We were on the NCL Spirit for a family vacation. Out of New Orleans May 1-May 8. We were a group of 7 between the ages of 70 and 1. In short, it was a great vacation. We got what we wanted - family time. I have cruised twice before and both times on NCL (Dream and Pride of America) and this cruise did not compare well with the Pride of America.We booked this cruise as it sailed from New Orleans. I do wish NCL will come back to Houston or Galveston. I miss the convenience of driving down and embarking on the cruise. I liked the itinerary - it was very similar the Dream itinerary - the seas are blue, the sands are white and the sun is bright - and it screams perfect vacation. I also love the freestyle cruising and dining options. It is my style of vacationThis cruise was a surprise for a couple of members in our family. We told them we were going to spend sometime in NOLA and it was wonderful to watch them enjoy the ship.We flew into the New Orleans airport and arranged a limo to transport us to the cruise terminal. Our limo was waiting for us and we got to the terminal. Squeals and screams of unbelief as the surprise unraveled we got out of the limo at the terminal. Our luggage was collected by the not-so-friendly staff outside the terminal. This was really a sore point. I would have liked more friendly staff when we first get down. But this was the only exception. Everyone else were super friendly.We got in and got into the VIP line (I love a twitter friendly business and I am glad I connected with @NCLFreestyle on twitter) - we got all paperwork done. Since we were a big group with a wide range of foreign passports and visas it took us a while. Just what we expected and we were ushered to the lounge. The lounge was another name for a small room with a few couches, coffee and sandwiches. The concierge greeted us personally and we boarded the ship.The first taste was the atrium - 7th mid and it was beautiful. I did not expect a lot from an older ship but the Spirit's atrium was a beauty. With fountains and dolphins it was a great place. I spent quite some time during the 7 days onboard here. This place tends to get crowded especially during the evenings. It is also the place where the photographers set up shop in the evenings making it chaotic and impossible to navigate. Another negative. On sea days, there is a big display of for sale items again making the atrium loud, noisy and crowded. The Java cafe is nestled in a corner and I never ordered anything from the cafe.We headed to the 12th deck to the Raffles buffet. The first sight of a cruise buffet is overwhelming and the Spirit's buffet did not fail. It was overwhelming and I wanted to try everything. I was quite surprised to see a Indian food corner. I found some great exceptional dishes and some really bad dishes. This was the norm at Raffles. It was a hit or miss. But the sheer variety of it made it exciting. As I mentioned there were some great dishes tucked in. The chilled soups, the abundance of fruits, the chocolate fountain, fresh waffles were some favorites. I usually get bored with Raffles in 2 days and it happened this time too. The cookies were really bad every single. I cannot imagine how someone can made bad chocolate chip cookies. The soft serve icecreams were great. I am no coffee drinker but I heard that the coffee was disgusting most days. After 2 days we discovered the best way to eat at Raffles is to grab whatever is brought out fresh. Everything else just does not taste that good.We spent quite some time just hanging around the public area. We had 2 interior cabins in the 9th deck and they were not ready till 2.30. I was exhausted and so ready to head to the cabin by the time the announcements came. My biggest disappointment during this trip was the cabins - they spoke of the age of the ship. Rust, peeling mirrors, outdated TV, no fridge - it was not the best. I totally understand the space but I felt with some adjustments and renovation the cabins will look better. As mentioned I was very disappointed. At times the cabins had a musty smell - just not my thing. Also, our cabins were right above the Stardust theater and it was noisy to say the least.VIP breakfast and lunch at Cagneys were really good. It is surprising how yummy the same pancakes, waffles and french toast were compared to Raffles. We enjoyed the service and food. One nagging thought was the lack of vegetarian choices. We had 2 vegetarians in our group and sadly the menu was not vegetarian friendly, especially at lunch.Main dining rooms - we headed to Windows and Garden for lunches and dinner whenever we were in the mood for some fine dining. The rooms did not disappoint. The service did not disappoint. The food was a hit or miss. A clear lack of vegetarian options was quite disappointing.Blue Lagoon was a favorite. We picked up snacks from there often and enjoyed it a lot. We did not try any of the cover-charge dining rooms.Entertainment - I did not go to any of the shows. But my family attended most of the shows and they loved everything. NCL's strong point seems to be the entertainment. The Elements was a clear favorite.Public rooms - I loved the Galaxy of Stars and spent some quiet time on shore days there. Especially when docked in Roatan - the views are spectacular. We spent quite sometime in a small nook tucked away near Champagne Charlies. It was a great place to sit and read. There were always lounge chairs available. The gym and basketball courts were places the family frequented. Loved the library. A decent collection of books including picture books for kids were a big plus.Staff: Never met anyone who was not nice. Infact we felt that all the staff went out of their way to be nice to all of us. It was nice that they remembered names and preferences. This is definitely the reason why my next cruise will also be on NCL.Child Care: We did not use this but I saw a lot of happy kids. It must have been a hit. The kids pool and play area spoke of age - I was really worried about the safety. I kept my kid away from that area.Ports of Call - We did our own thing at all the ports of call. In Belize we had to take a tender to go ashore and NCL handled the tendering process easily and smoothly.Disembarkation was easy and went smoothly. We walked down to Hertz, picked up our rental and drove down home.In short, a good cruise - not the best. Looking back, I wish we had splurged on better rooms and a newer ship. The service, the staff, freestyle options are the reasons we will return to NCL (we even put in a deposit for our next cruise). But the Spirit was just not our ship.