Just off Sky 3 Day today (9/28) - review & will answer any questions!

[marciemi]

Just off the Sky 3 day from Miami (Nassau/Great Stirrup Cay) this morning and had a great time! This was our 15th cruise – 3rd on NCL (although one was the Norway way back when) and we’re booked for the Getaway in January as well. I’m not going to do a formal review but will just share some thoughts and reflections as I have time and want to see if anyone has any questions – feel free to ask!!

 

Again, we had a blast! After reading these message boards and reviews for the last few months I really appreciate the insight I get but almost feel like I should not read them because all the negativity really makes me expect the worse, which definitely wasn’t the case. Even though we loved the Epic (7 Day Western) last Feb, after all the changes since then I’ve learned from reading here I was pretty much leaning towards trying other lines after January. Even after this 3 day on the Sky, I now feel so much more like I just have to ignore all the petty stuff and enjoy the overall experience!

 

I’ll try to share all my thoughts about various things - including positives, things that didn’t come about that we were afraid of, and negatives (none of which had any major impact on the cruise as a whole). First of all:

 

MAIN DINING ROOMS – on the Epic we had the UDP and only ate in the specialties. I was a bit concerned about eating with the masses this time and had read all the tips about bringing my own drinks in since otherwise it would take too long to get them, long lines at the buffet, cold food, etc. Well, honestly, after our first lunch and dinner in Crossings I was wondering exactly why we are paying for the SDP in January! (Okay, I know why – primarily for the opportunity to eat outdoors on the Waterfront). But the food, the choices, the service, the atmosphere – all of these didn’t seem any different than eating in the specialty restaurants (or a nice restaurant at home for that matter). The servers were cordial and prompt, we had no trouble getting refills on wine (we had the UDP and would each go through 3-4 glasses of wine each dinner), iced tea, water, or anything else. We usually ate early and sat right by a window each time. Food was extremely hot and they accommodated any of our weird requests (husband asking for one entrée as an appetizer, me getting 3 appetizers, him asking for an Arnold Palmer, etc.). We ended up eating dinner in Crossings once, along with 2 breakfasts and a lunch there, and dinner twice in Palace and never had an issue with any food or waits. Overall, we thought the main (free) dining rooms were what we expected from a cruise (enjoyed Prime Rib too!) even from a couple decades ago.

 

OTHER DINING – we ate in the main buffet once for lunch and again thought there was a great variety, no lines, all the food seemed fresh – loved the Chinese Hot & Sour soup especially. We also ate several snacks in the Great Outdoors late night and there was a reasonable selected there – really nice last night watching the lunar eclipse with a lot of others back there! We ate breakfast once in Il Adagio (Omelets to order) and enjoyed the atmosphere there. We also did an early morning room service (croissants/coffee/juice/milk) which came right when we’d specified and was a nice way to watch the ship pull into Nassau from our balcony. We also of course ate at the buffet at Great Stirrup Cay which was simply typical BBQ fare – nothing great, nothing bad.

 

Bottom line – we did not feel at all that not dining in specialty restaurants meant we were stuck with mediocre food or poor service. Enjoyed pretty much everything we ate everywhere (and probably WAY too much of it!).

 

More to come….

[grimsgirl13]

We leave on the Sky on Oct 19th. Thank you so much for posting. I can't wait to hear more!!

[300dtc]

Thanks for posting, going on the Sky November 16th!

[jkneern]

Sky is a great ship! Have sailed her 4xs now. Alway had a wonderful time, food was always good. Wouldn't hesitate to sail her again.

[marciemi]

Great - glad to have a few people reading so I'll add a few more thoughts now (still lots to go). This time:

 

DRINKS/UBP – we had this package on the Epic as well. Totally free then; this time paid the gratuities in advance. Either way, just a really great deal. DH & I aren’t really drinkers other than maybe a glass of wine with dinner. On our previous Carnival cruises, I’d estimate we brought on our 2 bottles of wine they allow and bought, at most, maybe 4 drinks during the course of the cruise. But having the package and the freedom to try new drinks and have more wine with dinner (without having to worry about the sticker shock later!) just makes it so much more fun. As mentioned, I’d estimate we each 3 “long pulls” of wine with dinner – somehow we missed this concept on the last cruise but since a glass of the wine we drink (White Zin) was $7.80 and a long pull was $10.70 (1.5 glasses), both were included by the UBP and it was easier than having to get more refills that way. I also loved the Chocolate Mudslides (more or less a chocolate milkshake) and we both like the typical Pina Colada or Miami Vice or Strawberry Daiquiri.

