NORWEGIAN SPIRIT
May 6, 2023 | Skagway, Alaska
Day 13 of our 16-night Fire & Ice cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit (Norwegian Cruise Line) brought us to Skagway, Alaska, on May 6, 2023. Following the previous day’s scenic cruising in Glacier Bay, we visited the historic gold-rush port before continuing to Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver.
Our visit to Skagway on May 6, 2023, was Day 13 of our 16-night Fire & Ice cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit. The voyage began in Honolulu on April 24 and combined Hawaiian island visits, five consecutive days crossing the Pacific, and an Alaska itinerary before ending in Vancouver on May 10.
Skagway followed our call at Icy Strait Point and scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. Situated at the northern end of the Inside Passage, the town developed as a gateway to the Klondike goldfields and remains closely associated with the White Pass route into Canada. Its waterfront brought Norwegian Spirit into a setting shaped by both passenger shipping and the history of travel into the Yukon.
By the time of this voyage, Norwegian Spirit had been in service for nearly 25 years. Originally built as SuperStar Leo for Star Cruises, she joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2004 and underwent an extensive modernization in 2020. This gallery continues our photographic record of the Alaska portion of the journey, between Glacier Bay and Juneau.
Information List
Name: Norwegian Spirit
Former Name: SuperStar Leo
Operator During This Voyage: Norwegian Cruise Line
Original Operator: Star Cruises
Class: Leo class
Builder: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
Entered Service: 1998
Renamed Norwegian Spirit: 2004
Major Modernization: 2020
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 75,904 GT
Length Overall: Approximately 880 feet / 268 meters
Guest Capacity: Approximately 2,000 at double occupancy
IMO Number: 9141065
Cruise: Our 16-night Fire & Ice voyage from Honolulu to Vancouver
Cruise Dates: April 24–May 10, 2023
Embarkation Port: Honolulu, Hawaii
Disembarkation Port: Vancouver, British Columbia
Cruise Day: Day 13
Gallery Date: May 6, 2023
Gallery Location: Skagway, Alaska
Previous Day: Scenic cruising in Glacier Bay
Following Port: Juneau, Alaska
History and Features
Built as SuperStar Leo:
Norwegian Spirit entered service in 1998 as SuperStar Leo, built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
She was the first ship in the Leo class and was originally designed for Star Cruises’ Asian market.
Her sister ship, SuperStar Virgo, followed as another large passenger vessel developed for the same operator.
The original design included a tall central atrium, extensive dining and entertainment spaces, and outdoor recreation facilities.
Her history therefore began in a different cruising market from the Alaska and Hawaii itinerary represented in this gallery.
Transfer to Norwegian Cruise Line:
In 2004, SuperStar Leo transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line and was renamed Norwegian Spirit.
The change introduced the ship to a wider range of international deployments under the Norwegian brand.
Although later alterations changed her public rooms and passenger facilities, she retained the underlying proportions of the original Leo-class design.
At approximately 76,000 gross tons, she represents an earlier and smaller generation of cruise ship than Norwegian’s later Breakaway and Prima classes.
The 2020 Modernization:
Norwegian Spirit underwent an extensive renovation in Marseille, France, in early 2020.
The project represented an investment of approximately $100 million and involved staterooms, restaurants and public spaces throughout the ship.
New and updated venues included Taste, The Local Bar & Grill, Garden Café and Onda by Scarpetta.
The Mandara Spa was expanded, while additional changes introduced Spinnaker Lounge and the adults-only Spice H2O retreat.
The modernization substantially refreshed the passenger experience aboard a ship that had already been in service for more than two decades.
Lounges, Dining and Open Decks:
Spinnaker Lounge provides panoramic views from an indoor setting.
Windows remains one of the ship’s principal dining rooms, with large windows forming part of its design.
The Local Bar & Grill offers a more informal alternative, while specialty venues provide additional dining choices.
Open decks and observation spaces give passengers opportunities to watch the coastline during scenic cruising.
These facilities formed the onboard setting for a voyage that combined tropical islands, an extended ocean crossing and Alaska’s coastal waters.
Our Fire & Ice Voyage:
We embarked in Honolulu on April 24, 2023, for a 16-night cruise ending in Vancouver.
The Hawaiian portion included Kona, Kauai, Maui and Hilo.
Five consecutive sea days followed the final Hawaiian call, carrying the ship across the Pacific toward Alaska.
Icy Strait Point on May 4 began the Alaska portion of the itinerary.
Scenic cruising in Glacier Bay followed on May 5, before our arrival in Skagway the next day.
Skagway and the Klondike Gold Rush:
Skagway became a major entry point for prospectors heading toward the Klondike goldfields during the late 1890s.
The White Pass Trail provided a route from the coast through the mountains toward the headwaters of the Yukon River.
Nearby Dyea served the separate Chilkoot Trail, giving gold seekers another route into the interior.
Construction of the White Pass & Yukon Route railway began during the gold-rush period, and the line reached Whitehorse in 1900.
The town’s historic buildings and transportation connections preserve the relationship between coastal shipping and travel into the Yukon.
May 6, 2023 – Skagway:
Our Skagway visit took place on Day 13 of the cruise, following the previous day in Glacier Bay.
The published itinerary allowed a full day in port, with an arrival scheduled for the morning and departure that evening.
The call formed part of a sequence of Alaska destinations following the Pacific crossing.
These photographs document Norwegian Spirit during our visit, continuing the record of the same voyage shown in our Hawaii and Alaska galleries.
Continuing to Vancouver:
Juneau followed Skagway on May 7.
The ship then called at Ketchikan’s Ward Cove on May 8.
A final sea day on May 9 preceded our arrival in Vancouver on May 10.
The complete journey connected Hawaii, the open Pacific and Southeast Alaska within a single voyage.
Our Skagway gallery records one day within that broader journey aboard Norwegian Spirit.
OLP Social: Following Glacier Bay, our Fire & Ice voyage reached the historic gateway to the Klondike goldfields before continuing south to Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver.
