Norwegian Spirit Review
12 nights Spain Morocco Portugal Canary Islands
Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Spirit
Swandi n Meow
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s
Rating by category
Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Additional details
Sail Date: Jan 2017
Cabin: Inside
This is my third time taking the cruise and the first time with NCL. I chose this cruise because of great price, casual dining - ie no formal dressing nights, and wanted to check out the Canary Islands in Spain in a more budget friendly way.
Due to the rare snow storm in the south coast of Spain, end up our first port - Valencia got cancelled. So, our ship stayed in Barcelona for our first and the next half day. Then, at sea for another day and half. We arrived the first pot in day 3. Although it is a bit disappointment not able to visit Valencia, but we were allowed to leave the ship during the docking time in Barcelona, so we took the advantage to hire a cab and tour the city a bit.
The embarkation was smooth, it took less than an hour and we got into our cabin. Disembarkation also went smooth, no long line wait and we got out in less than 30 minutes.
Cabin Review
Inside
Cabin IX
When I first saw the cruise map, I was very concerned about the location of this room because it was right above the casino and in the border of the mid-night Karaoke room. End up I shouldn't need to concern at all, the room was very quiet and I didn't hear a bit of any sound came from the below. Very good sound proofing. I didn't rate this room high because it was located in the forward position and I did experience the swinging / bumping during the high wave time and also hear the engine sound shaking the room when the ship was about to dock the port. The bed was comfy. There was no dvd player nor dvd available to borrow for free like HAL though. I hope they have this service in order to kill time during the in sea time.
Port Reviews
Barcelona
Our group of 6 booked a local private tour for 8 hrs. We made couple of the quick stops in Barcelona and Montserrat. Due to the tight parking and timeframe, our tour guide didn't walk with us but did point out which attraction spots to visit.
Madeira (Funchal)
My friends and I all love this place. Shopping was so fun because the time we visited was the sale time, things were in very reasonable price. We hired a cab from the port to take us around. Cabo Girao, Cristo Rei, and Jardim Botanico were all worthy to visit.
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria)
Instead of hiring a cab, we walked from the port to the hop on hop off bus stop but got distracted from a group of locals who offered the tour via a 6 seats tuc-tuc. Our tour guide spoke great English so this was the only port we can understand every single word our tour guide introduced to us. Great views from the top of the mountain to see the cathedral and colorful houses. The money and time was well spent.
Tenerife
Since there was no local booth (tour) offered at the port, so we took a cab for a short tour. Not much to see (that is very different from Las Palmas). A good day to walk around town and snap some photos though.
Lanzarote
Again, no local booth available at the port, And it was a Sunday, therefore, the local market and most of the shop closed. Which made it even less to see around. We got a cab from the port to Cueva De Las Verdes and Jardin de cactus. A word of advice, if you plan to visit more than one of these attractions, ask if there's a combo ticket option. We didn't know that so we paid in full for both places.
Malaga
The port is so close to everything, we just walked around. Ars Malaga, Picasso's home, La Manquita are all good to visit. The street arts on the street also impressive too.
6 Helpful Votes
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