Norwegian Spirit Review

Much, much better than expected

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Spirit
User Avatar
kimgoblue
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2011
Cabin: Mid-Ship Balcony

First, a bit of background: in 1994, DH and I took an NCL ship out of San Juan to celebrate our first anniversary. It was, in a word, horrific, and DH swore he would never sail NCL again. Fast forward to 2011, when the combination of timing, cost, and embarkation port (New Orleans) led me (now 44) to suggest that we give NCL one more try on the Spirit. DH (now 42) was skeptical, but agreed. We kept our expectations low and are happy to say that they were surpassed in almost every way. Now, for the details:

Embarkation: We drove to the New Orleans cruise terminal using the directions provided on the NCL web site. The terminal was easy to find, and parking in the structure was easy as well ($112 for the 7 days). However, when we stopped to unload our luggage with a porter, we discovered that he could not take our cases of diet coke and water. (Somehow in the preplanning I missed this.) DH was determined to bring both, so we ended up carrying them along with our other carry-ons -- not a great way to start! We entered the terminal building about 11:30, passed through security, and then presented our 4 bottles of wine for payment of the corkage fee. We were then directed to a check-in line, where we presented our documents and got our photos taken for our key cards. We were then given boarding letter "B," which meant we were next to board. Within 10 minutes, our letter was called and we were on the ship. As we entered, a crew member saw that I was struggling with my part of the drink load and took it from me. He then offered to escort us to our cabin, which was ready for us. We were impressed with NCL's embarkation process -- less than an hour from the time we arrived at the terminal to the time we were in our cabin.

Cabin: We had a balcony cabin on deck 11, slightly aft of midship. The cabin was a pleasant surprise. Although small, it was clean and appeared to have been recently updated. (It was much less "tired" than a similar level cabin on the Caribbean Princess that we stayed in a year ago, with the exception of the ridiculously out-of-date television.) The bathroom finishes were dated, but that was more than made up for by the bathroom's size, with its separate toilet, sink, and shower areas. (We loved having a shower door rather than a curtain.) As many people have noted, the balcony was very, very small, but certainly usable for the two of us. Storage was adequate for two people, but would be challenging for three. We also missed having a refrigerator or cooling box in the room. Finally, I don't know if the walls are thinner on the Spirit than on other ships or if our neighbors were noisier, but we certainly heard more than we expected to (or wanted to).

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Balcony

Cabin BA
previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Spirit Cruise from $229

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.