NCL Sky - not what it used to be

[dagtoking1]

As a Platinum member of Latitudes and having taken two (2) previous cruises on NCL Sky I thought I knew exactly what I was getting when I booked a three day cruise the first week of February. Just a short time into the cruise it became obvious that there is some serious cost cutting going on. Gone is the champagne and orange juice they used to offer guests at embarkation, the menus have completely changed, and now they offer the same average items but seem to rotate them every other day and nothing special. They still offer Lobster in the main dining room the first night out but after that it was all downhill. The food was decent but the choices were dismal. The buffet food on the Sky has come down as well. There is no longer a Chocoholic Buffet nor is there a Latitudes party on Sky. Considering that this is not the cheapest short cruise out of Miami there is certainly room for improvement; sad because in the past this ship had some great quality offerings. During the entire three days we did not once see the Cruise Director or the Cruise Consultant (we loved the old ones who are no longer on the Sky). We have not been cruising with NCL because we are not thrilled with their itineraries the last couple of years but I hope these changes are not taking place on their entire fleet. The last two cruises I was on that were supposed to stop at Great Stirrup didn't happen; the weather was supposedly too rough to tender. Another thing, they would not allow us to use our OBC for service charges; never saw that before.

[johnmpcny]

Oh you better duck your not paying proper homage to NCL here and someone will take you to task for that. Only good things here seems to be the rule of the day.

 

I give this person a lot of credit he is not a first timer and as Platinum member of Latitudes he knows NCL much than I or most here.

 

Confirms what many are posting and others refusing to recognize NCL is cutting corners with the food and it is effecting the quality of the trip for many. I will be on the sky in 10 days and let you know what I expericne. I am sure to have good time as I will make sure I do.

 

To paraphrase the old fishing line; a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work.

[Pokeraddict]

Yes my friend the champagne and orange juice as well as the chocoholic buffet have been gone for a couple years now. Guess you don't cruise that often.

 

Ive also said all along forget lobster night its not worth the wait for that piece of lobster rubber fish that you need a microscope to find it on your plate.

But as for the rest of the selections never had a problem, we do b2b cruises and are able to pick different items every night but then we don't do the cattle herding dining rooms or the feed troughs for dinner. We stick to the specialty restaurants where you can relax, be served and pick from better menus and best of all rarely an obnoxious kids.

[SuiteCruiser]

As a Platinum member of Latitudes and having taken two (2) previous cruises on NCL Sky I thought I knew exactly what I was getting when I booked a three day cruise the first week of February. Just a short time into the cruise it became obvious that there is some serious cost cutting going on. Gone is the champagne and orange juice they used to offer guests at embarkation, the menus have completely changed, and now they offer the same average items but seem to rotate them every other day and nothing special. They still offer Lobster in the main dining room the first night out but after that it was all downhill. The food was decent but the choices were dismal. The buffet food on the Sky has come down as well. There is no longer a Chocoholic Buffet nor is there a Latitudes party on Sky. Considering that this is not the cheapest short cruise out of Miami there is certainly room for improvement; sad because in the past this ship had some great quality offerings. During the entire three days we did not once see the Cruise Director or the Cruise Consultant (we loved the old ones who are no longer on the Sky). We have not been cruising with NCL because we are not thrilled with their itineraries the last couple of years but I hope these changes are not taking place on their entire fleet. The last two cruises I was on that were supposed to stop at Great Stirrup didn't happen; the weather was supposedly too rough to tender. Another thing, they would not allow us to use our OBC for service charges; never saw that before.

 

That makes more sense to me now, than your last post. The menus have changed on all of the NCL ships, they now offer regular dishes on the right side of the menu and the different, rotated foods on the left.

 

The champagne has been gone for years, as the other poster mentioned, it was a long lasting thing and was a waste, as most people didn't drink it (it was pretty crappy sparkling wine) and it was left to sit all over the ship.

