NCL SUN be rumored for South America

[clojacks]

I am seeing/hearing rumors the the Sun will be cruising a South America itinerary in 2015/16. I've also been told that NCL hasn't done SA since about 2010. I'm relatively new to NCL, not having sailed her in any of our first 10 cruises so far, and am extremely curious about how people found NCL's experience in SA. How were their prices comparable to the lines who were doing SA then? Is the Sun larger than what NCL was using on this itinerary then? ANY INFO would be greatly appreciated because we are now seriously considering a NCL SA cruise over a Spain/Canary Island one we were researching. From what I understand, I won't be able to get ANY info out of NCL until mid April, which is IMHO ridiculous when some of the other lines have their itineraries and prices already out there to consider.

[vols_159]

I am seeing/hearing rumors the the Sun will be cruising a South America itinerary in 2015/16. I've also been told that NCL hasn't done SA since about 2010. I'm relatively new to NCL, not having sailed her in any of our first 10 cruises so far, and am extremely curious about how people found NCL's experience in SA. How were their prices comparable to the lines who were doing SA then? Is the Sun larger than what NCL was using on this itinerary then? ANY INFO would be greatly appreciated because we are now seriously considering a NCL SA cruise over a Spain/Canary Island one we were researching. From what I understand, I won't be able to get ANY info out of NCL until mid April, which is IMHO ridiculous when some of the other lines have their itineraries and prices already out there to consider.

 

 

Not rumored. Was announced a few weeks ago

 

 

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[vols_159]

Sailed on the sun 2x loved her.. It's one of the smallest ships in the fleet but one of the most popular. The state rooms are larger than most other ncl ships..

 

 

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[rvsullivan]

I am seeing/hearing rumors the the Sun will be cruising a South America itinerary in 2015/16. I've also been told that NCL hasn't done SA since about 2010. I'm relatively new to NCL, not having sailed her in any of our first 10 cruises so far, and am extremely curious about how people found NCL's experience in SA. How were their prices comparable to the lines who were doing SA then? Is the Sun larger than what NCL was using on this itinerary then? ANY INFO would be greatly appreciated because we are now seriously considering a NCL SA cruise over a Spain/Canary Island one we were researching. From what I understand, I won't be able to get ANY info out of NCL until mid April, which is IMHO ridiculous when some of the other lines have their itineraries and prices already out there to consider.

 

This info is publicly posted and available to view.

 

Try this: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/pressroom/pressRelease.html?storyCode=PR_031214A

Edited March 20, 2014 by rvsullivan

[4774Papa]

We did a Jade cruise to Morocco and the Canary Islands. Great cruise.

 

Spain, Canary Islands and Morocco

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=80907

 

 

 

Also, we have done two SA cruises on Celebrity (couldn't wait for NCL). We love SA, especially going Around the Horn.

 

South America

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=248878

 

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=94024

[clojacks]

This info is publicly posted and available to view.

 

Try this: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/pressroom/pressRelease.html?storyCode=PR_031214A

 

Rumored was probably the wrong word to use...sorry. "Incomplete" probably was more accurate as telling me you are going to do a particular region and then not releasing itineraries or prices for a month or more doesn't really help my decision making in the face of knowing what other lines are doing.

[clojacks]

We did a Jade cruise to Morocco and the Canary Islands. Great cruise.

 

Spain, Canary Islands and Morocco

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=80907

 

 

 

Also, we have done two SA cruises on Celebrity (couldn't wait for NCL). We love SA, especially going Around the Horn.

 

South America

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=248878

 

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=94024

 

We are still considering the Canary Islands/Morocco cruise as NCL is going to be using the Epic there now, but as with this one we are considering, there isn't any info available yet, while others like Celebrity and Royal have dates, itineraries, and prices out.

 

Do you remember at the time 4774 what the price on Celebrity was comparable to others sailing the SA itinerary? Not specific prices but in terms of significantly more? Reasonably similar? etc....

[B6ConMe]

Well, with all the info that was shared with you last evening, at least you know that the cruises will be available around April 19th which isn't too far off.

 

I'm really not sure what the difficulty is with regards to the different lines having different cruises.

 

Decisions are made and changed all the time and booking this early there wouldn't be any penalty regardless of which line or which cruise you booked, would there?

 

If I were having trouble deciding I'd book whichever one was up first and then cancel it if a better cruise came along. Easy Peasy.

[clojacks]

Well, with all the info that was shared with you last evening, at least you know that the cruises will be available around April 19th which isn't too far off.

 

I'm really not sure what the difficulty is with regards to the different lines having different cruises.

 

Decisions are made and changed all the time and booking this early there wouldn't be any penalty regardless of which line or which cruise you booked, would there?

