After reading reviews here, I was leery about this trip. It was my fifth cruise, first on Norwegian, with an itinerary I was really excited about. I’m happy to report that I had a great time cruising to Cuba on the Norwegian Sky. Embarking in Miami was a breeze and we were on the ship by 1 pm enjoying lunch in the dining room. We enjoyed complimentary drinks and explored the small comfortable, ship. I didn’t notice any sewer smells that other reviewers have commented on. It was a little dated, but clean. Our cabin, 8060, had a porthole window, was cozy and clean. It was conveniently located near dining options. The bed was a little hard, but I slept OK. As others have reported our stop on the private island was cancelled due to wave conditions but we still enjoyed a day at sea. The pool decks were crowded and I found a nice row of secluded lounge chairs on Deck 6, the jogging deck. I’m not a fan of buffets so we ate most meals in the Crossings main dining room and found them to be tasty, enough variety, with good service. Not 5-star but certainly acceptable. We had a few late afternoon snacks at the Great Outdoors café that were fun – burgers and fries. Dinner at Il Adagio was our best meal, very good with lovely service. The only negative dining experience was at Le Bistro on our first night. I was dining alone with a reservation and was seated for over 20 minutes without any service so I simply stood up and walked out and staff quickly ran to track me down and treated me much better after that. Other guests I talked to also complained about service at Le Bistro. We enjoyed a magic show one night in the theater and several trivia games and activities around the ship. The White Party was really fun with music and great energy. I did not care for the inclusive chardonnay served on the ship but the pinot grigio wasn’t bad and the mojito’s and cocktails were even better. Bartenders were friendly and drinks were plentiful. The shops on board were lacking and that saved us some money. LOL. The ship internet service was very slow so purchasing by the minute is not efficient. As a non-smoker I avoided the Champs outdoor bar, which reeked of cigarettes. Checking out was easy – our bill arrived on the last morning and everything was correct. We had a nice breakfast, went back to our room, packed up and walked off the ship with our suitcases. I had planned to call an Uber to the airport but a van driver offered us an immediate trip for less so we hopped in and were at the airport in 20 minutes. Read Less

We opted to upgrade to a Suite and it was well worth it. We enjoyed breakfast and lunch at Cagney's where the service and food were wonderful! There were always options to feast available on this ship. Ordering pizza late at night, sitting on our balcony with a bottle of wine is what we did after a day of exploring. Our room was kept impeccable by the Steward and he greeted us every day with a smile. This was my first time in Key West. We took a trolley around the city. Definitely worth the money. Our only complaint is with the wi-fi. We paid for the Premium package and it was slow at best. The staff was very accommodating in trying to rectify it. Ship is very clean and updated. Unlimited open bar always a plus. We would highly recommend Norwegian! We next plan to try the Cuba Cruise. Read Less

Choose the Sky as we wanted to go back to Atlantis and to Key West for the first time. The Sky is an older ship but was in decent shape. We're told it was going for a dry dock right after our cruise and thankfully we saw no pre work being done. The entertainment was Decent and the food was average. We found the Dinning room sub par compared to other Norwegian ships. The specialty restaurants were good. We went to the steak house and the Italian restaurants. Great stirrup Cay was a fun island with a nice shallow beach. All food and drink was included. Service was good and cabin kept clean. The only bad smell on the ship was from the smokers in the Casino. The outdoor buffet section on the back of the ship was a nice alternative. It is covered by an awning. Seating in the main buffet can be crowded but this aft area and the pool deck had takes for over flow. Read Less

