My husband and I took our first cruise ever with NCL back in February 2010. We had a balcony room on the Jewel and aside from the college kids on spring break and the western caribbean ports, we had a great time and planned to cruise again. We ended up with a last minute week free in July and the only cruise we could book with for our family was the 4 day Bahamas trip on the Sky. We had two cabins so our teens were next door and our 9 year old on the very uncomfortable pull out in our room. Although the rooms were spotless, they were more than "tired" as was the entire ship. The shower was way too small, shampoo dispenser missing,never enough towels, and the hand soap dispenser kept falling off. On the Jewel we had a regular size hair dryer, bathrobes and a much larger stateroom. So from a stateroom stand point, it was already a disappointment. On the Jewel we planned to eat in the specialty restaurants but with a family of 5 on the Sky, we went to the main dining room. The food was mediocre at best. During each dinner the seafood was dried out and chewy and the pasta crunchy. It was impossible to get a drink and aside from breakfast in the Palace, the waiters were rude.

It was difficult to choose excursions for a family of 2 adults, 2 older teens and a younger child. So, we split up. The first day my husband and the teens went off roading on a Jeep in Freeport and had a good time. I stayed on the ship with my younger daughter. In Nassau we had planned to visit the Atlantis Resort but were told by the ship's excursion desk that it was completely sold out. Instead we hired a taxi and just drove around a while. On the last day, the wait on board for the tender boats to the private island was disorganized chaos. Those of us waiting on the stairwell were pushed farther back by passengers coming onto the lower the deck via the elevator. I was separated from my family when I needed to use the rest room. My entire family got on a tender boat and I got back in line at the same time the captain announced it was unsafe for further tender boats to leave for the island due to a tropical depression. I spent the day alone on the Sky, my family wondering where I was on the private island.

The entertainment was fun but again, as a family we had to continually split up due to age restrictions. In every club or bar there are too many servers pushing drinks walking around. It gets difficult to enjoy the entertainment. For the most part we did have fun. My husband and I are planning our next cruise but not with NCL. We are looking for better food & service and a more sophisticated crowd. Too many drunks and bad behavior from guests on the Sky.