Norwegian Spirit Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The itinerary was a great experience. The room was good. The food was not as good on the spirit as it was on the sun last year. The female waitress in windows dining was not to pleasant. The entertainment was good.

Horrible service, terrible menu, served cold meals in main dining rooms.  Old ship, broken toilet in our cabin, things were duck taped and glued together.  Stay away!

As this was a 40th anniversary and wife's 60th birthday present to ourselves, we had very high hopes and we weren't disappointed.

The cruise ship itself was very nice and pretty much what is expected. The food was a bit better than expected and made dinner something to really look forward to. I had a problem with a bad smell in my cabin and was transferred to another similar cabin before my luggage arrived. I can't thank the woman in charge of customer service enough for how the complaint was handled. The cruise line even offered a meal in one of the upscale restaurants with a bottle of wine as an apology. It wasn't needed but was greatly appreciated.

The key to this trip was the ports of call. I allowed me to check off so many cities on my bucket list and to find those cities that I'd like to return to some day. Barcelona is not to be missed. Toulon was a fun day at the beach, Florence and Rome speak for themselves but the train rides were just as memorable. We got to speak to other travelers from around the world. Naples not so nice but Pompei was on the list, Mykonos rode all day on a scooter for only 20 Euro, what a hoot. Istambul/Constantinople was a dream to see since youth, Ephesus was the surprise of the trip. It is not to be missed. Every bit as good and maybe better than the Roman Forum. Athens, one day was enough but there aren't words to describe standing on the Acropolis. Kotor was great, don't miss the 2 hour sail in/sail out and get off the boat early and climb the mountain wall!! Dobrovinik was all I'd hoped it would be. Took a bathing suit and changed in a rest room then swam along the outside of the wall with the locals. Also got some history on the Serbian conflict that was eye opening. And Venice is very nice to walk around.

Thank you Norweigan for my and my wife's trip of a lifetime.

We went on this cruise with our 2 teenagers, there were a ton of kids, food was very good, staff was amazing especially our waitress Grace in the dinning room. Ship was super clean and with all the washy washy happy  happy it was extremely sanitary. Intertwine not was great except for 2 acts but over all good!we loved all the places we went and enjoyed our experience tremendously! 

Great cruise!  Lots of dinning choices, some better than others.  Sit down restaurants were nice but menu is about the same at each meal.  The buffet is a bit of a feeding frenzy but it is convenient.  Very nice ship.  Great service.  Cabins clean.  Ports were excellent and diverse.  Took excursions in all ports but only used NCL excursion in 1 port (Toulon) since they are very overpriced (Hey NCL-if you were even close on price I would have booked your tours in all ports).  In Italy for example I booked private excursions for 6 in a private Mercedes SUV tours and it was much cheaper than the NCL bus excursions.  Excellent trip!

We had the best time on our Norwegian Spirit Mediterranean cruise. The excursions were fun and interesting, the food was amazing, and the entertainment was top notch. We will definitely cruise with Norwegian again.

Don't pay attention to any of the bad reviews; we had an amazing cruise and would have missed out on an unbelievable experience had we been frightened off by bad reviews.  The destinations alone make this experience worth the price of admission.  You visit 6 countries (Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain, France, Vatican City) in 12 days, and the excursions offered by the cruise line are phenomenal.  The entertainment on the boat was a wonderful surprise as well -- some very high quality performances and impressive acrobatic acts!  The food on the boat ranged from fine to very good, and there are plenty of spaces to lay out on the deck if you wish.  Our room was directly underneath a night lounge so we did hear some dancing/noise nearly every night, but that's a small price to pay for such an incredible experience.  We highly recommend this cruise for anyone who wants to explore the best of Mediterranean Europe!

Quality of food seemed to have decreased since our first cruise 10 years ago for our honeymoon. Service and people are still excellent. Stage dancers were the best since we've started cruising with Norwegian.

