What's wrong with NCLs Sky? (Long Review)

[thebeachbums]

Absolutely nothing! After booking a last-minute, first-time cruise, I lurked here (aka: freaking out) for a week or two and wanted to thank everyone who posts for the valuable tips and insight about the the Sky and cruising in general.

 

Maybe I set my expectations too low, but I think you're just being plain greedy to expect more experience for the money. I'm sorry everyone did not have the same great time we did on the Sky.

 

I read about the NCL boarding process and just could not believe getting on a cruise ship could be quicker than getting on the subway. I stand fully corrected in my skepticism and awed by NCL's embarkation efficiency. It was easier to board the Sky than get into my office building on a normal weeknday.

 

My husband and I booked an ocean view room/Viking deck/aft. There is plenty of space in this cabin for two people. Aside from the time we were unconscious, showering/dressing, picking up/dropping off things, we spent all of zero minutes in our room and agreed we'd definitely get an inside cabin if we take another 3-4 day cruise and there is a material difference in price.

 

My biggest fear about cruising was feeling claustrophobic/limited in my activities, which could not have proved more untrue. There were so many places to go and things to do on this ship, we just ran out of time. We are not part of the "fast and furious" crowd nor are we one of the "slow and sophisticated" set and we were never at a loss for something to do/see.

 

I hate...let me repeat...hate buffet-anything and I don't have anything bad to say about the one on the Sky. I did not plan to eat there at all and got Il Adagio for lunch when we boarded. My husband wanted to go to the buffet so we met on the deck. I ate half the food on his plate before he made me go get my own. Not that Il Adagio wasn't awesome, it's just that the buffet food was really good, by my standards anyway. It was always fresh and varied everytime we ate there. Breakfast was especially decent, but we liked Longboard's in the morning too.

 

We ate at Cagney's one night and we agreed it was on par (food and service) with a major upscale steakhouse on the mainland. We felt like we stole the meal there even with the cover charge and tip. The main dining room was really, really slow. Food was fine and service was as good as could be expected, but we had three different people waiting our table at various points and it took 1.5 hours, not including the 20 minutes we waited for a table, which seemed excessive for salad, chicken and mousse. We had nowhere else to be so we really didn't care, but decided we would have preferred to skip the main dining room experience and spend the additional 30-45 minutes doing something else on our 3 night cruise.

 

We saw no obnoxious spring breakers or horribly rude people committing unforgivable acts of cruise cruelty (thus we must have been them and could not detect it in others like ourselves). Everybody from crew/staff to passengers were friendly and accommodating. Everywhere we went someone asked how we were enjoying our vacation and if there was anything we needed. Even the casino dealers, who I read are notoriously rude, pretended to frown when they took our money and smiled when they gave it back. We even tipped a little extra to our new friend Sol's house building fund. (Please be good to him if the cards are good to you.) We saw a few of the shows and thought they were all worthwhile/well put together. The cruise director is a very funny guy. Overall, I've got to say the people on this ship were really hard working and earned every penny of the service charge and then some...so we left some (more). Tourism is down after all.

 

The Bahamas was great for being a beachbum and shopping. We were surprised to be offered ganja/blow on six separate occasions while on Nassau. We opted to support the local economy through t-shirt and postcard purchases instead. We did not make it to GSC because the ocean was too rough to run tenders, but we didn't care because it gave us a chance to see more of the ship.

 

So, let's see. Ship = Great. Room = Great. Food = Great. Staff/crew = Great. Entertainment/Activities = Great. We have absolutely nothing to complain about. In fact, my husband, who almost killed me for booking this cruise, is already talking about (gasp) the EPIC...yikes!!!!

 

Thanks again for all the good info. everyone and happy cruising!

[DDD06]

Thanks for posting your review. Nice to see a positive one as we're four weeks out from our cruise aboard the sky.

 

Shall we mark this day...a first time poster with a positive review? ;)

[BikerAl]

I am always happy to hear someone, who is not jaded with numerous cruises, come on here and report a great time. So glad you enjoyed yourselves, and welcome to cruise critic. I am happy you read up on your cruise, but made your own judgment, rather than take the word of those who post totally negative reviews.

 

Al

[sottovoce]

Aren't you glad you didn't pull a hunahpu:rolleyes: and cancel your cruise after reading some of the ridiculously negative reviews posted here? Some people are just chronic whiners. Glad you had a great time.

[cruizinrican]

I am so glad that you enjoyed your first cruise aboard the Sky! We are leaving tomorrow for Miami and board the Sky Monday the 30th! We could not be more excited! Thanks for a great review and the tips on the dining room. Well, back to packing for me! See you!:)

[dznymom]

Welcome to cruising and to NCL! I loved your review and appreciate your sense of humor :p Although I am jaded with numerous cruises ;) I enjoyed the SKY so much that I will be booking her again soon!

 

Slow and (un)sophisticated,

[Whippets]

Yes, how wonderful to see a first time poster and cruiser with such a positive report and attitude! Get ready to get addicted to cruising, we certainly have!

[cer10lee]

So glad you posted this. DH and I are looking forward to the Sky and the casual, laid-back approach to cruising that NCL has. The fact that we got this cruise at an almost obscene low price has a lot to do with it too!!

[Don Haynes]

When this ship was the Pride of Aloha she got terrible reviews mostly, but now she is again the Sky her reviews have been mostly positive. I thought for a while there this ship was jinxed, but not no more. Chalk up another positive review.

