Our cruise on the NCL Spirit was absolutely wonderful, from the smooth and efficient embarkation, to the equally effortless debarkation at Pier 66 in Seattle. NCL has a dedicated parking area which made parking, and walking across the Skybridge, right up to the ship the easiest possible. NCL has an area set up for passengers to check in, then wait, with refreshments for their number to be called. This process took 45 minutes at the most from the time we arrived, till we were being escorted to our cabin on Deck 10.

The cabin was a spacious inside cabin, with the most wonderful bathroom possible. A hair dryer was provided, and worked beautifully. The shower was every bit as nice as most home showers, with soap dispenser, moveable shower head, and best of all, wonderful sliding doors. No curtain to contend with. There was about a 5 foot closet, and extra hangers were provided upon request. Plenty of drawer storage is available also. Our luggage fit nicely under the bed when we were ready to stow it away. The room cabin has a safe, which made us feel confident that our personal papers, and money would be secure. There is a coffee maker in each cabin, with a choice of decaf or regular coffee. The beds had been converted to queen and had the requested eggcrate mattress already in place. The linens on this ship are luxurious - with a down duvet, and extra sheets upon request. Our room steward/ess were absolutely accommodating. They spoiled us the entire seven days, and never let us down. Each evening, there was a new and different towel animal on our turned back bed, with mints on the pillows.

We found the food aboard the Spirit to be just fine. We ate many meals in Raffles, and did not experience any of the waiting that others have complained about. The food was much better than in many local restaurant buffets. It was always hot, and tasty. The desserts were always a joy here. The Garden Room and Windows were much more luxurious than we had expected. The food and service in both of these restaurants was super. We never had to wait in either of these either. We were surprised, as our ship was booked to capacity. The specialty restaurants were beautiful, and the service was A-1 all of the way. From being seated immediately - with our reservations, to the waiter immediately unfolding our napkins and placing them upon or laps. Dinners in the specialty restaurants which we tried were absolutely scrumptious. We ate in Maxim's for fish and steak, Shogun for Teppanyaki, and LaTratorria for Italian Cuisine. We found the service to be far more than what we are accustomed to at nicer restaurants in our area. Read more