Norwegian Cruise Lines: Four-Day Bahama Cruise

This was my first xmas holiday cruise. I have cruised with the three major cruise lines: Carnival, RCCL, and NCL, but really wanted to experience a holiday cruise. Let me start by saying that a holiday cruise is nearly double the price of a standard sailing, due to the high demand. Being a solo cruiser, and the overall price of the cruise due to the peak season was a bit high, but well worth the expense to spend xmas in the Bahamas. The ship was tastefully decorated, with holiday spirit.
Embarkation — The embarkation process was a breeze. I parked at a offsite lot (see review), and arrived very early for check in. The check in process was a breeze! I was on the ship by 11:15am, which is about 90 minutes earlier than normal. The cabins weren’t ready until 2:15, and I really liked how they offered a luggage holding area which gave me time to explore the ship, without carrying around my bag.
Cabin — I stayed in a inside cabin on deck 8. The cabin was excellent, and bigger than I expected. I highly recommend deck 8 if you are planning on staying in a inside cabin. There was virtually no noise, which was surprising especially for a smaller ship.
Service — The service was top notch. My cabin steward was very attentive and friendly. He was quick to recognize me, and remember my name in the halls when I walked past, which to me is beyond expectation. The bar staff were all very attentive, especially for being a all inclusive ship, which means that all drinks, including alcohol are included. I didn’t encounter long waits for a drink, even though the ship was sold out. I have to point out my favorite bartender Colin, in the Atrium bar. Colin makes the best mojito’s! As always, a little extra tip to the bartenders wont hurt, as they always provide great service.
Food — The food was great quality, especially in the main dining room. The views in the Crossings dining room were excellent, and the staff was very accommodating to seat me at a table near a window. I didn’t have one bad meal. Breakfast was excellent in the main dining room the last day of the cruise. TIP: check out II Adagio, on deck 11, which offers breakfast, and lunch included at no extra charge. It was a great spot to avoid the chaotic buffet on embarkation, and breakfast on several mornings. II Adagio is a fee restaurant for dinner.
Entertainment — Entertainment was pretty good. The cruise director Tyler was the best cruise director out of all the cruises that I have taken to date. There were plenty of activities by the pool, and at night. The nightly shows were all good. My favorite was the holiday show on xmas night. The comedian was funny, but really tried to keep his show at a PG-​13 level, even for the late adult show.
Ports — Since this was a 4 night cruise, the ship stopped at Great Stirrup Cay, Nassau, and Grand Bahama island (Freeport). My favorite was Great Stirrup Cay, but that is just my preference as I have been to Nassau a handful of times. You will need to take a tender to Great Stirrup Cay, which is painless and hassle free. The ocean was a bit rough, so be prepared! Nassau is ok. I recommend a private taxi tour, if this is your first time to Nassau. Fat Tuesdays is also a good choice, as you are able to swim near the bar! Junkanoo beach club in Freeport is a great value, and a quick taxi ride from the port.
Disembarkation — Disembarkation process was a breeze, but is always sad! Who wants to leave paradise? I opted to carry off my luggage, and was able to take my time. The staff were well organized and getting through customs wasn’t a hassle.
Kudos if you made it through my lengthy review! Overall I wouldn’t be quick to judge NCL Sky by the negative reviews alone. A cruise vacation is what you make out of it. I had a great vacation and would highly recommend this ship for a quick cruise.
Cheers!

