Fantastic 4-Night on the Norwegian Sky

As my nieces have begun to graduate from college, I thought it might be a good idea to treat each one to a cruise as a graduation present. They get a nice vacation, and I get to introduce them to my favorite hobby while also getting a chance to bond with them before they set off on their lives. My oldest niece, Amanda, graduated from high school in June and already started university in September, so we were a little behind schedule when we flew to Miami for two nights and got her feet wet with a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Norwegian Sky.

I have to say, I was a little nervous. Would Amanda like going on a cruise? Would we have enough to talk about? Amanda was really nervous about being on a “big ship” at sea—would she get over her nerves? And what about the Sky? Was I making a disastrous choice sailing on Norwegian's “bargain booze cruise?” Well, I'm glad to say the cruise was a huge success. Amanda had the time of her life. Uncle John had a fantastic time with his niece, staying up as late as 3:30 am! And the Norwegian Sky was a wonderful, entertaining, charming ship.

We took the red-eye from Portland, Oregon, and arrived in Miami at 6:30 a.m. We flew Alaska Airlines, which uses Fort Lauderdale International. I had prearranged a transfer via private town car using Go Airport Shuttle. We grabbed our bags, found the guy who found the town car, and in less than an hour we arrived at the Hotel Riu Florida Beach. We had just enough time to eat a quick breakfast at the hotel before our Gray Line Miami tour bus arrived to take us on a 6-hour combination city tour/boat tour of Biscayne Bay. Amanda slept through most of it, but her old Uncle John and her Grandma Nancy were wide awake, even though we barely slept at all on the plane. After the tour we had dinner at Carraba's, and then enjoyed an evening dip at the pool. It was a great day, and everything went according to plan. But the adventure would really begin the next morning!

A note about the Hotel Riu: It's a hotel chain owned by a Spanish family, and it is very popular with Europeans. Technically, it's in mid-Miami Beach, but it's as close as you can get to South Beach but still have the hotel be right on the ocean. It was a good, affordable choice for us, but it is a bit quirky. If you know that in advance and think you can handle a little quirkiness, I highly recommend it.

Embarkation day began with a $127.10 round-trip cab ride to America's Best Contacts because Uncle John forgot to pack his. And as we were going to be spending a lot of time at the pool, at Great Stirrup Cay, and at Atlantis Aquaventure, John had to have his contacts! Contacts in hand, we had a quick, cheap breakfast at McDonald's, checked out of the hotel, and piled into a cab to Port Miami. “Which ship,” asked the cabbie. “The Norwegian Sky,” I replied!

Embarkation was a breeze, as is generally the case with Norwegian. We had a fun, flirty guy who handled our credit cards, took our pictures, and gave us our key cards. One difference: no little trifold “Guide to the Norwegian Sky.” Perhaps it's because it's a shorter cruise and a smaller ship. After the first day, I didn't need it, but it would have been handy initially. As we were running to Crossings to have our embarkation lunch, someone announced that all of the cabins were ready and available! Great, I wouldn't even have to wait the requisite 30 minutes after lunch before hitting the pool!!

As we arrived at Crossings, the ship's aft dining room, I knew that all of the negativity online about the Sky was completely wrong. The entrance to Crossings is in a 3-story volume. The area above is backlit art glass, and the dining room itself has an elegant sail-boat theme with sophisticated black and white prints. I think this is my favorite main dining room in Norwegian's fleet, in terms of décor, and it is the complete antithesis of a bargain, booze cruise ship. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Wow what a nice uncle you are John! This is something your niece will remember forever!

Wow what a nice uncle you are John! This is something your niece will remember forever!

It was a trip I will remember for the rest of my life, even if Amanda doesn't. ;)

If you want to really experience the fun of a cruise, travel with an 18-year-old. After lunch at Crossings, we toured the ship, enjoyed the pool, and dressed for dinner. But before we ate, we enjoyed the Sail Away Party on the pool deck. We danced, had a lot of fun, and met a lot of folks that would share the rest of the cruise with us. That's where we also met the Sky's fantastic cruise staff, starting with Archie, our cruise director. Apparently, he's been sailing for 20 years, and all of that experience shows. Ferdie-licious, our assistant cruise director and cruise staffer Caitlin became two of our favorites.

A hint: If you want to get noticed for the rest of the cruise, dance your butt off at the sail away; you are almost certain to be filmed and then that will be repeated on the ship's TV for the rest of the cruise!

We spent most of our cruise by the pool or in Dazzles Nightclub. It's a really central space on Deck 6, and it has a nice vibe to it. It's dark and crowded and that's where they have a lot of the game shows. That first night was a 70s theme, and we danced to disco until 1:30 a.m. (That was the earliest we ever went to bed.) Dancing with the Sky Stars and DJ Felix kept us up til 1:30 on Tuesday. The White Hot After Party kept us up til 2:30 on Wednesday. And DJ vibe kept us up til 3:30 on Thursday. Amanda's a pretty girl, so she made a lot of friends quickly, and it was fun to have a group to hang out with and share our experiences. Uncle John made some new friends too, and that was a highlight of sailing on the Sky: the demographic was generally a little younger than normal and folks were exceptionally friendly and outgoing and looking to have a good time. Maybe because the cruise is shorter, folks know they have to get the fun in quickly!

