Norwegian Sky "All-Inclusive" cruise to Cuba earlier this month

[Petroplex]

Morning, folks. I took the Norwegian Sky 4 day cruise to Cuba earlier this month. It came with the all-inclusive drinks package. I have slowly been posting photos to my personal travel blog, and I have included a few links there in the event it will be helpful. I also have video which I have organized deck by deck to help you find any particular thing you are looking for. However, here I want to provide a regular text-based review that loads easily into whatever device you are reading it from. I would be delighted to answer any questions as well as I can. I will talk about 6 things here: The Upgrade Advantage bid process, embarkation in Miami, the size and general layout of the ship, the unlimited drinks package, the dining options, and the shore excursion options in Cuba and Great Stirrup Cay.

 

Let's start with the upgrade bid process. I booked the cruise less than two months before departure, and I have never sailed with NCL before. Roughly three days after booking, I received an email offering me the chance to upgrade. I was booked in a very cheap oceanview cabin, so the possibility of having a balcony sounded great. I later wondered about the wisdom of my upgrade bid, because the actual price of the cruise kept dropping. By the end, however, all of the cabins sold and there was nothing to upgrade me to. I would obviously have loved a discount balcony, but I understood the process. No complaints there.

 

Embarkation in Miami was really, really easy. I was surprised, because I did not know the port, was not in a cabin with perks, and had no status with NCL. However, arriving at the port early meant there were no lines to stand in. I got there a few minutes after ten. General boarding opened at 11:30, and I am sure I was on the ship by 11:45. Huzzah! Off to lunch and to set up appointments at the spa and such.

 

This ship was less than half the size of the last Royal Caribbean ship I was on. Still, there seemed to be plenty of nice spots to sit with a cocktail and my book. That was what I was going for on this trip. On our one sea day, the pool deck did seem incredibly crowded. The ship was not laid out particularly well, sometimes requiring me to change floors to get from one spot to another on the same deck. There were also oddities like having to go to Deck 6 to get to Le Bistro on Deck 5. Once I figured out the layout of the ship, however, the size was lovely. I was also a big fan of the open deck space on Deck 6 that let me take a long walk around the ship.

 

My favorite spots on the ship were bars, which raises the question of the drinks package. The good news is that it didn't seem like too much of a booze cruise. People were certainly having a good time, but nobody was losing control. Drink service tended to be fast with a fairly wide selection. The only problem I had was that many of the popular drinks were pre-mixed and too sweet. Rather than a mojito mix, I would love to have the bar tended make me a cocktail fresh. Still, the drinks were good enough.

 

The food, however, was disappointing. I had breakfast and lunch in the MDR. Both were fine, but the choices did not change from day to day. The service was solid, but the choices fairly bland and unchanging. The dinner choices did change from night to night, but they also did not catch my eye. I wound up eating in Le Bistro, Cagney's, and Il Adagio. Those places were nice meals, but not all that much better than some MDR meals I have had on other lines. The

was laid out poorly, although the outdoor section of it was better. The food was fine on this ship, but not a particular reason to book the cruise.

 

Shore excursions on this ship, however, were excellent. I went on the Rum, Cigars, and Art tour I booked through the ship. It was a great tour, and I will post pictures of it eventually. I would, however, wait and buy cigars later at the pier or from a shop in town. The prices are the same, and the lines are much shorter than on the organized excursion. The

were even interesting. I wound up eating dinner that night on my own in Havana. I found the city easy to navigate, and I always felt safe. It helps, of course, that I speak Spanish. Still, there were enough people who spoke enough English that you could make your way around regardless. I even ran into a

.

 

I also enjoyed

. The island itself was gorgeous, and the organized Waverunner tour was well worth it. We hit 50 MPH several times. The only drawback was the rain which struck later, and the tendering process was not particularly well-organized when that hit. The buffet, however, was nice, and I enjoyed the drinks. The drinks were still included with the unlimited drinks package from the ship, although it may have helped that we were the only ship there that day. I would love to go back to the island.

 

So, on balance, would I go again? Yes. The itinerary was perfect for a quick getaway, I got to see Cuba, I enjoyed the ship, and the price was incredibly low. I would like to see better free dining options, and I would like the bartenders to make drinks as I come. However, overall I enjoyed it very much.

