Just back from Sky 4-day, any questions?

[spacepotatoes]

DH and I just returned from 4 days in the Bahamas on the Sky. We had a great time :D There were a few minor issues but overall, it was excellent. We were a little nervous about the Spring Break crowd but it was a nice mix of college kids, couples (of all ages), and families. If any of you are going to be on the Sky in the near future, it'll be great!

 

Just an FYI for those of you like to keep up to date about this kind of thing - from what we've heard, the crew will be gradually changing over in the next little while as many of them are nearing the end of their 9 month contracts and are headed home to visit their families. They are very excited to be seeing their loved ones soon!

 

I'll be posting a more thorough review once we get settled, some time in the next week or so. In the meantime, if there are any questions I might be able to answer, fire away!

[jvsnana]

Glad you had a great time! We will be on the Sky 5/2/11...can't wait!

May I ask what you did in each port?

Also, did you check out the "Spa area"? I heard there were just saunas and steam rooms...was there a fee to use them?

Oh...how was the food :D

Looking forward to reading your review :)

[Ms belp]

We were on the Sky last April, I think. We missed our Gem cruise to Venice so I believe I went on auto pilot. What did you do as far as excursions? You might jog my memory.

[BooBooMonkey]

DH and I just returned from 4 days in the Bahamas on the Sky. We had a great time :D There were a few minor issues but overall, it was excellent.

Just an FYI for those of you like to keep up to date about this kind of thing - from what we've heard, the crew will be gradually changing over in the next little while as many of them are nearing the end of their 9 month contracts and are headed home to visit their families. They are very excited to be seeing their loved ones soon!

 

In the meantime, if there are any questions I might be able to answer, fire away!

 

Thanks so much for your mini-review! DH and I will be on this Monday's 4-day sailing. I did this cruise with our DD last September, so I have a good idea of what to expect.

 

Would you mind sharing what your "minor issues" were? Just wondering if they were personal issues (like bed too hard, room too small, etc.) or issues that affected everyone (like bad food, dirty public areas, etc.).

 

Good to know the about the staff finishing their tours soon. I will be sure to ask them about their families and what their plans are for going home. I love hearing personal stories from crew members.

 

Question: Who is the current Cruise Director? What shows/activities did you do on board? What would you recommend as far as on-board activities?

 

Leaving Monday!

Thanks!

 

Boo

[spacepotatoes]

Answers are in red below :)

 

Glad you had a great time! We will be on the Sky 5/2/11...can't wait!

May I ask what you did in each port?

Freeport - we did the Freeport Bike Adventure through NCL. We tried to book independently but the operator (Grand Bahama Nature Tours) referred us back to the cruise line. The price difference was only $11 each, so not a big deal. It's a 12 mile bike tour, with breaks in between. After the biking, lunch is provided, then an hour at the beach (Junkanoo Beach Club), and time for shopping at Port Lucaya. I have mixed feelings about the biking part (I was recovering from a cold that day so I think the 12 miles was a little too much) but DH absolutely loved it. The guides were fantastic, too.

 

Nassau - we booked Atlantis Aquaventure through Majestic Tours. We took a taxi over and spent the day exploring the resort. If you've never been, it's a really neat place to see!

 

Great Stirrup Cay - we heard that on the sailing before ours, they had to cancel GSC due to weather but it was perfect for us. It was a nice beach day. I had hoped to snorkel but the water was too cold for me. Lots of other people did go out, though.

 

Also, did you check out the "Spa area"? I heard there were just saunas and steam rooms...was there a fee to use them?

We accidentally wandered into the spa area once, but that was the extent of it ;) It is a full service spa, you can get treatments there and they have daily specials. We didn't make use of it, though, so I don't know about the saunas and steam rooms. There usually isn't a fee for those.

 

Oh...how was the food :D

 

Very good! We enjoyed all of our meals. We tried both dining rooms, Longboards, and both the indoor and outdoor buffet. On the last night, we ate at Le Bistro. Everything was great, though service in the Crossings dining room is really slow. They serve the same food so if you can, go to Palace instead. Service there was faster and more polished.

 

Looking forward to reading your review :)

 

 

Hope that helps!

[spacepotatoes]

We were on the Sky last April, I think. We missed our Gem cruise to Venice so I believe I went on auto pilot. What did you do as far as excursions? You might jog my memory.