 

I was on the Sky two weeks after I left the Gem. The same menu on the Sky was better than on the Gem. We were all pleasantly surprised as we didn't have very high expectations knowing it was a short-run ship and older. I saw the restaurant managers and the HD at every single meal. They came by to chat and walked table to table. We saw the CD a few times, but saw the assistant CD most often.

 

I think maybe it's more the changes over the last few years that had you bummed. Sorry you were surprised with the changes, it's understandable that you would be disappointed.

 

Note that there is no Latitudes party on the Epic either, it's on all of the others though.

[camz]

I don't think the OP will be slammed at all. They are platinum Lattitudes Members with NCL and not one post wonders. That being said, they have noticed some changes and have expressed their concerns. There is nothing that would warrant getting slammed. Unfortunately, due to the economic situation, corners have been cut in all industries and NCL is no different. I miss some of the extras like the champagne upon embarkation, the chocolate mints on the pillows and the chocolate buffet. Actually, this is the first time I have heard of the chocolate buffet being eliminated. :( However, I consider it part of the times and try not to worry about it because NCL still gives you a pretty good bang for your buck, so to speak. After all, I have had to get use to cutting some corners at home as well.

[Rochesterboatingdotcom]

We sailed Sky in 2009 and then again last October and noticed the same differences. However, the ship is still very well maintained and clean, and we found service to be top notch. All of the mainstream lines are cutting where they can to keep cruise prices the same or even lower than the previous year while their costs continue to rise. With all the new mega-ships afloat, there are a lot more cabins to fill, the only way the cruise lines can keep them full is to keep prices low. Since they can't cut their fuel or staffing costs, something else has to give.

[camz]

We sailed Sky in 2009 and then again last October and noticed the same differences. However, the ship is still very well maintained and clean, and we found service to be top notch. All of the mainstream lines are cutting where they can to keep cruise prices the same or even lower than the previous year while their costs continue to rise. With all the new mega-ships afloat, there are a lot more cabins to fill, the only way the cruise lines can keep them full is to keep prices low. Since they can't cut their fuel or staffing costs, something else has to give.

 

Well said! :)

[sparks1093]

Oh you better duck your not paying proper homage to NCL here and someone will take you to task for that. Only good things here seems to be the rule of the day.

 

I give this person a lot of credit he is not a first timer and as Platinum member of Latitudes he knows NCL much than I or most here.

 

Confirms what many are posting and others refusing to recognize NCL is cutting corners with the food and it is effecting the quality of the trip for many. I will be on the sky in 10 days and let you know what I expericne. I am sure to have good time as I will make sure I do.

 

To paraphrase the old fishing line; a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work.

 

The OP may be Platinum but the things he is dinging NCL on (especially the missing boarding champagne) are old news and were changed a while ago, including the new menus. As for cutting corners, all of the major cruiselines have been doing that for the past several years to survive in this economy.

[newmexicoNita]

As a Platinum member of Latitudes and having taken two (2) previous cruises on NCL Sky I thought I knew exactly what I was getting when I booked a three day cruise the first week of February. Just a short time into the cruise it became obvious that there is some serious cost cutting going on. Gone is the champagne and orange juice they used to offer guests at embarkation, the menus have completely changed, and now they offer the same average items but seem to rotate them every other day and nothing special. They still offer Lobster in the main dining room the first night out but after that it was all downhill. The food was decent but the choices were dismal. The buffet food on the Sky has come down as well. There is no longer a Chocoholic Buffet nor is there a Latitudes party on Sky. Considering that this is not the cheapest short cruise out of Miami there is certainly room for improvement; sad because in the past this ship had some great quality offerings. During the entire three days we did not once see the Cruise Director or the Cruise Consultant (we loved the old ones who are no longer on the Sky). We have not been cruising with NCL because we are not thrilled with their itineraries the last couple of years but I hope these changes are not taking place on their entire fleet. The last two cruises I was on that were supposed to stop at Great Stirrup didn't happen; the weather was supposedly too rough to tender. Another thing, they would not allow us to use our OBC for service charges; never saw that before.

