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cruisingfromMN
Frequent Cruiser
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 06:28 pm | 1st Post |
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If you've been following over on the darkside, then you've seen the reports of the Sky troubles. Seems like the main issue is the dreaded no A/C and toilets not working. Service issues seem to be from good to not so good along with accounts of mediocre food, neither of these two things have ever worried me. No A/C and toilets not working do concern me.
So, I knew that when my friend and I booked this cruise, the ship was not my first choice, nor was the itinerary. Our first priority was much needed R & R time around a pool or beach, with good books in hand and fru fru drinks nearby. We weren't interested in tours, but simply getting off the ship and meandering by foot or taxi. My friend was traveling on a pretty rigid budget, I was not although I always want a good deal. I just wanted to go SOMEWHERE and as long as she could go, I was happy. Then, I added the three day cruise for my DD to join me as my friend would return home. So, all in all the plans were for the 4 day with my friend, I'll go with her to MIA airport for her departure and pick up DD for the 3 day.
Then, I got really excited when I heard that Alex was on the Sky. Anyway, now the reports are coming in and they're not good. Plus, the latest report is that Alex is only on the Sky for the next 3 weeks. I've emailed him but haven't heard back.
But, with all of this I will go with an open mind, thinking positively and addressing any issues while on-board. My biggest concern is introducing my friend to cruising and I'm really hoping for a positive experience for her. By the time we cruise (Aug. 18), I'm hoping that they work out the kinks, AND for the darn upsell fairy to call me. Other than that, I'll pack my extra rosy colored glasses and plan on a really good time, no matter what!!!
Here's me in a little over three weeks. 
Oh, and with this in hand. 
Along with this 
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Majesty: Caribbean 1999
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Star: Hawaii 2004
Spirit: Caribbean 2005
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Star: Mexican Riviera 2006
Jewel: Mediterranean 2006
Star: Mexican Riviera 2007
Next: Sky, August '08 back to back
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Geneslamp
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 08:42 pm | 2nd Post |
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http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=814209
here's the link - for the thread on the Sky -
They are obviously having a bad time with the AC and plumbing - however, those issues should be cleared up fairly quickly - I think the plumbing problem is already fixed and the AC they are working on - it seems the AC is problematic in the aft sections - so hopefully your cabin isn't there.
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Sun 2/06
Bluenose II 7/06
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cruisingfromMN
Frequent Cruiser
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Posted: Thu Jul 24th, 2008 09:13 pm | 3rd Post |
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Geneslamp wrote: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=814209
here's the link - for the thread on the Sky -
They are obviously having a bad time with the AC and plumbing - however, those issues should be cleared up fairly quickly - I think the plumbing problem is already fixed and the AC they are working on - it seems the AC is problematic in the aft sections - so hopefully your cabin isn't there.
Thanks for putting in the link. There are many threads on the same topic so I didn't link any of them.
We are in the aft section. And, I think that some of the concern regarding the toilets and AC is that this seems to be a repetitive problem with the ship.
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NCL:
Dream: Caribbean 1997
Majesty: Caribbean 1999
Star: Hawaii 2002
Star: Hawaii 2004
Spirit: Caribbean 2005
Star: Alaska 2005
Star: Mexican Riviera 2006
Jewel: Mediterranean 2006
Star: Mexican Riviera 2007
Next: Sky, August '08 back to back
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Fri Jul 25th, 2008 01:25 am | 4th Post |
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| If you keep a good attitude like that, it will help your friend enjoy her cruise as well. I didn't notice, is it her first or first on NCL? If it's either, just the new experience should make up for most problems, although I wouldn't be happy if they had plumbing or AC problems. Have a good time!
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Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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cruisingfromMN
Frequent Cruiser
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Posted: Fri Jul 25th, 2008 04:06 pm | 5th Post |
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hstrybuf wrote: If you keep a good attitude like that, it will help your friend enjoy her cruise as well. I didn't notice, is it her first or first on NCL? If it's either, just the new experience should make up for most problems, although I wouldn't be happy if they had plumbing or AC problems. Have a good time!
It is her first cruise and for years all she and her husband has heard from us is how great NCL and cruising is. When booking, I did preface that we weren't picking the best of the best ships, explaining about age and history but I'm not sure all that sunk in. None the less, our motive was R & R, cheap and destination was not an issue. But still, I want a working toilet and A/C. Service issues in the dining room are easy and I always have the attitude that I have no place I have to be anyway. Neither she or I are fussy eaters either. So, I'm back to the attitude of we'll make it great, no matter what!