My wife and I love to cruise, so when we saw this one included all beverages we decided to sail Norwegian this time. I had read a lot of reviews and noted a lot of them mentioned the odor of sewage on the ship. We still decided to go and thought maybe it was a fluke. We get to the port to board and the employee checking us in was absolutely MISERABLE! She barely made eye contact with either of us and didn't offer us a map of the ship, luckily we found one on our own. When it was our turn to board, we followed all the other passengers who has boarded ahead of us (we were group 2). We were greeted with more unpleasant staff who would not let us proceed forward to board because we went thr wrong way. Instead of explaining where to go the just told us the entry was directly beside us. Once on the ship my wife and I immediately noticed the foul odor of sewage. This odor remained the entire cruise. Inside the Dazzels club where the art auction was held the room smelled terribly, like smelly feet. The alcohol was free, however the beer tasted awful! Like it was skunked. The mixed frozen drinks had hardly any alcohol in them and getting a pleasant bartender was impossible. Thank God we found Petar he was wonderful! Our first day at Key West, we booked a boat tour, it got cancelled due to lack of interest. We weren't even given a chance to schedule an alternate shore excursion. The food was also awful at the buffets. Same exact menu everyday. The food at Le Bistro, Crossroads Cafe, and The Palace was very good! The room was good and the bed was comfortable. However, the TV was hazy and basically 2 channels you could watch. Read Less

I was very disappointed with this cruise and do not recommend it if you want good food, quality Jacuzzi/Pool Lounge time, and fun things to do. If you want an all-you-can-drink, loud in-your-face pool experience and on older ship without many amenities this may be for you. Positives: (1) Cabin was fine. 4 stars. (2) Dinner at main restaurants had good variety and tasted good. 4 stars (3) Service throughout ship was very good and professional. 4.5 stars. (4) Saw three nights of shows (comedian, ship singers/dancers, magic) and think they rated as 4 stars. Negatives: (1) Outside of dinner, the rest of the food was fairly awful. The breakfast was very limited to eggs, bacon, sausage and items that one would find at a complementary hotel chain breakfast. And, there was always a line to get this. When returning to the ship around 4pm, the only available option is the outdoor garden cafe, which has hotdogs, hamburgers as primary fare, with little else. And, there was a line to get this too. Seriously? This is not what I would expect on a cruise ship. We might have gone to specialty restaurants but were upset that they were all a la carte. On my RCL cruises, we paid a nominal per person upcharge of $25/$30 for Italian or Steak places and then ordered off the menu. Here, we would have to pay per item as though we were back on land and the prices didn't even seem to reflect that we were already paying for dinner. (2) Pool Deck (Deck 11): There was a single medium size pool near the band/activity area that was often crowded and very loud. On other cruises, there were many moments of chill music (reggae, caribbean, etc.) where you could lounge in the hot tub and soak in the sun. Here, it felt like in-your-face music or activity in that space all the time. It made the whole area hard to enjoy. On my RCL cruises, there was also the adult only solarium where we could chill out and talk. (3) Amenities: It is an older ship so frankly, there's just not a lot to do. So, given that the food was not very good, few amenities, in-your-face pool experience, it greatly diminished our enjoyment. Other NCL ships might be a lot better but I really wish we had done more research on this ship. (4) Cabin -- Although I liked our cabin (149 sf oceanview cabin), it had a single outlet. That seems crazy for any electronics (ie, cell phone charging, etc.). Read Less

This was our First time cruise and we wanted to have an all inclusive one, and this one included all the drinks as well as some great stops along the way to the Bahama's. All the staff was wonderful. Our room was a balcony which we loved, being able to look out at the stars at night and each morning waking up to see the sunrise was just breathtaking. The ship was clean, dining was excellent, entertainment was outstanding. The shore excursions were some of the best tours we have ever been on. We were entertained by the guides and loved all the sights we got to see for the first time in Key West as well. The service throughout the entire cruise was just awesome. We started every morning waking at about 6 am and ended every night about midnight with a walk on the promenade deck before heading back to our spacious cabin It was truly a delight. We are already planning our next adventure and are looking forward to adding another 4 couples to go with us as well. Read Less