 

We tried a few others at the recommendations of the bartenders although I definitely have to read that “Best Drinks to try on the UBP” thread before our January cruise! Unlike on the Epic, there were far fewer colorful or varied menus this time – I saw the same drink menu most places (with possibly a different first page) – probably about 8 pages long (including one insert). It just had basic drinks/pricing – no pics or details of many of the drinks so I was hesitant to try some without knowing if I’d like them and couldn’t remember many that we’d enjoyed on the Epic. Need to take better notes next time but we were fine this time for a 3 day cruise. We generally grabbed drinks on our way to/from the cabin, at any meal, and any time we were up at the pool or in a bar, etc. So I’d estimate somewhere between 10-12 drinks a day total but it really didn’t seem like that much. Incidentally, I did check my receipt now and our total charge upon leaving today was $88.42. Since that included $81 in service charges (and we bought nothing else), the remainder was the total tax we paid – so $7.42 all-together for the Miami taxes (based on the date they were all from the first day). Strangely, even though the receipts we signed in Great Stirrup Cay showed a VAT tax cost (in addition to the drink cost and the 18% gratuity), those did not show up on our bill.

 

Drink service was absolutely no problem. Yes, if it was mid-afternoon on the first day or during sailaway after leaving Nassau the pool bar was crowded. We only ordered drinks there once and gave up on that. But you could always walk somewhere else on Deck 11 – the sports bar (aft) and the Great Outdoors (café) bar were always quick. Our go-to spot was the Atrium Bar on Deck 7 where the bartenders knew us by the first day and would be handing us our White Zin as soon as we walked up. We pretty much tipped $1 on each drink (cash); sometimes a bit more if we knew the bartender. They made it clear they appreciated the cash (vs. tipping on the card). For the most part the bartenders were all friendly and social, but (obviously based on the number of folks with the UBP) were busy. This ship though seemed to have as many bars as the Epic did, or maybe just the smaller size made them all seem so much closer. If we went to a bar and there were several people waiting, it was easy to walk another 100 yards or so to another one. We also almost always had servers come up to us before any show – I think the only exception was the one Welcome Show in the large theater and that was probably just because we only got there a few minutes before showtime and squeezed into the middle of a row. Every show in a smaller venue had servers taking orders constantly.

 

Oh, one big change/improvement from the Epic was that this time they pretty much always just asked for one of our cards any time we ordered 2 drinks. Even at dinner with a server we hadn’t seen before or before a show, they never asked to even see both cards, let alone making the 2 of us sign separately. I realize this could be abused fairly easily, but even just looking at 2 cards and only making one person sign the bill saved a lot of time, hassle, & paper!

 

Great Stirrup Cay Bar service was also not a problem. We went well away from the masses and staked out a spot past the Lighthouse Bay bar. I’d read some reports that it wasn’t open when the smaller ships were in the port but when we first walked by (we were on the first tender to the island) and saw about 20 bags of ice stacked up on the bar, we had confidence they’d been newly placed there so found a spot not too far away. They had most of the drinks we like (mixed kind) – I was surprised they could make frozen daiquiris and chocolate mudslides, but had a much more limited selection of beers, etc. Asked for several of the hard cider/shandy types and finally just ended up going with the basic Bud Light Lime. That area at least (green building off to the left of the main beach area coming from the tenders) had a pretty full bar – when we walked to the main area for the lunch buffet they had a very limited bar there with just canned sodas and about 8 beers. I’m sure there was another full bar (or more) further to the right (main beach area) but we were avoiding the masses so didn’t check it out. Bar service began on the island by about 9:30 (we looked earlier but they seemed to be setting up at least until 9 or so that we noticed) and for sure was shut down by around 3 (I had a hard time even finding water then). So if you plan to drink there, stock up during the mid-day hours!

