For those who have been on both the GEM and the SUN...

[DeRon]

We loved our cruise on the Gem! Now we are looking at other cruises. For those who have been on the Gem and the Sun, how do they compare?

 

Would I like the Sun? Is it too old, small, or crowded?

 

Thanks!

[Sauer-kraut]

Gee, I don't know you so how could I possibly know if you'd like the ship? We are not inside your personality.:rolleyes:

 

Sun is small, if you can't entertain yourself don't take her. No slides, bowling, climbing wall. Think of a more classic cruise like what we did in the 70's before all that stuff was invented BUT with an atrium, glass elevators, huge theater and bigger cabins than most other NCL ships.

[DeRon]

Gee, I don't know you so how could I possibly know if you'd like the ship? We are not inside your personality.:rolleyes:

 

Ha! Okay...let me try this again...

 

I was saying (in the original post) that IF you have been on both ships, and enjoyed the Gem (which we have been on and enjoyed), do you think we would also like the Sun...or is it not near as nice?

 

Thanks!

[OceanDreaming2]

The Sun is about 2/3rds the size of the Gem. It's older so maybe not as "nice" as the Gem. We had a balcony room on the Gem and it was OK but so was our OV cabin on the Sun.

 

Both ships have an upper deck Observation Lounge; it's nice to have that indoor space if the weather's not so nice and/or you can't be in the sun. The Sun didn't use that space in the evenings though, instead it had everything in Dazzle's nightclub (which is on the same level as the theater). It was so crowded sometimes; I worried about safety.

 

If you have a suite on the Sun, breakfast and lunch will be in Il Adagio instead of Cagney's on the Gem. Both are nice but I liked the location of Cagney's over the "basement" feel of Il Adagio. Le Bistro on the Sun was on an upper deck (it's usually on deck 7 or so) and the Sun didn't have an Asian restaurant (just a sushi bar).

 

Theater on the Sun is set up with couches and swivel chairs in the first couple of rows (watch out for the chairs - some were broken when we were on her in October!). The fabric used on the chairs was weird - kinda poked at your skin. And there are columns blocking your view from some of the seats.

 

I really didn't care for the crew we encountered on the Gem but that changes frequently. Overall, the Sun's crew was friendly and helpful.

 

If I had to choose one over the other, it would probably be the Gem just because it's newer, has more dining options, etc.

[bluesea777]

We have been on both Pearl (which is the exact sister ship to Gem) and Sun.

 

Both times we stayed in regular Balcony cabin.

 

Room size: Sun wins

Bathroom:

Toilet: either

Sink: either

Shower: Pearl HANDS DOWN!!

Hair Dryer: Pearl also hands down - I could not style my short hair with the old hose hairdryer on the Sun that I bought a hand hair dryer at the first port of call

4th/5th pullman berth: Sun wins as it come off the wall above the long sofa - we left it open/down the entire time as there was enough head space when we sat on the sofa. On Pearl the pullman comes down from the ceiling covering the top half of the balcony doors - we had to duck under it to go out on the balcony.

Pool Deck: Sun wins as it has 2 large pools. But for kids, Pearl wins.

Restaurants: Pearl wins

Garden Cafe: Pearl wins

 

We went on the Pearl first but we went on the Sun because of the itinerary which was South America.

[lgfromdg]

I was on the Sun once and loved it, but never sailed her again. Cruised the Gem for the first time last April, sailed her again in October and am taking her again this April. The Gem is in great shape, the right size, plenty of dining and entertainment options with a fantastic crew. If the right cruise came up on the Sun I'd go, but the Gem would be my preference.

[DMH15]

Been on Sun and Jewel. For me, I prefer the Sun. But mostly due to my aft penthouse. Love it!

 

But I do prefer smaller ships. Also, Il Adagio is beautiful and intimate and as a auite cruiser a great venue for breakfast and lunch.

[DeRon]

I wish I could find better pictures and videos of the Sun. Anyone know where to get these?

 

Thanks!

[PatJim]

We have been on both Pearl (which is the exact sister ship to Gem) and Sun.

 

Both times we stayed in regular Balcony cabin.

 

Room size: Sun wins

Bathroom:

Toilet: either

Sink: either

Shower: Pearl HANDS DOWN!!

Hair Dryer: Pearl also hands down - I could not style my short hair with the old hose hairdryer on the Sun that I bought a hand hair dryer at the first port of call

4th/5th pullman berth: Sun wins as it come off the wall above the long sofa - we left it open/down the entire time as there was enough head space when we sat on the sofa. On Pearl the pullman comes down from the ceiling covering the top half of the balcony doors - we had to duck under it to go out on the balcony.

Pool Deck: Sun wins as it has 2 large pools. But for kids, Pearl wins.

Restaurants: Pearl wins

Garden Cafe: Pearl wins

 

We went on the Pearl first but we went on the Sun because of the itinerary which was South America.

We agree with this post. We were on the Sun once, for a Baltic cruise last May/June, and on the Gem once, for a Bahamas cruise last December. On the Sun our balcony room was large--about the same size as a mini-suite on the Gem or Dawn (nice surprise:)). The Sun hair dryer truly was AWFUL--attached to a hose in the bathroom, so you had to dry your hair there, and it wasn't very useful:eek:. On the Gem, there is a nice dryer at the vanity. Sun was built for warm-weather cruising, so if you go in cooler weather (Baltic was cool late Spring), there isn't enough indoor dining spaces at breakfast & lunch:(.

On Gem, we liked the larger size of the ship. It's big but not too big. Also, crew was great on both ships, but we thought the Gem crew was outstanding:). Sun has the best outdoor jogging/walking track, though. It's almost the length of the ship, so you don't feel you're endlessly going around in small circles:). If itinerary were equal, I would choose the Gem.

[dexddd]

I wish I could find better pictures and videos of the Sun. Anyone know where to get these?

 

Thanks!

 

Have you gone to the NCL site and picked the Sun and go to the right for the 360 degree views?

[finsupcruiser]

Ha! Okay...let me try this again...

 

I was saying (in the original post) that IF you have been on both ships, and enjoyed the Gem (which we have been on and enjoyed), do you think we would also like the Sun...or is it not near as nice?

 

Thanks!

 

We have been on both the Sun and Gem.

 

As you know the Gem is an great ship. We have always enjoyed the Sun she is smaller but to us good things come in small packages.:)

[cruzndiz]

I have been on the Gem and on the Sun's "sister" Sky and both of them have their pluses and minuses. Like other posters mentioned, I also like the smaller ship size but it didn't feel any more crowded than the Gem. Of course the Sun is older so it may be lacking some bells and whistles, but only you know if those are important to you. Yes, the Gem has bowling (but I get enough of that on land since it's my business) and a rock climbing wall (which was only open very sporadically for an hour or so here & there on our cruise so we never did it) but the basic elements of cruising are there intact.

 

The crew was wonderful on both ships... but I've decided that that must be a hallmark of NCL because I have always found their service to be superlative and on par with the luxury lines.