This sailing on the Norwegian Spirit was significant to my family for three reasons. First, this was our first cruise that sailed to both Hawaii AND Alaska. The Spirit sails this itinerary one or two times a year and I HIGHLY recommend it (although packing will fill up your curse jar in record time). Second, this was the smallest NCL ship we’ve ever sailed on (and I consider that a good thing). And third, two of the three of us came home with Covid. After more post-Covid cruises than I can count, it was bound to happen eventually and, thankfully, we didn’t test positive and experience (mild) symptoms until after we arrived back home to Seattle. But even with a Covid chaser, this cruise was one of my favorites ever!
Let me introduce you to the ship, then I’ll discuss the many, many things I loved about her and a few things I didn’t love. I’ll even throw in a handful of extra-credit pro tips for those who slog along all the way to the end! So with that…
At 880 feet long and, according to approximately 384,000 veterinary scales (I mean, how else would you weigh a cruise ship?), weighing in at 95,904 gross tons, the Spirit is actually the smallest ship in the NCL fleet. However, what she lacks in size, she makes up for in speed – she could beat the Encore in a race with a max speed of 28 MPH (vs 26 MPH for the Encore). She can carry up to 2,018 passengers (based on double occupancy) and 912 very happy crew (because they don’t have to constantly direct lost passengers to the go karts).
Much like me, the Norwegian Spirit completely reinvented herself (sadly I had a real job before becoming a “Professor of Cruising”). She was born in 1998 to Star Cruises and named SuperStar Leo, but in 2004 her hippie parents no longer wanted her and she was transferred to the loving care of Norwegian Cruise Line and renamed the Spirit. Then in 2020 she underwent a massive 120 million dollar refurbishment, to emerge post-Covid as an entirely new version of herself. Many were hoping she would inspire me to undergo a few “updates” too. But alas, I still shun makeup and pack the same outfits I’ve been cruising in for over a decade. *shrug*
Her refurbishment really is impressive. The only videos I could find of her prior to my sailing were from before the pandemic shutdown, so she looked like an entirely different ship when I stepped onboard. Here’s a complete ship tour of the Spirit post-refurbishment:
And here are the many things I loved about her…
Let’s start with food because, well, I do more eating on a cruise than anything else.
I would not have been successful at avoiding an assassin on the Spirit because every night at 7:00pm I could be found in the exact same spot: the crepe station on the buffet. At least I would have died happy, because with numerous rotating filling options and fresh creme for the top, the crepes were amazing!
Extra Credit Pro Tip: If you want a simple but delicious crepe, grab a pack of butter near the bread station and some sugar near the coffee and ask for them in your crepe.
Extra Credit Pro Tip: If you want any of the fillings (they had M&M’s one night, for example) on their own, you can take a bowl up and have the crew member making the crepes fill it up for you.
There were so many outstanding desserts both in the buffet and dining room on the Spirit, but my number one favorites were the warm cobblers and bread puddings served with homemade caramel sauce at lunch and dinner in the buffet. And if that wasn’t good enough…
I always asked for a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! There were also always at least three other rotating flavors of hard ice cream/sherbet on the buffet served in either a cone or bowl.
Breakfast at Local was a great alternative to the buffet and dining room. It was quiet and the food was hot, fresh, and delicious.
Here’s the menu:
And a few more food pics. I loved everything I ordered there.
While we were pretty disappointed in the other two specialty restaurants we visited (stay tuned), we loved Onda and ate there twice (for free with our dining package/platinum benefits). Mr. Cruise especially loved the pizzas (which could be ordered as an appetizer with the dining package/platinum dinner) and I loved that there were great vegetarian options. I don’t think we’d pay retail to eat there, but we really enjoyed it as a free perk and appreciated having something different on such a long itinerary.
Here’s the menu:
For meat eaters, Mr. Cruise recommends the macellaio pizza, the braised octopus, and the tagliatelle pasta. For vegetarians I loved the creamy polenta, the mezzelune pasta, and the rosemary lentils. We tried most of the desserts and the butterscotch budino and the panna cotta were our favorites.
Silk, the complimentary Asian restaurant on the Spirit, is another great alternative to the buffet and dining room. We ate there twice and enjoyed everything we tried, although I wish there was a vegetarian entree on the menu.
Here’s the menu:
And here were my two favorite desserts:
Extra Credit Pro Tip: Order the Wasabi Cocktail at Silk. It’s my #1 favorite cocktail at sea!
If the next cruise ship I sail on sinks, it’s because I talked about salad in a cruise review. But because this was such a long sailing, I figured I’d need a few vitamins here and there to keep me alive. And the least offensive way I found to get them was through the rotating daily pre-made salads on the salad bar. I’d mix all three of them together over a big pile of greens and it turned out like a fancy salad you’d get at, like, Nordstroms.
Time spent eating was followed closely by time spent drinking on this sailing. While we normally opt for the “sail away” rate that doesn’t include the beverage package, due to price drops, we ended up getting a better cabin and the dining and beverage package included for less (including the gratuity charges) than what we originally paid for our “sail away” inside cabin. And with 16 days, we were able to take full advantage of it.
