Ncl sun

[UandMe4Ever]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. HOPE IT'S HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND PEACEFUL:)

 

We might be interested in a cruise on the SUN for 10-13-15 from San Diego, CA to the Mexican Riveria...We live in NJ.

 

Does anyone have any recent information with regard to this ship, i.e. food, balcony cabins, entertainment, etc. We know it's an older ship and smaller (about 2,000 people) and that's just fine. Prefer smaller ships.

 

At your convenience, any information you could provide, positives or negatives would be most appreciated.

 

I will look here for replies.

 

Thank you kindly and again, Happy New Year:D

Edited January 1, 2015 by UandMe4Ever

[CRUZBUDS]

Happy New Year! We're looking forward to responses as well -- We just booked the 11 day Mexico September 2016. Our T/A cautioned us about the age and condition of the Sun. I think it will be fine for us. In November we did 12 days on the Legend of the Seas, another older ship. The CC member reviews of that cruise where terrible -- we had a great time :)

 

We've done a lot of west coast Mexico cruises, it is way different from the Caribbean. We like it, some folks don't.

 

It will be our first NCL cruise :) We've never done anything but traditional dinning on the other lines we've sailed.

[UandMe4Ever]

Happy New Year! We're looking forward to responses as well -- We just booked the 11 day Mexico September 2016. Our T/A cautioned us about the age and condition of the Sun. I think it will be fine for us. In November we did 12 days on the Legend of the Seas, another older ship. The CC member reviews of that cruise where terrible -- we had a great time :)

 

We've done a lot of west coast Mexico cruises, it is way different from the Caribbean. We like it, some folks don't.

 

It will be our first NCL cruise :) We've never done anything but traditional dinning on the other lines we've sailed.

 

 

Hi, on Dec. 1, we did a 12 night on the NCL Gem out of NYC..It was good, except the food was too salty! It was the Southern Carib. Ports. We did the Mexican Riveria about a year and a half ago..It was through the Panama Canal (full transit) and went to Puerto Vallarta, Hualtco, Cabo, Puerto Chiapas, Punta Arenas (Costa Rico). It was a 17 night repo from NY to LA. on the NCL Jewel ship!

 

As far as traditional dining, you can set your own "dining time" for every evening (on line) and that sort of makes it traditional. You can ask for the same wait staff if you like them from the start and they can try to arrange for you to sit within their serving stations.

 

Dress on NCL is 'very' casual. No dress up nights (unless you want to). There was only what they call "picture night". Saw no gowns or tux...Some suits/sports coats for men and 'a little blingy or dressier tops" for ladies with slacks.

 

I read some reviews the ship is old and not that well maintained. I will follow along and see what I find out.

 

Right now it's quite costly for a balcony cabin + air fare from NJ, so we'll see.:confused:

 

Have a happy new year!!!

Edited January 1, 2015 by UandMe4Ever

[CRUZBUDS]

We got a balcony with the drink package, it wasn't cheap, but we're not spending a nickel on transportation. DW's work will drop us at the ship and pick us up. It frees up a lot of cash.

 

We have some very nice perks on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. They do not sail from San Diego any more. Welcome to San Diego NCL! It will be a different experience for us!

 

We would have done it this September, but we're cruising with friends who really like Carnival, so we're going to L.A. :)

[tiggerfan616]

We've sailed the Sun for the last two years and had great cruises. Yes she is smaller, which is what I like also 2001 including crew. She is starting to show some wear but the crew does a great job on her upkeep and you will always see them painting and polishing.

 

Both cruises we stayed in a forward penthouse and loved our cabin, plenty of space on the balcony. I do understand the bathrooms in the regular rooms are small.

 

Unfortunately food is subjective and since I'm not a picky eater I can find something I like where ever we go. Hubby is all about meat and he never had an issue either. Service can be slow in the main dining room at times so if you are planning on going to the show after leave yourself enough time.

 

Entertainment wise its fine, we didn't do many shows the 2nd trip since we had seen them the year prior. Also we aren't into musicals so only caught the comedians and they were good.

 

Probaly my only complaint was the buffet it was to small and the set up is bad. I recommend using the outside area, same selections and less crowded.

 

If you like a small ship you will like the Sun, we sure did. Hope this helped

Enjoy your cruise

[deladypilot]

We sailed on the Sun during the summer of 2013. We fell in love with her but we are not the type that spends our days looking at carpet or trying to find rust spots. We found her to be in good shape. The room was clean and the staff was fantastic.

 

As mentioned the buffet area can get a little crowded but a little secret that many do not know is on one side of the ship is the buffet and on the other is Moderno and they put out a small buffet and there is almost no one there.

 

I would sail on her again tomorrow if I could.

[drvalo]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. HOPE IT'S HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND PEACEFUL:)

 

We might be interested in a cruise on the SUN for 10-13-15 from San Diego, CA to the Mexican Riveria...We live in NJ.

