Norwegian Cruise Line - Spirit Reviews

My husband and I took our first cruise in Nov 09, aboard the Norwegian Spirit, for a western Caribbean cruise.  I had heard both good and bad concerning cruising and we were both a little apprehensive over what our experience would be like.  Prior to our choosing a cruise line or even a particular ship we spent hours reading reviews and listening to friends and family who had cruised before.  We hoped we would experience only the good and not some of the horror stories we had read or heard about. 

The Spirit had recently been overhauled in 2008 and it showed.  The ship was beautiful and everything...

We just returned from the Boston to Bermuda cruise on the Norwegian Spirit, May 1 - 8, 2009.  Just wanted to let everyone know it was WONDERFUL.  We read a lot of bad reviews before we left and almost cancelled,  but we had no problem.  The ship was clean and beautiful, the staff was very friendly, the food was very good, and the weather and scenery in Bermuda were fantastic.  

We heard that the ship was renovated recently and it showed.  The cabin linens were pristine and we didn't see any run down areas on the ship at all.

The only problem we had was some rough seas on the way down. ...

Re: the Norwegian Spirit -- This was my first cruise, and until I get over the shock, it's likely to be my last. First, I agree with all of the reviewers here -- the food was lame. And the whole "Freestyle" cruise thing is a complete rip-off -- you can eat "freely" in the buffet with 2000 of your closest friends (I couldn't even find my husband for the crowds), spend 6 nights in the very average Garden Room or Windows or succumb (as we did) to the "better" ethnic restaurants and pay a hefty surcharge. We were what I consider very moderate in our spending -- I played Bingo out of sheer boredom twice...

Fourteen family members (aunts, uncles, cousins) my husband and myself went to the Bahamas, Tortola and St. Thomas aboard the Norwegian "Spirit" in May 2007.  We were with a AARP Group out of NY. We had a blast!  Ship was lovely, restaurants were good, "free styling" is for me, casino was too smokey every night so we could not stay long, ship's crew was accommodating, Captain was fun, entertainment was so-so. 

While returning to NY, while at sea, my husband slipped and fell while carrying his plate at the "Grill" above the pool.  The crew had removed a table, leaving four bolts sticking up...

My husband and I, along with four of our friends, boarded the NCL Spirit in Boston on October 23, 2009, and ended our trip in New Orleans on November 8, 2009. The following is a list of problems we encountered along the way.

When we boarded the ship, I noticed a sewerage odor. When we entered our stateroom and bathroom, there was the same sewerage smell, and that smell remained the entire cruise. I believe a system problem exists.

A couple of days into the cruise came the "Norwalk" virus. Two of our party contracted the illness and were quarantined to their cabins for 24-48 hours. One of the two...

First things first - the good: traveling with my 87 yr old mother - embarking and disembarking was courteous, fast, great. Entertainment - all tried very hard to make our cruise memorable.  Now the bad:  water by the pool on the decks made for very slippery conditions - they should pay for someone to specifically squeegie the deck - would make more sense. They should designate an area for handicapped or elderly to sit in a shaded area of the deck by the pool - no seats available anywhere.  Everything felt sticky - in the elevators the pool chairs, etc.  Freestyle cruising was OK if you don't...

DO NOT GO ON THIS SHIP. MY GRANDMOTHER WAS ON THIS SHIP AND SLIPPED BY THE POOL. THEIR STAFF REFUSED TO OPEN THE MEDICAL CENTER FOR HER. WHEN THEY WERE FINALLY FORCED TO THEY TOLD HER SHE SPRAINED HER ARM (WHEN SHE CLEARLY TOLD THEM IT WAS HER NECK AND NOT HER ARM THAT HURT) AND WOULD NOT TREAT HER ANY FURTHER, THEY LEFT HER FOR OVER 24 HOURS WITH A FRACTURED SPINAL CORD WHEN SHE WAS FINALLY OPERATED ON HER NECK WAS IN HER BACK AND SHE IS NOW ON LIFE SUPPORT AND MAY NOT MAKE IT.

WHEN THE BOAT DOCKED THEY WOULDNT EVEN LET HER OFF THE BOAT THEY TOLD US SHE WAS NOT A PRIORITY. DO NOT TAKE THIS...

NCL - Spirit is a fine ship - however this ship's business model - Freestyle Cruising - is not for me - at eveything but the budget inexpensive food in Raffles, Garden, Blue Lagon and Windows there is an additional upcharge of $10 to $25 in the NICE restaurants and even additional charges on top of the $10 to $25 cover if you want the best quality meals like Lobster. This makes me feel like they are  "forcing" you to spend the extra money if you want the best quality food that I have come to expect based on other cruise lines. This was a Thankgiving week cruise - the New Orleans port check...