I started by ordering all my favorites: bushwackers, lemon drops, and mango meltdowns, among others…
Then I made my way through each bar menu.
But after that there were still 10 days left! So I started playing games like, “order a drink starting with every letter of the alphabet.” Or I’d have a color of the day. This day was red:
By day 16, I’d been officially cut off by both the ship doctor, my family, and the general public who’d never heard Whitney Houston sung quite like that before. So I ordered a Pepsi and threw in some peanuts to jazz it up.
You can read my Ultimate Guide To NCL’s Premium Beverage Package Promotion in 2022 HERE!
We’re not done with drinking yet though! I can’t forget the rotating “sustainable” drink of the day available at the Spice H20 Bar on deck 10 aft. I have no idea what makes them sustainable other than the paper straws they serve with them that had me cursing myself ($1 for the jar) for forgetting to pack my metal straws and Googling, “can Amazon Prime deliver to a cruise ship?”
Anyway, some were better than others, but they were really fun to try.
Henry’s was my favorite bar on the Spirit. It was conveniently located off the atrium, but was also a bit hidden away behind the internet cafe, so it was almost never crowded. Plus peanuts were served and the menu included two weird, but delicious drinks, “grass clippings” (pictured above on the right) and the “getaway.” While the name “grass clippings” reminds me of all the reasons I live in a downtown high rise (if I never have to mow another lawn…), it’s truly a great drink. Give it a try if you like cucumber and cilantro (I know some of you are gagging right now…sorry!). Here’s the menu:
While it’s normally impossible to talk about cruise buffet “coffee” without air quotes and dramatic gagging sounds, the complimentary Colombian coffee on the Spirit was quite good.
This was the perfect sized ship for me. Even though it’s the smallest ship in the NCL fleet, it’s not SO small that if I wore the same three outfits for the entire cruise (I should have said when) everyone would notice, but not so big as to require her own congressional district.
NCL is known for its hull art, and while the new hull art on the Spirit isn’t as eye-catching as some, I love the colors and calming wave-like pattern.
And while I love what was done during the refurbishment to the outside of the ship, the inside is even more impressive. The interior received a complete overhaul including some fairly significant structural changes such as the removal of a fountain in the atrium, the addition of a giant screen, and a staircase. New venues were added, the kid’s club and kids water park were removed (more on that later), every stateroom was redesigned and modernized, and all carpets, art pieces, furniture, and other furnishings were replaced. Those who sailed on her post refurbishment would see her now and gossip like a couple of neighborhood busy bodies about all the work she’s had done: “I wonder how much that new restaurant set her shareholders back.”
While a fountain in a cruise atrium sounds kind of cool to me, it’s probably like a water bed. Cool in theory, but not very functional. But the new atrium is all kinds of functional, with lots of comfortable seating, an area for crew to host trivia and other events, and a giant screen. There’s also a beautiful glass staircase which allows for easy access to Magnum’s bar and the shops one deck up. The glass elevators, interior facing windows, and Roman style columns remain from her prior lives to remind us that this gal is the perfect combination of old and new.
While the Spinnaker Observation Lounge on the Spirit isn’t as huge and dramatic as it is on some of the newer NCL mega ships, it’s still pretty impressive with sweeping views out the front of the ship. It’s a great place to read, look for wildlife, attend trivia, make a craft, or listen to some live music. It can get crowded, especially on bad weather days, so secure your spot (and a helper to bring you your meals and save your spot when nature calls) early!
This was my favorite (non-food) area on this ship! Located aft on decks 10, 11, and 12, Spice H20 includes padded loungers (many of them shaded for much of the day if you’re a fellow vampire) with gorgeous wake views. This was my view for much of our cruise (You WILL see a lot of your own feet, so you may consider a pre-cruise pedicure or, at the least, matching socks.):
The hot tub to human ratio on the Spirit was among the best of any ship I’ve sailed on. There are four hot tubs located near the main lido pool and two more located aft in Spice H20 (these are adults only and have amazing views out the back of the ship). We never had trouble finding an open hot tub.
While I didn’t partake of the basketball court much myself, it was one of the only kid-friendly areas of the ship and kept my son occupied for hours each day.
Those bored (I mean kind) enough to regularly read my reviews know that I’m obsessed with wraparound promenade decks and the Spirit had a great one! While there was no seating, it was wide and perfect for walking and one of my favorite features of the Spirit! I wish the newer ships had them!
With no Kid’s Club or amusement park-like features, we had to sell the glass elevators to my son as a “ride.” He didn’t buy it, but I almost convinced myself and sometimes rode them up and down for hours before my Mr. Cruise tracked me down for meals: “you can ride them again if you eat all your dinner!”
Another feature I love about older ships are the wide stateroom hallways. I don’t know why hallways got narrower as people got fatter. But after 16 days of carb loading, I appreciated the extra space on this old gal.
For warm weather sailings, it’s nice to eat outdoors. Located just aft of the buffet is “The Great Outdoors” with numerous tables and a dedicated bar with full drink service. It was usually less crowded than the indoor buffet area and offered fresh air and great views.
