I planned this cruise for myself and two girlfriends. We are trying to do a getaway each year and we all met up for this cruise from Atlanta (me), Chicago, and Arizona. I researched a lot and we decided on Miami and this cruise because it fit the dates we needed, but also because the Sky looked like a decent ship and they have a good reputation with gluten free dining (more on that later).

We took a shuttle from Fort Lauderdale (where we stayed for a couple days and did the A1A half marathon, SUPER fun race if you're a runner!) and it was about 25 minutes to the port. We waited for probably 20 minutes at about 11 a.m., and then when our group was called we walked on the ship. They made everything really easy and we were happily eating our buffet lunch on the pool deck within half an hour. It was good....grilled everything and salads for sides. Already better than my one other cruise, on the now defunct Carnival Holiday. Then we changed into our swimsuits (bring a small bag to change if you want, before the rooms are ready) and sat out on the deck in the beautiful Miami weather.

Our rooms were ready just after 2 p.m. as promised. The staterooms are definitely small, but there was enough storage for 3 adult women to be okay in there. We had a large porthole stateroom, and I would do that again (budget, but still a beautiful view). The third bed was not terribly comfy as it was a pull out couch, but we took turns and it was not horrible. It did extend all the way to the desk so was a little tricky in the middle of the night! Read more