____________________
NCL:
Dream: Caribbean 1997
Majesty: Caribbean 1999
Star: Hawaii 2002
Star: Hawaii 2004
Spirit: Caribbean 2005
Star: Alaska 2005
Star: Mexican Riviera 2006
Jewel: Mediterranean 2006
Star: Mexican Riviera 2007
Next: Sky, August '08 back to back
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scrappy
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Fri Jul 25th, 2008 08:25 pm | 6th Post |
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| From the last few posts on the DS thread, it seems that the brass is finally responding to the issues. Not fixing them, but at least acknowledging them and offering cabin changes for passengers booked in the "problem" cabins.
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superflyjeff
Cruiser
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 12:49 am | 7th Post |
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Personally I think everyone over on there is just causing mass panic. I mean for goodness sake..it's the first couple of sailings in a new port for the ship, new crew and so on. I'm booked on TWO cruises on the Sky...one in September & antoher in October. I have every bit of belief that NCL will correct all these mentioned issues with great swiftness. I'm floored there are people that are asking if they should cancel a cruise that is 3 or 4 months away just because the first sailings have been a little rough. I didn't book this early into the sailings for just this reason...you've got to expect some time for them to work into a rhythm...right??
Oh well....sorry to go on, but all this hub bub for nothing is making me want to 
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09/12/2008 - NCL Sky
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BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 12:52 am | 8th Post |
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| Jeff, they did the same thing on the NCL boards when the Spirit had it's engine problems. Bunch of Chicken Littles. The Caribbean Princess now has similar problems, and I'm amazed at how fast the hubbub died down on the Princess boards!
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superflyjeff
Cruiser
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 12:55 am | 9th Post |
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Oh everyone run...run run run....the sky had a technical problem. Whatever will we do???  I hope all the people freaking out that are booked on my two dates go ahead and cancel. Who wants a bunch of sticks in the mud??
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09/12/2008 - NCL Sky
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BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 01:10 am | 10th Post |
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superflyjeff wrote: Oh everyone run...run run run....the sky had a technical problem. Whatever will we do???
 Very clever!
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kimdave68
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 01:29 am | 11th Post |
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Looks at stat on wall -> 65°F. Yep there would definitely be a problem! Heck the "power bill" is about $8,000 per day so what's a few degrees? I won't say how much MWH of that is for cooling, though.
Hint: on hot days stand by the relief house air vents and you'll enjoy a nice shot of cool(er) air. On chilly nights in NYC it serves as a safe haven to get night shots that require stability at those longer shutter open times when one is likely to shiver more.
In my EC engineering studies they figured along the lines of roughly 10% increase in costs (zero storage centrifugal 3000 ton units) PER degree below the appointed setpoint of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Wow if Al Gore comes around I may have to sic the dogs on him! 
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BeckyThane
Super Cruiser
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 01:33 am | 12th Post |
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English, Dave... speak English. 
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cruizinwithkids
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 01:47 am | 13th Post |
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The thing that has me scratching my head is the sewage smell. The same thing was reported regularly on the Pride of Aloha. I clearly remember that because I knew I would "die" if that was a problem. I did smell it one day in the area of the aft elevators. I haven't read the reviews but I have seen the sewage being a recurring comment.
I just said to my daughter, "The Sky is getting bad reviews; seems it has bad smelly issues."
Her response was, "UGH, what's with that the Sky had bad smelly issues when we were on it."
Last edited on Sat Jul 26th, 2008 01:53 am by cruizinwithkids
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kimdave68
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 01:57 am | 14th Post |
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Poor air balance (particularly excessive neg pressure) can cause H2S intrusion from the HRBFF process. (English? ok it smells like a rotten egg or some farts!)
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 02:11 am | 15th Post |
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kimdave68 wrote: Poor air balance (particularly excessive neg pressure) can cause H2S intrusion from the HRBFF process. (English? ok it smells like a rotten egg or some farts!)
 Now THAT I understood!
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My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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shoreguy
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 02:16 am | 16th Post |
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cruizinwithkids wrote: The thing that has me scratching my head is the sewage smell. The same thing was reported regularly on the Pride of Aloha. I clearly remember that because I knew I would "die" if that was a problem. I did smell it one day in the area of the aft elevators. I haven't read the reviews but I have seen the sewage being a recurring comment.
I just said to my daughter, "The Sky is getting bad reviews; seems it has bad smelly issues."
Her response was, "UGH, what's with that the Sky had bad smelly issues when we were on it."
First thing you do is pour water in the floor drains in the bathroom. After sitting the sun for weeks the traps will lose the water that kept the gases from backing up.
