Really nervous for the SKY on 9/19-9/22 after certain reviews

[frozensmoke99]

I am planning to bring my 8yo daughter and 77yo nana (who will turn 78 the day we depart from BOS) on the SKy for a 3 night cruise. This is a 1st for all of us. I want it to be special for a couple of reasons but nervous from the reviews I read. The first reason is that is its our first cruise (me at 27), 2nd it will be my nana's 78 birthday, and lastly but most important because I wanted to get my nana away (mentally) being that she lost both of her 2 oldest daughters (my mom and aunt) who died of Breast and Ovarian Cancer (both at age 56). I don't want anyone getting nasty with her nor me, because this is a mini vaca for us and I want to keep my cool.

 

I just hope the hospitality is good, the food is fine, and the excursions I booked (Sea Explorer, Snorkeling for me and my daughter, and everglades back to FLL) is exciting for all of us. One thing that caught my attention is the BINGO which i think will be really fun for all 3 of us.

 

Can anyone ease my mind since we are cruising in 3 weeks?

[Sparkylok6]

Good for you that you are taking your Nana and daughter on this cruise. Don't worry about it. It seems that the reviews of lately are posting mostly positive. If you are the type of person that doesn't sweat the small stuff you will do just fine. No vacation is ever perfect, but in the end it is what you would make of it.

 

Relax, have fun and cherish the time you are sharing with your family. I am sure that you will enjoy it.

[watchdiva]

read some of the very recent reviews of late July/early August Sky sailings. My son cruised 8/8-8/11/08 and had a great time (he's been on 4 other cruises so definitely has something to compare against). NCL is working very, very hard to resolve any remaining issues involving air conditioning, plumbing, etc and will continue to do so.

 

My son's review is posted under my screenname (watchdiva) so you may want to read that, as well as others who have sailed recently and had very positive things to say.

 

Go and have a good time!

[time2cruise1]

Take the time to listen to the pod casts that the this member produced about their Sky cruise. I did and it helped me be far less concerned. Great detail and tips.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=827190

[idjaffe]

the Aug 4th sailing....

 

The cruise was very nice, had a great time.....

 

Can there be improvements, YES....but all in all it was a fun (short) vacation.

 

HEY Watchdiva - noticed you are Coral Springs....us too...is your son and family here as well?

[frozensmoke99]

I will keep an open mind and just try to have fun..

[breakteck]

I am sure everything will be fine. The just had to work out all the kinks. I have sailed on NCL 7 time's. I have never had any issues.

[ottawapuppy]

I just hope the hospitality is good, the food is fine, and the excursions I booked (Sea Explorer, Snorkeling for me and my daughter, and everglades back to FLL) is exciting for all of us. One thing that caught my attention is the BINGO which i think will be really fun for all 3 of us.

 

Can anyone ease my mind since we are cruising in 3 weeks?

 

Having just been on Sky a few weeks ago, I can assure you that you will be in fine hands! This was my first time on NCL and we read the reviews after the first few cruises. The issues people were bringing up have been mostly addressed.

 

The food, the ship, the staff were all delightful. We talked to the lady who won the "win a cruise" bingo and she was ecstatic!

 

There are full details on our web site listed in the link in my signature. If you have any specific questions that can help ease your mind any further, please let us know.

 

Have fun!

 

Mike

[frozensmoke99]

Having just been on Sky a few weeks ago, I can assure you that you will be in fine hands! This was my first time on NCL and we read the reviews after the first few cruises. The issues people were bringing up have been mostly addressed.

 

The food, the ship, the staff were all delightful. We talked to the lady who won the "win a cruise" bingo and she was ecstatic!

 

There are full details on our web site listed in the link in my signature. If you have any specific questions that can help ease your mind any further, please let us know.

 

Have fun!