 

If I were having trouble deciding I'd book whichever one was up first and then cancel it if a better cruise came along. Easy Peasy.

 

And the info last evening was extremely helpful and appreciated, and resulted in us giving serious consideration now to 2 different cruises. I'm glad it is that easy for you. Others of us find the process a little more comparison worthy.

[B6ConMe]

And the info last evening was extremely helpful and appreciated, and resulted in us giving serious consideration now to 2 different cruises. I'm glad it is that easy for you. Others of us find the process a little more comparison worthy.

 

No, no, don't get me wrong...I compare all the time and sometimes it takes a lot of work, but what I mean is, if you're worried about missing out on, say a specific cabin you want or an area of the ship you prefer or something like that, and that cruise is available for booking, then I'd book it to make sure I didn't miss the specific things but still comparing the other cruises when they become available.

 

I don't know why NCL is so much later than the other lines either but worrying about it won't help and it won't change. :(

[4774Papa]

We are still considering the Canary Islands/Morocco cruise as NCL is going to be using the Epic there now, but as with this one we are considering, there isn't any info available yet, while others like Celebrity and Royal have dates, itineraries, and prices out.

 

Do you remember at the time 4774 what the price on Celebrity was comparable to others sailing the SA itinerary? Not specific prices but in terms of significantly more? Reasonably similar? etc....

 

The main competitors to the Around the Horn sailings are Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. It seemed to me that all there were in the same ballpark, but both Princess and Holland America were more expensive than Celebrity.

I booked real early for Around the Horn, like a year and a half before the cruise. The prices were $1000 pp more a couple of months before the cruise.

 

Those South American cruises are very popular. My advice is to book early. NCL tends to be a little cheaper than Celebrity. Celebrity is about the same on entertainment as NCL, but Celebrity's food is better.

 

We paid about $2550 pp for a top balcony cabin (14 day cruise).

 

By the way, Carnival does have a cruise or collection of cruises that starts in California and ends in Miami and goes around the horn as well. It is cheaper, but we aren't interested in Carnival.

The other cruise lines start in either Buenos Aires or Valparaiso.

[clojacks]

Great info 4774. It helps a lot. I have looked at Celebrity. We just got done with our first Celebrity cruise and were actually a bit underwhelmed from what we expected. BUT, with some of the promos they are running, a higher initial price might not necessarily be so at the end. Food is only a minor consideration with us. We haven't had a cruise yet where we thought the food was inedible, I can't imagine we would regardless of which we select in this case either. I would venture to guess that 75% of our decision will be price based and 25% ship based.

 

 

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[bluesea777]

We went on the Norwegian SUN South America in Dec 2009 for Xmas and New Year - great cruise. You can read my review that is in my signature.

[clojacks]

We went on the Norwegian SUN South America in Dec 2009 for Xmas and New Year - great cruise. You can read my review that is in my signature.

 

 

We have not only read it, but it is one of the reasons we are considering it.

 

 

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[clojacks]

No, no, don't get me wrong...I compare all the time and sometimes it takes a lot of work, but what I mean is, if you're worried about missing out on, say a specific cabin you want or an area of the ship you prefer or something like that, and that cruise is available for booking, then I'd book it to make sure I didn't miss the specific things but still comparing the other cruises when they become available.

 

I don't know why NCL is so much later than the other lines either but worrying about it won't help and it won't change. :(

 

At this point in the planning, specifics are the least of our worries. I've booked early enough in the past to get aft balconies on RC for the Mediterranean, but I haven't researched if there even are preferred sides or locations yet. I guess the side depends on if you are sailing from Santiago or Buenos Aires. What I need to do is check the perks Celebrity is offering and see if they are good on SA bookings or how long they are good for. And then see what NCL does.

[4774Papa]

At this point in the planning, specifics are the least of our worries. I've booked early enough in the past to get aft balconies on RC for the Mediterranean, but I haven't researched if there even are preferred sides or locations yet. I guess the side depends on if you are sailing from Santiago or Buenos Aires. What I need to do is check the perks Celebrity is offering and see if they are good on SA bookings or how long they are good for. And then see what NCL does.

We did the cruise from BA to Valpo and that is the way I recommend. Spend a few days pre-cruise in BA. Go to a nice tango show, eat some empanadas, see the city.

You will see the same sites either way, but if you take the Valpo to BA you will miss some of the wonderful glaciers in Southern Chile because you will go past them in the middle of the night.

[clojacks]

We did the cruise from BA to Valpo and that is the way I recommend. Spend a few days pre-cruise in BA. Go to a nice tango show, eat some empanadas, see the city.

You will see the same sites either way, but if you take the Valpo to BA you will miss some of the wonderful glaciers in Southern Chile because you will go past them in the middle of the night.

 

Great tip. Much appreciated.