 

I included the details in the above post :)

[spacepotatoes]

Thanks so much for your mini-review! DH and I will be on this Monday's 4-day sailing. I did this cruise with our DD last September, so I have a good idea of what to expect.

 

Would you mind sharing what your "minor issues" were? Just wondering if they were personal issues (like bed too hard, room too small, etc.) or issues that affected everyone (like bad food, dirty public areas, etc.).

 

The stateroom was REALLY small, but that didn't bother us much. Just a few small things:

- cleanliness when it comes to things like towels and bed sheets. A lot of them were just permanently stained and looking pretty worn. Not a huge deal but not very appealing either!

- really slow service in Crossings (much better in Palace)

- announcements that went on way too long and were repetitive. The Cruise Director is great but she tended to be longwinded and she'd recite the Freestyle Daily schedule multiple times a day, which got annoying.

- the layout of the ship. There are a lot of places where you can't get directly from point A to point B on this ship. It took us the full 4 days to figure out our way around. For us, it was no biggie, we just laughed it off when we got turned around.

- buffet area was really small and traffic flow was not very good. This might be an issue for some, but we mostly ate in the MDRs so not a problem for us.

 

Good to know the about the staff finishing their tours soon. I will be sure to ask them about their families and what their plans are for going home. I love hearing personal stories from crew members.

 

The crew was great, so friendly and helpful! If you go to Le Bistro and have Venus as your server, she loves to chat with passengers and answer all kinds of questions. She'll be going to the Phillipines to see her family in a month, she said she's the youngest daughter in her family and her mom misses her :) One of the ladies sitting near us that night mentioned a crew member who got married then left to start his contract so he hasn't gotten to spend time with his wife yet! I don't know who it was, but I'm willing to bet he'll be one of the happiest crew members on board when he's done ;)

 

Question: Who is the current Cruise Director? What shows/activities did you do on board? What would you recommend as far as on-board activities?

Cruise Director was Candi Finkelstein. She seemed to be everywhere and did a good job managing activities. We just didn't like all the announcements.

 

We went to Soul Rockin' Nights, Rich Purpura's Magic/Comedy Show, and the Farewell Variety Show. All were fun. We also went to Joker's Wild, which was an open mic night for comedy, where your fellow passengers get to tell their jokes and at the end, you vote for the best one. On the last night, we watched the Quest game show. It was hilarious, especially since it was on St. Patrick's day and most participants were drunk ;) There were lots of other things going on that we had hoped to go to but never made it like movie trivia, jeopardy, and salsa lessons.

 

 

Leaving Monday!

Thanks!

 

Boo

 

Have a great time!

[BooBooMonkey]

Thanks Space!

 

Looking forward to doing this cruise with DH. I'm sure we'll have a great time.

 

Boo

[dealhunter]

Thanks for sharing your information. I have only sailed RC and booked my first NCL on the Sky yesterday, so I'm trying to research as much as I can. My DH and I are excited.

[cruisin00b]

"Cruise Director was Candi Finkelstein. She seemed to be everywhere and did a good job managing activities. We just didn't like all the announcements."

 

I was on the same ship, and the announcements were definitely overkill. By the 3rd and 4th day I was over it. Especially at 8am in your staterooms, the announcements will definitely wake you up if you are a light sleeper. (Not good if you are up late in the casino, etc. and you like your sleep.) I don't understand why they can't just make those announcements in the hallways and public areas that early in the morning.

 

"We went to Soul Rockin' Nights, Rich Purpura's Magic/Comedy Show, and the Farewell Variety Show. All were fun. We also went to Joker's Wild, which was an open mic night for comedy, where your fellow passengers get to tell their jokes and at the end, you vote for the best one. On the last night, we watched the Quest game show. It was hilarious, especially since it was on St. Patrick's day and most participants were drunk There were lots of other things going on that we had hoped to go to but never made it like movie trivia, jeopardy, and salsa lessons."

 

Rich Purpura's magic/comedy show was hilarious and the farewell variety was also entertaining. Joker's Wild was funny and the last joke was definitely worth staying for, haha. The quest show was probably the best entertainment on the ship, and definitely worth seeing. I wasn't planning on participating, but they do a good job getting the crowd involved. I won a NCL keychain with a light on it. Also, Cagney's is very good. That's all I'll say. I will post a more in-depth review soon, but I have a lot of english papers to write (because I was too busy enjoying my internet-free, homework-free, 4 night cruise on the SKY.) :D

 

Needless to say, I enjoyed my first cruise, and looking forward to my next one.

