smillerholmes

During my first cruise I bought 8 Cruise Next based upon the double up offer at the time. I like to always have two in case I want to go somewhere the Casino won't let me (Hawaii) or on a newer ship (Prima). Now since most of my cruises are via the Casino I have been utilizing the Cruise First because I typically get offered Insides and $500 covers *most* of my costs. And then they throw a monkey in the wrench and offer the Triple Up! It was a very short time frame, but unlike unicorns, it surely existed.

This little nugget is just what I needed to see. I had been stocking up on sparkling water for port days - it never occurred to me to get some beer or even the canned sparkling stuff. Duh! Thank you so much for sharing!

Just came off my first cruise with Sapphire benefits - 20 days on the Sun I signed up for Dinner with Officers, Wine Tasting and Behind the Scenes tour. I got my Wine Tasting invite first - I missed it because I was not feeling well. Behind the Scenes tour invite was sent a few days later. Laundry area, Galley and Theater were included. There is also a paid tour that will include the Engine Control Room and Bridge which is $129 (I believe this is available for any Latitude level) I received my Dinner with Officers invite towards the end of the cruise. It was my understanding that they had done several "sessions" so this is a pretty popular perk. Mine was in the MDR - I didn't have the beverage package this time since I had drinks through the Casino, but both red and white wines were provided and liberally dispensed during the meal. I cannot speak to the priority seating perk as I have not had a reason to try to utilize this yet. P.S. The free laundry perk which starts at the Platinum level is not to be overlooked and I can confirm receiving 3 baskets of laundry on my 20 day cruise. YMMV as this is not written anywhere, but people always ask about the laundry perk on longer cruises so this is just extra information.

The first time I realized I truly was done with my suitcase until the trip was over...WOW! UNPACK ONCE - it's what made me fall in love with cruising. What keeps me in love... - sleeping like a baby as the ship gently rocks (I am typically an insomniac) - SEA DAYS! - I never get bored because there's so much to do in no particular order (drinking, eating, reading, listening to music, shows, casino, hosted games, ports, shopping, meeting new people)

Thank you very much for the details on your cruise - what a wonderful Live from... And now I look forward to my very similar itinerary in November 🤞

For Puerto Quetzal, I chose the "Safari Adventure". It's an approximate 40 minute drive from the pier and it's a drive-thru style mini zoo. I enjoyed it. I didn't pay it much attention at the time, but there were grumblings from fellow cruisers that chose the "Antigua - on your own" most having to do with the length of the bus ride, I wish I could remember more, but maybe someone else with recent experience will chime in on that one.

I didn't have my phone with me for that last win, but here's a couple of pics.

All Slots - favorite machine is the Lock it Links/Diamonds - there are 4 near the back of the Casino. Just one jackpot, but I consistently did well on that machine. Crazy Money - 2nd favorite game - just one jackpot, but I probably only broke even on this game. There's only 1 in the Casino 3rd game I honestly don't remember the name. It's near the front by the Players Club and the bonus game is where you get to catch Koi fish? I rarely switch games, pure luck on that one to get the jackpot. Yeah, I had a blast. Back to the salt mines so I can get ready for my B2B in November.

I flew TAP in Dec/2022 and I was pretty impressed. I flew Rome/FCO to Lisbon, and yes LIS does remind me of LGA pre recent facelift. Maybe I was impressed because my previous experience with air transport within Europe was Ryanair??? It's all about perspective. Ha!

Sitka is my absolute favorite Alaska port. Did they make an adjustment for departure time since you are arriving late?

Following... I tried to leave her in good shape for you. I really wish I had been able to stay on - love that little ship! Enjoy your cruise!

Day 21 - Seattle Packing was a bear - I know my bag is over 50 lbs, I guess we will see what Alaska Air says??? Up at 6 so I can do self-assist; my flight leaves at 10:15. A quick breakfast in the MDR and I am on my way at 7:30. I was absolutely dreading Bell Street Pier so imagine my surprise when I was able to walk right off and get a taxi by 7:45 - where are all the people that are normally crammed into this space? While sitting in the cab I realized there were a couple of reasons for the relative ease. 1. I think the Sun was the only ship in port at the time? I could be wrong, but I didn't see another ship. 2. Not alot of people were getting off the ship, most were staying on for Alaska. 3. It was too early for embarkation for the Sun or any other ship when I was leaving so, yeah pretty easy walk off. It took about 20 minutes to get to the SEATAC - let the record show my bag was 68.4 pounds, but the conveyor belt died while she was trying to arrange for payment for baggage fees and she couldn't charge me and just waved me on and told me it was my lucky day! I had already received an email from Alaska Air on Wednesday asking for volunteers since my flight was overbooked (voucher for $350 on the line) - I immediately responded in the affirmative! I'm waiting at the gate and they announce $1K voucher to fly tomorrow. Yeah, I'll take that. Glad to finally be back home...