This is a cruise with a million hidden fees. The cruise itself was good enough overall but the ship doesn't have enough to do. Food was average. They charge for laundry and basically everything else. The pool was boring and the ONE channel in English played the same 6 movies for 12 days. Some were not suitable for our child who is 10. They also need to change the buffet selections more often. We  booked 4 guided shore excursions which were an absolute waste of money and time. The worst tour guide was in Athens.  However if you do not book with the ship you may be unable to get to where you want to go, and they are very well aware of that! The only reason this review is getting 3 stars is because of its itinerary. Would I do it again... Probably not

Our experience was top-notch.  The ship was well run, friendly and easy to get around.  We had meals in all venue's (buffet, sit down and 'pay extra').  All were good, the buffet well supplied with many choices. The 'pay extra' was exceptional - one of the best meal's we've ever had.

This was such a wonderful experience to share with my daughter. The destinations were the best!! We had a great time. The rooms are small (which I expected), but our attendant was fantastic. He always greeted us with smiles and fun "towel animals". The food was hit and miss. Often times food that you had to pay for in the specialty restaurants were available in the main dining (for free). This was a little discouraging, so I really encourage you to read all the menus before choosing your dining experience. The staff on the ship was wonderful. They were always accommodating and inviting. The package of unlimited drinks was fantastic. Often these trips can really run up a bar tab (at $14.00 a drink), so it was a pleasant surprise at the end of the trip to not get stuck with a huge bill. As the trip goes on you can really feel like they are nickel and diming you to death. This was not a cheap trip, so I was really happy to save money where I could. Overall, I had a great time, very happy with my choice.

I appreciate the organization of all NCL they make it very easy to accommodate large groups. Tours are usually good. All food venues are outstanding. Service staff is top notch always. Thank you see you next year again!

Main issue was a lack of transparency/clear communication.  It wasn't a good start when staff told us we wouldn't be allowed off the ship until after the safety drill, meaning we were held on the ship for 5 hours for a 3 minute "presentation" which meant we lost our day in Venice because everything was closed once we were allowed off.  We weren't informed of this situation in NCL materials or prior to boarding the ship. Had we known we could have stored our luggage, and spent the day in Venice before checking in.  Also the check-in was slow, and I was the unlucky one given a yellow sticker & told I was a VIP and should go to the VIP line, which I wasted time looking for b/c it doesn't exist.  Apparently, all the yellow sticker meant was I was randomly selected to have the time it took for check-in recorded; however, since the paper was never completely filled in before taken, I'm guessing it was trashed b/c it wasn't a good reflection. It was hard to find info. about restaurant and pool times, which typically easily found at any hotel, but maybe it wasn't provided b/c it varies. Sometimes it was difficult to tell if staff was uninformed or deceptive, but it was easy to get different answers from 2 or more people.

Some of the wait staff had a concern for excellence, but as anywhere, at least as many didn't. The food was timed perfectly on the first day and seemed to get slower every day afterwards. We realized Windows served nearly the same menu as the buffet, but sometimes it was nice not to face the crowds, though eating outside near the pool was a favorite place. There was always a fish choice and the food often seemed better than what we saw on shore. At the end, the shrimp seemed a bit old, but thankfully no resulting illness. Hand sanitizer was required when returning to the ship & always offered at buffet.

Our cabin steward was a really nice kid but without attention to detail, knocking over my eye drops daily & putting our custom pillow on the opposite side from where it was left. Balcony room was nice to get fresh air and ocean sound and clean enough, but the carpet was so worn I wouldn't walk on it with bare feet.

The entertainment was very dance oriented.  After attending the attempt to cover songs, it was hard to go back.  I understand that it's people who didn't make the cut in LA, NYC, or Vegas, but wasn't something to look forward to.

I choose this cruise for the itinerary, the major ancient capitals, and that was good, but I didn't realize that Rome (and other stops) was so far from the port.  Getting to places we wanted to see from the port often cost more time than a well located hotel.  We always felt a time pressure to get back to the boat & one day took a taxi to the ship after not making the train we wanted, to then find that the ship was waiting for others until departure time (one day even later) instead of really having to be on board 30 minutes prior. Good for the late people, bad for us to spend extra money to get back at the listed time. As some fellow cruisers pointed out, cruising is more about getting a quick sample of places.

