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Not a recommended ship. by
Joseph H. from Memphis Tn. Sailing date: Mar 2011Pros: The food was fantastic in the two main dining rooms. The specialty dining rooms were priced decently Cons: some of the staff on board were extremely rude, at one point while waiting on a tender to leave the ship, a ship staff member even cursed at a group of us while being rude. The ship itself was generally clean, the windows were a little dirty. the overall the ship was well taken care of. The decks were not cluttered, trash was picked up quickly, and the crew worked constantly to keep the ship clean. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodThe food was average, the kind of stuff you expect on cruise, with the exception of the specialty dining. Stateroom QualityThe room that we stayed in was a balcony room. It was a little smaller than some of the other ships we have sailed with, but the overall feel of the room was nice. the bathroom is a little awkward to use and for a larger person may be difficult to use. from what i could see our room may or may not have been handicap acessable. Ship Staff QualityThe overall rating i personally would give the crew is a f. the steward assigned to our room and the bar attendant on the pool deck are the only exception to this. On a few different ocassions we had crew member either cuss at us or they were just altogether rude. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere were a lot of fun activities on board the ship, there were activities for couples, singles, gays, and straights. I personal recommendation would be the "Pub Crawl".  
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Belize City, BelizeThe shopping here was great, the city itself was a little dirty but we had a great overall experience.
Don't Miss: Snorkeling Cozumel, MexicoFantastic!!!! we had a great time at some of the local attractions, the shopping was fantastic.
Don't Miss: Carlos and Charlies Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasThis was by far our favorite port of call. the people were great, and the beaches were beautiful.
Don't Miss: Rent a car for around $50 and make your way to the west end for free reef snorkeling off the beach. 3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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  Nightmare on the Spirit by
Bob D from Boston Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: Bermuda was fun Cons: Many things At the dock in Boston I was told they would take the cash deposit for the ship board account after my travel agent called to confirm and they said no and sent us to the pursers desk
Cash deposit error on the 1st day. Partner's deactivation notice
Soda card issue and service no cup for 4 days
Lack of service when I showed my soda card
Partner not being brought a glass with her beer in windows
My sharps notice left on the room door
Windows Restauraunt waiting in line issue with the party of 12 going in right away while we waited 25 minutes as they walked right by us.
My travel agent informed you it was my 50th birthday celebration and nothing was done by NCL
The whole attitude of the majority of the crew and there lack of interest in helping us having the best vacation ever.
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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NCL, the burger king of cruise lines by
Shawn D from south eastern mass Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: bermuda was beautiful Cons: ncl, rude staff, ship was not very clean the staff on the spirit was very rude first of all, they all looked liked they was doing you a favor instead of you being there so they can please you. my state room was cleaned 4 out of 7 days, just 2 towel animals all week. Comforter on my bed had blood stains on it (just gross) buffet (raffels) was very dirty, i guess not cleaned too often. last day on cruise all they want to do, is just get you of the ship, because no one is buying that many drinks, i guess? please listen to me, book a cruise on carnival or rccl. much better option Ship Qualityfree style cruising just does not work Dining/Food
Stateroom Qualitygood size room, but they just don't clean the rooms enough. they change the sheets on the beds just 1 time per week, regaurdless of stains smells or whatever Ship Staff Qualityrude staff, bingo host just does not shut up(talks too much) and tries to be funny when he really isn't Entertainment & ActivitiesAmedus band was great 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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A cruise not to remember by
Lindsay P. from Dallas, Tx Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: The ship design Cons: The service of the wait-staff The ship design was unique and very modern. The people on the ship were rude and unfriendly. Ship QualityThe ship has been recently remodeled (2008) and contained many unique features not found on other NCL ships. Dining/FoodThere are many specialty restaurant options, dining times are up to the passengers, food quality was average to below average in quality though variety in the seated restaurants was good. Stateroom QualityStateroom was average size and quality. Nothing remarkable. Ship Staff QualityFriendly staff members were extremely few and far between. Smiles were non-existent. The staff made us feel as if we were an inconvenience to them. They did not respond when we said "Thank you." The staff members were short in conversation. One waiter, Albert Careloria, was particularly rude and unfriendly. This is the worst service I have experienced in my six cruises with NCL. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe quality of the entertainment was average. Some parts of the shows were good, other parts were very un-entertaining. Most dancer/singers of the main cast lacked energy and passion in their performance.