 

Overall, definitely a huge thumbs up for the UBP and bar service. Way worth the 18% gratuity price but I think I would never justify paying for it – if we didn’t get it free (or at some huge discount like that), we’d just go back to maybe a bottle of wine a couple times at dinner and a fruity drink once or twice. Enjoying it while we have it though! :D

[mariefisher]

Having sailed the Sky many times, I really enjoyed your post. When I have read some of the negative reviews I thought I was on a different ship than they were. It is older but a lot of fun.

[SuiteCruiser]

I'm just back too and had a great time. I love the Sky, it's probably my second favourite ship. Some of the decor is old, but the staff are great, friendly and because it's smaller, it has an real intimate feel. You keep running into the same people.

 

Nice review, glad you enjoyed it! We were with people who had the UDP, so we ate in Il Adagio, Cagney's and Le Bistro and they were all really good too. I always found the food on the Sky to be good.

[WMQueenie]

Thank you! My sister and I leave this Friday! I am enjoying every word you write...!!!

[marciemi]

Okay, time for the next burst. :) Since SuiteCruiser mentioned it, I’ll talk about the ship next:

 

SHIP FEEL: I was really worried after the Epic that this ship would feel too small and too old. I actually felt the opposite as far as size and didn’t really notice any major wear. The Sky felt like a normal cruise ship, not a leftover relegated to party cruises. I loved that everything felt so close – it was a quick hop up to the buffet or pool or down to the restaurants or lounges. Nothing was more than a couple minutes walk away. Plus I liked having fewer people everywhere and actually getting to know some of the crew and staff. Dominic (from the Atrium Bar), our cabin steward Oscar, and the Cruise Director, Drew, were all friendly and seemed to know us after just a few hours on the ship. Drew really impressed us – he seemed to be everywhere, running everything, but always had time to stop and chat when we saw him walking around the ship. We went to the “Name That Tune” competition (Captain Cook’s Lounge) the first night and were surprised to see it was Drew himself playing the piano and singing! (Definitely recommend going to that the first and last evening).

 

If you looked carefully, you could see some signs of wear and tear in the cabin (I know the Sky is scheduled for Refurb in January so assuming most of those will be taken care of then). Small things like our bathroom door didn’t latch - you could lock it from the inside but not make it stay closed from outside. Since the seas were like glass during our sailing, this wasn’t an issue but if the ship was rolling I think the door would have been bouncing open and closed. Also, the AC vent in our room dripped some water now and then so I just made sure to pull the bed over a little from there and kept a spare washcloth there to absorb it. Really, that’s all I can think of. I’ve read of stained carpet around the ship – didn’t notice that but did notice it was all freshly vacuumed each morning.

 

I liked the layout of the ship a lot too compared to the Epic. Lots of open deck space on many of the decks (even outside the lower decks) and easy to get from one place to another. The decks went through from end to end (other than the lower deck with the restaurants). You didn’t have to walk through the Casino to get everywhere. The lounges/nightclubs all seemed comfortable and it was never a problem getting a seat for any of the events. The pool deck seemed much better designed and the buffet never seemed crowded to us (either in terms of getting food or getting a table). And there were always tons of open lounge chairs everywhere.

 

TIP – our favorite spot to hang out was on the very front of deck 12 where the kids’ pool & quiet area was (no, I didn’t understand that combination!). There were rarely kids in the pool (I’m guessing being late Sept there weren’t that many kids on the ship) and the pool was just deep enough (maybe 14”) to get in and cool off for 2 minutes before lying down on one of the many loungers – plus a beautiful view in 3 directions (sides and front) which was fun while in port. And, bonus, no smoking since it was for kids – we never found a safe place to sit by the main pool (either for eating outdoors there or just lying out) without someone smoking nearby. But this area in the front and the Great Outdoor in the aft of deck 11 both were smoke free (and quiet compared to the bustle of the main pool).

 

The main dining rooms felt quiet, dignified and well-designed. The vast majority of the seats offered views of the water. It seemed like the bulk of tables were designed for 4 people and we were always seated at one of those. Never were we asked (even at breakfast or lunch) if we wanted to sit with others – apparently cruise lines do that much less now with the Freestyle concept (too bad because we enjoy meeting people!). But we enjoyed the couple time too and not having to be overly sociable if we didn’t want to.

