Norwegian Sky

Please beware!!! We wanted a nice vacation for our kids and grandkids as a Christmas gift to make lasting family memories. We messed up by choosing Norwegian Sky. Our cruise consultant, Pablo, was excellent. But our nightmare began once we boarded. First our stateroom had a horrible sour odor. The ship is very dated with older furniture and needs a facelift. Secondly, the food was just okay. The food on Carnival was actually better. We purchased the beverage package… be prepared to have a credit card on file… it’s not free. You will pay taxes until you leave and get into international waters. And soooooo many service charges!!! Unreal!!! The staff wasn’t as friendly or fun. They weren’t mean or rude but there was lack of enthusiasm. We made it to Nassau and I hoped since we shouldn’t be on the ship long we would have a great time! Boy was I wrong. I know they can’t control weather but they need alternatives when the weather is bad. High winds and rain made Nassau unbearable on the beach or any boating/​water excursion. But Atlantis was still a go as far as a tour, etc. And come to find out to enter Atlantis after 5PM is free… so you are paying for an excursion during the day which is completely free later! All boarded the ship after the Atlantis aquarium tour and was ready for our beach day at Great Stirrup Cay. The Captain announces that we are staying in port at Nassau and would be heading to Miami the next morning with a fun day at sea. Therefore wasted money and time on a ship that has nothing to do which charges for all internet, video games, etc and we paid full price for half a trip. They closed the pools and offered bingo!!! Really??? I didn’t pay for 9 people almost 10k to fly to Miami get on a cruise ship to play bingo! The next morning all other cruise ships in Nassau port left at their expected times the night before… we were the only ones that remained. Carnival, Disney and one more were gone and in their place was another Norwegian ship. And don’t even get me started on the nasty tasting water! I don’t think Unilocal will let me type all my complaints. We all made it back to port safely thanks to the captain but I really think they need to look at alternatives during inclement weather. There has to be an answer… I have contacted Norwegian so I will update if I actually hear from them. As of right now… no cruises for this family. All inclusive resort!
Update…we have now learned that Norwegian hasn’t made a stop at Great Stirrup Cay in 2 weeks per taxi drivers in Nassau. I have called guest services and filed a formal complaint. I did get a refund on a $ 9 bottle of water from the mini bar. but it will take up to 3 weeks because of high volume of refunds!!! I wonder why so many refunds??? Other than that… still waiting on my formal complaint to see what happens. I will update if I hear from them.

I went on the Norwegian Sky for a three day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas and Great Stirrup Cay (private island). The service on the boat was horrible. From the first day that we got on the boat, our housekeeping steward was nowhere to be found. I ended up taking a shower and throwing my towel on the floor (because that is what you are supposed to do when you want your towel to be replaced with a new one). The housekeeper picked the dirty towel up off of the floor and hung it up on the door, as if I should use it again. There was a brown stain on one of my white pillowcases, so I disgustedly threw the pillow on the floor with the towels so I could have a new clean pillow. The housekeeper picked the dirty pillow up off of the floor and put it back on our bed. He was impossible to find when we had a request for something.
The service on the rest of the boat was not that great also. There were a few good waiters and bartenders, but the majority of the workers on the boat had an attitude. We waited for forever to be seated and to get our food, while other people were seated and got their food before us. We requested a table by the window and were told that none were available. After they sat us down, they sat another party at a table by the window just a few moments later.
When we went to guest services to talk to them about the housekeeping situation and the rude service we were receiving in most of the restaurants, they were also very rude. We wanted to remove the automatic gratuities that we are charged daily (which are tips for the waiters and housekeepers etc.) so that we could tip cash to the people that actually gave us good service. It took us 4 hours of arguing with multiple different people before anything was done. A tip is a gratuity, and we should be able to tip according to how good the service we received was. Norwegian has a new policy where they basically make everyone pay the same amount for tips per day, and if you want to make any adjustments to the money that you will be charge, you have to go through an annoying paperwork process and then wait 2 weeks to receive a refund (of your own money for a GRATUITY). The people at guest services were very unprofessional and even walked away from us.
The executive housekeeper and hotel director ended up coming to speak to us, after 4 hours of our 3 day vacation was wasted with guest services. They apologized and tried to make things right, but the service was still horrible. The cruise director, Tyler, was hysterical. The entertainment was funny and very good. The comedian (Alvin) was not GREAT, but it was still a fun show. We had the drinks package so we got unlimited alcohol on the boat, but most of the drinks tasted watered down. The food was good for breakfast and dinner, but lunch was basically cheeseburgers and hot dogs everyday. It was a nice weekend getaway (besides the service), but I definitely would not repeat this cruise.

