Sky Review 9/13-16/2013 (with UBP)

[faith4keep]

Just got back from my cruise on the Norwegian Sky! My boyfriend and I went out of town just for the weekend to celebrate his new job and of course, to take advantage of that "free" time off between jobs if you can do it!

 

We flew in on the first flight to Miami on Friday morning, on which I had the pleasure of being upgraded to First Class (love Delta!) but sadly my boyfriend was stuck in economy. He simply refuses to take my first class tickets when I get them. Got to love him :)

 

We arrived in Miami at 9:30am, grabbed our bags, and some local friends picked us up. We had some drinks and lunch at a complex called Bayside which is right next to the port. This is a great place to waste some time and start getting into the vacation mood if you, like me, have to take the very first flight in and have hours to kill. We had a drink at a place called "Let's Make a Daquiri" (very creative) and then moved on to lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Here's we are, I'm in the middle:

 

 

At around 1:30pm, my friends dropped us off at the port. Check in was an absolute breeze. There was no line at all. We got straight through security, no one was in front of us at the ship check-in, we had our photo snapped at the green screen, then on the ship we went!

 

Of the other NCL ships I've cruised on, I have to say the staff on this ship was a little less... enthusiastic. Usually I see costumed crew and cruise director staff dancing and welcoming guests on board right as you hop on board, but on this occasion the music was only lightly playing in the background and the staffers were all chit chatting with one another. We got some halfhearted "Welcome"s as we passed by. No biggie - just not the same.

 

We were ushered through a lounge and passed by a table offering a wine package (something with vino in the name), but then we quickly spotted the table selling soda packages and the Ultimate Beverage Package. We had the UBP on our Epic cruise in April and were set on getting it again.

 

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ULTIMATE BEVERAGE PACKAGE:

 

A quick chat with the beverage manager had us even more sold on the idea - he said that even more alcohols were now included since our last cruise (like Grey Goose) but some alcohols (like Patron) still were not. Like last time we asked for a list and like last time they were unable to produce one for us, but we knew the drill - pretty much everything was included.

 

Just for everyone's reference, here are some of the drinks we ordered: rebellious fish, cherry limeade, miami vice, grasshopper, mudslide, bushwhacker, margarita, mojito, strawberry mojito, rum-based smoothies, bud light, bud light lime, corona, corona light, budweiser platinum, a glass of pine ridge chenin blanc, a glass of ruffino pinot grigio, a southern comfort (Cagney's specialty martini), the godiva raspberry dessert martini (Cagney's specialty dessert martini), cherry collins, screwdriver, shots of bailey's (to pour in hot coffee at breakfast).

 

And now that I've listed all those out, I officially feel like a lush. :D But so many people want to know specifically what drinks are covered, and I just wanted to list them out. My new best friend is this guy:

 

 

Ah yes. The sound from that Island Oasis machine is so, so sweet. Haha!

 

The ONLY drink we got turned down for was a Blue Moon beer, which cost $6.50 and I think the UBP only covers beers up to $5.50. This made no sense to us, because we had been ordering cocktails in the $8 range the whole time.

 

One of our ports was Great Stirrup Cay, so anything we ordered on the island was also charged as a part of the UBP -- big bonus!!

 

The only other "bummer" we experienced with the UBP was that about 1 in every 10 bartenders would ask for the second room card when we went up to order 2 drinks. We all understood the policy to be 1 drink per card and even on the Epic, the bartenders often made us sign separate receipts for our drinks when we ordered together. But on the Sky, we had gotten into the habit of both of us walking up to the bar, ordering two drinks, and they charged both drinks on one card. So after a while, if we were sitting near a bar, just one of us would stand up to grab drinks. And then like I said, occasionally we'd get a bartender who would say "no", he needed both cards - which was only somewhat annoying unless you had already waited a good 10 minutes to get their attention. So we got in the habit of each of us taking both cards to the bar when we were going to order 2 drinks- no big deal - I just wish the beverage director would get his staff on the same page.

 

A lot of people took advantage of the UBP on the cruise and we only saw one absolutely belligerent group. Everyone else kept it together.

 

One last thing - the Freestyle Daily for the last morning of the cruise (disembarkation) noted some bar specials. Thinking we could squeeze the UBP a little further we tried to order some drinks with breakfast but were informed the UBP cuts off at 2am the last night of the cruise (or last morning, however you want to look at it).

