Live from the NCL Sky - Jan 16th, 2017

Lor & Ro, going on our first booze cruise! The plan was to go on another 14 night, but with a big increase in price from last year and 31% on the Canadian dollar, I had to come up with something different. I booked the 10 night Royal Princess, and thought I would spend the extra days in Florida, but then I discovered the Sky. It lined up perfectly on the schedule, and was actually cheaper than spending 3 nights in a hotel (who cares that I don't drink!). I had booked a cheap inside cabin, and then a few days ago I called the upsell line to inquire about a balcony. I was offered an upgrade for $75pp. I declined thinking it was not worth it for only 3 nights on what was supposed to be a cheap cruise. The next day I was having second thoughts, so I called back to find out exactly which cabins were available. I was given the same offer, but that was then followed by "there are also some suites"......now you have my attention! I quickly jumped on an aft wrap around penthouse suite for $100pp Canadian....talk about a no brainer! Ro is very spoiled, this will be the 8th year in a row that she is celebrating her birthday at sea. I am very happy to be able to surprise her with a suite upgrade for a 2nd time [emoji56].

We were in bed all ready for a 7am flight. I did one last check on my phone before turning out the lights, I received an email that our flight would be delayed until 8:30am. After sleeping a couple of hrs, I got up to check the phone, and there was another notice that we were delayed until 11am. This is why we travel a day early for a cruise! We both had a very restless nights sleep. Thankfully with the notices, we were able to get to the airport a little less than 2hrs before the flight...apparently nobody else got the memo! We get to the WestJet gate, and it is completely deserted. My first thought was that the notices were wrong and we missed the flight! I asked the one person who was sitting behind a desk (without the WJ logo) what was going on. He was indeed a WJ agent, and said that including us only 5 people had yet to check in. It turns out that an audio panel on the plane required a part, and it had to be flown in from Toronto. We were each given a $30 voucher for our troubles. With not a lot of time to spare, and knowing we would have food on the plane, we headed to Starbucks......as expensive as it might be, spending $60 is not that easy! Coffee, waters, pastries, yogurt, muffins, more pastries, another water....we now have a nice travel snack bag for the day! The flight was smooth & fast. Sitting in the plus section always works well for me.

Now at FLL airport, we are sitting at the designated carousel waiting for our luggage. Waiting patiently, I am commenting to Ro that this is the longest it has ever taken for the luggage to start coming out. An elderly gentleman comes over to us (and anyone else who was waiting) and asks if we were on the Montreal flight. He notifies us that the luggage was coming out on #2, even though there was no announcement and #4 was marked. ***! We walk over and the carousel stops with our bags sitting there. Thank you very much to the other passenger on our flight who informed us!!!

We are spending the night at a Best Western Plus near the Miami airport (31 Fairway dr). We used Lyft to get there ($36 - 10%. Uber would have been $43). Our driver did not speak English, but she got us there in one piece through some heavy spots of traffic. I booked the hotel with points, and check-in was painless. The room is clean & spacious, the Internet is included, and so is breakfast. They offer a shuttle to the port for $10pp, but it will cost around $11 total for Uber or Lyft. We walked down the street for dinner at a restaurant called Suvi Thai & Sushi. We shared spring rolls & tempura. Ro had a seafood salad, and I had Pad Sew. The food and service was good.

That is it for tonight, tomorrow we cruise!

*please excuse any "IPhone" typos.

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Thanks for posting. I'll follow it because I plan on going on the Sky sometime in the near future.

Thanks for posting! I'll be on the Sky in 2 1/2 weeks.

Will be on the Sky next month and staying pre-cruise at the Best Western Plus. Can't wait to read your review. Thanks!

Following we board the Sky in two weeks!

Our First NCL cruise, also just looking for a cheap get away.

We are also taking our in laws on their first cruise. We figure start them off here with a quick itinerary, and no sea days, on a basic small ship (telling them this is a basic ship, and it can get much better with regard to amenities). This way they can see how they manage on the the ship and ocean.

We had a good hotel stay. The room was comfy, the wifi worked, and the standard free breakfast (eggs, sausage, yogurt, breads, pastries, fruit) was good enough. We called another Lyft ride, and were quickly transported to the pier. The total with tip was $15. Walking into the terminal we were told to discard our water bottles. Right after getting through security, we passed the suite check-in room. I had to yell for Rochelle to come back to me....and the questions began: " why are we here? Why do we have a concierge?" Time to spill the beans! Big smiles all around, we are now waiting in the very tiny room to board. There is coffee, juice, cookies, pastries and fruit. We should be escorted on to the ship around 11:30am. I think we will be having lunch in Cagneys

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We boarded at exactly 11:30am. Our escort took us to the Plantation Club lounge, where we were given an introduction to the suite life. This was followed by lunch in Cagney's. We both started with wine and salad. Ro had the swordfish burger, and I had mushroom fettuccine. Dessert was a piece of carrot cake and a brownie with ice cream. The food was ok, but we will not be back for lunch as it is not part of our routine. It is the same menu everyday. We then went to find our cabin. Our 2 room suite was ready for us. What can I say, it is a suite and it is wonderful!!! We spent the afternoon lounging on the balcony prior to muster. I actually fell asleep...ahhh, vacation is finally here.

