Let me start by saying we booked our first overdue vacation in three yrs On 5/14/10. And we will regret it forever, With N C L On the Spirit for 7 nights to Bermuda from Boston. Almost upon boarding, The Spirit; We as most guests where informed our staterooms were not ready and we would have to wait.
Not so bad right? It gets better, So we go up to deck 12 to sit and wait for notification that our stateroom was ready we barely got to the pool area past raffles and my wife to be was using hand sanitizer from a wall mounted dispenser, so of course I do as well and just as we turned to walk away a crewman who was right behind us loudly speaking Washy Washy Happy Happy proceeds to douse our hands again w/o warning or request to do so. Granted hand sanitizing is Good idea but we where made out to feel Like five yr old children and felt Embarrassed in front of the other guests as this idiot was displaying us as hand washing models.
After that scene we finally sat at the pool deck and where ask by another server what would you like to drink still agitated by Mr washy washy and not even able to get to our stateroom as of yet we respectfully decline. Over the next ten or so minutes four others had solicited us to buy drinks at least twice each, we finally order in attempt have them stop pestering us.{NOTE the drinks are 1 to strong 2 ridiculously expensive} We now believe these where made like that to prepare us to view our staterooms, after the ship left the dock about 45 minutes to an hour we hear over the speaker that our staterooms were ready.
Upon entering our stateroom we notice that our ocean view cabin was nothing more than a water line sealed Porthole, The bathroom floor was covered in a transparent sticky layers of soap scum build up where is the Clorox when you need it, also there was what could only be described at this point as A sickeningly strong odor of air deodorizing spray mixed with a musty odor coming from the ceiling mounted cabin fresh air/ac / heat vent.
Our luggage had not made it to the room as of yet I had called the information desk and was informed that our luggage would not arrive until about 6 pm. Now agitated further I state if it is not on this tub someone will swim back to Boston for it. Even more agitated keeping in mind I had purchased our trip with a free upgrade making my way up to the lobby on deck 7 upon arrival I find a lobby full of and a long line of no doubt other agitated guests and of course by the time I got there a sign was up stating we are sorry there are no upgrades available. But attempted to state our displeasure anyway and noticed right away a language barrier out of convenience was put up as I handed a complaint form which would have ended up in the circular file anyway so i stated to her you will understand this {N C L Has not heard or will ever hear the end of this} then I had returned to the cabin to inform my wife to be we where going to have to rough it out for the next 7 nights as this cruise line does care or give a Crap about you me or anyone else except for the all mighty dollar. Just about then we hear a thump and open the door to find our luggage tossed off the cart in front of the door so we Drag it in and the crew was sucking around waiting for a tip.
So I tell him to look both ways before crossing the st After we both had left to go up to deck 12 to check out the buffet at raffles but in order to get there we had wait for what seemed like forever, only to squeeze in the sealed non vented glass view cocoon of an elevator as others who where sneezing and coughing as all where trapped and exposed to whatever airborne contaminants may have been being passed around. At our arrival on deck 12 we avoided Mr washy washy as I would have more than likely washy washed him over the side rail in Massachusetts bay, The food at the buffet was below average the same can be said for the blue lagoon and would prove to become less appetizing over the next 6 days as it was remixed and served as breakfast hash or presented as something different on the following days.
This was in no doubt done to force you onto paying for an equally unsatisfactory and over priced meal at one or more of the overrated food vendors on board the Spirit, As it was we can only compare the food as best suited for a military chow line so we survived on hot dogs, Hamburgers, pasta, bagels, mini cereal boxes etc.
Our beverages where simple plastic cups ice and six packs of Diet Pepsi 12oz cans purchased at the bar for an amazing deal of nearly $14.00 WHAT A DEAL!
By the next morning after a restful sleepless night on the most uncomfortable comparative to military issued bunks and inhalation therapy of the musty moldy air coming through the air vent combined with remaining stench of the sickeningly strong air deodorizing spray which was sprayed every time our cabin was quickly spruced up morning and evening. It got to the point that I even after asking the steward not to use it he did it anyway so I started placing the do not disturb sign daily in an attempt to keep him out.
So that morning we boarded the sealed glass non vented cocoon and headed up to deck 12 and again fortunate for Mr washy washy who was splitting every ones ears with his repeated loud chanting of Happy Happy, Washy Washy, I was not suffering from a hangover or he would have most assured had his spray bottle for breakfast. As we had ncl's version of an edible breakfast I noticed that my gal was not looking to good no doubt due to the stale musty moldy air being pumped into our stateroom via an obviously poorly maintained fresh air system aboard the Spirit so I kept her out on deck for fresh air as long as I possibly could.
This was to prove later that afternoon it was Too late as she became worse and said to me that she wanted to lie down in the cabin. Knowing she was not sea sick as she is always out on my boat fishing days at a time if I had a Philips screw driver I would have removed the glass from the porthole to allow fresh air in so I left to sleep a couple of hrs in hope she would feel better.
By that afternoon I had returned to check on her and found that she had called for the cabin steward as she had gotten sick and vomited all over the cabin bathroom now Maybe they would clean it properly as i tried to light a fire under their butts.
At that point I had gone to find the ships doctor only to discover they had set hours and would charge us $130 and no doubt more for something that they would have dubbed as sea sickness.
Later to our fortune I had packed some allergy medication and some pepto these helped but she was sickened by what is best described as Sick Building Syndrome caused by improper maintenance of a ventilation system.
Finally that evening she was up going to the upper decks on her own for fresh air as for me I out of disgust went to one of the bars on board and got smashed.
By the next morning We arrived in Bermuda and due to her allergic reaction she missed out on the helmet dive she was looking forward too for so long as she was congested to the point where she tried but could not equalize.
Well I could continue detailing this wasted vacation for you but I feel you are intelligent enough to make a wise decision on your own as no amount of money is worth you suffering A similar fate as we did. A destroyed vacation home sick in bed out of work until better and this is all due to our gullibility of the ads and brochures put out by NCL. Thanks to the ineptness of the Norwegian Cruise Line, Obviously Another Greedy entity of a Corporation that is hiding it's rot from the top down to it's keel.
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