 

We kept all of our receipts and our total was $687 for drinks. We paid $334 for the beverage package. So we made out pretty well :)

 

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The first mission, of course, was to find a bar. We ended up at the Atrium bar, got ourselves our first cruise drink (Rebellious Fish for me!) and made our way to our cabin.

 

More in the next post...

[faith4keep]

We found our cabin - 8042 - which was outside view cabin. We would have booked inside but by the time we actually decided to book, they were sold out.

 

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STATEROOM:

 

Overall we found our stateroom to be just fine. I have been spoiled by the luxury of balcony cabins (and an aft balcony on our last cruise!) and of course, the gorgeous modernly-designed Epic cabins. This cabin transported me back to several years ago. Everything felt pretty...standard. I have to say, it was nice to go back to having a real bathroom (vs. the Epic where the shower and toilet are sort of "in" your cabin). My boyfriend said he felt like our Sky cabin was actually roomier than our Epic cabin.

 

I felt like there was plenty of space for storage...for a 3-night cruise. I definitely would have struggled finding space for 7-nights in this cabin.

 

I didn't like the shower, which was basically a small cubby with a curtain in the bathroom. I miss the actual showers that a balcony cabin have. But for 3 nights, it didn't bother me too much.

 

We also had problems with the room temperature. Sometimes we'd come in to the room and it would be freezing, but then we'd wake up in the middle of the night sweating through all the sheets. We never moved the thermostat from the coolest position.

 

Quite frankly, I think the cabin was the "best" part of our cruise in terms of the fact that we had the least complaints. Our steward, Made, was pretty awesome and we were excited to get a bunny, crab, elephant, and swan for towel animals. He also rolled up some small wash cloths in the bathroom into makeshift toothbrush holders, which I'd never seen before.

 

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Once we were settled in the cabin, I actually...worked for a few hours. I know, how awful. But I wasn't taking any time off for this cruise, which actually made the itinerary quite attractive. My boyfriend went off to get set up at the casino while I took care of some work.

 

We went to hang out at the pool for a bit and made friends with another couple.

 

The bar was already popular:

 

 

And people were already claiming seats at the pool:

 

 

 

The pool closer to the bar was supposed to be for adults only. We sat on the edge of the pool with our feet in the water and enjoyed our cocktails. We saw a few children swimming around in the adults pool and didn't have a problem with that until a child canon balled right next to us, covering each of us in water. That promptly ended our fun. No matter - we went to go find a spot for sail away.

 

This was my first cruise that was less than 7 days. My argument was that it takes me at least 2-3 days to actually relax, so I wasn't sure that a 3 day cruise would actually be "worth it". In case you're in the same boat (no pun intended!) I would say you should give it a shot. It truly felt like I left my mind (and work, and problems) on the main land. For me one of the best parts of cruising is that you are totally disconnected from the world, so it only took an hour or two for me to truly relax. Here I am as we sailed away from Miami!

 

 

After sail-away, we made our way to the casino for the famed raffle - there were very few tickets in the raffle and pretty much everyone who showed up did in fact win something.

 

We went back to the cabin to relax some more, and then decided on Cagney's for dinner. We showed up to Cagney's around 8pm and had no problem being seated without a reservation. Service was slower than normal- everything just seemed to take a while. So after dinner, we sort of crashed and burned back in the cabin.

 

Next morning - breakfast at Crossings. There's nothing I love more than eggs benedict on a cruise. We had great service that first day. We have always had issues in all main dining rooms of getting an alcoholic drink at the table; I really wish that NCL would consider putting a bar/bar staff inside the MDRs to expedite this process. Overall good breakfast that first morning.

 

Then, we got dressed for our day at Great Stirrup Cay! The line for tender tickets was enormous but moved quickly. As soon as we got our tickets we headed down to the gangway. The staff didn't care at all what tender boat we were supposedly assigned to, so the tickets seemed really pointless. I think we ended up on Tender #4 even though we had tickets for #9. Odd.

 

Pictures of GSC in the next post!

[Isabella Benjamin]

Thanks for the info on the drink package, I wasn't sure how that worked!

[faith4keep]

Great Stirrup Cay is such a great place!! I just love it there! The water is absolutely gorgeous.

 

We got to the island around 10am and there was plenty of seating. In fact, even when it got busy there were still PLENTY of chairs available - just maybe not in the prime spots.

