Winnipesaukee Spirit
 

Good Morning. I'd like to hear from anyone who may have gone on a
cruise this past summer on the Spirit. I'd like to buy gift cards for 2022
summer cruise season, but don't know anything about this boat. Thanks!

Already booked?
 

Last August, a friend booked the Winnipesaukee Spirit for a private party in 2022. If they are doing a lot of that business, she may not be available on a specific date when your guests are in town. Check first. I hear that weddings and other events that were delayed during the peak of the pandemic are booking way ahead again. Smaller groups, but fancier events. We did an event recently where the entire venue was booked so that there would be no public availability and there was control over vaccines and masks.

We took a ride on the Spirit towards the end of their season, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was one of the "cocktail cruises" so we had a beverage or two and had a few of the snack options. You book inside or outside seats. The folks at the cruise office were very accommodating when we ran into weather and scheduling issues.

This was the first time we'd been out on one of the cruises since we began boating on the lake 13 years ago. I found it very relaxing to be able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. :)

Spirit
 

A group of us took a cruise late in the season on the Spirit. We did a private 3 hour cruise. It was weird being on the lake and not being the driver but it was a really nice experience. We had picked a large variety of appetizers and they had a cash bar. Crew was really friendly, appetizers were good and the drinks were also very good. We went on a very smooth 3 hour cruise. I believe we had about 55 people and there was plenty of room on the boat and it was very comfortable to walk around and talk to people. We are planning on doing it again next year.

Advice on booking for private events
 

I have used this company for many a public cruise and it has always been a good time.

BUT a word of warning if you are trying to book something for a private cruise. This past spring we were looking for an event to have on the Spirit, and my wife called to reserve it for an evening in July. They accepted the reservation and for the next several weeks she asked for the contract, to no response.

Finally she got a response from the gentleman she had been given a verbal confirmation from. He said, “I am sorry but we have accepted a contract and reservation from another party”.

When she peeled back the details…they will apparently accept multiple verbal agreements for a date, but the first party calling gets the contract and is still given preference and the contract until they sign it. They don’t tell other parties that their reservation is tentative without telling them that there is a BIG caveat.

They need to be transparent in their process for private bookings. Really I would not recommend anyone dealing with them for private bookings without a clear series of communications.

....... just picture that!
 

You know that MV Winnipesaukee Spirit is something like a 53' all-white boat with a whisper quiet engine that glides easily through the late afternoon waters without barely making a wake, it seems.

As a summer cocktail cruise, its' sign name on the side of the vessel is very low key, and hard-to-see from a distance which is just the opposite for the MS Mount Washington that has easy-to-read decorative letters that say 'Mount Washington.'

So, how about that? Mount Washington has large, easy-to-read letters while the Winnipesaukee Spirit has hard-to-see letters. Are they trying to keep the Winnipesaukee Spirit a secret or something with its invisible letters, or what?

For a summer cocktail cruise, it seems it could get more attention and present a summer cocktail cruise image with some stronger and more visible decorative lettering. Maybe some lettering like a fancy lady, river boat style with bold brite pink and gold accent letters that say 'Winnipesaukee Spirit' ........ just picture that!