We chose this cruise because of the itinerary & because we have been pleased with NCL in the past. A group of 8 friends stayed at a small hotel, the Violino, near San Marco before the cruise. Exploring Venice was great. Then we walked to the San Marco dock & took an Alliguana water bus from San Marco straight to the Ncl Spirit. (8 euro plus 3 for luggage) There were 2 small bridges to navigate with our luggage but we all managed. Embarkation went smoothly but we did have to wait so arriving at the ship later would have avoided the big rush. Our cabin was pleasant but small. However, after our last bad experience on another cruise line we were quite satisfied & the room steward was so helpful. I really appreciated the common areas & the pleasant seating areas throughout the Spirit, unlike the Celebrity ship we were on on our last cruise. Even though it is an older ship it does have a good layout. The library area & the Galaxy lounge were great places to sit & read or just relax.. Main dining room menus were okay & deserts were mediocre. But again we came because of the itinerary from Venice to Haifa. Staff was always pleasant & accomodating.

We only took 2 ship tours & on the one to Nazareth & Jerusalem we had one of the best guides ever, an Israeli guy named named Eitan. We got good tips for shore excursions in Jerusalem & Bethlehem & in Cyprus through our cruise critic roll call & the prices were considerably less than ship tours, plus having small groups is so much better. In Split we took a taxi to Trogir for 80 euros for 3 & found that there are reliable drivers to take you wherever you might want to go.. Split was more enjoyable than Trogir though.

Even though we were tired we went to the shows the last 3 nights. Russian acrobats, Acrona and The Elements wrap up show were amazing. The comedian on the last night was a hoot! Read more