 

CABIN/BALCONY – compared to the Epic, we had opposite problems with this cabin. Our Epic cabin (an aft balcony) felt TINY. Really tiny. Like we could never move around the room without being in each other’s way. This cabin had room to actually walk around the bed or to pull out the chair at the desk to dry your hair. But while there was a lot of open space, there was hardly anywhere to unpack. One closet was completely an open wardrobe with hangers. The other had 3 very small drawers (maybe 3” deep) and the safe (and more hangers). There was nowhere to put shorts and t-shirts and bathing suits – I stacked mine on the safe and up above the closet where the life jackets were and my husband used the tiny drawers. All loose things (sunscreen, socks, etc.) we just kept in our carry-on bags under the bed. Same for the bathroom – each side of the sink had 3 small crescent-shaped shelves with a bar in front but the bottom had a glass and washcloth so it really left just 2 open shelves each to put all our toiletries on – and anything like a toothbrush or brush didn’t fit anywhere. I used the glass for those things and just left toiletries on the floor in a Ziploc bag. This was just a contrast to the Epic that seemed to have drawers and cubbies and shelves and storage everywhere (to the point that it seemed like you could never remember where you put stuff). So…plenty of space but no way to be organized. We used the small sofa as a place to store bags for anything we wanted quick access to and stuffed much under the beds (and didn’t have that much since we carried it all on and off). Also, there was only one (completely open) nightstand, not one per person. It was fine for 3 days but could have been a bit more frustrating for 7.

 

The balcony was also a decent size. It had two normal chairs and a tiny table but it was big enough to sit back on the chair and put the table in front of you with your feet up. We tried to look for a second table but were surprised to find no tables on deck anywhere. Any other cruise usually had a table for each 2-3 lounge chairs – the Sky had none. Full size tables for eating in the buffet but if you were laying up on deck nowhere to put a drink other than on the ground. On the Nassau day our balcony was nicely shaded with a beautiful beach/island view so we decided just to hang out on the balcony much of the day. We actually brought the chairs in and spread a comforter ($15 at Ikea in Miami the night before sailing!) across the ground and had plenty of room to lie out there and watch boats go by and enjoy the view! I know for the Getaway the regular balconies are supposed to be much tinier so we got a large balcony for next January but I was glad to see this one was at least a comfortable size.

 

Some room notes – the cabin came with a hairdryer that plugged into a special circular outlet that seemed to be used only for that (and probably keeps people from stealing it). There was one normal outlet on the desk area (we’d brought an extension cord to plug in both of our phones). First ship I’ve been on in a while that had an outlet in the bathroom that actually worked! I didn’t even bother bringing a nightlight since they usually don’t work and just bring a $1 package of glow lights (bracelet type) and open one each evening. Lighting seemed to be fine in the cabin and the thick drapes blocked the light from outside very well (so you wouldn’t even know it was daylight out if you didn’t want to). The balcony door had a latch so that you could hook it open (despite signs inside and out telling you to keep it closed). If we were going in and out we left it open (but again since it was so calm we didn’t even need to lock it open) but it definitely got warm in the cabin quickly if you didn’t close the door. Also, unlike the Epic, our thermostat seemed to work well and was easy to adjust (turn the knob towards cooler or warmer) and the cabin was a comfortable temperature. On the Epic our choices seemed to be freezing or stifling!

 

As mentioned, our steward Oscar was great! We left him a pre-tip along with a note requesting some things the first evening (Latitude pins, room service menus) and also tipped him a good amount extra after (in addition to the DSC). He made the room up quickly each time we were gone in the morning or evening and always filled the ice. Never obtrusive and always friendly – about all you can ask for!

 

More notes in a bit!

[Divag530]

Thank you so much for your insights. I've discovered long ago to take reviews with a grain of salt ... take information that pertains to you and keep it moving. Sometimes folks have huge expectations and when they're not met 100% they become bitter - instead of realizing they're on VACATION!!! Enjoy yourself. :)

 

I'm looking to book the 3 day out of Miami sometime in February ... it'll be a great getaway from the winter blues of New York.

 

 

g

[grimsgirl13]

I am getting more and more excited to go reading your review. Thank you for taking the time to post it! :-)

[Mgetta1]

I've read somewhere that you can eat in some of the speciality dining rooms for lunch and dinner at no charge. Did you try that and how was it?