Three close friends and I decided to take a four day spring break cruise leaving from Miami, FL. In 2015. The ship was a little outdated but very accommodating. It was peak season for spring breakers so be aware of what time of year you book. I would not recommend this time for any family, especially with children! It was filled with people ranging from 20 – 30 years old.
You are not allowed to purchase the alcohol bundle package during spring break season for obvious reasons but the bars are always open aboard. At the end of the trip my bill came out to about $ 400.00 for liquor. I saw many people bring liquor bottles in their suitcases even though you are not allowed to.
The shows weren’t the best but they were somewhat entertaining. I would highly recommend you do every game, competition, karaōke, dance, and excursion the cruise has to offer! I did snorkeling, which was a blast! We were going to do paddle boarding but the weather did not call for it. I met so many fun and interesting people aboard who I still keep in contact with.
One downside of the cruise was the food… If you are looking for a greasy meal, the buffet is always open! The restaurants are not the best but the staff was great. One night we had someone by the name of Strawberry who made us laugh the entire time!
This cruise ship is what YOU make of it, so have fun and get some color! I would highly recommend this to anyone on a budget who is looking for some fun in the sun!

My first cruise experience was with Royal Carribean Majesty of the Seas which was alright, but afterwards had the thought of, ‘there should be better ones out there.’ This was my second cruise experience. Unfortunately, Norwegian Sky was much worse.
The cruise with Norwegian Sky was to the Bahamas and planned for my family of 13 people. Because of the odd number, 3 people had to share a cabin while everyone else was paired up. Total of 6 cabins. I was in the 3 people cabin, which was disappointing. I was told that the higher rate for the cabin was because it allows an extra bed. The cabin was not bigger than the 2 people cabins. It was in fact the same size. The pull out couch was so uncomfortable to sleep on. Upon arrival, the first thing we noticed was the toilet was not cleaned. I know this is disgusting, but there was a brown spot on the outer surface of the toilet. You could not miss it so I don’t know why it was not cleaned.
Overall, the staff was not as friendly as Royal Carribbean. A few days before the cruise, I had made reservations for my party to sit all together for dinner every night. On the first night, were were told they did not have our reservations, but would put something together. We waited and was then taken to two separate tables. There were large tables open. I could not understand why it was so difficult. I had to complain in order to have our entire group seated together. Finally, we were moved to a large empty table. The server was not accommodating. On Royal Caribbean, they made you feel like a king. You got to have whatever entrée you wanted and how ever many times you wanted it. After asking for a second entrée, the server at Norwegian Sky actually said, «can everyone please let me know what else you want so I can just bring everything out at one time.» How rude! I was getting embarrassed as this was most of my familys’ first cruise. The dinner moved very slow and the food was all very bland. After this first dinner, we opted to go to the buffet for the rest of our meals. At least we didn’t have to put up with attitude from servers on our vacation.
On the last night, the man responsible for taking care of our room saw us in the hall as we were heading out. He asked, «ma’am can I go lock up your fridge.» I was surprised and wasn’t sure why he asked that. I said we’re heading out and we have our water in there still. He then said, «ok, did you consume any of the beverages in there.» I told him no, we brought our own water. He said, «ok, I just wanted to make sure you don’t get charged.» So this guy wanted to get he’s job done sooner at the inconvenience of his customers. How rude, again!
The departure process topped it off. I remember announcements and fliers on Royal Carribean with instructions on the departure process. There was nothing of the sort on Norwegian Sky. It was very chaotic in the morning. No one knew where to go to get off the ship. I do not recommend this cruise. Their motto is ‘Freestyle Cruising’ and their service reflects this.