The only thing that made this cruise fun was my family. All the complimentary food was just plan bad. We upgraded dinners for two of the nights on the ship but don’t you dare cancel or you will be charged! I didn’t even want to see what they were serving for dinner in the main dining area as the breakfast and lunches where all the same. Thank God for salad and fresh fruit! The cliental on the ship had me wondering if I was going to be murdered, raped or robbed in my sleep or just walking around. The Family Room Cabin was tiny. And they wanted to everyone in the cabin to pay for alcoholic beverages $ 261 even if they were under age or non drinkers? The workers on the ship were pretty friendly but there were several employees who could not understand English or speak it very well. The intercom in our room stopped working so when announcements where made we couldn’t hear them. We walked in circles looking for this and that on the ship. This was my first cruise and I was a little disappointed. Going back and reading the negative reviews I have to agree with them all. Norwegian is not a very good cruise ship. The Biggest disappointment was the excursion that we never went on because of the water was very choppy and the boat rocked. NCL should have offered another port instead of sitting in the middle of the Ocean all day. All Positive Reviews Are Lies.

I will start by stating that this was my first cruise with NCL. Previously my cruise experience has been with your competitor (Carnival Cruise Ships). I was under the impression that NCL would be a cut above, or so I was told by your customer service agents etc. The initial process of booking this cruise was above par. The rep that assisted me was helpful and knowledgeable to some degree. She provided a great overall experience. This cruise was intended to be a surprise birthday gift for my girlfriend. So I booked a stateroom. I would have upgraded to a better room if it was available. I am so happy I did not upgrade after the fact. I also purchased the dining package, drink, and paid for the service charges upfront. Not to mention the insurance of 99.00 just in case we could not make the trip. So I am well over $ 2200.00 bucks at this time. I know you have other customers paying more than this, but my money is just as important so I will continue. As we parked at the Miami port we were ready for an adventure of a lifetime. As we entered the ship we attended to in a poor manner as the first guest services rep informed me that my name was not on the priority list and started to go back to his job. He was simply cold. Luckily another staff member assisted us and we were able to check in. This is where the crap hits the fan. The overall customer service was flat horrible. The garden café (buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner) was filled with employees that seemed more interested in chatting among each other than assisting the customer. We sat by and watch staff chit chat while our plates filled the table daily. I spent more time asking someone to assist me with the plates than enjoying my meals. The bartenders seemed disinterested in providing a fun experience and simply wanted you to out of the line. I purchased two drink passes (unlimited drinks) and at every turn it seemed this was a problem. When we first arrived on the boat we were able to purchase two drinks on one card since she was right next to me. The second night this was a problem, I was informed that I must present two cards and I was laughed back to my girlfriend, as I was told that I was wrong and no one on this ship would ever allow me to purchase two drinks on one card. You never knew who, and what to do in each encounter with the bartenders as it changed daily. We reserved a birthday dinner at Cagney’s on Nov 23^th. and the service and food was mediocre at best. We felt rushed as the staff constantly attempted to move us along with our dinner. The plating of the food was on a junior high level, I have never seen a plate with just protein and no garnish in my entire life. But, that’s how my steak appeared on my plate. Very disappointing.
Then we tried to drown our sorrows in the casino to see if our luck would change on the aweful ship. When I ran into to a bartender who treated us as if we were bothering him. I noticed that he was tending to the drink orders and asked him if we could order at the bar. He nodded and we sat and waited. He then took my girlfriends drink order (took her card) and served her drink. I then placed my order and he asked for my card. I smiled and asked if we could complete one order at a time. Her car was sitting behind him unattended and I wanted it back in her possession. He refused, yes he refused to complete that transaction without receiving my card. He would not explain why and continued to ask me for my card while refusing to hand me the other card back. He then walked away from us all together. I asked for a manager who came over and apologized and offered us another horrible drink. I was so upset that I went to the Guest Services to speak to a supervisor Liwayway T. who really handled the situation well. She acknowledged the issue properly, but it was evident that she was not surprised by this behavior. She was amazing and even followed up a few days later to see how things were going. She escalated this up the chain of command and I then spoke to Aldo C. He apologized and told me that he would speak to the bartender in the casino when he completed his shift. I was also promised that the Nigel (cruise ship restaurant manager) would be reaching out. He never did via the phone as I promised. He did interrupt our dinner on Wed night to force a conversation about the experience. Which I felt was not professional as I wanted to enjoy the dinner and the wonderful service our waitress was providing. The bigger picture is the lack of responsibility the crew members have… its almost as if they are untouchable. Many staff members passed the buck and always looking not to assist you. Do yourself a favor and book with Royal or not on the NCL Sky. Horrible service…

