Cruise Reviews

Wonderful Adventure
Reviewed By: Thompson, Eye, Suffolk on 7th Aug 2008
Cruise Line: Spirit of Adventure Times cruised before: 6-10
Cruise Ship: Spirit of Adventure Sailed: August, 2008
Destination: Norwegian Fjords Age: 56-65
Looking for something slightly different from the usual cruise ships we decided to try Spirit of Adventure knowing she was a small ship 9000 tons and carried just 390 odd passengers- and like that well known lager can reach places other ships only dream about. In this case right up the Norwegian Fiords. We were not disappointed! From the minute we boarded the pampering started with nothing to much trouble for the ever smiling and willing Fillipino crew and European officers headed by the Master Kees Speckman.
Having experienced the high standard of service on Saga ships ( The Saga Rose) we knew what to expect but on this occasion our expectations were exceeded.
Dining was truly a delight with an excellent and balanced menus expertly served under the steely gaze of Maitre D Trevor Walford who ensured service ran as smooth as silk in the Dining Room and even the food in self service Verander cafe was excellent and hot ! The occasional rugger scrum was inevitable at peak feeding times but the wonderful freshly grilled fish served daily made the odd elbow in the back a minor blip.
Cabins whilst compact had everything one needed and the bathroom was better than any other ship we have been on. Niggles yes of course, a safe in the room would have been reassuring and the abscence of kippers and smoked haddock on the breakfast menu was a sad ommission.
The Sirrocco lounge proved an ideal venue for the entertainment which ran the full spectrum from classical music to Andre a magician in the style of Tommy Cooper/ Mike Reid who had the audience in the palm of his hand (literally) and even ran a Master Class to reveal his tricks and sleight of hand.
Cruise Director Neil Horrocks acted as perfect ring master with quips and anecdotes of such vintage that Noah would have remembered on the ArK !
All in all a wonderful cruise, fantastic Norwegian scenery on one of the happiest ships afloat.
Quality of Food5
A wide choice of Fish from Dover Sole to Red Snapper. Highly calorific meat pies.
Entertainment4
The Classical Trio were exceptional with a range of music from Beethoven to Lloyd Webber. Andre provided very humerous and entertaining shows. The House band were good musicians but very robotic.
Shore Excursions3
Flam Railway - quite breathtaking. Stavanger was very uninspiring.
Staff5
Trevor Walford. He ensured we sat with interesting people every night in the Restaurant.
Children's Facilitiesn/a
Onboard Activities4
For a ship of this size, there was plenty of activites to keep you occupied during sea days
Cabins4
yes
Overall Rating5
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Opinion: Agree Comment by Hume, Knutsford (07 Oct 08 14:38) about this REVIEW.
An excellent review and very true of the standards we experienced on our third Spirit cruise june 08 to Iceland via Ireland and Mull. Let us hope that the new ship Quest lives up to the same standards when it starts its life under the Spirit flag next year
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Question by chamberlain, Worthing (28 Aug 08 07:29) about this REVIEW.
We are booked on this cruise in 2009, after a recommendation from a friend... being Cruise firstimers how much do you dress up for the captains cocktail party??. Thankyou Lindsay (age 45/50)!!
ANSWER
Answer by Thompson, Eye, Suffolk (29 Aug 08 10:06) to a QUESTION by chamberlain (28 Aug 08 07:29)
Dress code on formal nights ie Captains cocktail party is not as rigid as on certain other ships. For the men, a lounge suit plus tie is acceptable but many do wear evening dress. For the ladies, smart tops with either black skirt or trousers seemed the norm. Ball gowns were not on parade. The atmosphere on Spirit of Adventure is stylish informality and I am sure you will have a great cruise. PS If this is the second response to your question from myself blame it on the gremlins in the computer system!
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Comment by Hood, Cranleigh (08 Aug 08 15:23) about this REVIEW.
We too have just returned from this cruise(our first) we agree with all of the above posting. We loved the small ship feeling..like a houseparty..and met some lovely people. The crew are fantastic and the organisation from boarding to trips to embarking was faultless.Well done Spirit of....ADVENTURE.
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