Back from the Sky 8/15-8/18

[Preds]

I got home late last night, and am still recovering from a great weekend (albeit impefect)...

 

I'll preface my comments by noting that this was my 6th NCL cruise (5th different ship). Our group consisted of myself, my 4 brothers, my sister, and our father in 3 cabins located on deck 8 (oceanview cabins 8018 & 8019, and an inside cabin in 8113).

 

I have a few comments on the Sky itself, and then on the staff and entertainment. Though the next few paragraphs might sound bad... don't mistake them to mean that we did not enjoy our cruise. That couldn't be further from the truth, we had an incredible time, but there were a few miscues along the way that we did indeed notify NCL about.

 

I'm an NCL supporter, but the Sky herself was subpar IMO, particularly when compared to the other NCL ships I've been on (Gem, Spirit, Pride of Hawaii/Jade and the Star). The condition of the public areas were OK, but I didn't care for the ship's overall layout. It was the least intuitive layout of all the ship's I've been on. The ship felt very narrow, the public spaces and particularly the entertainment seemed small. I don't get how the Sky is classified as a 77,000gt ship while the Spirit (which felt significantly bigger) is only 75,000gt. I also didn't care for the cabins and their small bathrooms and tiny showers w/curtains. We also noticed several decks had a sewage smell around the forward and aft staircases, but didn't notice it in the hallway near our cabins.

 

Our cabins definitely felt worn. They also reeked of smoke, thus we called Reception for an ionizer and they responded within minutes. The safe didn't work in 8019, so again we called reception, and security responded within a reasonable time but was unable to fix the problem (ie. the safe does NOT work in 8019).

 

We found 2 brand new screws laying around the floor of our cabin in 8019 and pointed them out to the cabin steward who took them and said he'd notify the carpenter. We later noticed that the top closing bar hinge for our our bathroom door was barely hanging on by the last few threads of a single screw, with 2 empty holes. Presumably what the screws were intended for. Thus we pointed this out to our cabin steward and told him that the screws we had handed him earlier were likely to repair the hinge. Well, this problem was never fixed... no biggie, the door still worked I guess. 8019 continued on with yet another issue after my brother I took showers in the evening on Friday. We got up early to go into Nassau on Saturday. When we returned to our cabin (8019) we noticed a stinking smell (kinda like rotting feet) and soon realized that water had leaked from the bathroom into the main cabin area (after I stepped on the carpet in my socks and soaked my foot)! We again notified reception, and maintenance was sent with a blower to try and dry the rug (we had this for the remainder of our cruise). The odor improved marginally, and the carpet never got completely dry. IMO, this cabin should not be in service. Aside from reeking of smoke, 8018 had no issues, and the inside across the hall 8113 was fine from the get go.

 

I also want to note that we had NO A/C in our cabins for several hours on Sunday (after returning from GSC). It was incredibly hot in our cabins, and it only intensified the odor issues we were having from the mildewy carpet outside the bathroom in 8019. I saw another poster mention that deck 8 lost toilet service for an hour, but I never noticed that. Our toilets worked fine!

 

We found the food on the Sky to be good to very good. Lunch on Friday at the Palace Dining Room was very good, and dinner that evening in Cagney's was excellent. We also enjoyed Le Bistro quite a bit (I even tried Escargot for the 1st time! The buffet was OK in terms of quality of food, but the selection was limited, and the setup of the Buffet is terribly inefficient and congested. We avoided it whenever possible.

 

Our cabin stewards certainly tried hard, but they seemed to struggle speaking English, however, whey were definitely responsive to our requests for the most part. I felt bad for them because our cabin in 8019 was pretty much a disaster LOL. We found the waitstaff to be very good in general, though Ernesto in Cagney's was absolutely excellent. The Front Desk certainly tried to respond to our issues, and always with a smile, but it seemed there were some things beyond there control. Overall we didn't really have any problems with the service on the ship, and definitely could see the crew trying to go above and beyond, despite the lack of control of the sip's environs.

