Norwegian Sky

Launched in 1999, Norwegian Sky is the first Sky-class NCL ship, together with Norwegian Sun.

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE (NYC). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL, Oceania and RSSC (Regent).

The 77,104-ton, 2,000-passenger cruise ship Norwegian Sky became operational on 9 August 1999 with an inaugural 4-day trip from Dover to Norway. The cruise ship was refurbished and changed her name several times. She is designed in beautiful tropical colors. NCL Sky was originally ordered by Costa Cruises as Costa Olympia, but later the line refused the ship. In the period 2004-2008 the vessel was operated by NCL America and sailed as Pride of Aloha under US flag, but was owned by Genting Hong Kong.

Cruise itinerary program

Norwegian Sky itinerary program is based on 3- and 4-day short Bahamas cruises from Miami FL. Feature port destinations include Nassau, and the private island of NCL Great Stirrup Cay.

• NCL Sky's 2017-2018 itinerary program offers 4-night cruises from Miami that include Havana overnights (May through December 2017). The itinerary also visits Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas).
• With Norwegian Sky, NCL's first ever ship call at Havana was on May 2, 2017 (overnight). NCL Sky's Cuban cruise prices started from USD 700 per person (inclusive of unlimited drinks).
• In 2018, NCL will expand its Cuba cruise program - to a total of 63 itineraries, most of which offer Havana overnight. The season starts with NCL Sky (4-day Miami roundtrips) on March 26, 2018. The number of previously scheduled 2018 NCL Cuba cruises was 30 (through December 2017).

Cabins

Most Norwegian Sky staterooms are 120-sq.foot Inside rooms (383). There are a total of 1002 staterooms in 27 categories. The largest aboard Norwegian Sky are the Owners Suites (350 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Just as Norwegian Sky has changed since her launch, so has Freestyle Cruising. The programme is simply considered as the choice to dine where you want, when you want, and take part only in those activities that interest you. Cruisers can have a good time with freestyle dining onboard Norwegian Sky and a lot of options to choose from. They can try gourmet cuisine or go to Le Bistro to taste innovative dishes. Norwegian Sky offers two main dining rooms for the passengers seeking traditional dining experience: Crossings and Palace, both very flexible. Guests can make reservations for the same time each night, or choose different times, based on their schedule. Both MDRs are open nightly for dinner. Each day, one of the two provides open-seating breakfast and lunch. Compared to the cuisine and service in the specialty restaurants, the dining rooms experience doesn't lag. Service in Crossings and Palace is better than that of bigger cruise ships.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Sky restaurants and food bars.

• Palace Restaurant (forward Dining Room, complimentary, with Your Time dining)
• Le Bistro (French specialty dinner-only restaurant; reservations-only; US$20 cover charge)
• The Crossings Restaurant (aft-location Dining Room; complimentary; Freestyle dining)
• Il Adagio (Italian specialty restaurant; cover charge US$15, reservations-only)
• Great Outdoor Cafe (complimentary lido buffet restaurant)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (specialty dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialties; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu)
• Garden Cafe (complimentary buffet restaurant with various cuisine stations); Kid's Cafe.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Norwegian Sky's guests will each be able to find their own way to relax: drink a favorite cocktail at the pool; indulge in luxurious body procedures at the spa or enjoy a challenging work out in the fitness center while kids are being entertained by activities at their private area. When the night comes, passengers can go to the Star Dust Lounge or try their luck at the casino. Expect to hear music everywhere. You'll be able to listen to Frank Sinatra tunes and island steel drums, hearty soul and piano classics, lots of salsa and rock and roll. Guitar and piano, as well as a Caribbean group are staples in the variety of lounges.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Sky lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Stardust Theatre (1000-seat; features Broadway-style musical productions; two grand-shows per night)
• Captain Cook’s Cigar Bar; Plantation Club; Champs Bar
• Dazzles Disco & Nightclub; Outrigger Lounge & Disco
• Java Cafe; Breakers Bar; Longboard Bar
• Sky Atrium (midship hub area with a big-size LED screen, dance area and live entertainment)
• Atrium Cafe & Bar (specialty tea & coffee bar); The Coffee Bar
• Internet Cafe (24-hour); Art Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop
• Sky Club Casino
• Galleria Shops (tax and duty free shops); Colombian Emeralds International (precious stones, jewelry, watches)
• Body Waves Spa & Fitness Centre (Spa treatment rooms, sauna, herbal steam room, thalassotherapy pool, Beauty Salon; Body Waves Fitness Centre); 2 swimming pools, 4 Whirlpools, tennis tables
• Kid’s Corner Club; Splashes (kids pool); The Zone Teen Club & Disco; Video Games Arcade
• Combined sports court; Jogging Track; Golf Nets.