 

Does anyone have any recent information with regard to this ship, i.e. food, balcony cabins, entertainment, etc. We know it's an older ship and smaller (about 2,000 people) and that's just fine. Prefer smaller ships.

 

At your convenience, any information you could provide, positives or negatives would be most appreciated.

 

I will look here for replies.

 

Thank you kindly and again, Happy New Year:D

 

Love, love love the Sun. It's been a year since we cruised on her, however. Here are a few of my opinions about her.

 

Some of the cabins are larger than average, such as the minisuites and the deluxe insides. The bathrooms really are not smaller except for the showers, which are small and round, but certainly large enough for one person.

 

The public spaces are very nice. There is the Great Outdoor off the back of the ship behind the buffet. We would get food from the buffet or from the Great Outdoor offerings and sit outside to eat many meals. Also the area on the other side of the buffet that is Modernos in the evening that offers breakfast and lunch to all. There is a made to order omelet station there. Some people don't find it until the end of the cruise so the line is usually shorter than on the other side in the buffet. The Sports Bar behind Modernos serves as the 24 hour-ish restaurant. Not sure if the menu has changed to reflect more of the OSheehan's menu or not. The forward observation lounge is another great place to watch the sea go by.

 

We have always enjoyed the entertainment on the Sun. It tends to be more traditional with the production shows, comedians, hynotists, singing groups, etc. In the evenings, there is music everywhere.

 

The crew has seemed happy and we have always received good service on the Sun. We never lacked for something to do on sea days or evenings, even though the selection is definitely smaller than on the large ships.

 

Can't really think of any real negatives as long as you prefer smaller ships. You really feel like you are at sea on the Sun. If you are looking for the "Broadway" shows and frenetic pace of the larger ships, you may be unhappy, but if you like a more relaxing pace on a fine ship with a good crew, then you will have a grand time on the Sun.

Edited January 2, 2015 by drvalo

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

I just booked the Sun from San Diego to Santiago for Nov '16 so am interested in this topic. I read Mitsugirly's review & it got me even more excited for the ship altho' her itinerary was not like ours but her pictures of the ship, cabin etc are lovely.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2130767

 

Hope this helps.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[ronn772]

In nine days, we'll be sailing on the Sun for our fourth time. We absolutely love this ship! She's older, but very well-maintained... a little "wear & tear" here and there, but over-all in very good shape. And the crew is great!

[puddles99]

I introduced my husband and kids to cruising on the Sun in 2012 and they quickly became addicted :D When we docked next to her in Cozumel last month (we were on Epic), we were reminiscing about what a lovely ship she was. I have no idea what entertainment is on board these days, but we'd sail the Sun again in a heartbeat. Enjoy your adventure!

[DMH15]

I also caught a glimpse of the Sun in November. I was on Carnival Magic and having a great time. But gosh, seeing my favorite ship, (cruised twice in my favorite aft PH), was bittersweet.

 

I just have a feeling the Sun will always be my favorite or at least in the top few. It just feels good. Small with good bones. I have heard the buffet is not great but since I steer clear of buffets no biggie for me.

 

Pluses: great outdoors restaurant, forward observation lounge and the former Il Adagio, now called La Cucina.

 

Minuses: ?

[UandMe4Ever]

 

Thank you all for your replies, almost all of which send out positives about the ship, etc. Yes, we prefer smaller ships. Just concerned about motion, since it's smaller. We'd probably be booking 8th deck toward the back elevator?

 

How was the food in the MDR? Lot of choices? We found on the Gem in Dec. they repeated lots of things a few times each during the 12 days. First time we saw so many repeats of the same item, slight variations.

 

Anyone remember how far San Diego airport is from the pier? Was it a hassle after disembarkation to get through security, etc.?

 

Again, please keep your opinions coming...We still have time, so we'd like to make as much as an informed decision as we can. We just love the itinerary. We saw Cabo and Puerto V a year and 1/2 ago, but not the others. Loved it, but Cabo was too short. This cruise it's an overnight:D

 

Have a great weekend and stay safe all.

 

Happy sails.:)

[mitsugirly]

We were just on the Sun about a month ago and loved it. I did a complete review with hundreds of pictures if you are interested. You can find it HERE.

[UandMe4Ever]

HI,

 

First of all, I love your reviews and pictures! You are amazing:D

 

Still thinking about this Mexican Riveria cruise for 10-13-15. I do see no Lagoon or O'S..no biggie.

 

I do see the sports bar for later on and evening with limited menu. Other than room service for late afternoon snacks, is there anything available? Also, is the Tapas Restaurant a fee or Free and are they open all day?:confused:

 

Do they still do a set up in the casino about 11:00 p.m. for snacks?

 

Thanks and please keep these fab. reviews coming. I know we ALL love them.

 

Be safe and safe sails always.

 

Happy New Year:D

[UnObstructedView]

I think our best endorsement is as follows:

We have spent 18 nights aboard the Norwegian Sun and will spend seven more this month.