 

Glad you had a good time as well space potatoes. ;)

[spacepotatoes]

I was on the same ship, and the announcements were definitely overkill. By the 3rd and 4th day I was over it. Especially at 8am in your staterooms, the announcements will definitely wake you up if you are a light sleeper. (Not good if you are up late in the casino, etc. and you like your sleep.) I don't understand why they can't just make those announcements in the hallways and public areas that early in the morning.

 

I think what made it worse was that we got Candi's long spiel and THEN they had to do it over again in Spanish. But it was kind of amusing that a lot of the time, the Spanish version was much shorter!

 

 

Rich Purpura's magic/comedy show was hilarious and the farewell variety was also entertaining. Joker's Wild was funny and the last joke was definitely worth staying for, haha.

That was great! Do you think he'll really tell that winning joke on the next sailing or just conveniently reuse the one he told us? I'm sure he wouldn't want to give the new crowd any ideas ;)

 

The quest show was probably the best entertainment on the ship, and definitely worth seeing. I wasn't planning on participating, but they do a good job getting the crowd involved. I won a NCL keychain with a light on it.

 

Congratulations :D We didn't participate, though we did help out one of the teams for one quest. If you happen to remember that big group of Canadians all decked out in the St. Patrick's gear, we were sitting in the corner by them.

 

 

Needless to say, I enjoyed my first cruise, and looking forward to my next one.

 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it, it's highly addictive isn't it? Good luck with the homework and have fun planning the next getaway :)

[spacepotatoes]

As I get my thoughts together for the review, I'm realizing a couple of things I forgot to mention...

 

Glad you had a great time! We will be on the Sky 5/2/11...can't wait!

May I ask what you did in each port?

Also, did you check out the "Spa area"? I heard there were just saunas and steam rooms...was there a fee to use them?

Oh...how was the food :D

Looking forward to reading your review :)

 

jvsnana, I noticed in your signature that you've sailed on the Pride of Aloha. You may already know this but in case you don't, the Sky actually used to be the Pride of Aloha. So, you'll already know your way around :) They actually still have a lot of the Hawaiian decor, too.

 

For those of you sailing in the very near future, there are 2 for 1 martinis every night (except on embarkation day) in the Plantation club. They have a very extensive menu to choose from and the bartenders are NOT stingy with the booze! You will get your money's worth, it's a great deal! They also had some specials for $4.95 margaritas on one day.

 

The Great Outdoors, at the very aft end of the ship, is the perfect place to watch sailaway from Miami. If you head straight there after muster drill, it will be practically empty and you can get a perfect spot. If you miss it, go down to deck 6. The aft is open there.

[jvsnana]

As I get my thoughts together for the review, I'm realizing a couple of things I forgot to mention...

 

 

 

jvsnana, I noticed in your signature that you've sailed on the Pride of Aloha. You may already know this but in case you don't, the Sky actually used to be the Pride of Aloha. So, you'll already know your way around :) They actually still have a lot of the Hawaiian decor, too.

 

For those of you sailing in the very near future, there are 2 for 1 martinis every night (except on embarkation day) in the Plantation club. They have a very extensive menu to choose from and the bartenders are NOT stingy with the booze! You will get your money's worth, it's a great deal! They also had some specials for $4.95 margaritas on one day.

 

The Great Outdoors, at the very aft end of the ship, is the perfect place to watch sailaway from Miami. If you head straight there after muster drill, it will be practically empty and you can get a perfect spot. If you miss it, go down to deck 6. The aft is open there.

Well that is something I did not know!

The Pride of Aloha was our first cruise and the ship seemed HUGE! We were so busy getting off at each port the minute we docked and getting back on just in time for them not to sail away without us, that we did not enjoy the ship as we have learned to do on latter cruises:) We also got very seasick on that cruise and said we'd never cruise again...so much for that:D

So, sailing the Sky will seem like a new experience for us and we can't wait to check her out.

I do remember using the sauna and steam room on that cruise though, now that you have jogged my memory:p

 

Another question about GSC....did you happen rent a clamshell and if you did was it worth it?

 

Still looking forward to reading your full review!

[lilsdad]

Space;

 

GSC is supposed to be in the middle of some kind of upgrade. Have you noticed any of these? Last time I was there it seemed a little old.

[spacepotatoes]

Well that is something I did not know!

