Great First Time Mediterranean Cruise
Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe
Barcelona, Spain / Barcelona, Spain
Sail date: March 22, 2017
Ship: Norwegian Spirit
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 9676
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
Barcelona is the perfect start for your trip. A beautiful, friendly city with lots to see and do. We did Barcelona in March (low season) and the weather was in the 60's. Word to the wise.... summers in Barcelona.... in fact for all the cities in this cruise are very muggy and hot in summer (high season). Embarkation and debarkation are as smooth as glass. I do not think it took more than 20 minutes each time.
All the cities are beautiful and they all have open air hop on/hop off buses at considerably less expense than the cruise excursions. Finding people at shops and restaurants that speak English is not hard and most of the menus are illustrated so that you can see what you are ordering. That is not to say that the shore excursions are a waste of money. The Rome tour that we took was expensive, but worth every penny.
The Spirit is well maintained and the staff is cheerful and thorough, but a small old ship is a small old ship. If you take this cruise, think of the boat as a floating hotel, with entertainment. Some of the shows were ridiculous as usual, but some were surprisingly good. If it matters to you, other than a few honeymoon couples, this is an older crowd taking this cruise. Not much of a party boat.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Reservations are not really needed for Windows or the Garden restaurants. If you are really in the mood for burger and fries, try the Blue Lagoon on Deck 7.
Ports of call
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands