Sky 10/6-10 Good and Bad

[sarahvch]

This was my second cruise on the Sky. The first was in August in the Owners Suite. This cruise was with my 10 yo DD in a balcony (9045).

 

EMBARKATION: I was a little worried since we have only sailed in suites up to this point and had a private escort. I was very please to find out the whole process took maybe 15 mins. We flew in from FLL (last time we flew in and out through MIA and it was a nightmare). Took a taxi to the port ($70 ouch!). Arrived right at 12:00 p.m. Walked right through security and to the balcony desk, no lines or waiting. When we checked in I was informed that someone was already in my room. This was not a good start as I had researched and chosen the cabin I wanted. I let it go and was determined to have a great trip no matter what. The agent quickly found us another room, 9045 and we went on to board.

 

CABIN: Our cabin was great. We had no problems whatsoever. Our room stewards were better than butlers we have had on some ships. They learned our names and asked where DD was when she was not with me. They made sure she had towel animals every night even the very first night. When we asked for the beds to be pushed together they did so right away. Everything we asked for they gave us. I made sure to fill out STYLE cards for both of them and leave them nice tips. NOTE we had two outlets in our room. One in the bathroom and one on the desk.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Excellent! We enjoyed the opening night show which included Rich Purpurra (SP?). He was new to the ship since I last cruised and we loved him. DD and I laughed so hard. We also attended the NCL U show which featured him and it was very good. I would cruise this ship again just to see him and Matt (the CD).

 

KIDS CREW: We signed up for the Kids Crew when we first got on board. Everyone was very nice. DD asked about the soda backpack and they got it for us. DD attended two events at the kids crew and had an good time. She said the counselors were rather harsh in the way they spoke to the children (please note DD is very mature). She also stated there were several children that were very rude and making fun of others and the counselors did nothing but sit and watch. During one session I stood in the hall watching through the window waiting for them to finish. I listened to the counselors in the room next door, who did not know I was in the hall. That room was for the toddlers. One little boy named David was very upset and wanted his mother. I can tell you that as a mother I would never leave my toddler with these people after hearing the way they spoke to him. "Shut up" was used several times, "Nothing is wrong with you", "Stop it now", "David we are not going to call your mother so cut it out" as well as many other comments that should not ever be made to a child. Now I understand as a mother of two how frustrating it can be when a child cries but the tone and manner in which this child was spoken to was ridiculous. DD, did not attend anymore events after that. One thing I need to mention, DD did have a good time playing games and liked the counselors in the tween area.

 

ITINERARY: Nassau, did some shopping and went to dolphin excursion at Blue Lagoon (more on that later under PROBLEMS). GSC, had a wonderful beach day.

 

DEBARKATION: We purchased the shuttle to FLL after paying $70 for a taxi to get to the port we decided this would be a better option. We were instructed to disembark by 9 a.m. We could not find our luggage and none of the NCL reps knew where it would be. I was screamed at while looking for the RED luggage tag sign, "DO NOT EXIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL YOUR LUGGAGE OR YOU WON'T GET IT". I was trying to ask this gentleman where the red luggage tags would be. Finally we found someone, actually a porter that offered to help me, found someone that said red tags would be coming out in this room (no sign telling us this) so we waited. We boarded the shuttle and waited. Most of us were fine but there was one very rude passenger that was mad that we waited 25 mins for everyone to get on the bus. He screamed at the driver who then got his supervisor. The man then began to scream at the supervisor. He was not happy we had to wait for late passengers. Please know that the shuttle will wait for you. The shuttle is considered an excursion so everyone gets on and no one gets left. I am thankful for that because my luggage was hard to find. Had I gotten stuck looking for my luggage I could have been one of the late passengers.

 

