The NCL Sky...a quick stateroom tour

This short video was filmed while on board NCL's Norwegian Sky. I had intended to post it while on the cruise, but the cruise's satellite internet connection was not up to the task. So here it is finally and I will be working on the full summary of the cruise in the coming week so stay tuned...

"Live" from the NCL Sky--Day3

Hello and welcome again aboard the NCL Sky (vicariously that is). Today’s port was Nassau in the Bahamas. Some things you should know about Nassau; it is home to the famous resort, Atlantis. The resort features an aquarium, water park, lush beaches and much more for the day traveler to explore. Most cruise lines offer a couple of different excursion options for those interested in visiting Atlantis while in port. In Nassau...I DO recommend going through the cruise line for your excursion option, especially for those cruising for the very first time. If you are an experienced cruiser, you also know that the same excursions can be found at a lower cost from reputable vendors, but you have to know what you are doing and have to do your research. Nassau is a busy port city with lots of traffic and people/vendors urging you to buy what they are selling. Be careful when visiting this port and be vigilant if you plan to simply walk about the town and take in the sites near the port.

Nassau, by far, is my least favorite port of call in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. I basically got off the ship for about an hour, took some pictures of the area and also of the ships in port and hopped back on board to enjoy a serene afternoon on the ship.

Since the buffet area on the NCL Sky is so small, it is nice to actually eat lunch there when in port since most passengers are off the ship on some form of excursion.

I want to end this post on a very positive note...I will say that this cruise has offered some of the best music I have heard so far at sea. I will mention 2 of them. First you have to take time to locate a man by the name of Ariel Jacobe who puts on a show called “The Frank Sinatra Tribute.” He sounds exactly like “old blue eyes” and puts on a wonderful show. The other musician is a guy named Bruce Crichton. He is a guitarist and vocalist and is top notch. He plays in a variety of the venues here aboard the NCL Sky. I have thoroughly enjoyed finding and listening to both of them and recommend that you do the same.

Ok...I am actually typing this on my 4th day while we are anchored here at NCL’s private island called “Great Stirrup Cay” and I need to sign off and go get in line for the tender boat to get ashore for the day and enjoy some sand under my toes and palm trees swaying above me.

Day 2..."Live" from the NCL Sky

Well...woke up this morning in the Bahamas but it sure did not feel like it. Our first port of call was Freeport/Lucaya in Grand Bahamas. Everyone was hoping for Bahamian weather only to wake up to cloudy skies and temps in the 60's. Stayed mostly cloudy all day but cruisers are hard to deter from trying to sit outside on the pool deck which many did today even though the temp stayed closer to the high 60's (not typical at all for the Bahamas).

After eating a quick breakfast, I headed off the ship and into town. Here is something to know about Freeport; the main part of town is about a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the pier. The pier has your standard cheesy souvenir vendors which I strongly recommend for you to avoid. Take the time to stand in the taxi line and pay the $10 round trip to go into the main part of town. With that said...still not a huge fan of the shops and restaurants there, but it is worth getting off the ship and taking in some of the palm laden streets and colorful buildings.

I happened to get dropped off in town adjacent to the Radisson Resort and Spa. I was given a very nice tour of the spa facilities and I highly recommend it as an optional (personal) shore excursion. You can make arrangements ahead of time for your treatments while in port and also arrange for a private transfer to the hotel via Dudley Seide who runs a company called "Hall of Famer" Tour and Taxi service (contact me for his info). The resort is beautiful and would make for a great day in Freeport.

After that personal tour I decided to make my way back to the ship and indulge in one of the "in-port" spa specials that the cruise line offers for those who choose to spend their time on board the ship. My spa therapist was name Princess and she was simply awesome so ask for her when making an appointment at the spa on the NCL Sky. :)

Last but not least...I want to mention my dinner. This cruise ship has several specialty restaurants and one of them is called "Cagney's." It specializes in steaks and it exceeded my expectations. The New York Strip was incredible and the service was impeccable. It was worth the extra surcharge of $25 per person. My full meal consisted of Crab Cakes, Lobster Bisque, 10oz New York Strip and a wonderful warm macadamia nut brownie ala mode.

Ok...enough for now. We will be docking in Nassau in the morning so stay tuned.

"Live from the Norwegian Sky Cruise Ship"

I am out somewhere in the Atlantic between Miami and Freeport (Grand Bahamas) in windy conditions. The ship is rolling a bit which may cause some issues for new cruisers, but here is a tip; buy and wear a "BioBand." They are specifically made to ease or alleviate motion sickness. I have one on now and am feeling 100% fine and have worn one on previous cruises. It is a small wristband that has a pressure point that applies pressure to a specific area on your wrist which controls your equilibrium and thereby prevents you from feeling motion sickness.

I boarded the shuttle at the hotel and was at the pier in 20 minutes and, thanks to a very smooth embarkation, was on the ship 15 minutes later. My ritual is to head to the "welcome on-board buffet" which I did. The NCL Sky's buffet restaurant is not designed well for large numbers of guests. The food stations were not marked well and the crowds were hard to navigate around so I grabbed what I could and then headed out to tour the ship. I like some of the common areas that this ship has to offer which I will touch on later in a different post.

For now...I will say that things are going well. I have been on newer ships with more updated decor, but that is not saying that this ship is not something pleasant to look at, but it is showing still some of its age. But that is to be expected with this smaller class ship and is common from cruise line to cruise line.

I will say one thing about the "Freestyle dining" here on NCL; it is nice for those who do not like the formality of other cruise lines. I waited about 5 minutes to be seated at a table and had a wonderful meal and was greeted and served promptly in the main dining room. My goal is to try one of the specialty restaurants tomorrow which carries an additional surcharge so that also means that my expectations will be much higher.

So please stay tuned. If the satellite internet connection allows...I will attempt at uploading a picture or two from each day. I am not feeling confident that the connection will be strong enough for my intended video uploads. But we will see and thanks in advance for following along with me on this journey

Live from the NCL Sky...Day 1

The time is finally here. Today I will be embarking on the Norwegian Sky cruise ship and head for warmer weather in the Bahamas.

As I always do...I flew in last night to make sure I was in town already on the day of departure. I chose to spend my pre-cruise night at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Miami Airport South by Marriott. I will mention more about this hotel in the attached video. So stay tuned for more broadcasts and installments coming soon from the cruise ship.