Norwegian Sky 9-Day Caribbean Cruise Review: Day 1 – July 16, 2024

It’s been a long time coming, but this year I’m finally checking off a “new to me” cruise line from my list. Having sailed on nearly 100 cruises from North America, it’s almost surprising that there are still a few cruise lines I haven’t experienced. Well, there are only three left: Virgin Voyages, Princess, and Norwegian.

Today, I’m thrilled to be crossing Norwegian off that list as I just embarked on the Norwegian Sky from Port Miami for a 9-day Caribbean adventure. This journey will take me to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, St. John in Antigua, Philipsburg in St. Maarten, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.

During the Christmas season, I’ll be ticking off another cruise line, Princess, with a 10-day holiday cruise. This will leave Virgin Voyages as the final cruise line I need to experience.

To get to the port, I decided to skip the usual drive and avoid the chaos that is Port Miami. Anyone who has cruised from Port Miami knows the traffic on I-95, the congestion at the port, and the parking garages can be a nightmare. To avoid starting my birthday cruise on a stressful note, I opted for the Brightline train instead of driving.

I booked a Premium seat for the round trip from Boca Raton to Miami and back. The Premium experience includes larger seats, access to the Premium Lounge at the Brightline stations, complimentary drinks and snacks, additional carry-on luggage allowance, and a $10 Uber voucher for each leg.

The Brightline Premium Lounge at the Boca Raton station offered a comfortable and relaxing environment, perfect for beginning my journey. The train departed Boca Raton at 9:43 AM, made stops in Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, and arrived in Miami at 10:31 AM, making the trip less than an hour.  When checking in online for the cruise, the only “terminal arrival time” available for me was 9:30-10:00am, which as we all know isn’t going to be a boarding time since ships don’t usually begin boarding until around 11am., so I wasn’t worried about getting there that early.

Upon arriving at the Miami station, it was easy to grab an Uber right out front. Within five minutes, I was on my way to Port Miami, passing through security at 10:52 AM. This super convenient option is great for those in South Florida or even Central Florida cruising from Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

Inside the terminal, boarding had not yet begun, so people arriving were given boarding group cards with their room key. I was assigned group 12, which was called around 11:45 AM. By 11:53 AM, I was on the ship, and immediately directed to my lifeboat station for a quick safety check. After that, it was time to explore the ship and grab lunch.

This cruise was a last-minute booking for me, having found a great solo rate of just over $1,200 for 9 days only a week before departure. The only available stateroom was a solo interior. Norwegian is one of the few cruise lines offering cabins specifically for solo travelers, generally smaller rooms sold without the single supplement fee, which can be anywhere from 150% to 200% of the fare.

A few days before departure, I received an email inviting me to bid on an upgrade. Many cruise lines, including Norwegian and MSC, use Plusgrade for upgrade bids rather than offering complimentary upgrades based on status. I placed the minimum bid of $50 per person (solos pay double for upgrade bids) for a solo oceanview and $200 per person for a balcony. The day before departure, I was notified that my bid for the oceanview was accepted, and I was assigned stateroom 7210 – a solo oceanview with a porthole window located on Deck 7 forward.

Solo Rooms on Norwegian Sky are available in several classes and are regular full-size versions of an interior, oceanview, or balcony and priced for solos rather than much smaller interior only rooms which their newer ships feature for solo cruisers.

The 147 square foot solo oceanview stateroom features two twin beds combined to make a full bed and a small convertible loveseat that can be turned into a twin bed. (While this is a solo stateroom, it’s that by “stateroom class only” when they classed these rooms for solos, they left the amenities.  You cannot book a solo room for more than one person.)  There is also a small footstool, a television, and a cooler/refrigerator stocked with bottled water (charged on consumption). Storage is limited, with a small closet and a few drawers for socks and underwear. The bathroom is tiny, with a few small shelves for storage and a shower with a (UGH!) shower curtain. Liquid hand soap, shower gel, and shampoo are provided.

When it comes to power outlets, there’s only one European and one American outlet in the room, with USB ports located on the bedside nightlights. An additional outlet in the bathroom is rated for shavers only. Despite the Norwegian Sky being from 1999, the room is not too dated, with the color palette and hard furnishings subtly hinting at its 90s origins.

We were notified around 2:30 PM that staterooms were finally ready. This was the longest wait I’ve ever experienced for room availability, and most guests were visibly frustrated. The assistant cruise director kept making announcements about the housekeeping team making final touches, and rooms would be ready shortly. On most other lines, rooms are ready before 1:00 PM. On MSC, even if your room isn’t ready, you can quickly drop off your carry-on luggage, but this wasn’t allowed on the Sky, leaving everyone carrying their luggage and waiting in public areas.

For the sail-away, a party was held on the pool deck with the cruise director introducing the entertainment staff, a DJ playing music, and a live Caribbean band performing as we departed Port Miami en route to our first port of call, Puerto Plata.

While I’ll have more to share about the ship in the coming days, my first impression is that the Norwegian Sky is very well maintained, an elegant beauty compared to the mega ships of today. With only 2,000 passengers, she’s small compared to modern ships holding over 6,000 passengers. Faux wood, polished stainless steel, and glass give the ship an elegant yet understated look. The outside decks feature new flooring and fresh white paint. There are subtle art-deco touches in the elevator doors, lighting, and stairwells, adding a nice touch to the overall aesthetic.

One unique feature is the entryway to one of the main dining rooms, which retains an American theme from when the ship sailed as Pride of Aloha in Hawaii. The entrance looks like something straight out of the American Adventure at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center.

When it comes to food, there are two buffets: one indoors serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and an outdoor buffet grilling hamburgers and hotdogs during lunch. Main restaurants include two main dining rooms, a steakhouse, a French restaurant, an Italian restaurant, an American pub, and a sushi bar.

For dinner, you don’t need reservations for the main dining room, but they are recommended, though not required, for specialty dining. The dress code for the main dining room is casual, as long as you’re not wearing swimsuits, offensive clothing, or torn jeans. Each specialty restaurant has its own dress code, which is recommended to follow.

For my first dinner onboard, I visited the main dining room. I stopped by the Pinnacle Lounge at the top of the ship for a pre-dinner cocktail before heading to dinner around 8:00 PM. Despite having the Open Bar beverage package, my bottle of San Pellegrino water was not included, which felt strange. However, I paid for it and enjoyed a few glasses of wine as I went through the courses.

I started with a shrimp cake appetizer, which was delicious with minimal filler and plenty of shrimp. Next, I enjoyed bruschetta, a thick slice of French bread topped with chopped tomatoes and basil with a balsamic glaze. For the main course, I had chicken picatta, a perfectly cooked thin chicken breast with a flavorful picatta sauce, served with spinach and cheesy rigatoni. The pasta was so good that I asked for more. I finished dinner with a fresh fruit plate.

First impressions count, and this meal was definitely a hit. The food quality was on par with or better than that on Holland America and far superior to what I’ve had on Carnival or MSC. I hope the quality remains consistent throughout the cruise.