Norwegian Spirit Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because the travel agent screwed up and missed the deadline for booking on Celebrity. She said this would be just as enjoyable, ha ha.
Let's start with embarkation. Gong show. The bus drove us to the wrong location and after dragging our bags inside the wrong building, we had to drag them back out, reload, drive a little more, repeat. The actual check procedure was quite smooth - full credit there.
Overall the service was unfriendly. There was a feeling of an exhausted, overworked crew. There were some that were absolutely fantastic, Helio from Brazil was one of those but many just couldn't be bothered to even make eye contact and smile.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Good overall layout. The bathroom was nice with lots of room in the shower. It was my second cruise with the first being an inside cabin. It was great to be able to have the door open for some fresh air but being near the bow there was a lot of bow wave noise, particularly during heavier seas. If there is a next time, I'd choose a mid-ship location.
The ship is 20 years old and showing its age. The balcony railing mounts are rusted and nearing an unsafe condition. The bathroom floor tile grout is either missing or mildew stained.
Our cabin steward was friendly but provided poor service. He would take towels away but not replace them without being asked/reminded. We ran out of shower gel near the end of the trip. The shower had a long hair (my mom and I both have short hair) stuck to the shower wall that remained throughout our trip. The shower flooded once and drained into the basin area. The toilet quit once for about an hour and one time just after arriving in port, we were without water. These issues self-corrected but shouldn't have happened.
Port Reviews
Malta (Valletta)
Sorry Malta but I wouldn't go back. Stunning port entry with its fortifications but the rest was a disappointment and totally my fault. I didn't do any research and my expectations were completely out of line.
Katakolon (Olympia)
We just stayed at Katakolon and ate/drank/shopped. In the afternoon we went to the beach just to the north of the pier and laid in the sun and swam. A lovely relaxed day.
Corfu
Nice place, beautiful scenery and a nice old town. Would like to go back and spend a few days touring around.
Venice
Loved Venice. Transport from and to the ship was good.
Dubrovnik
Loved Dubrovnic. Very cool old city.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We spent a couple days in Rome on our own before the cruise and accordingly only scratched the surface. Too hot and too crowded spoiled it somewhat. My favourite part and this goes for any foreign city, was just getting out and walking around away from the main crowds and tourist spots. Piazza Campo de' Fiori, yes. Vatican City, no.