I really wanted to enjoy this cruise and have a positive review. It was hard due to Joy (possibly racist staff), most of the food, overcrowded pools, small hot tubs, etc. My husband made the cruise as enjoyable as it could be. NCL should incorporate a curfew and have unsupervised teens better monitored. There were teens roaming the halls all hours of the night. I doubt that I will cruise with NCL again.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was seamless. We completed the process, received our document, and boarded when our group was called.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The Palace/Crossing were meh. The daily, dinner menu only changed slightly every day. Breakfast in the Crossing was just okay. I am not sure how you mess up yogurt parfait but it was nasty! I think that cottage cheese was used instead of yogurt. La Cucina was good for lunch (it was free). They offered pizza, Caesar salad, and a different soup daily. Cagney's is the reason for at least three stars. THE FOOD WAS WONDERFUL. STAFF AND SERVICE WERE GREAT! Drinks were plentiful if you had a drink package. Free liquids were limited. If you did not get your drink during meals, you could not access the coffee, tea, lemonade, and flavored waters.
Il Adagio
4 out of 5
We only went to La Cucina for the free lunch. Pizza was great. The Caesar salad and soups were delicious and customizable.
Garden Cafe
3 out of 5
The food was at room temperature. There were not many options but plenty of what was offered. There was a lot of seating for passengers to eat.
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
GREAT FOOD! Great staff! Please choose this as one of your restaurants... a must have!
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The pools were packed in the afternoon/evenings on port days and all day for sea days. We went to look for a chair after an early breakfast and soak in the hot tub around 8 am one sea day. No one was in the hot tubs nor pools. However every chair (most were empty) HAD TOWELS/CLIPS/BANDS. Parents had to be strongly encouraged to take their YOUNG children to the family pool. The pools were weird. There was only a small circular pool that measured approximately 4.5 feet. The other two pools measure 7 feet deep. It should have been the other was around. Lastly, the hot tubs were tiny, about half the size of hot tubs on other ships.
Pools
2 out of 5
There was no a lot of pool space for adult non-swimmers.
Hot Tubs
2 out of 5
Four of the five were grouped together between the pools. They are tiny!
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We attended one show (singing competition - which was rigged). The music was okay on the pool deck.
Children's Programs
No children in my group
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
We did not meet our room steward until the end of the second day. It was weird as we frequently was in/out of our room. She admitted to seeing us before finally introducing herself. We did not have an issue with her. All of the staff in the buffet, bars, Palace/Crossings, and Cagney's were great. Why the poor score? Second morning, a staff named Joy totally ignored me. She was the only person manning the toasting station in the Great Outdoors. I got their first. Another lady shortly arrived after me on the other side. Joy possibly did not notice and served the other lady first. No biggie until a gentleman stood behind me waiting. Joy turned to him and said "how may I help you sir?" After he finished ordering, I asked him if I was invisible as she totally ignored me twice. He though that I had already ordered which his why he responded. I realized that he was not at fault for Joy's actions and asked her why I was being ignored. Joy rolled her eyes. She took the order from a third person who showed up on the other side. At that point, I found a manager in the buffet. When were returned to Joy's toasting station, she stood there indignant as I explained the situation to the manager and clearly pointed her out. No response from her/no apology. The manager personally had another staff prepare my order. SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO CONTINUE WORKING FOR THE DAY/REST OF THE CRUISE/EVER AGAIN. However, Joyless was in the Great Outdoors for the rest of the cruise in some capacity. I was very disappointed in NCL.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Despite her age, NCL Sky was a clean and well maintained ship. Like most cruise ships, NCL Sky had her quirks like floor 6A.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
There was never an issue with cleanliness. The size of the room was small. It would have been suffocating for more than two people. There was not adequate hanging space nor drawers. The only "drawers" were sliders in the closet. The bathroom was tiny but functional. The water can get extremely hot. We could barely use the sink due to the hot water. I don't think the sink had cooler water functioning. The A/C fluctuated, getting hot at night.
Ship tip
This is an okay ship for a couple who wants an intimate setting. If you are a family, skip this ship. Go bigger.
No excursions. Our main goal was to hit the beach and enjoy the water. We were successful. Most people crowded at the first beach area off of the ship. Staff should have explained that there were other beach areas nearby. We found another beach area that was less populated and enjoyed the water. Food was limited and exactly the same food from the ship. It would have been nice to have traditional, Caribbean foods also. There were no directions to locate water, lemonade, flavored water, etc. We found them by accident and it was a small walk away from the buffet.
I cruised on the Sky not long ago and had a great time, good food and service, and had plenty of pool time. I didn't have any issues with the ship, crew, or passengers. When I go on a cruise, I make the best of all my cruises, and if something goes wrong, and at times it does, I don't let it be the benchmark for rating the cruise.
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