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Lisa & Mark McCluskey

Age: 41
Occupation: pilot
Number of Cruises: 8
Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line
Ship: Norwegian Sky
Sailing Date: May 19th, 2002
Itinerary: Alaska Inside Passage

We booked this cruise and then began to look at reviews about this ship. We were more than a little worried since all reviews were negative, no matter which cruise forum we looked at. We decided to wait and let the ship speak for itself. So, here is our account of the May 19th Inside Passage cruise. (We have sailed on RCCL, Carnival, and Celebrity. We are 40 year old parents of a 17 year old and a 13 year old, both traveling with us)

We arrived at the Seattle Pier at 11:00 and were greeted by the nicest personnel we could ask for. We were inside with our room keys by 11:30, a new record for us! Upon entering the ship we were happy to see a beautiful, clean ship with happy and efficient personnel. If only the rest of the cruise went this smoothly!

We went to our room, or should I say cracker box. We had our two children with us and we had absolutely NOWHERE to put anything. You get three Barbie size drawers…period! It made for a very cramped week.

We went to the buffet to grab a quick snack before dinner and were totally disgusted with the choices. The buffet was terrible the entire week! The ice cream is under lock and key, and only available from 3-5 P.M. if you want to wait in line for an hour.

We went to the Seven Seas dining room and received extremely slow and unfriendly service topped off with mediocre food. The service is so slow you better plan on at least 2 hours, but expect up to three hours to finish your meal. We tried again at breakfast, and that evening for dinner with the same experience.

We decided to try Le Bistro and were thrilled with white glove service and FANTASTIC food. We ate there the rest of the week for dinner at a cost of 40.00 per night, which covers the tips in alternative restaurants. The problem I have with this is that it’s obvious that NCL is capable of training great staff, and serving outstanding food. However if you want it you are forced to pay extra. No other ship we have ever sailed on has treated us this way; we have always had fantastic service and good food included in the price of the cruise. Additionally, they automatically add the tips to your bill even if you never dine in the main restaurants. ($280.00 for 4 people for 7 days) This irritated me to no end so I went to the pursers desk to complain. They told us we could take off the tips if we would fill out a form, so we did.

The nightlife is nonexistent; the daily activities are nothing more than sales talks by the cruise staff. There is NOTHING to do on this cruise except sleep and wait for the port cities. My children were bored to death, truthfully so were my husband and I.

This was the most disappointing vacation of our lives! We would NEVER recommend NCL to anyone. There are way too many great cruise lines out there to choose from! If you have any questions fell free to write me.

Lisa

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