Just off 9 dayer on the Sky.

[JimR24]

Depression has set in but at least I am also off this week and don't have to rush back work.  The Sky is what we thought she would be. Small buffet (didn't use really use it).  Small ship and older.  We knew this going in and had no issues.  We used the Great Outdoors in the morning for a quick breakfast before getting off on the island.  Food was good, nothing to complain about.

 

Bar service was fine.  Waiters were hit and miss on the 2 sea days but with a busy pool deck, that's to be expected.  I will say that the pool deck itself was like walking over lit charcoals.  I made the mistake of taking a few steps without my slides and I thought the bottom of my feet melted. 

 

We watched a few shows.  Not So Newlywed (always entertaining), the Mentalist show (was ok) and a few in the Bliss lounge that were pretty funny.  But the true highlight of the trip was Sonata.  We caught a tail end of their show one night and then on the pool deck the next day.  We found ourselves in the Bliss lounge each night they performed and really enjoyed this covers.  Nothing like covering everything from Disco to Metallica.  The lead singer was really engaging and just a fun show all around.  

 

It's been years since we hit a few of the islands and this was our first time in St Maarteen.  Yoli at JJ's Taxis was able to fit us for a few hours in St Thomas for a quick island tour.  She is fantastic and gave us a great tour with a few out of the way stops.  We learned so much about the island and the views were breathtaking.  We also did the Screamin Eagle jet boat and had a blast with Anthony.  It was my kids favorite day of the trip.  We were soaked getting off but it was really refreshing with how hot it was.  We would do this again in a heartbeat.

 

We had a simple beach day in Antigua and spent the day split between Jolly Beach and Ffryes.  We prefer Jolly out of the 2.  In St Maateen, we setup a private tour and Frank was great to spend the day with.  We hit both sides of the island, Maho beach, Parrot Sanctuary (well worth the $10 admission), rum tasting, iguana feeding and shopping.  Great day all aound.

 

Taino Bay was good but with 2 ships in port, it got crowded, fast.  We did Monkey Island and just hung around the pool and lazy river before heading back to the ship.  Old San Juan was ok.  We split up as a group and went to one of the forts as my wife and daughter went shopping.  If we were to hit these ports again, we would hang on the ship.   

 

Overall, a much need and great vacation.  I wouldn't think twice about cruising the Sky again if it fits the itinerary we want.  Now it's going to be waiting for the right deal and finding our next cruise.  

 

 

[All-ready2cruise]

Very well done, nice read and positive.  

[Bobbi01]

Thank you for posting this! I've been looking for more recent feedback on the Sky as we are sailing her on September.  I enjoy the smaller ships. I've never been on NCL before so looking forward to a new experience.

[JimR24]

1 hour ago, Bobbi01 said:

Thank you for posting this! I've been looking for more recent feedback on the Sky as we are sailing her on September.  I enjoy the smaller ships. I've never been on NCL before so looking forward to a new experience.

You're welcome.  The Sky doesn't have the bells and whistles of the newer ships but she gets the job done.  We found the crew and staff to be super friendly.  Dinners started out taking about an hour but seemed to slow towards the end of the week.  We noticed an increase presence of management to help things along which was good to see.    

 

My daughter got engaged on the 3rd day and Champagne showed up at the table the next night as well as a cake congratulating them.  Small touches like this go a long way.      

 

1 hour ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Very well done, nice read and positive.  

Thanks.  Way too much negativity these days.  I can say, I didn't see much complaining on board.  It seemed like a very relaxed fun crowd.  Good mix of ages and all well behaved.  

[Denise T]

Thank you for your review. I will be sailing on the Sky in October from Quebec. I have been on the Pearl. I like smaller ships. On the Pearl, my sister and I loved the Great Outdoors for breakfast. How did you like your cabin? My sister and I will be in an aft balcony. 

[FLAHAM]

Never stay on the ship in Old San Juan!  Interesting restaurants, iconic bars, galleries, sights, etc.  Check out “36 Hours in San Juan” from the New York Times (April 2024) for ideas.

[JimR24]

40 minutes ago, Denise T said:

Thank you for your review. I will be sailing on the Sky in October from Quebec. I have been on the Pearl. I like smaller ships. On the Pearl, my sister and I loved the Great Outdoors for breakfast. How did you like your cabin? My sister and I will be in an aft balcony. 

You're welcome.  We were in a mid-ship with a window.  Cabin and steward were both fine.  We really only showered and slept there so we didn't need a balcony this time.  The Great Outdoors was perfect for us.  Sitting on the rail, eating and watching the ship creep into the ports was the best.  

[nomoe]

May I ask where your cabin was located? Looking at an OV cabin on the Sky and wonderind what location for OV is best. Thanks

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review.  The Sky is a great ship.  Although unless I got a great deal I would not sail her.  I have not checked lately but I used to do mock bookings and NCL was charging the same price on the Sky as the Getaway or Escape for almost the same itinerary.  9 days would be stretching it for me.  Although like I said a good deal would make me change my opinion.  Perhaps living in Miami I miss the days when you could sail the Sky for $80 per night per person.

[JimR24]

2 hours ago, nomoe said:

May I ask where your cabin was located? Looking at an OV cabin on the Sky and wonderind what location for OV is best. Thanks

 

We had 3 rooms - 7206, 7207 and 7209.  Definitely more towards the front but had square window instead of the round portholes.  Deck 7 made access to the restaurants easy and the elevators weren't far from the room.  Bliss was also really close and we would hit the Atrium bar on the way back to the room.  

[ckmedsec]

Very nice review, thank you for posting.  We spent last Christmas and New Years on the Sky.  It was a great time mainly because of the crew.  They were all amazing from the cabin attendant to the cruise director and his staff and on to the staff at the restaurants.  The officers were actually visible and helping their staff when extra hands were needed.  We agree with what you said and would sail on the Sky again without a second thought. 

[ColdCruise]

On 6/27/2024 at 7:09 AM, nomoe said:

May I ask where your cabin was located? Looking at an OV cabin on the Sky and wonderind what location for OV is best. Thanks

@nomoe  We had an OV on Sky in Feb/Mar this year. It was deck 7 foreword,y the 1st cross hallway, do not advise this due to noise when docking and anchoring. Of course, if you’re “ before the crack of dawn “ types, then that would be okay. Room was tight - we had to separate the beds because there was 1 Pullman that made it difficult to get to that side of the bed. Shower curtain. OTOH it was convenient for disembarking and the atrium bar.

Edited Sunday at 12:26 PM by ColdCruise