This trip was not what we expected, and we thought the majority of staff performed the bare minimum instead of going above and beyond. We did not enjoy the service and thought this was a "below average" cruise.
Norwegian Sky Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas
Overall, we were not happy with our cruise. The food in the main dining room was fantastic with great service, but overall, everything else was below average. I would rate our overall experience as a 4/10. I do not intend to book with Norwegian again after this negative experience.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Getting on the ship was easy; however, our debit card was not being recognized in their system so we had to either put cash on our account or connect a different card on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The quality of the food in the main dining room was fantastic. The service was great and they really worked hard to accommodate our allergies. We were highly displeased with the specialty dining restaurant Cagney’s steakhouse. We saw our food sitting on the tray for close to 7-10 minutes just sitting getting cold. The steak was okay, but the seafood was the worst seafood we’ve ever had. The bill was $140 which we thought was unacceptable for the poor quality. We did enjoy our meal at Le Bistro specialty dining, but we thought Cagney’s steakhouse was the worst steakhouse we’ve ever experienced. The food provided in the buffet was okay, but for lunch they frequently had the same food. The quality of service, food, and professionalism displayed in the main dining room was spectacular. The food provided in the main dining rooms tasted phenomenal and made up for the overall sub par dining experience.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The ship was less full than it usually was and the common areas were not too bad. We enjoyed the hot tubs but 4/5 tubs were barely hot which was frustrating. The ship did not have rock climbing walls which we were hoping for it to have. We did not use the fitness center but they do have a generic fitness center. The prices of the Spa were extremely expensive and even though we won a $75 off certificate towards a specialty treatment in the Spa the price would still have been over $150.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The shows were enjoyable. The comedian was a 10/10 and also had an adult only show which was really fun. In addition, the magician was entertaining. The singing/dancing shows were okay, but not our favorite shows we've seen on a cruise.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Compared to other cruises we did not feel that the cruise staff went above and beyond to make us feel valued. It felt that the overall staff (with exception of the dining staff) did the very bare minimum required and sometimes not even satisfactory. On the first evening our stateroom was not cleaned, not provided with clean towels, and not have h a new freestyle daily. When we contacted guest services they asked for the name or number of our stateroom steward and we didn’t have either because they neglected to leave any contact info. On night one our room was so cold to the point where it was unbearable. We contacted guest services and they slowly responded to the call. Multiple people told us different things on how to control the air and it took 5 calls to guest services and FOUR days for them to fix it. I was highly disapointed in the lack of care the staterooms received and also highly displeased with the fact that they did not provide towel animals. I do not think that the stateroom service was worth a mandatory 20% tip.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was clean and had many open areas. The ship was easy to walk and they have a jogging/walking track.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was spacious and comfortable. Like most cruises, the shower space was very small but functional. The cabin offered a mini fridge which we used for some of our leftover snacks. The bed was not too comfortable, but when we found an additional comforter the bed was much easier to sleep on. Lastly, the room had a small flat screen TV which had multiple movie channels. We really enjoyed the movies and loved that the four channels included comedy, family, drama, and action options.
Ship tip
Utilize the mini frige and take your leftover food to go before wasting it. If you are still hungry after dinner before the main dining rooms close go back and enjoy the food or ask them if you can order a plate to bring back to the room. At the very front of the boat on the 11th floor there is a "kids only" pool with a hot tub. That hot tub was the best one and typically not very crowded. Finally, if you want towel animals make sure to ask your room steward to make them. She informed me that they can only make them if it's by request.
In Key West we visited Del Sol and purchased the Solize sunglasses, walked 1.5 miles south on Duval street to the southern most point and drank a margarita at Agave 308. This experience was cheap and fun in Key West. However, the last trip we key west we went on a snorkel trip with the FURY catamaran. The waves were somewhat choppy and the experience was terrible. I've heard that other companies will somewhat reimburse their customers when the weather is off or the views are not enjoyable, but we didn't get any compensation. Overall, Key West is a beautiful city and can be explored for very cheap without doing excursions.
This town is a tourist trap and is so irriating. Within 5 minutes of getting off the ship you are harrassed by people who want you to buy their items. About half of the people didn't understand "no thank you" and would keep pestering you. Next time (if there is a next time...) we visit Nassau we will be considering a shore excursion rather than walking through the town. This is a place where you need to be very careful and watch each other's back.
The only port we were excited for was Great Stirrup Cay. We scheduled a shore excursion and prepared ourselves to go to bed early (missing other onboard activities) to ensure we would be off in time for our excursion. The night before the port we were told about the fact that the port would be anchored and that we would use tender boats to get to the shore. After the main show the cruise director provided details about how to get to the island and explained the activities that were planned. When we woke up we got ready and packed our things to be prepared for our shore excursion. About 10 minutes before we were supposed to get off the boat, the captain came on the intercom and explained that due to an upcoming storm we would be spending the day at sea. Supposedly a storm was to hit the Bahamas that evening and he said it would not be safe. We were very upset especially because it was sunny and calm all day. Our shore excursion purchase was refunded promptly, but we were extremely disappointed. As their way of making up for the fact we did not go to the island we were credit $8 per person towards on board credit. We personally think that the way they handled it was frustrating and we thing we deserve more of a refund.
Getting off the ship was easy; however, my face was not recgonized through the facial recognition system they had even though my US Passport was with me. It was confusing as to why it wasn't working, and I needed to wait inline to have someone else review my passport.
Sorry you didn't have a good time as planned. Try one of their larger ships if the smaller ships don't have what you expected in the way of service and entertainment. I have found NCL to have the friendliest crew at sea. I have done the Sky 4 times now, but I must admit, it wasn't one of my favorite it was ok. The food service was top notch in the Palace and the outdoor garden. Now the NCL Sun that ship was a blast. Happy cruising and remember your experience will differ.
A supposed storm was a hurricane. If you have EVER sailed on NCL you would know that they extremely cautious in tendering those boats to their island. I think your review was mean to referring to hurricane Dorian as a supposed storm. You probable booked an inside and expected concierge service. And one more thing you booked during the height of the hurricane season, you’re lucky you didn’t get stuck in a supposed storm.
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