Norwegian Spirit Cruise Review: 25 Nights from Hawaii to Tahiti and Fiji

We hadn’t been on a proper cruise in about 20 years. Here’s proof.

Yes, we’ve been on lots of expedition ships. But not giant ships with a casino, a theatre and a Starbucks. Then a ridiculous last-minute deal landed us on a 25-night Norwegian Spirit cruise across the South Pacific.

It was the end of winter in Melbourne when I opened the fateful email. You know the ones: last-minute deals so ridiculous that they are most definitely a scam. The one that caught my eye was a 12-night cruise from Hawaii to Tahiti advertised at 98% off.

The ship, Norwegian Spirit, was older and smaller by cruise ship standards. On the plus side, there were few amenities for children, and it didn’t seem to require dressing up for dinner, dining at a set time or dining with random strangers.

A balcony cabin was listed at $1,106 USD per person, which worked out to about $92 per person per day. We hadn’t been to French Polynesia, and it was 14°C inside our house, so we booked it.

Then I looked into airfares. Getting to Hawaii from Australia was easy. Getting home from Tahiti? That was going to cost more than the cruise. So we did what any normal retired couple would do. We stayed on the ship for the next leg from Tahiti to Fiji and flew home from there.

• Leg 1: Norwegian Spirit, Honolulu to Tahiti, 17 to 29 September 2026
• Leg 2: Norwegian Spirit, Tahiti to Fiji, 29 September to 12 October 2026

And that’s how one email turned into a 25-night Norwegian Spirit cruise from Hawaii to Fiji, with a few new countries in between.

Are Those 98% Off Cruise Deals Real?

The 98% off wasn’t real, but the price was. The “98% off” was calculated from a brochure price of $47,000 for a balcony cabin. Nobody pays that. The same cabin on the same itinerary was about $7,000 on Norwegian’s website, so the real discount was closer to 84%. Which is still an extraordinary deal.

What Is a Norwegian Spirit Cruise Like?

We’re not really into cruise ship activities. We use cruises as a way to see a bunch of places we might want to come back to later.

Norwegian Spirit suited that well. With about 2,000 passengers and probably fewer than 20 kids, it felt surprisingly quiet. There’s no kids club and no waterslides.

Our cabin was on deck 11, right at the front of the ship, directly behind the bridge and under the spa. It was very quiet, with almost no hallway traffic. Because we were on the port side and the first cruise headed mostly south, we had great sunrise views.

We’ve summarised everything else we wish we’d known (embarkation, tendering, packages, food, and the quiet places to hide) in our video on the 9 things you actually need to know before cruising on Norwegian Spirit which goes live on 14 November 2026. And if you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified when we publish new videos.

Our Norwegian Spirit Itinerary, Port by Port

Now, the ports. If you’re hoping for a rundown of every shore excursion, we’re about to disappoint you. Most days, our plan was a long walk and a look around.

Leg 1: Norwegian Spirit Cruise from Honolulu to Tahiti

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

We flew in two days early to avoid the stress of possibly delayed flights or luggage. Everything went fine, though. We spent two nights at the Royal Hawaiian, which is now Andy’s favourite hotel in Waikiki. Sorry, Moana Surfrider, you’ve been replaced.

The itinerary was a bit odd. We boarded on the 17th, but spent the first night docked and didn’t leave until 5pm on the 18th. So we had a lazy day, hanging out by the quiet pool and doing some laps of the deck 7 walking track.

Kahului, Maui, Hawaii

Following the devastating August 2023 wildfires that severely impacted Lahaina’s historic town and harbor infrastructure, major cruise lines permanently shifted all remaining Maui port calls entirely to Kahului. The port is… a port. No ukulele or hula dancers here. We disembarked onto the pier, walked through a series of warehouses and fenced walkways, and wound our way out of the port to a small shopping centre with a sad Whole Foods, a pharmacy and an IHOP. A shore excursion would probably have been the better option here, but we were happy just taking it easy as we’ve been to Maui before.

Kona, Big Island, Hawaii

We’ve also been to Kona several times and love it, but this day we were taking it easy. This was our first tender port, and if you want to go ashore first, you need a tender ticket. People line up for them at 6am. We had breakfast on the ship and went ashore around midday once the rush was over. We went to Quinn’s Almost by the Sea for fried pickles, then wandered around the Kona Stroll, a monthly market.

Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii

This was an odd stop, because we were only scheduled to be there from 8am to 12pm. But a week before we boarded, the stop was cancelled altogether because of Hurricane Lowell.

Six Days at Sea

We’ve cruised across the entire South Atlantic from South America to Africa, but this was the longest stretch of sea days we’ve ever had. We’re not going to lie, sea days on a Norwegian Spirit cruise get a bit … Groundhog Day.