 

I wanted some shade (the last cruise we both got VERY sunburned) so we paid $20 for the clamshells. This was an excellent investment. It kept our personal items in the shade as well which is nice. View from our clamshell:

 

 

That's an RCI ship in the background. Their island must be close to GSC. Once we were back on the ship I made the decision that our island looks better :)

 

I had read some of the threads in advance about the improvements being made to GSC. There was definitely some construction going on the day we were there. On the very far end of the island (opposite of where we were located close to the tenders) we saw a large crane in action. This was not far away from where some small sets of loungers were located. Which by the way- if you're looking for privacy and an empty beach, head over there, but don't expect any bar/food service.

 

Also, from the maps I had taken a look at, there were 3 main bar areas on GSC. Lighthouse bar (closest to us/the tenders), a main bar (closer to the main party area), and then a third bar closer to where the cabanas are. Well, that whole third bar area was completely closed off and there were signs that said "under construction" and "Coming Soon: Bacardi". It seemed like a substitution they had small pop up bars in various places serving beers and other easy drinks.

 

There was also some construction stuff near the tenders:

 

 

But...... no sign of a lazy river.

 

We had an excellent day at GSC. The water was absolutely gorgeous. The bars were a little busy but we found our favorite stop - the bar inside the buffet area serving "Crazy Mojitos" And "Smoothies"... yum!

 

Buffet food was just fine - your burgers, hot dogs, subs, and pizza. We had some quick bites to eat but wanted to get back in the water.

 

GSC is just a dream. I loved every moment of being on that island. Wish I could go back!!

 

Sadly, we packed up our things and made our way back to the tendering area. We were greeted with cold towels and ice water. We hopped on the tender and it took us back to our beautiful ship:

 

[Molokai-Chuck]

Thanks, I someday hope to do a cruise with a stop at the private island. It always rates well.

 

Chuck

[jdvmd]

Great information so far especially about the UBP and how it worked for you. I am sorry to hear about the lack of enthusiasm by crew members when greeting you initially. We have done two last minute Sky cruises (last two years Labor Day weekends) and they were very enthusiastic.

Keep it coming! Glad you had a great time!

[faith4keep]

After we arrived back from GSC, we decided to spend some time at the pool areas in the jacuzzi.

 

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POOL SIDE ENTERTAINMENT:

 

We witnessed a hilarious team event where adults got crazy competitive over passing water balloons to each other between their legs and over their heads, taking on and off a wet t-shirt, etc. I found it so funny that these initially reluctant folks got so into the game.

 

If I never hear the Wobble for the next 2 years, I think I'll be good after this cruise. After the second or third time I actually started feeling bad for the cruise director staff. ANY TIME there was a dance party (sail away, random pool parties, white hot, etc) we got the compilation of the Wobble, the Cupid Shuffle, and other line dances. The poor staff had to act like every time they heard those songs it was going to be the last. It did get everyone on the dance floor, but I felt like they were lacking some creativity.

 

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After the jacuzzi and a bit of pool time, we head back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. I donned my White Hot Party dress and was happy to see that so many other cruisers seemed in-the-know enough to also dress in white. We decided to watch the sunset and settled on a spot just above the pool deck that I think is normally another bar area but was closed on our cruise. The sunset was gorgeous:

 

 

 

And then we were off to dinner!

 

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MDR DINNER:

 

We had dinner at Palace and it wasn't that great. Firstly, this dining room could use some updating/refurbishment. I felt like I was right back in the 90s- with baby pink window treatments and all. I found this interesting considering Crossings seemed like it had been updated. We ordered the ribeye steak and both of us thought it was close to inedible. The steak had no flavoring and felt "juiced up". My boyfriend said it was worse than a steak at a waffle house. Luckily I had ordered a second entree, the gnocchi with pumpkin sauce (highy recommend!!) as I love that dish off of NCL's MDR menu. But our waiter saw the disdain in my boyfriend's face and immediately replaced his meal with a pina colada chicken.

 

For dessert I had the cheese plate, which sounds a lot classier than it was, but I was excited for goat cheese.

 

Overall - after our experience in the MDR, we knew we were headed back to a specialty restaurant for our last dinner.

