First time cruiser

Item: Norwegian Spirit
Rating: 4
Author: JamaicaMon

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

JamaicaMon

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 55

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 20, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Spirit

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6505

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was my first cruise ever & I really had a great time! My Mom picked this cruise to celebrate her 50th birthday. After reading reviews about the Norwegian Spirit, I was a bit skeptical. I noticed though that most of the complaints are from those who have cruised on other lines. As a first time cruiser, I have nothing to compare this experience too. Overall, I really enjoyed my time on the Spirit. I would recommend any first timers to give the Norwegian Spirit a chance! I cruised with 8 other family members & it was so much fun to experience this together. The beautiful weather made the cruise even better.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

We dined in Windows at 5:30pm every night. The food was good & our waiter Jamyl was very nice & entertained us with his napkin folding skills! We ate in the cafeteria for breakfast & lunch. The food was good! A lot of options like burgers, hot dogs, soups, pastas, salads, pizza, vegetarian dishes, sandwich fixings, meats, desserts, fruits, ice cream...etc.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

We didn't take advantage of every activity. Our group did participate in trivia, bingo, karaoke & dance parties. I felt like there was an activity for everyone. We had an older crowd on this cruise (average age mid 50's), so I'm not sure what the activities were like for the kids. We also brought some card games of our own to play.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

We attended the 7:30pm show every night. I wouldn't of gone to see the shows myself but since I was in a group it was fun to do together & am glad I went!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

No matter where I went on the ship, a staff member always said hello to me with a smile!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

I was supposed to be in cabin 6505 but our family switched rooms. This review is for cabin 6553. This cabin fits up to 4 people. We had 2 twin size beds, a twin size trundle bed & a twin fold out bed from the wall that sits over one of the beds like a bunk bed set-up. Loved our little room. My only complaint would be the sewer smell in the bathroom. It wasn't constant & we never smelled it in the room itself. We were never in our room a lot so didn't need to pay extra for window or balcony. Would definitely book an inside stateroom again. Cabin 6553 was quiet.

Ship tip

Buy the drink of the day! They're $4 to $5 cheaper than other drinks on the menu & it's a good way to sample drinks you've never had before.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5

Make sure to do the Catamaran Ride/Stingray Adventure! You'll never forget it!

Thumbs Up 2

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

3 out of 5

Be prepared to say ' no thank you' a lot. People are very persistent in Jamaica. They want you to buy buy buy. The shops are fine. Buy the Tortuga Rum Cake or the Sweet & Simply Butter Rum Cake, they make great gifts & they're tasty.

Thumbs Up 3

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

8 Comments

enjoyurdaysmile 8 years ago

Just have fun the Norwegian way.

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enjoyurdaysmile 8 years ago

Even though we got sick, I want to make this clear we did enjoy it. At that time, Norwegian didn't have Freestyle dining and all the other things like the drink package, Ultimate dining package, kids and family sail free which of course you have to read for yourself about that when Norwegian has this deal. Cruising has changed throughout the yrs and ships( not a boat) gets bigger all the time. Jus

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enjoyurdaysmile 8 years ago

review, just think about the wonderful time you can make it for yourself. Happy Cruising.

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enjoyurdaysmile 8 years ago

The very first ship we took in August of 1989 was on the Southward and we had a good time. My husband and I got sea sick and didn't go on another ocean cruise until we went on the Spirit in 2006 for my birthday present and that was a surprise. He really pulled that one good for me. I wanted to celebrate Disney Land's 50th birthday which was in 2005 and that was my yr turning 50. I had such a good time and went to Magic Kingdom for our Florida excursion through Norwegian. I went on some rides, but not the ones we can't handle. E.T. was great and that it always a big hit. We have not been back to MK. We loved the cruise and from that time on, my husband always surprised me with our Norwegian cruises. 2011, he really surprised me because we were going to take a one over night to Delaware or Vermont. I asked which hotel was the less expensive. He hands me a piece of paper folded in 3's for me to see when I opened it the cruise on the Norwegian Gem sailing out of Manhattan from Pier 88. He booked it the day before the cruise on line through NCL. It was off peak cruising time, so he had gotten a great rate. I was so shocked. He planned this at his parent's home and I had a birthday lunch to attend. While on the ship, I just couldn't believe this all happened. I've never packed so fast in my life which was Saturday night for the Sunday cruise. What a wonderful birthday present and lucky to have gone. When you have finished reading my revi

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SilentlyPerfect 8 years ago

In my opinion, it is important to be flexible, realistic and have a sense of humor when planning to spend X amount of time on a ship of any size. I like to think not all people make good decisions when stepping onto a ship and I am not letting them decide whether or not I have a good time.

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bobship 8 years ago

Also good to see this review. We will be going on the 12th. Been on many other ships and there can be different experiences with different crews.

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enjoyurdaysmile 8 years ago

I was on her in 2006 and 2007. 2008 we took a Repositioning cruise from New Orleans to New York City and it was a 14 day. cruise. Have not been back on her since. We had great times.

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mdub92 8 years ago

You just made me feel so much better about going on the spirit for my first cruise on Saturday!

Thumbs Up 4

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Other reviews of this sailing

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Feb 2016

A good to very good experience.

Pleasantly surprised!