Trip of a Lifetime realized

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 53

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Spirit

14 Night Mediterranean (Barcelona To Rome)

Sail date: July 06, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Spirit

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 5600

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

As this was a 40th anniversary and wife's 60th birthday present to ourselves, we had very high hopes and we weren't disappointed.

The cruise ship itself was very nice and pretty much what is expected. The food was a bit better than expected and made dinner something to really look forward to. I had a problem with a bad smell in my cabin and was transferred to another similar cabin before my luggage arrived. I can't thank the woman in charge of customer service enough for how the complaint was handled. The cruise line even offered a meal in one of the upscale restaurants with a bottle of wine as an apology. It wasn't needed but was greatly appreciated.

The key to this trip was the ports of call. I allowed me to check off so many cities on my bucket list and to find those cities that I'd like to return to some day. Barcelona is not to be missed. Toulon was a fun day at the beach, Florence and Rome speak for themselves but the train rides were just as memorable. We got to speak to other travelers from around the world. Naples not so nice but Pompei was on the list, Mykonos rode all day on a scooter for only 20 Euro, what a hoot. Istambul/Constantinople was a dream to see since youth, Ephesus was the surprise of the trip. It is not to be missed. Every bit as good and maybe better than the Roman Forum. Athens, one day was enough but there aren't words to describe standing on the Acropolis. Kotor was great, don't miss the 2 hour sail in/sail out and get off the boat early and climb the mountain wall!! Dobrovinik was all I'd hoped it would be. Took a bathing suit and changed in a rest room then swam along the outside of the wall with the locals. Also got some history on the Serbian conflict that was eye opening. And Venice is very nice to walk around.

Thank you Norweigan for my and my wife's trip of a lifetime.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Had to change due to a bad smell but the staff were so efficient that the move was made before all the luggage arrived. Shower and bath small but expected so it was always a laugh and a shrug.

Ship tip

When getting off the ship daily no need for a balcony. THe rooms on the sunny side would have been too hot to sit outside when in port.

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
stay a few days extra. Great city

Toulon, France

5 out of 5
Take the bus to the beach. It's easy and cheap

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

5 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5
Look on line for a tour that does Pompeii, Sorrento and Amalfi. They are available thru the sites that ask you to either join or start the tour group.

Mykonos, Greece

5 out of 5
Rent a scooter for only 20 euro for the day. Shops are all over the place.

Istanbul, Turkey

5 out of 5

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

5 out of 5
get a guide. Well worth it.

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

5 out of 5
Take the subway to the acropolis. but the walk is longer than the guide books lead you to believe. It's a good 30-40 minute walk.

Kotor, Montenegro

5 out of 5
dont miss the sail-in or sail-out and get off the ship early to walk the wall to the top. You'll see what I'm talking about in port. You can't miss it.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

5 out of 5
Bring a bathing suit. It's hot on the wall in summer and you can change in a restaurant bathroom then swim on the outside of the wall.

Venice, Italy

5 out of 5
If you are a spy book reader and you want to go to Harry's Bar, be sure to wear long pants if you're a man. Women it doesn't matter.
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1 Comment

abesman    9 years ago

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