 

Mike

its funny b/c i just finished listening to your pod cast (is that what you call it) and looking at all your beautiful pictures then when I heard you or lee say you wouldn't advise booking under the pool deck...i called nervously to NCL like can i change my room (LOL) but she assured me that I am not under the pool but under the cafe (which closes at 10) in the back of the ship. She said it shouldn't be a problem....LOL...what do you think. I also say that you guys did a trip to Atlantis...okay here is my next problem....

 

I have an excursion book on 9/20 doing the Sea Explorer at 11:15AM (which should be done around 1:15PM). i cannot book anything before that or after that. I want take my daughter and nana to visit the ardastra gardens, zoo, and conservation center and the aquarium. How and what is the best way of going about that?

[newmexicoNita]

I will keep an open mind and just try to have fun..

you seem to be still going with negative expectations: If you said, I will keep an open mind and have fun, that would be different. Forget those first reviews, remember a 3 or 4 day cruise isn't the same as a 7 or longer cruise and help nana to have a great time. I am sure she will.

 

Nita

[watchdiva]

the Aug 4th sailing....

 

The cruise was very nice, had a great time.....

 

Can there be improvements, YES....but all in all it was a fun (short) vacation.

 

HEY Watchdiva - noticed you are Coral Springs....us too...is your son and family here as well?

 

DH and I live in Coral Springs - son lives whereever the Army sends him (he was home on leave before going overseas). He had a blast......

[princesk8]

We are going on the Sky Sept 5th and all I can say is don't worry and enjoy yourself! No ship is perfect and from what I've heard NCL is doing everything they can to correct the remaining issues!

[McDebbie]

Since this is your first cruise you will be so busy marveling at everything you will forget what is not quite "right". You will have a blast!

[ottawapuppy]

I also say that you guys did a trip to Atlantis...okay here is my next problem....

 

I have an excursion book on 9/20 doing the Sea Explorer at 11:15AM (which should be done around 1:15PM). i cannot book anything before that or after that. I want take my daughter and nana to visit the ardastra gardens, zoo, and conservation center and the aquarium. How and what is the best way of going about that?

 

Do you mean the aquarium at Atlantis?

 

If so, it's very easy, just walk into the lobby of the hotel and down the stairs. The entrance to the aquarium (called the Dig) is on the right hand side.

A taxi is the easiest way to get there. It costs $4 per person from the pier to Atlantis. The taxis are minivans and they will fill it up and drive directly to where you are going. Very easy.

 

Mike

[jkrislc]

Do you mean the aquarium at Atlantis?

 

If so, it's very easy, just walk into the lobby of the hotel and down the stairs. The entrance to the aquarium (called the Dig) is on the right hand side.

A taxi is the easiest way to get there. It costs $4 per person from the pier to Atlantis. The taxis are minivans and they will fill it up and drive directly to where you are going. Very easy.

 

Mike

 

You can also take a water taxi across for $3 per person. You pay/board just down from the Straw Market in front of the Starbucks. It's a little bit of a walk, though, from the terminal to the Atlantis.

[blackerbys17]

I really don't think you have much to worry about. Although my sailing on the Sky (the first one) and a few that followed had a lot of problems, it seems they have worked most of them out. I think the worst you can expect is a little slow service in some of the restaurants. When you get to your cabin just check your toilet and a/c. If those two are working (which I am sure they will be) then you are fine. I really think that us first Sky cruisers complained so much that they worked extra hard to get the bugs worked out. Have a great cruise!

[frozensmoke99]

thanks everyone for your input. I will try to relax...I do have some other questions as too what is there to do on the boat?

 

How does the entertainment work?

 

We don't gamble so what can we do for fun?

 

Will we get real sea sick on the boat?

[ottawapuppy]

How does the entertainment work?

 

We don't gamble so what can we do for fun?

 

Will we get real sea sick on the boat?

 

Showtimes are posted in the Freestyle Daily left in your room every night. On our sailing, the shows were at 8pm in the theatre every night. There was a production show and a comedy show

Other events will take place in other venues on the ship, here again, check the Freestyle Daily. These included game shows, comedians and so forth.

