Norwegian Spirit - Reviews

Rare combination of multiple ports and few sea days allowed us to enjoy a larger variety of experiences. Only downside was three tender ports

Overall cruise was a good value though the ship was older and less to do on other larger and newer ships. Definitely recommend looking at private or alternative tour options as the cruise ship clientele on this itinerary was a bit older and slower and bussing just takes up a long time with short port times. Felt like time in ports was more limiting then it needed to be, particularly since the ports themselves were all very close together. Would have liked to have more time (as in 12 hours versus the 4-5 or 6-8 we had in some ports), the Dublin overnight was convenient.

Gave a nice overview of Scotland and Ireland but the ports with Tenders were a problem that should be addressed.

This was our 50th anniversary celebration and it didn't disappoint! We really like the freedom of Norwegian cruises to dress and eat as you choose! We enjoyed each port, as you have seen, some more than the others, but all in all, a most wonderful trip. Had fun playing the trivia and other games on sea days. The only thing I can say to the negative, is the dining room needs to change up their menus a bit more. That's it. All was good.

Will never take this trip again. Was not worth the money we spent.

Would have like a newer/better ship but ports were awesome! Hit every country on the Baltic Sea and more. Great bucket list checking :)

Most of the tours spent a lot of time on a bus. I needed to be older and less mobile for this cruise. I'm glad I did it and do not need to do it again. I like a more active cruise that has more exertion in the ports. As always NCL personnel is terrific. The Spirit is a small ship and has less to do than most other ships. That matters on a 12 day cruise.

We had many issues on this cruise, listed below: 1) The ship itself is in need of serious repair. The decor is seriously outdated, many times dirty around tile (such as in restrooms) and needs to be cleaned up. We also experienced issues where the fountains were vibrating so loudly in the lobby that we had to leave the Champagne bar as it was so annoying. The boards on the 7th deck as we walked were bowing upwards and caused water pooling on the right side forward. It was serious, no one looked at it...they simply repainted the railing. There were numerous restrooms closed throughout the trip in public areas and we were told the piping was having issues. We also encountered major water on floor next to broken toilets in restrooms. The pool area is nice, but there was never a time to have BBQ outside (some due to weather) when there were days it would have worked. As far as destinations, we are seriously disappointed in NCL for not preparing us for the Amsterdam stop. This was the first time they made port in this area which was a long way from Amsterdam. This isn't an issue as long as you can get there. We went out and bought bus tickets at terminal to head to Amsterdam. From time we left boat until we got there...it was almost THREE hours. This cost us major time and we had no clue of the serious issue that was going to occur. Once back on board, I asked what happened and told the gentleman that I was thinking the cruise port said Amsterdam on our cruise documents which I printed way back in May. The gentleman was extremely rude to me and my wife (and we took down 3 emails to corroborate the scene that ensued). We said we "thought" it said Amsterdam and we've been to that port before. He told us "No, it didn't". I told him, I don't have it in front of me...he said "Well, I'm telling you, it didn't". I asked him if I understood him correctly that he was telling me what I had on my documents which were not in front of me...and he said "Yes, it does not say that". I wasn't saying it did, I was saying I thought it did. The number of people watching this were AMAZED at this customer service interaction. We were mildly upset when we walked up, and when we walked away, we were DISGUSTED. This stop was a nightmare, and it should have been better organized and discussed by NCL on the front end. With regards to the staff, wonderful as always. Gracia the waitstaff in Galaxy really stood out...so did Manu and Maya in Champagne Charlie's. The staff (gentleman we encountered was manager) at Customer Service and the ship made us really not like this cruise much at all. Has us considering other options for next year for sure.

All in all I was disappointed in the ship because it is so "worn down" with holes in the upholstery in the night club and the most uncomfortable seats in the theater. I chose the cruise because of the ports, but was very dissatisfied with the ship.

Overall this is a good cruise itinerary however we only experienced half because of lack of Visa for Southern Ireland. Several other passengers experienced this ordeal, hence there is need for better communication about visa requirements for international passengers since visa to UK is not sufficient for this excursion.

This was a dream itinerary and the Spirit did not disappoint. The port of calls were interesting and the northern ports were outstanding and the people seemed to appreciate our visiting their beautiful countries. One shop in Portland mentioned that they only have been open for cruise ships for three years and the Spirit was the largest ship to date. The NCL is the oldest ship in Norwegian fleet but they have managed to keep it fresh mostly up to date. The decor is a little strange as it has an oriental bent but since it originally sailed in Asia it makes more sense. This ship is scheduled to have a 5 week refit in the spring and I would guess this issue would be addressed as well as the limited power outlets in the cabins.

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.

Extremely disappointing. Food was below par. Never got our latitudes welcome letter, no cocktail party, ship is in major need of upgrades and new chefs! Was an expensive disappointment.

Despite of some of the issues that were previously mentioned, we really enjoyed our trip. The time allotted for Crete was insanely short ( it takes approximately 15 or 20 minutes to get from the port into town) ; too short for any excursion.

After reading past reviews we were somewhat skeptical but the cruise was wonderful. The people were great and so friendly. Shows were very good, Ship was very clean. Would go on this ship again at any time. Love the smaller ships with limited passengers. The passengers on our cruise were friendly and met many new friends and had a great time. I would have liked to have seen more products such as t-shirts and sweat shirts for sale with a greater selection.

The ports were great. The entertainment was good, but wished there was a comedy show. Dinner service was slower than usual. Food tasted good. The ships odors were unbearable many times throughout the trip. Inside the cabins smelled like diahrea. Drinks were VERY expensive.

I was so disappointed with NCL that we will not cruise with them again. Food was giant disappointment.

Very nice cruise,,, Dinner was very plain and tasteless.

Simply an awesome cruise from all perspectives! All connections were on time. All the shore excursions were wonderful. The skip-the-line tour of Vatican City and the Tuscan Farmhouse tour standout. Our ship room was very comfortable, always had a wonderful view from our balcony, and all staff were very friendly. We fully enjoyed ourselves. Awesome!

Overall, this was a great cruise. Any improvements would mostly be in the excursions. Some guides were wonderful to be with and informative. Others, not. Also, the activity levels need to be accurate and a full description should be included, and the guides should be asked to adhere to the information we guests signed up for. A good example happened in Rome on the last day. The guide provided a far different tour than what was described and activity level was way off.