Sky Review - Jan 2014

[BryceRun]

Please check out my Sky review, I do realize it’s a little lengthy.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=249747

“Due to the no shortage of negative reviews I feel obligated to submit my mostly positive experience on the Sky.

My wife and I were on the Sky January 20, 2014 through the 24th, celebrating her 35th birthday. Some back ground for relevance, my wife is 35 (previously mentioned) I am 32, we are both working professionals and we have two kids ages 4 & 2 who did not accompany us on the Sky. I have sailed Royal Caribbean once at 18 and Carnival twice 23 & 25. My wife has sailed Royal Caribbean twice and Carnival four times. This was both our first cruise with Norwegian.

First off, driving and parking at Miami couldn’t have been easier. I spent hours researching offsite parking and never got the warm and fuzzy. Furthermore, I thought parking was $20 per day fixed but it’s actually $20 per 24hour period. My 4 night cruise cost $80 in parking totally worth the convenience and peace of mind.

Embarkation was a breeze with one exception; although Crossings (MDR) was open the staff tried very hard to get you not to eat there. To the point of arguing with me and when we finally got inside there were at least 10 other tables of people confirming that I was not being a jerk. I immediately thought of all the negative reviews and said “crap” to myself. Muster was painless but they check all names and it’s almost annoying when the entire drill lasts all of 45 seconds for 15 minutes of standing around.

The ship shows its age but is in relative good shape with the main common areas receiving the love and care from the maintenance and cleaning staff. The bars and lounges have nice teak and wood décor but are relatively small. The main lounge stage, Sparkles, was the dance club and stage for game shows, comedy, and audience participation shows. This lounge is a main walk way and seemed crowded at times but it still did the job. The cabin hallways were clean but rough, in dire need of refurbishment. Our ocean view room on Deck 8 was clean, seemed roomy, but again was in need of refurbishment in terms of walls, trim, and furniture. We did have the flat screen TV which meant nothing more than extra shelf space. My wife enjoyed the SPA, the gym was small but never crowded, and the casino was also pretty small but not crowded.

We purchased the Ultimate Dining Plan for $55 per person and it was worth every cent. We even went to two specialty restaurants in one evening thanks to the UDP, appetizers at II Adagio and a later meal at Le Bistro. My wife and I enjoy to dine and will spend two hours sitting at the table drinking wine and enjoying each other’s company. We were not rushed and once the staff picked up on our style they spread out the courses giving us time to enjoy and not feel stuffed. The Ship’s head Maître D even recognized this and made a point to speak to us on nights 2, 3&4. The food in II Adagio and Cagney’s was good, lived up to expectations but unfortunately we were not as pleased with Le Bistro and only dined there once. We dined in the MDR for breakfast which was acceptable for both food and service but nothing to praise. However, the very pleasant hostess remembered us every morning; she was also the hostess at II Adagio.

We also purchased the UBP which again was worth every penny. For the simple fact that you need not worry about what you are ordering or how much you’re spending. The staff seemed to like it as well, which I believe is due to the 15% automatic tip, because I noticed a lot of Europeans and South Americans who might not be as accustomed to tipping. I gave extra tips for good service which was received very thankfully and returned with diligent service, especially by the poolside cocktail waiters. I specifically brought $1bills for tips. Considering a beer (with the auto 15%) rang up over $6 there is no doubt my wife and I saved money with the UBP.

Great Stirrup Cay was very nice and I’m sure even better in the summer months, we are Floridians so we found the weather a little chilly in January. I would look forward to a day there again. We didn’t find Nassau very pleasant (we have both been there a couple times) and unless you have set plans exploring gets old quick as it’s crowded and the people try hard to push their tours, items for sale etc. We did find a little bar with nice staff to grab a beer before heading back to the ship. Another point, I found beer prices (noticed many places while walking around) to be inflated since my last visit $4-6+ a beer (still cheaper then back home I realize.) This is another plus to the UBP, no need to seek out cheaper drinks. Freeport was surprisingly nice with very PLEASANT locals right inside the port selling drinks and cracked conch/fritters/fried fish etc. We felt no need to head out to Port Lucya. I went for a 5 mile run from the port along the ocean thinking it would be fun to get the Bahamas on my GPS watch. I ran out past Bennett Point light house and the cemetery (checked both out kind of neat) and back, I do not recommend this, especially for women. The neighborhood feels far from safe (even to island standards) and the locals were not happy to see me! Not to mention the unfriendly dogs roaming around. Enjoying the lounge chairs, sun, drinks, and friendly cocktail waiters poolside was fantastic at both ports!

We found the crew very friendly and attentive throughout the cruise, except for embarkation where they attempted to push us away from the MDR. They would remember us from a previous visit and what we were drinking. A bartender from Sparkles recognized us the next day by the pool and before we even looked up from our books said, “Captain and ginger and crown and ginger.” Our bartender from the Outrigger Lounge sail out of Miami recognized us on the 4th night and even where we were from, and that was without seeing her in between those two times. Wait staff at the specialty restaurants were everything you want if you were at a fine dining establishment.

In summary it was a great four night get away for the value!! NCL has become our #1 choice, we would sail the Sky again for a quick getaway, the UBP & UDP are musts, and for us a Bahamas itinerary is perfect for enjoying the pool lounges while everyone else is doing excursions. “

[dolita22]

Glad you enjoyed the Sky! Thanks for posting your review. We are also Sky fans here. :-) The Sky was the first NCL ship I sailed on and my parents' first-ever cruise! Needless to say, we all loved it, and my parents have been on 6 NCL cruises since (just getting off the Sun today!). My husband I and just disembarked from a Royal Caribbean cruise on Sunday. It was a fun cruise with great ports and wonderful weather, but we missed NCL and the freestyle concept. Excited to sail again on the Epic next year!

 

Thanks again for your review. Brought back memories of the Sky!

[joteacher]

Thanks for posting your review...looking forward to boarding the Sky on Monday! :D

~Joanne

[FlKittyKat]

Thanks for posting your review. We are also Floridians and am glad to hear parking at the port is worth the $20 per day.

 

We are sailing next Friday, any other tips you can share?

 

Thanks!

[shelly11]

I love the Sky. There are a few parking options, in port or at nearby hotels. i think if you google Miami port parking you'll see what the original poster is talking about.

[jdvmd]

Glad you had a great time!

[youngestof9]

Thanks for sharing. We are doing the 3 day but this is helpful. Thanks!

[david_sobe]

Thanks for sharing. We are doing the 3 day but this is helpful. Thanks!

You know the 4 night is usually the same price as the 3 night. But if you don't have the time, that makes sense.

[gelo7]

Great review.

[BryceRun]

Thanks for posting your review. We are also Floridians and am glad to hear parking at the port is worth the $20 per day.

 

We are sailing next Friday, any other tips you can share?

 

Thanks!

 

Have fun! Only thing i would suggest for parking at Miami is make sure you notice the luggage handlers are at the taxi drop up which is kind of in the middle of the road. (I figured there would be handlers at the building entrance.) We walked right past them, got to the building, and had to walk back accross the street to hand off the bags.

[trini_ras]

Thanks for sharing