Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review
Bahamas

Thomas J.Conlon

My wife and I returned from our 7 day cruise (our first) yesterday. Let me "bullet" our opinions while they're still fresh:

Cleanliness: the ship was spotless

Stateroom: a balcony is a "must have." The room was roomy enough; bathroom facilities more than adequate.

Stewards: James and Edwin were superb; room was always spotless with cute little touches (like towels left on bed folded into the shape of an rabbit, or kitten, or lobster.

Entertainment: top-notch; the NCL Production Company Broadway-type shows were superb. Other entertainment was good as well (the band Fusion Wave in particular). Always a good variety of music playing somewhere on the ship.
Pool: Salt water - ugh! and the water was tepid, almost like bath water. Stayed out of it.

Staff: did not meet one staff member, from the Captain to the stewards who did not greet us and smile. Staff was extremely friendly and engaging. Couldn't have asked for a more pleasant experience.

Food: All right, not the greatest. The buffet was what you'd expect - a buffet for 2,000 people. Windows and Garden restaurants were fine, but portions weren't exactly huge. I understand having specialty restaurants, but charging a $20 cover after having spent a couple of grand for the cruise didn't exactly sit well with me. Overall, I'd give our dining experience a C+.

Casino: Not bad in size and variety for a ship, but like any other casino in the country, you can't win at slots (we're not table-game players). Had fun nevertheless, and the staff was very friendly.

Drinks: Pricey, but it was what I expected.

24 hour restauranct (Blue Lagoon): Not very good. Menu small and unappetizing (who feels like having chili or rice or potato skins or Shepard's pie at 3 o'clock in the morning? Plus the seating was limited and uncomfortable. Need a bigger "sit-down" restaurant with a full breakfast menu and some grill items.

Sundry items: didn't realize until the last day that the liquor shop sold drug store items (toothpaste, band aids, aspirin, etc.). Should have been advertised somehow.

Excursions: Didn't do any; went to Port Canaveral and Miami on our own. The Bayside Marketplace in Miami was great. Skipped the Grand Stirrup Island party (not a sun worshipper; loved having the pool area to ourselves but once again, wish it was not salt water and not heated (it wasn't really refreshing at all)). The Atlantis casino was filthy and the staff there were almost beligerent (glad we never stayed there). Nassau itself was not pleasant people-wise, odor-wise and appearance-wise. (Stayed at a resort in Freeport two years ago and had a much better impression of the Bahamas).

Miscellaneous: Embarking and debarking was a breeze; everything was pretty organized and went smoothly.

Overall, our experience was a good one. I would definitely cruise on the Norwegian Spirit again, but would first research other ships and lines and maybe try something different. (In fact, now that I think about going to work tomorrow morning, I'm going to start planning my next vacation.)