more