That was a major theme of the Sky cruise: fun. Because the Stardust Theater isn't giant like it is on the Dawn-class and later ships, there's more of a focus on comedy, game shows, and music. There is an Oh What a Night! Cast on the Sky, and the show is as popular as ever! Mark and Preston, two of the cast members, were particularly friendly to me and Amanda, and we appreciated it a lot.

When we weren't dancing, we were eating. We had dinner at Le Bistro (fantastique!), Crossings, and the Palace. We had snacks at 2 a.m. at Longboards (the Sky's Blue Lagoon), and we had some really nice barbecues by the pool. Everything in all of the restaurants was exactly what I've come to expect from Norwegian. Nothing bargain, nothing boozy. (Except, of course, for the ubiquitous 2-for-1 drink specials.)

I should say, too, that the ship looks great. Yep, it's a few years old, but it is well maintained, and I liked it better than the Dawn. The public spaces are exactly what you would expect from a Norwegian ship in terms of décor and layout. Yes, they're working on the deck around the pool, but they have to do that from time to time. They're obviously also repainting the hull. That's great, it will look fantastic the next time I'm on the Sky.

my wife and i are sailing on the sky march 4th. We are hoping for a nice time, not a booze cruise. We both work hard and cant get away for more then 6 days, and its our 20th anniversary, so we picked the sky. We are in Ohio so this is no small adventure for us. We realize shorter cruises attract a bit of a party crowd........ we are only 50 and that is better then a bunch of grumpy old farts. Your review has made me even more excited about our time on the sky.......thank you so much

I'm enjoying your review John. What a nice family vacation, you niece must think you're the best uncle ever! :D

We leave in a few days -- did you get to go to GSC?

Was it all torn up? Nobody has put up much about this since Sandy hit it.

What did you do there?

Thanks for the review. We are on tomorrow with our 9yr old son and my parents. Will be the first cruise for parents. I was nervous about the "party Ship" too but I am glad to here it was not that way.:)

I love the Sky! I've been in her twice - both were 4 days cruises. I don't drink and I never felt like they were "booze cruises"! The last one was to celebrate my 50th birthday. You will have lots of fun I promise!!:cool:

Enjoying your review! What a fab uncle you are! :)

The Sky was our first taste of cruising, with our 17 year old DD........it got us hooked on cruising ......and hooked on NCL :)

What a wonderful review! So glad you had a wonderful trip!

John, Took my two college kids last year during their winter break and I had a very similar and fun experience. This cruise is my favorite--no it isn't a wild party cruise--but it does have a better vibe and more spirit than the seven day cruises. It's a bit of a younger crowd--not totally as there were all ages--(but in our last cruises the population was overwhelmingly a bit older). I really loved the high energy and fun atmosphere of this cruise. The DJs, music, dancing--everything was just so much fun. I just love these cruises where family really enjoys one another and has a special time. The three of you look so happy! Brought back great memories of my cruise last January.

And to Daveintoledo--I think you will love this cruise. It absolutely is not a booze cruise. Yes, you may run into some issues here and there, but as mentioned above, it is just a happy and really nice crowd.

Also, we felt the food on the SKY was significantly better than on our other cruises. And we did not eat at any specialty restaurants.

And as others said John, you are a great uncle!! Wonderful gift and a great time for you and your mom also.

We did spend lots of time off the ship, too. When we arrived at Freeport, Grand Bahama, all the water excursions were canceled due to wind. It didn't seem that bad to me, but better safe than sorry, I guess. We ended up trading our snorkeling adventure for a bus tour of Freeport that included two shopping stops and ended with a couple hours at Taino Beach. As Freeport is the Bahamas' industrial center, this tour gave us as good a land-based view of Grand Bahama as you can get, I guess. We bought some souvenirs, had a potent Pina Colada, and had two good hours on the beach. It sprinkled for about 15 minutes, but otherwise it was sunny, warm, and gorgeous with some big, puffy white clouds.

In Nassau, we had to do the Atlantis Aquaventure. This was an unconditional demand on the part of Uncle John, and he was right to do so. Aquaventure was a blast! Eight water slides, a “high velocity” lazy river, and ten pools provided the perfect environment for some high-energy relaxation. Sounds like an oxymoron, but I haven't had so much fun in a long time. And it's perfectly okay to scream like a girl when you drop 100+ feet in approximately two seconds! We shared a locker and spent the day with another new friend, a 16-year-old exchange student from Italy who was taking the cruise with his Minnesotan host parents. Ricardo added an unexpected but welcome cosmopolitan flavor to our day.

