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Jeff Brooks

Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Norwegian
Name of Ship: Sky
Sailing Date: August 9th, 2003
Itinerary: Alaska

After returning from a cruise to Alaska on the Norwegian Sky, I felt inclined to give my opinion. For those who like things to the point, my experience on this ship was just "average".

For everyone else, here's the long version. We arrived into Seattle, WA the day before to enjoy the town. There's plenty to do there! After spending the night at a hotel, we were whisked away to Pier 66 where the Norwegian Sky was docked. After standing in a long line carrying all of our luggage, moving a foot or two every minute, we finally made it inside the building. After having our luggage taken, we waited approximately another hour and a half until we boarded the ship. It was a mad house! Not a very quick process if you ask me.

Once inside the Norwegian Sky and having a chance to investigate all the places to go, I wasn't impressed very much. Yes, it was clean and the glass elevators were sparkling, but the "WOW" effect just wasn't there. The Norwegian Sky's decor is very simplistic and toned down.

Almost every review you'll read about the small cabin size on the Norwegian Sky. This review is no exception. We had 4 people scrunched into one small cabin room. Even with just 2 people it would have still been rather small. Nevertheless, we had fun living in such small quarters. The shower was the best part of it all, as it didn't drain as quickly as the water came out - which meant water overflowed and covered the bathroom floor.

The staff onboard the Norwegian Sky is relatively friendly. A few instances, mostly the male staff members at the bars, were silent and made no effort to smile or even pretend to enjoy their self. But on the other hand, everyone else seemed cheerful and glad to take care of you.

The food on the Norwegian Sky wasn't anything spectacular. I'm a very picky eater anyways, so I didn't try anything very creative. But from other people's reactions, I could tell they weren’t thrilled with the food either. Luckily there was a 24-hour pizza service at Ciao-Chow's. You have the option of cheese, pepperoni, or veggie pizza. I did enjoy the Chocoholic Buffet where everything was chocolate. Aside from the food, the alcoholic drinks seemed expensive with a 15% gratuity added to the already expensive price. We purchased the Unlimited Soda program for everyone in our cabin, which cost $28.95. This allowed us just that, unlimited soda while on the ship. With sodas over a $1.75 a glass, this $28.95 purchase was well worth it... considering I probably had 4 sodas a day.

Entertainment was very good on the ship. From singing, dancing, comedy, and magic the entertainment was very good and was something I always looked forward to! You definitely shouldn't miss the shows.

The Norwegian Sky also offered an arcade room (which was pretty sad actually), some small shops, library, etc.

At every port we took a shore excursion. We booked our excursions a month prior to going on the cruise. As a family we did the Totem Bight & Ketchikan City Tour, and the Skagway Street Car. My girlfriend and I also went on the Tram & Trek excursion and the Dominion Observatory excursion in Victoria, B.C. My parents went to Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Overall, the tours were very fun. The various drivers of the tour buses are what make it so fun.

And finally, what you've all been waiting for! Alaska's beauty! Alaska is a very spectacular place visually. Mountains everywhere, trees everywhere. Snow capped mountains, jumping salmon, cool breezes, majestic glaciers. The scenery is just awesome! Yes, palm trees and sandy beaches are nice, but this is something even better!

If you get the chance to go to Alaska, then definitely don't miss out on the adventure! The Norwegian Sky was suitable for the trip to Alaska, but I'm not sure I'd recommend taking this cruise ship. Look around with other companies, such as Princess or Carnival.

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