Norwegian Spirit Review
Small ship experience; would be good for a first time cruiser.
Rating by category
Additional details
First things first. As you may have heard before - a cruise is what you make it - I believe that anyone can get on any ship and with the right attitude can have a good time. I just got off of the Norwegian Spirit and, because I went in with an open mind and a positive attitude, I had a good time. If you approach a cruise looking for things that are wrong, searching for fault, you will NOT have a good time - it will never be perfect, find what you like about a ship/cruise and enjoy it!
That being said, I have become a some-what experienced cruiser and now that i am off the ship i am happy to reflect on the experience objectively with the hopes to guide others to the ship that would fit it best - and steer away those that would not.
Embarkation:
Cabin Review
Inside
We booked the smallest, least-expensive cabin available. This has become a theme for me when cruising with the exception of when i have the luxury of booking a suite (few and far between). This is one of the ways that i attempt to save a little money on vacation because once i get on-board I like to treat myself.
This particular inside cabin was the smallest i have come across. A little history on the ship - it is the oldest active ship in Norwegian's fleet and prior to this was owned and operated by another cruise line based out of an asian port. The primary passengers on these ships were from asian countries and were primarily of smaller stature as compared to the average american passenger. This is evident in the size of the rooms and in particular in the size of the bathrooms/showers. If you plan to cruise on the Spirit know this going in.
My stateroom attendant "Putu" was great. He is the best example of great service that i experienced on-board. Examples: He knew our names/faces after the first day, he was always kind and readily available, and (surprisingly) i was never once awoken/walked-in on while in my room during servicing hours. (On all prior cruises, at some point during the cruise, my cabin attendant has come into my room while i was sleeping/lounging/etc. I have never been upset about this because i am there for 7 nights and they are servicing the rooms twice a day...its bound to happen, i have never used the "DND" sign as i have never really been caught in an embarrassing moment - on this cruise it was almost as if Putu was watching at all times to see when his passengers leave their cabins - he had it down to a science.