SKY Review from a non-partier

[gardiner41]

I am sorry did not mean to quote last post but am on my mini so I don't know how to revise. Sorry for scrolling inconvenience all.

 

:) Thanks for your comments!

We are thinking about sailing out of NYC sometime in the not too distant future. It is one of the few ports we can drive to relatively easily (about 8-10 hours)

Sounds like you had a lovely adventure. We too would take in a show or two while there...how could one not??? At least not thespians like myself anyway :)

[DMH15]

:) Thanks for your comments!

 

We are thinking about sailing out of NYC sometime in the not too distant future. It is one of the few ports we can drive to relatively easily (about 8-10 hours)

 

Sounds like you had a lovely adventure. We too would take in a show or two while there...how could one not??? At least not thespians like myself anyway :)

 

 

And the Sail away out of New York City is wonderful. Cruising past the Statue of Liberty is lovely and cruising under the Verrazano bridge is also very cool. It remains one of my favorite sail aways ever.

[gardiner41]

If anyone has any other questions about the Sky please feel free to ask away!

[McDebbie]

Thanks for the insight. We booked this last week. We are a short distance drive.

 

We too are not partiers. But it is a good quick getaway cruise to sample the suite life before our seven-day cruise next year out of Tampa.

 

I think it is going to spoil the suite life for you. :D There are so many fewer suites on the Sky that you get a lot more attention than on some of the larger ships. And don't worry about the rowdy crowds, you can go right from your sweet suite balcony to Cagneys for breakfast and lunch.

 

The forward hot tub is really nice, most people never discovered it. And we found that the first 2 nights the dining rooms were pretty empty, I think the partiers couldn't make it to dinner. ;)

[gardiner41]

I think it is going to spoil the suite life for you. :D There are so many fewer suites on the Sky that you get a lot more attention than on some of the larger ships. And don't worry about the rowdy crowds, you can go right from your sweet suite balcony to Cagneys for breakfast and lunch.

 

The forward hot tub is really nice, most people never discovered it. And we found that the first 2 nights the dining rooms were pretty empty, I think the partiers couldn't make it to dinner. ;)

 

haha we noticed the same. And breakfast as well. First two days hardly anyone in Crossings. 3rd morning when we were leaving it seemed people realized there was more than just the buffet to choose from ;-)

3rd night Cagneys was full and they were using plantations for overflow. First 2 nights it was steady but not full. We enjoyed the extra attentive service on those nights ;)

 

Forward hot tub and deck was PERFECT! Any partiers that did wander up there did not stay...it was too quiet for them. Some thing for everyone :)

[barb-ottawa]

As another cruiser from Ottawa, would like to add my two cents re the inside vs oceanview vs balcony cabin. We have completed eight NCL cruises on the jewel class ships. Our first two cruises were in a balcony cabin and while we found the balcony enjoyable, we also were subjected to problems from our balcony neighbours - mothers screaming at their children with the balcony door open, loud drinkers/smokers enjoying their balcony late into the night, balcony doors left open and the TV turned up so the occupants (and everyone else) could hear it while on the balcony. So on our third cruise, we opted for an inside cabin - and a "sideways" one at that - we have never looked back. We find the inside cabins to be exceptionally quiet and with no view, we spend less time in the cabin and enjoy the ship more. The "sideways" cabin was a great find because the bathroom is bigger and less constricting (especially when sitting on the throne). Our last cruise in March, we were upgraded to an oceanview and we didn't like it as well as our inside, sideways cabin.

[gardiner41]

As another cruiser from Ottawa, would like to add my two cents re the inside vs oceanview vs balcony cabin. We have completed eight NCL cruises on the jewel class ships. Our first two cruises were in a balcony cabin and while we found the balcony enjoyable, we also were subjected to problems from our balcony neighbours - mothers screaming at their children with the balcony door open, loud drinkers/smokers enjoying their balcony late into the night, balcony doors left open and the TV turned up so the occupants (and everyone else) could hear it while on the balcony. So on our third cruise, we opted for an inside cabin - and a "sideways" one at that - we have never looked back. We find the inside cabins to be exceptionally quiet and with no view, we spend less time in the cabin and enjoy the ship more. The "sideways" cabin was a great find because the bathroom is bigger and less constricting (especially when sitting on the throne). Our last cruise in March, we were upgraded to an oceanview and we didn't like it as well as our inside, sideways cabin.