 

The entertainment was the real highlight of this ship, specifically Comedian Tim Kaminsky. He was incredible. For those that were on our sailing, I was a member of the "Buffalo Family" that Tim certainly had fun with. My younger brother was Toto in the Wizard of Oz, and my father was the one dancing bare-chested and twirling his shirt at the show Friday Night, and hysterically subbing in for the role of the Lion in Wizard of Oz on Sunday night. My sister was also the younger female who played Tim's arms so well early on, but was so busy laughing she couldn't do the Macarena properly! Our family had a blast with Tim. We spent quite a bit of time talking with him at both the Margarita and Beer Tastings, as well as in Le Bistro and a few other venues throughout the ship. Great guy. Great comic. DO NOT MISS HIS SHOWS! As for other entertainment, we didn't make the Carnivale party, and only briefly watched part of the White Hot party before moving on to more interesting activities (for us at least). We missed the Soul Rockin Nights show, but I've seen it before and wasn't too fond of it on other ships. The Cruise Director (Matt), was OK. He certainly had energy. We missed the Newlywed game, but caught the Quest game, quickly realizing with just our sister amongst us it was useless to try and compete as it got crazier and crazier, thus we just observed (though that nutbag Tim smacked both my brother and myself with wet kisses... ewww)!

 

Anyhow, despite all the issues with our cabin, we never let them bother us. We were there to have a great time, and most certainly did. NCL needs to continue working on the problem cabins. It seems the things they addressed in the wetdock were mainly the casino, and new flooring and loungers on deck 12. Aside from that, I didn't notice much else new.

 

For a 3 day cruise, we found the Sky to be sufficient, with a hard working crew, a fun atmosphere, and good food... hopefully they can upgrade the cabins some for the future, but I wouldn't let that stop us from going on her again. If you're easy going and ready for a good time, the Sky can definitely deliver... especially if you're lucky enough to have Tim Kaminsky on your sailing (he's there for another 2 1/2 weeks)!

[Preds]

I forgot to mention about Latitudes. I'm a silver member, and we were invited to a Latitudes Cheese & Wine reception on Sunday (which we forgot about).

 

We also received Chocolate Covered Strawberries on Saturday, and a plate of Cookies on Sunday.

 

We did not get a pin however.

 

Also, embarkation through the Latitudes line was a breeze, and significantly shorter than the regular line at the time we got to the terminal (about 12:45pm).

 

Disembarkation was another story. We waited till 9:30 or so to disembark carrying our own luggage. Unfortunately, it seemed as if most of the ship did the same, as the lines were HUGE. It took us almost an hour to disembark, which is the longest I've ever waited to get off a ship. Tropical Storm Fay may have been part of the problem, as it seemed many were waiting it out on the boat as long as they could.

[Preds]

*ignore* just another infamous CC duplicate post (CC really needs to upgrade their servers ans software).

[McDebbie]

thanks for the review, we normally don't go to the shows but we will make sure we make it to Tim's show, sounds like it was great fun. Sorry about the stinky smell in your cabin - ugh.

 

This is the first review I have seen regarding disembarkation being a problem so like you, we'll assume it was due to Fay. I know around here (Ft Lauderdale) they were telling people the Port of Miami was closed which may have caused quite a bit of confusion with taxi's, pick up, etc.

[*Wink*]

YUCK on your cabin problems. You sure have a great attitude! It'd be nice to sail with you and your family! Thanks for the balanced review.

[cruisewiththekids]

I was concerned to hear about the smoke smell in your cabin. I hate, hate, hate that. What is NCL's policy regarding smoking? Are people really allowed to smoke in the cabins? If so, why don't they do like hotels and have smoking and nonsmoking rooms?

[Preds]

I was concerned to hear about the smoke smell in your cabin. I hate, hate, hate that. What is NCL's policy regarding smoking? Are people really allowed to smoke in the cabins? If so, why don't they do like hotels and have smoking and nonsmoking rooms?