PROBLEMS: First I want to say that we had a great time. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was determined to do so. We booked this cruise so DD could do the dolphin swim at Blue Lagoon. We are doing another cruise in November that visits Nassau however we wanted to spend the entire day at Atlantis. The price was right so we booked it just to visit Blue Lagoon. When I attempted to book that excursion through NCL online there was a problem with their website. I was very busy with work before leaving so I did not call. I figured I would book it when I got on the ship. The very first place we went after boarding was the shore excursion desk. We checked the times and went to Kids Crew to register and came back to wait for it to open. When the lady arrived she seemed to be in a VERY BAD mood. She told me that DD was too little to do the swim because the water was too deep. I informed her that NCL's website said 10 and up. She said "well we are no longer booking the swim at all". I went to the internet cafe checked the description then called NCL. They told me that they were still booking the excursion and that DD was old enough and to ask for a supervisor. The said they could not book it for me now since we were on the ship. I went back and spoke with another gentleman who was even worse than the first lady I spoke with. He cut me off every time I tried to speak and was not interested in listening to anything I had to say. I was shocked and DD was in tears by the time we left. He told me that they were booking it but they had there own rules and sometimes the websites had typos. I then proceeded to our cabin turned on my cell phone and called Dolphin Encounters direct. They told me that they only had one slot open (under 13 requires a guardian to be in the water with them), so we passed. The next day I called again to see if anyone had canceled. They said no but put a supervisor on the phone to talk to me when I told them about NCL first telling me they were not booking because of the deep water. The supervisor told me to book the encounter since their was only one spot in the swim and at check in see if they had any no shows. They did not but everyone from Dolphin Encounters knew who we were and worked to get us a spot in the swim. We went to the island planning to make the best of our encounter. When we arrived the staff was waiting with a sign that said my name and singing We are looking for Sarah. They told me that found enough people willing to upgrade to add a swim so DD could live out her dream. That entire day at Dolphin Encounters was one of the best days of our lives. Everything from the staff to the dolphins and trainers to pictures was perfect. They went above and beyond to make both myself and my little girl happy. We have already changed our plans and will be visiting again with two friends on our cruise in November.

Dolphin Encounters saved this cruise for us and NCl should be very happy that their partners are doing everything they can to keep their customers happy unlike their own employees!

SMELL, My goodness I can't even describe this. It was awful on deck 7!!!!!! We had to use deck seven since that is where the Kids Crew is, I literally gaged because of the awful smell on day two through the end of the cruise. I did notice the odor in other areas but nothing that was too bad. If you have a room on deck 7 I would move now.

GSC, Snorkel Gear was awful. Bring your own it is worth it. DD, vest kept filling up with water and both of our mask leaked. Plus it is $29 for adults and $15 for kids a little high if you ask me.

[Addictedtwo]

Thanks for your review and I'm glad it worked out for you and your daughter.

[newmexicoNita]

This was my second cruise on the Sky. The first was in August in the Owners Suite. This cruise was with my 10 yo DD in a balcony (9045).

 

EMBARKATION: I was a little worried since we have only sailed in suites up to this point and had a private escort. I was very please to find out the whole process took maybe 15 mins. We flew in from FLL (last time we flew in and out through MIA and it was a nightmare). Took a taxi to the port ($70 ouch!). Arrived right at 12:00 p.m. Walked right through security and to the balcony desk, no lines or waiting. When we checked in I was informed that someone was already in my room. This was not a good start as I had researched and chosen the cabin I wanted. I let it go and was determined to have a great trip no matter what. The agent quickly found us another room, 9045 and we went on to board.

 

CABIN: Our cabin was great. We had no problems whatsoever. Our room stewards were better than butlers we have had on some ships. They learned our names and asked where DD was when she was not with me. They made sure she had towel animals every night even the very first night. When we asked for the beds to be pushed together they did so right away. Everything we asked for they gave us. I made sure to fill out STYLE cards for both of them and leave them nice tips. NOTE we had two outlets in our room. One in the bathroom and one on the desk.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Excellent! We enjoyed the opening night show which included Rich Purpurra (SP?). He was new to the ship since I last cruised and we loved him. DD and I laughed so hard. We also attended the NCL U show which featured him and it was very good. I would cruise this ship again just to see him and Matt (the CD).

 

KIDS CREW: We signed up for the Kids Crew when we first got on board. Everyone was very nice. DD asked about the soda backpack and they got it for us. DD attended two events at the kids crew and had an good time. She said the counselors were rather harsh in the way they spoke to the children (please note DD is very mature). She also stated there were several children that were very rude and making fun of others and the counselors did nothing but sit and watch. During one session I stood in the hall watching through the window waiting for them to finish. I listened to the counselors in the room next door, who did not know I was in the hall. That room was for the toddlers. One little boy named David was very upset and wanted his mother. I can tell you that as a mother I would never leave my toddler with these people after hearing the way they spoke to him. "Shut up" was used several times, "Nothing is wrong with you", "Stop it now", "David we are not going to call your mother so cut it out" as well as many other comments that should not ever be made to a child. Now I understand as a mother of two how frustrating it can be when a child cries but the tone and manner in which this child was spoken to was ridiculous. DD, did not attend anymore events after that. One thing I need to mention, DD did have a good time playing games and liked the counselors in the tween area.

 

ITINERARY: Nassau, did some shopping and went to dolphin excursion at Blue Lagoon (more on that later under PROBLEMS). GSC, had a wonderful beach day.

