Norwegian Spirit Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Hotel Pre-Cruise: We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott on Julia Street. We chose this hotel solely because it was cheap :) When we arrived at 11am there were no rooms available, but the staff was happy to hold our bags until later that afternoon so that we could go explore. The hotel was nicely decorated, clean, and had great service. The room itself was larger than expected with two queen size beds a mini-refrigerator and microwave. It was quiet during our stay. We had no complaints about the hotel. It was conveniently located near the Riverwalk Mall.
Embarkation: From our hotel, it was an easy 5-minute walk through the mall to the port. The only downside was we couldn't find an escalator/elevator to the port from the upstairs of the Riverwalk, so we had to carry our luggage downstairs. Since we packed lightly, this was not a huge inconvenience. We didn't see any porters anywhere, so we just rolled our suitcases along with us as we checked in. The process was quick and streamlined, and we were on the ship within about 20 minutes.
The Ship: Our first impression was that the Spirit was absolutely gorgeous! We really loved the Asian themes. The dEcor was beautifully done and we felt it was well-kept. We had read reviews that it looked worn, but I didn't see any evidence of that anywhere. We also had read that they decorate for Christmas, but there were very few decorations until our last night onboard (December 20). There were a few areas that were difficult to find at first, but within a few hours we knew where everything was and had no problems getting around.
Cabin Review
Inside
The Room: We were in cabin 9025, an interior category JJ, forward starboard. The room was amply sized and we never once felt crowded. It was very clean...until my sister fully settled in LOL. There were plenty of drawers for our things, and about 15 hangers in the closet. We had a small coffeemaker with coffee/tea provided. The bathroom was stocked with shampoo, body wash, hand soap, and lotion. Throughout our stay, we never once met our steward but he kept our room clean and we had no complaints (or requests). We had never stayed in the same place for an entire week, so we found it nice that we could unpack everything and get "settled" instead of living out of a suitcase. We had the opportunity to check out a friend's balcony room and were a little unimpressed given the extra cost. Unless I was cruising somewhere very scenic, such as Alaska, I wouldn't splurge. It made us feel a little bit better about saving our money.