NCL, Sky, Miami tips for NCL Newbie

[RobinKY]

I got my taxes done yesterday and the damage wasn't as bad as I thought so I did a spur of moment internet search for cruises and quickly got the cruise bug. A 3-day cruise would work great for our situation. A nice well deserved getaway for wife & me.

 

Seriously looking at the 3-day on NCL Sky - Miami, Nassau, Stirrup Key. We would fly into Miami the morning of cruise. Would normally not incur airfare for the 3-day cruise but the cruise is really affordable especially considering the open bar feature. That would save us $340 over doing the Cheers program for a 3-day. Anyway questions I have are below.

 

1. Any major nuances between NCL and Carnival (our most recent 3 cruises) or general pointers in dealing with NCL?

 

2. Any tips for NCL Sky? What to avoid, plan for, etc? We are not overly particular and really just enjoy sitting in the sun with drink, decent food (prefer MDR over buffet usually), and fun night life.

 

3. Does the open bar apply to the Stirrup Key island?

 

4. Port fees & taxes were like 50% of the cruise cost. Seems high to me.

 

5. Any tips getting to port from Miami Airport? Looking at flying in the morning of departure. How early can you board ship?

 

6. Any other general advice for NCL newbie?

 

Thanks

[RobinKY]

Also, how do the gratuities work on NCL? Can you prepay when booking? What about gratuities for the open bar? just do cash tips?

[Mutumbojimbo]

We took a 4 day cruise on the Sky last fall, we had previously only cruised with Carnival. We had the UBP as an incentive, I tipped cash, or tipped on my room card, they ran it for every drink. I just left the normal gratuities on my account, but there is probably a way to prepay. The UBP DOES work on the private island (which was awesome!)

 

As compared to Carnival I thought: The Carnival MDR food is better, and the rooms on the Carnival ships were larger. We thought the production show that we saw on the Sky was better than any of the shows we've seen on Carnival, we were very impressed by how frequently we saw the ship's officers on NCL. We had dinner the Le Bistro, and that was really nice. We grabbed a great window seat in the sports bar for sail away.

 

A couple things that can change from cruise to cruise, we really liked the piano bar singer on the Sky, and we did not care for the comedian.

[fshagan]

The Sky was our first NCL cruise so I still have fond memories of it. The cabins are small but what is really small is the shower! It's circular, so the comedian's joke was that he just soaped up the walls, stepped in and spun around.

 

I think it's a great ship and the crew back then were absolutely great. It's a little more "party" than most NCL cruises we have been on (but we were on board during Spring Break).

 

There are no set dining times, you just show up at one of the two MDRs when you want to eat. No formal nights. You can get a table for two easily. Service in the MDR tends to be slower than on ships with scheduled dining on other lines ... bringing out the entrees all at the same time has it's advantages in terms of scheduling, but we go with the flow and just relax and eat.

[beccafries]

I wanna avoid the College Spring break cruise next year..anybody know the dates for 2017

[RobinKY]

I wanna avoid the College Spring break cruise next year..anybody know the dates for 2017

 

If you look at the reviews for NCL Sky it seems the College Spring break cruises were in the month of March - probably mid to late march. It seems NCL even marketed the cruise as a Spring Break booze cruise. A couple reviews mentioned spring break crowd even in February.

[BirdTravels]

In general, it is a great weekend getaway! We have done it 3 times in the past two years.

 

Open bar on GSC is included.

 

Buffet lunch on island is ok. Consider it beach picnic food.

 

Taxi from MIA to port is a flat rate $27. Quickest and cheapest if you have more than one person. Supershuttle flat rate $15 if you are solo. Uber is cheap, but sometimes not as reliable.

 

Try every drink that you have always wanted to try, but didn't want to pay for.

 

There is a daily service charge per person for gratuities to the restaurant and cabin staff.

 

MDR are ok. Specialty restaurants will sell you upgraded food and dining experience,,, but not necessary.

 

Boarding starts at 11:30. Checkin times in your tickets are not enforced. Get on early and start your weekend getaway!

 

Rent a clamshell shade on GSC for $30. There isn't much shade on the island and you WILL get roasted if you stay outside all day.

[4774Papa]

My Son, age 40 took a sky cruise with a friend and found many crude people, also many intoxicated beyond reason. He said it was the worst cruise he had every taken. We have done three NCL cruises with him that were longer. I think the very short cruises out of Miami have a very different clientele.