Norwegian Spirit Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We felt the itinerary had wonderful ports of call and the length of time at the ports allowed travelers to enjoy visiting them

The NORWEGIAN SPIRIT was very well maintained and very very clean.

It was very quiet and stable.  It was quite a relaxing and pleasant experience.

The shows were very good.  It would be nice if there was a movie theater, as good movies were offered but it was not a comfortable setting.

We thought the quality of the food and the choices in the menu were  not as good as when we traveled on the JEWEL about 8 years ago.  Also the names of some dishes were misleading, i.e. an entry called cassoulet of escargots, was not a cassoulet and the escargots were not escargots but mushrooms.

The desserts were not well prepared.  We were better off ordering fruit, cheese or ice cream.  

However, the attention we received from the Norwegian staff and employees was excellent!  Everyone, from the customer desk, the cruise desk, the hostesses and servers in the dining rooms, the cabin attendant,  was very friendly, helpful, professional and welcoming.  I believe the crew gave us the best attention we have experienced in our more than 20 cruises.  

Our thanks to everyone for their wonderful and kind attention!

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. 

The ports of call were definitely the highlight. Some might say so many ports in the 11 nights was too ambitious but we really enjoyed it and now have a better idea on where to go for a longer visit 

Overall we were happy with everything. We ate kosher food - the variety was excellent and so was the care given to us in this regard- would definitely recommend it.

Only improvement - more time needed to be given in Marseilles - embarkation at 3.30 was way to early 

We have been on RC, Princess, Holland America, Carnival, and MSC before,

and the NCL Spirit had the biggest shower.  The food quality on this ship was excellent, too.  We really liked the real lemonade offered gratis in all the eating venues.

The only real negative was the refusal by staff in the main restaurant to offer shared dining at tables of 4, 6, or more diners.  The assumption was that diners did not want to share tables (not true!), and staff only reluctantly sat you with others if you insisted.  One staffer told us that NCL's position was that "only 15% of diners want to share", so why offer it.  That is so far from the truth that we will likely go with RC again next time.

We did our first cruise to the Mediterranean. While it was nice to not have to unpack in every city, we felt the whole thing was very rushed. We had about 6-10 hours in each port and when you factor in dis/re-embarkation and getting around the city, it's really not enough time. Also, some of the biggest cities, we were at port with half a dozen other cruise ships. That meant that the biggest sites (the Acropolis, the Vatican, etc) were PACKED. You really have so little time to see each place. This would be good if you want to see a little of everything but if you want a more in depth experience, this is not the trip for you. 

After being picked-pocket and have my wallet and glasses stolen along with a lot of my money and credit card, my luggage did not arrive until after 10:30 p.m. on Saturday the 25th.  We had to stay in the same clothes for 3 days. I had to go out and purchase underwear, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste. But after that it got better. We had a good time.

the best part was the last day when we finally left the ship. no more bad food, no more bad service, no more bad maintenance issues. this was absolutely the worst cruise I have ever been on in my 60-plus years.

I assure you all I will never make this mistake again and book this cruiseline

We received top rated service from our cruise including the meals, excursions and staff. Loved the cruise. just wasn't long enough. We loved the south of France excursions and Rome. There were no bad locations just these were preferred.

Liked:  The room and layout of bath area.  We had a wonderful Steward who looked after our every want/need.  Once during the cruise, they offered laundry for 19.99, all the clothes you could fit into the bag provided.  Really liked the Freestyle dining...eat when you want to, where you want to.  Dress up if you want to...don't if you don't.  The restaurants for complimentary dining offered great food and the waitstaff were excellent.  We used the Card Room on "At Sea Days" to play games with our friends.  Liked the smaller ship.

Improvements:  We had dining vouchers for the Specialty dining, but the dining rooms for the 4 restaurants were small and options for dining times were limited.  NOTE:  Book first thing when you get on the ship.  The balconies are small;  but still glad we had one.  Older ship that showed some wear.

This trip allowed me to visit some of the most beautiful ports in the world in a comfortable, safe, fun and exciting atmosphere.  The Norwegian Spirit provided excellent entertainment and very helpful staff all along the way.

i would highly recommend this ship and this itinerary to everyone!