Every cruiseline (that I know of) allows smoking in all cabins. Usually they do a very good job of cleaning the cabins and getting rid of the smoke smell with ionizers... but they failed in this instance.

 

Based on how badly the cabin reeked, I'm guessing we had some chain smokers on the sailing prior to us.

[travel_lover]

Ugh those cabin problems would drive me crazy...specially since sometimes we like to lay in bed watch tv or even just talk for a few while laying in bed. So to deal with that i'd be upset. But what can be done right?

 

I'm glad you had a nice time, now some questions I have for you hope you can help me, we're doing a B2B on Sky next month, The Longboard Bar..anything like Blue Lagoon? *crosses fingers* What did you do in Nassau? What are the speciality resturants...just french, italian, and steakhouse?

 

Can you tell me what not to miss and what to expect?

 

Thank you, hope we can Cruise again with you & your family soon!!!

[Preds]

Ugh those cabin problems would drive me crazy...specially since sometimes we like to lay in bed watch tv or even just talk for a few while laying in bed. So to deal with that i'd be upset. But what can be done right?

 

I'm glad you had a nice time, now some questions I have for you hope you can help me, we're doing a B2B on Sky next month, The Longboard Bar..anything like Blue Lagoon? *crosses fingers* What did you do in Nassau? What are the speciality resturants...just french, italian, and steakhouse?

 

Can you tell me what not to miss and what to expect?

 

Thank you, hope we can Cruise again with you & your family soon!!!

Hey Amanda!

 

Yeah our cabin kinda sucked, but we made do! I politely notified NCL of the issues we experience after the cruise, and they graciously extended us some OBC for our next cruise which was a nice gesture.

 

In regards to Longboards, it's more of a bar than an eatery. They did have a limited menu similar to Blue Lagoons, but not as extensive. Service was slow and the food was OK but nothing special.

 

In Nassau we chartered a boat and went snorkeling in the morning, and spent the afternoon at Senior Frogs and the nearby shops.

 

Cagney's was excellent on the Sky. We had a fantastic server there, Eduardo? If he's working definaely request him! Le Bistro was OK. We actually were pleasantly surprised with the food in the main dining room. We didn't try the italian, anbd the buffet was very inefficient.

 

In terms of the Sky itself, it was our least favorite NCL ship, by a lot. It's a bit older, and smaller than the other ships we've been on. That said, we still had a great time, and had great entertainment on board. Hopefully you'll be as lucky as we were in that regard.

 

I'd sail the Sky again, it wouldn't be my #1 choice (loved the Gem and the Spirit), but with the prices many of the Sky cruises sell at it's a good bargain.

[travel_lover]

Hey Amanda!

 

Yeah our cabin kinda sucked, but we made do! I politely notified NCL of the issues we experience after the cruise, and they graciously extended us some OBC for our next cruise which was a nice gesture.

 

In regards to Longboards, it's more of a bar than an eatery. They did have a limited menu similar to Blue Lagoons, but not as extensive. Service was slow and the food was OK but nothing special.

 

In Nassau we chartered a boat and went snorkeling in the morning, and spent the afternoon at Senior Frogs and the nearby shops.

 

Cagney's was excellent on the Sky. We had a fantastic server there, Eduardo? If he's working definaely request him! Le Bistro was OK. We actually were pleasantly surprised with the food in the main dining room. We didn't try the italian, anbd the buffet was very inefficient.

 

In terms of the Sky itself, it was our least favorite NCL ship, by a lot. It's a bit older, and smaller than the other ships we've been on. That said, we still had a great time, and had great entertainment on board. Hopefully you'll be as lucky as we were in that regard.

 

I'd sail the Sky again, it wouldn't be my #1 choice (loved the Gem and the Spirit), but with the prices many of the Sky cruises sell at it's a good bargain.