The Pride of Aloha was our first cruise and the ship seemed HUGE! We were so busy getting off at each port the minute we docked and getting back on just in time for them not to sail away without us, that we did not enjoy the ship as we have learned to do on latter cruises:) We also got very seasick on that cruise and said we'd never cruise again...so much for that:D

So, sailing the Sky will seem like a new experience for us and we can't wait to check her out.

I do remember using the sauna and steam room on that cruise though, now that you have jogged my memory:p

 

Another question about GSC....did you happen rent a clamshell and if you did was it worth it?

 

That's funny, our first cruise was also NCL to Hawaii, on the Pride of America. I ended up getting sea sick pretty much every time the ship left port! We had a fantastic time, though, and we got hooked on cruising but we did feel like we didn't really get to enjoy the ship itself much. The Sky was a new experience for us, too, in that sense. We got to feel more like we were on a cruise this time around!

 

About GSC, we didn't rent a clamshell and actually, I don't remember them even being advertised at all. I saw very few of them on the island. The few that I did see were all in one spot, so I'm not sure how that works - if they're in one specific location or if those people just decided to hang out in that area for the day. If you're sensitive to the sun, it could be worth it because shade is hard to come by on GSC! The only area with some shade was right by the hippo slide, which didn't seem very appealing to us. Otherwise, there are covered pavilions with picnic tables for lunch but no shade for the beach chairs.

 

 

 

Space;

 

GSC is supposed to be in the middle of some kind of upgrade. Have you noticed any of these? Last time I was there it seemed a little old.

 

Yes, a few things are already done. There's a lagoon area where the tenders dock now (rather than getting beached in the sand like they used to). There's a large, covered buffet area and a few covered pavilions with picnic tables for lunch. The hippo slide has been up and running for a while, though I hope they find a better location for it! Judging by people's photos, it seems like the beach area has really been expanded, but I can't say for sure since this was our first time there. They are still working on some things near the tender dock area, not sure what exactly.

[MissKaren83]

DH and I just returned from 4 days in the Bahamas on the Sky. We had a great time :D There were a few minor issues but overall, it was excellent. We were a little nervous about the Spring Break crowd but it was a nice mix of college kids, couples (of all ages), and families. If any of you are going to be on the Sky in the near future, it'll be great!

 

Just an FYI for those of you like to keep up to date about this kind of thing - from what we've heard, the crew will be gradually changing over in the next little while as many of them are nearing the end of their 9 month contracts and are headed home to visit their families. They are very excited to be seeing their loved ones soon!

 

I'll be posting a more thorough review once we get settled, some time in the next week or so. In the meantime, if there are any questions I might be able to answer, fire away!

Hello!

I'm new here and I will be sailing for my first time on the Sky in April. I was wondering about the disembarkation/embarkation in the ports of call, particulary in Nassau. In the itinerary I have, it says arrive in Nassau at 8:00AM and departure at 6:00PM. What does it mean in real ? What are the typical disembarkation/embarkation times in Nassau? Will I be out of the ship at 9:00AM ? Do we disembark deck by deck ? Can I go straight to the "exit" at 8:00AM and wait for the disembarkation? I want to enjoy Nassau as much as possible. Thank you in advance.

[LBumb]

thanks for all the info about the sky.

[SanMarco98]

Planning to cruise on the Sky at the end of August with my sister for a Michael Jackson cruise- she is a fan, not me. We have been offered a room on Deck 4, with only a porthole. Any idea if this level of cabin is acceptable? I'm a more traveled cruiser and prefer a Celebrity type of atmosphere but this is really for her and understand the limitations of a 4 nite cruise like this. How is the embarkation process - she will probably need wheelchair assistance just to get on board, then she'll be ok. Would appreciate any information.

[spacepotatoes]

Hello!

I'm new here and I will be sailing for my first time on the Sky in April. I was wondering about the disembarkation/embarkation in the ports of call, particulary in Nassau. In the itinerary I have, it says arrive in Nassau at 8:00AM and departure at 6:00PM. What does it mean in real ? What are the typical disembarkation/embarkation times in Nassau? Will I be out of the ship at 9:00AM ? Do we disembark deck by deck ? Can I go straight to the "exit" at 8:00AM and wait for the disembarkation? I want to enjoy Nassau as much as possible. Thank you in advance.

