Our Sky Review 9/6 - 9/10/10

[gamecockmom]

Trip from the Miami airport - basically standard - Taxi $24 flat rate - less expensive than a shuttle and faster.

 

Arrived at port at approximately 2:30pm and went straight the the Lattitudes Check-in Desk - Very quick, efficient, friendly service with a smile...Thanks "Raymond". Was on the ship within 10-15 minutes and were greeted by staff members at the top of the ramp with a hearty "Welcome Aboard". Were also told where lunch was being served and that our cabin was ready.

 

Dropped our carry-ons off in our cabin (balcony 0032 - deck 10) and found it clean, tidy and neat. Our Steward arrived a few minutes later and introduced himself as "Gede". Asked if there was anything we needed and if our cabin was okay...which it was. A few observations in the differences between the Jewel and the Sky....cabin seemed a little smaller than on the Jewel and had a slightly different arrangement. The window and glass door to the balcony versus a full sliding glass door could be the reason for this. Our beds were pushed together as requested during our reservation process. We had also requested this on the Jewel in 2008 but it was done after we arrived and reminded our Room Steward that we had requested this.

 

Lunch at the Garden Cafe - Very Good, Good Variety, Good Food. Remember this is not a 5-Star Resturant. Our biggest issue at the Buffet was not the food or staff but the guest that appear to have never been to a Buffet before...this is no fault of the cruise line and just our personal opinion. However, we are well aware that the first few hours can be a little chaotic and everyone is hungry, excited and a little confused - including us! :rolleyes:

 

Quickly found the Great Outdoors !! Which was also one of our favorite places on the Jewel. Seems to be less crowded and a little more laid back than the Sailaway party by the pool. Highly recommend this view while leaving port, watching the Miami skyline fade into the background - with a bucket of beer of course. You HAVE to catch "Leo's" performance here as you're heading to sea. He's wonderful !!!

 

Since we had been up since 5:00am and just wanted to chill for the evening we decided to just do dinner on Monday night back at the Garden Cafe rather than one of the MDRs. Again, it was very good. You can always find salad fixings and plenty of fresh fruit there.

 

After exploring the ship for a while and trying to decide what to do, we found "Leo" performing again at the Atrium Bar on Deck 7. Also found out that "Rudy" fixes a GREAT Mojito - he's the bartender at the Atrium Bar.

 

At 10:30 we decided to join the "If You Know It, Sing It Game Show". We both love music and this was a blast. A great way to make a complete idiot of yourself if you're up to it...and we were. :p Afterwards we headed right back to the Atrium for more of "Leo's" singing and guitar playing.

 

 

Freeport- we can't really give much of a review on because basically we got off the ship and took a few pictures and got right back on. We wanted to spend time by the pool while the crowds were gone and enjoy the sun and privacy. There is music by the pool and it's rather soothing until around 2:00-3:00 and then they do start up more high energy sounds - Some Rap and Some Reggae. This is not really our style of music but there again, music taste is subjective. We're on vacation...we're going to go with the flow and enjoy ourselves.

 

Palace Dining Room for dinner that night was AWESOME !! Service was wonderful - "John" was our waiter and he was very attentive and friendly. Never lacked for anything !! We both had the shrimp cocktail and ceasar salad - both excellent !! Note on the shrimp cocktail...this is baby shrimp and taste like they were seasoned already. Not your typical jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce on the side. We did see passenagers with the jumbo shrimp type one day by the pool, but not sure where they came from ?? DH had the lobster/grouper extravaganza. I had the steak. No complaints...Excellent !! We were too full for dessert but there were several options to choose from.

 

Caught the Stardust Comedy Show with Rich Purpura. This was good...not as good as "Second City" from the Jewel, but still funny and entertaining.

 

Later went to the "Newlywed/Not so Newlywed" Game Show...again VERY funny and VERY entertaining. Did notice a few younger kids there between 5 and maybe 12. As a parent, I don't recommend this show for anyone under 15...it can be a little adult - so just a personal recommendation...don't mean to offend anyone.

 

Had a cute little doggie towel animal waiting when we arrived back at our cabin...Thanks "Gede"

 

Docked the next morning in Nassau and again we got off long enough for pictures and right back to the ship for some relaxation by the pool.

 

Went to the Game Show "Liar's Club"....again, very funny !!

 

Because we had snacked on burgers and fries late that afternoon, we decided against anything heavy for dinner....but rather just headed for the "Hot White Party" which was WONDERFUL...lots of dance music !! Staff was dressed for the occassion !! Lots of fun !!

 

More music with "Leo" until around 1:30 am and more of "Rudy's" magic with the drinks. The Atrium Bar area on Deck 7 developed a following and we all got to know each other well !!! We'll miss you guys !!!

 

Great Stirrup Cay -

NOTE - FYI !! There is no cell service while docked or on the island !! We found this out the hard way when we were suppose to call home to check on things. So we spent $30 on phone calls from the ship's phone. We did see other people using their cell phone but our Verizon phones did not work.

 

Island is great...beautiful water...plenty of chairs. If you want shade, you may want to tender early !! We went out about 11:30, found a chair with no trouble but it was not in the shade. So, no biggie, just headed for the water. :D Lunch of burgers, hot dogs, bbq chicken, slaw, potato salad, pizza and fruit. Unless you want to pay for drinks...there is ice water available, but no tea. It was very good and typical "cookout" quality.

 

Dinner at Crossings...EXCELLENT !! I had the chicken and DH had the prime rib. Again, we were too full for dessert !!

