Norwegian Spirit

Launched in 1998, Norwegian Spirit is the sole Leo-class ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet.

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE (NYC). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL, Oceania and RSSC (Regent).

The 75,904-ton, 2,018-passenger cruise ship Norwegian Spirit was initially sailing as the Malaysia-based Star Cruises' SuperStar Leo. Taken by NCL in 2004, Norwegian Spirit still boasts a pleasing, Asian-designed decor with artifacts on display. Ship's staircases have wood and iron railings, the atrium boasts glass elevators and waterfalls, and the colour palette is more mellow than over-the-top. The Stardust Theater is renovated with new red-velvet seats, and nearly all the upholstery and carpeting on the vessel was changed due to the regular refurbishments that make the ship look new and fresh.

Cruise itinerary program

Norwegian Spirit itinerary program is based on year-round European voyages in the Mediterranean Sea from Malaga, Barcelona and Venice. The ship also sails to the Canary Islands, Madeira and Morocco (North Africa).

Cabins

Most Norwegian Spirit staterooms are 150-sq.foot Inside rooms (384). There are a total of 1006 staterooms in 27 categories. The largest aboard Norwegian Spirit are the Owners Suites (530 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Norwegian Spirit has two main dining rooms, the Garden Room and Windows, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both are at no additional cost. Windows is the more elegant of the two, located aft with Palladian-style windows overlooking the stern's wake. The venue is downright romantic, featuring classic ocean liner decor with dark woods and cushy chairs. The Garden Room is U-shaped and has a more modern, casual look. The cuisine in both dining rooms is a bit pedestrian, so foodies will prefer to check out the alternative dining venues, and there are many to choose from.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Spirit restaurants and food bars.

• The Garden Restaurant (forward Dining Room, complimentary, with Your Time dining)
• Le Bistro (French specialty dinner-only restaurant; reservations-only; US$20 cover charge)
• Windows Restaurant (aft-location Dining Room; complimentary; Freestyle dining)
• Blue Lagoon Cafe (24-hour fast food restaurant)
• Henry’s Pub (English pub/bar & grill)
• Shogun (Asian restaurant, complimentary since 2015)
• Teppanyaki Room (Japanese Hibachi specialty restaurant inside the Shogun restaurant)
• Sushi Bar; Sake Bar (inside the Shogun dining complex)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (specialty dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialties; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu)
• Raffles Court & Terrace (complimentary lido buffet restaurant)
• La Trattoria (Italian specialty restaurant, cover charge US$15 pp)
• Bier Garten (Bavarian-themed snack and beer bar).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Norwegian Spirit boasts an impressive number of lounges, bars and entertainment venues. The Maharini's Lounge & Nightclub is accessed only through the casino. It features an Indian-influenced decor with velvet curtains, plush daybeds with pillows and fancy chandeliers. Another fun space is the English-style Henry's Pub. Henry's is a better spot to watch sporting events than the Shanghai sports bar. At night, choose the Henry's for folk music. Shanghai Bar's main attractions are the 7 private karaoke rooms for those who want to sing along without a crowd. Champagne Charlie's offers live music in the evenings, and the sound drifts throughout the atrium.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Spirit lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Stardust Theatre (800-seat; features Broadway-style musical productions; two grand-shows per night)
• Cafe 49; The Cafe; Shanghai Bar (sports bar); Champagne Charlie’s Bar
• Maharini’s Lounge & Nightclub; Galaxy of the Stars Lounge & Disco; Celebrity Disco
• Maharajah’s Casino
• Art Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop
• The Writing Room; The Card Room; Lifestyle Room & Internet Cafe; Library & Internet Cafe
• Galleria Shops & Boutiques (tax and duty free shops)
• Roman Spa & Fitness Centre (gym with Aerobics Studio; Mandara Spa, treatment rooms, Steam and Sauna, Oscar’s Hair & Beauty Salon, relaxation area); Tivoli Pool, 4 Whirlpools, tennis tables
• Video Games Arcade; Buccaneer’s Wet & Wild (AquaPark); Charlie’s Child Care Centre; Splash Academy (complimentary kids programme venue)
• Walking Promenade; Basketball Court; Jogging Track; Golf Nets.

• Cabin grades number: 27
• Total number of cabins: 1006 (of which 382 Balcony, 387 Inside rooms)
• Dining Rooms: The Garden, Windows
• Restaurants and food bars: "LE BISTRO" (French), "TEPPANYAKI" (Japanese), "BLUE LAGOON" (buffet), "LA TRATTORIA" (Italian), "CAGNEY'S" (steakhouse), Sushi Bar.
• Lounges & Bars: SAKE, CAFE 49, HENRY'S (pub), SHANGHAI, CHARLIE'S, TERRACE, nightclubs (MAHARINI'S, GALAXY OF THE STARS).
• Amenities: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("NCL Kids"), Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry. Norwegian Spirit tipping/gratuities (US$12 pp per day). NCL Spirit cruise ship weddings are performed in some of the meeting rooms (no chapel on board).
• Entertainment - the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each sailing), comedy and magician shows (WHITE HOT PARTY, ON BROADWAY, SOUL ROCKIN' NIGHTS, ELEMENTS), casino, ROMAN Spa and Fitness, 5 jacuzzis, 2 pools ((kids AquaPark Buccaneer’s).
• The NCL Spirit ship was formerly built as "SuperStar Leo" for Star Cruises (Asian line owned by Genting Hong Kong). The vessel is of an unique (Leo-class), without sisters in the NCL fleet, but with a sister in the Star Cruises fleet - the cruise ship SuperStar Virgo.
• Initially, the SuperStar Leo ship was operating SouthEast Asia cruises from Singapore to Malaysia and Thailand (2- to 5-day round-trip itineraries). In 1999 she was relocated to Hong Kong (for 1-5 day itineraries visiting ports in China and Vietnam). In 2003 was transferred to Australia.
• NCL Spirit's history began in 2004. After 2 weeks refurbishment works, she entered the NCL fleet under her current name.
• The cruise ship was involved in all four (for now) pier-collision accidents - in 2005 (Juneau Alaska), in 2007 and 2008 (both in NYC New York) and in 2011 (Cozumel Mexico).