 

This will depend somewhat on when exactly the ship docks and how long it takes to clear but you should be able to get off close to, if not right at 8:00 AM. You will definitely be able to get off by 9:00. The cruise director will make an announcement as soon as the gangway is cleared. The announcements came right at 8:00 AM each morning for our sailing. Some people do go down and wait by the gangway (it's on deck 3, forward) but it's really not necessary. There will be a line since you have to scan your card on the way out but it moves quickly.

 

 

thanks for all the info about the sky.

 

You're welcome, glad it was helpful :)

 

Planning to cruise on the Sky at the end of August with my sister for a Michael Jackson cruise- she is a fan, not me. We have been offered a room on Deck 4, with only a porthole. Any idea if this level of cabin is acceptable? I'm a more traveled cruiser and prefer a Celebrity type of atmosphere but this is really for her and understand the limitations of a 4 nite cruise like this. How is the embarkation process - she will probably need wheelchair assistance just to get on board, then she'll be ok. Would appreciate any information.

 

The cabins on the Sky are generally smaller than usual, so be prepared for that! The outside cabins and the ones with portholes are a little larger than the insides, but will probably still be a little tight. I think it's fine, especially since this cruise is so active that you probably won't be spending too much time in the room anyway.

 

The embarkation process was very efficient. We got to the terminal around 11:45 and the staff was making sure that all lines moved very quickly, there weren't any bottlenecks. You should be able to speak to one of the staff members when you get into the terminal about wheelchair assistance and they can help you out from there. I don't know if that needs to be arranged in advance if it's just for boarding, I wouldn't think so but don't know that for sure. It wouldn't hurt to call NCL and double check.

[MissKaren83]

Thanks for your help spacepotatoes:) looking forward to cruise!! April 18th...

[Britt7670]

Can you tell me about the outlets in the cabin ? I remember reading there is only one and that's located on the desk. We have our first cruise coming up in November so we're going crazy trying to find everything out....thanks so much!!!

[spacepotatoes]

Thanks for your help spacepotatoes:) looking forward to cruise!! April 18th...

 

Glad I could help! Have a great time :)

 

Can you tell me about the outlets in the cabin ? I remember reading there is only one and that's located on the desk. We have our first cruise coming up in November so we're going crazy trying to find everything out....thanks so much!!!

 

There are two outlets in the main cabin area. One is for the square pronged North-American style plugs and the other is for the round Eurpoean-style plugs. If you have an adaptor, you could use both of those (or just bring a power strip) and they are just above the desk. There is another outlet in the bathroom that is for square prongs. Hope that helps!

[steviek49]

Thanks for your help spacepotatoes:) looking forward to cruise!! April 18th...

 

We will be on board with you on the 18th.

This will be our 9th cruise, 5th on NCL and 1st on the Sky.

Hope you have an enjoyable cruise.

[BooBooMonkey]

We just returned home today. I will be writing a review soon. Had a good time, and the weather could not have been better!

 

To the poster who asked about the outlets, I believe the one in the bathroom works only for shavers, but I could be wrong, since we didn't actually try to plug anything into it.

 

About Nassau port times, as spacepotatoes said, you should deinitely be off by 9:00; all-aboard time was 5:30 and one couple on our cruise did get left behind (arrived as ship was pulling away around 6:30), so don't be late!

 

Cold here and even a few sprinkles of snow upon our arrival. Quite a shock to the system!

 

Boo

[spacepotatoes]

We just returned home today. I will be writing a review soon. Had a good time, and the weather could not have been better!

 

To the poster who asked about the outlets, I believe the one in the bathroom works only for shavers, but I could be wrong, since we didn't actually try to plug anything into it.

 

About Nassau port times, as spacepotatoes said, you should deinitely be off by 9:00; all-aboard time was 5:30 and one couple on our cruise did get left behind (arrived as ship was pulling away around 6:30), so don't be late!

 

Cold here and even a few sprinkles of snow upon our arrival. Quite a shock to the system!

 

Boo

 

Again, welcome back :) Glad you had a good time!

 

Thanks for the clarification about the bathroom outlet. Maybe that's what the picture on it meant? I tried to figure it out every time I was in there and didn't come up with "shaver."

 

Very interesting about your Nassau departure. We also left Nassau around 6:30, though they never told us why we were late. We figured people had missed the boat since they were announcing a couple of names close to all-aboard time. It's really hard to watch for pier runners on this ship, though, with that glass enclosure!

 

My pictures are just about ready to upload so I should have my review posted in the next couple of days.