Watch the sunrise from our cabin (a bonus of being on the port side on a southbound itinerary). Go for Starbucks when it opens at 6:30. Breakfast in the main dining room around 8. Sit at the quiet pool for a bit. Walk some laps on deck 13 or 7. We learned the hard way that you have to use Indoor Walk if you want an accurate count on an Apple Watch. Outdoor Walk includes the ship’s movement, so your pace looks pretty impressive.

Something light in the dining room for lunch. Cookies from the buffet at 2:30. Maybe a few more laps. Up to Spinnaker or deck 12 for sunset. Dinner around 7.

Our package included four visits to the specialty restaurants, which were a nice diversion. The unlimited streaming internet was a good upgrade as well.

At some point we crossed the equator and got a little certificate. There was a bar-b-que at the main pool but no official (or un-official) ceremony.

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Country #95: check.

The day before we arrived in Bora Bora, we decided to look at shore excursions. Oops. The NCL snorkelling tours were pricey, so we looked on Tripadvisor and found a half-day private boat tour for about $150 more than it would have cost with NCL.

The tour departed at 9, and as this was a tender port, Andy had to line up for tickets very early. That’s one reason to use the NCL shore excursions. They’re expensive, but you don’t have to worry about tender tickets or getting back to the ship on time.

Because we booked this the day before and it was the only thing available, I was a bit worried. But it ended up being EPIC.

The first stop was within sight of the ship’s stern. Manta rays in clear blue water. Check.

Next was snorkelling near the airport in crystal clear turquoise water. The highlight here was the clams, in every imaginable colour and so vibrant.

We continued around the island to snorkel with blacktip sharks and stingrays. The water was impossibly clear and the most vibrant turquoise.

From there, we made a quick stop for a drink at Bora Bora Beach Club. It felt a bit bougie arriving in our private boat, with what seemed like half the ship watching as we waded ashore.

Then we continued our circumnavigation of the island and wound up back at the dock. If you are ever in Bora Bora, definitely check out La Plage tours.

The only thing that could have improved the day was a covered boat. Unfortunately, we both got COOKED, which affected the following day.

Raiatea, French Polynesia

We signed up for a drift snorkel through NCL.

Tip: Ask how many people go on a tour. The first snorkel trip I was interested in had over 100 people on one boat! (unless you like that sort of thing)

I was a little sad that we missed the drift snorkel, but neither of us could have handled another day in the sun. We didn’t even go ashore, partly because we knew we’d be back in a few days, so there was no stress.

Moorea, French Polynesia

The weather wasn’t great, and we’d be back in a few days, so we stayed onboard and enjoyed the empty ship.

Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia

This was the end of our first Norwegian Spirit cruise. We were staying on from Tahiti to Fiji, but couldn’t keep the same cabin, so we had to pack our luggage and be homeless from about 9am to 3pm.

We had a late breakfast, then headed ashore to walk around. Perhaps it was because we’d just come from the smaller islands, or because we didn’t venture far from the port, but I wasn’t too impressed with Tahiti. I’m sure there are lovely resorts here, but the main town was underwhelming.

We did a long walk through the marina and then visited the main market.

If we do this again, we’ll either do a shore excursion or arrange a day pass to the InterContinental. We were in port until 10pm, so there was plenty of time.

Leg 2: Norwegian Spirit Cruise from Tahiti to Fiji

Moorea, French Polynesia (Second Visit)

Second time’s the charm. The weather was much better. We took a tender ashore and went for a long walk. In hindsight, we should have arranged a day pass to the Hilton or Sofitel.

Bora Bora, French Polynesia (Second Visit)

This time we took a taxi ($25) to Bora Bora Beach Club. This is a great option if you want a day at the beach without the hefty price tag of a day pass to one of the resorts.

Raiatea, French Polynesia (Second Visit)

Second time’s the charm here too. We actually got off the ship this time and went for a long walk. Unfortunately, the drift snorkel excursion was already sold out by the time I inquired.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

We’ve been here before. It would have been nice to do a turtle tour, but it was a Sunday, so everything was closed. We went ashore and got our steps in.

Tip: If your cruise stops somewhere that is essentially closed on the day of your visit, do one of the ship’s shore excursions because you may not be able to freelance something at the pier.

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Country (well, territory) #96: check.

This was a pier stop, and there was quite an arrival performance, which we watched from deck 7. And yes, Miss American Samoa was there to welcome the ship.

Once ashore, we walked to the National Park welcome centre and got a sticker for the laptop. Then we kept walking almost all the way around the port to the fish factory. We saw the endemic bat, and there was some good birding too, including a white-collared kingfisher and a cardinal honeyeater.

Apia, Samoa

Country #97: check.

