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Norwegian Spirit Review
By Jana Jones
Norwegian Spirit, which was relocated to New York for year-round residency alongside Norwegian Dawn and will move on to New Orleans in fall 2007, offers much of what cruisers have come to expect from NCL: a wide range of restaurants, state-of-the-art kids' facilities, and numerous bars and lounges. However, in preparing for its move to the Big Apple, Norwegian Spirit underwent a renovation and refurbishment, and the results were not what we expected. Don't worry, we mean that in a good way. But first, a crash course in this ship's unique history ...
In the first few days of January 2004, all was going as planned for NCL. The line was planning on a late-spring launch for a groundbreaking American-flagged ship, Pride of America; after the Alaska season, Norwegian Sky was to be refitted and fly the U.S. flag as Pride of Aloha. But later that month, tragedy struck: Pride of America partially sank while nearing completion at the Lloyd Werft Shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.
With the flooding of Pride of America and Hawaiian itineraries to fulfill, NCL quickly changed its plan and stepped up the transformation of Norwegian Sky, which left them one ship short in Alaska. This is where Star Cruises, the Malaysian parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, comes in. The line gifted NCL with a large ship that could meet the needs of the North American cruise market: SuperStar Leo, which launched in 1998. Renamed Norwegian Spirit, the vessel was refit in a mere two weeks for the North American market -- and many of the Asian influences were left untouched, such as Chinese decor throughout and a specially designed room for mah-jongg.
To make a long story short, we thought for sure the lines of modern convenience and Asian
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custom would be blurred after Spirit's latest refurbishment. However, we were pleasantly surprised to see that many special Eastern touches still remain -- and, according to NCL, are here to stay. Asian artwork remains on the walls in public areas and suites, and public spaces are toned down in color compared to other NCL vessels (no bright neon as on Norwegian Jewel and Dawn), making the atmosphere feel a bit more upscale and setting the ship apart from others in the fleet.
So what exactly did change onboard? Soft goods, such as bedding, were upgraded and carpets were replaced; signage was modified (though Asian-language characters can still be seen here and there); and Maxim's Steakhouse and Taipan Bistro swapped spots and were renamed Cagney's and Le Bistro, respectively, to fit in with the rest of the NCL fleet. But the best outcome of the refurbishment is without a doubt the addition of a swank new nightclub -- a back portion of the too-large casino was converted into the two-room Maharini's Lounge & Nightclub, a super-mod after-hours hangout.
The moral of the story: Change is good -- but if it isn't broken, don't fix it.
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