 

wow, I guess it has been awhile for you. Accually the champagne was only offered for about a couple of years at the most and has been gone for along time. No, there are no parties for frequent guests on shorter cruises. As for the buffet, I happen to think NCL has one, if not the best buffet at sea, but I haven't cruised the Sky.Princess has the same menu now: 3 or 4 entrees day plus the same daily on the other side of the menu. I am sure you realized you do still have choices.

[newmexicoNita]

Oh you better duck your not paying proper homage to NCL here and someone will take you to task for that. Only good things here seems to be the rule of the day.

 

I give this person a lot of credit he is not a first timer and as Platinum member of Latitudes he knows NCL much than I or most here.

 

Confirms what many are posting and others refusing to recognize NCL is cutting corners with the food and it is effecting the quality of the trip for many. I will be on the sky in 10 days and let you know what I expericne. I am sure to have good time as I will make sure I do.

 

To paraphrase the old fishing line; a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work.

 

OMG, we all know some corners have been cut, do you cruise on other lines often or do you just like to blast NCL. We cruised 3 times last year, 3 lines, all have cut back and NCLs food had actually improved we thought. BTW, 10 days, what are you doing, 2, 3 day cruises and a 4 day?

[dagtoking1]

Yes my friend the champagne and orange juice as well as the chocoholic buffet have been gone for a couple years now. Guess you don't cruise that often.

 

Ive also said all along forget lobster night its not worth the wait for that piece of lobster rubber fish that you need a microscope to find it on your plate.

But as for the rest of the selections never had a problem, we do b2b cruises and are able to pick different items every night but then we don't do the cattle herding dining rooms or the feed troughs for dinner. We stick to the specialty restaurants where you can relax, be served and pick from better menus and best of all rarely an obnoxious kids.

 

I cruise about twice a year now, sometimes more. Although I have sailed on most of NCL's fleet I admit I have not cruised with them in a few years because my last cruise with them (Pearl) was not stellar and as I stated in my original post we are not crazy about NCL's itineraries the last few years. Actually, the Lobster was not too bad. My main complaint was mostly the obvious cost cutting measures especially in the dining room; for example I don't think I have ever been on an NCL ship where they didn't have a souffle for dessert at least one night and there were many other noticeable things that NCL did well that were absent. I have not tried the Epic because I have gotten bad reports from many friends about that ship but I have sailed with NCL as far back as the Sunward, the Norway, I loved the Pride of America, the Sun, and the Jewel and others and the first two times I was on the Sky it was great. I have sailed on Princess, Carnival, and Celebrity the last couple of years and I doubt I would ever give Sky a second chance after this; not that it was horrible it just was not great and there are better options out there for the money IMHO. As far as the itineraries, not everybody can take the time for a 10 day cruise. NCL is offering a good 7 day over xmas but I do not want to be away for the holiday and it is only one sailing. Also the entertainment was minimal on Sky; I think there was one show on the last night otherwise you could choose between the piano bar and a magician/comedian the first two nights. We were with friends so we still had a good time but I was surprised by the changes not that all the cruise lines are not doing this now. My last cruise was on the Ruby Princess and I was impressed with everything.

[js]

As a Platinum member of Latitudes and having taken two (2) previous cruises on NCL Sky I thought I knew exactly what I was getting when I booked a three day cruise the first week of February. Just a short time into the cruise it became obvious that there is some serious cost cutting going on. Gone is the champagne and orange juice they used to offer guests at embarkation, the menus have completely changed, and now they offer the same average items but seem to rotate them every other day and nothing special. They still offer Lobster in the main dining room the first night out but after that it was all downhill. The food was decent but the choices were dismal. The buffet food on the Sky has come down as well. There is no longer a Chocoholic Buffet nor is there a Latitudes party on Sky. Considering that this is not the cheapest short cruise out of Miami there is certainly room for improvement; sad because in the past this ship had some great quality offerings. During the entire three days we did not once see the Cruise Director or the Cruise Consultant (we loved the old ones who are no longer on the Sky). We have not been cruising with NCL because we are not thrilled with their itineraries the last couple of years but I hope these changes are not taking place on their entire fleet. The last two cruises I was on that were supposed to stop at Great Stirrup didn't happen; the weather was supposedly too rough to tender. Another thing, they would not allow us to use our OBC for service charges; never saw that before.