[cruisekitty22]

Great review!

[BigNance]

Thanks for the review! We are doing this cruise in August and we were on the Sky this past February for a Bahama/GSC visit. We enjoyed our cruise very much! I agree with you on the MDR food, and we did not do any specialties last time. We will find out this time! There were several bars that make drinks to order - most notably Longboards and the Atrium Bar (can you say Jalapeno Cucumber Mojito!!). If you missed those, you will want to try them if you return!!

[Cruiser_1977]

I did this itinerary in June and feel much the same as you! Thanks for your time :)

[adjensen]

The

was laid out poorly, although the outdoor section of it was better.

Aside from the mega ships (Epic and larger,) this is a downfall of all NCL ships, in my opinion -- a terrible buffet layout. I'm not a fan of buffets, in general, but circumstances dictate that we have breakfast in them, most days, and I'm always irritated by the poor design and difficulty in getting around without knocking into people.

[casofilia]

Thank you, we are going next March

[casofilia]

Do you know if Bushwhackers are available free? Thanks

[Petroplex]

Do you know if Bushwhackers are available free? Thanks

 

Sadly, I do not. Can you tell me what is in it? I have a picture from the poo bar where they say low and mid-shelf alcohols were free and I had to pay extra for top shelf stuff. I will try to get that uploaded to my blog since I can't figure out how to do it here, but for now if you can tell me what is involved I will figure it out. I paid out of pocket a few times so I could have a nice bourbon on the rocks, but I mostly drank what they had ready, available, and free.

[casofilia]

Dark Rum; Coffee & Creme de Cacao Liqueurs, Cream of Coconut and Milk

[CruiseGal999]

Morning, folks. I took the Norwegian Sky 4 day cruise to Cuba earlier this month. It came with the all-inclusive drinks package. I have slowly been posting photos to my personal travel blog, and I have included a few links there in the event it will be helpful. I also have video which I have organized deck by deck to help you find any particular thing you are looking for. However, here I want to provide a regular text-based review that loads easily into whatever device you are reading it from. I would be delighted to answer any questions as well as I can. I will talk about 6 things here: The Upgrade Advantage bid process, embarkation in Miami, the size and general layout of the ship, the unlimited drinks package, the dining options, and the shore excursion options in Cuba and Great Stirrup Cay.

 

Let's start with the upgrade bid process. I booked the cruise less than two months before departure, and I have never sailed with NCL before. Roughly three days after booking, I received an email offering me the chance to upgrade. I was booked in a very cheap oceanview cabin, so the possibility of having a balcony sounded great. I later wondered about the wisdom of my upgrade bid, because the actual price of the cruise kept dropping. By the end, however, all of the cabins sold and there was nothing to upgrade me to. I would obviously have loved a discount balcony, but I understood the process. No complaints there.

 

Embarkation in Miami was really, really easy. I was surprised, because I did not know the port, was not in a cabin with perks, and had no status with NCL. However, arriving at the port early meant there were no lines to stand in. I got there a few minutes after ten. General boarding opened at 11:30, and I am sure I was on the ship by 11:45. Huzzah! Off to lunch and to set up appointments at the spa and such.

 

This ship was less than half the size of the last Royal Caribbean ship I was on. Still, there seemed to be plenty of nice spots to sit with a cocktail and my book. That was what I was going for on this trip. On our one sea day, the pool deck did seem incredibly crowded. The ship was not laid out particularly well, sometimes requiring me to change floors to get from one spot to another on the same deck. There were also oddities like having to go to Deck 6 to get to Le Bistro on Deck 5. Once I figured out the layout of the ship, however, the size was lovely. I was also a big fan of the open deck space on Deck 6 that let me take a long walk around the ship.

 

My favorite spots on the ship were bars, which raises the question of the drinks package. The good news is that it didn't seem like too much of a booze cruise. People were certainly having a good time, but nobody was losing control. Drink service tended to be fast with a fairly wide selection. The only problem I had was that many of the popular drinks were pre-mixed and too sweet. Rather than a mojito mix, I would love to have the bar tended make me a cocktail fresh. Still, the drinks were good enough.