This trip was a bit of a whim, but turned out to exceed our expectations! We sailed from Miami to Key West, Grand Bahama Island, Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau on a 5 night trip on the Norwegian Sky on January 16th. The boarding process was the smoothest I've ever experienced and we were on the ship having lunch and drinks by 12:30 p.m. on day one. Overall the food on this ship was great, particularly the two main dining rooms. The ports were all enjoyable and offered plenty of options at each one. I especially loved the trip to Atlantis in Nassau--an amazing facility in and out. Though the cabin was slightly smaller than other ships we've been on, it still had adequate storage areas for the length of this itinerary. The freestyle dining option had plusses and minuses--we enjoyed walking in as our needs dictated, but missed the personal connection and attention from a dedicated waitstaff. There were multiple bars and lounges and entertainment in each of them. My only wish was for at least one spot for a nightcap that was quiet--that was hard to find here. Disembarkation was as smooth and speedy as the embarkation and ground transportation was plentiful. Overall, an outstanding trip with very few weak spots. Read Less

This review is from the perspective of a husband and wife, middle-aged, and "half glass full" kind of people. We sailed out of Miami and the embarkation was smooth and pretty quick, as we were in the first boarding group, from 12-12:30pm. Disembarkation was also quick and going through Customs was a breeze - all they did was check our passports. I was surprised they didn't check our luggage or that we didn't have to fill out any declaration paperwork. Maybe because of the (as of this writing) government shutdown they are not fully staffed. Anyway, it worked in our favor. Our cruise was open bar, so you could just walk up to any bar and order something with no need to show your cabin card. And the liquor was quality stuff, not some no-name, off-brand offering. Bloody Mary's were made with Tito's vodka, for example, at least when I watched them make them. Like Jack Daniel's on the rocks? No problem. My only issue - and this is admittedly minor - was that they didn't make Cuba Libre's (rum & Coke) with Coke, only Pepsi, since they have an agreement with Pepsi. Drinkers can taste the difference so if you typically order something mixed with Coke, it'll be Pepsi. The bar staff were not particularly friendly but I imagine that's because they were getting pummeled with requests and were more intent on providing fast service, than service with a smile. We understood, liked the quick service and didn't take offense. We chose to dine in one of the main dining rooms, to evaluate the food and service. I'll just say right now, guys, don't bother packing a suit. Ladies, no need to bring the fancy dresses. On the first night, I wore a suit and tie and my wife also dressed up. As it turns out, it wasn't necessary to dress up (as is typical on other cruises) since the dress code was very relaxed, according to the onboard documentation (as opposed to what we read on the NCL website). So, everyone looked at us like we were crazy and subsequent nights I wore a nice linen shirt with a pair of shorts and decent shoes and we fit right in. Some people took it to extremes and wore sweatpants and ratty t-shirts and baseball caps and they were not refused service. I'm not sure I like the casual dress in the dining rooms, but I certainly won't argue with being comfortable! The food was excellent - full of flavor and properly cooked - and the menu changed daily. All meals were served so you could start eating immediately - no waiting for your food to cool down. The "suggested" wines each night were in the $30 range and we opted for one that turned out very well, although I don't recall the name. There were additional wines one could choose from their wine list. The wait staff were friendly and accommodating and each night we got someone new. One server, Arun, was particularly good. Probably the most disappointing part of the cruise - and this is my fault for choosing it - was the excursion in Freeport. We chose the "Bahamas Adventures Beach Day" (with lunch included). The "front" staff, who got you onto the bus and dropped you off, were very nice but once you were there the employees for the most part were NOT smiling, happy people ready to provide a nice experience. It looked like they were genuinely pissed off to serve us, despite our smiles and courtesy when ordering. The only redeeming quality of the excursion was the fact that you could walk the beach and find sea glass. It was too cold to snorkel in January. Definitely not going to use any of the "Bahamas Adventures" excursions from now on, if that's an example of their staffing. Conversely, the "Blue Lagoon" excursion (which I had done before) had friendly, helpful staff and a wonderful physical environment, especially if you have kids. The lagoon is not very deep at all and is very safe for the little rodents to splash around in. Snorkeling there is okay for those of us with experience, but only at high tide. For kids learning to snorkel, it's an excellent, safe environment and they'll see plenty of little fish. The lunch was typical buffet fare and the burgers were good. Bring your credit card so you can order drinks. If you like dark beer, they have Guinness Stout, something the cruise ship didn't have. Don't bother walking around Port Lucaya (Freeport) or Nassau unless you want to get hammered by street vendors. Also, the U.S. Department of State has issued travel advisories for The Bahamas, particularly the islands that include Nassau and Freeport: "Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assault is common, even during daylight hours and in tourist areas. U.S. government personnel are not permitted to visit the Sand Trap area in Nassau due to crime. Jet-ski operators are known to commit sexual assaults against tourists, including minors. As a result, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to use jet-ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Islands." Go here for more information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Bahamas.html The Great Stirrup Cay excursion, which is NCL's private island, was easily the best excursion. There is plenty of space to find your little piece of paradise, the drinks were still at no cost & there were several bars, palm and fig trees everywhere for shade and the water was excellent. They keep the island clean. Great place to snorkel, although they no longer let you get too close to the rocks. It would have been a perfect experience had it not been for the smokers everywhere, so be prepared to move if a couple of smokers set up upwind behind you. (I smoked for 20 years and no longer care to smell someone else's.) Scope out the island and have a couple of options laid out, as there are different beaches you can occupy. I'm told the January weather was atypical and here's what we experienced: Day 1, embarkation, Miami: upper 40's. Day 2, Freeport: lower 50's, but warmed up into the 70's. Water temp too cold to snorkel. Day 3, Great Stirrup Cay: mid 60's but warmed up into the lower 80's. Day 4, Nassau: upper 60's but warmed up to almost 80. Day 5, disembarkation, Miami: upper 40's. SUMMARY: Overall it was a good cruise for the money. They kept the ship clean and the staff was friendly. Open bar was a very cool feature. Lots of people having a good time but no problems at all with overy drunk cruisers. The Bahamas are beautiful but choose your excursions carefully. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted something on the shorter side that would go to Havana. We're a family of 5 (Two parents, three adult "kids"). We opted for the Owner's Suite based on price with included options and the floor plan and pictures looked good. Well, the floorpan and pictures were not a good representation of the room, which was disappointing. Biggest disappointment was that despite asking at least 3 times, we were never able to get our private jacuzzi to work. The furniture in the room was not as shown, and the bathroom only had one sink instead of two as shown. The food on board was average, which was good in a way since none of us gained the weight we normally do on a cruise! We were under the impression that we did not have to book our shore excursions until we embarked (my husband tried to book a massage in advance and was told to wait) but when we arrived, all but one excursion was booked. Don't mean to sound snobby, but when you book the most expensive cabin on board it seems like you should have some leeway with these things. Our "butler" and housekeeper were excellent. Concierge was nice but not really helpful with anything. Lots of fun and laughs with our family on board, but we probably would have done that anywhere! Disappointed that we could not go to the Bahamas due to waves. One of the employees said "yeah, that happens this time of year a lot"...why offer it if it happens a lot??? Read Less

