What a wonderful cruise! The Sky was really the limit on the this cruise. We could not get over how the crew of this magnificent vessel bent over backwards to please its cruisers. I marvel over some of the previous reviews that nit picked, how anyone could not enjoy being catered to as this staff does is a mystery. On top of this, the pricing made our sailing very affordable. We have been cruising for many years and cannot remember prices like we paid.

The embarkation was so smooth. Since we are Latitudes members we were escorted to a special area for VIP cruisers to await boarding of the vessel where we were treated to plush chairs to sit in and while we waited we were treated to fruits, sandwiches, cookies and juice. Once the ship was ready for boarding we were escorted onto the ship with our own butler. Once on board we had to wait before our cabin was ready (2 PM) so we were able to have a sit down lunch at the Palace Restaurant instead of a buffet. There was a place to check your luggage before you went to your room, this eliminated dragging your hand luggage around with you until the cabins were ready. Our cabin was an outside cabin. There was not a lot of storage space. The bed was excellent. The choice of TV stations was limited and it took a computer expert to figure out how to set the sleep timer on the TV. The phone in the room did not have a way to leave messages if you missed a call. The bathroom was very small. The light from the bathroom shown onto the bed at night and would wake you up unlike our last Princess cabin that had a wall that blocked the light. They did not provide you with bar soap only little wall mounted dispensers that were located in the worst position and difficult to operate. The soap inside the container was the kind that never lathers. We found the shampoo dispenser had a more lathering effect and used that instead of the soap. The room was very quiet. We heard and felt no vibrations. The linens and towels were good quality.

Our cabin steward, Rachel, was wonderful. She kept the cabin spotless. She even changed our sheets midweek when we requested it with no problem. She greeted us every time she saw us and remembered our names. The rest of the crew was just as friendly including the Captain whom we met in the hallway one day while on board. We were invited to the Captain's VIP Party and got to chat with him again and at this occasion he presented my husband and I with matching NCL Pens. We had won pens in a contest but they were misplaced. When the captain heard of this he replaced them. How thoughtful. But he wasn't the only crew member that was thoughtful it happened all the time on the Sky. One day I was trying to find lemon on the buffet line and when I asked the waiter where the lemon was he said don't worry I will bring it to you. I told him not to bother because I was seated outside at the far end of the pool. A few minutes later the same waiter appeared with a tray of sliced lemons for us to pick from for our iced tea by the pool. He really went the extra mile! The Assistant Cruise Director, Richard Matic, also spent some time speaking with us while we were on board. He is going to make a great Cruise Director some day. Very charming, talented and funny as well as a personable guy. We never ate in any of the specialty restaurants. We found the food in the Palace and Crossings Restaurant to be good. The Longboard was our favorite place to grab a late light snack. Their chicken tenders are the best but make sure you ask for 4 pieces. Two is not enough. Read more