 

Thank you for your input. We are probaly going to go to Senor Frogs as well, Oh my fav part of NCL is Blue Lagoon! Hey we're doing a 1night on the Gem Jan 3 09 perhaps you guys could join us?

[Preds]

Thank you for your input. We are probaly going to go to Senor Frogs as well, Oh my fav part of NCL is Blue Lagoon! Hey we're doing a 1night on the Gem Jan 3 09 perhaps you guys could join us?

Is that a 1 nighter out of NYC? How are the rates? I'd definitely try and talk Kelly into it if the rates are cheap! We LOVED the Gem!

[travel_lover]

Is that a 1 nighter out of NYC? How are the rates? I'd definitely try and talk Kelly into it if the rates are cheap! We LOVED the Gem!

 

Yes it is a 1nighter out of NYC we found the rate nice, http://bestpricecruises.com/ is who we booked with they had the cheapest rate for past passengers. Make a free account with them, be sure to put your latitudes number is when searching. their rate once you put your L # in is 118 you can get up to CAT. JJ Inside. Taxes and Fuel comes to $378.60 for the Cabin!

[newmexicoNita]

I got home late last night, and am still recovering from a great weekend (albeit impefect)...

 

I'll preface my comments by noting that this was my 6th NCL cruise (5th different ship). Our group consisted of myself, my 4 brothers, my sister, and our father in 3 cabins located on deck 8 (oceanview cabins 8018 & 8019, and an inside cabin in 8113).

 

I have a few comments on the Sky itself, and then on the staff and entertainment. Though the next few paragraphs might sound bad... don't mistake them to mean that we did not enjoy our cruise. That couldn't be further from the truth, we had an incredible time, but there were a few miscues along the way that we did indeed notify NCL about.

 

I'm an NCL supporter, but the Sky herself was subpar IMO, particularly when compared to the other NCL ships I've been on (Gem, Spirit, Pride of Hawaii/Jade and the Star). The condition of the public areas were OK, but I didn't care for the ship's overall layout. It was the least intuitive layout of all the ship's I've been on. The ship felt very narrow, the public spaces and particularly the entertainment seemed small. I don't get how the Sky is classified as a 77,000gt ship while the Spirit (which felt significantly bigger) is only 75,000gt. I also didn't care for the cabins and their small bathrooms and tiny showers w/curtains. We also noticed several decks had a sewage smell around the forward and aft staircases, but didn't notice it in the hallway near our cabins.

 

Our cabins definitely felt worn. They also reeked of smoke, thus we called Reception for an ionizer and they responded within minutes. The safe didn't work in 8019, so again we called reception, and security responded within a reasonable time but was unable to fix the problem (ie. the safe does NOT work in 8019).

 

We found 2 brand new screws laying around the floor of our cabin in 8019 and pointed them out to the cabin steward who took them and said he'd notify the carpenter. We later noticed that the top closing bar hinge for our our bathroom door was barely hanging on by the last few threads of a single screw, with 2 empty holes. Presumably what the screws were intended for. Thus we pointed this out to our cabin steward and told him that the screws we had handed him earlier were likely to repair the hinge. Well, this problem was never fixed... no biggie, the door still worked I guess. 8019 continued on with yet another issue after my brother I took showers in the evening on Friday. We got up early to go into Nassau on Saturday. When we returned to our cabin (8019) we noticed a stinking smell (kinda like rotting feet) and soon realized that water had leaked from the bathroom into the main cabin area (after I stepped on the carpet in my socks and soaked my foot)! We again notified reception, and maintenance was sent with a blower to try and dry the rug (we had this for the remainder of our cruise). The odor improved marginally, and the carpet never got completely dry. IMO, this cabin should not be in service. Aside from reeking of smoke, 8018 had no issues, and the inside across the hall 8113 was fine from the get go.

 

I also want to note that we had NO A/C in our cabins for several hours on Sunday (after returning from GSC). It was incredibly hot in our cabins, and it only intensified the odor issues we were having from the mildewy carpet outside the bathroom in 8019. I saw another poster mention that deck 8 lost toilet service for an hour, but I never noticed that. Our toilets worked fine!

