This is our 9th cruise. It is our 3rd with NCL and our 3rd with our children, ages 11 and 8. Our previous cruises have been on Carnival, RCCL, and Cunard. We live in the Boston area and after 2 cruises on the NCL Majesty, we wanted to try a different ship and leaving out of New York was a great option for us because we could drive to the port. We chose to sail on the NCL Spirit for the ports of call, size of the ship, and the affordability of a vacation for a family of 4.
Embarkation: Getting to the port and parking was a breeze for us. We arrived to the pier at 10:15, I dropped off my wife and kids with the luggage and parked the car above. We checked in, got our cards, and went upstairs to wait in the Latitudes area. Up there we met several of our CC friends from our Roll Call. When they announced boarding for the Latitudes members, we all go in two pretty big lines to get through security. It did not take very long and we were on board and having lunch in Windows within an hour.
General impression of the Ship: We loved the ship! The colors, wood, and Asian decorations were beautiful. We loved the natural brightness of the Centrum. The layout of the ship made it easy to get around. Our children have never been on a ship this large and they loved the size and feel of it! The public areas were comfortable and throughout the week we found many areas to sit and relax. The ship was constantly being cleaned and it sparkled. As far as the pool areas are concerned, we loved the kids pool area the best. The main pool was always crowded and it was not easy to get a chair during days at sea.