Norwegian Spirit Review
Paul Krause
June 17 - 18, 2006
Cruise to nowhere (NYC- NYC)
Previous Cruises
Carnival Victory
Voyager of the Seas (twice)
QM2
Future Booking: Crown Princess
We love cruising so even a one night is special, and this more so
because the kids stayed home with a relative so it was just the two of
us (we are 50). Never cruised Norwegian so we wanted to sample them.
EMBARKATION: A
We live in Jersey City so we took the New York Waterway ferry to
Manhattan and walked the few blocks to the pier. Being a one night
cruise we only had one backpack and carry on. While crossing the Hudson
we saw three ships in port. Carnival Victory, NCL Dawn, and the NCL
Spirit. We arrived at the dock at 12 Noon. At 12:30 they started
boarding and we were on before 1. This was the most organized boarding
procedure I have seen. Cabins would not be ready until 2 PM so we went
to Raffle零 Food Court to eat.
FOOD: B+
The food court had much better food that RCCL零 Windjammer. Selection
was small, but quality very good. The Tilapia was excellent as was the
beef stew. Pasta from the Pasta Bar was good but service was slow since
the station had only one worker. Free drinks included water, milk, skim
milk, iced tea or coffee. The iced tea was way too strong. The German
food in the beirgarten looked very good, as did the barbecue by the
pool, but we were already full. For dinner we ate in Windows, one of
two main dining rooms. Windows was at the back of the ship and was named
because of it零 three large windows at the back offering great views. I
had the swordfish with garlic mashed potatoes. My wife had grilled
salmon. Both were excellent. She also had an eggplant dish that she said
was wonderful. It had a stack of eggplant medallions alternating with
mozzarella and sliced tomato topped with a fresh tomato sauce. This was
the first cruise I靶e been on where they actually left a basket of bread
and rolls on your table. Also throughout the ship there are flat panel
screens describing each restaurant and telling you wait times (if any)
and how many tables of various sizes are available. I雋 not a big fan of
Freestyle dining. I雋 a traditionalist who would prefer letting my
regular servers get to know my likes and dislikes. I also enjoy meeting
other travelers. NCL seems to have too many 2 seat tables.
One restaurant we didn靖 get to was the Blue Lagoon. a small snack area
on the starboard side of deck seven offering burgers, fries, wok dishes
and won ton soup. Every time we walked through it it smelled wonderful.
But is was so small and always busy.
We also have never tried any of the specialty restaurants on a ship
because we just don靖 see the value. The food is already quite good and
we靶e spent enough for the cruise itself.
CABIN: B-
Small is the operative word. We had an ocean view. It was nice but not
as large as on other ships. The closets had sliding door which was nice.
The safe is close to the floor in the closet. You have to get down on
your knees to get close to it. The TV was a tiny 13 inch, but it did
have audio/video inputs if you want to check out ant videos or pictures
you靶e taken. Bathroom is divided into 3 areas: a large shower (biggest
I靶e seen on a ship), the sink area, and a private toilet in an
enclosure that I barely fit into. The twin beds, pushed together to make
a queen were comfortable enough but rolled apart to easily while
sleeping. The comforter and duvet were very nice. The green and yellow
striped bedspreads were just ugly. Never met our steward. would assume
that it is because it was a one night cruise, but he did keep our room
clean. We always bring a night light and have always had to use a power
bar for it because of plug location. That was not needed on the Spirit
as the plug was in a reasonable location.
MUSTER: A
easy and well run.
DEPARTURE: A
This was fun. As we sailed down the Hudson we noticed an RCL ship ahead
of us leaving Bayonne. Shortly thereafter the Carnival Victory and
Norwegian Dawn were behind us. Four ships parading through the Narrows.
Many jet ski riders waiting for the ships to enjoy the bumpy wake we
left behind us. Although I lake cruising out of Bayonne for convenience,
coming down the river from midtown is breathtaking!
SERVICE. B+
From the time we board until just after muster there were staff
everywhere directing you and helping. Very impressed. On a side note
this is the first ship I靶e been on where you had to sanitize your hands
as soon as you boarded. Way too many announcements.
SHIP酬 DECOR: B+
The Spirit was formerly the Superstar Leo and was built for the Asian
Market. Much of the Asian Decor is still there and the ship itself is
very nice. The library felt as if it could be on an old time ocean
liner: rich furnishings and dark wood. The pool area was very nice and
the kid零 pool area at the back of the ship looked terrific. We
especially liked the back of the ship which had terraces with tables and
comfortable bamboo/wood chairs. It was our favorite spot on the ship.
The Galaxy of the Stars lounge in the front of the ship was also a very
enjoyable space with huge windows looking out the front of the ship and
overhang areas on each side of the ship. Here there was a faux bridge
where you could see all the navigation screens that showed the ships
vitals.
ACTIVITIES/ENTERTAINMENT: C
NCL tried to do too much in one night leading to many lightly filled
venues. The main show in the theater was canceled and replaced by
another show because of technical difficulties. We did not attend that.
We did go to the magic/comedy show by Ed Alonzo from Saved by the Bell.
It was pitiful.. neither magical or funny. The theater itself was nice.
Seats are sloped instead of tiered so you can walk down the center from
one deck to the next. We did enjoy Neil Diamond show by Jose and Patty
in the Galaxy of Stars but there were only about 40 people there. They
also had a New Year零 Eve Party there later and that had a good turnout
The gym was nicely equipped and even had two swim against the current
pools.
We don靖 gamble or drink so I can靖 comment on the Casino or bars.
DISEMBARKATION: A
Easy. No customs on a one nighter. Just walk off . We docked at
9 AM and were free to get off at 9:15. We strolled around the ship and
left at 10 walking back to the ferry for the 10 minute ride back ti New
Jersey.
OVERALL: B
Good service, good food, weak entertainment, and somewhat small. Fully
enjoyed it and would sail NCL again, but not this ship. We prefer bigger
with more activities. The one nighter was short yet recharging and
worth it. Will be on the lookout for one to three night cruises in the
New York area to hold us over until the annual long cruise.
Charles
Paul Krause <p.e.k...@comcast.net> wrote:
> This was the first cruise I靶e been on where they actually left a
> basket of bread and rolls on your table.
Then you have never been on Celebrity.
Thanks for the review. Surprised you did not try any of the restaurants
with a cover charge. You say the food court was better than RCL's
Windjammer. I found the buffet food on NCL to be close to inedible and
RCL's was a lot better than NCL's buffet food. Had to pay to get a good
meal on NCL Dawn.
--
Charles
RichC
"Paul Krause" <p.e.k...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:p.e.krause-80EBA...@comcast.dca.giganews.com...
> MUSTER: A
> easy and well run.
>
Was it held on the deck or in one of the show lounges?
Paul Krause
Polar...@aol.com
http://www.smokefreeworld.com/norway.shtml