We did 2 NCL excursions, and one prior scheduled.  We much preferred the smaller one.  The first NCL excursion in Istanbul had a good guide and we weren't forced to watch a carpet demo, though the visit to the Blue Mosque could have been timed better so we didn't have to wait from the time it reopened, but the guide for Marsielle/Aix was so lame that several people left her early & she mostly pointed out the obvious such as what you could purchase at shops as we passed by.

We did make all our ports and most as scheduled. Early in the trip the boat glided, and it was mostly smooth sailing until the last day, when it got a bit nauseating. It's been too long between cruises to really compare NCL with another.

First of all thaks for give us a unforgatible vacations we liked so much

We received an excellence service from all the crew

Great shows, food, drinks, services, attention, cleanliness etc,etc, 

We were two couples from the USA booking this cruise 6 months in advance with balcony rooms.  Five countries on the Mediterranean in 12 days was truly a terrific experience with only two sea days and all the ports we were most interested in; Venice, Athens, Rome, Florence, and Barcelona.  As is usual on a cruise, there was almost always food available with frequent outdoor grilling and of course the buffet.  The two main table service dining rooms were very good with some of the wait staff extra pleasant.  The food selection off the menu varied each day and was mostly very good with the occasional just ok.  shore excursions were excellent as we booked two all day trips well in advance for Athens and Rome.  These were guided, transported, relatively small group excursions with very knowledgeable, personable, articulate guides.  Although these were long days, we were able to experience a huge amount of sites in these two cities.  Clearly it was far better than attempting these ports on our own.  For Istanbul, we hired a taxi driver right off the ship, and in Livorno, we hired a private car service in advance to take us to Florence.  Both of these turned out excellent as well.  The other ports we did on our own and had apartments in Venice preceding the cruise, and in Barcelona, on completing our cruise.  I used Trip Advisor and Airbnb respectively for these apartments that turned out fabulous and less than half the price of a hotel.  Our three week vacation from start to finish was truly an awesome experience.

Excellent ports of call and great food! The ship itself is a bit small but well maintained. Only issue was arrival at ports of call which where too close to disembarkation time and in some ports of call experienced long lines to disembark. 

My family of 5 took what we refer to as "Our trip of a lifetime" of the Norwegian Spirit.  We choose this particular cruise for the itinerary and timing...we have cruised many times before and have never been disappointed... until now. The ship was lovely and clean but the lack of customer service and not being up front about on board credits and cell phone compatibility leaves us wishing we waited for Carnival to return to Europe!  To get right to the point I have Sprint as my cell phone carrier and was told that it is incompatible with Norwegian...at least the Spirit....and I have an I-phone and Norwegian blocks the I-cloud!!!  If we were made aware of this...we could have worked around certain issues but it is not disclosed anywhere. Next as part of a promotion we were given $250 on board credit per stateroom which I asked if I could use toward gratuities...and was told yes...but when the final bill came they left over $300 credit on my account and said I could only use part of it...but 2 days prior to leaving I asked to see my bill and was never told that It could not be used toward gratuities...why would anyone leave a $300 credit on their account?  We could have spent that 10 times over...nowhere on the bill does it state that you can not nor does it state it on the paperwork I received from my travel agency.  Hear is where I lost all respect for Norwegian Cruise Line...as I was arguing about the bill their only solution was to take the money off of the gratuities for the employees!!!  Why should they suffer because the company is trying to pull a fast one on the consumer!  Shame on them...I will never cruise Norwegian again knowing that is how they treat their employees!