1^st cruise with Norwegian, I’m disappointed, first night not they fault boat rocked like it was about to tip, pool water and jacuzzi water (salt water) had to be drained, everyone looked drunk on boat from rocking. Buffet style of eating is fine it’s a variety of different foods which is great. Stateroom needed to be recleaned last passenger’s hair was in bathroom and desk area, along with a used band aide, good thing we brought clorox wipes. One port of call was canceled, nothing was offered besides BBQ on the deck and you played musical chairs, Guest services couldn’t explain $ 13.50 ser charge on guest card, but later found out it was gratuity for the next 3 days, when online it was $ 12.95, thinking refund me something since one day was wasted nothing was offered not even a gift shop credit, but you will find nice things in gift shop liquor was priced well, also turn your phones to airplane mode so you won’t be charged unless you just that important

Three close friends and I decided to take a four day spring break cruise leaving from Miami, FL. In 2015. The ship was a little outdated but very accommodating. It was peak season for spring breakers so be aware of what time of year you book. I would not recommend this time for any family, especially with children! It was filled with people ranging from 20 – 30 years old.
You are not allowed to purchase the alcohol bundle package during spring break season for obvious reasons but the bars are always open aboard. At the end of the trip my bill came out to about $ 400.00 for liquor. I saw many people bring liquor bottles in their suitcases even though you are not allowed to.
The shows weren’t the best but they were somewhat entertaining. I would highly recommend you do every game, competition, karaōke, dance, and excursion the cruise has to offer! I did snorkeling, which was a blast! We were going to do paddle boarding but the weather did not call for it. I met so many fun and interesting people aboard who I still keep in contact with.
One downside of the cruise was the food… If you are looking for a greasy meal, the buffet is always open! The restaurants are not the best but the staff was great. One night we had someone by the name of Strawberry who made us laugh the entire time!
This cruise ship is what YOU make of it, so have fun and get some color! I would highly recommend this to anyone on a budget who is looking for some fun in the sun!

NCL Sky cruise ship was okay. I suggest the NCL Sky to the Bahamas for 1^st time cruisers. This was my second time cruising with NCL, so I couldn’t help but compare everything to the NCL Breakaway.
Took the 4 nights cruise out of Miami from ⁷⁄₆ to ⁷⁄₁₀. Embarkation was quick.
Had a portal window room. The bathroom was tiny. Felt like a time capsule/​space portal. Tiny shower, tiny toilet in which you couldn’t even sit correctly, tiny sink. All furnishings were very old. Room smelled weird. Hallways smelled wired.
Getting to the complimentary restaurants was very confusing as they were in the forward and aft of the ship, and you had to take an additional staircase to get to them. Service was very slow at the Palace restaurant. And I mean painfully slow.
Shows were interesting. Excursions were okay. Get the stingray excursions for great stirrup cay, was the best excursion experience I ever had. The straw markets in Nassau and lucaya all sell the same items. Nothing very special. Loved great stirrup cay as it was a private island. Don’t even have to bring money onto the island since food and activities was provided. The beach water was very calm. Sand was clean.

The Norwegian Pearl is absolutely beautiful.
From check in to check out, everything ran smoothly. The food, entertainment, the different bars, all fantastic. This is a great weekend getaway that I highly recommend.
They also had a very interactive Murder Mystery lunch that was really cool. The food was very good and excellent service.

