Advise on NCL Sky

Hello everyone! I am new to cruise critic and I made this account because I need all the advise on cruising that I could get. I am planning to go on NCL - SKY in January to celebrate my daughters b-day. We will be staying in a penthouse suite. Any opinions on the ship, food, excursions and on board activities would be greatly appreciated. :)

There are plenty of great reviews on the Sky! :) We are booked in November on it. I'm not sure how to link here on the threads but Mitsugirly has a great review she has done from her cruise. Seems most who sail on her, love it! The only bad part I have read is that sometimes due to weather, tendering into Great Stirrup Cay is a miss :(

Thanks for the recommendation , I will definitely check out Mitsugirly"s review. I am a little worried about the weather in January, but due to timing this is the only month I could go. Lets hope it works out all right.

The Sky has some of the best penthouse suites at sea. You will be spoiled rotten! January is the best month to cruise to the Bahamas.

There are plenty of great reviews on the Sky! :) We are booked in November on it. I'm not sure how to link here on the threads but Mitsugirly has a great review she has done from her cruise. Seems most who sail on her, love it! The only bad part I have read is that sometimes due to weather, tendering into Great Stirrup Cay is a miss :(

Thanks for the recommendation , I will definitely check out Mitsugirly"s review. I am a little worried about the weather in January, but due to timing this is the only month I could go. Lets hope it works out all right.

The Sky has some of the best penthouse suites at sea. You will be spoiled rotten! January is the best month to cruise to the Bahamas.

David, thanks for the information on the penthouse suites, which one have you stayed in forward facing or aft ? I am staying in the forward facing. Trying to find some pictures is kind of hard, cant seem to find them. This will be my first time on NCL. Aso if you cruised in January how was the weather?

We really liked the Sky when we cruised her back in November. My complete review has tons of pictures...TONS...of the Sky in it if you are interested. It's in my signature. :)

We really liked the Sky when we cruised her back in November. My complete review has tons of pictures...TONS...of the Sky in it if you are interested. It's in my signature. :)

Thank you, I have been looking at your review and wow what a great review so far, so detailed, (love it) :D . I will be traveling with my daughter and some of her friends for her B-Day, wanted to do a quick weekend getaway.

David, thanks for the information on the penthouse suites, which one have you stayed in forward facing or aft ? I am staying in the forward facing. Trying to find some pictures is kind of hard, cant seem to find them. This will be my first time on NCL. Aso if you cruised in January how was the weather?

We were in 8277, aft penthouse, this last weekend. It was great!

I would highly recommend the aft penthouse. The ship arrives at its destinations while you sleep, so you won't see it coming. However, in the aft PH, you get to watch the wake as the ship pulls away....it's beautiful. The only downside is some noise entering & leaving ports. The view is unmatched.

Plus, the forward PH cabins are like larger balcony rooms (just a single room cabin). The aft PH cabins have a separate bedroom and living room.

View from aft PH

The aft PH cabin, room 8277.

Living room, 8277

Another angle of the living room, 8277.

Bedroom of 8277, aft PH.

Sorry about using one post per pic, I could not figure out how to include more than one.

Thank you, I have been looking at your review and wow what a great review so far, so detailed, (love it) :D . I will be traveling with my daughter and some of her friends for her B-Day, wanted to do a quick weekend getaway.

Thanks for the compliments. We had a good time. I hope you and your daughter and her friends have a wonderful cruise and birthday. :)

Bedroom of 8277, aft PH.

 

Sorry about using one post per pic, I could not figure out how to include more than one.

please do be sorry that helped me nice pictures :) not sure if I can change my room from forward to aft? The aft sounds like alot more room and hey I need it, 5 people. I would like to make this a great b-day for me and my daughter and her friends. Just hope I pick the right ship - (cruise line etc), due to timing (work school etc) I have to go in Jan. Did you get off the ship in Nassau, I have been to the strawmarket many years ago. Not sure if they want to just shop and go to beach or go to Atllantis. Did you get to go to there island?

David, thanks for the information on the penthouse suites, which one have you stayed in forward facing or aft ? I am staying in the forward facing. Trying to find some pictures is kind of hard, cant seem to find them. This will be my first time on NCL. Aso if you cruised in January how was the weather?

I stayed in an aft penthouse. They are a tiny bit more expensive. I would never sail to the Bahamas in the summer....TOO HOT. The Bahamas are insulated from mainland cool fronts. So the Bahamas are usually warmer than even Miami. I think its the perfect weather to go there in January.

We were in the Capello Suite, #9001 on the Sky last October. We were four adults and there was more than ample room. We loved going out on the deck and watching us dock or anchor at the different ports. And the hot tub was an added bonus! The Sky was one of the first ships that I sailed on years ago & she didn't disappoint this time around. I think she's perfect for a shorter cruise.

I will try to find some pictures to post here...I have lots of pics of the suite..I just have to find them on my new Mac.

I stayed in an aft penthouse. They are a tiny bit more expensive. I would never sail to the Bahamas in the summer....TOO HOT. The Bahamas are insulated from mainland cool fronts. So the Bahamas are usually warmer than even Miami. I think its the perfect weather to go there in January.