This was my second cruise and first time on the Norwegian Sky (We did the Bahamas cruise). Between the 5 in my party we had an inside cabin as well as a balcony. The staterooms were ok, a little outdated but nothing terrible. The food on the ship was below average, and there wasn’t much to do on the ship. It had 2 small pools, and about 4 hot tubs that were all filled with children. The gym and spa were impressive compared to the rest of the ship. The thing that really set the tone on the cruise was the nasty staff! In comparison with my other cruise (Royal Caribbean) it was the difference of night and day. The staff would ignore guests and you would literally have to chase them down to get service. Also the bartenders were incredibly rude! My parents had a drink package and they still were charged for drinks! I don’t think I will ever go on another Norwegian cruise again because of my issues with the rude staff and all of the up charges.

We were in an inside cabin 10 341 on the Norwegian Sky. The ship is an older ship, some parts are better than others. The room we had was small, but the the location was great. This was our first short cruise (3-​day). The stops were Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay. (8 am to 5 pm each stop, which was great)
Nassau was nice, we had a chance to eat some local food, tropical conch salad, cracked lobster, crab & rice, seafood fritters, and freshly squeezed cane juice. This was all bought at a food fair they had in a park heading towards The Fish Fry restaurant area where many locals eat.
Great Stirrup Cay was nice, we went to the quiet section of the Cay, which had only a handful of people and it was gorgeous.
The food was mediocre. We ate primarily at one of the main dining room, The Crossings. The dining room staff was great. Our room attendant was nice and the cruise director was pretty good.
The activities on the ship was good, not great, for a 3-​night cruise.
This was during the 4^th of July weekend. So the cost was a bit more than a last minute deal during the off peak season. The total cost for 2 was $ 757, which included the mandatory gratuity and port fees/​taxes. In addition, we tipped our waitstaff for dinner each evening, and room attendee at the end of the cruise.
Overall, it was a very pleasant trip. I would do it again if the price is right.

For the weekend cruise, you get what you pay for. Older ship but essentially clean. Bad service in dining room. Only met our room steward once on the second day when he barely said hello. Premium drink packages doesn’t cover quite a few beverages (RedBull and bottled water). Great Stirrup Cay is lovely. Bar staff plenty.

WOW!!! Where do I start?! This trip was perfect. We did the 4 day Bahama cruise as our first cruise. The staff was friendly and welcoming from when we first got on the boat. Our room was ready when we arrived. We went to get lunch and a drink outside before we left. All of the Norwegian staff was helpful and willing to answer questions at anytime. Rodolfo and Melica at the Atrium bar were awesome. They always remembered our name and were very friendly. They were a great team! Melvin had the best live music in the Atrium bar at night.
Norwegian Sky–
*clean rooms
*awesome bartenders… especially at the Atrium bar
*delicious food… always available
*great locations each day… Miami, Grand Bahama Island, Nassau, and Stirrup Cay. The crew made it fun and easy to get on and off the boat at the ports.
This was our first cruise but I know it will not be our last. Next time we plan a cruise… we will only cruise with Norwegian!

Compared to other cruise lines, the bottom of the barrel, food is stale and hard to eat, even what’s supposed to be fresh fruit is thawed out from frozen stock.
You never feel pampered on this ship, you feel like you are in a sales pitch, the entire cruse they are always constantly hawking a service or product or deal for you to purchase.
Corporate guest relations is worthless, they sent a form letter rather than an actual response to issues I had with a particular member of the crew. (this crew member was constantly hitting on a member of our party, and making inappropriate comments to others that were nothing short of insults) .I tried getting a human in guest relations, (either by phone or email) to discuss and get assurance this would be addressed, that proved impossible. Two additional attempts at contact and they never sent another response after the initial form letter.
Not what one would consider a good experience.

