Great Itinerary; Excellent Service; Had a great time

Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 99

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Spirit

11 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 02, 2017

Ship: Norwegian Spirit

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9092

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

This cruise is port intensive allowing us to visit 9 great ports (including Barcelona) in a short time. Also it is a bonus that, due to bad weather in Marseille, NCL Spirit chose to stop at Monte Carlo instead of Marseille. The weather was great every day and we had a great time in every city even though that we had been many of these cities before. For such a port intensive cruise, it did not bother us that the on board activities (not the parties) are lacking. The service on board of the ship is excellent and the crew bent over backward to accommodate passengers consisting mostly seasoned travelers. There were only a handful of kids and one hardly noticed their existence. We had no problem getting into any restaurant without reservation. The gym is small but adequate since most passengers did not use it. The complimentary steam and sauna are also a bonus. Overall, we and our friends had a wonderful time both on and off the ship. We are frequent cruisers and can only hope that every cruise is like this one.      

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
The food is above average. One can always find something to eat. The seafood buffet on the last day is a bonus to those who like it.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
For a port intensive cruise, it is OK that they are lacking during the day since most folks were out visiting the ports. For those who enjoyed partying, there were plenty of parties. The gym is literally empty most of the time for those who chose to exercise instead.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
They were surprisingly entertaining by cruise standards.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5
There were only a handful of kids on board.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
One cannot ask for better service at the Window, Gardens and the specialty restaurants. The room steward kept the rooms clean and stocked.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The ship was clean. It just came out of the dry dock so there were new carpets, furniture and beds in the rooms.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
New carpet. New furniture. New and comfortable beds. Mid ship balcony. Quiet. Easy to get to anywhere in the ship. What not to like?

Ship tip

Most NCL Spirit itinerary is port intensive. Although many passengers are off the ship on port days, they still made restaurant (including specialty) reservations that they cannot keep. So just walk up and, most of the time, you will be serve.

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
Use the Metro to get around and the internet to book last minute tickets. Food and drinks are cheaper just couple blocks off the main strip.

Valencia, Spain

5 out of 5
Great town, one can go anywhere with a 24 hr Valencia bus card.

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

5 out of 5
Unless you want to wander out of the city, you can use public transportation.

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

5 out of 5
Pisa is only good for taking couple photos and do not allocate too much time here.

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5
Take a tour. There is so much to see even if you have been here before.

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5
Make up a party of 4 and it will cost you less to hire a cab to visit all the nearby famous places. Also you can decide on the amount of time spent. But be mindful that the cab driver is not a tour guide.

Messina, Sicily

3 out of 5
It is less attractive compared to the other ports.

Valletta, Malta

5 out of 5
Use the HOHO bus to go to Mdina and then get back on to get an overview of the city. Don't get off at unpopular stops since it may take a long while to get back on since most will stay on for the duration.
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1 Comment

rowson    7 years ago

Do you know what size luggage will fit under the beds? We are first timers. And we have a regular ocean view window cabin. Thank you

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