Norwegian Sky Review 3/24/2014

[mommysoncruiser]

It took a while to recover but I am back. Overall the cruise was a Success. I purchased the Ultimate Dining Package and the Birthday Package. I also prepaid my gratuities ( I highly recommend doing this). I was traveling solo with my 10 year old for his birthday. Well here goes the start of the review.

 

Day 1 Embarkation

 

Embarkation was a breeze. I was really shocked. We arrived to the Dock at about 10:30 am. We went through security and received our room keys and given a group boarding number. We were in group 3. I think they let us onto the ship at about 11:30 to 12. We proceeded to lunch in the Crossings restaurant. The service was good and the food was so so. While dining we received the message from the captain that our rooms would be ready by 2pm. I actually think they were ready around 1 pm. Well after we finished lunch we went to our room and my son was surprised by the beautiful room decorations and his wonderful birthday cake. It was a nice little setup and our room was very spacious. We went out to the pool deck and waited for the drill to start. I must say that the drill was very short and hectic but efficient. We then proceeded up to the pool deck and waited for the ship to leave the port. At this time my son was enjoying the pool and had a blast. I must say that he wasn't even aware that we were moving. (Oh I forgot to mention that this was his first cruise). We made reservations at Cagneys Steakhouse and ate there for our first dinner. I must say that it was a total disappointment. The service was not only slow, but it was pretty bad. No one seemed to care at all about providing good service. I ordered the ribeye and it was the worst steak I ever had. The macaroni was flavorless and the cagney fries tasted horrible. It tasted like they fried them in over used oil. Needless to say, that was the ONLY time we ate there. The night ended well and was overall great!

 

Day 2 GSC- Private island

 

We got up early at around 8 am and the weather was the pits. It was raining and super overcast. We proceeded to breakfast at the Garden Café Buffet and it was pretty good. We actually sat outside in the rain, lol....nuts I know. After breakfast we went to get our tender tickets and continued onto the tender boat. OMG, the waves were super rough and I was shocked that we even were allowed to go to the private island. The tender boat was hitting the side of the Sky really hard. my son was scared but I tried to ease his mind. Finally we got moving and the ride over to the island was very rough and the rain sprayed the crap out of us. It was really cold. I was determined not to miss out on this experience/port so we took it in stride. Once we got to the island I was pleased with how beautiful it was. I loved it. Beach chairs everywhere and the beaches were beautiful. I bought us a clamshell $29.99 which were plentiful because no one was on the island. It was worth it by the way because it protected us from the rain and the eventual sun that appeared. Anyhow A few hours after we got there more people started to arrived and by the time lunch rolled around, the island was filling up pretty well. The music and entertainment was so so and the buffet lunch was ok. The food was bland and not really all that appetizing but edible. Around 12 pm or so the rain subsided and the sun came out. It was only when the person next to me told me that they had suspended service to the private island for a while that I realized why it took so ling for people to come ashore. My son snorkeled on his own and I am very happy that we did not pay for that excursion. It was not worth it at all. We brought our own snorkel gear and saw that the excursion group was in the same area that we were snorkeling for free. We got some great pictures and had a blast at the private island. We headed back to the boat at 4pm and had time to watch sail away. We then got ready for dinner at Le Bistro ( we had 7 pm reservations). Let me tell you, Le Bistro was amazing and well worth going to. The service was excellent and the food matched. By far my favorite restaurant on the ship. This is a must go. I ordered the Escargot-Delish and the Duo De Canard (Duck) and it was superb. I really enjoyed this restaurant and wanted to go again. The night ended well and we eventually retired to the room to get ready for day 3.

 

Day 3 Nassau

 

We awoke early again and proceeded to the buffet breakfast. This day was better as far as weather. Breakfast was good and we exited the ship easily. Nassau we took a tour of the island by cab and did the Queens stair and the market. It was nice. We decided not to do Atlantis because the weather was not all that great and we knew we would come back the Nassau soon so we decided to get the rest of the island out of the way so that we can devote the full day to Atlantis next trip. We got dropped off at twin brothers for conch fritters and a cocktail. It was a disappointment. There was very little of the alcohol in the Miami vice and you couldn't even taste it ( me, being the alcoholic I am, lol kidding, asked them if they gave me a virgin drink and they felt bad and gave me an additional shot of alcohol free). The fritters were a ball of dough and not very good. Oh well, We walked to Junkanoo beach and relaxed a little there before making our way back to the ship. We stopped at Starbucks on the way. It was good! We took some pictures at the shopping area and watched two island ladies fight over a hair braiding customer. Purely unprofessional and entertaining. They totally scared the customers away. Back to the ship and straight to the Jacuzzi. Nice! Time to get a few drinks and relax while the kids played in the pool and Jacuzzi. We then got dressed for dinner and headed to our reservations at Il Adagio. It was nice and again the service was great. The food in this restaurant was just okay. The service more than made up for it however, I think the basketball court was right above the restaurant so there was a lot of loud stopping and banging. Overall it was a good experience. Time to go night night for the kiddies and off to the hot white party. It was freezing and hardly anybody showed up. Literally there was like 25 people of the 2000 on the ship that actually came. I still made the best. The after party continued at Dazzles and was a drunken mess. The People were wasted and crazy. Much fun though until someone stole my camera. Oh well, I did not let this ruin my cruise. Night night until tomorrow.

