Leaving from Dominican Republic on the Sky

[suech1970]

Wow, itinerary for Feb IS amazing, not a single sea day in 14 days! I would have done this for sure, but Feb was too early. 
We’ve done this itinerary on b2b cruises was fabulous. Was on another cruise line out of Barbados, one week did southern Caribbean then the north following week. Don’t get to the ABC islands and Grenada that often on itineraries.

 

We’ve sailed Sky twice in 12 months, so it’s safe to say we like her.
Good luck with airfare, seems flights aren’t cheap to the DR from anywhere😖
 

[lisapop]

we have booked this sailing from the uk too - managed to use airmiles to make the flights work. 

 

the itinerary looks really good 

[lisapop]

oops hit reply too early. 

 

We sailed Sky this year on a Panama canal cruise and really liked the ship. the only thing that bothered me was the buffet - it was small and i really didnt like the layout

[suech1970]

Couldn’t resist the flash sale and booked the 9 day sailing in May out of DR. Flights & stop over were more than cruise🙄 but really looking forward to 3rd trip on Sky.

 

Lisapop totally agree about buffet, just don’t think canteen style layout works We tried 2 MDR breakfast and it took far too long. So we started using the great outdoors at aft, same food selection and the omelette counters were always quieter. If it was too hot or couldn’t get table we used the Local bar, sorted😁.

 

Think the food this year on Sky was the best we’ve had in the 4 cruises we’ve done with them, never used the MDR so much!  Just jinked it now haven’t I 😆

[MikeyBoy1978]

On 6/27/2023 at 8:52 AM, ron57nie said:

Been looking at the cruises leaving from Dominica Republic on the Sky and wondering if anyone has done this, how it was  and what was the passenger mix. Did the cruise cater to Spanish speakers or was it similar to cruises leaving from Miami or FLL?  I know its an older ship but the last reviews are horrible...was your Sky cruise really that bad?

 

Thank you

We did a very similar cruise last year with Royal Caribbean, Small ship, 12 days…

 

we had tons of Canadians 20%, Euros (30% British, 20% euro), and Caribbean people 10% on the ship. Very few Americans 10% and 10% from the rest of the world.
 

I would expect the same again.the cruise catered 100% to English speakers and everyone employee is usually from the same “hiring pool” as all other ships. The one passenger we met used to be from the Caribbean and said the cruise lines don’t like to have workers from the area work their own geographic area as it is very tempting for them to quit and also it can lead to unwanted shenanigans with the crew and the passengers.

 

trust don’t sweat the reviews, when people have a great time they seldomly write a review BUT the Karen’s live to complain. So don’t worry!

 

regarding the small ship size it is actually very nice for itineraries like 12-16 day runs as you really get to know the other shipmates and can have some decent friends while cruising.

 

hope this helps!

[ron57nie]

On 8/2/2023 at 10:32 PM, Ericaleighjackson said:

Good to know. I was checking out the itinerary for February and was (also) wondering if anyone had been on it yet. So ron57nie - did you book it? njhorseman - did you? If so, any luck on the airfare? I'm debating between the two FEB dates, but the itinerary looks incredible! Thank you for the input and advice!

We are booked and got a flight from Charlotte, our closest big city for just under $700 but non stop, so it was a bit more expensive. 

[suech1970]

Wow, I thought our flights were expensive £600/$750 but it’s transatlantic, unlike yours!! Seems like DR flights are pricey right across the board, or a faff flying indirect🙄

[LoveOBX]

On 8/28/2023 at 9:47 PM, ron57nie said:

We are booked and got a flight from Charlotte, our closest big city for just under $700 but non stop, so it was a bit more expensive. 

We are looking at this cruise.  What airport are you flying into and how are you getting to the cruise terminal?  It seems that the airports are really far from the cruise terminal.

[ron57nie]

8 minutes ago, LoveOBX said:

We are looking at this cruise.  What airport are you flying into and how are you getting to the cruise terminal?  It seems that the airports are really far from the cruise terminal.

flying into PUJ and we have not made transfer plans yet, however we will probably do a private car  or a taxi, i do think it is a ways. 

 

On 8/29/2023 at 3:42 AM, suech1970 said:

Wow, I thought our flights were expensive £600/$750 but it’s transatlantic, unlike yours!! Seems like DR flights are pricey right across the board, or a faff flying indirect🙄

Yes fly into small destinations is not cheap, but when you figure the total price for the cruise and the air it is overall competitive, and there are ports here that are rarely included in most itinerary which is a big draw for us. 

[LoveOBX]

2 minutes ago, ron57nie said:

flying into PUJ and we have not made transfer plans yet, however we will probably do a private car  or a taxi, i do think it is a ways. 

 

Yes fly into small destinations is not cheap, but when you figure the total price for the cruise and the air it is overall competitive, and there are ports here that are rarely included in most itinerary which is a big draw for us. 

Thank you.  Maybe we'll see you on the cruise!

[destar]

22 minutes ago, LoveOBX said:

We are looking at this cruise.  What airport are you flying into and how are you getting to the cruise terminal?  It seems that the airports are really far from the cruise terminal.

You can fly into Punta Cana, La Romana or Santo Domingo. Punta Cana airport is the closest to cruise pier, La Romana is about 1hr away, Santo Domingo almost 3 hrs. For transfers you can do a search online, there are many company that provide transportation from airport to cruise port or hotels

[reeinaz]

17 minutes ago, ron57nie said:

flying into PUJ and we have not made transfer plans yet, however we will probably do a private car  or a taxi, i do think it is a ways. 

 

Yes fly into small destinations is not cheap, but when you figure the total price for the cruise and the air it is overall competitive, and there are ports here that are rarely included in most itinerary which is a big draw for us. 

Yes, this trip with NCL flights was comparable to a 10 day NYC to Bermuda cruise for me (no flight needed for NYC)

[suech1970]

Yeh, it would be too good to be true getting a cheap cruise with cheap flights🙄

Totally agree about islands. Never thought I’d find a 9 night cruise which includes A B C islands and  Tortola with no sea days😁. Love it!

[dhanakorn]

1 hour ago, destar said:

You can fly into Punta Cana, La Romana or Santo Domingo. Punta Cana airport is the closest to cruise pier, La Romana is about 1hr away, Santo Domingo almost 3 hrs. For transfers you can do a search online, there are many company that provide transportation from airport to cruise port or hotels

I think we’re leaving from La Romana terminal. So La Romana airport is probably the closest airport but less flights flying there. PUJ is the most popular tourist airport and is about 1-hr away. SDU is the largest airport and is about 1.5-hr away. 

[destar]

35 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

I think we’re leaving from La Romana terminal. So La Romana airport is probably the closest airport but less flights flying there

Ok, didn't know that the cruise terminal is closer to La Romana. You are correct PUJ airport is about 45 minutes to La Romana, for others traveling with more time, might want to explore SDQ (Santo Domimgo) airport, might find more flights options at cheaper prices.

[cockney girl24]

I have booked this cruise purely for the visiting islands.  Travelling from London via JFK to Santo Domingo.  Airfare is around £700+ at the moment from London, maybe cheaper via JetBlue or nearer the time.  Don't think that NCL have ever started a cruise from DR, would be good to see if there would be any difference.