Norwegian Spirit

The 1998-built (as "SuperStar Leo") Norwegian Spirit cruise ship is NCL's unique Leo-class liner, with sistership SuperStar Virgo (Explorer Dream) operated since April 2019 by Dream Cruises (GHK).

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 a worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL, Oceania and RSSC-Regent.

The 2000-passenger 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. The ship's staircases have wood and iron railings, the atrium boasts glass elevators and waterfalls, and the color 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.

Decks and Cabins

Norwegian Spirit staterooms (1006 total, in 27 grades) include 18x Suites, 382 Balcony, 222 Oceanview and 384 Inside cabins. Most cabins are sized 150-170 ft2 (14-16 m2). The largest accommodations are the Owners Suite (530 ft2 / 49 m2, with terrace sized 75 ft2 / 7 m2).

The boat has 13 decks, of which 10 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.

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 speciality 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 speciality restaurant inside the Shogun restaurant)
• Sushi Bar; Sake Bar (inside the Shogun dining complex)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (speciality dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialities; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu)
• Raffles Court & Terrace (complimentary lido buffet restaurant)
• La Trattoria (Italian speciality 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 English-style Henry's Pub. Henry's is a better spot to watch sporting events than the Shanghai sports bar. At night, choose 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. Entertainment options also include the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each voyage), "Rock of Ages", "Cirque Dreams", "Illusionarium" (magicians show).

Additional amenities include: 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).

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, 5 Whirlpools, tennis tables
• Video Games Arcade; Buccaneer’s Wet & Wild (AquaPark, kids' pool); Charlie’s Child Care Centre; Splash Academy (complimentary kids programme venue)
• Walking Promenade; Basketball Court; Jogging Track; Golf Nets.

Itineraries

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).

The vessel was launched as "SuperStar Leo" for Star Cruises (Asian brand owned by GHK-Genting Hong Kong). It belongs to the unique Leo-Class - with sistership SuperStar Virgo (now Explorer Dream). Initially, SuperStar Leo was operating Southeast Asia cruises from homeport Singapore to ports in Malaysia and Thailand (2- to 5-day roundtrips). In 1999, the liner was relocated and homeported in Hong Kong for 1- to 5-day itineraries to ports in China and Vietnam. In 2003, it was deployed in Australia, then joined NCL (in 2004) following a 2-week drydock.

NCL Spirit refurbishments review

The ship's drydock refurbishment in 2020 (January 2 - February 10) was done in Marseille France (at Chantier Naval de Marseille shipyard). The USD 100 million, 40-days long renovation project resulted in adding 14 new venues (dining, bars, lounges), new staterooms, enlarged and redesigned wellness complex (Mandara Spa and Pulse Fitness). The hull was repainted and its hull art changed.

The list of new dining venues includes Taste (3rd Main Dining Room / complimentary restaurant), The Local Bar and Grill (24-hour complimentary food bar), Garden Cafe (all-day complimentary restaurant), the Great Outdoors Bar and Grill (complimentary), Waves Pool Bar (poolside complimentary fast-food venue), Onda by Scarpetta (Italian specialty restaurant / at fee).

The three new bar lounges added on the liner are Bliss Ultra Lounge and Spinnaker Lounge (part of which is the Humidor Cigar Lounge). The kids outdoor playground Splash Academy (waterpark) was replaced with Spice H2O - adults-only outdoor relaxation complex with two large whirlpools (outdoor hot tubs) and poolside bar. In the evenings, Spice H2O transforms into a disco nightclub.

Mandara Spa was expanded - doubled in size to ~650 m2 (7000 ft2). To the ship's wellness complex were added Relaxation Lounge (with heated loungers), Jacuzzi Room, Sauna Room, Steam Room, Thalassotherapy Pool. The Fitness Center was enlarged and upgraded with new gym equipment.

NCL Spirit refurbishment 2017 review

During ship's drydock in 2017 January (in Freeport Bahamas) were made general maintenance updates to public areas, restaurants and top-tier staterooms (suites) Updates were also made in crew-only areas (to improve onboard services) and to some equipment (to increase onboard power efficiency). Additional upgrades and full technical enhancements were made during drydock 2020.

Both drydocks (2017 and 2020) were part of NCL's "Norwegian Edge" program for fleetwide upgrades (2-year project budgeted USD 400 million). Each drydock costs around USD 35-40 million.

NCL Spirit refurbishment 2011 review

The list of deckplan changes after ship's 2011 drydock refurbishment included:

• Wi-Fi Internet coverage was upgraded to shipwide.
• Crew and passenger cabins were upgraded with new flat TVs.
• All accessible staterooms were renovated.
• New carpeting and tiling received all cabins and public areas.
• Stardust Theater received audio/video enhancements (new equipment was installed).
• A new aerobics room was added in Mandara Spa.
• Raffles Court (buffet restaurant) was renovated.