A Note: There's been lots of questions about the cleanliness of Atlantis generally and the water park specifically. Everything we saw was in superb condition, and I would enthusiastically recommend the Aquaventure excursion to anyone. But also note that everything at Atlantis is hideously expensive.

Finally, I cannot say enough good things about our day at Great Stirrup Cay. The protected cove that is the focus of most guest activities is beautiful. I paid $29 for the snorkel kit and followed the trail of the Fancy twice. My niece met up with her group of new friends and swam and hung out on a giant blue float. The barbecue was exactly what you would hope for. But be careful about leaving plates laying around—the most impressive sight on the island was watching a flock of seagulls fly of with an entire hamburger patty! Watch out, too, for the giant drinks served in plastic, souvenir GSC containers. That $12 Sex on the Beach knocked me on my butt, and I'm a fairly big guy! For everyone who's been asking about construction, we didn't see any signs of active construction during our stay.

So, having said as much as I can think to say about a four-day cruise, I would enthusiastically recommend the Sky and this itinerary to anyone. The cruise was family friendly, super fun, and a short concentrated version of the best of Norwegian. I said in another post that the folks who find fault with this cruise would be better off sailing on Princess. Sure, I was being a bit snarky, but I really mean it. If you like Freestyle and you're looking to have a good time, I cannot see how you can have a bad time on the Sky and in the Bahamas. Cheers everyone, and thanks for reading!

We leave in a few days -- did you get to go to GSC? Was it all torn up? Nobody has put up much about this since Sandy hit it.

What did you do there?

I posted a little more in detail just above, but we loved GSC!! I wouldn't have known at all that it had been hit by a hurricane just a few weeks earlier. We didn't see any construction at all.

Everything is focused on a protected cove that is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. You might also rent a float. Amanda went out on a float with some friends and had a great time. I paid the $29 for the snorkel kit and liked it so much I did it twice. The barbecue was great. And there was a live band and a volleyball pit just behind the barbecue that added to the great atmosphere. Get off the ship as early as you can and enjoy GSC. I hope you have great weather!

I'm enjoying your review John. What a nice family vacation, you niece must think you're the best uncle ever! :D

Thank you! :o She met a young man on the cruise, and they have been Skype-ing for at least an hour a day since the cruise! Oh, boy!

Thanks for the review. We are on tomorrow with our 9yr old son and my parents. Will be the first cruise for parents. I was nervous about the "party Ship" too but I am glad to here it was not that way.:)

I hope you have a great time, and please tell us all about it! I'm jealous, as I'd love to be back on the Sky! :p

my wife and i are sailing on the sky march 4th. We are hoping for a nice time, not a booze cruise. We both work hard and cant get away for more then 6 days, and its our 20th anniversary, so we picked the sky. We are in Ohio so this is no small adventure for us. We realize shorter cruises attract a bit of a party crowd........ we are only 50 and that is better then a bunch of grumpy old farts. Your review has made me even more excited about our time on the sky.......thank you so much

You made a great choice, Dave! I hope you have an awesome adventure and a lot of fun Freestyling in the Bahamas!

Thanks! great review - we are bringing our own snorkel stuff and our own floats -- if we don't get to stop there - a sea day would be just fine too as we are hitting so many beaches!

Enjoying your review, thanks for posting it.

What a great review. Sounds like you guys had such a great time. We are going in June on the Sky and can't wait. We were on the Spirit last June and my 15 yr old met some friends she she still talks to on Facebook and emails. I'm sure she'll make new friends next year too.

I did this cruise in May and thoroughly enjoyed the day at GSC. I had a great time swimming with the fish.

My tip would be to buy your own cheap snorkling gear from somewhere like Wal Mart (even if you throw it away) I didn't think much to NCLs equipment. You really are paying for the convenience.

I did this cruise in May and thoroughly enjoyed the day at GSC. I had a great time swimming with the fish.

 

My tip would be to buy your own cheap snorkling gear from somewhere like Wal Mart (even if you throw it away) I didn't think much to NCLs equipment. You really are paying for the convenience.

That's a great suggestion. I just imagined that stuff would be expensive, but I didn't have any rational reaon for thinking so. :rolleyes:

Loved reading your review. Thanks for posting it!

Thank you! :o She met a young man on the cruise, and they have been Skype-ing for at least an hour a day since the cruise! Oh, boy!

LOL Awww too cute!

Technology is so cool, when I was 18, we sent post cards. LOL

Thank you for the great review.

DH and I have been talking about a week's vacation if I can get some time off in the spring. We need to go to Miami for a few things and DH asked if we can cruise. I mentioned the Sky's 4 day cruise Mon-Fri, and he lit up on the idea.

I was a bit worried about Sky after being spoilt by 3 loonng cruises on the EPIC, but after reading your review I feel happier with the idea of going on the Sky for a short cruise.

I took a total of 8 weeks' vacation in 2012 so this year I need to cut back as my vacation days pool is getting low. DH is retired - lucky sod!

Great review! Youre a great uncle and you have created wonderful memories for you and your niece that will last a lifetime!