Drove to New Orleans from Kansas March 7&8. Drove to the Erato street port about 10:30 on the 9th. Missed the entrance to the parking garage and ended up where the people were disembarking. A port policeman directed us forward and found a porter to take our bags and then directed us to the parking garage entrance. the machine took our credit card and gave us a parking ticket for the week ($98.00) and directed us up to parking level 5 which was not at all crowded yet. A few steps to the elevator and down to floor 3 where we showed our Latitudes cards and given a large card with #1 on it and shown to window where we checked in, had our picture taken and received our Sign/Sail card. Had a seat for about 20 minutes while they loaded a wedding party or 2 then #1 was called to board. Up an escalator and around a few hallway turns and we were on the Deck 7 of the ship. Cabins not ready until 1400, so up to Deck 12 for the buffet and a walk around to take pictures and see the ship. An auto parts company had about half the ship(940 or so) booked, a number of Spring Breakers, a few children and the normal mix of middle/upper age groups. As our TA had given us one of the NCL coupon books (not much in it for us) and one was for half off a specialty restaurant cover charge if booked/used the first night we went to the reservation lectern there on Deck 7 and booked the Teppanyaki ($20 p/p cover) for 6:30. This is the Japanese spot that seats only 10 at each of 4 sittingsp nightly and the chef prepares the meal on grill at the table. Also booked the Italian La Trattoria (no cover but reservation is required) for Monday night. The Teppanyaki did not have a dress code sign posted so apparently "no shorts/torn jeans" or higher was ok. I wore slacks and a s/s shirt, one couple was in jeans/ball cap, rest in slacks/polo shirt. Great meal with the usual flashy cooking, etc. 1400, went to our cabin, 9085 which is an inside in a cross corridor just forward of the middle stairs/elevators. I had determined by deck plans that the * shown meant the beds could not be pushed together. This is due to a 10" diameter structural pole that goes up through the center of the cabin between the single beds. (yes, small single beds, this ship was originally built for the Asian market). The pole did not get in the way, I normally take pictures of our cabins and quite spaced out and did not get any of this unusual one. :( Spent Monday lazing around the ship. Did walk the promenade (deck 7) where 4 laps is 1.4 miles. Be advised their are signs stating that smoking is permitted and ashtrays bolted to the walls every 20 feet or so as well as the "upside down mushroom" standing types intermingled with the few deck chairs on this promenade. As for the rest of the ship the Freestyle Daily states: "No smoking is allowed inside the ship with the exception of the Casino, Deck 7 fwd, the cigar room, Decks 12 & 13 Fwd Portside, guest staterooms (cigar and pipe smoking is prohibited in the staterooms." This policy was pretty much followed. You notice they didn't mention the Promenade Deck 7. Monday night ate in La Trattoria which is nice Italian. During the day this is one side of the buffet area and at night is closed off and the tables covered with tablecloths and waitstaff to take and bring the items chosen from the menu. Very Good. There is no cover charge for this specialty restaurant, but reservations are required. Our cabin steward/stewardess. Don't know, never saw them. Left a note the first day asking that my small collapsible cooler be kept filled with ice and it was. Floor did not seem to be vacuumed often, dirty cups, glasses, towels were taken, but not always replaced until the next day. Sometimes had only 1 of a towel size, but nothing that really inconvenienced us, just not up to the standard we usually find. This ship does have a small 4 cup coffee pot in the room (just like most motels) and there was 2 envelopes of decaf and 3 of regular along with packets of creamer/sugar when we got there. At the end of 4 days left a note requesting more coffee and stated we preferred decaf and they left 5 envelopes of decaf. Funny thing, the night before debarkation they put 5 little cups of liquid creamer, first time for that! For us the closet/drawers had plenty of room. Bathroom typically small but the shower does have a sliding glass door instead of the usual curtain. The water always had good pressure but continually swung back and forth through a small temperature range. Monday evening went to the show with the NCL production company singers/dancers. Very energetic, but no real theme to the show, and as we found throughout the cruise the amplifiers were turned way to high. The sound engineer on the ship must be half deaf! If all the amps were turned down about 50% the shows/speakers would be a lot more understandable. This is not only in the theatre, but everywhere on the ship. Tuesday, we docked in Roatan about an hour early (2pm instead of 3pm) We had a tour set up with Victor Bodden and luckily a couple we met at the Japanese dinner Sunday night joined us so that it was only $20 p/p. Just the 4 of us with a driver/guide,Lionel, who spoke very good english in a van for sightseeing the island. We also stopped at Victor's home (extra $2 p/p) to see his mini-zoo. His daughter who is in her last year of high school had just gotten home and showed us the animals. Along with the small spider monkeys that crawl all over you he has a native deer and a couple of howler monkeys. Excellent tour. Back on board and the show was The Second City which is a crew of comedy improvisationers. Not bad. Wednesday it was Santo Tomas De Castilla, Guatemala where we took the advice of some on this board to book a tour at the