 

We found the food on the Sky to be good to very good. Lunch on Friday at the Palace Dining Room was very good, and dinner that evening in Cagney's was excellent. We also enjoyed Le Bistro quite a bit (I even tried Escargot for the 1st time! The buffet was OK in terms of quality of food, but the selection was limited, and the setup of the Buffet is terribly inefficient and congested. We avoided it whenever possible.

 

Our cabin stewards certainly tried hard, but they seemed to struggle speaking English, however, whey were definitely responsive to our requests for the most part. I felt bad for them because our cabin in 8019 was pretty much a disaster LOL. We found the waitstaff to be very good in general, though Ernesto in Cagney's was absolutely excellent. The Front Desk certainly tried to respond to our issues, and always with a smile, but it seemed there were some things beyond there control. Overall we didn't really have any problems with the service on the ship, and definitely could see the crew trying to go above and beyond, despite the lack of control of the sip's environs.

 

The entertainment was the real highlight of this ship, specifically Comedian Tim Kaminsky. He was incredible. For those that were on our sailing, I was a member of the "Buffalo Family" that Tim certainly had fun with. My younger brother was Toto in the Wizard of Oz, and my father was the one dancing bare-chested and twirling his shirt at the show Friday Night, and hysterically subbing in for the role of the Lion in Wizard of Oz on Sunday night. My sister was also the younger female who played Tim's arms so well early on, but was so busy laughing she couldn't do the Macarena properly! Our family had a blast with Tim. We spent quite a bit of time talking with him at both the Margarita and Beer Tastings, as well as in Le Bistro and a few other venues throughout the ship. Great guy. Great comic. DO NOT MISS HIS SHOWS! As for other entertainment, we didn't make the Carnivale party, and only briefly watched part of the White Hot party before moving on to more interesting activities (for us at least). We missed the Soul Rockin Nights show, but I've seen it before and wasn't too fond of it on other ships. The Cruise Director (Matt), was OK. He certainly had energy. We missed the Newlywed game, but caught the Quest game, quickly realizing with just our sister amongst us it was useless to try and compete as it got crazier and crazier, thus we just observed (though that nutbag Tim smacked both my brother and myself with wet kisses... ewww)!

 

Anyhow, despite all the issues with our cabin, we never let them bother us. We were there to have a great time, and most certainly did. NCL needs to continue working on the problem cabins. It seems the things they addressed in the wetdock were mainly the casino, and new flooring and loungers on deck 12. Aside from that, I didn't notice much else new.

 

For a 3 day cruise, we found the Sky to be sufficient, with a hard working crew, a fun atmosphere, and good food... hopefully they can upgrade the cabins some for the future, but I wouldn't let that stop us from going on her again. If you're easy going and ready for a good time, the Sky can definitely deliver... especially if you're lucky enough to have Tim Kaminsky on your sailing (he's there for another 2 1/2 weeks)!

 

 

There is something about ships that do the shorter intineraries, I think, because they cater to a different clientele nothing is quite as up to par as the longer cruises. This has been our experience, regardless of the cruise line. It sounds like you took everything in stride and understand the difference in a quick weekend get-away and a true vacation experience.

 

Nita

[travel_lover]

I have a question for you, does NCL have a public laundry room like their newer ships? I'm wondering so I can know to pack the travel iron, thank you!

[MikeandAmy]

Amanda I was noticing you take alot of cruises, am I missing something in regards to better prices, or are we just able to do these things to do your lifestyle?

[travel_lover]

Amanda I was noticing you take alot of cruises, am I missing something in regards to better prices, or are we just able to do these things to do your lifestyle?

 

We always look for better prices..try to find the best deal and what suits us. We never spend too much money we figure pay less vacation more.

[CHARLESV32]

Thanks for the review. I would've raised hell if the cabin issue happened to me!