• Cabin grades number: 27
• Total number of cabins: 1002 (of which 489 balcony, 429 Inside, 15 suites)
• Dining Rooms: Crossings, Palace
• Restaurants and food bars: (12 different dining options) Cagney’s (steakhouse), Le Bistro (French), Il Adagio (Italian), buffets (Garden Cafe, Kids Cafe, Great Outdoor Cafe)
• Lounges & Bars: Stardust, Plantation Club, Outrigger, Sky, Java Cafe, The Coffee, Captain Cook’s, Breakers, Longboard, Champs, Dazzles (nightclub).
• Amenities: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("NCL Kids"), Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry. NCL Sky tipping/gratuities (US$12 pp pd). Norwegian Sky cruise ship weddings are held in the onboard chapel.
• Spa, 5 jacuzzis, 3 pools, Sports Court, Golf Nets.
• Norwegian Sky cruise ship is of the Sky-class Norwegian Cruise Line vessels. Her sister in the fleet is NCL Sun and also Costa Victoria.
• The vessel's construction started as an order from Costa Cruises (Costa Crociere) placed to Bremer Vulkan AG (1893-1997/bankruptcy, shipbuilding company, Bremen/Germany) as the 2nd in a pair of Costa newbuilds. The ship name in this order was "Costa Olympia". Due to Vulkan's financial problems at that time, Costa Olympia's construction was suspended with only ~1/3 of the ship being completed. On October 5, 1996, the incomplete hull of Olympia was floated out of the dry-dock.
• Costa didn't pay for the incomplete vessel, so it was laid up until December 1997, when NCL purchased Olympia and re-designed her as "Norwegian Sky" (using the services of Tillberg Design, Sweden).
• NCL Sky's construction was continued at the yards of Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven (another major German shipbuilder) to where the ship's hull was towed on March 8, 1998. The ship was officially acquired on July 29, 1999. The Inaugural Cruise (Maiden Voyage) was on August 9, 1999 (Norway Fjords from Dover England), also featuring the 20th century's last total solar eclipse. The ship's inaugural USA season started with departures from Boston to Canada/New England (Sept 18, 1999) and from Miami to Caribbean (Nov 14, 1999).
• The ship's godparents were her crew (christened on the Aug 9 sailing). She sailed under this name from 1999 to 2004. On July 4, 2004, she left the San Francisco CA drydock as "Pride of Aloha".
• The Pride of Aloha cruise ship's godmother was Margaret Awamura Inouye - wife of US Senator Daniel Inouye (Hawaii). Pride of Aloha operated exclusively Hawaiian Islands cruises in the period from 2004 through 2008. During this period, the ship was US-flagged and operated by the "NCL America" brand (NCLH's subsidiary company). In the NCL America's fleet, the liner was joined in 2006 by the sistership Pride of Hawaii (now Norwegian Jade).
• NCL originally planned to sell the ship to Star Cruises (Asian line). Later a decision was announced to sell her to Pullmantur (the RCCL-Royal Caribbean brand in Spain). In May 2008 NCL Norwegian announced that the Pride ship will stay in the fleet. After being re-flagged to Bahamas, she started anew as "Norwegian Sky". Her 2nd "Maiden Voyage" (now as Sky) was on July 14, 2008.
• In early 2009, the NCL Sky ship was sold to Genting Hong Kong. NCL operated the vessel under one-year charter, with the options to extend the charter, but also to buy the vessel during the charter period. On June 1, 2012, NCL exercised their option and bought the ship for ~$260 million dollars.
• Norwegian Sky was the first ever cruise ship with an Internet Cafe (via satellite connection). At that time this venue offered a total of 9 PC terminals for going online at sea. List of services (available 24 hours a day, at US$20 per hour or 33 cents per min) included emailing, PC games, photo imaging, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps and printing.
• NCL Sky is also the line's first ever ship equipped with a "Bridge Cam" (a digital camera offering 24 hour view from the bow and beyond (updated every 15 min).
• (Sept 24, 1999 accident) On her Boston to Canada itinerary (also including Saguenay River cruising) the cruise ship run aground on the Rouge Island Banks (listing was 5,2 degrees to port side). The original plan was all passengers and some of the crew to be evacuated. However, the high tide helped the ship to free itself. The accident resulted in substantial hull damage, but no one was injured. The ship then returned to Quebec City for drydock repairs for over a month, and 3 of the New England cruises were cancelled.
• Since January 2016, all NCL Sky ship passengers leaving from Miami FL enjoy free unlimited drinks (including alcohol - beers, wines, premium spirits). All onboard drinks (which are normally priced at up to USD 11) are included in the cruise fares. The list includes numerous cocktails, premium spirits, bottled beers, draft beers, wines by the glass. Passengers 3 to 20 years of age also enjoy unlimited drinks - soda and juices. Being the odlest in the NCL fleet, Norwegian Sky operates on short cruises (3- and 4-day Miami roundtrips) to Bahamas - the whole year-round. The all-inclusive cruising experience includes unlimited beverages also on NCL's private island Great Stirrup Cay, which is paired in the itinerary together with Nassau.
• During NCL Sky's 2017 refurbishment, the ship was retrofitted with new "scrubbers" (exhaust gas cleaning systems). The new scrubber technology reduces the equivalent of approx 1500 tons of the poisonous gas Sulfur Oxide. Norwegian Cruise Line was the first cruise company retrofitting with a scrubber hybrid system vessels while in service. The new in-line scrubbers (5 units) are lightweight and able to operate in dry mode, as well as in open and closed loops.
• In 2017, Norwegian Sky became the first NCL ship with itineraries visiting Cuba. The Cuban cruise program (May through December 2017) offered 4-day roundtrips from Miami Florida (Monday  departures) with Havana overnights. The itinerary also visited the NCL private island Great Stirrup Cay. Bookings on NCL's Cuba cruises opened on February 21, 2017.

Next table shows NCL Sky's ever first cruise to Cuba (itinerary May 1-5) with the port times.

The 4-nights / 5-days roundtrip from Miami cruise prices started from USD 950 pp (double occupancy inside cabin rates).