1st Time Norwegian Cruiser on the Sky 11/14/08

[dresch25]

Hey all you Norwegian experts out there, can you give me some idea on what to expect. DH and I are Princess Cruiser’s and we love them but we could not pass up the price for a balcony. What are some things I can expect??? Thanks ahead of time for all of your input.

 

Vicki

[Dlinkous]

Vicki -

 

We, too are Princess and RCCL cruisers, but couldn't pass up this deal on a balcony for a 3-day cruise. We are on the 10/31 sailing.

 

I'd like some feedback too on the Sky - like for instance, why does the Sky not appear in NCL's 2008 brochure? Is this a new ship to the fleet?

 

Not having been on a 3-day cruise since our honeymoon 10 years ago, are things that normally done on a 7-day not done on a 3-day? What would those things be? Example - does the breakfast buffet include lox and bagels? Is lobster served in the dining rooms or only in the specialty restaurants? I see that NCL's big selling point is Freestyle crusing and they say you don't have to dress formally, but are jeans acceptable in the dining rooms for dinner?

 

There's been lots of talk about the a/c not working properly in some cabins - we are in 0008 and 0009 - has anyone had a problem in these cabins? (I sincerely hope not, we are just off of a 7-day Canadian with Princess and had a uncomfortable cruise with a/c issues back in September).

 

Thanks to anyone out there that can give Vicki and I some idea of what to expect on the Sky.

 

Bottom line - I'm going on a cruise and I'm going to have a good time - as far as I'm concerned, a cruise is what you make of it! :)

[Adkmom]

The SKY just came back from Hawaii where it was called the Price of Aloha.

So look for that name in the brochure, it is the same ship with some updates such as a casino. They have renamed and changed, some of the restaurants to match the other ships sailing in the east.

 

We are due to sail in the SKY at Christmas and don't know a lot about her personally. We do however love freestyle dinning and enjoyed our experience on the Dawn.

 

I am worried about the issues with the ship and hope all will be well for us.

[RhondaC]

We were just on the Sky a couple of weeks ago -- deck 10. There were no problems with smells or AC!

 

We were first-time NCL cruisers too. There were ups and downs for us.

 

Ups: The beds were COMFORTABLE! Very nice! Brand new bedding! Also, the balconies had new chairs that were comfortable too. We ordered room service for coffee, fruit & pastries each morning at 7am, and it was always there right on time!

 

The comedian was great!!

 

Downs: We didn't care for most of the food. The Dining room food was mediocre at best, and Le Bistro was just a little better. The service in both places was good though. The buffet food was hit or miss. Some things were very good, others were just so-so. The burgers are good! Now, I realize food is a matter of opinion though -- and this was just our opinion.

 

The NCL entertainers (singers and dancers) are not very good (compared to DCL and RCCL's entertainers). It seemed to us that this may have been a first gig for many of them.

 

But, we are going again this weekend! It will be nice to do two of them in a row like this, so we can see if things are always the same, or if it differs from sailing to sailing.

[dagtoking1]

We were on the Sky 9/12 and we are going back 10/31. The Sky is not my favorite NCL ship but it was great for the price. I thought the food in the main dining rooms was very good and so was the service. We had a few problems with the spa, but nothing that was so bad to keep me off the Sky in the future. Great Stirrup Cay; always the best day of an NCL cruise, just outstanding. The fastest embarkation/debarkation I've ever experienced. You'll have a blast.

[kimala]

Hubby and I just booked Oct 20th 4 day on the sky. Does anyone know what the free restraunts are and what other free eaterys are there IE: ice cream bar, pizza place, Deli??? This is a big time budget trip for us this year. Had to cancel my orriginal plans for a 7 day till I saw this couldnt resist!

[cruzndiz]

Kimala: I answered this question in the other post you put it in....under Bobars review I think.

 

As for new Sky cruisers.....

 

I can't say enough good about this ship. I booked my October cruise in July with very very very low expectations. I came back two days ago a bona fide NCL cheerleader!

 

The staff is the friendliest and most helpful I have ever encountered on a ship or anywhere else for that matter! There weren't a ton of annoying PA announcements. There was just enough going on activity-wise that you could find something to do but you didn't feel as if you had to race around from one end of the ship to the other for fear of missing out on something. Air conditioning is in tip top condition -- trust me, bring a sweater! My cabin was 9221 (Balcony-by midship stairwell). A little smaller than I am used to, but I don't spend a ton of time in there anyway. It was immaculately clean the entire time, with a full ice bucket and towel animals every night. If you bring your own beverages (soda, juice, water) just ask your room steward to empty the mini-fridge to make room for your own stuff. Balcony chairs on deck 10 have been replaced but we had the "old style" ones on deck 9 and I really can't imagine what anyone was complaining about -- if you think they are TOO SMALL, then you are TOO BIG -- and as you can see from my pic I'm not exactly a stringbean!:p

 

The musical entertainment on board was good; I wasn't particularly fond of Salsamore during the afternoon (too loud for daytime laying by the pool music) but at night the band for the parties was great. Atrium lounge pianist and guitarist both good. The first night show is like a mini-showcase of all the different acts so it's a good one to watch. Comedian was entertaining. Matt Baker is a great CD so try to catch anything he is running i.e. Newlywed Game, Adult Quest (even if you don't participate, it's fun to watch)

 

The food in the main restaurants was very good if you remember you are not paying to be on a 6*** ship! The one dish I didn't particularly care for, I just sent back and had it replaced with another selection -- easy breezy! The buffet I thought did not measure up to other ships I've been on, but again I simply avoided the buffet. Some people actually LOVED the buffet -- to each his own. One thing I couldn't get enough of was the ice cream -- real dark chocolate, YUM!!

 

Anything else you want to know about, feel free to ask or email me linda.luongo@gmail.com

[RhondaC]

Hubby and I just booked Oct 20th 4 day on the sky. Does anyone know what the free restraunts are and what other free eaterys are there IE: ice cream bar, pizza place, Deli??? This is a big time budget trip for us this year. Had to cancel my orriginal plans for a 7 day till I saw this couldnt resist!

 

The free dining rooms are Crossings and Palace. And, of course, the buffet is included too. There is ice cream right outside the buffet. And, they have a chocolate fountain with fruit there too (included). There is pizza and pasta for lunch at Al Adiago (sp?) and you can also order pizza (and other stuff) from room service. :)