 

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After dinner, we decided to make our way to the casino. We wanted to stop in Dazzles to see our favorite bartender from GSC, Anita. She was great in the sense that she made me laugh and remembered both of our names. Dazzles was hosting the "Newlywed/Not So Newlywed" show and I'm now convinced that this is the "must-see" show on any cruise ship. The couples that were selected were absolutely hilarious. I didn't think I'd ever see a "match" on the question "Which movie title best describes your current love life" with the matched answer being, "Mission Impossible". Some other pretty incredible matched answers as well. It was truly hilarious and would highly recommend you seek out this show.

 

We made our way to the casino while everyone else made their way to the show in the Stardust theater. We did not hear good things about any of the performances. We watched some bits and pieces on the room TV. On a longer cruise, I like how these performances break up the evening, but on this cruise we just felt like we didn't want to spend the time on the shows. We heard good things about the comedian but after watching him on the room TV, didn't think it was worth it to make it a point to see him.

 

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CASINO

 

We arrived at the casino and I squarely positioned myself at the craps table. I have played at many casinos and I have to say that the employees that staffed our table we the fastest talkers/movers I've encountered. It may have also had to do with the other gamblers at the table making all sorts of bets, but none the less. I played for about 40 minutes and doubled my money. I was not pleased when the girl next to me kept trying to take my bets as her own (asking the dealer to place her winnings on X bet when those were actually my winnings). This particular girl had a couple of run-ins with the staff but as far as I knew they were placing and paying out honestly. I had fun, but the game just seemed more serious than normal.

 

My boyfriend played at the $10 blackjack table which was completely empty. The 6/5 table, however, was jam packed.

 

Overall I was really quite impressed with the size and elegance of this casino, considering it was added in later in the ship's life. We normally spend a lot more time at the casino but on this cruise, our time there was limited.

 

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After the casino, we stopped by the piano bar...

[faith4keep]

Thanks for the info on the drink package, I wasn't sure how that worked!

 

Outside of the Blue Moon, every single thing we ordered was included in the package. I did stay to the cheaper wines, but we just don't drink the top shelf alcohols. We drink the frilly drinks with fruit. It was all included :) I tried to list every drink we had but I'm sure there are a bunch more I'm forgetting.

 

Thanks, I someday hope to do a cruise with a stop at the private island. It always rates well.

 

The private island was so beautiful. It is nice to had a "port day" where all your food (and drink, in my case) is included. Very little cost to the cruiser. There was also a lot of free entertainment - ping pong, volleyball, cruise staff hosting games like limbo-- it was a good time. I would be perfectly happy with an itinerary that just stayed at GSC for 2or 3 days.

[faith4keep]

My one request on this cruise was that I really wanted to go to the piano bar. This is the type of thing I like to do on a cruise because it's not really common in bars at the mainland. They were hosting a "sing along" which I thought would be fun, particularly because those are usually the types of things where everyone is having a great time.

 

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SINGALONG WITH BARRY AT CAPTAIN COOK'S

 

We arrived at the bar and there was a tiny crowd of 6 people there for the singalong. The piano player, Barry, made it a point to welcome/heckle us a bit as we joined the group. However, his jokes quickly turned raunchy. Those kinds of jokes are funny when it's a one-off or sensible humor, but it got old very quickly for us.

 

In the meantime, there were 3 bartenders and 1 waitress at this bar. There was no one at the bar and we sat at our table with empty drinks. The waitress served the other tables but did not come to us. No one really seemed interested in serving us, so I finally went up to the bar and asked for two drinks, which is one of the times I got the "need two cards" rule even though it was clear that we were together and there was really no one else at the bar.

 

I was having a so-so time and was trying to push through. One of the things the piano player did was say to the group, "Shouldn't we get these nice folks to join us?!" and we would cheer to couples that were passing by.

 

Well - on one occasion an older couple was coming back from dinner and they were carrying leftover- a cake. Barry proceeded to say, "Don't you think this fine gentlemen should come and join us and share his cake?!" and we cheered, but the shy, older gentlemen looked down at his cake, looked back up at us, sadly shrugged his shoulders, and said, "I mean...I guess...." to which Barry asked what the cake was for, and it was for a wedding anniversary. The man stood there not sure of what to do, and eventually said, shyly, "I mean I guess I don't mind..." and went up and placed the cake on the piano. It was so sad!! I felt awful for the gentleman and was hoping the piano player would finally tell him he was kidding, but it never happened. The couple left their cake on the piano and went back to the room. :(

 

Some of the singalongs included Divinyls "I touch myself", and although this singalong was at 9:30pm there were still definitely children running around as this bar was a passthrough from the stardust theater to other locations. I was hoping the singalong would be more of the "Sweet Caroline" variety. So we eventually left. We were of coursed heckled and told that he would excuse us since we were clearly running off for a quickie.

