The best vacation I've ever had

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

VenetaD

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 50

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Exotic Southern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 13, 2007

Ship: Norwegian Spirit

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 17 years ago

Review summary

This was my first cruise experience and I am really glad we went. I really liked the Norwegian Spirit from NCL. I was scared to go on a cruise because of the sea/motion sickness, but I'm glad I didn't give in to the hype. Just in case, I did bring Dramamine with me, but never had to use it. Sometimes I felt the motion but wasn't bad at all, in fact, it felt kind of relaxing, like rocking in a hammock. I was also worried about that virus on cruise ships, but our ship was really clean and each person had to disinfect their hands all the time, especially before entering public rooms, eating, and after you come back from a port. They also sterilized all the surfaces constantly. I don't think I've ever been in a more germ-free environment. Great value for a 10 day exotic cruise! I can honestly say this has been my favorite vacation. Absolutely no stress!!!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

I loved the freestyle dinning option so I didn't feel rushed at all and we could literally do whatever and whenever we wanted.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Overall I liked the wide selection of shows they had. My favorite were the NCL dance team. They were fantastic.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The cruise employees were all very friendly, professional and helpful. A person can really get used to the star treatment.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship was big enough by my standards, but some of the more experienced cruisers mentioned that this was a relatively smaller ship. All I know is, that when I wanted to be alone there were plenty of areas that I could go to.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

St. John's, Antigua

3 out of 5

Big tip here: TAKE THE TAXI from the docks if you're going to the beach. Yes, we got lost because I though we should go exploring and 2 hours later I had no idea where we were or where the beach was. I rate this port "Good" because when we got lost we somehow ended up where the locals live and it was great. I've never taken better photographs. It was an authentic and real experience of the Carribean as the people that live there see it. However, travelers beware, this may not be the safest option for you since some of the areas were pretty deserted. Great views. Also, finding the information booth for a local map here was murder.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Dickenson Bay

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

3 out of 5

I wish I had skipped Tortola. There just wasn't much to see here. I guess the beaches are good and the nature is pretty, but that's every other Carribean island as well. I was a bit bored and the prices for trinkets were not a good value. I wish I was sun-bathing on the ship or practicing my golf swing.

Thumbs Up 0

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

Definitely my favorite port. This is a shoppers paradise. I like the dutch Main street best. Good place to buy jewelry/watches. Very interesting how they've divided this little island.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: The butterfly farm - because there's very few places that you can see this anywhere, anymore

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

Ok, so I didn't see much of Barbados because we had a booked excursion that took us on an underwater Atlantis submarine. But I loved the excursion. It was very well organized. And you take a bus and a boat to get to the submirine so I did see a bit of the island. I really wish I had more than one day here.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

This really felt like a suburb from the U.S.: USPS trucks and all. For me the only difference was that everyone was much more laid back. Oh, and they are free-ranging chickens everywhere. Also, we could get extra alcohol if it came from St. Thomas. Apparently this also applies to cigarettes.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Go up the 99 steps. You get a great view and you get to see real local manors from the plantation era, for free.

Pros: the employees

Cons: skip some of the ports and stay on the ship

Recommends Norwegian Spirit? Yes!

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