 

Attended and played the "Quest" Game Show !! Cruise Director's Staff announced very early that this was not for the easily offended or anyone under 18. Several people left then...a few more once the the game started. This show is a HOOT !!! It is basically a scavenger hunt....But is VERY adult in nature !! This one was much calmer than the one on the Jewel, but the Jewel was during Spring Break 2008 with lots of college students. We enjoy just sitting back and watching !!! DH was able to help out our team with a couple of items.

 

Were greeted in our cabin this night by a monkey towel animal....Thanks again "Gede"...you were great.... Another observation on this...on the Jewel we had to request several, several times for a towel animal for our college aged son and his girlfriend to suprised them in their cabin...they finally got one the last night. This time, we never had to ask and got two. :D Just goes to show that some Room Stewards are more eager to please than others.

 

I intended to keep this short, but too late. So, just a few special notes....

 

There was a medical emergency with one of the passenagers by the pool one day but the medical staff was quick to respond and handled the situation professionally. This did NOT seem to be alcohol related, apparently the passenager had a medical issue - This was announced as a Code "A".

 

The next morning, around 7:30am we heard an annoucement for a Code "B"...later found out there was an electrical issue in a cabin which caused the smoke alarms to activate - again the crew responded very quickly and we were kept informed. We were told later by someone on the deck that the issue happened on, that there were no flames, just a little smoke.

 

On Wednesday afternoon the ship had a complete power outage !! We were by the pool and just thought the band was taking a break and didn't realize anything was wrong until the annoucement. In just a short while, part of the power was restored. Guest were ASKED not to use the elevators until full power had been restored, but apparently some people think they are SPECIAL !! They kept all the Guest informed of the status of the repairs. It was restored within maybe an hour and a half. It got a little warm in the cabin and the floors in the public areas got damp because of the humidity but staff members were visible everywhere and they put out lots of "slippery when wet" signs. All in all, this was handled very, very well !!

 

You can find music, food and entertainment at most ANYTIME on this ship !! Longboards stays open until 5:30am and the Great Outdoors opens at 5:30am. We heard lots of comments about the shore excursions on both Freeport and Nassau and all were positive. We met couples from SC, NC, TN, KS, Canada, TX, FL, GA, PA and others that I'm sure we cannot remember. Out of all of those, I only heard one person that had a problem with their cabin and even they were making the best of the situation !! This may not the the Ship or cruise for everyone...there is drinking...there is partying...there is adult entertainment...BUT there is also plenty of family entertainment !!! If you can't find something to do on this cruise, you're not looking very hard because there is certainly something for everyone !!! We had a wonderful time and look forward to our next NCL cruise....time and date is yet to be determined :cool:

 

If anybody has any specific questions, please ask and I'll do my best to answer :)

[golfusaofcs]

Great review!!! I hope we don't have a power outage!!! I hope this IGOR turns to the North as its currrent path hits us right when we would be leaving. Just my luck!!!!!

[luv2camp]

Also found out that "Rudy" fixes a GREAT Mojito - he's the bartender at the Atrium Bar.

 

I had a few of Rudy's magic tricks myself on the Sky on the 8/23 sailing. Just how many times did he ask if there was enough rum in the drink??? And it was not just Bacardi White....he was putting some good stuff in mine. Those guys were pouring some MEAN mojitos as long as you got the souvenir cup!!! Well worth the few extra bucks.

 

Looks like you had a pretty much mirror image of our experience. Room stewards (Roy and Marino) were fantastic. Food in MDR was very good as well as the service. We did have one set of waiters that were "average" but the others were fantastic. We had one (Venus) that tried her best to give us more food than we could eat.

 

I have heard of complaints regarding AC on the Sky. We did not have that problem but I am just beginning to wonder if is it not a problem with other pax leaving the balcony door open. You have to remember that the cabins do not have their own AC....one unit services up to 15 cabins. Opening the doors in the Carib (as soothing as that is) is the worst thing that you can do.

[BooBooMonkey]

Thanks so much for the detailed review! Now I have a "game plan" for sailaway at least! We just booked yesterday for Monday's departure, so I'm trying to find as much information as I can today (we leave to drive down tomorrow).

 

How much were the fru fru drinks and standard well drinks? How much for a bucket of beer?

 

Glad you had a great time!

 

Boo

[RhondaC]

Great review! We love the Sky too! I always tell people to keep their expections a little lower than for other ships/longer cruises, and they'll have a great time. We also love Leo!! Very talented guy - we go to his show every evening!

 

Glad you had a good time! :)

[gamecockmom]

How much were the fru fru drinks and standard well drinks? How much for a bucket of beer?

 

 

The buckets of beer are basically $30.00 - you buy 5 and you get one free and you can mix up the types of beer in the same bucket. You can also carry it from place to place.

 

Mojito is $8.50...go see "Rudy" and ask for the fishbowl ;) Yummmy!!

Bushwacker (another yummy frozen drink) $9.00

Long Island Iced Tea $8.00

Margarita $8.50

Stormy Night $9.75 - this comes in a martini glass and is layered colors..blue, red and yellow !! This is awesome and another "Rudy" special - actually most of these are "Rudy" specials....

And if you are feeling really - really adventurous ask him for "The Toykyo Drift" :eek: He fixed DH up on this one - twice !!!

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. There were many other shows and entertainment available but you just don't have the time to take it all in...not if you're going to get any rest ??

 

Enjoy and let us know how it goes :)