 

I'm certainly not an NCL cheerleader. The last cruise I took on NCL was the Dreamward about 18 or so years ago. But, I am booked on Sky for May and Breakaway for July 2013. I do have some questions and hope you can help. Thanks so much.

 

Thank you for your honest opinion, especially that you cruise NCL. I'm a few days shy of Diamond on RCCL but thought we would give Sky a try for a quick 3 night cruise Memorial Day weekend since it is almost $1,000 less than Majesty for the 3 of us (girls cruise, mom and my dd).

 

Anyway, as a Royal cruiser, I will not miss the "free" drinks. That is certainly not done on RCCL, unless you are concierge or a suite guest. That would have been a nice little treat.

Although Royal doesn't have a midnight buffet, they do have a "Mexican Night" on deck, serving food, so this counts as the Buffet. Can I ask you if NCL does this at all for the 3 night cruises or something similiar? We usually try to make a stop there but if not, no biggie. I cannot tell you the last time RCCL had a real midnight buffet, if I were to guess, I would say about 5-7 years ago, perhaps. So won't miss it but it would be nice to have a party on deck with maybe some food.

 

I am very new to NCL and from these boards learned about FCC. I'll be purchasing 4 FCC while on board Sky and from quick reading here, do know that I cannot use towards tips. But for the 3 of us, we will go through the $400. Did you have extra credit left over? That would stink.

 

Thanks also for the heads up about the MDR food. I do plan on going to speciality restaurants for the 3 nights since it is a quick crusie. When we do the Breakaway, we may do half speciality and half MDR. There will be 10 of us so hopefully they will let us pre-book like they currently do for EPIC.

 

I never care about the CDs, although I have been on RCCL ships that seem to have very popular ones but I don't understand how that can increase my fun LOL Different strokes I guess. BUT, I do have a question about the Cruise Consultants. Are you saying that they weren't onboard? I would really love to get the FCC. I just thought I needed to make an appointment with them like I do on RCCL, is this not the case?

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to post. I've been reading everything I can about the Sky since we usually cruise RCCL on longer trips.

[spacepotatoes]

js, NCL doesn't do late night buffets, at least not on the Sky. But Longboards, the sports bar, is open late and you can get food to go from there. Their wings are fantastic! There is a Future Cruise Consultant on board for bookings or Future Cruise Rewards certificates.

 

OP, it has obviously been a while since you've sailed with NCL.They stopped the Welcome Aboard drinks and other things at the end of 2009. The menus changed in 2010 as well, I think. And yes, these changes are fleet wide.

 

I can understand the disappointment if you weren't aware of these changes, but for me personally, they don't make or break the experience. We were on the Sky last March and had a great time.

[lcmdir]

AHHH...but the staff! The staff were fabulous! They made the cruise wonderful! The food was ok to good, the entertainment was good, the ship was comfortable, the price was super, what's not to like? We enjoyed our cruise and wouldn't hesitate to book this ship again.

Anna

[rvsullivan]

Also, the chocolate buffet is still offered on all 7 day or longer cruises. Probably not on 2 or 3 day. Anyone that has not sailed for a while, on NCL or others is going to be surprised unless they read these boards all the time. Things have changed for sure.

[david_sobe]

The champagne has been gone since 2009. A few months ago there was a thread of cost cutting on all NCL ships, not just the Sky.

Unfortunately in today's economy and high fuel charges, all companies, restaurants, airlines, and cruise lines must find ways to cost cut.