[marciemi]

Glad folks are enjoying it and I'm trying to just touch on everything so maybe something I say will help someone in planning or getting excited or whatever. Definitely no negatives that affected our vacation - things like the lack of drawers/shelves were maybe 2 seconds of "Hm, really, no shelves?" then hung up my dressier stuff and stacked t-shirts on the safe and went back to having fun. :p

 

Mgetta - I'm fairly certain that the only specialty that was open for breakfast or lunch was Il Adagio. We went to breakfast there right when they opened at 7:30 on the GSC day. It was a bit like the buffet but they served you and it was a quieter, slightly more elegant setting. For breakfast they had omelets to order and could make individual waffles while you waited (kind of like at many hotels but it would make 4 small waffles instead of 1 big one). Then you told them what else you wanted - bacon, sausage, and various pastries that were displayed. They had coffee, juice & water right in there but if you wanted something else (I wanted AJ and my husband wanted milk), you're right around the corner from the main buffet. I also read that they had a pizza/pasta bar there during lunch but we never made it there then.

[marciemi]

One thing I forgot I’d wanted to mention about the room was the linen quality. The towels were definitely decent quality (not rough/scratchy). The comforter was good (unlike our Epic one that had huge clumps inside it and completely bare patches) and the sheets seemed fine but the pillowcases were really rough. I don’t expect 1800ct linens but I found it uncomfortable to move my face on these. I’d brought a small travel pillow and used that but think if I went on the Sky again (or maybe even for my Getaway cruise just in case), I’d toss in a pillowcase from home since it would take so little room. Just for anyone who might be picky about those things! Okay, now on to…

 

SHOWS/ENTERTAINMENT: I was definitely expecting to be let down after the Epic with Cirque/Blue Man Group/Second City/Howl at the Moon. And it was totally a different vibe but I think just as much (or more) fun. Not the formal precision Vegas-type show but instead a smaller, more laid-back presentation. We went to the Opening Show and enjoyed all of it – from the dancers to meeting all the senior crew and particularly the comedian. My husband made a point of mentioning to the Cruise Director after when we saw him in our favorite bar :) how much fun it had been!

 

We went to the Game Shows every night – Family Feud, Not So Newlywed, etc. Again, these were just for fun and allowed pretty much anyone who wanted to get in on the action to participate (we did not want to!). I dislike the new “feel” of Bingo and Deal or No Deal where it’s a huge moneymaking operation with zillions of people there so we skipped those – these were more cheesy but fun. We skipped the main show the second night (Motown themed – really wasn’t our interest) but attended the adult comedy show. I didn’t find this one as great as the first one (same comedian), but I’m thinking we (50ish couple) weren’t the target audience (mostly 20-somethings!) nor were we quite as intoxicated as most folks there. ;) The comedian seemed to do a better job when he was working off the cuff than when he was telling “set” jokes (most of which I had heard before and seemed to be more for the crude/shock factor than actually funny). But there was a drunk girl in the audience being totally obnoxious at the start of the show and watching him deal with her (and continue to make jokes at her expense through the show) was much more improv comedy, which he did well. This was the only show we went to that did totally fill up – we got there about 15 minutes early and had no trouble getting a seat near the front (it was in a smaller lounge – Dazzles) but by the time it started there were definitely folks standing around all the edges of the room.

 

There were several other activities we attended in various places – as mentioned, Name That Tune but there were also multiple sing-alongs with Barry in the same lounge. These really seemed to vary by the type of audience that was there at the time. Sometimes it was an older crowd and we had a lot of fun singing along to old TV themes and 80’s songs. Other times there would be a large group of young folks and he’d get everyone participating in music we didn’t know and dancing (we snuck out during these). So he did try to tailor the show to the crowd. We played trivia (and won decks of cards and koozies) – talking to the crew running it was as much fun as the actual trivia. I did enjoy the spontaneity of this cruise – after having everything on the Epic (dining, shows, excursions) all booked well in advance, just going to whatever struck our fancy was a nice change. We watched some football up in the sports bar (they were showing NFL games on Sunday but almost nothing Saturday for college football unfortunately). We wandered in on some of the karaoke (but definitely didn’t participate) and it seemed like everyone was having fun. With such a short cruise it really seemed like what they offered was more than enough if you go in expecting fun and not Vegas!

 

When I get done with all my thoughts (not sure these are coherent enough to be called a "review") :o I'll try to scan in the Dailies from our cruise - may not be in great shape since we folded them and stuffed them in a pocket but should at least get the general info out there!