We have always wanted to go to Cuba so we decided to do the Cuba cruise through Norwegian in Jan ‘19. We have previously sailed with Norwegian on the Epic which we were really not a fan of because of the size and food. The process of getting on and off the boat was super easy in Miami. Customs was a breeze. Our port in the Bahamas was cancelled the morning of because of the swell and the wind made it impossible for the tinder’s. No big deal, we had a day at the pool. Key west was awesome and Cuba was easy to and from the ship as wanted. We had a balcony room and really have no complaints on the room size. It was what we expected it to be. The food on this ship was terrible. The first thing that threw us off was that the ranch dressing was green and the prepared vinegrette was a bile like yellow color. That was when we first got on the ship and we were hoping it was a one time thing. Nope. It was throughout the entire cruise at every restaurant and with room service. Why green ranch?!?!? No!!! The two dining halls also had the same menu all of the days of the cruise....no variations or doing different entrees geared towards the places where we were. How boring!!! I think I lost lbs on this trip from just not eating. Seriously when it came to the buffet it was like everyone was told to make something and they put it on the buffet. Nothing made any sense. Just randomness at every meal (except breakfast which was the same thing everyday). Cagneys was good as always. On board entertainment was lackluster and the music by the pool was for a nursing home crowd. I highly doubt we will do another Norwegian cruise. Twice terrible food....they have the unlimited drink package but I just don’t think it’s enough to keep us coming back. Read Less