Norwegian Spirit Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose a cruise because we were sailing with our two kids (ages 8 and 11) and my mother and wanted something that would be fairly easy to manage with our motley crew and since we were taking the kids to Europe for the first time, we wanted to give them a little "taste" of different countries. This itinerary provided a chance to see different places and get a little taste of different countries without having to pack and unpack.
We chose the Spirit specifically because of the itinerary (12 nights! - Venice, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Athens, Mykonos, Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Toulon, and Barcelona). The itinerary was wonderful and highly recommended. We probably won't do a cruise like this again though. At every destination we felt like we had *just* arrived and then we needed to get back on the ship. We really are more the type that like to stay at least 3 days at each destination. But, again, we knew going in that it would be just a "taste."
The Ship
Cabin Review
Family Inside
The layout was a little strange in our cabin, but the bathroom was a good size, with a good shower. There was a little bit of a funky smell on our hallway and the toilet sometimes flushed 15 minutes after we pushed the button. The bed was fine. Cabin was basic, but overall a very good value for the price paid. The reading lights by the beds were great.
Port Reviews
Venice
Best areas are far away from San Marco. Loved Campo San Barnaba, Campo Santa Margherita and the Jewish Ghetto areas.
Kotor
Climbing to the top of the fort was fun, but make sure to wear sturdy shoes.
Dubrovnik
3 ships in port that day, plus all the land vacationers mobbed the little town of Dubrovnik. Cab to old town from port was 13 euros. We opted to take a "tour" with our cab driver for 50 euros that included visiting the fantastic viewpoint on top of the hill (the same point where the telepheric drops you off) and then a drop off at the old town.
Mykonos
Cute town. Nice shops.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Took the train into Rome. Looong day, wished we had more time!
Toulon
We had a fantastic day with Anais from Provence Top Tours. Went to a high viewpoint of Cassis (Cap Canais), took the short 3-stop Calanques boat tour, had free time to lunch and explore Cassis, then went to the hilltop medieval village of Le Castellet. Highly recommended.