Norwegian Spirit Review

Cruising in a Penthouse Suite

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Spirit
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RNisPhD
First Time Cruiser • Age 2020s

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Sail Date: Mar 2009
Cabin: Penthouse with Large Balcony

We flew to New Orleans the day before and stayed at the Marriott using my points. We didn't arrive as early as we had hoped, so we only had about 12 hours there before it was time to embark. We ate brunch at Brennon's (always fabulous) and got a cab to the pier around noon. A huge crowd was gathering. We decided to carry our own luggage on board. We made our way to the large room where they sign you in. We noticed a line with a sign "Penthouse suites". We were immediately taken to the counter and then to a special room to meet our concierge and butler. That started a week of no lines and first class service. We had a private dining room for breakfast and lunch and anything we wanted at any time. It almost completely eliminates lines. We also had first row reserved seating for every show. This is the way to go if you can afford it. It actually wasn't that more than a balcony room would be. We also had private parties almost every night. I am not used to being pampered this way, but I certainly enjoyed it. The suite was beautiful with two rooms and a huge bathroom including a whirlpool tub.

The food on board was not as good as other cruises when it come to regular dining. We stuck to private diningroom for lunch and breakfast had gourmet food including filet for breakfast. We ate at Windows once- not good, slow service and dry meat. Mostly we skipped dinner since we were so full from our lunch.

Ports of Call Costa Maya- we took the ruins tour. We had a wonderful guide, "Arturo", that was informative and funny. We shopped at the shopping center when we returned where there were a lot of spring-breakers from 2 ships getting drunk. Guatemala- this was our favorite stop. We took the waterfall tour and swam in crystal clear pool right below waterfalls in the rainforest. The people are delightful and not pushy. At the port, there is a big building with vendors as well as singers and dancers to entertain. As well pulled out of the port, they came out to bid us farewell. Belize- this was our least favorite port. The people are pushy and hang through the bars that surround the shopping area. The shopping area is secured by guards. We took the airboat tour that was informative and fun. We saw many birds and some crocodiles. Cozumel- We decided on the jeep tour including caves and beach break. This was a disappointing tour. First we had to take a ferry to Playa del Carmen which is now a busy small city. I felt like I was in a city in Florida. We were paired up in jeeps and we had to go caravan style to the various stops- no map or GPS. It was scary. The caves were interesting, but the beach break was way too short- only about an hour to eat and go for a quick swim.

Cabin Review

Penthouse with Large Balcony

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