 

Day 4 Freeport

 

Woke up again and got buffet breakfast. What the heck is this? Very industrial. We actually relaxed and chilled a bit on the deck. No one seemed to want to get off of the ship. This port should be eliminated from the itinerary. We took a cab to Lucaya and ate fresh conch fritters there. It was really cool to watch the guy clean and prepare the conch right there on the spot. We had 3 $1 shots and headed to the beach. By far the least appealing port yet but we still relaxed on the beach a bit. Before we headed back to the ship we got 5 more $1 shots. Lol, nothing to do but drink there because there was nothing else to do. Was happy when this port was completed. We went back to the ship and got ready for dinner. Our last night and last dinner was awesome. You guessed it Le Bistro it is! I had the Coq Au Vin and it was delish. At the end of dinner the captain and a small crew came in and some lucky young lady got a beautiful marriage proposal. It was a great end to a great night. We went back to the room and packed for disembarkation.

 

Disembarkation

 

The time has come to leave. We decided to turn in our luggage the night before. We got up and did a room sweep then off to breakfast. Our last breakfast was nice and we took our time. On the way off I found the pictures that were taken during the course of the cruise and tried to purchase them. They were already getting rid of all the picture and I was too late because the system was closed. I was devastated and begged the guy not to throw them away and to just let me have them. After a little pouting he finally gave in and gave me the 10 pictures for free. I am very thankful and love Norwegian for this one. It was a great end to a great trip. My luggage was waiting for me at customs and we walked off happy.

 

Endnote: We experienced none of the spring break madness. We saw a lot of families and made some great friends on the ship. I am impressed as this was my first time cruising NCL. I think I am in love!!! :):):)

[gelo7]

Excellent review.

[mommysoncruiser]

I am now trying to plan a cruise to the eastern Caribbean. I think it would be amazing. Was looking into doing it this summer but the prices are way overboard. It's double what we would pay now. I am now looking more towards December. We shall see. My son is now hooked on cruising.

Edited April 2, 2014 by mommysoncruiser

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review and welcome home. Glad you had a good time despite the weather at GSC. I don't complain either at restaurants. But fries will taste like that for not changing the oil frequent enough. You were paying at least $60 to eat there. If it really was the worst steak you ever had and the fries were bad, you should have sent it back. Don't pay that kind of money for a meal that was so bad.

I am very lucky. I have eaten at Cagneys 8 times and never had anything but fantastic service and wonderful food.

[mommysoncruiser]

Thanks for the review and welcome home. Glad you had a good time despite the weather at GSC. I don't complain either at restaurants. But fries will taste like that for not changing the oil frequent enough. You were paying at least $60 to eat there. If it really was the worst steak you ever had and the fries were bad, you should have sent it back. Don't pay that kind of money for a meal that was so bad.

I am very lucky. I have eaten at Cagneys 8 times and never had anything but fantastic service and wonderful food.

 

Thanks. I'm glad your experience was better than mine. I am not one to make a big fuss about things as such and didn't want my dinner to be extended another hour plus. For me, it's just a lesson learned and I did what I thought best, Not eat there again. Le Bistro more than made up for everything. I am sure that Cagneys is different on every ship as they have different chefs and different staff. Maybe on a different ship my experience would have been different. Maybe on a different night it would have been different. Idk...and it doesn't matter because my trip went on and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to trying different NCL ships and vacations. I really liked freestyle although I tended to make set reservations each night, lol...

[mommysoncruiser]

Thanks for the review and welcome home. Glad you had a good time despite the weather at GSC. I don't complain either at restaurants. But fries will taste like that for not changing the oil frequent enough. You were paying at least $60 to eat there. If it really was the worst steak you ever had and the fries were bad, you should have sent it back. Don't pay that kind of money for a meal that was so bad.

I am very lucky. I have eaten at Cagneys 8 times and never had anything but fantastic service and wonderful food.

 

I see that you are going on the Getaway. I want to get on that ship too. Hope you have lots of fun. I hear that ship is amazing!!

[meatball_nyc]

Thank you for the review. Glad you had a good cruise.

Breakaway missed GSC last week as well I noticed.

 

I cruise with my son too. First one was when he was 11.

We are going on our third this summer for his 18th birthday. We love the ocean and the ships so much.

