Our party of 14, ages 10-75, thoroughly enjoyed our week aboard this ship. We were aboard the Spirit by default; we needed an embarcation port accessible from Houston,(flying 14 people to another port was too expensive), did not want to use Carnival out of Galveston because we felt it was too much of a party ship for our family, and could only go the week of June 12-19. The Spirit was the only cruise that fit all those requirements.However, I read many negative comments on CC prior to departure, so I grew very concerned about the success of this entire, very expensive project. We drove to NO the day before departure, stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites on O'Keefe Ave.(very friendly, well-located, affordable), and used the cruise terminal parking the next morning.Our staterooms (three penthouse suites, three inside staterooms across the hall, and one balcony stateroom mid-ship) were more spacious and pleasant than would be suggested by the pictures on NCL's website. The penthouse suites come with a butler and concierge, both of whom were excellent. Be aware, however, that they are not included in the $12 per day per person service charge. This extra tipping came as a surprise to us. Nor is there any hint as to how much one would normally tip for these services. NCL should provide some advance guidelines on this.The suites each came with a $750 onboard credit, which we used to pay the $164 total tip/service charge, some shore trips, and the surcharges for the specialty restaurants.Food in Windows alternated between acceptable and deplorable at dinner (avoid the fish), very nice for breakfast. Never did use Raffles because we prefer table service. We called on our concierge many times for dinner reservations, open tender tickets for everyone in our party, and other perks. One of the advantages of having a suite is that you can eat breakfast and lunch in Cagney's, and our concierge arranged for our party of 14 to have Cagney's double private room for dinner on both Friday and Saturday nights ($20 surcharge per person applied). We tended to be a noisy bunch so perhaps they did this in self-defense. Suite guests also have reserved seats for the evening shows.What surprised us the most was the easy, friendly atmosphere aboard this ship. The staff was the most pleasant we've encountered in more than 20 years of cruising, and the service level (even in Windows) was generally very professional.My only negative comment (apart from the dinners in Windows) would be the general condition of our suite. The upholstery on chairs, etc., was dated and worn, and a section of brass railing above the bathroom sink (that holds glass, bottles, etc.,) was missing. Also the safes (we had 2) were placed so low one had to get on hands and knees to use them, and the numbers were almost completely worn off of one of them. Operating the lights (multiple switches, with 2 that controlled others) became a game. Mattresses were good in all our rooms, but having a huge duvet was overkill in the Mexican Caribbean in June; something lighter would have been appreciated.Re the one balcony cabin we had, it was much larger and lighter than such an accommodation appears on the NCL website. If I had known how comfortable it was, we probably would have booked four of those as opposed to the suites.This is a small ship in many ways. The atrium is barely large enough to handle the number of passengers, plus there are sales tables taking up much of the floor space. There's a constant undercurrent of "buy this, buy that," but it is easy to ignore. We were not pestered to buy drinks while lying around the pool -- in fact, the pool personnel came by frequently with spray bottles to cool folks off -- and the "art auctions" were no better or worse than on Celebrity or Holland America. However, does anyone really think those are original Picassos, Degas, and so on? I think there must be some major art warehouse somewhere that turns this stuff out by the hundreds, as we see the same "art" on every ship.Eating in the Blue Lagoon was a challenge and at times unpleasant. The tables were tiny, seating was crowded, and anyone walking from one part of Deck 7 to another has to pass through this narrow space. Our family gave high marks to the snacks served, however.Entertainment was generally good, particularly the musical duo in the bar above the Atrium (Charlie's?). However, we splurged on the Mystery lunch ($20 per person surcharge) because the Second City cast did the show. Well, the show was good, but the meal was disgusting. The entree choices were either meatloaf or chicken, and neither was edible. The meatloaf looked like it was made of compacted Spam and tasted even worse. My chicken-loving daughter-in-law could not cut her entree. I suggest you give this a pass.We had a 10-year-old boy in our party who found the kiddie stuff way too young, and the adult swimming pool off-limits. He swam there anyway without disturbing anyone, and in fact made a considerable number of adult friends in the process. We also had five young adults (17-22) for whom there were very limited activities compared with Royal Caribbean trips.But - overall, we had a ball and were glad we were aboard. Our thanks to the staff for making this one of our most successful family adventures to date.