 

...you'll love her, just like we do!

[mitsugirly]

HI,

 

First of all, I love your reviews and pictures! You are amazing:D

 

Still thinking about this Mexican Riveria cruise for 10-13-15. I do see no Lagoon or O'S..no biggie.

 

I do see the sports bar for later on and evening with limited menu. Other than room service for late afternoon snacks, is there anything available? Also, is the Tapas Restaurant a fee or Free and are they open all day?:confused:

 

Do they still do a set up in the casino about 11:00 p.m. for snacks?

 

Thanks and please keep these fab. reviews coming. I know we ALL love them.

 

Be safe and safe sails always.

 

Happy New Year:D

 

Thanks for the compliments.

 

No, they do not have a OS or BL on it. The Sports Bar is the go-to place for the comfort food. I know everyone keeps saying they have a "limited menu", but I didn't notice anything different on the menu compared to OS or BL...or at least they had everything that I normally order when at BL/OS. Burgers, fries, wings, cheesecake, artichoke dip, fish & chips. So I'm not sure why people say it's "limited" unless they say limited compared to the buffet or MDR, but not limited as in compared to the BL/OS.

 

 

 

We did find that they had really odd hours though. A lot of times we would go and they wouldn't be open for food. Sometimes we were told 6pm and other times we were told 11:30pm. I did see someone mention hours of 5:30pm-5:30am on other threads, but that was not the case with our cruise.

 

 

There's always "something" open on the ship for food. Whether it be the buffet, then when they close the great outdoors on the back of the ship would be open, this sports bar and the MDR. Trust me, you won't go hungry.

 

Tapas was free, but limited snacks. We did not try it, but they are open weird hours as well and we would pass through in the evening and see them open. A lot of people would hang out in there and play games during the day or get together in the evening for drinking with friends.

 

I think I recall seeing them doing some type of set up in the evening when we were walking through the casino, but I'm not sure if it was the snacks that I have seen on other ships. The casino was small and I'm not really sure where they would have set it up. We never stayed in the casino past the 10:30pm "curfew" to pick up our munchkin from the kids club, so this time around I'm not sure. Hopefully someone else can answer that question.

[AKR2011]

I was on The Sun for a 10-day last April, and it still looked beautiful. There was a post a couple weeks ago where some were concerned about her condition, but then others posted that all was well. She was my favorite ship by far. Beautiful in every way. Food was good, and for food, I really enjoyed the free tapas on the top deck. I would go late afternoon and have a few. They featured a different drink every day that was three for $15, so my husband and I would do that, go to the show, and do a late dinner. All the entertainment was great, as was the food.

[griz400]

Here is a link about the sun ....:)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2077120

[CRUZBUDS]

I'd also like to thank all for the positive comments -- we've sailed many older ships and never felt they lacked for anything we cared about.

 

The San Diego airport is almost walking distance to the port. They are both located on Harbor Drive. Less than 10 minutes by cab. It's just a few lights.

 

We've done many, many cruises from San Diego. We only had an issue once, the longshoremen were cranky and decided to go to lunch at the peak time of passenger arrival. That was a mess.

 

One other time the port was closed for a few hours because of the Asian tsunami. We could see the sailboat masts rock in the marina -- otherwise it was a nonevent for San Diego. You can't hold that one against anyone. :)

 

It is also a beautiful port to sail from and a terrific city to visit pre or post cruise

Edited January 4, 2015 by CRUZBUDS

[Rebels82]

To anyone who is thinking about the Sun...get a MINI SUITE! Great location, entry hall, huge bath with walk in closet.....

[Arzeena]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. HOPE IT'S HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND PEACEFUL:)

 

We might be interested in a cruise on the SUN for 10-13-15 from San Diego, CA to the Mexican Riveria...We live in NJ.

 

Does anyone have any recent information with regard to this ship, i.e. food, balcony cabins, entertainment, etc. We know it's an older ship and smaller (about 2,000 people) and that's just fine. Prefer smaller ships.

 

At your convenience, any information you could provide, positives or negatives would be most appreciated.

 

I will look here for replies.

 

Thank you kindly and again, Happy New Year:D

 

LOVED the ship! We did the 10 day out of Miami in October 2013. Yes it was small -er ship but it was great! We had an inside which was right by the elevator. The room was huge, with lots of space, not the usual NCL insides, but this one was a realy a big room with a sofa and plenty of storage plus room to walk around. The Sun has the great oudoors which is one of my favorites. I really liked the ship.

[UandMe4Ever]

 

Hi Armeen, how are you! I think you are with Eva? All is good. Thanks for the info on the Sun....Still plenty of time. We're thinking of a mid-balcony or Mini-suite if we go. Had the mini on the Gem...It was a nice cruise. Some improvements to be made for sure.

 

Thanks for the positive info.

 

Stay in touch.

 

Hugs,

 

P