NCL Sky - April 5 - 9 Great Cruise!

[BalconyBreeze]

I would say that for the past 4 months, I became glued to Cruise Critic, reading up on everything I could find out about the SKY, special needs diets, and things to do in the Bahamas. Thank you to all that answered and steering me in the right direction, as we really enjoyed this trip.

 

I was worried, after reading many of the member reviews......and throughout my vacation....I thought about what I would share....so here it is:

 

I have been on the Jewel.....so...needless to say the Sky is older and may not have all of the bells and whistles, but you know what...it's still a very nice ship. The staff is incredible. If there was one area that stood out, it was the friendliness of the the crew. Of course it never hurts to have calm seas and sunny skies. (Let's be honest...that does factor into the experience).

 

The cabin - CC didn't lie here - that sucker was small - but amazingly my family of 4 is still smiling and made the most of the tight quarters. We had an oceanview 0063, with a picture window. I will advise anyone travelling with 4 in their party, to really try and limit what you pack. There really is not a lot of room for storage, thus the term living out of our suitcases, became our reality.

 

The food - I would say the Garden Cafe on the Jewel was much better.....I am sure the food is the same - It's just the layout on the Sky is smaller, more of a buffet line, with stations. Breakfast was always great and there is a place to eat on the back of the ship - The Great Aft (I think)???? The main dining rooms were fine..........the food was always good....not spectacular....but again...the staff makes you feel special (the Royal Cruise treatment). We also ate at Longboards a few times...Great wings....chicken fingers (It's a sports bar - very nice).

 

The ship - The ship is extremely clean. The only signs of wear and tear were in my cabin - carpet - and bathroom drain.

 

Last tip to share....make sure you DOUBLE CHECK that you have everything before you walk out of customs when Disembarking!!!! I made the mistake of forgetting our stroller - I figured I could just show them my card and get it real fast - Oh no! We had to wait an hour and a half - I understand that it's due to saftey reasons, but their policy is that everyone must be off the ship and then you may go look and see what's left. Wow!!! Lesson learned - I hope this can save someone else. One poor guy left is wallet and other personal items in the safe!!!! I think he ended up missing his flight. Of course, I will blame this on the fact that my brain was fried from travelling with two little ones! :)

 

If you are going on the SKY - You will not be disappointed!!! Cruises are the GREATEST ESCAPE! :)

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the review. I so look forward to making the Sky's acquaintance again in a couple of weeks:D.

[callieskye]

We are taking our 1st cruise on the Sky April 26, can you take your own luggage off on disembarkement?

[sparks1093]

We are taking our 1st cruise on the Sky April 26, can you take your own luggage off on disembarkement?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Yes, you can. There is a roll call for this sailing if you'd like to join it. Some of the questions you have may already be answered there.

[NoSoupForYou]

Thanks for the positive, yet fair and balanced review. We are sailing on the Sky to the Bahamas in September and can hardly wait. I realize the cabins on the Sky aren't very large, but I understand they are larger than the 107 sq ft Oceanview we were in on the NCL Majesty last year.

 

One question: Is the Longboard Cafe' a surcharge restaurant or is it included in the price lke the MDR's? Thanks again for the review.:)

[kg03or]

Thanks for the positive, yet fair and balanced review. We are sailing on the Sky to the Bahamas in September and can hardly wait. I realize the cabins on the Sky aren't very large, but I understand they are larger than the 107 sq ft Oceanview we were in on the NCL Majesty last year.

 

One question: Is the Longboard Cafe' a surcharge restaurant or is it included in the price lke the MDR's? Thanks again for the review.:)

 

Longboards is included in the price, the extra charges are for the Steakhouse (Cagneys), Le Bistro and Il Adagio (Italian)! You will have to try the wings at Longboards - we loved them!! We were on the Sky last month and also had a great time! We couldn't find anything to complain about!! The only restaurant we ate at that had the additional fee was Il Adagio - $10/person - and we thought it was good.

 

Enjoy your trip!! :)

[NoSoupForYou]

Longboards is included in the price, the extra charges are for the Steakhouse (Cagneys), Le Bistro and Il Adagio (Italian)! You will have to try the wings at Longboards - we loved them!! We were on the Sky last month and also had a great time! We couldn't find anything to complain about!! The only restaurant we ate at that had the additional fee was Il Adagio - $10/person - and we thought it was good.

 

Enjoy your trip!! :)

 

Thanks for the info....will definitely try the wings.:)

[BalconyBreeze]

Thanks for the positive, yet fair and balanced review. We are sailing on the Sky to the Bahamas in September and can hardly wait. I realize the cabins on the Sky aren't very large, but I understand they are larger than the 107 sq ft Oceanview we were in on the NCL Majesty last year.