 

Overall -- too raunchy for me. Maybe some people's cup of tea but not mine.

 

So we headed to the White Hot Party! The party was just starting when we arrived. We saw the performance by the dancers and proceeded to join in the 3rd or 4th repetition of the wobble/cupid shuffle/etc. I have to say I much preferred the concept of the 21+ White Hot Party and the separate "Family" White Hot Party that the Epic has, but I understand that the Sky simply does not have the venue or maybe even participation to pull that off.

 

At any rate- I'm always surprised to see how many people show up to the White Hot Party and just sit and watch! As some of my favorite cruise directors say - you're never going to see these people again, so go ahead and get on the dance floor! No one cares if you make a fool of yourself. It's vacation after all :)

 

Day 3 coming up next!

[faith4keep]

Our 3rd day of the cruise was to be spent in Nassau, Bahamas. Neither of us are fans of this port, so we decided to stay on the ship.

 

We had breakfast at Crossings again. This time, service was pretty awful. We sat for about 15 minutes without being talked to before we caught the eye of a server and he asked us if we would like "more coffee" :confused: There was a table near us that seemingly ordered everything on the breakfast menu and had problems with half of it. Our food was just fine, but service certainly left something to be desired.

 

Also - both of the MDRs seemed to have some HVAC issues. Every meal we ate in the MDRs we were both visibly sweating - no need to bring a sweater.

 

After breakfast we got ready for some pool action. We arrived at the pool area around 10am and had no problem finding a shaded seat facing the ocean. We spent the entire day lounging, occasionally dipping toes in the pool to cool off. I was a little disappointed that throughout the 6 or so hours we were at the pool, we were not once asked by the roaming bar staff for a drink. Having to not lift a finger is also an appealing part of cruising and I love being waited on during my vacation. But not once during our entire time on the Sky were we approached while sitting at tables or at the pool if we needed a drink. Instead we took turns making trips to the bar.

 

For lunch we decided to check out the buffet. By far, this was the most disappointing meal we had on the cruise. The pickings were slim. On the buffet line was hot soup (?), cold sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, french fries, chips, 4-6 "worldwide" dishes, and then a salad/fruit bar. Usually I off the buffet with a plate full of food but I sat down at the table with a pretzel roll and some cheese cubes. Eventually I went back and made a small salad. After the buffets on the Jewel-class ships and the Epic, I was really shocked to see how small this buffet was. I can't imagine what it's like at peak hours.

 

We found our seats again and I did some more reading. Not surprisingly we got hungry again and decided to seek out the popcorn we had discovered the day before at the Longboard Sports bar. And that's when we found.... a pizza and pasta bar stationed inside of Il Adagio. I'm not sure how anyone is supposed to know this exists because it definitely wasn't in the Freestyle Daily. So we ate some pasta and then continued our quest for popcorn, which was cut short when we found out popcorn wasn't served until 5pm.

 

So back to the pool, where we found some friends we had met earlier in the cruise and joined them for some pool time and conversation. We stayed until the party got a little too rowdy (a very drunk crowd came to the bar singing "Shots" over and over again, jumped into the pool w/ clothes on, etc). We went back to the room for a little bit of quiet time before heading out to dinner again.

 

We decided on Cagney's again for dinner since Italian and French really weren't calling out names. I'm excited to tell you the meal was absolutely fantastic, start to finish. My boyfriend started with the sliders and I had the wings. He said those might be the absolute best burgers he's had EVER (a big improvement from the night before with the possible worst steak ever). I had the chicken drumsticks which were absolutely excellent. Steaks were great, of course, and desserts were just fine. Service was on-point this time and met all of our expectations. I'm not sure who makes the drinks in Cagney's but any mixed drink there came out VERY strong, sending goosebumps through my body each time.

 

After dinner, we had plans to go to the comedian and possibly watch Quest (I've participated twice before, time to sit out) but it was so nice and peaceful in our cabin, so we stayed in and enjoyed the quiet.