Don't miss the entertainers in the various bars, they were outstanding!

 

I am not a gambler either, there is enough activity onboard, you won't miss not going to the casino.

 

The ship was going so slow, that it hardly moved at all. If you are worried, buy some Bonine before you go. I don't think you will need it unless the weather gets bad.

 

Mike

[BodyAndMind]

My husband and I will be with you on 9/19-9/22. We were a little worried when we first started reading reviews weeks ago, but now that we've seen more recent ones we feel confident that we have nothing to worry about. The reviews have really turned around.

 

Relax, don't worry, we're all going to have a great time. :)

 

Soon, so soon! Yaaaay!

[gjsmth]

We just got of the SKY on the 4 night. We were located in cabin 9038 and had no A/C issues, in fact my wife had to turn it down during the night. My 5 year old son had a fantastic time as well as us both I did notice that on disembark day new mattresses were being put in place on some of the rooms on our floor and they looked very comfortable. Bedding was nice and plush but we had the older firm mattresses, we still slept great though. I think my only complaint was that the food was often cold in the buffet and not much of a change in variety day to day. Bingo was fun and I'd suggest trying it out at least once. Slots machines seemed to be playing up the the house edge for they were not paying out, if you want to have fun then stick with the 2 or 5 cent ones.

Over all we had a great time and for all you sailing in the future~ Don't worry~You'll have a great time.

Would we go back again on the SKY? Heck Ya....

 

Forgot to mention if your looking at the 2 Kayak excursions in Freeport, book them for they were sold out by 3pm on our embark day. We wanted to go on the National Park/Cave one but it was sold out, we settled for the last spot on the Kayak snorkel one. We still had a good time on that one.

[Pieceofcake]

Don't be nervous. I think that you will have a great time. My family and I just

left Sky on Friday and had a wonderful time. No motion sickness issues; A/C and toilets worked great. I never heard anyone on the ship complain about anything. Certain areas of the aft seemed to smell a little off, but the rest of the ship was fine. My DD loved the children's activities. We didn't experience any service problems in the restaurants (Cagney's, Le Bistro, and Palace).

 

Just spend this time before your cruise looking forward to your vacation and planning what you would like to do.:)

[pyrogy]

I am a little surprised no one has mentioned this but maybe no one wants to send any negative comments your way. Oh well, I will just go ahead and let you know not to get your hopes up on the BINGO. It costs a fortune! Outrageous, in my opinion. Other than that, you are going to have a great time. No worries!

[ce2000]

I believe that you are going to have a great time. My first cruise was a 4 night cruise on the Soverign of the Seas, I have been hooked on cruising every since. Be careful, cruising can be addicting. Relax, you will have such a good time that you will soon begin to plan your second cruise.

[JLHB]

We just arrived home early this morning from the 08/11-08/15 Sky cruise. We drove from Miami to Ontario. Just wanted to let you know that we thought the cruise was fantastic. The air conditioning was working in every part of the ship and there were no toilet issues for us anywhere we went on the ship. We did not hear anyone complain at all. We found the staff helpful and friendly. There were lots of kids on board, but all were well behaved. We had a balcony room was right under the pool deck. We did hear some noise and music from up above, but we were so tired from going to all the activities, nothing would keep us awake!!! And to those afraid of seasickness..... we didn't feel the ship move at all.

 

In summary.... there is nothing that would stop us from booking this cruise again. To all those lucky enough to have an upcoming cruise on the Sky - - don't worry about a thing. You'll have a fantastic time!!!

[newmexicoNita]

I am a little surprised no one has mentioned this but maybe no one wants to send any negative comments your way. Oh well, I will just go ahead and let you know not to get your hopes up on the BINGO. It costs a fortune! Outrageous, in my opinion. Other than that, you are going to have a great time. No worries!

I totally agree: I will throw my money into the slots: at least it lasts more than 20 or 30 minutes. I have heard one other line (I think RCI) is charging the same: I still think it is totally out of line.....

 

NIta