[BellaBaci4]

We sailed on the Sky last October, It is an understatement to say I had bad pre-conceived ideas about NCL. We paid approximately $400 for a balcony cabin, not pp. This was our impetus to sail, a quick get away.....cheap...... We had a wonderful time, and I wouldn't hesitate to sail again on the Sky. Not for a minute, was everthing perfect, just much, much better than I thought was possible. It made NCL believers out of us.

Happy Sails!

Bella

[Mia2Bway]

I'm so glad to hear that the NCL Sky is still going strong. We have sailed on the her on 2 different occasions; her maiden season in Alaska, 2000 and southern Caribbean, out of Puerto Rico, 2004. Enjoyed her both times. Planning to do the 4-day Bahamas itinerary in June. Your review took away all doubts!

[halos]

I'm jaded as well (if 11 cruises counts as jaded) and I had a fabulous time on the Sky last month. That was my second NCL cruise. I just finished my 3rd (a week on the Star) and I have to admit that I am becoming a "Norwenie" :p

Each NCL cruise has been excellent.

To be honest, all my cruises have been really great but for some reason NCL is just a bit better for us. I love the entertainment and all the dining options...but the thing I have like best is the crew. They are top notch in my opinion. :)

[CruiseNut7]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and thank you for the outstanding and thorough review of the Sky.

 

We will be sailing her in May and even though it will be our 24th cruise, I was a bit skeptical about going back to NCL with a not-so-great experience with them in '98 and the awful reviews.

 

You have made me feel a whole lot better about my choice to re-visit NCL and look forward to getting on board - if you keep a positive, you'll have a great time on any cruise.

 

Thanks again and hope you have decided to sail again. :)

[cliffd64]

Thanks for your review... you sound like the type of people we enjoy cruising with !!!!

[CruisnGram]

and I have to admit that I am becoming a "Norwenie" :p

 

OMG, I love this! I'm sooooo thinking about putting it in my signature...Proud Norwenie! :D

 

Thank you for the chuckle! (and the idea) LOL

 

CG

[CruisnGram]

OP: I'm so glad you had a wonderful first cruise. So, what date is that Epic cruise you are going on? ;)

 

Thank you also for coming to CC and telling us all about it.

 

CG

[tiyana4]

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it was another negative thread about NCL. It's so refreshing to hear a positive review, much less from a first time cruiser. It was even more refreshing to see that although you are not new to CC you were able to decipher which information to take with a grain of salt and what tips were actually helpful. I have seen so many people simply take the advice of others without actually experiencing it for themselves.

 

Thanks for posting your experience here. You have no idea how much it helps those planning to take this cruise. We will be on it just before Christmas.

[gina4655]

ohhh finally I feel better. After paying for this cruise the hubby and I have been reading all the bad stuff said about the SKY and we had become a bit nervous since we did not come here and CHECK first. ( our other cruise was with Carnival in 2005 to Playa Del Carmen Mexico and loved it ). We have been wanting to sail to the Bahamas and when I saw the price and asked if we could go the hubby said sure! so I called NCL and paid in full. Then we started reading stuff on here and was like... ah - oh... But we are going with an open mind and good grief for what we paid for this quick get away for the weekend I am sure we will love it as we are not going on this cruise to eat FINE food or expect to see a Symphony concert etc. We are going to RELAX, CHILL

and explore the Beautiful Bahamas!!! Once again thanks so much for your review!! We leave on the SKY

April 3rd :D

[MandMNeal]

Thank you so much for your review! My husband and heading to Miami in a few hours to board the Sky tomorrow morning. I also book my last minute cruise and the found my way over to Cruise Critic and began getting nervous of my decision! You've settled all of my worries!

 

What a nice review - exactly what I wanted/needed to hear!

 

Got to go finish packing (we'll more like reduce the amount of clothes i'm planning to bring. (I have a problem) LOL

 

I'M SO EXCITED, WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[islandgirlejfan]

I don't really know how someone can cancel a cruise before going on it and experiencing it for themselves....we cruised on the Sky in October amidst a lot of bad reviews ourselves. I was a little concerned about the negative reviews, but not overly so. Turns out we had a wonderful time! A cruise is what you make of it. I think the reviews that amaze me the most are about the food. I just always find it amazing when you can't find something to eat the whole cruise. For the price, the Sky is a nice few days away from the realities of life!

 

Glad you had a great cruise....your review was very refreshing to read!:)

[thebeachbums]

I am glad to break with tradition as a first-time poster / "complimenter." I'm sure not all cruises (even on the same line/ship) are created equal and I'm truly sorry everyone's experience on this ship was not the one they wanted/expected. Maybe it was because of all the bad reviews that we were so pleasantly surprised. Who knows? All I know is our vacations have consisted of everything from backpacking without running water or electricity in Maine to lounging in multi-million dollar beach houses in Maui and this cruise ranked right up there on the fun-o-meter. It may not be for everyone, but we're not going to base our opinion on others' experiences.

 

Hey, I also forgot to mention "Le Grand Bleu" was in port in Nassau when we arrived last week. Apparently it's one of the world's largest private yachts, as evidenced by the 4, yes that's 4, pleasure crafts on board. It was cool to see in person. Ah, how the other half lives.

 

Well, I hope all those on their way to the Bahamas, or wherever else you may be traveling, have as many great things to report upon your return as we did.

[cdncruzer]

Excellent review of the Sky. We sailed Mar 2-6....and with the exception of the Cagney's review (we tried Il Adagio) you could have been describing OUR experience.

 

Le Grand Bleu was also docked when we were there.....maybe we were on the same cruise??