Muster was at 4:20pm....where to begin? I think in all of our cruises, we have only had to stand outside for 2 back in the early days of our cruising life. This ship is still in the Stone Age! We were packed in like sardines in a small outer section. There was a guy with a mega phone standing 10ft in front of us, who was barking orders and threatening those with phones. They are still using pen/paper to check people in. Seriously, that can't have the same routine fleet wide? Thank goodness we did not need to bring the life jackets with us! For 30 minutes we stood there. I am actually looking to the more civilized muster we will have coming up on the Princess ship!

It did not take long, while walking to the pool from muster, we found our first group of drunk people. I am sure this is just the beginning!

My expectations of this type of cruise is that it will actually be a booze cruise/party boat. Finally getting to the pool deck, I was not disappointed. Loud music, a loud DJ, passengers dancing, alcohol flowing.....exactly! I smelt it before I saw it...sniff, sniff...BBQ! They setup an outdoor grill. Burgers, hotdogs, corn, chicken, all the fixings, and brownies. I was not thinking about eating just yet but I could not pass it up. I brought a full plate back to the cabin to eat on the balcony....Ro went to the gym [emoji12]. I think I already put in 10lbs! After eating I was feeling a little guilty, so I did some squats & plank. The guilt has passed, almost time for dinner [emoji13].

Miami is still in the rear and the sun is almost gone. It is paradise out here on the aft balcony!!!

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Cant wait to read more! what penthouse # are you!? i will be on the sky in July can not wait!!

What a great start to your review! How great to upgrade to a suite, that is amazing, I can't even imagine the surprise that must have been. Nicely done!

We came off the 3 day Sky last weekend and although it was only the weekend, we had a great time. Coming from Toronto, it was a great getaway out of the cold.

Looking forward to the rest of your review. Enjoy, I am sure you will have an awesome time :D

Woooot. So excited to read this. We are in 8277 (wrap around aft suite) in around 3 weeks. Thanks for the report. Enjoy.

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We went to the buffet for our next meal. It is very small with a limited selection. Ro made made a big salad with whatever veg was available, and I had a small salad with a couple of misc items and risotto from the pasta station. The food was not great but after the mid afternoon BBQ, I didn't really care. From there we did a tour of the ship which did not take long at all. Some bars and small shops. There was nothing doing anywhere except for people wandering and drinking ( the welcome aboard show is at 9:30pm). We finished our tour at the outrigger bar. It was empty and Jeff the solo guitarist was getting ready to perform. We sat at the bar and had a couple of drinks. It was nice and quiet! When Jeff started, Ro pulled me on to the dance floor....the room was empty so I went along [emoji12]. We were there for his entire set. Only a few people actually found the venue. Back to the room after that. It is a great night...the temperature is good and the seas are calm. I am not feeling any motion anywhere on the ship.

*. I have the unlimited internet package (for work). It is very expensive at $30/day. The 2 speed tests I posted are from Miami and now at sea. It is slow, but Posting pictures is much faster now than before!

That is it for tonight. Suicide Squad is about to start on the tv...maybe I will watch it. Tomorrow we are in GSC. If I am up early, I would like to try and run a few laps before we have breakfast in Cagney's. Then most likely go to the beach.

Good night [emoji99]

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY To my dear wife! [emoji512]

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY To my dear wife! [emoji512]

 

 

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Happy Birthday to her too! Hope you booked her a spa :)

I watched maybe half of Suicide Squad...it was awful! I did not have a good nights sleep. Tossing and turning all night, I was fighting with the bed,and on several occasions between 2-3am there were loud people outside of our cabin. According to my phone, of 6.5hrs sleep only 11 minutes was deep [emoji15]

Giving up on getting any more rest, I was up before the sun and dragged myself to the jogging track. I did 2 miles, which is 7 times around the ship. Ro was awake when I got back to the cabin. After a quick shower we made our way to Cagney's for breakfast. Ro had crab cakes Benedict and I had pancakes with eggs. There was a nice buffet spread of breads, cereal, fish, fruit, pastries, and juice.

After eating we hopped on a tender to the beach. This ship does not use its own vessels to transport. The tenders came from the island. It was a quick but rocky trip. Sitting in the sun, it is a beautiful day. I braved my way into the ice bath ocean, and swam for around 45 minutes. Now taking the sun with margaritas and mudslides,we are waiting for lunch.

Lunch was the usual beach BBQ: salads, burgers, dogs, chicken, ribs, potatoes, fruit, treats. I had a full plate. After another mudslide, I went back into the water and did another 30 minute snorkel/swimming excursion.

We just got back to the ship. These tenders don't go slow like on the other cruise lines. It is like an amusement park ride. The guy next to us "lost his lunch". Thankfully you are able to lean over the side!

There was a plate of cookies waiting in the cabin for us. It is a perfect day. Next stop is the pool. We have the VIP captains event later, followed by Ro's birthday dinner at Cagney's.

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