by Rochelle Settle, Wanderlove Travel
I just spent a fun-filled weekend aboard the Norwegian Sky. This definitely isn’t your grandma’s cruise. Well, unless she is celebrating her 60th birthday with 20 of her closest friends. Norwegian recently made the Sky “all-inclusive” – in addition to the food and entertainment being included in the price, so is the booze. As you can imagine, this makes for one big party with most of the entertainment coming from the guests themselves.
One of my closest friends and I were in need of a girls’ weekend. Instead of the usual trip to the Carolina coast, we decided on this weekend cruise. Since it sails from Friday-Monday, it’s perfect for both people who work (you don’t have to take much time off) and the stay-at-home folks (your other half can be home with the kids if you have them). Speaking of kids – leave them at home. This particular sailing is not kid friendly unless your kids are accustomed to over-served men in their underwear doing bellyflops into the pool (yes, that happened).
Our fellow passengers consisted of bachelorette parties, groups celebrating significant birthdays, some college Spring Breakers, girls’ weekends, couples and a few families with kids that obviously didn’t consult a travel agent. Despite the revelry, the ship never seemed overly crowded even though it was at capacity.
Ports of call included Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island. Nassau is underwhelming. We did a little shopping and we were back onboard within an hour. The ship was pretty quiet so we had our choice of loungers and a relaxing time at the pool. Great Stirrup Cay is beautiful – turquoise blue water, nice breeze and plenty of beach chairs. All of the drinks and food are included here, too!
Overall, the food was decent – nothing to write home about, but palatable. It is Freestyle Dining so no reservations, themed or formal nights. I do prefer the flexibility of the Freestyle format on all of the Norwegian ships. The entertainment provided by the cruise line varied between enjoyable, clichéd and downright awful. I’m pretty sure they are banking on everyone drinking enough not to notice. Speaking of the drinks – they had some decent beer choices including Newcastle, Dos Equis and Stella; the bartenders were generous with their pours and served top shelf in many cases; the wines were surprisingly good as well.
Bottom line: this is the perfect cruise for those looking for a quick, weekend getaway who love a good party. This cruise is not for people looking for top-notch entertainment, foodies or the easily offended. If you are planning a bachelorette party, need a fun girls weekend idea or are celebrating a milestone birthday with friends, the Norwegian Sky might be the ship for you!