 

Excellent points Barb!

We are non smokers and found the smoke from other cabins/balconies was always bothering us so we seldom sat out. I used to like to leave my balcony door open to hear the ocean...but then the smoke would blow into our room. YUK!

One time I went out and the couple next door were making out. just not a comfortable situation so we went back inside.

Another problem was people leaving balcony lights on all night.

I liked leaving the curtains open so we could have a great view when we woke up...but would have to close them because someone left their light on all night shining into our room.

These are the things most people don't ever talk about with a balcony.

 

What decks are these sideways cabins you mention and are they on all ships?

 

We booked one of the wider insides for our cruise on the Pearl in Dec. Very happy to have been early enough to get one of those.

 

Angela

[sp2]

Another Ottawan just checking in! Loved reading your review Angela! It has been 7 years since we have cruised on NCL so it was interesting to get a perspective on these shorter cruises. We are also non-partiers and have hesitated looking at these shorter weekend trips (mainly because it is a long way to fly for such a short trip!) . We sailed on the Sky on a seven day Caribbean when she was brand spankin new and we were relatively new cruisers (I think it was our third cruise) and it was pre Freestyle. Lots of changes since then...

 

Perhaps our cruising paths will meet some day!

Sharon:)

[gardiner41]

Another Ottawan just checking in! Loved reading your review Angela! It has been 7 years since we have cruised on NCL so it was interesting to get a perspective on these shorter cruises. We are also non-partiers and have hesitated looking at these shorter weekend trips (mainly because it is a long way to fly for such a short trip!) . We sailed on the Sky on a seven day Caribbean when she was brand spankin new and we were relatively new cruisers (I think it was our third cruise) and it was pre Freestyle. Lots of changes since then...

 

Perhaps our cruising paths will meet some day!

Sharon:)

 

Thanks Sharon! :)

 

LOTS of changes since you last cruised NCL.

We are relatively new cruisers. But making a good dent in the "list" ;)

 

Would love to connect with you and anyone else local.

 

We met another local couple on the Epic last year and have become good friends. We are sailing with them in January of X Equinox.

 

if you would like to connect email me angelagardiner@rogers.com

Then we can connect on the forbidden social site;)

 

We have quite a cruising community in our neck of the woods!

 

We are doing 3 weeks on the Pearl in Dec and 11 days on Equinox in Jan.

10 day east Caribbean and 11 day South Caribbean combo

 

In the middle of planning..have not booked yet researching deck plans 22 day Canary Islands and Grand Med Combo on the Spirit for April-May 2015.

 

Might be a good time to give NCL another look ;)

 

Or plan a celebrity cruise ;)

[Susie51]

Thank you for your Sky review. I haven't cruised on Sky since 2000, so I'm glad to hear she is in good shape.

[sp2]

Thanks for the info! You will love the Equinox. We did a 10 day Caribbean on her a few years ago, and also the Solstice. IMHO they are the most beautiful ships we have ever sailed on.

 

Currently we are booked on a Panama Canal cruise for Dec on the Zuiderdam. HAL is definitely not a party atmosphere but they are very beautiful and elegant ships and the service is wonderful. They also have a great private island which we have really enjoyed visiting.

 

We had 2 cruises on NCL under Freestyle (Sun and Jewel) and we decided Freestyle just wasn't for us. Back then we found the food in the dining rooms had slipped in quality, but yet it was very difficult to get into the "fee" restaurants without a reservation. And something just stuck in my craw about having to pay extra to get a "decent" meal. But it sounds from these boards that things have improved since the early days so we may decide to give them a try again someday. We did enjoy the entertainment on board with NCL.

 

We would also like to sail the Med someday and maybe Cunard. So many cruises so little time!:)

[barb-ottawa]

The sideways cabins are mid-ship insides on the jewel class ships - I believe the category is IB. We have always stayed on deck 9 - actually cabin 9623 - on the Gem, Pearl and Jewel. It's a perfect location, close to the elevators and the staircase for a quick jaunt down to the Blue Lagoon on 8 for our coffee in the morning to take outside on Deck 7. The size of the cabin is probably the same, square footage wise, but it is laid out differently so it appears bigger - especially the bathroom.