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King's Wharf, BermudaThere are fairly few events going on in Bermuda. King's Wharf is under-developed for tourism. There is only one real city, Hamilton, and even in this city there is not a whole lot going on; pretty much a waste of time. The caves are interesting to see even if you have seem caves before. St. George has interesting historical things to see such as an unfinished church begun in the 1800's and an old fort (fee for entry). Eating and drinking on the island is very expensive. Meals run around $16, beer will cost around $7 a pint, and a pina coloda will cost around $8.50.
Don't Miss: The biggest attractions include forts, Crystal and Fantasy Caves, and the beaches. 4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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A very fair cruise by
Mary S. from Longville, Mn Sailing date: Mar 2011Pros: 2 of the ports Cons: Food and crew I have sailed alot with NCL and other cruise lines, and when it came time to take my whole family (kids and there spouses and grandkids) I picked NCL. What happen to NCL? The food was terrible, (My family said sure the food was good mom) the crew was so rude, I was so hurt and embarresed. I could go on and on but I won't. Sorry to say I won't be back unless things change. Ship Quality
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Belize City, Belize
Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico
Cozumel, Mexico
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, Honduras
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Goofy times on a rusty old bucket. by
Josh 9558 from New York, NY Sailing date: Dec 2010Pros: Mindless ease of daily scheduling Cons: Old ship, rocks a lot in the ocean, staterooms smell bad. Here's the deal. The Norwegian Spirit is the oldest ship in the Norwegian fleet. I suspect they will be decommissioning it as soon as their next new ship is finished, and in the meantime they aren't bothering to fix this old girl up. It reeks of the late 1990's, it's literally falling apart in certain areas, and the constant rocking in the waves & winds gives Dramamine a run for it's money. The staff is generally very friendly, although 80% of them have a hard time speaking/understanding English. There is also a good degree of disorganization... which may be a result of the language barrier. Ask 5 people on the staff a question about anything and you'll get 5 different, conflicting answers. Even printed information is often conflicting (we almost missed a shore excursion because the tickets and the brochure both indicated conflicting start times, and the crew was totally useless, if you could find them at all. The "shows" onboard (singers, dancers, a magician, a stand-up comic, etc.) are pretty awful, but almost comically bad for those of you with sick, ironic senses of humor. I also pre-ordered flowers to be delivered to my wife on the first day of the cruise, but Norwegian claimed to never receive the order (although I had a receipt), and offered no means to fix the error after several days of going back and forth about it with their guest services staff. A huge disappointment on multiple levels, and a lot of cash tossed out to sea. All that said, we still managed to enjoy ourselves and find the silver-lining... but if you haven't already booked your trip with this company, you should seriously consider an alternative vacation. Ship QualityThe layout is cramped and the decor is old and very tacky. Again, if you're one for irony, you might find it campy and funny. If you're one for taste, this will gross you out. They DO, however, keep the ship very clean (antibacterial hand sanitizers at every doorway). Germ-freaks fear not... well, fear Tetanos, perhaps, but not the flu... Dining/FoodOK, let me be very clear. The "buffet" is disgusting. Like a high school cafeteria. If you don't want to spend extra money onboard for food, don't bother considering this ship. That said, the "fancy" restaurants onboard (with cover charges of $10-35 per person) were generally quite good. Fresh seafood, delicious steaks, pastas, soups, etc. The non-buffet, free dining rooms (called "Windows" and "the Garden Room") were passable for breakfast, but lunch and/or dinner options there were on the stomach-twisting side. All in all, the cover charges are relatively cheap for the quality upgrades. Stateroom QualityJust gross. We "splurged" and got a balcony stateroom. People told us prior to the cruise that it would be like a "floating hotel"... this is NOT accurate. At best, it's like a floating airplane or train. It looks and feels like a transportation device. Moreover, this particular ship is falling apart. Literally. The closet doors were broken, the gnarly-yellow tiles in the tiny claustrophobic shower were cracked, retaining pungent water and allowing black-mold to rot the grout away. The shower door also fell off it's tracks and couldn't close properly. The plastic fixtures in the bathroom were painted to look metal, but the paint was all chipped off, and the green/brown rotting plastic parts came through. The toilet would often smell like sewage. :( !!! The balcony door and exterior walls/ceiling were heavily rusted. The TV rarely worked inside the stateroom. There is no internet service in the rooms. Boo. Ship Staff QualityVery friendly. Not always helpful, though -- they often didn't know the answer to your questions or couldn't understand your question because they couldn't speak English very well. Most requests required a "supervisor" who was never available. Go figure! But overall, very nice people. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe onboard shows were impressively bad. Just as uncomfortably old and rusty as the ship itself. We thought we'd try something really goofy one night, and we signed up for the "Murder Mystery Dinner"... the "game" was really awful, poorly written and poorly organized. Really tragic, because something silly like that should be fun, shouldn't it?? Anyway, the casino onboard is small but effective. We had a good time talking to dealers and meeting other guests there. Oh, and they don't disclose all of the facts about "Bingo" either... often times "nobody wins"... boo! Save your cash for the Spa, or something. Children's ProgramsNo kids for us! But I do remember some teenagers sleeping next to me during one of the onboard "shows," if that means anything to you.... (?)
