Early season Venice to Barcelona
Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
11 Night Grand Mediterranean (Venice To Barcelona)
Sail date: April 23, 2017
Ship: Norwegian Spirit
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 10072
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
We took this cruise at this time to hit the highlights of the Mediterranean before the masses of summer travelers, and to have a more adults-only ship instead of one overrun with kids out of school. Although there were crowds at some of the popular sites and there were a few kids on the ship, we did mostly accomplish our goals.
We have sailed Norwegian several times previously and this was probably our least favorite ship. Although we do prefer the smaller ships, the public spaces (pool area, buffet, etc.) on the Spirit were substantially smaller and frequently overcrowded. The places that we would normally go for a bit of quiet or a drink before dinner were often taken over by bingo or other games.
Our stateroom, a mini-suite with balcony, was adequate but definitely smaller than the same category on other ships. We could not even comfortably sit on on the balcony facing outward - we had to cock the small chairs at an angle so our legs would fit.
The staff on the ship was hardworking, as usual, but did not have the usual 'spark' we have seen on other ships. They seemed instead exhausted and somewhat beaten down.
The entertainment on the ship ranged from good (Twice as Nice, The singer Jeff at the pool and Champagne Charlie's lounge) to just awful. So, although we enjoyed the places we visited on this cruise, we can't really recommend the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ports of call
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy