Our 1st cruise on NCL & review!

[SportsMomof4]

Last weekend my DH & I (50 & 46) went on our 1st Norwegian cruise which will also be our last :eek:

 

After reading many mixed reviews which made me nervous, we sailed last Friday 8/26/16 on the Norwegian Sky from Miami for 3 days. We booked this 3 weeks before the sail date. Never booked anything so spur of the moment. We really wanted to do a 7 day but 3 days was all my Mom & son can handle together lol. We will take what we can get!

 

I know so many of you are saying why oh why did you pick the Sky for your 1st NCL cruise!! These are the reasons why:

 

1) DH & I needed a getaway STAT. We have 4 kids (2 of them are 18 year old twins that are wreaking havoc on our lives).

 

2) We had plane tickets to visit my Mom who lives in FL. The Port of Miami is 2 hours away from her & this was a score for us since we could leave our 10 year old with her!

 

3) The price!! The UBP....it was a no brainer. Need I say more??

 

The week prior & the week of the cruise, there was so much hype about all the tropical storms in the Caribbean. One was even heading right to the Bahamas a couple days before we were set to sail. We honestly didn't even know if this ship was going to leave on schedule. Well, it did & one thing I can say is that we had AWESOME weather!! No crazy waves, no rocking & on Saturday we had just a little bit of rain (maybe 30 mins!).

 

On to the review!

 

Day 1....CHECK IN WAS AWESOME. We were on line for 5 mins & at the counter for 5 mins. Props to NCL for being so efficient. DH & I were very impressed. We got on the ship at 1:00 & even though we were starving, our 1st stop was the Breakers bar. Then off to the buffet. Ehhhh! Not impressed at all. I got 2 slices of beef brisket, mashed potatoes & potato salad. Nothing else was appealing to me. The brisket was not even edible because it was completely fatty. The potato salad tasted off but the mashed potatoes were good. DH grabbed short ribs (I didn't see them). I tried them & they were very good. He went to get more. They were hard as a rock, we couldn't even cut them, let alone eat them. DH looked at me & said I give lunch a C at best. EPIC FAIL!

 

We go see if our room was ready. We had a balcony room on deck 10 forward. It was old looking & small (smaller than what we are used to). A lot of the wood had cracks & chips (nightstand & closet door). Our room had a fridge & a very small flat screen tv. But the room served its purpose & it would be fine for us. If our son was with us, it would have been crowded with 3 for sure.

 

We went off to have a few more drinks & take in some sun. We grabbed some pizza since we were both still hungry. It was yummy.

 

As we sat at the pool, I did notice a few 20 something year old bridal/bachelor/bachelorette groups that many people mentioned in the reviews of the Sky. But these groups were no bother to us at all.

 

Later on at 7, we head to the Palace MDR. We figured there would be a wait. As we approached we thought it was closed. It was dark & VERY quiet. We were greeted by the hostess & then we were seated by the window. There were only about 10 tables being occupied. DH & I thought this was so strange. We wondered where was everyone? At the pool? At the buffet? At the other MDR? Our waiter came over to us & didn't even introduce himself. Very cold, very unpersonable.

 

I ordered the tomato soup as an app, NY strip roast for my entree that came with potato wedges & broccoli. The soup was delicious. The meat wasn't good but the sides were. DH had the french onion soup which he said was very good & the same meal as me. Like me, he was NOT impressed.

 

The waiter never struck up a convo with us. Oh how we MISSED our 6 pm dining on our Carnival ships. The waiter interaction, the singing, the dancing, the entertainment as a whole. We LOVE that. Our dining experience on NCL was terrible & lacked personality & fun. Dinner....EPIC FAIL.

 

We were exhausted & I am not going to lie...we were in bed very early!

 

Day 2...I woke up at 5 am & we were approaching Freeport. With the crazy weather we didn't know if we would get rain, wind or sun. DH got up at 6. We got to the buffet at 7. It had all the basics...omelettes, pancakes, bacon, fruit, yogurts etc...we gave breakfast an A.

 

It looked like it was going to be a beautiful sunny day after all. We got our bathing suits on & we headed to the pool. We've been to Freeport & had no interest in getting off. We wanted to enjoy the sun & pool. We tried getting in the hot tub at 8 am & it was SO HOT that I couldn't even submerge my body. Yikes!

 

At 12 pm, we started to hear some distant thunder. It was a perfect opportunity to take a break from the blazing sun & eat lunch. We headed to the buffet. Most of the items were the same as the day before & DH & I couldn't find a thing we liked. So we went to Il Adagio for pizza & pasta (during the day it's free, at night it is a specialty restaurant). The pasta the were serving was bowties (not sure if the serve a different one each day) with 2 sauces to choose from...alfredo & marinara. They offered some add ins...chopped onion, bruschetta, pesto & chopped ham. DH & I both got the alfredo sauce but he added ham to his. After waiting on line for 20-25 mins (everyone else had the same idea & after having a discussion everyone felt the same about the buffet food), we get our pasta. It was a toddler size portion. I DO NOT understand that. We were obviously still hungry so DH went & got us a cheese pizza to share.

 

After lunch, we went back to the pool. The rain shower had passed & the sun was back out. It was HOT. The pool was packed.

 

We were really glad we didn't bring our son on this ship. He would have been bored & at times the pool area was crazy with the drinking, cursing & rowdiness. There is a little TINY pool along with a hot tub in the front of the ship on deck 12 with a sign saying it's for families only. DH & I wanted to see what it looked like so we took a walk in there. There was a couple without children in the hot tub. Guess they wanted a peaceful area lol.

 

About 3, we head back to our room to get ready for the evening. We stopped in at the casino when it opened at 5:30. Within 5 minutes we left because it was so smoky. At 5:45 we headed to the other MDR, Crossings. They didn't open til 6 so we went back to Palace. Ugh...dreading it. The reason we didn't go to the buffet tonight was because it was Mexican night. Neither DH or I eat Mexican food.

 

I will continue tomorrow. Didn't think it would take me this long lol...

[deladypilot]

Look forward to reading the rest of your review. As you said. Basing NCL on a short Sky cruise is not the way to see if you like them. Of all my cruises the sky was our worst and even it was ok. I would not do it again though.

[Justaddvodka68]

Look forward to reading the rest of your review. As you said. Basing NCL on a short Sky cruise is not the way to see if you like them. Of all my cruises the sky was our worst and even it was ok. I would not do it again though.

 

I agree. The Sky is a 3 - 4 day party sail. I'm glad you didn't take your child, as I really think those sailings should be 18+ only!

[pokerpro5]

Enjoying this candid, fair review so far.

 

In my opinion, your first mistake was going to the MDR.

 

Food in the specialties (especially Cagney's and Le Bistro) is substantially better, as is the atmosphere and service.

 

Don't get me wrong... the specialties aren't perfect, but dining in the MDR every night is just asking to have "EPIC FAIL" dinners like you described.

[janpo]

The Sky was my least favorite ship. We did the 4 day cruise. We will never sail her again. Our bathroom door in the cabin wouldnt stay shut and the bottom part of the bed was broken.

 

We chatted with another couple who was sailing the Sky on their first NCL cruise. They said the same thing as you, that they wouldn't sail NCL again. I did tell them that all Ncl ships are not like this and the other ships we sailed on were great. But, the Sky makes a bad first impression.

Edited September 6, 2016 by janpo

[Two Wheels Only]

Last weekend my DH & I (50 & 46) went on our 1st Norwegian cruise which will also be our last :eek:

The Sky is a different experience than other NCL cruises. It's also a 20 year-old ship.

 

We tried getting in the hot tub at 8 am & it was SO HOT that I couldn't even submerge my body. Yikes!

It's called a hot tub because.....never-mind. Were other people able to use the "warmer than warm" tub without issue?

 

We were really glad we didn't bring our son on this ship. He would have been bored & at times the pool area was crazy with the drinking, cursing & rowdiness.

Again, the Sky isn't representative of the typical NCL cruise. Your son would have likely enjoyed the Getaway or Escape (both currently sailing out of Miami).