This review is for the 3-​night weekend cruise to Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.
This isn’t the first time I have done this cruise — I did it back in 2005 and I remember it being less than stellar. I swore I would not do Norwegian again however, everyone was telling me it was just awesome now and that they have really improved… nope!
I will say this, while the service is slow and they incorrectly charged me not once, but twice (another time the bartender insisted that a tequila sunrise was a Margarita), they are very, very, nice! That is the best thing I have to say about them. They have incredibly NICE servers.
Pros:
— Quick little weekend getaway for a reasonable price. Great way to escape and unwind!
— Very nice servers.
— Freestyle Cruising, meaning you can eat at whatever time and you don’t have to dress up — so great on a 3 day cruise where you wanna be in shorts and flip flops all day!
Cons:
— Slow service. One morning breakfast at the main dining room took almost 2 hours.
— Our bed had to be changed twice — kept sinking
— The battery in our in room safe died — had to be replaced.
— Toilets on many decks (including ours) were broken. No flushing — huge maintenance issue.
— Pool was out of commission for 2 days (this was a 3 day cruise)
— Food was «eh, whatever»
— The main dining rooms were not open for lunch. Your only option for lunch was the buffet. On Royal Caribbean, the main dining rooms are always open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
— Entertainment was «eh, whatever.» The comedian though was SPECTACULAR! Especially the adult show!
— Ship is old and it shows. Common areas and many of the bars are small.
–Water tastes TERRIBLE every now and again; and when you say something, they tell you «sorry, that’s how it is.» Only once did a server go to another area to get me water that did not taste like poop which means «no, that’s NOT how it is!»
Would I go on Norwegian again? Maybe — but definitely not the 3 day cruise. I would go on a newer ship. But even before doing that, I would go on Royal Caribbean unless Norwegian had some outrageously good deal on a newer ship like the Epic

I thoroughly enjoyed my cruise! The food was delicious! The drinks were spectacular!
I really appreciated the «freestyle-​dining». I got to eat when I want and with who I wanted. Great idea!
Also, I loved that they had an LGBT gathering! I made some great friends that I still connect with!
…and it’s the first time I won money at a casino!

WOW!!! Where do I start?! This trip was perfect. We did the 4 day Bahama cruise as our first cruise. The staff was friendly and welcoming from when we first got on the boat. Our room was ready when we arrived. We went to get lunch and a drink outside before we left. All of the Norwegian staff was helpful and willing to answer questions at anytime. Rodolfo and Melica at the Atrium bar were awesome. They always remembered our name and were very friendly. They were a great team! Melvin had the best live music in the Atrium bar at night.
Norwegian Sky–
*clean rooms
*awesome bartenders… especially at the Atrium bar
*delicious food… always available
*great locations each day… Miami, Grand Bahama Island, Nassau, and Stirrup Cay. The crew made it fun and easy to get on and off the boat at the ports.
This was our first cruise but I know it will not be our last. Next time we plan a cruise… we will only cruise with Norwegian!

This is our first cruise with SKY and we do not have much data to compare with. However overall experience was okay except food was not that good. Being a Muslim, we can’t eat regular meat and do not expect halal or kosher meat but they did not provide enough seafood. Restaurants were okay but again not enough seafood. Staff was very courteous and friendly. Although the ship was one of the oldest ship but it was remodelled and was okay. Price was also reasonable but expect to spend another $ 250 person on top of the cruise initial price. Please note that this does not include any liquor.
Again overall we feel that this is a good cruise for the first timers.

We were on the «Pearl». Loved loved loved this ship. You can eat when you want to at the main dining room. Great food and staff, was very enjoyable.
The hairstylist was EXCELLENT in putting my long hair up for elegant night.
This ship had a vollyball court in the back of the ship, we played against the crew. Sooooo much fun! They also had ALOT of fun games, conquest being the crazy game for adults only.
We went close to Christmas so the ship had Christmas trees, décor that was very elegant and nice.
The room was good. Very bright coloqred carpet, clean and cheery.
Had a great time, met some great couples that we keep in touch with.
WILL definetly cruise with this ship again.

