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Norwegian Cruise Line

MS Norwegian Sky

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Anita Hall
# previous cruises: 3
Date of Trip: May 23, 2001
Itinerary: Alaska

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the Norwegian Sky. I had read so many negative reviews about this ship that I was hesitant to even go on this cruise. How nice it was to find that most reviews were pretty inaccurate. I think that everyone has their own set of standards, and it's really all what you make of a situation. I did not have to force myself to have a good time, and I also appreciated the beautiful landscape of Alaska. I think if you look hard enough you will find fault with everything. If you don't sweat the small stuff you will have a great time on this cruise. Oh......I almost forgot......there are no nightmares to report on embarkation or debarkation. We boarded the ship in a timely fashion, our luggage was handled by the people at the port and we got off the boat in 20 minutes and that was going through customs!

Our favorite place to "play" was at the Sports Bar. We enjoyed the view, the drinks and the trivia games they played nightly. Our children enjoyed the pools which were heated and we enjoyed the hot tubs.

The food was good. I really can't complain about it. I didn't have to cook it, serve it or clean up, so that was definitely a plus!! They always had a nice selection on the menu and they definitely accommodated my children. We often ate at the Seven Seas Restaurant, 4 Seasons or Garden Cafe. We never spent the extra $10 per head to go to the specialty restaurants but we heard the food was very good there. My children loved the Garden Cafe because not only was it buffet style, they served hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, etc. It was more kid friendly and much more relaxed. The service was EXCELLENT throughout the ship. The people who work on that ship were extremely friendly, courteous and were willing to please. I was very impressed with all of them from the waiters to the people who cleaned our room.

There is no doubt about it; the cabins are small. We were a family of four sharing a cabin and boy it was tight. This was not an issue for us because we did not spend too much time in our room and when we were there, we slept. Sleeping was great because we had an inside stateroom and it was always pitch black with the lights off. So, when the sun rose at 4 am and did not set until 10 pm, we weren't bothered at all. The room was also pretty quiet. We were never bothered by noises in the hallway or by other people in the rooms next to ours.

Although my husband and I did not attend the shows, the other members of our part did. They enjoyed the magician and comedian much more then any of the other shows.

The activities provided on board while at sea weren't bad. They had Bingo and Art Auctions and the Casinos were open. They did have a daily craft session that my kids and I loved. While visiting the different ports of Alaska, we booked an excursion in each one. We kayaked in Juneau, Panned for Gold in Skagway, took a jet boat adventure in Haines and saw bear, moose and eagles, and we did the Jeep Safari in Ketchikan. My two children ages 7 and 10 loved each and everyone. Although we could not book the whale excursion, if you look closely while at sea, you will spot a whale or two swimming along side the boat.

Our fellow passengers were pretty friendly. They ranged in age from the very young to the very old. Everyone was cordial and seemed to enjoy themselves.