 

Any more questions? I'll at least go on to GSC next!

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

marciemi ~ really enjoying your thoughts on your cruise.:D I'm getting excited for my 4 day next April when the ship is "drinks included".

Have been on the Epic 3 times & Getaway once so glad to hear Sky will be a nice change.

 

Thanks for your helpful hints.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[marciemi]

One last update for the evening then hopefully tomorrow I can think of all the things I forgot today. Since we didn’t get off the ship in Nassau (which I really think was the best choice for us!), the only port I have to talk about is Great Stirrup Cay (unless someone is interested in the Miami Doral/Dolphin Mall area where we stayed the night before).

 

GREAT STIRRUP CAY: We really enjoyed this island! The weather was beautiful – as I said earlier, completely calm seas and it was sunny in the morning then cloudier after lunch which probably worked well from a sunburn perspective. We got up early and after the quick breakfast in Il Adagio, were on the first tender. I’d read here that to go between 8 and 10 you needed a ticket but this definitely wasn’t the case (we asked beforehand as well on the ship). The tender was only about a third full and I’d say probably half of the folks were crew. We got there and decided to explore the island and scope out the best spot for the day and for our trip in January (when the island will have twice as many people due to the size of the ship). I had a vague idea from looking at maps where things were but of course it all felt differently in person.

 

We got off the tender and headed straight back to where you saw the main beach areas. We walked along the beach to the left and eventually over to the lighthouse beach area. We saw several nice groves of trees that looked like they’d be heavily shaded all day (they were) and staked out a couple chairs in the middle of one, past the lighthouse bar but just a quick hop over to it. We left most of our stuff and continued exploring. We saw a couple more beach/alcove areas (one was evidently not for swimming based on signs/currents and only had a couple chairs and the next had a good number of them). We weren’t sure where the lagoon area was from there so asked some of the crew we saw putting up the flags and setting up. The lagoon was still further (we’d walked a fair distance at this point) and on the other side of the island. We checked that out and even went out towards the end of the island where we could see the Royal Caribbean ship and their private island as well. It was really close – I guarantee you we could have swam it from there (guessing maybe ½ mile at the very most? Probably less). (Okay, I was curious and just looked at Google Maps and I’d estimate about 2000 feet looking there so I was pretty close!). I just had no idea going in that the two islands were so close to each other.

 

We hiked back to our stuff and put on sunscreen (I would guess it was close to 9am by this point and during the entire 45 minutes or so we explored we never saw any other passengers – only crew). We’d brought a couple basic $3 rafts from Walmart and inflated those and headed out in the main Lighthouse Beach area. We saw one other person snorkeling I’d say in the next half hour anywhere near us but mostly just floated around and watched people drift into the main beach. We came back in and got a couple drinks and headed back out again.

 

Two big differences between this and Carnival’s Half Moon Cay (which we also loved). First of all, this was much more natural, which meant you definitely wanted some kind of water shoes. The water was pretty but not as “crystal clear aqua” as HMC and very little of the white sand. But on the flip side, you weren’t restricted to a set area. You could go pretty much wherever you wanted, as deep as you wanted (although it didn’t seem to get that deep) and just easily get away from people. It was a huge area in comparison. So as people started filling in where we were, we just drifted out deeper, at least until we started to end up in the midst of the Stand Up Paddleboarders. Decided to head in for some lunch about 11:45.

 

Plenty of seating for lunch and more than enough food and a few more drinks later and we decided to go explore the lagoon area. We hit a restroom (there were several of them all over the island) and came out right as a tram came by so jumped on it with our floats. We got off at the lagoon. With the Sky in port, they didn’t have the buffet or bar there open but did at least have several dispensers of cold water. I dropped my water shoes on a chair and we headed out to float around the lagoon. Even at this point (maybe 12:30?), I’d say there weren’t more than 8-10 people in this area. Once we got a few feet away from shore, there was no one.

