We love ncl for its freedom, informality and most of all for the diversity of its staff. The Norwegian staff were fantastic and this itinerary was absolutely terrific. We have cruised for years, but this is the first cruise we have taken since both of us have had mobility issues and we were disappointed that the excursions had no offerings that were really doable for us - we took four level 1 excursions and they were quite challenging. We bailed (even after paying) on three - just too hard. I hope that the market for aging boomers will force the availability of better choices over time - mostly a port problem, I realize, but we have seen wheelchair symbols by some excursions on other cruise lines. But overall it was marvelous and we remain loyal Norwegian fans.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
I should have asked for a wheel chair - long walk was tough.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Loved Cagney's (of course), Shogun's sushi and La Trattoria. Even the regular dining was quite good, and the buffet was interesting - lots of mediterranean choices, but it didn't vary much over the 14 days.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Enjoyed the spa and the various music venues.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The four lead singers were outstanding - and we were fortunate enough to here an unscheduled (I think) Caberet performance from them and a portion of the show band the last night in the Galaxy - wonderful way to end a great trip!
Children's Programs
No kids with us. Few kids on the trip in general.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Steward (Agost), bar server (Lais), maitre'd (Luke and ? in La Trattoria) were fantastic! Everyone was friendly and helpful as we have come to expect on ncl cruises.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is in need of a refresh (dry dock scheduled for next Jan as I understand it), but we knew we were on an older ship and really didn't mind. I liked the size (small by today's standards) because it was easy to get your bearings and remember where everything was.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Smaller than we have had recently but no suites were available by the time I made the reservations (perhaps there are not many on the Spirit?). The shower was surprisingly nice.
Ship tip
There were far more dinner reservations available once we were onboard than it seemed when making them online beforehand.
Loved the shuttle to the town center - driver very helpful to mobility impaired passengers.
People in town were extremely friendly and helpful. We found a shop that repaired my partner's electric scooter and gave me a walker for a modest donation. Shop owner recycles mobility assistive devices. Fantastic!
Took a long (8 hrs) bus tour - thoroughly enjoyed learning about Iceland. We have two Icelandic horses, so seeing so many of them everywhere was a thrill!
Went whale watching - saw a few humpbacks. We have spectacular whale watching on the west coast and in Hawaii, so I may have been expecting too much, But the trip was fun and the crew was terrific so it was very enjoyable. And they were somewhat accommodating to our mobility scooters at least up to the boat, always a plus in my book.
Simply spectacular. The long cruise in (and out) is almost unbelievably beautiful - I'm not much of a photographer but it was impossible not to take marvelous photos.
Charming, less spectacular and a better feel for the people who live in these small villages. Great respect for how rugged these Norwegians are. And they seem to have retained simple values - inspiring, really.
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