It's a great short first timer cruise or in our case a cruise just to escape the cold weather. I've been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney and now NCL. Each cruise has something to offer and each port has its own charm. I base my opinion on each cruise and not as a whole so I will definitely sail on NCL again. Hopefully this review doesn't sound all negative because I did enjoy the cruise and I tried to highlight what I liked. But a good review points out details. But as far as the Norwegian Sky, I've checked the box and it is a one and done for me.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I'm not a picky eater and very easy to please but the food was just adequate on this cruise. The main dining meals were well presented but nothing special in flavor. The buffet just wasn't appetizing. The food was basic, sometimes dried up and serving dishes often left empty. One note: they leave these big silver spoons resting in the hot dishes under the heating lamps so they get HOT. Be careful when grabbing one. I pointed it out and I heard others do so as well. I didn't hate the food I just wasn't impressed. Cagney's was "better" but that's not saying much and La Cucina was a step up from Cagney's in my opinion and the best of my dining experiences. The nightly special at La Cucina was a T-bone steak and it was delicious.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
We left the ship every day for Port but when we were on the ship there really wasn't much to do. I read how fun the ship was but we struggled to find things to do outside of the typical art auction and bingo. Sure there is a casino but it was extremely smoky. We watched a movie in the theater which was a highlight.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
The dancers were fantastic but oh my goodness I've heard better singing at karaoke, in fact on this cruise the karaoke singers in spinnakers were better than the 4 main singers in the theater. The bands at the pool were fantastic however and deserve more of a starring role. I will update with the band names once I unpack the dailies.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
This is where the Norwegian Sky excels. All the staff is very friendly. For the amount of hours they work, we were always greeted with a smile and a genuine interest and how our day was going.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The refurb is noticeable. The public areas are well kept and comfortable. However the art hanging in the cabins and in public areas is horrible. I wish I had taken some photos to explain but the pictures are either extremely generic modern pictures or they look like medical diagrams of diseases and viruses. (Harsh I know but am accurate description). A side note about the temperature on the cruise ship. Public areas are kept extremely cold so make sure to pack warm clothing. Many people had to buy clothing in port just to stay warm on board judging from the amount of local area touristy sweatshirts I saw people wearing on board.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Inside family cabin with pull down bed, sofa bed and 2 twin beds. Only 3 drawers so I brought a fabric closet shelf organizer which helped. Magnet wall hooks to hang items. Fridge very small, no shelves. Comfortable beds, no noise, and private as it is at the end of a hallway.
Ship tip
The air conditioning was turned up very high so bring warm clothing. Make specialty dining reservations online or as soon as you get on the ship as they booked up fast. Learn some basic organization tips for small cabin layout. Get to the entertainment shows 30 minutes early if you want a good seat. Eat most of your meals in the main dining room avoid the buffet. always put out the room service card on your door and have coffee delivered every morning as your wake up call.
Nice little island but not a lot to do compared to looking over and seeing Coco Cay (the Royal Caribbean island) which you can see from great stirrup cay. That said, the island is clean, the buffet food was very good. But if the water's cold there's not much entertainment if you are not into drinking or playing volleyball. I read a lot online about having a hard time finding beach chairs. We did not experience this as we got there early (930 am) if you get to the island after 11 then yes you will have a hard time so definitely get there early.
All there is to do when you exit the ship is a small, clean straw market and senor frog's. Unless you're doing an excursion, you only need a few hours to walk around the immediate port area. Around noon they start playing island music in the center area. There were clean bathrooms accessible.
I really enjoyed Key West. I found it beachy, friendly, just busy enough, lots of great places to eat and shop. We always heard live music. I could easily see spending a week exploring and enjoying all that it has to offer.
Miami is a great city and one of my new favorites. Only spent 8 hours exploring and walking around but it's somewhere I definitely want to return. The locals are extremely friendly. The streets were clean. And we felt extremely safe walking around.
This seriously could not have been any easier. We ate breakfast in the main dining room at 8:30 a.m. and we're off the ship and in our Lyft by 10 a.m. Customs had implemented the new facial recognition technology which made it extremely organized and quick to disembark. Having the crew (including Jasper the cruise director) at the exit saying goodbye to us was a thoughtful touch
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