The HUGE Jumbo shrimp are gone at Cagneys. While the shrimp are still large and yummy, those GIANT ones are gone. Also got only a table spoon of mushrooms instead of a small bowl. Everything is going up in price and getting smaller :(

[SissasMomE]

As a Platinum member of Latitudes and having taken two (2) previous cruises on NCL Sky I thought I knew exactly what I was getting when I booked a three day cruise the first week of February. Just a short time into the cruise it became obvious that there is some serious cost cutting going on. Gone is the champagne and orange juice they used to offer guests at embarkation, the menus have completely changed, and now they offer the same average items but seem to rotate them every other day and nothing special. They still offer Lobster in the main dining room the first night out but after that it was all downhill. The food was decent but the choices were dismal. The buffet food on the Sky has come down as well. There is no longer a Chocoholic Buffet nor is there a Latitudes party on Sky. Considering that this is not the cheapest short cruise out of Miami there is certainly room for improvement; sad because in the past this ship had some great quality offerings. During the entire three days we did not once see the Cruise Director or the Cruise Consultant (we loved the old ones who are no longer on the Sky). We have not been cruising with NCL because we are not thrilled with their itineraries the last couple of years but I hope these changes are not taking place on their entire fleet. The last two cruises I was on that were supposed to stop at Great Stirrup didn't happen; the weather was supposedly too rough to tender. Another thing, they would not allow us to use our OBC for service charges; never saw that before.

 

I've been on the Sky twice - the first in May 2009 and the second in Dec 2010. I noticed a big difference between the 2. The champagne was gone when I went in December ... and I thought the food in the main dining room was "ok". Definitely not up to par like it was in the past. To be fair - we ate in Cagney's the first night ... and then went to the main dining room the 2nd night. It's really hard to compare the 2 .... and it should be, since you are paying extra. I really don't remember ever being "disappointed" in the regular dining room food, but on that trip, I was. <shrug> We just ate in the speciality restaurant the next night - Le Bistro, and the 4th night we did the buffet. I like the Sky because it is a small, intimate ship .... but I do agree with your observation about the food.

 

We didn't get to stop at Great Stirrup Cay during the December trip either. It happens. Especially that time of the year. The Captain made an announcement that it was his call, and his call only ... and he didn't feel safe letting the tenders out when the water was as rough as it was. Again <shrug> what can you do? I'm not a captain ... I have no idea what is safe and what isn't. It was a disappointment, but I respected him for not taking chances like that.

 

The short cruises are definitely different than the longer ones. When I do a 3-or 4-nighter, it's really just to get away for a weekend and relax.

[gottahavefun]

I'm certainly not an NCL cheerleader. The last cruise I took on NCL was the Dreamward about 18 or so years ago. But, I am booked on Sky for May and Breakaway for July 2013. I do have some questions and hope you can help. Thanks so much.

 

Thank you for your honest opinion, especially that you cruise NCL. I'm a few days shy of Diamond on RCCL but thought we would give Sky a try for a quick 3 night cruise Memorial Day weekend since it is almost $1,000 less than Majesty for the 3 of us (girls cruise, mom and my dd).

 

Anyway, as a Royal cruiser, I will not miss the "free" drinks. That is certainly not done on RCCL, unless you are concierge or a suite guest. That would have been a nice little treat.

Although Royal doesn't have a midnight buffet, they do have a "Mexican Night" on deck, serving food, so this counts as the Buffet. Can I ask you if NCL does this at all for the 3 night cruises or something similiar? We usually try to make a stop there but if not, no biggie. I cannot tell you the last time RCCL had a real midnight buffet, if I were to guess, I would say about 5-7 years ago, perhaps. So won't miss it but it would be nice to have a party on deck with maybe some food.

 

I am very new to NCL and from these boards learned about FCC. I'll be purchasing 4 FCC while on board Sky and from quick reading here, do know that I cannot use towards tips. But for the 3 of us, we will go through the $400. Did you have extra credit left over? That would stink.

 

Thanks also for the heads up about the MDR food. I do plan on going to speciality restaurants for the 3 nights since it is a quick crusie. When we do the Breakaway, we may do half speciality and half MDR. There will be 10 of us so hopefully they will let us pre-book like they currently do for EPIC.