[bluesea777]

We did the cruise from BA to Valpo and that is the way I recommend. Spend a few days pre-cruise in BA. Go to a nice tango show, eat some empanadas, see the city.

You will see the same sites either way, but if you take the Valpo to BA you will miss some of the wonderful glaciers in Southern Chile because you will go past them in the middle of the night.

 

We did Valpo to Buenos and had port side balcony cabin. If you read my review you'll see that we saw all the glaciers from our balcony - beginning at 7:15 am and lasting until 9am.

 

They were a beautiful sight.

 

And we docked in Ushuaia at noon. Great morning cruising.

Edited March 22, 2014 by bluesea777

[4774Papa]

We did Valpo to Buenos and had port side balcony cabin. If you read my review you'll see that we saw all the glaciers from our balcony - beginning at 7:15 am and lasting until 9am.

 

They were a beautiful sight.

 

And we docked in Ushuaia at noon. Great morning cruising.

We did Around the Horn on Celebrity Infinity and some of our crew said that if you went from Valpo to BA, the glaciers were in the middle of the night. I think they arrived in Ushuaia early in the morning.

 

Ushuaia was the gem of the cruise. I am glad we arrived early and had a full day.

[polySeraph]

At this point in the planning, specifics are the least of our worries. I've booked early enough in the past to get aft balconies on RC for the Mediterranean, but I haven't researched if there even are preferred sides or locations yet. I guess the side depends on if you are sailing from Santiago or Buenos Aires. What I need to do is check the perks Celebrity is offering and see if they are good on SA bookings or how long they are good for. And then see what NCL does.

 

I found that the side of the ship that my cabin was on was less important on my Buenos Aires-Valparaiso itinerary than you might think. When we were out to sea. we were wa-a-a-ay out to sea out of sight of land and when we were transiting the scenic portions of the itinerary (the Beagle Channel, the Chilean Fjords, etc), the gorgeous scenery was on both sides of the ship. We circumnavigated Cape Horn in a clockwise direction so those with starboard balcony cabins would probably get the better view of the Horn from their balcony window. The very best views on the ship (IMO) were from the suites in the bow and stern and, of course, the Sun has those wonderful B1 balconies and M1 mini-suites on the stern.

 

I am currently booked on the Celebrity Infinity's Val-FLL itinerary next March. Balcony cabins for our 2015 sailing climbed in price to $9K/per person before selling out completely. Several members of our Infinity roll call canceled their bookings and rebooked the 2016 sailing to get a better balcony location at a more affordable price.

Edited March 22, 2014 by polySeraph

[gmasters]

damn we had the Sun booked for S.A. a few years ago and had to cancel. this sounds great

[Clay Clayton]

We sailed Sun from BA to Valparaiso in 2010 on her last trip 'round the horn. It was our most enjoyable cruise to date. Perfect size ship, great CC friends aboard. While the late in the season trip meant we didn't have quite as many penguins to see (there were still plenty) it did mean we were the only ship in all our ports and in Stanley they really rolled out the red carpet for us as all the Faulklanders celebrated the end of the season.

 

As PolySeraph mentioned, Sun has some great stern facing staterooms. We were lucky enough to snag one of the balconies back there for a song. (NCL was having trouble selling the cruise and threw a buy one, get one half price sale- so our 14 days ended up costing $1,600 for both of us I recall-sad part for others was that a month or two later they announced they wouldn't be going back and the ship sold out and insides were going for lots more than we paid). Sun also has two bow facing balconies on the pool deck that are great rooms if you can get one of them. Even before the sale we had NCL was significantly less expensive that the other lines and suits us better. I really didn't feel like lugging dress clothes that far.

 

We spent our days during the scenic passages moving from Rollcall friend's bow suite to our and our neighbor's mini on the stern. Really made for the most scenic and memorable days. We cruised Beagle Channel in daylight and also made an un scheduled visit to another glacier that the Captain wanted to see.

 

All in all truly a trip of a lifetime, unless I get to go yo Anartica!

Edited March 22, 2014 by Clay Clayton

[clojacks]

Well, you guys have convinced me to call NCL as soon as I can book in mid-April for spring of 2016. Thanks for the remarks.

[jdvmd]

We did the Sun in 2009 on the last BA to Valparaiso run of the season. Great weather. Even made it to the Falkland Islands. It was an amazing trip! Had a mini suite and loved it. Very excited that NCL and the Sun are heading back to SA.

[clojacks]

Forgive me if I am beating a dead horse for info, but, asking produces better answers than guessing... If the NCL Sun SA itineraries are supposedly being released on or about April 15th with group sales to TA's happening about a week before that, does that mean EVERYTHING comes out at the same time, i.e., the itineraries and pricing? Or do the itineraries traditionally leak a little ahead of time with the pricing following shortly after that?