Day 20 - Victoria I love this island - so beautiful, so clean. Soooo Expensive - Yikes! I still added explore Canadian citizenship to my to do list - can't hurt to check can it? I took the City Highlights excursion. Ugh, it left late and while our guide was super nice and friendly, he kept forgetting where he was with his stories about the local landmarks and people. It was a very disjointed tour and when he let us off to shop downtown I decided I would just walk back to the ship. I had lunch at Milestones - cute little restaurant near the visitor area with a spectacular view. Three margaritas later I enjoyed an afternoon stroll past the vendors and bought a few trinkets for home. The weather was lovely with temps in the upper 50's, so a nice walk back to the ship. A shower and a nap and we were already underway when I headed down to dinner in the Four Seasons. I still had my bottle of wine from my Sapphire benefits so took that with me as I started to accept I was going to need to start packing. Ugh!

Day 19 - Another Sea Day! What can I say, again I spent most of the day in the Casino and earned yet another tax form. 😀 I broke up the monotony with an art auction and lunch. I loooove sea days! The Freestyle Daily had lots to do with a high focus on shopping and the constant reminders that this was the *last* day. I had breakfast with a lovely couple - they mentioned a Med cruise in the fall, what a coinky-dink (11/2 - 11/12) on the Breakaway - small world. I am booked on that one as well.

He got a card and a personal thank you note.

Once on the ship you were immediately directed to your Muster Station. The stations are mostly outside and there was a crew member there to ensure you had watched the video and could locate your station if necessary. There was no formal option to choose between morning and evening service, but I am betting you could tell your cabin steward to make your cabin last if you wanted evening service (before 5pm)- I don't think there's a good way to ensure morning service. I noted no change in service levels and I was even able to get towel animals and ice every day. YMMV.

Evacuation completed successfully.

Guests on outdoor decks 11 and 12 have been asked to stay well clear of the aft area. We are still expecting to arrive in Victoria at 9am on Wednesday.

They asked guests on 8, 9 and 10 to not go out on their balconies. Pretty interesting...

We are having a course change to Eureka, CA. There is a guest needing immediate medical evacuation and that is the closest port available. No flash photography when the Coast Guard helicopter shows up please.

MDR's Staff is pleasant and helpful. They tend to work in teams so "glitches" happen. I've seen a few people getting testy with their servers. It just occurred to me I've only seen this behavior in the mornings. 🤔 I have had no issues with service. All my coffee fans out there. Do yourself a favor and switch to tea for a while if you are on the Sun. Yep. It is that bad. Buffet - small, but efficient is how I would describe it. Pretty good vaiety of choices. Seating is poor, but that's a design issue. Lots of wait staff to assist those needing help preparing their plates and transporting food for guests to table. Specialty Dining - so far I've done Cagneys (2), LaCucina and LeBistro. Again, no service issues. I'm sad about the potatoes in Cagneys and the Coq Au Vin in Le Bistro, but those are recipe changes. And I don't typically take pictures of food, but I did get a pic of the tray the General Manager sent for the coronation before I did too much damage.

Since we are close to the end here I wanted to comment on service levels around the ship. Cabin - I am firmly in the *prefer two times a day* cabin service camp. Upon meeting my attendant I asked for ice every day and a towel animal if he had time. He said no problem and I gave him a Vegas handshake upfront. So I was really paying attention to cleaning times and all the details surrounding this service. My cabin was generally completed between 11 and 1. I have ice to last me through the night and an outstanding collection of towel animals. I guess I've been converted??? I travel alone, but I have noted no discernible drop off on that front. I realize if there were more people in the cabin I might feel differently.

As I sit here next to the CruiseNext guy a couple just came up and asked if they could book for the next segment. There is one Inside Cabin left and 5 Ocean View. Prepare for a full ship.

Day 18 - Sea Day (3) Admission: I suck at this. I have no idea what I was thinking. Could I be interesting or make the Sun interesting for 20 days? This is hard (for me) and I admire those that are able to delve into every detail of the ship and cruising. I have no idea how to relay the information without simply detailing my day and hoping some share my same interests. Those that are still following along I hope I provided some info to help you on your next cruise adventure. Tonight I am going to LeBistro because I do like the fois gras....

Day 17 - Sea Day redux Up early to the Casino. I won a few hundred on my preferred machine I decided to switch it up and let's just say they handed me another tax form for my troubles. 😁 So yay! I am ashamed to say I spent the entire day in the Casino and I only left because it was time to get ready for my dinner with the Officers. 18:00 - Seven Seas There were 5 guests cards but only 3 guests showed up. One officer - The Art Auctioneer. So it was super interesting for me, I don't think the other couple enjoyed it as much as I did. A pretty good day all around.