 

We drifted around the couple islands in the middle of the lagoon (which are far more rock than island) and as we got near the back found a “passageway” cut into the rock. It was about the width of a lazy river at a water park but with pretty steep edges on each side. We decided to explore and paddle down there a ways. (You can see all of this on Google Maps, but I didn’t know about it in advance). We floated and paddled for a bit then realized we were getting pulled by a current. This concerned me because A. I didn’t know where it would take us and B. I didn’t know how easy it would be to get back and C. I didn’t have my shoes and it was fairly rocky. I became more concerned as we saw very large crabs on the rocks which would then jump into the water with us as we floated by (ick!). ;) On the plus side, it wasn’t more than say 3 feet deep at any point. I wanted to head back; DH of course wanted to take it all the way. We stuck with it and it brought us back out to the ocean, in view of the Royal Caribbean Beach and around the corner from where the NCL beach was. We worked our way back upstream (yes, I still have some cuts on my hands and shins from that – strangely, not my feet!). Back in the lagoon and into shore to get some water and my shoes!

 

Well, we decided since I now had my shoes that it would be fun to ride it out again and take the ocean all the way around back to the NCL beaches. It was probably around 2 at this point and we figured it couldn’t take us more than 2 hours! The current had actually let up some by this point so we had to paddle down the “lazy river” a bit more. Got out to the ocean and worked our way around and eventually back to Lighthouse Beach and our towels, etc. (We carried our cash/licenses/ship cards in a waterproof case). By the time we did all of this it was about 3:30 and we were tired (and surprisingly hot, despite all that time in the water). All the bars were closed up so we just packed up our stuff, threw on some clothes and headed to the tender. Where you boarded the tender they had a place to wash off your feet, cold washcloths to wash your hands/face, and glasses of cold water which was really nice. We boarded the tender quickly (which was about ½ full when we got on) but then waited forever (or so it seemed) for it to fill completely, to ride back, and then to get everyone off. There has to be a better way to do this – I’d guess it was 45 minutes from the time we boarded until we were actually on the ship. (Yes, I know, don’t go back at 3:45!). Felt much better after a shower to get all the salt and sunscreen and everything else off of us! :)

 

Okay, more final thoughts tomorrow – sorry this was so long!

[Irene225]

This is great- thank you so much for sharing!

[chapo31]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and new to cruising. Taking my 3rd one in the last 3 years on the Sky Monday 10/5. Four days to the Bahamas.

 

marciemi thank you so much for taking the time to write such detailed comments. It's helping me a lot. This will be our first cruise on NCL. We've sailed on the Caribbean Princess and Carnival Victory.

[marciemi]

A couple more random thoughts:

 

EMBARKATION: This took a bit longer than I’d expected. We had selected that we would arrive at the port between 10 and 10:30. I’d read they frequently start boarding at 11ish and the lunch info we received said the buffet opened at 11:30. We arrived at 10, were in boarding group 2, but they didn’t call anyone until at least 11:45. Once they did, we were the first on board (not counting all the VIP folks of course) and it was still close to noon. Just a bit surprised that they’d let us select 10 as an arrival time if boarding really wasn’t until noon. Obviously efficient once they did it and since it was such a short cruise we wanted to be on early – next time I’ll just be prepared to sit for a longer time. Oh, and the restrooms in the terminal waiting area STILL weren’t functional (they weren’t in January either) so you had to walk out of that area (through the photographers and everyone else trying to come in and get a boarding number) to use a restroom. Not sure what’s up with that.

 

DEBARKATION: By far the quickest we’ve ever had but we did carry everything and left early. Seriously, at 7:45am we were in Crossings finishing up breakfast. We left, went to our cabin and got our bags, and were through customs (waited behind one person) to the garage and sitting in our car by 8:05. Really going to see if there’s any way we can carry all our stuff in January since that was certainly the way to do it!

 

SMOKING: This was probably the biggest problem we had with the cruise. Smoking areas didn’t seem to be marked (or non-smoking areas if that was the case). I thought usually one side of the pool was non-smoking but no one (including crew) seemed to know about it if that was in fact the case. But more frustrating, it seemed like everyone was smoking on the balconies. The people next to us were chain-smoking the first afternoon (and just tossing their butts all over the floor of their balcony). We called Guest Services and were very impressed that someone came to talk to them within a few minutes – and obviously warned them of consequences since they never again smoked (that we saw!). So the enforcement was great but my question is more why they didn’t make the no smoking policy more public knowledge. There was a “no smoking in cabin” sign in the cabin but nothing on any of the balconies. Since so many people on such a short cruise are first timers (and don’t read CC), I have to assume most of them honestly didn’t know they couldn’t smoke. We didn’t want to be “those people” and constantly call and complain (and never did after that one time) but I don’t understand why they can’t splurge and put up a sign/decal on each balcony. And cigarette smoke was one thing but there were plenty of folks with pipes/cigars/marijuana. If the balconies are supposed to be non-smoking, it would have been nice to just once go out and enjoy ours without the smoke smell. It almost makes me want to not book a balcony next time just so I spend less time stressed/annoyed about it (and we’re people who LOVE the balconies!)!