As for the lack of customer service...they need to take a Carnival cruise to see how it is done right.  To give just a couple of examples...my 11 year wanted an ice cream cone...they only have one machine...it was empty...but there was a sundae bar right next to it...so I ask the girl behind the counter for a scoop of ice cream for my son's cone that I was holding and she told me she could not give me one until 5:00!  I said are you kidding me the machine is out of order but she would not give me the ice cream so we waited for 5:00 and then she disappeared!  Still in disbelief I went to ask why and after 15 minutes I was put the phone with a chef that said it should not have happened...but it did. Then there was the pillow incident...the pillows were flat and hard and I had a very hard time sleeping so on the 4th day of the cruise I asked my steward for a different pillow...he told me to call customer service so he did not have to go and get it...I complied against my better judgment only to be told by housekeeping that is the only pillow available to me since I am not a VIP!  I still can not believe she said that to me...so no pillow for me for 2 more nights...then 2 different pillows showed up in our stateroom because I did not respond to a paper left on my door asking me if my problem was resolved to my satisfaction. We had several staff members be absolutely rude to us which has never happened on any of my other cruises.  We also had the unlimited drink package...good luck finding a waiter on the ship to come and get your order...we would wait no less than 1/2 hours to get a drink...most of the time we would just go to the bar ourselves.  My 11 year had a drink or soda package and we do not drink soda and I specifically asked if he could get virgin strawberry daiquiris  and juice...I was told yes...but no they would not give him either!   They say it is free style cruising but it is far from that...dinner there are 2 restaurants you can use unless again you want to pay more but really only one because you have to be dressed according to the dress code to get in to one of them.Then there was the matter of room service...they charge you $7.95 plus gratuities every time you use it.  And if your kids are in their camp there is a fee to feed them!  I have never been charged to feed the kids on my other cruises.  There unfortunately where many of these little incidents which made us very unhappy and they did not care at all...the lack of customer service was unbelievable!

We chose this cruise upon the request of our daughter to see Europe as a graduation gift. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go so we decided to visit multiple countries with the idea that after this trip she would better know where she would like to return in the future for another visit.  Her goal was accomplished. We had an awesome overview of each port and close cities and now anxious to return to several for another visit.  

As always we found Norwegian's freestyle cruising perfect for us. We were able to plan our itinerary ourselves or allow them to do it for us.  There was plenty of entertainment provided, but also lots of quiet zones.   Having a daily choice of eating times and venues is awesome compared to being assigned a time to eat as we have experienced with other cruise lines.

We found the crew to be extremely helpful and personal. Our cabin steward knew our first names the first day. Great job Conrad!

For us, twelve days proved to be a little to long. We would probably chose a shorter cruise if we did it again. Possibly staying in the embarcation and debarcation ports extra days.

This cruise proved to be a wonderful way to see many of the best places of southern Europe. Starting in Barcelona was the perfect way to get your feet wet to the European lifestyle, then traveling to France, Italy, Greece and Turkey was historical, beautiful and interesting. It would be difficult to go to all these places in one trip if you were on your own, so this cruise was a great way to see so much! I was especially excited that this trip included Turkey (Istanbul and Ephesus), and I was not disappointed! I felt safe knowing that all my belongings were safe on the ship and it was such a relief to visit Europe and have most of the logistical details planned for me. 

I've been on several Caribbean cruises in the past with Holland America Line, so this was a pretty new experience. In comparison to Holland America, the food in the main dining room and buffet (the places included with your cruise fare price) was not excellent, but still good. Because we picked this trip for the ports of call, the food was a bit of a trade-off. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the ship was.  Decorated very nice and the balcony stateroom was very good.  We had the beverage package and the dining package.  The specialty dining was very nice but took a little too long sometimes to get out dinner.  The Italian restaurant was not good at all.  We ate there once and agreed not to go back so changed our reservations.  The ports were excellent with my favorite Naples with a trip to Pompeii and Sorrento.  We missed our excursion in Rome to visit the Vatican so all we seen was the outside walls with three hour lines.  The biggest problem on the entire cruise was the crew being rude.  Our cabin steward was great and the casino staff were very good.  The wait staff in the specialty dinning were very good.  Bartenders were very rude, staff in buffet were very bad with attitudes.  Need help with customer service throughout the ship.