Norwegian Sky Review

We will sail again!

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Sky
User Avatar
sparks1093
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2009
Cabin: Family Inside
Traveled with children

Just got back from the 4/20 trip on the Sky. Because everyone is different I'll give some demographic info about my family first. I'm 50, my wife is 42 and we've been on one weekend cruise with NCL before this. We have 5 boys ages 12 thru 17 that went with us. We have not had a lot of experience with fine dining as a family because of the expense and the boys have only recently started trying new foods so our home menu tends to be a basic meat and potatoes one. Our 14 year old has Asperger's syndrome, which is a high functioning form of autism. This was only our second official family vacation.

We drove from Vermont to Miami and found the port easily with Garmin's help. Our luggage was handed over to the porter and the parking garage posed no problems (long term parking is $20 per day payable in cash in advance). We got into the terminal and started the check in process at 1:05 pm and were onboard at 1:30 (takes awhile to check in 7 people, others were moving quicker). Got onboard, went to the Atrium Deck 5, bought the soda cards for the boys (well worth it if you drink 4 or more sodas a day) and visited the credit desk to set up the room cards the way we wanted as far as charges go. We had eaten and registered the kids with the teen and kids crew program by 2:30. Our cabins were forward on deck 7 and we had two- three of us in one cabin and four in the other. It was cozy but the only time we were all in the cabin was at night when we were sleeping.

We had a quick bite at the Garden Cafe for lunch and I didn't find it too bad for buffet food. Iced tea and coffee were available throughout the day. (The second day I bought an insulated cup from the gift shop for my coffee because I like large quantities of it and the cups were too small). As others have remarked the layout of the buffet does leave something to be desired, it does not flow well. We walked around the ship to orient ourselves while we waited for the boat drill. The drill was conducted and seemed to be as organized as such things can be with 2,000 people. We stowed our lifejackets and went topside to watch our departure. They had a sail away party/cookout on the pool deck and some of the boys decided to eat there for dinner. I couldn't look at another burger after all of the fast food we ate on the way down, so DW, I and two of the boys went to the Palace MDR. Everyone else was up on the pool deck so we had the dining room almost to ourselves. The staff was friendly, the service was great and the food was good. The menu changed daily but NCL has several items that are available every day (such as sirloin steak, chicken breast, tortellini). Our 14 year old loved the Palace MDR and often would go back between 9 and 10 to eat by himself.

Cabin Review

Family Inside

Cabin I1
previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Sky Cruise from $99

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.