Norwegian Spirit Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I chose the trip for the itinerary, but also like this size of ship. I prefer ships which can go through the older locks of the Panama Canal and prefer ships without water slides and amusement park type rides because I go on the cruise ships for the places they visit and the convenience of living on the ship between shore visits. I also like having the smaller number of people on the ship, preferably less than 2,000 passengers even though that means that there is less on board entertainment options by default. These smaller ships have a lot more interesting ports that they can go to than the larger ships. I probably wouldn't have gone on this trip if it was on a larger ship.
The redo of the Spirt at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020, turned the ship into an upscale type design meant more for adults by removing the children only areas on the ship and turning the back of the 10th deck (1 pool & 2 hot tubs & lounge chairs & a bar), behind the buffet's outside dining, into an adult only area. The ship has no amusement park type areas, but does have a nice gym, spa, multiple bar and restaurant venues. The crew also did put on some family type activities but mostly the families did activities together and the teens tended to do activities together and seemed to be having an enjoyable cruise.
The crew did a great job the whole cruise and the passengers were all mostly pleasant to be around. The ship has lost its previous nautical character and seems more IKEA, but it is very comfortable and the re-do did include updating the cabins as well as all interior spaces. The ship seemed to be in great shape and I'm glad NCL chose to keep this ship after the covid shut down.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Inside
My cabin was very comfortable for a solo, but would be crowded if the 4 people it could hold were using the cabin. The bathroom and shower were a nice size for me, the closet space was nice for me and I chose to go with the 2 single beds to give more room for doing my morning exercises in my room as well as using the spare bed to prepare for my morning excursions. The desk was handy and also liked the light switch/ usb charger and reading light set up behind the bed.
Port Reviews
Auckland
Auckland was our last port and I really enjoyed being able to take the transfer excursion to the airport after the trip. The only problem was that this excursion was only available to the first 120 people who signed up.
Eden (Australia)
My first choice of an excursion was cancelled by the vendor but I did enjoy the "Bushwalk & Culture Experience" for both the cultural and nature experience. I enjoyed the walk in the bush and the walk to the beach as well as the information and experience from the aboriginal guide.
Burnie
I did the "Devils & Roos" which included a visit to the Wings Wildlife Park. It was nice having a guarantee of the wildlife that we would be able to see as well as the family run wildlife park with the hands on options. I enjoyed the lunch I purchased from their concession stand as well as being able to walk around and learn about the wildlife they have in their rehab center. I also enjoyed the driving tour part of the excursion.
Melbourne
We went there on Christmas day so there were no stores open except in Chinatown which could be reached from their free public transport rail. I went on the excursion to the Grants Preserve in Sherbrooke Forest and wished we had more time there since the stores were closed for our excursion called "Countryside Victoria - birds and crafts:
Dunedin
I did the excursion called, "Highlights of Dunedin" and would have enjoyed it more if we could have purchased a one-way transfer ticket to return to the port after our excursion. We stopped at the Olveston Historic Home and the Botantic Garden but I would have liked to have walked around the town more but didn't want to deal with the drama of arranging my own transportation back to the ship so I just stayed on the tour bus and went straight back to the ship after the tour.
Christchurch
I went on the "Christchurch Town & Country" tour which included a visit to the Manderley Farm which was very nice and I enjoyed the scenic drive to and from the town. We were shown around the town of Christchurch but after the tour, I took the free shuttle from the port back to Lyttelton and enjoyed exploring the town on my own.
Wellington
I chose the excursion "Pencarrow Station and the Storm Coast" and was therefore able to visit an area that was off limits to private vehicles. We were on a dirt road that only allowed 12 busses a day and bikes and walkers so we were able to stop for several interesting photo viewpoints.
Tauranga
I went on the excursion called, "Highlights of Tauranga & Maori Culture" and enjoyed the drive, time in the culture centers and the overlook photo op.