Norwegian Sky was the cruise we went on. It was our first time cruising as freestyle cruising where you dine whenever you choose. I can say its not for me. Why? The food was not good at all. It was like eating in a public school cafeteria. The first day we dined at the main buffet for lunch and that was enough for me. Every other evening we chose to dine in the main dining room which was not that much better. On our last evening we upgraded with a small fee of $ 15 per person to dine at Il Adagio, Italian cuisine.
I must say the service was the best we experienced in Il Adagio, our two servers were excellent. The food again was just not impressive at all. Then in the middle of our dining the maître D came over to ask is everything was ok. If you ask I will tell you! I told him I realized it was not his fault but our table was underneath the basketball court so imagine trying to have a nice dinner and conversation and all you hear are BALLS banging on the floor above your head non stop. He said they were suppose to stop playing at a certain hour. Well ok but they didn’t. He could really care less and walked from our table quickly.
The ship itself is old, terrible design, awful décor and some very pushy rude staff. I have never experienced such rude service on any cruise line like this trip. I normally really love Norwegian but this ship was a huge turn off for me.
What we paid was reasonable but I think next time I will go with another cruise line.
The rooms were a decent size. Our group had fun because we made it fun but it was difficult at times. We walked out of the Vegas show because it was so bad and boring.
Not all was awful the adult only comedy show was quite funny and the adult game show was a lot of fun. Yes our team won! Jordan and Chris from the jewelry store were incredibly great but they were the few on this ship.
The stores on the ship were boring. This is the first time I never purchased anything other than alcohol. The liquor store had a guy working who looked like he wanted to rip everyone’s head off. He was so miserable.
I have cruised way to much to find this ship even acceptable. There were so many turn offs but I will not bore you with all the details.
All in all our group made it fun but next time we will choose another cruise line.

NORWEGIAN SKY:
We made the best out of a less than stellar experience, but I had to share. I took these cruise with 5 other women for a bachelorette cruise.
The cruise was cheap (but not THAT cheap) so you still expect some things…
The ship is older but still in decent condition. The décor is awful. Plain, nothing special. Looks like a holiday inn…
I would say about 60% of the staff were great and 40% were absolutely awful. We encountered some very rude people. There was a man in the gift shop who wouldn’t give us the time of day, wouldn’t talk, just shook his head. On the other hand the Retail Manager, Jordan, was amazing. Very helpful and fun. NOT BAD ON THE EYES EITHER!
There was Chris in the jewelry store who was exceptional. Much of the waitstaff in the dining rooms were nice enough. The bartenders by the pool were WAY too pushy. The bartenders at Great Stirrup Cay were awful and very rude!
ALL of the public restrooms on the ship were dirty and never stocked.
The layout of the ship is just awful. It was very difficult to get to some of the restaurants and lounges.
The Italian specialty restaurant is UNDERNEATH the basketball court, so while we paid $ 15 extra to have a nice, enjoyable, special evening, all we heard were people running back and forth and balls dribbling. It was awful.
Seating was difficult in the buffet at all times. The Freestyle idea… NOT A FAN.
The food overall was just okay. The dining room, Crossings, was the worst. Much of the food came out cold. Everything was in a cream sauce. The desserts were still frozen and tasted like plastic.
The pools would have been nice, especially because there is an adults only pool. LOVE THAT! But they were ice-​cold. I don’t understand why they weren’t heated.
Getting off at Nassau was easy, as was getting back on. I have to say the best part of this cruise was Señor Frogs…
Getting off at Great Stirrup Cay was difficult and annoying. They made you get tender tickets and you had to wait to be called. We waited long enough to go with the open call but then we waited in line for 40 minutes to get off. Getting back on was much easier. The shore excursions here were boring. There wasn’t something for everyone…
I will say we just had a porthole room but it was pretty spacious, even for 3 people. However, the steward was pretty awful. We had to call for ice about 3 times a day and wait an hour for it. Water temp in the bathroom was hard to control. It was either scorching or freezing.
The nightly entertainment was decent. There was a great comedian on board, really enjoyed his show. They were doing the show VEGAS! which was pretty bad, I have to say. The DJ n the club was good. Got a lot of people dancing. The best part is always the Adult Quest game, which is like a scavenger hunt of sorts. GOT A LITTLE RAUNCHY, loved it.
I could go on… but I will save you.
Look, people always say that Norwegian is so much better than Carnival, etc. BUT I have been on many cruises and this was the worst one yet. Carnival beats this ship any day… FOOD, ATMOSPHERE, CREW, etc. But if you want something cheap, boring, with just ok food… then here you go!

