Just off of Sky today - ask away

[Jay Sam]

Just arrived back from Sky today. Nice cruise, nice ship. Any questions, feel free.

[MisterFidgetpants]

Do you happen to have the daily paper from your Freeport day? Trying to decide if we make that our "sea day" or go explore Freeport.

[Jay Sam]

We didn't bring back any of the daily newspapers.

 

In Freeport we took a cab over to Grand Lucayan hotel. The cab was 5.00 each way and is a van. It is a shared ride with other folks and about 30 minutes each way.

 

The Grand Lucayan was 16.00 admission. Nice property. Very tropical. We sat on the beach in loungers for an hour. Once was enough. Glad I got to see some of the countryside and visit the beach, but I don't need to do it again.

 

If you do go to the Grand Lucayan and want to have a drink when you get to the resort, bring a credit card. The bar at the pool only takes credit cards, No cash. We found out that beers are 8.00 plus tax, so a big rip-off.

 

26.00 total for a ride out and back including the resort, so a cheap shore excursion. Got to see the beach and part of the island. But like I said, once is enough. If you do decide to stay on the ship that day or just look around the port, you won't miss much.

 

Any other questions feel free to reach out. jsamuel2@tampabay.rr.com

[sand&beachlover]

Did you take in anything the Spa offers? I'm wondering what the Spa has to offer for amenities.

[MsAnnMcD]

Thanks Jay Sam. I sent an email as I am running a Navy Reunion group this weekend. Appreciate you taking the time to post! A few quick questions here - How did you find the condition of the ship? What was the type of guests on the weekend cruise - old or young, partiers or sedate? Was the food in the MDR good and what is the one must do thing on board? Looking forward to reading your answers. Much appreciated!

[BVIArabella]

Jay Sam:

How about a short review of the trip?

I have read several lately and some are good some are not so good.

My wife and I are cruising on the Sky in February so I would be interested in your overall impression.

Thanks

[the_lovely_voyage]

I board in 56 days, I'm so excited!

How was the bar service? We have UBP and I'm hoping we don't have too hard of a time getting drinks.

How was Great Outdoors Cafe as far as seating, views, service, etc? (Deck 11, aft)

How were the shows?

Thanks in advance?

Edited September 15, 2015 by morninsun86

[onefishtwofish]

We were on the Sky but it was 2013......what kind of shape is she in? We had a blast (us and 2 kids 14 and 11) but noticed she needed some TLC....carpets, updating rooms/tv's ...... but we had SO much fun and thought the food was really good - what would you say??;)

[MsAnnMcD]

Since Jeff sent me lots of info before I left Sept 18-22 I figured I'd chime in.

 

We had an aft balcony on deck 9. The fold out couch was worn and there were a few chips in the paneling. The bathroom has some permanent stains and the electrical outlet didn't' work. None of that really impacted us. We were where we wanted to be.

 

In the common areas I didn't notice too much wear and tear but I wasn't really looking for it.

 

Since we were 9 aft it was easy to walk up to the great outdoor cafe. Only on debarkation day did it seem really crowded.

 

As for the shows we only did the Capt Cooks piano bar and it was rather R rated but hilarious. Very fun! We also did the Karaoke in the Plantation Club and enjoyed it.

 

Bar service seemed good to me. Spent a few mid afternoons by the pool and was always able to get what I wanted when I wanted it. Sadly, the day the Freestyle stated they had Margarita specials at the pool bar 3-5PM it was the regular price but various flavored. I thought it was the same price as the morning bloody mary special for $5.95. :(

 

We found the food in the main dining rooms to be excellent. On embarkation day we went to Crossings and had a wonderful meal. When we finished our cabins were ready. Dinners were held in both dining rooms and the food was served hot and delicious. The prime rib was outstanding.

 

We arrived at 11 and only sat in the holding area a short while. Very easy and well organized.

 

Our reunion group had 23 people. All our prearranged gatherings went off perfectly. There were 11 groups and several weddings on this cruise. Also I saw lots of bachelor and bachelorette groups when we were in Nassau. That said out of the 11 cabins we had only 1 had an issue with rowdy neighbors and a lot of noise.

 

Overall the staff were great as I've become accustomed to with NCL. Everyone I spoke to was really helpful. The room steward gave us plenty of towels and towel animals and remembered our name. The dining room staff and event coordinator Jenny were wonderful. The bar staff in the Outrigger took great care of us at our cocktail parties.

 

I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Have fun folks!

[marciemi]

Thanks for the update onefish! We're on our way to the port right now for this weekend's Sky cruise so excited to read your info!

[WMQueenie]

Thanks for that, MsAnnMcD!

 

We're (my sister and I) sailing in 1 week and are very excited! Any more hints/tips would be much appreciated!

[marciemi]

Oops - I meant you as well MsAnnMcD! Thanks!

[MsAnnMcD]

Since you asked, I think if I were to go on that ship again I would book an excursion in Nassau to get away from the port area that is over-run with people and ships OR I'd stay on the ship and take advantage of a spa special ($129 hot stone plus a couple other treatments normally valued at $179) followed by lounging by the pool.

 

Also, on GSC we had 2 large cabanas for our group. They were great and came with float matts. I finally walked all the way to the end and found the lagoon and that was my favorite part of the day - floating around the lagoon. If you are an early bird, they don't let non priority folks off the boat til 10 AM so you might want to book something - snorkeling, kayaking etc - so you can get off the boat at 8 AM. We had a great day there!

 

The straw market on GSC only takes cash and they didn't barter. The price is as labeled.

 

Looking forward to hearing back what your experiences are! Have fun and wear sunscreen!