[mgfiest]

Personally if I would have done my homework on this boat... you would see the FREE stuff they offer... not my cup of tea for a 3 day getaway.. but to each it's own.

 

Like the other have stated.. don't condemn the fleet for one bad boat experience... there are a lot of other itinerary and boats to pick from...

 

Give NCL another chance but do your homework first.

[CorvetteLady]

If the Sky is in such bad condition it should be retired. The OP has not complained about the party atmosphere but rather things that should be good fleet wide, not just the condition of the ship.

 

I know on my first NCL cruise the wait staff left a lot to be desired, we probably had one good waiter all week. We didn't try any specialty restaurants because my in-laws were with us and they didn't want to. There was some good food but a lot of so-so food. The balcony cabin was smaller then Carnivals. We didn't try NCL again for another 7 years.

 

We gave it another try because of the suite perks. I always said if I was going to try a suite it would be on NCL because they have the best perks. We chose the Dawn because it sailed from NOLA, yes another older smaller ship but it was in good shape. We got all the free stuff by booking a suite. Loved the suite, except the floor to ceiling windows were all fogged. We had the specialty dining package and enjoyed most of the restaurants, also tried the MDR for lunch one day and thought it was very good. So our second experience was better, we were spoiled by the suite perks.

 

We had booked another cruise at that time, because we didn't know how long all those free perks would last. The ship has had an extensive dry dock so we are looking forward to all the changes. Found out they hadn't fixed the windows, I was able to change to a cabin that had clear windows.

 

Now this may be our last NCL cruise for awhile, the price has increased a great deal. Now a balcony cost what we paid for our suite.

 

I had a bad first experience that had little to do with the condition of the ship. I think until we hear the rest of the review we shouldn't just be blaming it on the Sky. I think the OP has given a very even review and I'm interested in hearing the rest of it.

 

Two Wheels Only it is very possible for a hot tub to be too hot.

[TheDougOut]

Two Wheels Only it is very possible for a hot tub to be too hot.

 

Precisely why I've never entered one of those "hottest bod" competitions.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review.

[DMH15]

Egads! You can keep the singing and dancing waiters on Carnival. I don't need the waiter to be my best friend or my entertainment. Just want them to, er, be my waiter.

 

 

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[LrgPizza]

Precisely why I've never entered one of those "hottest bod" competitions.

 

 

Gun show on deck 16!

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

Two Wheels Only it is very possible for a hot tub to be too hot.

 

That's why I asked if it was too hot for EVERYONE else on the ship. If that particular hot tub had a malfunction causing it to be too hot for everyone, that is very different than it being fine for everyone except the OP.

 

Later in the review, the OP mentions a "couple without children in the hot tub". Was that hot tub the same temperature as the other?

 

If yes, the problem isn't the temperature of the water.

If no, the problem is the temperature of a particular hot tub which could be a valid criticism. If the "extra warm" hot tub was used by other guests during the cruise without injury or death, the temperature of the hot tub is a non-issue.

[CorvetteLady]

That's why I asked if it was too hot for EVERYONE else on the ship. If that particular hot tub had a malfunction causing it to be too hot for everyone, that is very different than it being fine for everyone except the OP.

 

Later in the review, the OP mentions a "couple without children in the hot tub". Was that hot tub the same temperature as the other?

 

If yes, the problem isn't the temperature of the water.

If no, the problem is the temperature of a particular hot tub which could be a valid criticism. If the "extra warm" hot tub was used by other guests during the cruise without injury or death, the temperature of the hot tub is a non-issue.

 

 

How would she know if the temperature was the same in each hot tub? Was she suppose to waste her time trying to find someone who would know? It's a valid criticism if it was too hot for her to use.

[Two Wheels Only]

How would she know if the temperature was the same in each hot tub?

By trying more than one? If one hot tub was "too warm" yet others didn't suffer pain, injury, or death while using it, I wouldn't criticize the hot tub. A hot tub is supposed to be hot. If it is "too hot" for people to safely use, that is a valid criticism.

 

If the first hot tub was significantly "more warm" than the second, the OP would know which one to avoid and which one to use.