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Belize City, BelizeMayan Ruins of Altun Ha & Belize City Tour. The ruins are awesome, as all ancient ruins tend to be. You can climbs up onto one of them, which was very cool. The Belize City bus tour was a little awkward because the country is so poor and desolate, a sharp contrast to the "happy theme park" quality of the ship and the pier. :/
Costa Maya (Mahahual), MexicoZipline over the jungle canopy. It was terrifying and fun! BUT ... you're only on the zipline for about 2 minutes total, and it's an all day trip; so you do the math! We enjoyed it, but I doubt we'd do it again.
Cozumel, MexicoAtlantis Submarine dive!! Awesome. :) Really cool way to go 100 ft. below the water to see the fishes and the reef. It's also very short, which left time for me to also book a snorkeling trip thru one of the "locals" on the pier. Had a fantastic time there, too. The fish are so used to people that they swim right up to you. Loved both experiences.
Don't Miss: Submarine dive and/or snorkeling!! Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasDolphin Encounter!! Amazing, adorable and brilliant creatures -- and you get to pets them, hug them, and get kissed by them. LOL. It was really cool though, truly. Great photos (for $40 at the end of the experience, but worth it).
Don't Miss: Dolphin Encounter! 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Avoid at all costs. by
Rosemary from Woodbridge, NJ Sailing date: Apr 2007This is our 2nd cruise with Norwegian, and our last. Both times we were terribly disappointed. The cabin was poorly decorated (not that that means everything). The bathroom grout had yellow and brown stains in it. The bed and pillows were wafer thin. The food in the main dining restaurants was poor, and I mean POOR. People were complaining like crazy. We ate in an upscale restaurant every night, and therefore paid an additional per person charge every night. What is so annoying about that is that the ship therefore can make upscale food, and can deliver upscale service, they simply choose not to, knowing people will pay more to actually enjoy their meals. THAT IS UNSCRUPULOUS! The idea of Freestyle Cruising sounds good until you experience it. Making reservations every time you need to eat is a pain in the neck...not to mention, their idea of Freestyle Cruising and being able to eat whenever you want is being able to get a burger that looks like a hockey puck, 4 buffalo wings, or oily macaroni and cheese in a clump (not exactly what I consider a meal). Even my 5 year old wouldn't eat this food. And try to get service if you're not drinking alcoholic beverages. GOOD LUCK! Getting a glass of water is like asking to see the Captain personally - very difficult. The cost for soda is absolutely unreasonable - I think it was $1.75 per can - I mean really! Why do they have to price gouge? The kid's pool ranged from babies to 12 years old. The older kids were trampling the little ones...didnt anyone think about the age difference here? This whole trip was a mess. The onboard activities were poorly managed, and lacked enthusiasm.
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Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.St. Thomas is worth exploring.
Go, enjoy. You'll have a great time. The shopping is awesome.
Samana, Dominican RepublicSamana is beautiful.
What a beautiful destination. The beach was gorgeous, the people were friendly and helpful. Just a beautiful day!
22 out of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
Gail from Rockland County, NY Sailing date: Feb 2007
Entertainment & Activities
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
Awilda from New York Sailing date: Jul 2006
Entertainment & Activities
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Never again! by
Thelma from West Haven, CT Sailing date: Jan 2007The longest 11 days of my life. the accomodations were horrible. Entertainment & Activities
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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