 

I never care about the CDs, although I have been on RCCL ships that seem to have very popular ones but I don't understand how that can increase my fun LOL Different strokes I guess. BUT, I do have a question about the Cruise Consultants. Are you saying that they weren't onboard? I would really love to get the FCC. I just thought I needed to make an appointment with them like I do on RCCL, is this not the case?

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to post. I've been reading everything I can about the Sky since we usually cruise RCCL on longer trips.

 

As far as left over credit, the easiest thing to do is pay the balance of the FCC with the onboard credit. So it's 250 with 100 credit. That means there is still 150 that needs to be paid. Just use any "leftover" credit to pay off.

[dagtoking1]

I'm certainly not an NCL cheerleader. The last cruise I took on NCL was the Dreamward about 18 or so years ago. But, I am booked on Sky for May and Breakaway for July 2013. I do have some questions and hope you can help. Thanks so much.

 

Thank you for your honest opinion, especially that you cruise NCL. I'm a few days shy of Diamond on RCCL but thought we would give Sky a try for a quick 3 night cruise Memorial Day weekend since it is almost $1,000 less than Majesty for the 3 of us (girls cruise, mom and my dd).

 

Anyway, as a Royal cruiser, I will not miss the "free" drinks. That is certainly not done on RCCL, unless you are concierge or a suite guest. That would have been a nice little treat.

Although Royal doesn't have a midnight buffet, they do have a "Mexican Night" on deck, serving food, so this counts as the Buffet. Can I ask you if NCL does this at all for the 3 night cruises or something similiar? We usually try to make a stop there but if not, no biggie. I cannot tell you the last time RCCL had a real midnight buffet, if I were to guess, I would say about 5-7 years ago, perhaps. So won't miss it but it would be nice to have a party on deck with maybe some food.

 

I am very new to NCL and from these boards learned about FCC. I'll be purchasing 4 FCC while on board Sky and from quick reading here, do know that I cannot use towards tips. But for the 3 of us, we will go through the $400. Did you have extra credit left over? That would stink.

 

Thanks also for the heads up about the MDR food. I do plan on going to speciality restaurants for the 3 nights since it is a quick crusie. When we do the Breakaway, we may do half speciality and half MDR. There will be 10 of us so hopefully they will let us pre-book like they currently do for EPIC.

 

I never care about the CDs, although I have been on RCCL ships that seem to have very popular ones but I don't understand how that can increase my fun LOL Different strokes I guess. BUT, I do have a question about the Cruise Consultants. Are you saying that they weren't onboard? I would really love to get the FCC. I just thought I needed to make an appointment with them like I do on RCCL, is this not the case?

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to post. I've been reading everything I can about the Sky since we usually cruise RCCL on longer trips.

 

There were no midnight buffets but they generally had food at the outdoor dining venue at night. Speaking of that dining venue, what was weird in the day time was that they were doing burgers out there but only on one side. The other side had some kind of funky sausage that they had a crew memeber standing at a sandwich press doing one little sausage at a time creating a long line. I wanted a burger and waited in line but did not realize that there was different food on both sides; something you might want to check out before waiting. Also, agree with the comment about Longboards and they are open late until until 6:00am I think; the wings did look great.

 

Fortunately I had asked for a copy of my statement in advance and saw that my OBC was not applied to my account; that is when I found out that I could not apply this to service charges as I have done many times in the past. What they told me was that if I didn't use all of my OBC it would go back to the Travel Agent whatever that means so we spent it in the gift shop.

 

As far as the main dining room food I never meant to imply that the food was not edible. The food was fine and it was only the obvious elimination of some of my favorites and the same items being repeated that disappointed me. I also found it strange that they no longer offer shrimp coctail int he main dining room even though the shrimp were always small. The New York strip was not bad at all but the Rib Eye steak was stringy and not very good; don't order it. One of my friends ordered the New York Strip on a night that it was not on the menu and was able to get it.