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kimdave68
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 02:23 am | 17th Post |
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shoreguy wrote:
First thing you do is pour water in the floor drains in the bathroom. After sitting the sun for weeks the traps will lose the water that kept the gases from backing up.
That works for YOUR quarters while everyone else's gets drawn into the returns and circulated through the delivery decks. It can get overwhelming. Fortunately the human olfactory is rather easy to sensitize to H2S. That's a double edged sword though because if the level creep up to toxic lines you could be in a hoot of trouble. That should NEVER NEVER happen in living quarters thank God!
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superflyjeff
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 01:46 pm | 18th Post |
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| The first report in from the Sky on the DS reported no issues from this weekends cruise. Let's hope they are getting on top of this. One of the affected cabins w/ no AC is the one I've got booked for a cruise in October. I know they'll get it all fixed, but was nice to hear something somewhat positive this morning.
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09/12/2008 - NCL Sky
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shoreguy
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 02:55 pm | 19th Post |
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superflyjeff wrote: The first report in from the Sky on the DS reported no issues from this weekends cruise. Let's hope they are getting on top of this. One of the affected cabins w/ no AC is the one I've got booked for a cruise in October. I know they'll get it all fixed, but was nice to hear something somewhat positive this morning.
Slowly it turns dark 
Miamian here too and just got off.
A/c had no problems in the cabin. However the first day it was pretty hot in some of the common areas.
Was moves from a balcony to an inside. Somebody told me that some of the cabins had flooding toilet problems... It did smell like it in some of the areas... So happy they moved me.
There were longggg lines when we checked in with people complaining to change their room. So you may have more posts on this tonight.
No hot water for our entire group...
Food was great. However, cover charges do add up.
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shoreguy
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 04:18 pm | 20th Post |
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Then the sun breaks thru 
Today, 12:05 PM Urlauber 
vbmenu_register("postmenu_15593793", true);
Cool Cruiser
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 1
 Pleasant experience on the Sky
Just got back. Thanks to Cruise Critic I read about the potential problems and contacted NCL by email before our cruise (used email addresses provided by Cruise Critic posters - thank you!). The night before our cruise I received a phone call from an NCL representative assuring me that our cabins had not be affected by the recent AC and toilet issues. The morning of the cruise I received an email directly from the ship assuring me of the same. Once on board, my family and I received great personal attention because of our initial concerns and the staff went out of their way to make us comfortable. I must say, I have come back with a very favorable impression of NCL. The cruise itself was overall very enjoyable and I would cruise on the Sky again (in the right cabin of course). We had no AC nor toilet problems in our cabins (inside cabins, Norway deck) and found the temperature on the ship to be acceptable in most areas, although a bit warm in a couple of places. Nobody on board denied the problems they had been having and all seemed to be trying their best to rectify any issues. The food was great and the service was good most of the time (food was a little slow coming out a couple of times, but we were enjoying ourselves and weren't upset at all). The overall look of the ship is nice and clean and, again, our experience was positive. I have cruised on RCCL several times and Celebrity once, and can say I had a comparable experience for the most part. To future Sky cruisers: have a wonderful time!
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superflyjeff
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 06:02 pm | 21st Post |
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The Sky has taken quite the beating the last week or so. This is nice to see. I know NCL will get things straightened out.
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09/12/2008 - NCL Sky
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shoreguy
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 06:33 pm | 22nd Post |
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superflyjeff wrote:
The Sky has taken quite the beating the last week or so. This is nice to see. I know NCL will get things straightened out.
It is funny to see some of the same folks that stopped by to beat on the POAL years ago. I have to love Goldryder beating on her ugly drum.
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superflyjeff
Cruiser
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 06:37 pm | 23rd Post |
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| Hopefully more positive reports will trickle in. Seems like there have been some folks totally dominating the conversation. I don't even have a remote desire to get involved in those discussions.
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09/12/2008 - NCL Sky
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kimdave68
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 07:56 pm | 24th Post |
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Cruising is not exempt from the universal rule...
You can have 100 "attaboys" and all it takes is one "awshit" to wipe the slate clean.
That said people left with a bad aftertaste tend to be more vocal afterward than those with pleasant experiences offering praise.
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vreihen
Casual Cruiser
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Posted: Mon Jul 28th, 2008 08:23 pm | 25th Post |
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kimdave68 wrote: Cruising is not exempt from the universal rule...
You can have 100 "attaboys" and all it takes is one "awshit" to wipe the slate clean.
That said people left with a bad aftertaste tend to be more vocal afterward than those with pleasant experiences offering praise.
...or the old retail rule-of-thumb that for every complaint letter received, there were 100 other customers who felt the exact same way that didn't bother to lick the stamp and complain.....
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