Samoa and American Samoa are only about 70km apart. They were actually in the same time zone until 2011, when Samoa decided to move 24 hours ahead (across the international date line) to better align with Australia and New Zealand. We went to bed on October 6th and woke up on October 8th and got another little certificate.

This was also a pier stop. We happened to be up super early for laps on deck 7 when we docked, and the cultural performers were already singing and dancing. We felt a bit bad because it was around 6am, so hardly anyone was awake to watch.

The plan here was another walk. It was HOT. We accidentally stumbled on the daily police parade, then visited the church and the clock tower. All the shops had white clothing in their windows, which we assumed was because of the heat, but then learned that White Sunday was happening that weekend.

 

Savusavu, Fiji

Another trip ashore to get our steps in, and more kingfishers. It was hot, so Andy took his shirt off. About an hour later, an older woman stopped us to explain that men should keep their shirts on in the village. Oops.

Dravuni, Fiji

This was the last stop on this leg, and it was definitely a highlight. Only about 200 people live on the island, and it felt very authentic, not performative.

The plan was to hike to the other side of the island to a white sand beach. The path was hard to find, so we finally asked, and a woman took us to the start of the trail. It didn’t look like a trail. But in we went. In flip-flops.

It was pretty much straight up and very slippery from all the leaves. At the top, another trail ran along the spine of the island, and a villager was sitting there with a walkie-talkie (we’re guessing people get lost). He pointed us to the trail down to the beach, which was only slightly less steep and slippery.

We were the only ones there. It’s not a swimming beach, but it was ideal for lounging in the shade. Had the water been swimmable, this beach would have been as close to perfect as you can get.

After a while, we made our way back to the calm side of the island for a swim. We found what looked like the perfect shady spot, only to be told by one of the villagers that we shouldn’t sit there because of falling coconuts. Oops.

Lautoka, Fiji

Lautoka was the final port on our second Norwegian Spirit cruise.

This is a full working port, not somewhere you’d go for a wander like we had in the other ports. So if you have a day here, definitely pre-book one of the excursions (either through the ship or through TripAdvisor/Viator). Disembarkation was super simple (assuming you can carry your own luggage). You can basically leave whenever you want. We hadn’t pre-booked an airport transfer, but easily found one after disembarking.

Tip: They shut down the wifi at 7am. So look up the exchange rate, rough cost of transfer to the airport, and anything else you might need the night before.

Would We Book a Last-Minute Deal or Another Norwegian Spirit Cruise?

The last-minute deal? Absolutely.

The 98% off was marketing nonsense. The $1,106 balcony cabin was completely real, though we did spend almost as much on upgrades. And that’s before the second leg.

As for Norwegian Spirit, we still don’t consider ourselves cruisers, but the ship kind of grew on us.

The second itinerary was much better than the first. It had fewer sea days, and they were spread evenly through the trip instead of all at once. We may be biased because we’ve spent a lot of time in Hawaii on land, but the Hawaiian ports really didn’t do it justice.

The back-to-back was much smoother than we expected, and it would have been even better if we hadn’t had to change cabins. Some people had joined the cruise all the way back in Vancouver, and others were staying on for the return to Honolulu.

Which, for a couple who still don’t call themselves cruisers, sounds suspiciously tempting.

Norwegian Spirit Cruise FAQ: South Pacific

Are 98% off cruise deals a scam?

The percentage usually is. Ours was calculated from a $47,000 brochure price nobody pays. The $1,106 fare itself was real, and the true discount against Norwegian’s own website was about 84%.

What fees does Norwegian add to a cruise fare?

On our sailing there were no extra taxes or port fees. Norwegian added a daily service charge of $20 per person per day to our onboard account.

Is the open bar package worth it on Norwegian Spirit?

At $28.50 per person per day, it pays for itself if you have about two drinks a day. It doesn’t include soda, bottled water or Starbucks coffee.

Is Norwegian Spirit good for families with kids?

No. There’s no kids club and no waterslides, and we saw fewer than 20 children among about 2,000 passengers.

Do you need to book NCL shore excursions?

No. Independent tours were often much cheaper and less crowded. Just book early, check the cancellation policy in case the ship’s itinerary changes, and allow 60 to 90 minutes after the scheduled arrival time for tendering.

Is a forward cabin on Norwegian Spirit bad for seasickness?

It wasn’t for us. Our cabin was on deck 11 at the very front of the ship, and we didn’t need any seasickness medication, even in five-metre seas.

How do back-to-back cruises work?

If you keep the same cabin, it’s simply another port day (just with some added disembarkation and embarkation chaos for everyone else). If you have to change cabins, you leave your packed bags in your cabin and need to be out by around 9am. Your cabin attendant moves your bags to your new cabin, which you can access from around 3pm with the rest of the embarking guests.