Norwegian Spirit Review
Rating by category
Additional details
It was too windy to dock in Marseilles so we went to Ajaccio which was charming. We know Barcelona well so did not explore this time but you should if you haven't seen it. No hassle with embarkation etc but it's a lot less tedious going from Southampton as there's no waiting and queuing in the airport. We had sailed Cunard and Princess before so this time went for our first free drinks package and the good deal with mixed feelings about the service and the older ship. We were very pleasantly surprised. The ship had character and history and her past is exhibited in the bridge viewing room which you descend into from the Galaxy of the Stars on deck 12, a space which felt like home to us both day and night with great 360 views and excellent service. Some decor on the ship is a bit fussy and quirky but Galaxy is updated and it's all clean and easy to negotiate. It felt quite empty at times even though the captain said we were full. The cabin was fine although the TV is basic compared to the state of the art tech on board new ships like Regal Princess. It didn't bother us. Each ship has its pros and cons and you need to accept this and adapt or you won't enjoy it. The aircon was not that great and we struggled to turn it low enough as we like a cool room. Entertainment was just OK, nowhere near as good as Princess but I would still like to cruise with NCL again. The crew got top marks for their attitude and professionalism and there were hardly any hard sells like on Princess. It wasn't formal and timelessly elegant like Cunard, or as spectacular for food and entertainment as Regal but it wasn't far off and felt more intimate. We felt at home and met some really lovely people from Canada and the US. We were glad we booked trips independently as NCL charge way too much. The highlights were our 2 meals in Cagney's. We had the special dining free package and were able to go there twice as you don't have to do 3 separate restaurants. The best steaks we have ever eaten and the complimentary wine from the list was a really decent choice and kept flowing! The Wolfblass Shiraz was the favourite and there was a great NZ Sauvignon. We enjoyed both dressing for dinner as well as sometimes being more relaxed. It was just completely freestyle. There were all different types of food and restaurants to please everybody, even in the buffet. We would recommend NCL for an enjoyable, relaxed and special experience that is also exceptional value for money delivered by professional and very friendly staff.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Very comfy bed and adequate storage. Very spacious bathroom, the largest we've had on any ship, so far. It had the shower, basin and toilet all in their separate areas which we appreciated. TV basic, no choice of films which wasn't an issue. Brought drinks container and filled it with the tap water which was absolutely fine then put it in the fridge to take with us in the ports. Occasionally had towel animals and staff only did your room or changed towels if you wanted it so you could put the do not disturb on and staff fitted around you unobtrusively. Aircon rattly in bathroom and didn't get very cool.
Port Reviews
Naples
Take the hop on hop off bus. It gave a great view of the whole bay and the inner city too on the other route. Really good value for money at about 22 euros pp. Tip - take your own earphones to plug into the commentary, more comfy and don't drop out. The tickets lasts for 24 hours. We used then for a few hours then passed them to friends we had met who used them later. Naples is absolutely mad busy with some interesting ramshackle areas. Be careful of thieves and crossing the road like in any city.
Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)
Negotiate with a taxi driver! For 80 euros a local (Bartolome) took us on a 3 hour tour of the church, the bullring, the proper discounted Mallorcan pearl factory with really lovely cheap goods, and into a typically Spanish local market where we had real tortilla wedge and a super coffee. We paid under 10 euros for the 3 lovely tapas with coffees. I adore Palma and we are planning to return to Mallorca. He also drove us around the different areas so we were able to scope them with a view to returning self catering.