 

The food, however, was disappointing. I had breakfast and lunch in the MDR. Both were fine, but the choices did not change from day to day. The service was solid, but the choices fairly bland and unchanging. The dinner choices did change from night to night, but they also did not catch my eye. I wound up eating in Le Bistro, Cagney's, and Il Adagio. Those places were nice meals, but not all that much better than some MDR meals I have had on other lines. The

was laid out poorly, although the outdoor section of it was better. The food was fine on this ship, but not a particular reason to book the cruise.

 

Shore excursions on this ship, however, were excellent. I went on the Rum, Cigars, and Art tour I booked through the ship. It was a great tour, and I will post pictures of it eventually. I would, however, wait and buy cigars later at the pier or from a shop in town. The prices are the same, and the lines are much shorter than on the organized excursion. The

were even interesting. I wound up eating dinner that night on my own in Havana. I found the city easy to navigate, and I always felt safe. It helps, of course, that I speak Spanish. Still, there were enough people who spoke enough English that you could make your way around regardless. I even ran into a

.

 

I also enjoyed

. The island itself was gorgeous, and the organized Waverunner tour was well worth it. We hit 50 MPH several times. The only drawback was the rain which struck later, and the tendering process was not particularly well-organized when that hit. The buffet, however, was nice, and I enjoyed the drinks. The drinks were still included with the unlimited drinks package from the ship, although it may have helped that we were the only ship there that day. I would love to go back to the island.

 

So, on balance, would I go again? Yes. The itinerary was perfect for a quick getaway, I got to see Cuba, I enjoyed the ship, and the price was incredibly low. I would like to see better free dining options, and I would like the bartenders to make drinks as I come. However, overall I enjoyed it very much.

 

NCL owns Great Stirrup Cay. It is their Island. So I don't know if any other ships stop there/tender there. Maybe ... but FYI.

 

I am very happy you had a good cruise. I am surprised to see you say the price kept dropping and it was so low. I sailed NCL Sky May 2017 and it was just over 60 days to sail date when I booked my cruise and the price, for me imo was really high.

 

AGREE 100% about the poor food. You were kind. It was horrible when I cruised. The menu said 'cheesecake'. It was some sort of custard on a crust. There were HORRIBLE dolmas and beef that could not be cut. It was like shoe leather.

 

Sky is a smaller & older NCL ship. I too enjoyed sitting and having a glass of wine and reading. It was a great trip because I used private tour companies and NOT NCL excursions. I found the Cuban people amazing, warm, friendly and so helpful.

[Petroplex]

Dark Rum; Coffee & Creme de Cacao Liqueurs, Cream of Coconut and Milk

 

Oh yeah, the could definitely make that on the package. There were lots and lots of rum options. It might be a little easier if you found one of the quieter bars, but you could certainly get that.

[casofilia]

Thank you Petroplex, great news.

[adjensen]

Yes, Bushwhackers are included in the all-inclusive, or at least they were last May.

[MeeCabo]

Great review. I leave on Monday :)

[Mastrandrea]

NCL owns Great Stirrup Cay. It is their Island. So I don't know if any other ships stop there/tender there. Maybe ... but FYI.

 

I am very happy you had a good cruise. I am surprised to see you say the price kept dropping and it was so low. I sailed NCL Sky May 2017 and it was just over 60 days to sail date when I booked my cruise and the price, for me imo was really high.

 

AGREE 100% about the poor food. You were kind. It was horrible when I cruised. The menu said 'cheesecake'. It was some sort of custard on a crust. There were HORRIBLE dolmas and beef that could not be cut. It was like shoe leather.

 

Sky is a smaller & older NCL ship. I too enjoyed sitting and having a glass of wine and reading. It was a great trip because I used private tour companies and NOT NCL excursions. I found the Cuban people amazing, warm, friendly and so helpful.

 

What private tour company did you use?

[Jaco5NC]

Thank you for this review!! I booked this as a quick and relatively inexpensive trip to Cuba that I could invite friends to join us on. I have been nervous sailing on such a small ship but I will go into it with realistic expectations thanks to your great observations[emoji4].

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[BobaLouFTL]

What time did you arrive in Havana?

[rthereanynamesleft]

Trying to get all the info I can on this particular cruise. We are booked and sail tomorrow Aug 6 for our Anniversary. It was a last minute decision and we too did not get an upgrade. Not sure if there were any cabins left to upgrade but since it is a 4 day only it will do.