Bye Bye Spirit

I think there might be a few tears on the 21st October when Thomson (or Marella cruises I should say!) will say goodbye to their oldest and smallest ship, the Spirit.

She was built way back in 1983 for Holland America as the Nieuw Amsterdam then joined the Thomson fleet and renamed as the Spirit in 2003. Being the smallest ship in the fleet she really did have a loyal following. Many people who have sailed on her commented on the “homely” feel about her and the crew always seemed to treat you like family.  The Spirit only had 627 cabins which is small but she had great entertainment and facilities on board such as the Broadway lounge and cinema. Not forgetting a couple of restaurants, gym area and of course the pool areas.

Her last voyage is on the 21st as I have mentioned and Thomson/Marella are determined to give her a good send off.  The theme on board will be nautical with I hear themes on pirates and mermaids! All passengers will each be treated to a welcome glass of sparkling wine, followed by a sailaway party that will feature a saxophonist and several “special surprises” that haven’t yet been revealed. (I think that means not booked or confirmed yet !)

The final deck party will be held on the last night of the voyage and include a speech from the captain, as well as a celebratory cake and I guess perhaps a few sore heads in the morning.

It is always sad when cruise lines do finally say goodbye to ships. I know that some are really old and perhaps do need to stop, and in this case Thomson/Marella will of course go onwards and get bigger ships as this seems to be what people want. Do they really?

All of these huge new ships do I agree look fantastic with all the gizmos and fantastic amenities they offer to the consumer but there are people out there who do not like big ships. Some people want the intimate feel of a smaller ship and unfortunately these are now few and far between. Of course you have the luxury cruise lines which do offer these and are fantastic, but for many the cost is so much more and people simply cannot afford it, which is why the Spirit was I think, popular.

Let us hope we do not see the demise of affordable small ships.

Till next time x