We choose this cruise for its destinations and the ease of getting to Venice and back from Barcelona. The ship is relatively small by today's standards and as it was 12 days we hoped to avoid the overcrowding we have experienced on other cruises in the Mediterranean at this time of year. We liked the Spirirt as its age means it has a style and charm which is missing from some of the "glitzy" new ships. yes it is 18 years old and there were signs of its age but overall it was better than we expected from some of the reviews we had read. There was never any problem with sunbeds and the screen which separated the running track from the sunbeds was a great idea which strangely doesn't seem to have been taken up with newer ships. We were on deck 11 in a balcony room with 3 occupants as my adult daughter decided to join us. The cabin was big enough to take 3 people although more room would always be good. The shower and toilet section was very good and was the largest we've had on any cruise of the 14 we've taken. The ship was full but the only time this caused problems was in the dining rooms where queuing was frequent and serving times were long. The crew did all they could to cope but were often fully stretched, The buffet was ok with a reasonable selection of food but not as good as most other cruises we have done with NCL and other cruise lines. Dining room meals were good.

Embarkation and dis-embarkation were very good without any problems. The crew were generally friendly but there was little interaction with them in the buffet.

If you haven't got a drinks package and you're from the UK then beware! A 400ml beer cost £7.35. £9 for a vodka and lemonade.. Very expensive and not helped by the fall in value of the £ after the Brexit vote. Read more