This was an okay cruise to me, I have to say I had better though.
Our maid was pretty good, she cleaned everything and made our 3^rd bed everyday at night and put it back to a couch at the day time. However, my family who got a different room had a maid that wasn’t as good. They only made the bed and cleaned nothing – so it depends on who you get.
The room itself is a little cramped, especially the entrance. The bed isn’t desirable, but it’s fair enough. The closets are hard to open and sometimes the doors of the closet and bathroom block the entrance.
The rest of the boat was nice. It was clean and nicely decorated. There are activities you can do and nice shows as well. The buffet food was always the same, so you get tired of it. The sit in restaurants were pretty nice, good food too. The food wasn’t as good as I wanted it either. The steak seemed cheap too. The fruits were good though. I do recommend the salmon though. Oh! Hated the soup. Most of the soup had nothing but the soup broth.
Some of the waiters are nice and some of them are… not so nice. Our food was often cold and it took awhile. Drinks were also hard to get, so order your drinks nice and early. On our last night, we had good waiters as we got our food quickly, they kept our table clean, and they were very friendly with us.
On our last full day, we hit winds, so unfortunately we were unable to do to the private island. It was a rocky way back home.
Also, we went on a New Year’s time cruise. First of all, we were 5 minutes late on the count down SO we could use the other ship’s fire works! So we had no fireworks and we celebrated New Years LATE.
I could stay here again, but it was an okay cruise.

Travel Dates: Nov 21 – 24, 2014
Ship: Sky
Destination: Nassau, Bahamas and {Great Stirrup Cay (Cross that)} Spent A day Out at Sea
Scale of 1 – 5 how pissed/​disappointed I am by this trip: 5. (5 is the most disappointed)
We’ll make this short or else my pissed off fingers will kill the keyboard.
So this is my FIRST cruise EVER, and so I was hit by many a surprises.
1. FEEs– Everyone talks about the food, how good or bad it is, or how awesome a trip was. But noone ever talks about the ENDLESS plethora of fee’s we cruisers are hit with. I bought my cruise with costco with an initial price of $ 130. Had a talking with an agent to talk about how many ppl are going, and yada… yadaa. yada. and then BOOM, total comes out to be $ 221. WHAT?! But wait, it gets better. Each person is hit with an additional $ 12 per day! So the total was actually $ 275. Effin bloodsuckers and other forms that suck. There’s nothing that I hate more than hidden fees.
2. FOOD– aaaa yes I had to do the food. We get 3 complimentary places to eat: 1 buffet and 2 «fine» dining restaurants. «Better» food is supposedly served in a section called Specialty dining, but you have to pay extra/​person. We noticed that the menu for both complimentary dining areas had the same menus each night. The restaurants are located on the same floor at each ends of the ship. That leads one to the assumption that the kitchen is in the middle. Make sense, cheap food, same kitchen. But the thing that really irks me is the wording they use. Example: Chicken Consumme aka chicken noodle soup. OR Blanquette de Veau aka Sloppy chicken glob. In the end I rather eat the buffet than the «fine» dining, at least you can see what you’re gonna get
3. Activities — On the third day, we were supposed to be on Great Stirrup Cay, but they deemed it «unsafe» to tender, so they canceled the trip. Instead, they decided to spend the day «Out at Sea» aka meander around, save gas while they slowly wade towards miami port. Anyway, they added new activities that were supposed to keep us entertained the entire day. Nope, they were pretty lame events. Bingo… deal or no deal? ugh… ping pong tournament. that was lame too. Although the redeeming event was the staff talent show, they did good. There was a good beat boxer and I love their Fountain show.
Hate:Outrageous fees, food, activities,
Love: The employees are extremely nice, courteous, and extremely pleasant to deal with, pretty boat,
This trip was a terrible trip overall, rained the ENTIRE time… except on the last day. But no matter if I had a wonderful time on the island, the cruise was still a sham. This is one cruiser they’ll never trick again.
NOOO BUENO!!!