Thanks that is good to know, I am sure it will be warmer than were we are coming from anyway, it will be nice to get out of the cold. Any suggestions on shore excursions, or anything else in that matter. :)

We were in the Capello Suite, #9001 on the Sky last October. We were four adults and there was more than ample room. We loved going out on the deck and watching us dock or anchor at the different ports. And the hot tub was an added bonus! The Sky was one of the first ships that I sailed on years ago & she didn't disappoint this time around. I think she's perfect for a shorter cruise.

I will try to find some pictures to post here...I have lots of pics of the suite..I just have to find them on my new Mac.

I will be one adult and 4 teens, we are in room 9202, they dont have the hot tube, would it be better if I did upgrade ??? Trying to make sure I pick a good room for her special B-day and ship, hopefully lots of things to do and we can get to there island and enjoy that beach. Did you do any shore excursions that were great ? Any information about the ship, what to pack, (if I get off the ship to an excursion to hold stuff, really good and worth the price excursions etc would be really appreciated. First time cruiser

We were in the Capello Suite, #9001 on the Sky last October. We were four adults and there was more than ample room. We loved going out on the deck and watching us dock or anchor at the different ports. And the hot tub was an added bonus! The Sky was one of the first ships that I sailed on years ago & she didn't disappoint this time around. I think she's perfect for a shorter cruise.

I will try to find some pictures to post here...I have lots of pics of the suite..I just have to find them on my new Mac.

9001 is an Owners Suite...and if you decide to make the jump to an OS, make sure you grab one in deck 8! The hot tub is HUGE and easily fits 4 adults! There is also a separate bedroom with a king bed, a double (maybe queen) Murphy bed in the living room as well as a couch that folds out for a single bed (not to mention the 3 bottles of alcohol :eek:)! We've sailed in a deck 8 OS three times and the Sky is my favorite ship! One thing to remember sailing in a forward cabin, you are right under the bridge so you must keep your curtains pulled or your lights off at night. I've never sailed aft...one day I will give it a shot....but I sure love sailing forward!!!

Have a fabulous cruise!!:D

9001 is an Owners Suite...and if you decide to make the jump to an OS, make sure you grab one in deck 8! The hot tub is HUGE and easily fits 4 adults! There is also a separate bedroom with a king bed, a double (maybe queen) Murphy bed in the living room as well as a couch that folds out for a single bed (not to mention the 3 bottles of alcohol :eek:)! We've sailed in a deck 8 OS three times and the Sky is my favorite ship! One thing to remember sailing in a forward cabin, you are right under the bridge so you must keep your curtains pulled or your lights off at night. I've never sailed aft...one day I will give it a shot....but I sure love sailing forward!!!

 

Have a fabulous cruise!!:D

I really thank you for your input. I would love to get an OS, if the price is good and it is available. Im sure that hot tube will be a big hit for the girls. Very interesting about the curtains and lights would have never thought that. :)

I will be one adult and 4 teens, we are in room 9202, they dont have the hot tube, would it be better if I did upgrade ??? Trying to make sure I pick a good room for her special B-day and ship, hopefully lots of things to do and we can get to there island and enjoy that beach. Did you do any shore excursions that were great ? Any information about the ship, what to pack, (if I get off the ship to an excursion to hold stuff, really good and worth the price excursions etc would be really appreciated. First time cruiser

You don't really 'need' the hot tub. My adult daughter used it once...I think just so she could send pics to her friends at home:) If you let your concierge and/or butler know that it is your daughters birthday they will decorate the room & supply a wonderful cake (it was my bday on our cruise & they did all of that for me @no charge). My daughter also brought along some door decor that was easily removable so that might be an idea as well.

I'm not sure what your interests are; but we were 4 girls with varying tastes. Two of the four went on the Dolphin Excursion in Nassau at the Blue Lagoon & they loved it. The other two of us did a day pass at The Colonial Hilton (it's about a 2 minute walk from where you dock...you can actually see the ship from the beach). I can't remember the cost; but it included a food & beverage voucher. If you look it up online it wouldn't be hard to find the info. We loved it; there were very few people there & the grounds were beautiful with a spectacular pool area and of course the ocean.

In Freeport we just walked off the ship; went to where they were providing transport (for a fee of course) into town & back again. We just walked around, shopped, had a great lunch & then returned to the ship area where we had a drink and browsed the small market for souvenirs, etc. I liked the 1/2 hour ride into town; it gave us a chance to see some of the area.

I hope the weather allows for tendering in Great Stirrup Cay for you. It was a bit rough when we crossed; but not enough to create any problems. We rented a small cabana (which turned out to be the best thing we could've done). It comes with a $50 voucher for food (you order it while on the ship...I think there was a form left in our suite). We couldn't finish it....there was so much! But it was nice to have the choice between lounging in the shelter of the cabana or in the sun. There is also a small fridge and shower for each.

Cheers

Sandy

We went to the straw market on Nassau, but there were better shops on the main drag. We enjoyed walking around, shopping for trinkets to take back to the kids. The winds were too strong to make GSC, so it ended up being a ship day.

If you decide to do an OS, be sure to get one on deck 8. The ones on 9 have a tiny hot tub (1 person?). The ones on deck 8 have the larger ones.

I really thank you for your input. I would love to get an OS, if the price is good and it is available. Im sure that hot tube will be a big hit for the girls. Very interesting about the curtains and lights would have never thought that. :)

It isn't actually a hot tub.....the only time it's hot is when its first filled as there is no heater. We used it as a way to cool off when we just didn't feel like walking to the pool! :o