Incredible ports of call.  NCL provided excellent service, food and entertainment.  Love the small size of the ship.  Never felt crowded and easy to get on and off.

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.

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.

Slept great - ports were interesting but not bucket list kind ports.  Enjoyed specialty restarants - visited them on five nights.  Casino is small - just one roulette table.  Really liked the Beatles tribute band show.

This was my first cruise, and I had an amazing time. I knew ahead of time via guest reviews that the Norwegian Spirit ship was in need of some updating in the staterooms; that is true, but it was no surprise to me. I am vegetarian, and though dining services had vegetarian options, it could have been better planned and more diverse. The service was great - especially for the staterooms; staff took time to learn names, and they were very friendly. We appreciated the captain's safety call to change the location of our first stop; Corsica ended up being a lovely place to spend time before the rain came; it was easy to come and go on the ship, and there were plenty of activities to keep us happy on board. The rest of our vacation was perfect. The entertainment was great: "Graffiti Classics" was amazing, and the "Elementals" was so incredible - a beautiful act, very impressive. The child care was also exceptional - the staff was very creative with activities, and our 6 & 10 year old looked forward to going to the Kids Club. Overall, a fantastic time, and we would be interested in cruising with NCL again.  

[PS: a side note: the doctor on board was a quack. My mom had some strange symptoms, so she went down to see the doc, and he kept her for 1 hr and basically said she had a brain tumor. On the way out, two nurses at the front desk asked if she was wearing the seasickness patch - she was. They told her to take it off and the symptoms would subside within 72 hrs. She was just experiencing common side effects of the medication! He should have known that, and my mom even mentioned the patch during the exam and he glossed right over it. He should have known that; the doctor was clearly not qualified to treat cruise passengers. He charged $150 for his unhelpful exam.]

Favorites - it was like a floating hotel. Great, fast hot water in bathroom.  Fantastic beds and pillows! Was glad to find an TV English movie channel. Great temperature control. Ruffles open 24 hours was great. Luggage was easily found the morning of disembarkment.

Needs improvement - very disappointed that I had to pay for bottled water. Lack of written instructions in the room on how things work or what to expect. The inconsistency of servicing and furnishing 2 similar rooms. A guest told me my ice bucket would be filled ea day, it wasn't. A moved event had no sign or info posted at original event site. The washy-washy workers were obnoxious. The insolent way Norwegian employees acted toward those who booked excursions not thru the norwegian site. There were wash cloths in the bathroom only on the first day.  Couldn't  hear ship announcements. Would be helpful if the room safe was mounted higher, I can't imagine an elderly person being able to use one so low. On board internet fees were atrocious, free wifi should be included with our cruise payment. 

The ship was very nice . We were very disappointed with the weather. We will have to check out the weather temperature more carefully next time . It was cold and hardly saw the sun. We like to travel to sunny destinations.

The Captain and Crew made us feel very safe on our cruise. Our cabin steward was excellent as was the food.

Both my wife and I have physical limitations secific to walking. We go by the ratings given on how much activity is required for a tour. Based on this information we booked tours before we departed.  Unfortunately, it appears that there was a bias for underrating the required physical effort required for tours. Whatever system that is being used needs to be reviewed and revised because it is not meeting our needs. I would guess other handicapped persons had a similar experience.

Each tour presents its own challenges that are not being captured with the current rating system. While using drawn figures to represent difficulty seems to be the industry standard, we were left physically exhausted and not pleased with what was presented.

As I see it, you have two choices: (1) Ignore this and begin to see that elderly cruisers are not taking tours or, (2) Research this matter to find out how to apply this critique so as to improve services. One way you can offer an additional services is to offer 'tours' to port inter-net cafes. As it stands,ship based satellite services are slow and unreliable. Investigating available facilities that are not on the dock would provide additional services. A bus load of passengers could quickly overload one facility so finding out the maximum available spaces would be necessary.  Multiple sites or reduced numbers of passengers on this tour would be a good start. Items such as meals, snacks and/or entertainment may be also available. Here is a time to be creative - don't disappointment us.

Favorite part: itinerary Canary and Madeira Islands.

It could be improve by getting rid of the guide, Larvi, in Casablanca who brought us to a store and they ripped me off!

I would recommend this cruise to anyone who has not been to these places.