 

Don’t want to leave this on a negative so I’ll say I just submitted the “after” survey they sent us and rated pretty much everything Excellent (a couple Very Good’s). Told them how much we’d enjoyed the shows and the food and mentioned Dominic (say hi if anyone sees him at the Atrium Bar), Drew (cruise director – definitely get to know him if you’re sailing on the Sky) and Oscar (our steward – if you’re in a Deck 9 Balcony!). We’d definitely do this again!

 

Glad to answer any questions anyone has and I’ll try to scan in the Dailies later today! Thanks everyone for reading!

[WMQueenie]

Leaving Friday! Was the dining room open for lunch on embarkation day?

 

How does the tender process to GSC work? One time we didn't bother when we had a 1:00 tender time! It was pretty efficient on the Breakaway last March.

 

Did you go to the casino?

 

Sorry to hear about the smoke...hate that but we have an inside cabin so no worries about smoke on the balcony!

 

Love the tip about going forward to the kids pool area....

 

Thank you so much for all your comments! Loved every word.

[marciemi]

I'll try to answer what I can! The dining room was open at noon on embarkation day (Crossings - the one in the aft of the ship). When we boarded shortly before that they were funneling everyone up to Deck 11 to go to the buffet but we just broke off, went to the atrium, got a drink then went down at noon. I do think they opened early since there were already quite a few people seated. It was a good lunch and the only day the MDR was open for lunch on our 3 day since we were in ports the other days.

 

I know for the tenders that we were told if we boarded before 10 we didn't need a ticket. I just looked it up and found the info on the dailies. I'll post the link to all of them next but here's the link to the page with the direct info (in the lower right): http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/marciemi/NCL%20Sky/Dailies/Day%203.jpg

 

You can hit the magnifying glass near the top right if you can't read it and need to zoom in more. Leaving the island you just got into a queue (kind of ropes like at Disney or something) but it was really quick to get on the tender - just a lot of time waiting around for it to fill up!

 

We did not go to the Casino and actually I think walked through it once just to get somewhere - sorry!

 

Hopefully no smoke inside - hope you have a great time and I'll post the link to the Dailies next!

 

 

 

Leaving Friday! Was the dining room open for lunch on embarkation day?

 

How does the tender process to GSC work? One time we didn't bother when we had a 1:00 tender time! It was pretty efficient on the Breakaway last March.

 

Did you go to the casino?

 

Sorry to hear about the smoke...hate that but we have an inside cabin so no worries about smoke on the balcony!

 

Love the tip about going forward to the kids pool area....

 

Thank you so much for all your comments! Loved every word.

[marciemi]

Here is the link to all the Dailies in order - I just scanned in the 4 main pages for each day, along with the map/info we were given at embarkation, debarkation info, and a room service (and breakfast card) menu. They should all be in order - if you click on the first image and go through them all it should be chronological. And if you need help seeing any of them just click on the magnifying glass on the top right of each image to zoom in:

 

http://s7.photobucket.com/user/marciemi/library/NCL%20Sky/Dailies

[momx8]

We will be on the sky in February with a group of 10 and was wondering if there are tables in the dining room for a group of that size.

[marciemi]

Yes, definitely. At least a couple nights we sat by groups about that size. They seemed to be the longer narrow tables (so one person on each end and 4 on each side) rather than large round ones but those might just be what I noticed. There were a TON of tables for 4 and with 2 people in our party we were always seated at a table for 4 (but by ourselves). I did see them move some tables together at least once so I guess that would be an option too.

[redfantum]

We sailed the beginning of Sept. We found that the smoking areas on the pool deck were marked pretty well. All of the walls had no smoking signs except for port side forward which did not have no smoking signs and had large visible ashtrays. The port side of the pool bar has a "wing" with ashtrays that is a smoking area as well.