This was my first and last time sailing on the SKY. The worst customer service ever. We waited 40 min in a empty restaurant only to have the waitress bring back the dessert of her choice. Some of the staff could not speak English. It took an hour and half for some of us to get an iron. We had a party of 15 and each of us had the same chief complaint rudeness from the staff. Nonetheless, I can give credit too the young lady that kept my room 8150. She was amazing. However, if you wanna enjoy a beautiful beach stir cay is it and check out the public beach in Atlantis.

Cruise Dates: September 1^st-​5^th, 2014.
I have taken two cruises with Norwegian. The first was to Alaska on the Jewel a few years ago, the latest to the Bahamas from Miami on the Norwegian Sky. I greatly enjoyed both. There were two very different crowds: Alaska had virtually no children on board running around (a good thing!) and a lot more older folks but the Sky had a much more diverse crowd, not too many kids and a lot more Europeans. And with the Europeans came a LOT more smoking than I am accustomed to.
The GREAT:
–Regardless of this being one of the smaller ships Norwegian operates, there is quite a bit to do. There was even Zumba on board! The Newlywed Game Show was hilarious and most of the shows in the Stardust theaters were good too. They had something to do for every age.
–Food. They introduced 50 new entrees on this cruise and they were all wonderful. We ate at Crossings, The Great Outdoor Café and The Garden Café. I am a vegetarian and was able to find something other than a salad for pretty much each meal. Most of the curries were phenomenal!
–The place is SUPER clean! Like Disneyland clean!
–I felt super relaxed. The disconnection from the internet and cell phones helped as well.
–You can go eat whenever you want. This is the beauty of what NCL calls «freestyle cruising.»
–The beaches!!!
–Soft serve ice cream was awesome!
–We got a great deal on parking with Safe Cruise Parking. The car was still there when we got back! It was in downtown Miami so we had to take a shuttle bus to and from there.
–The sunsets during this trip were spectacular. We made many wonderful memories in the few days we were there.
The NOT so good:
–Like I said, there was a LOT more smoking. The entire time you are at the pool or anywhere outside you will find the scent of cigarettes. Want to use the jogging track? Smoking. Want to have a drink at the pool side bar? SMOKING. People move the ashtrays to wherever they want. There appeared to be no enforcement of smoking area boundaries. I did not notice any areas marked as «no smoking.» Forget about eating outside in the sitting area near the pool.
–I wish they would label their foods better in the Garden Café. I accidentally grabbed two salad dishes that already had meat. Each item had the title of the dish but did not indicate the ingredients. Breads are not marked as whole grain or multigrain, etc.
–People don’t seem to understand the purpose of a line/​queue while in the Garden Café either. It was a bit of a mad house. But if you are not willing to deal with that, don’t go to a buffet! Lesson learned. There are plenty of other places to eat that are included in the fare.
–Nassau is over-​rated. It’s their biggest city, which means it was crowded. I did not venture too far into this place. Crowds + humidity are not my cup of tea. I preferred the beaches in the Bahamas.
–The cruise embarks and disembarks at Miami, FL. Drive with caution! You have to be very vigilant on the road.
Be warned:
–This is an older ship. It looks like it. But the quality of the experience overall was worth it for us.
–When you go to Great Sitrrup Cay they use tenders (smaller boats for passengers, like a small ferry) to transport people from the ship to the island. If the water is too choppy there is a possibility of that the use of the tenders in unsafe and therefore everyone is stuck on the ship. This did not happen to us but I would have been sad to miss out on that day. LOTs of jelly fish on great stirrup cay, so be careful and vigilant in the water. Luckily they are very visible. The people working there said that those jelly fish are not poisonous but that their sting hurts.
–That bottle of water in your stateroom is not free! LOL I learned that the hard way!!!