dock. We originally signed up for a Bay Tour and told they just needed one more couple and then we would leave. After a half-hour or more they got someone for the City Tour and suggested we switch to that so we did, guess what still need another couple. After waiting some more they decided to send the 4 of us out with a group going to a resort/beach so we got a half bay tour for no extra charge then boarded a van at the resort for our City Tour which was good. Our guide took us through one of the above ground cemeteries as well as a Catholic church. As we pulled away from the dock the tour vendors/guides/souvenir vendors/ and dancers were out to sing/dance/wave/horn honk us a sailaway. Neat. Show Wednesday evening was the 20 year old CHANTZ who's singing/trumpet playing/tap dancing was very good. Thursday we tendered at Belize. As we were on a ships tour, Lamanai & the New River Safari, we were on one of the 1st tenders. Our tour consisted of a 1 hour or so bus ride to a river landing and then a 1 hour or so river ride with stops/slowdowns to photo scenery/birds, etc. At landing at Lamanai ruins park the tour provided a local lunch then it was off to visit 4 of the dug out ruins. Very good tour. Show tonight was comedy/magic of Scott Alexander and he was very good. Friday we docked at Cozumel and we got a taxi to Chankanaab Park for a little beach time and strolling through their botanical garden paths. Show tonight was the NCL singer/dancers again, and still too loud and no theme, left early to catch The Second City improvised show, and it was good. 11pm-12pm was the Chocolate buffet. Unlike other lines that have an hour or so for picture taking before the gorging, this ship starts serving immediately for the full hour. Really nice work. Friday was the last sea day. Food, for the most part we found plenty to eat and it was good. Ate Breakfast in the Buffet every day and I thought the assortment was good. Lunch was sometimes in the buffet or burgers on the pool deck or Biergarten on deck 13. Dinner the 1st night in the Teppanyaki "cook at the table" specialty restaurant due to the 2 for 1 cover charge coupon. 2nd night at La Trattoria the no cover charge Italian specialty restaurant. 3rd night was at the Blue Lagoon for fish and chips as everything else was closed by the time (9:30pm) we were ready to eat after getting back onboard from Roatan. 4th night was Windows, the main dining room where we had a table for 2 and Erickson was our waiter, and a very good one. We were seated right by the two story aft windows, although it was already too dark to watch the wake. Next night was Gardens, the other main restaurant where service and speed were also very good. Here also were seated at a 2 person table. Next I believe it was the buffet or something, the last night was in Windows again and we were seated at a 2 person table along the side wall and our waiter was Erickson again and he remembered us and the conversation we had had about where I used to work and remembered I took ice tea. Same great service and speed. The portions in both main restaurants seemed to be smaller than other lines we have been on lately, but definitely enough!! Of course it is a cruise ship and you can order as much as you want. A note on dress codes, or lack thereof. :) NCL addresses dress on their site in the FAQ's under "What to Pack" Basically it is no shorts/torn jeans/t-shirts. The Spirit's Freestyle Daily does not mention dress at all! On the 1st sea day in the upper right corner of the front page where it usually shows departure time for port days it says "Dress Up (or Not) Night" The first time we went to Windows main dining room I noticed a sign sitting on the desk at the entrance that said "no shorts/jeans". As I was wearing jeans and a polo shirt I asked if that meant torn jeans or no jeans at all (I had heard on this board that one dining room on the ships were no jeans, but just assumed that was the specialty rooms like Cagney's). I was told that I was fine and we were led on in. I spoke with the Maitre D and he told me his look on things. He said that the advisements that NCL runs and their website is not at all clear. He say there are quite a few people, especially from Florida/California, etc. that come on the ship with only shorts.He says that they usually don't stop anyone unless they are way out of line. After dinner I went by the Garden, the other main dining room and their sign said "no shorts/torn jeans", so really the Windows is suppose to be No jeans at all. (I wore slacks and a S/S shirt the next time) Actually we were seated at tables for 2 all three times and really didn't notice what others were wearing. Noticed more the states of sobriety of the Spring Breakers around us. :) The Spirit is decorated with an Asian flair and looks really nice. There are a number of statues around whose hands look as though they at one time held a staff/sword/something. Up in the Galaxy of the Stars lounge all the way forward on Deck 12 there is a spiral staircase to one side of the stage that leads down a deck to a small museum of the ship and windows looking into the Navigation Bridge. The museum has pictures of the ship being built (The Super Star Leo) and other memorabilia. Still signs of the Leo around, in fact our inside cabin had a picture where an oceanview window would be showing a scene looking over a ships rail of a beach with a surfer and the life preserver on the rail is "Super Star Leo"

All in all a really good cruise. I can recommend the Spirit, and after its drydock will be even better. It is still running on 3 engines, but doesn't seem to be a problem. The ship is getting old, but the crew keeps it clean and they are cheerful and all of them greet you when you pass.