 

 

Was she suppose to waste her time trying to find someone who would know? It's a valid criticism if it was too hot for her to use.

The OP could have tried a 2nd hot tub (that people were obviously able to use) and compare.

 

I'm trying to figure out if the first hot tub was malfunctioning (a valid criticism) or if the OP is making an issue of something that was functioning as it was supposed to function (being more than warm).

[Diane123boys]

Egads! You can keep the singing and dancing waiters on Carnival. I don't need the waiter to be my best friend or my entertainment. Just want them to, er, be my waiter.

 

 

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My feelings exactly! Honestly the NCL experience isnt for everyone and from what I have read about that ship is in need of drydock and fortunately itr IS going into drydock summer of 2017

[murfette]

Been on the sky 6 times. Yes it is more of a booze cruise party boat. However never had a bad experience. It is a different experience the the other ships but doesn't make it bad. Leaving at end of month for a 3 day break.

 

 

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[mgfiest]

Something fishie with this OP... I just search her profile on messages and she has different tales to say... we have been commenting since she started this thread... maybe there is more than meet the eyes.... hmmmmm

[live2vayk]

Egads! You can keep the singing and dancing waiters on Carnival. I don't need the waiter to be my best friend or my entertainment. Just want them to, er, be my waiter.

 

 

I so agree! I like Carnival and Royal, but I don't enjoy the wait staff having to sing and dance/entertain. I was just on NCL Getaway (loved this ship by the way) and commented to my friend that one of the things I most enjoyed is the dining experience. The wait staff did their job and there was no nonsense involved. To each their own!

[SportsMomof4]

Egads! You can keep the singing and dancing waiters on Carnival. I don't need the waiter to be my best friend or my entertainment. Just want them to, er, be my waiter.

 

 

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Not asking for them to be our best friend...I would just rather not feel as if we are at a wake or a funeral.

[SportsMomof4]

I wont bother finishing the review. But the entire synopsis of our cruise was the food was TERRIBLE!! The only meals that were ever edible were breakfast & the pizza & pasta at the Italian restaurant. The last day DH & I got so sick from the food at the poolside BBQ that we were stuck in our rooms the entire night.

 

For days after the cruise my DH would randomly say the food was disgusting. That was our 1 major complaint. Yeah the ship was older but that didn't bother us. The crowds were partiers but that didn't bother us either.

[SportsMomof4]

Enjoying this candid, fair review so far.

 

In my opinion, your first mistake was going to the MDR.

 

Food in the specialties (especially Cagney's and Le Bistro) is substantially better, as is the atmosphere and service.

 

Don't get me wrong... the specialties aren't perfect, but dining in the MDR every night is just asking to have "EPIC FAIL" dinners like you described.

 

I wish I had known this prior. Although we met 2 couples in the pool who ate at Cagney's the 1st night & Le Bistro the 2nd night & they all said the food was not good.

[SportsMomof4]

The Sky was my least favorite ship. We did the 4 day cruise. We will never sail her again. Our bathroom door in the cabin wouldnt stay shut and the bottom part of the bed was broken.

 

We chatted with another couple who was sailing the Sky on their first NCL cruise. They said the same thing as you, that they wouldn't sail NCL again. I did tell them that all Ncl ships are not like this and the other ships we sailed on were great. But, the Sky makes a bad first impression.

 

Unfortunately we did cancel our Escape cruise but I'm wondering if we should give it a chance. The experience on the Sky was so awful that I'm afraid it will be similar on the Escape.

[SportsMomof4]

Something fishie with this OP... I just search her profile on messages and she has different tales to say... we have been commenting since she started this thread... maybe there is more than meet the eyes.... hmmmmm

 

Something fishy about ME??? Different tales to say? PLEASE explain!! I've been on here for years for 700 + messages. I'd like to hear what you have to say!

 

On a cruise, then to Disney World, then 1st day of school. Been a little busy to get back on here.

 

It's a valid review...what gives??

[IsanTom]

NCL Sky is not a cruise, but a party boat! Take a longer week cruise on a real NCL Ship!