We took the Spirit on the Sept. 16 sailing up the east coast from New York. My husband and I have been cruising for nearly 15 years and have traveled on NCL, Royal, Holland America, Princess, Costa and Celebrity. I choose this cruise because of the itinerary, dates and value. We have gone on at least 5 cruises with NCL in the past and enjoy the free style cruising, but know that some of the other lines are more upscale. Any cruise is a good cruise and this was no exception.

I tend to focus more on the ports of call than the ship itself. I had read reviews on the Spirit, so knew the basics. The age of the ship has never meant much to me and I have had some of my better cruising experiences on older ships that are well kept. The ship was easy to navigate and had a some interesting decor. The room was similar to many I've been in, but did have a nicer bathroom than some. I choose rooms near the middle on a lower level to lesson the risk of motion sickness and did that on this cruise as well.

The entertainment was fine. The typical production numbers, comedian, jugglers, etc. I did think the bands in the lounges were better than most I've seen and spent more time listening to those than usual. Read more