This review is for the 3-​night weekend cruise to Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.
I have been cruising since 1992 and have gradually seen the cruise industry decline, more so in the last few years.
*Sigh*, where to begin. Let’s begin by stating that we managed to get an amazing rate for this cruise. Even knowing this was a «deal», I was still terribly disappointed. I may have just jumped ship had I paid the going rate prior to sailing.
PROS:
Disconnected from cellular devices and social media
Caught up on sleep
Spent 6 hours on an island in the Bahamas
Discovered a good bottle of Spanish wine
Room attendant was very nice and the cabin seemed clean
Freestyle dining is a big plus
Drinks had a good amount of alcohol (thank God)
Lounging around the empty deck while most guests were in Nassau was great
CONS:
I’ve had better food while in the hospital
The food was terrible, to the point my rice was hard and not thoroughly cooked (makes you wonder about everything else being undercooked!)
Let’s repeat for emphasis: THE FOOD SUCKED
The service in the dining rooms which are included in your fare is terrible
The buffet on the 11^th floor is terrible as well
One of our waiters smelled as if he hadn’t showered in quite a few weeks
Common areas and corridors had a very funky smell (a combination of elementary school cafeteria, banquet hall, hospital and sewer)
I think you catch my drift. If you decide to take this or the 4-​night sailing, I strongly suggest booking the specialty restaurants for each and every night. Not sure of any other option for breakfast and lunch as the buffet becomes chaotic and the bowl they scoop the «eggs» from for the omlettes was quite disturbing. I realized on the first night that I would be overloading on carbs (mainly bread) for the next 3 days.
It seems they are making it so that you find no other option but to spend an extra $ 20 – 30 per person, plus tax and tip, per night. This is their goal. They have cut so many corners that I find it insulting.
As far as entertainment, we honestly didn’t take advantage of most of it. The shows and jokes are the same ones I’ve been seeing and hearing for over 20 years. The White Party is a new twist which I can appreciate, if you don’t mind the ratchetness. Our go-​to spots were the piano bar and the lounge at the very top which had an acoustic singer, island band, etc.
We didn’t get off the ship in Nassau because we’ve been countless times. The private island was nice and clean with plenty of options for water sports.
Lastly, we sailed on this same ship, same itinerary exactly 1 year ago. The decline in quality and service is noticeable. I don’t think I will be cruising anytime soon… Bön Voyage!