You can still make the best out of the bad situation that is the Norwegian Sky. Let it be said that this is an economy cruise, so don’t go on here expecting all the bells and whistles of a luxury cruise, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. I went with a friend on August 1 — 4, 2014 on a 3-​night cruise weekend cruise to Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay. We left out of the Port of Miami, and check-​in was quick and painless (we checked in as soon as we could at 12pm, which is when they first let you on the Sky). We walked onto the gangway and were greeted by lots of singing and a dancing crew. Once you get on the ship, you’ll notice the Norwegian Sky is getting old. The color scheme seems drab, the technology isn’t all there, and it feels like it needs a major renovation. Our rooms weren’t ready till 2pm, so we explored the ship and had lunch. It’s not a huge ship, but there is a fair amount of activities they have to do. A 3-​day cruise was perfect, because I don’t feel that there is enough to do on the Norwegian Sky to extend the cruise any longer. Sadly, on our 3^rd day the water was too choppy to go to Great Stirrup Cay, so cruise had to do a lot more activities on board the ship. It sucks that we missed a whole day on their private island, but that is just something that can happen on a cruise if their is bad weather. Even though the cruise was at 95% occupancy, it never felt crowded.
ROOM: We had Room 9025, which is a balcony. For two people, our room was spacious, and good for a cruise. I never felt cramped. If 3 people were in the room, I might have felt differently, but for 2 it was a nice fit. It cost us $ 502 for the room with the balcony, and for an interior or just a window, you can make it a much less expensive vacation.
FOOD: No bueno. 2 of the 3 nights we ate at the main dining room for dinner called Crossings, and for the 3^rd night we ate at the specialty restaurant called Il Adagio ($ 15/​person). I’d skip the buffet at all costs for any/​every meal, that place is a serious disaster in every way imaginable. The main dining room is free, so that is a plus, and the food is mediocre at best. Remember, you can order as much as you want, so feel free to try everything. Things come in pretty small portions there, so you may have to order multiple items to be full anyway. Il Adagio was the Italian specialty restaurant that charges an additional $ 15 to go. It’s not necessary because the cruise is only 3 nights, and the main dining room is for sure doable for all of those, but if you’re looking for something Italian, Il Adagio is a good bet (just don’t get the steak there)! Also, they close the soft serve ice cream stand around 6pm, which sucks because that is truly the best thing on board. For breakfast, do the main dining room as it is usually empty, and the food can be decent for that time of day.
ENTERTAINMENT: Very enjoyable. First night at the Stardust Theater there was a little dance number, introducing the officers, and a comedian (he wasn’t very good). Second night was a Las Vegas show, and the third night was an America Idol type show. They last for about 50 minutes each, and we’re all pretty entertaining for a 3-​day cruise. In addition to the main show, plenty of other things going on like Bingo, Deal or No Deal, Art Auctions, Karaōke, pool, and much more. While I personally did not use the pool area, I found it to be extremely dated as well as incredibly small. Enough to do for 3 days, but probably not much longer (I believe Sky does 3 and 4 day).
SERVICE: This is a tricky one, some highs and lows here. First off the language barrier is by far the worst. Very few of any one on staff speaks good English, let alone English at all. They say yes to almost everything, but never follow through. I asked for some food at dinner and they never brought stuff out, and yet other times I didn’t ask for something and they brought random dishes out. On a high note, the staff is mostly very nice. If you find a waiter at the main dining room you like, you have to get his name and go out of your way to get him again, because of the freestyle dining on Norwegian, you don’t get the same table every meal.
COST: They try to nickel and dime you at every corner. As said earlier, I paid $ 502 for this cruise to get a balcony room. But then they charge a $ 12 service fee per day, that applies to everyone on board. Plus don’t forget, even at the port you have to pay to park your car, which costs $ 60 for the 3 day cruise. Excursions can cost a lot of money, depending what you go on. Also, if you want a specialty restaurant, they up charge. Alcohol, soda, even late night room service. Even at the Art Auction, my friend and I won a «free» piece of art, however, it wasn’t free because they charge a $ 35 for shipping and handling for just a poster. Bottom line, expect to be bombarded with additional charges, but avoid them at all costs.
PROS: Cost, Room, Entertainment
CONS: Food, Service (Language Barrier), Ship