 

Time flies!!! Make sure you and your son take as many vacations together as possible. They grow up too fast :(

 

Happy cruising!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[mommysoncruiser]

Thank you for the review. Glad you had a good cruise.

Breakaway missed GSC last week as well I noticed.

 

I cruise with my son too. First one was when he was 11.

We are going on our third this summer for his 18th birthday. We love the ocean and the ships so much.

 

Time flies!!! Make sure you and your son take as many vacations together as possible. They grow up too fast :(

 

Happy cruising!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

 

 

Robin I am going to travel with him as much as possible. I know that our time together is limited because he is getting older. He is very excited for the next cruise. I just can't imagine not having this time with him once he gets bored of me, lol. I think we are going to try to cruise at least once per year until he doesn't want to do it anymore. Happy cruising with your son as well.

[true_grit]

Great review! We were on the same cruise, and that tender ride was a trip. Your son sounds like a trooper. It's funny, Freeport was our favorite spot. I agree the port itself is pretty industrial. We lucked into booking a private tour with Chad4nature. It was so much fun, at one point I felt like I was walking through a touch tank at an acquarium! We also spent the afternoon on a deserted beach eating local lobster. We didn't go to Lucaya, so I can't compare, but I'd definitely recommend a local tour there to get away from areas of Freeport that may not be so nice.

[pandacruisin30]

Thanks for the review. I am booked on the Sky for March 23, 2015 for my birthday (I normally cruise around my parents birthday so I decided why not sail for mine). Right now I will be going solo unless my mom decides to come. This will be my first time on NCL mostly have done Carnival (12 times) and one time on Disney. The Eastern Caribbean is my favorite route since it normally includes St. Thomas and St. Martin very fun islands.

 

Pam;)

[david_sobe]

Great review! We were on the same cruise, and that tender ride was a trip. Your son sounds like a trooper. It's funny, Freeport was our favorite spot. I agree the port itself is pretty industrial. We lucked into booking a private tour with Chad4nature. It was so much fun, at one point I felt like I was walking through a touch tank at an acquarium! We also spent the afternoon on a deserted beach eating local lobster. We didn't go to Lucaya, so I can't compare, but I'd definitely recommend a local tour there to get away from areas of Freeport that may not be so nice.

I agree 100%. Freeport is my favorite port in the Bahamas. Yes the port is industrial and not commercialized as much. But I find that appealing compared to the zoo of Nassau. My all time favorite excursion is at this port.....the bike ride across the island. There are some beautiful stops we had on this bike ride and had lunch in some tropical garden. It is rare to have a port that is not over run with tourists and full of those tourist trap restaurants and shops. Love a port with one of the only ships in port and you can see the real side of the Bahamas instead of the mass tourist trap Nassau.

[shelly11]

Glad you enjoyed it. I love the sky. If you go to Freeport again I suggest the gardens tour, it is very nice.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Thanks for sharing yet another positive review of the beautiful Norwegian Sky! I'm glad you and your son had an excellent time. I cruise a lot with various members of my own family and I find it's the perfect way to spend time together.

 

No need to be nervous folks; sailing the Sky is just like any other Norwegian cruise. :p

[gardiner41]

No need to be nervous folks; sailing the Sky is just like any other Norwegian cruise. :p

 

Glad to hear this. We sail next weekend for our anniversary. I have researched enough to know where the quiet spots are...and where to stay away from at night.

It will be a very re-laxing break after a long hard winter. We were on the Jewel in January and had a fantastic cruise...I expect nothing less from this one. :)

[trini_ras]

Thanks for taking the time to share. Nice review!!! :)

 

Excellent review.

 

We had 3 $1 shots and headed to the beach. By far the least appealing port yet but we still relaxed on the beach a bit. Before we headed back to the ship we got 5 more $1 shots.

 

I was wondering about the WE, in that you mentioned you were only traveling with your 10yr old son :confused:

[Pomcoach]

I enjoyed your review very much! Thank you for taking the time to write it! We sail on the sky in about 2 months and want to learn everything we can. This will be our first NCL cruise.

By the way, you have a wonderful attitude and it's sure to rub off on your son!

Pomcoach (Kindergarten Teacher)

[Susie51]

Thank you for your upbeat review. I'm glad you had a great time.

[mommysoncruiser]

Thanks for taking the time to share. Nice review!!! :)

 

 

 

 

 

I was wondering about the WE, in that you mentioned you were only traveling with your 10yr old son :confused:

 

Sorry that I did not clarify what I meant by "we" when we took shots. I met another single mother on the ship with her three kids, so she and I kind of cruised together. When I say "we" took shots, it was she and I. Sorry for the confusion. :)

[metman12345]

can i ask you what your costs were on this boat as i am looking at sailing onb it next month on a late deal

so i can see what it costs, like meals treats expenses

thanks for any help.