Spinning is my least hated form of exercise. I still hate it, mind you, but not with the same passion as the treadmill or elliptical machine. So I was happy to see a spin room on the Spirit. And I was able to use it early in the morning for the first half of our sailing. After that the room was locked and I was no longer able to use it without signing up for a class.
The gym overall was large and clean, had good hours (although I wish ship gyms would stay open 24 hours), and all the equipment looked brand new.
The piano bar vocalist onboard, Chelsea Reynolds, was fabulous. And her Fleetwood Mac tribute show was my favorite performance over all 16 days.
While I don’t usually love magic and hypnosis and skip those shows if I’m sailing solo, my son LOVED these shows on the Spirit. You can see a recording of the hypnotist here:
The jogging track on the Spirit was so narrow, it made it nearly impossible for anyone with a pace above that of a drunk snail to get a proper run in (because you’ll get stuck behind walkers with no room to pass). Your best bet is to get up there very, very early in the morning or very, very late at night.
I usually find eating at specialty restaurants as a vegetarian extremely disappointing and my experience at Le Bistro and Cagney’s was, sadly, consistent with past experience. While there were a few vegetarian items on the Le Bistro menu, they all had blue cheese, which reminds me of rotten milk soaked gym socks in a sweltering car. And saying “hold the blue cheese” left me with some plain lettuce and a bland veggie thing. The dessert was good, but honestly not much better than the buffet and main dining room desserts. Mr. Cruise, not a vegetarian, ate there with me and reported that he liked his soup and appetizer, but that his fish tasted, “fishy.” Overall, it was a fail for us and we probably won’t eat there again, even if it’s free (which it was this time).
Cagney’s was a fail too. I ended up ordering a tomato appetizer (that was literally just a tomato with a bit of a garnish and a drizzle of dressing), several tiny (and I mean TINY) vegetarian sides, and the smallest portion of berry crisp I’ve ever seen. And it was no better or different than the crisps available on the buffet. I’m used to steakhouse desserts being huge and delicious, so I was pretty disappointed. I wouldn’t eat there again.
Mr. Cruise once again liked his soup (lobster bisque), but found the portion of his fish plate small and the quality underwhelming. The cheesecake was good, but not worth paying extra for. I know many love Cagney’s and we probably just ordered wrong, but we’d skip it in favor of Onda in the future.
The refurbished Spirit is the first “adults oriented” NCL ship at sea. While kids are permitted to sail on the ship, there’s no kid’s club or dedicated youth-only spaces. There were some activities geared toward kids and teens (video game competitions, sports competitions, etc), but otherwise this was not a youth friendly ship.
There were about 100 kids/teens onboard and nowhere for them to go. So at times it felt like the worst of both worlds. Kids, but bored kids who had no choice but to hang out in spots where adults were hanging out. As much as I hate to say this (because we love bringing our son on long, unique itineraries with us, like those featured on the Spirit), I’m wondering if it would make more sense for NCL to just go all in and make this an adults only ship. Share your thoughts about this to the comments.
Now that we have the negative stuff out of the way, here are seven extra credit pro tips that I hope will help you maximize your time onboard the Spirit, if you’re lucky enough to be booked on her:
As of our sailing the ship tour for guests who are platinum status or higher still wasn’t available. However, in lieu of it, you can receive $25 in onboard credit. HOWEVER, you must ask for it at the Cruise Next desk on embarkation day.
For cold or hot weather days, my two favorite indoor spots were:
Two tables with comfortable chairs next to a giant window located just off the Magnum’s Champagne Bar on deck 8 midship. They are tucked away a bit and offer some serenity and privacy.
And this elevated seating on either side of the front of the Spinnaker Observation Lounge:
The “secret” multi-purpose room located all the way forward on deck 13 isn’t even listed on many deck plans, but, trust me, it’s there! And it’s a great, uncrowded spot to take in the views from the front of the ship, play cards or a board game, or borrow a book. It features game tables, a small library, a large television, and comfortable seating facing out the front of the ship. Here’s a tour:
One of the downsides of the Premium Beverage Package on NCL is that it doesn’t include espresso drinks. However, it DOES include Irish or Spanish coffee. If you’re looking for a spiked hot beverage (perfect if you’re cruising to Alaska where it can be chilly), order one at most bars and in the dining rooms!
Buffet seating can get VERY crowded at peak times. However, additional seating is available at breakfast and lunch at the Onda restaurant.
I often had the whole place to myself and it’s a beautiful space!
While the dining room opens for dinner at 5:30pm, the line starts forming earlier. And they always fill up the window seats first! Get there by about 5:15pm if you want to sit next to a window (including the gorgeous aft windows for which the dining room is named):
You can find all the dining and bar menus here:
Norwegian Dining and Restaurant Menus 2022
Norwegian Cruise Line Bar Menus And Drink Prices 2022
With a final toast:
And one of our best cruises ever behind us:
We arrived home with an unwelcome stowaway (you can read about my experience catching Covid on the Spirit HERE):
But thankful for mild symptoms and treasured memories to see us through quarantine, including one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen at sea:
And with that…
Class Dismissed!
Homework (10 points): Check out my review and tour of a balcony cabin on the Norwegian Spirit.
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