Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review
Eastern Caribbean

Bob
Age:  38
Occupation: Firefighter
Number of Cruises: 3
Sailing Date: June 2nd, 2007

Left on Saturday afternoon out of NYC. Passing the WTC and Statue of Liberty took me away from "vacation" mode and caused me to reflect on 9/11 for a while. Once out to sea and clear of the visual reminders, it was time to learn the layout of the ship and see what we were in for. We were in a group of 40 ranging in age from 18 to 65. The weather was pretty poor the first two days. There was a tropical depression pushing up the coast as we pushed south east to Bermuda. These two days on board were good being that my wife and I were looking to get some rest. There was plenty to do on board although it seemed like you were always funneled toward the casino.

The casino was fine. Minimums were $10 on all tables except craps and Let it Ride.  Have to say that slots seemed loose in the beginning and tightened up as the trip went on. Never heard much screaming except the crap table on occasion. A lot of rules in the casino regarding height of dice being thrown, sunglasses, and watching others play. There was a blackjack tourney and two poker tourneys. Poker tourney was insane as blinds went through the roof within one hour. Felt very rushed.

Food was good throughout the ship. Ate in all the special places and enjoyed the meals. I am easy to please though. Did see some nit pickers complaining. I am on vacation and complaining takes away from that.

Beers ran about 6 bucks each on average. First time cruisers were a little caught off guard with pricing.
Also note gratuity was already included in the total.

Bermuda was experiencing rain but that did not stop us from going about. There is good shopping and browsing 5 minutes walk from the ship. Visited the Glassworks place and was quite intrigued with the art of making glass items. We bought one to bring home.

If you take the ferry to the other side of the island supposedly prices were much lower on tourist purchases.

Tortola was wonderful although the tour guide for our snorkeling excursion told us that the crime rate was growing. The excursion picked us up at the ship and we never went ashore so I can't validate any more or less. Island was beautiful though.

St. Thomas.
Save all your shopping dollars for St. Thomas. Bought 5 bottles of liquor at R.H. Riise and paid 1/3 of what I'd pay in NY. If you are buying jewelry, Little Switzerland seemed very busy and people were coming out with big smiles. One from our group bought a very expensive name brand watch and saved hundreds of dollars. Took the $20 bus tours of the island and it was worth every dollar.  Would liked to have spent more time on St. Thomas. None of the street vendors were pests either. They were quite polite and let you browse without making you uncomfortable.

St. Thomas was the only place that my cell phone worked. Tried to call home to check in and had no luck anywhere else. Ship to shore phone calls were VERY expensive.

This was an 8 day cruise and I could have easily done another 3 days. There were a number of "days at sea" and that made the trip more enjoyable. We had the opportunity to relax and lay poolside and up on the sun decks. Did not feel pressured by dinner times or getting on and off the ship too many times.

The casino staff was a little stuffy for my personality. The wait staff was very nice as was the room attendants.
Always had fresh towels and ice in the room. Thought the "soda package" was a little over the top on price. $70pp for the week.

The best French Toast EVER in Raffles food court.

I would do this trip again knowing the ship and the events on board.








 

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