Hi Phil and Gwen!
I’m sure each ship is different so I can only speak about the Sky.
Food: We ate most meals in the dining rooms (there were two) and every single time it was a lovely experience. The service was impeccable. For breakfast, you choose whatever you’d like from a vast menu. For dinner, you choose appetizer, main course (and sides), and dessert. Hubby often chose two appetizers, but for me, the portions were quite generous. There’s a “classic” menu that stays the same each day, it includes a 12-ounce New York strip steak, 3-cheese ziti, a half rotisserie chicken, a breaded flounder, and one other choice I can’t recall. Then there’s the portion of the menu that changed daily, so many yummy choices, fresh fish, scallops, shrimp, a pasta, so much more. The appetizers were varied and plentiful. Everything from several soups to Caesar salads to spare ribs, and sushi. The desserts were beautiful and delicious. Huge wine list. I’m not really a buffet girl but we did many breakfasts there when we were short on time. The food was served very attractively, so many choices! The food was always delicious. The best parts were the fresh fruit, so so sweet, and the made-to-order crepes-YUM! Also delicious ice cream which we had every day! We ate one night in Cagney’s, the steakhouse, the service was top-notch and the food was over-the-top great.
Our cabin steward, Edgardo, was fabulous. We’re tidy people and honestly we were barely in our cabin except to sleep but each day when we returned, our cabin was spotless with bed made and fresh towels. We didn’t make any special requests.
Staffing: SO many!!! Always smiling and welcoming. We never had to wait for anything. If we sat at a table in a busy bar and the server didn’t come right away, we went up to the bar and ordered drinks from the bartender, no big deal. Great music in the bars! Staff was always cleaning every nook and cranny of the ship and it was never less than spotless.
One itinerary change. We couldn’t stop at the first port, Martha’s Vineyard, super windy and it was a tender port so would’ve been unsafe. Everything else was as promised.
Honestly, I’m so confused by the bad reviews we read about the Sky before we left. They couldn’t be less accurate. I guess there’s no pleasing some people? We have fairly high standards for all life experiences and we LOVED our cruise experience on the Sky.
I hope this helps, happy cruising!