A little bumpy, but good overall
Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe
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Sail date: March 30, 2013
Ship: Norwegian Spirit
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 11 years ago
Review summary
Overall, this cruise was good and we had a good time. The negative things are partly on account of the bumpy roads (which the captain referred to as "potholes in the road) and our kids not having a great time. The North Atlantic was quite rough during the few days we were there. I asked a bartender if this was normal and he mentioned that 2 weeks prior they had a very smooth cruise. Can't do anything about nature, but I think we may not do the open sea again. Our stateroom (6035) was large for an inside cabin, probably about 230 sq.ft.. However, everything we used was in the back of the ship so we had a bit of a hike. The dining was decent but not as good as on Costa Cruises. This may be a result of not having a formal dining time and table. However, having the freedom to come whenever was nice but if you could get a table by yourselves (on a diff cruiseline) with the same waiter every night, I think that would be preferable. The food itself was good but nothing too special. The Prime Rib and Ribeye steaks were excellent, though. We visited the Tepanyaki one night. The chef was as good at flipping his utensils but did a good show in general. The food was excellent. However, the cost was high at $25 for adults and $12.50 for kids. I think NCL should re-think their policy about charging so much for these specialty restaurants. We also visited the Italian restaurant one night. The food was very good and the selection was good as well. The cost was $15 and was reasonable. The entertainment was not as good as other cruises we've been on recently. Both Costa and Royal Caribbean were better in this department. I can't say it was bad, but just not "eye popping" as the other cruises. The kids club had a lot of activities for our kids (4 and 5). However, I think they focused too much on crafts which was not good for our 4 yo son who got into too much trouble and even got a 24 hour timeout from kids club. My wife and I were hoping for more alone time which we did not get. The kids pool was awesome. They had a pirate themed pool with 2 slides and a kids hot tub. However due to the bad weather our kids only got to partake a couple times. Overall, a good cruise, with just some bad circumstances. I think we'll try NCL again soon (especially since we bought a voucher on board).Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Hit the Windows restaurant right when they open at 5:30pm and you can get a seat right by the windows.
Ports of call
Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Canary Islands