 

DEBARKATION: We purchased the shuttle to FLL after paying $70 for a taxi to get to the port we decided this would be a better option. We were instructed to disembark by 9 a.m. We could not find our luggage and none of the NCL reps knew where it would be. I was screamed at while looking for the RED luggage tag sign, "DO NOT EXIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL YOUR LUGGAGE OR YOU WON'T GET IT". I was trying to ask this gentleman where the red luggage tags would be. Finally we found someone, actually a porter that offered to help me, found someone that said red tags would be coming out in this room (no sign telling us this) so we waited. We boarded the shuttle and waited. Most of us were fine but there was one very rude passenger that was mad that we waited 25 mins for everyone to get on the bus. He screamed at the driver who then got his supervisor. The man then began to scream at the supervisor. He was not happy we had to wait for late passengers. Please know that the shuttle will wait for you. The shuttle is considered an excursion so everyone gets on and no one gets left. I am thankful for that because my luggage was hard to find. Had I gotten stuck looking for my luggage I could have been one of the late passengers.

 

PROBLEMS: First I want to say that we had a great time. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was determined to do so. We booked this cruise so DD could do the dolphin swim at Blue Lagoon. We are doing another cruise in November that visits Nassau however we wanted to spend the entire day at Atlantis. The price was right so we booked it just to visit Blue Lagoon. When I attempted to book that excursion through NCL online there was a problem with their website. I was very busy with work before leaving so I did not call. I figured I would book it when I got on the ship. The very first place we went after boarding was the shore excursion desk. We checked the times and went to Kids Crew to register and came back to wait for it to open. When the lady arrived she seemed to be in a VERY BAD mood. She told me that DD was too little to do the swim because the water was too deep. I informed her that NCL's website said 10 and up. She said "well we are no longer booking the swim at all". I went to the internet cafe checked the description then called NCL. They told me that they were still booking the excursion and that DD was old enough and to ask for a supervisor. The said they could not book it for me now since we were on the ship. I went back and spoke with another gentleman who was even worse than the first lady I spoke with. He cut me off every time I tried to speak and was not interested in listening to anything I had to say. I was shocked and DD was in tears by the time we left. He told me that they were booking it but they had there own rules and sometimes the websites had typos. I then proceeded to our cabin turned on my cell phone and called Dolphin Encounters direct. They told me that they only had one slot open (under 13 requires a guardian to be in the water with them), so we passed. The next day I called again to see if anyone had canceled. They said no but put a supervisor on the phone to talk to me when I told them about NCL first telling me they were not booking because of the deep water. The supervisor told me to book the encounter since their was only one spot in the swim and at check in see if they had any no shows. They did not but everyone from Dolphin Encounters knew who we were and worked to get us a spot in the swim. We went to the island planning to make the best of our encounter. When we arrived the staff was waiting with a sign that said my name and singing We are looking for Sarah. They told me that found enough people willing to upgrade to add a swim so DD could live out her dream. That entire day at Dolphin Encounters was one of the best days of our lives. Everything from the staff to the dolphins and trainers to pictures was perfect. They went above and beyond to make both myself and my little girl happy. We have already changed our plans and will be visiting again with two friends on our cruise in November.

Dolphin Encounters saved this cruise for us and NCl should be very happy that their partners are doing everything they can to keep their customers happy unlike their own employees!

SMELL, My goodness I can't even describe this. It was awful on deck 7!!!!!! We had to use deck seven since that is where the Kids Crew is, I literally gaged because of the awful smell on day two through the end of the cruise. I did notice the odor in other areas but nothing that was too bad. If you have a room on deck 7 I would move now.

GSC, Snorkel Gear was awful. Bring your own it is worth it. DD, vest kept filling up with water and both of our mask leaked. Plus it is $29 for adults and $15 for kids a little high if you ask me.

I can't imagine how that stupid councelor got away with treating any child that way. Usually they are so nice and really love kids. God I hope someone gets her fired pdq!!! I also agree $29 for adult snorkeling gear even if it was good is totally out of line.

 

Nita

[*Wink*]

Good review.. It's a good thing you're persistent. Many people would have given up with all the crap you went through for that excursion. Glad you and your daughter had a nice time. What's the deal with the stench?? When will they get that fixed once and for all? I think I'm going to steer clear of the SKY.

[Adkmom]

Was the $29 for their Snorkeling excursion or for rental of equipment?

 

Did you complain about the staff in the kids program. I am not one to complain but on the Dawn we had a bad experience with the coffee shop worker and wrote up a bad review and put in their box. The problem was resolved the next day. They really read those review cards both good and bad.

[Richie2pies]

>>SMELL, My goodness I can't even describe this. It was awful on deck 7!!!!!! We had to use deck seven since that is where the Kids Crew is, I literally gaged because of the awful smell on day two through the end of the cruise. I did notice the odor in other areas but nothing that was too bad. If you have a room on deck 7 I would move now<<

 

 

I second that. I was on the same cruise and the stench by the aft elevators on deck 7 was terrible. Other sections of the ship had a slight smell, but deck 7 was very noticible. Why can't NCL do something about this?