 

I hope I answered all your questions. I never liked the buffet area on the Sky because it is so small and they do a lot of Indian food which I suppose is good for Vegetarians. They did have someone making dessert crepes one night (a plus). The other thing I like about the Sky is the Hawaiian decor left over from it's Hawaii days (reminds me of the Pride of America-great cruise!). I did miss the Chocoholic Buffet-something I always look forward to on NCL. We had a good time but I booked the Sky based on my previous two experiences and there was no comparison at all. The best thing about NCL in my opinion: no formal night. :D

[shelly11]

I really enjoyed the Sky last year and am going again soon. Food was available all the time, room service was good and fast. Everyone on the boat was very nice and eager to please.

[yoyocruiser]

Honestly, if you are looking for a really nice cruise I would think that the SKY--or any 3 day or 4 day cruise--would be your last choice. We knew ahead of time that there was no chocolate buffet and no latitudes party on the short cruises. Short cruises are just different--they tend to be quite low in price and they also seem to attract a different crowd (younger, a little louder and more energetic). Also, the itinerary is really limited. However, it was the perfect cruise for myself and two college age kids--but we probably had pretty realistic expectations. Also, I knew that they had done away with the champagne, as well as the chocolates at night.

 

That said--I was very pleasantly surprised and felt the food was wonderful. I am pretty picky so it always does amaze me that people are so scathing regarding the food. I honestly don't know what kind of restaurants some people must be able to eat in--sometimes it makes me feel really weird. I mean I take cooking classes, read extensively about cooking, spend half of my life cooking and I live in the vicinity of many very high quality restaurants (granted I am not in NYC). I guess it just really shows how subjective food is.

 

We absolutely loved out time on the SKY last month--have raved about it since getting home. All those wings at 1AM at Longboards--nothing better in my book. LOL :D

 

I do feel that if the OP went on a regular 7 day cruise the experience might be more positive across the board. Also, I do believe SKY is one of the older ships. I also believe this OP had posted prior to the cruise and had figured out that on the OP's prior SKY cruise he/she had been VIP or some type of special treatment. So obviously if that did not happen on this cruise it was indeed a come down. Still and yet--my two previous cruises had been in a suite and I still had a blast!! But I think this cruise in aprticular was a bad match for this very experienced cruiser who has fairly high expectations (and there is nothing wrong with that!).

[js]

As far as left over credit, the easiest thing to do is pay the balance of the FCC with the onboard credit. So it's 250 with 100 credit. That means there is still 150 that needs to be paid. Just use any "leftover" credit to pay off.

Thanks so much. I didn't even think about that. I NEVER have left over credit, never ever LOL I just thought I was paying the FCC with another credit card, not put on my cruise charge but this makes sense. We will be purchase 4 so at $250 each that is $1000 and then I will have $400 OBC that goes towards the $1000, leaving me with $600 to begin my cruise bill...is this correct?

 

 

There were no midnight buffets but they generally had food at the outdoor dining venue at night. Speaking of that dining venue, what was weird in the day time was that they were doing burgers out there but only on one side. The other side had some kind of funky sausage that they had a crew memeber standing at a sandwich press doing one little sausage at a time creating a long line. I wanted a burger and waited in line but did not realize that there was different food on both sides; something you might want to check out before waiting. Also, agree with the comment about Longboards and they are open late until until 6:00am I think; the wings did look great.

 

Fortunately I had asked for a copy of my statement in advance and saw that my OBC was not applied to my account; that is when I found out that I could not apply this to service charges as I have done many times in the past. What they told me was that if I didn't use all of my OBC it would go back to the Travel Agent whatever that means so we spent it in the gift shop.

 

As far as the main dining room food I never meant to imply that the food was not edible. The food was fine and it was only the obvious elimination of some of my favorites and the same items being repeated that disappointed me. I also found it strange that they no longer offer shrimp coctail int he main dining room even though the shrimp were always small. The New York strip was not bad at all but the Rib Eye steak was stringy and not very good; don't order it. One of my friends ordered the New York Strip on a night that it was not on the menu and was able to get it.