 

Finally this morning, we woke up at an early 6:30am and were all packed up and out the door by 7:15am and sitting for breakfast at Crossings at 7:20am. We had our final breakfast (no eggs benedict on disembarking day :() and from the restaurant disembarked the ship. It may have been because we were in the restaurant, but by the time we were ready to disembark we hadn't heard any announcements, so there was no craziness to be seen on any deck.

 

Just like arriving at the ship, disembarking was a breeze! There was no line at any point - to get off the ship, or at customs, or for taxis.

 

We were in a cab by 8:20am, checked our bags, got through security, and were sitting by our gate at 8:50am for our 10:10am flight. My boyfriend was so greatful I didn't make him take the 12:30am flight like we did last time. I know most people like to give themselves a bit more time with the potential for anything (lines, traffic, etc) but we had no problems.

 

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Final thoughts to follow!

[faith4keep]

Overall I would give this cruise a C+. If I had not already cruised Norwegian so many times, I would definitely not feel the need to be loyal after this experience.

 

 

• I was mostly disappointed with the service (or lack thereof). One thing I like the most about NCL cruises is that the staff always seems genuinely pleasant and happy- other cruises the staff has seemed...I don't know...bitter. On Sky, I felt like the bar staff in particular seemed unhappy and possibly overworked. Maybe the UBP has them working twice as hard. The rest of the staff was friendly and seemed happy, but didn't pull through on the "here to serve" front.
  
• The food (in buffet and MDRs) was not up to par. In the buffet, if the selection had been expanded a little bit, that would have helped. I've never been one to be THAT picky about food, but it was just a little lackluster.
  
• HVAC on the ship seemed wonky. We found most indoor venues to be hot and sticky.
  
• The Wobble. Make it stop!
  

 

But of course, there are pros:

 

• The ship felt clean and kept-up.
  
• Never had a problem finding a lounger or table when we wanted one.
  
• Drinks were great!
  
• Casino was nice.
  
• The itinerary (both dates, Friday-Monday, and locations, GSC + Nassau) is a great short trip and is appealing to me.
  
• White Hot Party is a fun tradition.
  
• Size of the ship was nice. We didn't feel like we had to walk all over to get to where we wanted to go. Also, did I mention all of the elevators on this ship! There are so many (compared to Epic)!
  

Overall I think we learned a few lessons about our personal taste in cruising:

 

 

 

 

1. We definitely prefer the specialty restaurants over the MDR and feel the additional cost is worth it.
   
2. We had been called by the upgrade fairy when we booked and turned down an upgrade to a suite, but we would definitely consider it in the future. We really like the idea of having meals delivered to the room.
   
3. It seems like the better staff members end up on the newer ships. So if we decide to go with one of the older/smaller ships in the future, we should lower our expectations for service.
   
4. Balcony cabins aren't necessary for such short sailings (for us). The cheaper the better!
   
5. I can actually relax after a few hours; not just a few days. The short cruises still "work"!
   
6. The UBP was great and saved us a lot of money. I know a couple of people said they feel like they'd need to make the package "worth it" and I definitely know where you're coming from. The next time we cruise, we will still buy the UBP, but I will not be so set on making it "worth it". I think the nicest part of the UBP was that we honestly had no idea the cost of the drinks we were getting at the end of the cruise, it was just one less thing to think about.
   
7. We really, really prefer ships that have totally separate areas/events for kids. Spice H20 on Epic was awesome.
   

The most important part of the cruise was that I got to spend quality time with my boyfriend. I had such a great time relaxing, being lazy, laughing, and enjoying our time together. So for that this trip gets an A+!

 

 

 

That's about it! I'd be happy to answer any questions people may have about the Sky or this itinerary!

[BlueJai]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to post it! It's nice to see reviews of some older ships.

[mikeyd]

Wow, what a fantastic review! We did a cruise on Sky in December 12' and will be going again mid-October 13'. Your comments really captured my thoughts exactly from our December cruise.

 

The staff does seem lethargic as compared to other sailings and cruise lines. Getting acknowledged at breakfast for a refill of coffee or juice was impossible and I felt the staff were zombies in the morning just wandering around trying their best not to make eye contact with anyone. I am sure it's because they work their butt off and are truly tired.

 

There is a lot to do in Nassau - I'm bummed you didn't venture out.

