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INSIDE VIEW:
THE RETURN OF NORWEGIAN SPIRIT A conversation with Hotel Director Armando Da Silva by Richard H. Wagner |
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After nearly four years of cruising in Europe, Norwegian Spirit returned to the United States in late 2015 for a winter season of Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida. We spoke with her hotel director, Armando Da Silva about this transition.
“This summer, we did 12-day Mediterranean cruises. That's all about the ports, exploring, shore excursions, the culture. Here, of course, it is all about beaches, partying and shopping. Completely different from one to the other. So we have to adjust our ship to Caribbean style. A calypso band on deck, barbecue, lots of events and activities. Lots of energy.” The pattern of the day is also different. “[In Europe, the guests] will tour all day, go up to Rome, when they come back, they want to have dinner, watch a show and get rest for the next day so we do not have many guests staying up until two in the morning. On this itinerary, it is the other way around. The night goes much longer.” Although she is not the newest or largest ship in the Norwegian fleet, Spirit nonetheless acquired her own set of fans while she was in Europe, “A very loyal following. We don't build ships like this anymore. They love the size of the ship. They love the intimacy of the ship. It is all made up of small areas, low ceilings. It is very cozy. It is very intimate.” At the same time, the 75,000 gross ton Spirit offers many features found on larger ships. “We use the word 'smaller' in relation to our other ships - - the Breakaway class at 145,000 gross tons and the Jewel class at 95,000 tons - - 20,000 tons more. The ship is, of course, a big ship. She carries 2,000 passengers. But in today's environment, she is considered a small ship. She is a massive ship with lost of amenities, dining choices, entertainment. We have ten different dining options.” While Spirit has been away for an extended period, she is not a stranger to North American cruisers. “She was in New Orleans for a long time and in New York. The ship is well known so it is not like a new ship coming in. People know about the ship. They absolutely love her.” |
Guests returning to Spirit will find her much the same as when she departed although she has kept pace with the variations Norwegian has introduced in its approach to cruising. For example, Spirit's pan-Asian specialty restaurant is now complimentary. “It is great, guests love it. It is family-style dining. You can come in, sit, [the food] comes to the table, you order some more, it keeps coming. Very popular. We implemented it last year in April.”
Similarly, guests can now make their cruise more like an all-inclusive resort vacation with the various packages offered by Norwegian. “People in general like to know what they are going to spend ahead of time, they like to budget. People like to know and plan ahead too. [With the packages,] it is all taken care of. You can not only book your stateroom you can book dining, beverages whether you drink wine or full bar, internet packages. Within the packages are different choices - - Freestyle is all about options and different choices. All kinds of packages, many, many options.” “We as a company have been pretty innovative. We have been around for a long time - - we were the first cruise line. Before us, there were only transatlantic liners, the expensive Cunard, White Star, P&O, the United States and Normandie. We came along in 1966 and said: 'We are going to make this work for the middle class so they can cruise.' We started cruising as we know it today and we have had many firsts over the years: The private island, fitness at sea, theme cruises, plus Freestyle goes without saying. We have had many firsts.” 
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Cruise ship interview - Norwegian Cruise Line - Norwegian Spirit - Hotel Director