 

I hope I answered all your questions. I never liked the buffet area on the Sky because it is so small and they do a lot of Indian food which I suppose is good for Vegetarians. They did have someone making dessert crepes one night (a plus). The other thing I like about the Sky is the Hawaiian decor left over from it's Hawaii days (reminds me of the Pride of America-great cruise!). I did miss the Chocoholic Buffet-something I always look forward to on NCL. We had a good time but I booked the Sky based on my previous two experiences and there was no comparison at all. The best thing about NCL in my opinion: no formal night. :D

Thank you for answering my questions. I am glad you enjoyed some of your cruise and appreciate that you took the time to write and also answer some questions.

 

Honestly, if you are looking for a really nice cruise I would think that the SKY--or any 3 day or 4 day cruise--would be your last choice. We knew ahead of time that there was no chocolate buffet and no latitudes party on the short cruises. Short cruises are just different--they tend to be quite low in price and they also seem to attract a different crowd (younger, a little louder and more energetic). Also, the itinerary is really limited. However, it was the perfect cruise for myself and two college age kids--but we probably had pretty realistic expectations. Also, I knew that they had done away with the champagne, as well as the chocolates at night.

 

That said--I was very pleasantly surprised and felt the food was wonderful. I am pretty picky so it always does amaze me that people are so scathing regarding the food. I honestly don't know what kind of restaurants some people must be able to eat in--sometimes it makes me feel really weird. I mean I take cooking classes, read extensively about cooking, spend half of my life cooking and I live in the vicinity of many very high quality restaurants (granted I am not in NYC). I guess it just really shows how subjective food is.

 

We absolutely loved out time on the SKY last month--have raved about it since getting home. All those wings at 1AM at Longboards--nothing better in my book. LOL :D

 

I do feel that if the OP went on a regular 7 day cruise the experience might be more positive across the board. Also, I do believe SKY is one of the older ships. I also believe this OP had posted prior to the cruise and had figured out that on the OP's prior SKY cruise he/she had been VIP or some type of special treatment. So obviously if that did not happen on this cruise it was indeed a come down. Still and yet--my two previous cruises had been in a suite and I still had a blast!! But I think this cruise in aprticular was a bad match for this very experienced cruiser who has fairly high expectations (and there is nothing wrong with that!).

THIS IS SO TRUE. No one should go on a 3-5 day cruise expecting anything more than a quick getaway. I just want clean cabins, a normal friendly crew and edible food and drinks. Anything after that is gravey on a short weekend cruise in my book.

My dd-18 looks forwad to those wings in Longboards. Can't wait!

[js]

js, NCL doesn't do late night buffets, at least not on the Sky. But Longboards, the sports bar, is open late and you can get food to go from there. Their wings are fantastic! There is a Future Cruise Consultant on board for bookings or Future Cruise Rewards certificates.

 

OP, it has obviously been a while since you've sailed with NCL.They stopped the Welcome Aboard drinks and other things at the end of 2009. The menus changed in 2010 as well, I think. And yes, these changes are fleet wide.

 

I can understand the disappointment if you weren't aware of these changes, but for me personally, they don't make or break the experience. We were on the Sky last March and had a great time.

 

Thanks so much for letting me know. I don't expect much from a 3 night cruise so as long as the ship stays afloat, clean and hopefully good weather, it will be wonderful!

I am not making my bed, cleaning up or cooking! Go me! LOL

My dd-18 will love the wings at Longboards and perhaps I'll join her.

I will look for the FCC the first day and make an appointment for later that day or the next.

Thanks so much!

[Richie2pies]

It's not only the SKY. The food on NCL has gone downhill in most people's opinion. (cheerleaders excepted)

 

Too much of the same thing and too much Indian food where they don't have to use meat.

 

NCL is a cheap cruise in most cases, but you get what you pay for. I've been on 6 NCL cruises and I am aware of what I'm buying. I don't cruise for the food.

[yoyocruiser]

I feel the food quality has actually gone up and I think the food is very good. A generalization such as the food has gone downhill in "most peoples minds" is an opinion and should not be stated as fact.