 

One question: Is the Longboard Cafe' a surcharge restaurant or is it included in the price lke the MDR's? Thanks again for the review.:)

 

 

 

As mentioned, Longboards is free. Also the Italian restaurant is free during lunch hours. They offer pizza and pasta at that time. Despite the small cabin, I really did enjoy the Sky. Heck...I wish I was waking up there right now! :)

[MomRNJulie]

We were also on this cruise. It was great. Matt, the cruise director is so funny and makes you feel at home!!! A great tip is to have breakfast in Il Adagio. They have no lines and the best fresh waffles and omletes to order. It was the best find and not extra charge.

[barbie5401]

Can everyone eat in the Italian restuarant for breakfast?

[commspec1]

thanks for the great review on the Sky almost time to sail:)

[frankathy]

Can everyone eat in the Italian restuarant for breakfast?

 

Yes it is open to everyone. Cagney's is only open to suite guests.

[CruisinCrow]

Il Adagio is also open at lunch (for free). They have fresh pasta and pizza. I didn't try the pizza but I enjoyed the pasta.

 

One note about Longboard - it is really not a restaurant, it is a bar that happens to have food. We had a hard time getting a menu at Longboard. I think the waiters just wanted to sell us drinks.

 

Here's a picture of the pizza station in Il Adagio:

 

[bentleys mom]

We were on the same cruise and probably passed you in the hall ... we were in 0044! Great review. We got back last night as we extended our vacation a little bit. Today is back to work for me ... I will try to post my review by the weekend.

[karbear13]

Thanks for the reviews! We are booked on it for June & can't wait. Anyone with recent pictures & reviews...please update as soon as possible...it'll help get me even more excited (if that's possible). :D:D:D

[frankathy]

We were on on Jan 1, 2010 and going on Saturday for a two nighter. Anything special? I have the cameras ready to go!

[carlaw]

Thanks for your review. We sail on NCL Sky on May 3rd and am very excited. I would love to see recent copies of the dailies - any chance you could post those?

 

Thanks:)

[hannibal54]

I posted the dailies from our 4 day Sept. cruise in the CC photo gallery under NCL.

[pehlibaar]

Hey! Thanks for a great review! We are going on our very first cruise ever in November and have chosen the Sky! I'm really excited and it was so refreshing to see a nice review after reading a lot of complaints (just in general). I try to take everything with a grain of salt, i know people are more quick to post a complaint than something good!

What did you do in the Bahamas at each port? Also, I don't know if you are drinkers or not, but did you attempt to bring any alcohol on board with you?

Thanks again for a great review! Can't wait for our cruise now!

[llist]

thanks for the review... we leave Monday :)

[BalconyBreeze]

Hey! Thanks for a great review! We are going on our very first cruise ever in November and have chosen the Sky! I'm really excited and it was so refreshing to see a nice review after reading a lot of complaints (just in general). I try to take everything with a grain of salt, i know people are more quick to post a complaint than something good!

What did you do in the Bahamas at each port? Also, I don't know if you are drinkers or not, but did you attempt to bring any alcohol on board with you?

Thanks again for a great review! Can't wait for our cruise now!

 

 

Just like you, I think I was getting caught up in the negative reviews so I was a bit worried but in the end, it was a nice vacation.

 

We did the 4-day trip, so we stopped at Freeport, Nassau, and the private island.

 

We were a family of 4, travelling with two boys (4 & 2), so with that said...here's what we did:

 

Freeport - We took taxi 5pp to a resort called Our Lucaya and bought a day pass. For 20 pp (kids were free) we were allowed to use their pools, towells, lounge chairs (on the beach as well). It was very nice there. If you just wanted to use of lounge chairs on the beach, it's 10 pp. What was nice about this place is that you weren't being constantly bothered by someone trying to sell you something. If you like the beaches, then from what I have read, you may want to avoid the free-public ones.

 

Nassau - More of the same....went to another resort and bought their day pass. This time it was the Sheraton and it was excellent. Even nicer than Our Lucaya. Their day pass runs you 25 pp, which I suppose is a bit much, but you are on vacation and if you opt to go to this resort, you won't be disappointed. This pass entitles you to the pools, beach, lounge chairs, umbrellas, towells and their non-motorized water toys.

 

Last day was the private island.......As you will read from everyone....it does fill up fast. If it's important that you have a lounge chair then you want to be one of the first tenders over. If not, there were other chairs that were available (sitting chairs) that you could bring down close the water. If the weather is nice, it's really a nice island. NCL has just announced they are going to be upgrading the Island, but we will have to wait a year or so for that.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I know how excited I was each day leading up to my cruise and am trying to find a way to plan my next one.