Travel dates: Aug 11 – 15 2014
Ship: Sky
First Cruise
Ok so I won’t go into a huge review about my time with Norweigen but I will give small tips for first time cruisers that I notice ALOT of people leave out. So here it goes
1. Get a balcony suite! Invest my friends it’s completely worth it. I don’t like feeling stuffy in a room and honestly four days is a long time without a space where you can step out and breathe in fresh air. Best investment me and my partner made.
2. Hit up the buffets! I don’t get where people get off saying the food is bad. Unless you are a chef at home and cook ridiculous meals every night. My partner and I couldn’t get enough of the fresh fruits every morning and amazing selection every night with meats and different varieties of rice. Just amazing!
3. Watch the shows! Our cruise director was bobby and the assistant was Tyler! We couldn’t catch our breath from how hysterical they were during the shows. We would book another cruise just to be in their presence again :)
4. Nassau is great but wow do they harass you. That’s the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars. My partner and I felt extremely pressured to buy tours and scooters from the locals and I wish the cruise lines would step up and not allow so many people to crowd you once you’re off the boat. But I get the impression that’s not something they can control. But don’t BUY ANYTHING from them. Go to shore excursions and buy the packages there. Or if you just wanna sight see go to señor frogs that is 6 mins up the street walking distance. It’s the best time we had the whole vacation!
Ok so this was long! But if you read it up to this point then I’ll give one last tip. This cruiseline is for people in their last twenties early thirties. This isn’t a party ship. Honestly my partner and I were some of the youngest people there and found ourselves sometimes having too much fun compared to our fellow travelers. But it’s beautiful and our suite was amazing and you will really enjoy it if you’re honeymooning and don’t want a crazy crowd around.

Being my FIRST cruise I can’t really measure «SKY» against other cruises, but overall it wasn’t bad at all. I will go into some detail and my reviews have no filter. So if you’re easily offended. STOP READING NOW!
— Cleanliness was good, considering the amount of people on board. Our rooms were clean and maintained upon request no complaints.
— Friendliness was great, everyone seemed very polite and professional. It does help that the majority of the crew are from the Philippines, the nicest people possibly in the world.
— Dining was ok definitely room for improvement. I’m not a buffet style person, but it was well maintained and the food was always hot and fresh. The fruits were delicious and ripe! Skip the dining rooms, we received cold food on a couple occasions.
— Crowds, although Norwegian has no control in this category it’s good for future reference. I do not mean for this to sound racial, but when they’re FACTS! I must advise future customers.
If I could put the majority ethnic population of Hialeah on a ONE-​WAY cruise, I would gladly pay the way. They literally act like animals and have no regard or concern for others around them. My apologies to the one or two individuals that this does not apply to, but the vast majority are ANIMALS! No offense to actual animals.
–Overall, I probably would not return on this particular cruise ship but look forward to trying other Norwegian ships.
Oh! Ps DO NOT BRING AN IRON. Lol rookie mistake I guess

We went on a cruise with Carnival, so we aren’t strangers to cruising. We took our two teen daughters with us for Spring Break.
We had room 9201, which is the owners suite on the Sky. We had the owners suite on Carnival as well. The room was not as big as the Carnival room, but it was much cleaner, and it had a hot tub on the deck. We were offered 3 large bottles of liquor. We aren’t drinkers so we had a little from one, but left the rest. It’s a great deal for people who like to party, as you wouldn’t have to ever buy alcohol. Also, room service was awesome! Who doesn’t love to order cheesecake at 1am? :)
We were pleasantly surprised at how clean everything was on the ship. People were always cleaning, and it always smelled very fresh. Everyone was always smiling and saying hello. We loved that!
Our concierge was very nice too. She made sure we always had what we needed, and even hooked us up with meeting the captain and getting a tour of the bridge! The captain was very nice and we felt very safe knowing he was in control.
The food was very good! I would suggest eating in the dining rooms instead of the buffet. The buffet food looked like fast food, but the dining rooms had excellent food and tasted so good! Our salads were very fresh, and the meat was cooked just right.
The entertainment was amazing. We watched a few shows in the theater, and they were entertaining and well thought out. Our girls always had plenty to do at the teen club, and we rarely saw them– as they were having so much fun with their new friends.
The first island, the NCL island was boring… So we only stayed a couple hours. Nassau was nice, but I think they overcharged with Atlantis. You are paying for the pretty sites and not so much what they have to offer, as there were only a few water slides which hurt your butt, and an aquarium. The lazy river was very cool though. I would love to do that again. :). We would have been happy to stay on the ship the whole time.
We will definitely choose NCL when we cruise again!