The players: Me (Lee) and my partner, Mike. We're in our mid-forties and discovered cruising on Royal Caribbean, which was a good cruise line for us, in terms of fit. We've also tried Celebrity (loved Century but liked Constellation less) and Holland America, which was just too senior-oriented and sedentary for us. We were drawn to trying NCL Sky for a number of reasons. First, it was a new line and we are trying not to be the type of cruiser who presumes their line is best based only on stories of other cruisers. If we're going to express a preference, it will be based on our experience. Second, Sky was in the process of being re-branded back to NCL after the failed Pride of Aloha experiment, which saw very poor reviews and the subsequent decision to reduce the Hawaiian fleet. We figured that the pro-longed dry-dock would produce a ship that looked nearly new. In many ways it did, but in some small and big ways it did not. This is the story of our cruise. Your priorities, perceptions and experience will no doubt be different, but we hope you enjoy reading about our experiences.

Before the cruise started, we were very nervous, not just because we were about to try a new line but because we were also hearing stories via the internet that the re-launching of NCL Sky was not going well. Early cruisers were coming home claiming a myriad of problems from bad customer service and mediocre food to an absence of air conditioning or working plumbing in some cabins. While we were prepared to roll with the earlier concerns, we pretty much require AC and the ability to poop in order to be happy on a cruise. Folks online complained to NCL but the problems did not seem to be going away quickly, based on subsequent reviews. At one point, I got so skittish that I asked our travel agent, the formidable yet diplomatic Judy, to see if she could get us off this ship. She could not but she was assured by NCL that a management team had boarded the ship and was there to respond to any concerns. They also relocated a number of people who were in cabins that were affected by this issue. We were in a cabin that was unaffected.

It was without the normal sense of anticipation that we left for the airport. In reality, it was more like trepidation or anxiety on this trip. We checked in for our flights online but I got my boarding passes confused so I checked us in for seats that were not even together (and actually paid US Airway's ridiculous "Choice Seat" Fee to do it!). By the time we realized what I'd done, there was little to do since the flights were full. We actually did sit together on the way to Philadelphia and were offered free soft drinks, etc. This surprised me as I thought they charged for these things now. It turns out, they started the charges the next day. Read more