 

I too like keeping kids separated from the adult and main areas. I have two daughters in their 20's but find myself truly annoyed with kids (aged 1-12) during my vacations. Sorry, I just do, and to make it worse the parents are "on vacation" and don't bother watching their kids or enforcing acceptable public behavior.

 

Again - thanks for the great, detailed and insightful review. I am almost regretting picking the Sky for our cruise in a couple of weeks after reading your review and recalling our past experiences but it was a great deal and I refuse to sail on Carnival again.

[stormynow]

Faith, did u make it to the Martini bar next to Cagneys. Always had great service in there with the bartender Rob.

[stormynow]

Just remembered called the Plantation Bar.

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the great review and photos.

The Sky does get beat up with some service issues. I have been on her twice. I think the service can be lacking sometimes because of the incredible schedule the ship keeps. It does 2 full cruises every week. The staff have little time to bond with passengers and the passengers are sometimes known as the "booze cruise."

So those elements keep the service a bit different than other ships when you get a full week with the workers and there are sea days, etc. Embarkation days are the busiest days and the Sky has one every 3 or 4 days.

I have eaten at Cagneys on several other ships but our best meals at Cagneys were on Sky.

[stormynow]

Thanks for the great review and photos.

The Sky does get beat up with some service issues. I have been on her twice. I think the service can be lacking sometimes because of the incredible schedule the ship keeps. It does 2 full cruises every week. The staff have little time to bond with passengers and the passengers are sometimes known as the "booze cruise."

So those elements keep the service a bit different than other ships when you get a full week with the workers and there are sea days, etc. Embarkation days are the busiest days and the Sky has one every 3 or 4 days.

I have eaten at Cagneys on several other ships but our best meals at Cagneys were on Sky.

Agree 100%, some as all the short cruises on other lines. Always tell friends during a short cruise to test the waters, not a good way to do it.

[stormynow]

Planning on the Sky 4 day after Thanksgiving. Anyone else?

[FLAHAM]

Gee, $687 for two over three days, at $10/drink that's about 11 drinks/person/day. I'm sure that plenty of cruisers do it, but that seems like an awful lot of alcohol to me.

[stormynow]

Gee, $687 for two over three days, at $10/drink that's about 11 drinks/person/day. I'm sure that plenty of cruisers do it, but that seems like an awful lot of alcohol to me.

Might be alot for non drinkers but us alky's can handle way more than that. Tell u when I'm going quit drinking, when I run out of money.

[faith4keep]

Faith, did u make it to the Martini bar next to Cagneys. Always had great service in there with the bartender Rob.

 

We went to Cagney's twice and saw the Plantation Bar, but it wasn't listed on the Freestyle Daily so we were a little hesitant to go in. We thought it was maybe held off for a private party or guests in Suites? It wasn't clear.

 

Gee, $687 for two over three days, at $10/drink that's about 11 drinks/person/day. I'm sure that plenty of cruisers do it, but that seems like an awful lot of alcohol to me.

 

$687 includes all gratuities that they automatically tack on.

 

We each got 1-2 drinks in the morning with breakfast at around 9am each day and then after, we kept our cups full throughout the day. So from 10am-5pm we probably had 1 drink an hour, so that's 8 more. Then usually 1 with dinner and then 1-2 more later with white hot party/casino/whatever nightlife...went to bed at around 11pm each night.

 

So yes, that seems like a LOT, but it was quite easy for us to crush the ultimate beverage package. I always had a frozen beverage in hand and to me, that is vacation. The drinks were spaced out over the entire day so I was never completely blitzed drunk or acting crazy (you all know what I mean).

[Wrinks22]

Thanks for the review, I enjoyed reading it and am glad you enjoyed your trip. Would you recommend the 4 night trip to a family of 4 (with a 15 year old and 19 year old?)

[onefishtwofish]

Thanks for posting! We are new to NCL and heading out on that same one in October, so happy to read through your post! :D

[faith4keep]

I think it totally depends on your children's personalities.

 

If they are the type to WANT to do excursions, hang out on the beach, etc...then maybe. However if they want nothing to do with their parents (totally common for teenagers), I think 4 days may be a little short for them to bond with other cruisers of their same age.

 

Some of the larger ships seem to better accommodate cruisers of all ages; the Sky seems to have limited facilities for this purpose.

 

But if they are fine hanging out with family or entertaining themselves independently, then go for it! I had a great time!