[DeckSwabber]

The wife and I were on this cruise as well.. This was our first cruise on NCL. We have cruised on Carnival before and we are now trying other lines to see which one we like the best. We were on Deck 10 room 0232. We did not notice "the smell" anywhere on deck 10 but we could smell it in the aft of the ship just about anywhere around the staircase and elevators. I guess after reading all of the previous TRs we were prepared and it didn't really bother us much. We encountered "the smell" in the Dazzles nightclub a few times as well nut it was much milder.

 

We were very impressed with the CD Matt Baker. He busted his butt to entertain the passengers and we enjoyed Rich Pupura as well. He's an extremely funny guy.

 

We ate at Cagneys on the first night and loved it. We both had the 10 oz. filet and it just melts in your mouth. The second night we ate at Il Adagio and the food was very good. The desert was to die for.

 

We were looking to book the dolphin excursion at blue lagoon but we decided to book after we arrived on the ship and it had already sold out (theres a tip in there for folks... BOOK EARLY) so we decided to do the Sea Lion encounter. We were not disappointed! there were probably 200 people booked on the dolphin excursion.. there were 6 of us for the sea lions. It was like a private tour being in an intimate setting. Don't miss the sea lions if you go to blue lagoon!

 

While there were some hits and misses, all in all, we enjoyed NCL very much and we would book another cruise with them again.

[sarahvch]

Was the $29 for their Snorkeling excursion or for rental of equipment?

 

Did you complain about the staff in the kids program. I am not one to complain but on the Dawn we had a bad experience with the coffee shop worker and wrote up a bad review and put in their box. The problem was resolved the next day. They really read those review cards both good and bad.

 

This is for the rental of the snorkel gear. $29 for adults includes mask and fins as well as the required snorkel vest that everyone must wear no matter what. Children included the same for $15 rental fee. Fees were charged to your room. I was told by another passenger that they did one free guided tour. That was open to anyone and did not matter if you brought your own equipment or rented it. We passed because DD was busy building a sand castle at that time.

I did not complain about the Kids crew worker. I know I should have but we were so busy at that time and I already had the shore excursion people to complain about. I really wanted them to take me seriously when it came to the way I was treated at the shore excursion desk. I figured that if I was complaining about something that did not have to do with my child that I might be seen as a complainer. I feel bad but I have written a letter of complaints and will be sending it today to NCL. It includes the above mentioned items (shore excursion desk attitudes and kids club).

[*Wink*]

We're going to the private island in April. What does the "tour" entail? Is it right off the shore, or do you get on a boat and go further out? We have our own snorkel gear minus the vest. If we wanted to snorkel without the vest is that allowed? I think I read you can just rent the vest for $5.

[sarahvch]

I did not do the tour but I watched it from the beach. They meet in the water and swim to the areas where the sea turtles and sting rays are. I was told the guide tells you what you are looking at as you go and knows were the "resident sting rays" live. They do not allow anyone to snorkel without a vest past a certain point (the tour does go past that point). There is a life guard up on the rocks watching everyone and he begins blowing his whistle if you go past the point where it drops off. They allow you to stay in the area where an adult can stand up without the vest. No boat involved. Just swim out. They do not announce that the tour is going on so you should ask at the shack when it is going to happen and where to meet. You can rent the vest alone but I am not sure about the cost. They are the cheap vest that strap around your waist only. To me it is worth investing in one that buckles between your legs as the ones they rent constantly float up and choke you. Not to mention that DD's kept filling up with water.

The vest I am talking about can be purchased from 20-30 dollars and deflate easily so they take up less room than a t-shirt in your luggage.

[newmexicoNita]

This is for the rental of the snorkel gear. $29 for adults includes mask and fins as well as the required snorkel vest that everyone must wear no matter what. Children included the same for $15 rental fee. Fees were charged to your room. I was told by another passenger that they did one free guided tour. That was open to anyone and did not matter if you brought your own equipment or rented it. We passed because DD was busy building a sand castle at that time.

I did not complain about the Kids crew worker. I know I should have but we were so busy at that time and I already had the shore excursion people to complain about. I really wanted them to take me seriously when it came to the way I was treated at the shore excursion desk. I figured that if I was complaining about something that did not have to do with my child that I might be seen as a complainer. I feel bad but I have written a letter of complaints and will be sending it today to NCL. It includes the above mentioned items (shore excursion desk attitudes and kids club).

/I hope you have put something positive into your letter, a letter filled with conplaints might very well go into, what we used to call the "round file" a letter stating both good and bad may get attention.

 

Nita

[*Wink*]

Thanks, Sarah ~ I understand how it works now. :)