[SuiteCruiser]

I can't believe how many of us are on here! So funny! Looking forward to my Sky cruise in 5 weeks, I hope spring is finally here, it will make the wait that much more bearable :)

[NoleMini]

Thank you for this great review- we are taking this ship with the sole purpose to reach platinum this fall, so this has been a great review to make our short cruise a little better! :p

[gardiner41]

I can't believe how many of us are on here! So funny! Looking forward to my Sky cruise in 5 weeks, I hope spring is finally here, it will make the wait that much more bearable :)

 

:-) Enjoy!

 

I agree, it would seem spring is finally here..6 weeks late!

We are camping next weekend (we are RV'ers) and with all the rain we had been having I was thinking it would be an inside watching movies weekend. I not have hope we may be able to get outside and hike, and canoe and enjoy a campfire or 2:)

[gardiner41]

Thank you for this great review- we are taking this ship with the sole purpose to reach platinum this fall, so this has been a great review to make our short cruise a little better! :p

 

You are very welcome! I am pleased to hear you found it useful!

Taking the Sky to reach plat before your next cruise is an excellent idea!

Have fun!

Angela

[barefootbob]

Cruising solo on the Sky 4-night Nov 17-21. My second cruise. Just did Getaway in May(studio cabin).

 

Are there any theme party's on the Sky like the White Party?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoyed your review, thanks for taking the time to write and post it.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[vunico]

Cruising solo on the Sky 4-night Nov 17-21. My second cruise. Just did Getaway in May(studio cabin).

 

Are there any theme party's on the Sky like the White Party?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

just got off the sky and yes,there was an excellent white party in pool area...great band and dancers,10 pm till past my bedtime

[jertom]

You are very welcome! I am pleased to hear you found it useful!

Taking the Sky to reach plat before your next cruise is an excellent idea!

Have fun!

Angela

 

Hi Angela,

We are going on Sky, in November, to reach platinum also, and just started looking for info. Your review is really helpful as we are not partiers and always look for quiet places too.

And you do a great job answering questions so quickly and on point.

Thanks !!

Tom and Jerie

[lovemy3youngens]

gardiner41/Angela,

 

I very much enjoyed all the details of your review.

 

I have at least one question and more may come up as it gets closer to our trip on the Sky.

 

We did book a balcony suite and the next door cabin that also has a balcony on the 9th deck. I read someone else's comment about being afraid of heights and my fear is falling overboard. Are there any safety guards or whatever so that I am not guarding the balcony doors because I am so scared of my grown children getting near the rail? Also, the reservationist (we booked through USAA) said to check and see if there was a plexiglass that we could remove between the balconies to make one enlarged balcony. Do you know if it is set up that way?

 

Thanks so much!

[Siora7777]

I love the Sky...and will be sailing on her for the third time in August. The only difference I can see is that I go on the four day (Monday-Friday) cruise which seems to be less of a party ship! We typically fly in a couple days pre-cruise and stay one day post-cruise so it makes the airfare seem worth it!;)

 

Regardless, I'm happy that you enjoyed your cruise...and Happy Anniversary!! 🎈🎈🎈

 

I agree. I did the weekday one and didn't notice the party atmosphere. But I can imagine it would be different for a weekend cruise.

[jcandy59]

Hi, Thanks for such an insightful review. I am actually feeling very nervous and put off after reading your honest review. As it is cruising was never our thing and if the this ship is so run down, crowded, and full of partiers, I have little doubts that this upcoming trip is not going to be a pleasant one. We booked a couple months ago at full price,way more than double of what they are selling the similar ocean view room now. They refused to upgrade or give any credits etc either. We have kids who are allergic to fungus and musty smelling rooms and they start coughing and sneezing right away :(( and looks like it's going to be terrible in that respect! Any tips to survive this 3 day cruise would be appreciated. Thanks

[Rochesterboatingdotcom]

Yes we always hit Cagneys twice on every cruise :)

 

We did the Sky 4 day in November with the UDP. Cagneys is awesome on the Sky, we have done Cagney's on five NCL ships and this one was the best. We ate 3 nights at Cagney's and 1 in LeBistro. LeBistro service was very slow, food just OK.

 

Highly recommend Cagney's on the Sky!!