Ncl sun - any new information?

[UandMe4Ever]

Hi cruisers,

We are thinking about a cruise Oct. 2016 on the Sun, (frm San Diego) 11 night Mexican Riveria. I keep reading all the older posts with nothing much new.

 

Anyone sailed on her recently who can give me some 'new' info of interest which could help us?

 

I do see she is due to be refurbished late April/May, 2016 in San Fran...Does anyone have a solid connection to the "grapevine" with actual information?

 

Also, if anyone had a BD Balcony, near rear elevators, any input about the cabin would be most appreciated.

 

Thanks so much in advance.

 

Safe sails to all always. :-)

[Clay Clayton]

My info is 7 months old, we left Sun in Vancouver last May. She is our favorite ship but we are pretty laid back folks who don't climb rock walls or hover in fake parachute tubes. She is badly in need of a refurbishment of her upholstered surfaces. It appeared that public space carpet was replaced since we sailed her previously but the same yellow fabric from our 2001 first cruise on her was still on the couches in the BA-BD staterooms, along with the bright blue carpet (with rope and anchors?).

 

I have NO inside information about the drydock plans but I hope they will leave her structurally as she is and simply reupholster and upgrade her technology and whatever they have to do to the engine. However, many on this board are fearful that she will undergo what happened to other ships recently and the forward facing lounge will be converted to suites and inside staterooms. Hopefully, this won't be the case.

 

Regarding your stateroom, with the exception of two BCs on Deck 11, the two stern facing balconies on 8, 9 &10 and last stateroom on each side on those same decks I BELIEVE that all other balconies are pretty much the same. The two on Deck 11 are extra large and have a huge balcony, the stern facing ones are slightly smaller and the last two on each side are smaller but have a larger balcony. IF we can't get one of the two on Deck 11, we prefer Deck 9 as it insulates you from the noise of the pool deck chairs but you are still just two flights up to where we tend to spend most of our time...The Great Outdoors.

 

Have a great cruise!

[UandMe4Ever]

Thanks for your reply. I did read about the refurb. late April/May, but do not know the nature. We might consider Deck 9, as it is 'sandwiched between 2 decks.....We are also 'laid back' people. I do hate having to pay for water slides, rock climbing, bumper cars, etc., when we are not interested in any of that - ever :-) Give us a decent, smaller ship, skip the non-essential things, decent food and entertainment, nice cabin and we are happy!

 

Off the Regal Princess from our Oct. cruise. They can keep the big ships...Didn't enjoy and won't do very large ever again...

 

Safe sails to you

[UandMe4Ever]

Just a passing thought: do you need to walk through the casino to get to the theatre? thanks.

[gilladj]

We just got off the Sun December 5th in BA after 31 days. As others have said she needs a refresh but we liked the ship.

 

We had not sailed NCL since 2010 and had read many negative reviews about the ship and cruise line. We found none of the negatives to be true.

 

The food was fine. I liked the option of wearing shorts to dinner in the Four Seasons restaurant and liked the Seven Seas that enforced the no shorts dress code for better views and service.

 

The comfort food offered in the sports bar from 5:30pm to 3:00 am was good and a nice change after too many full dinners.

 

The entertainment was solid with some of the best production shows we have seen. The other entertainment was hit and miss.

 

We especially enjoyed Riley Haupt in the Windjammer lounge. The observation lounge is a great quiet indoor space during the day with easy deck access overlooking the bow.

 

One of my complaints about NCL are the outrageous drink prices. I you are a wine drinker they have wine packages that can get the cost of modest wines down to $26 per bottle including gratuity. I brought a bunch of wine on board and paid the corkage fee. Now that I know about the packages I would hassle with that again.

 

If you are a latitudes member go the cocktail parties. The free booze flows freely but the options are limited to wine, beer, a rum punch and a blueberry cocktail that was my favorite.

 

Another complaint about NCL is the outrageous cost of their show excursions.Every cruise line marks these up but here NCL goes overboard.

 

Where NCL does well compared to other cruise lines is the cost of their specialty restaurants. $20 for La Cochina (Italian) or Le Bistro (French) and $30 for Cagney's (Steakhouse) and Tepenyaki (Japanese)

 

We had a Balcony cabin on Deck 10. We had enough room to store all of our stuff for a 31 day cruise. Room under the beds for suitcases. Two chairs and a very small little table on the balcony.

 

At our request out room steward emptied the refrigerator which is small. It helps a few bottles of soda plus a bottle of wine.

 

If you have specific questions please ask and i will do my best to give you my perspective.

[UandMe4Ever]

Do we need to walk through the casino to get to the theatre for the shows? thanks anyone....

[kjquilts]

Do we need to walk through the casino to get to the theatre for the shows? thanks anyone....

 

 

No you don't. You can get to the Stardust Lounge theater from either deck 6 or deck 7 (two levels). The casino is on deck 7.

 

Here is link to an easy to read "floor plan" for the Sun - free drag it decks site.

 

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/dragdeck.php?ship=Norwegian-Sun&zoom=1

 

We enjoy the entertainment and activity on Norwegian's big ships (Epic and Getaway are the two newest we've sailed on) but we also love the Sun for her laid back atmosphere and scenic viewing opportunities. Booked her again yesterday for the 14 day Ultimate Alaska cruise in May of 2017. So happy to again be sailing in one of the two forward facing BC balconies on deck 11.

Edited December 23, 2015 by kjquilts

[bostongal965]

We've sailed on the Sun three times: Feb of '11, New Year's 2012, and most recently Thanksgiving 2014. We've sailed in an aft balcony on deck 10 (at the time a BD - now a B1 or something), a side balcony in the aft of deck 10 (0262 - I think it's a BC, but it's identical to BDs on 8 & 9), and a front BC on 11 (great room but sadly, our cruise saw some motion & noise issues due to rough weather). Additionally, my son had a sideways inside on 10 on our most recent cruise - those rooms are great!

 

We've sailed the Sun, the Dawn, the Sky and a RCCL ship, Enchantment of the Seas. We really like the Sun, especially for a cruise that is for relaxation - not so sure it has enough for kids, but I have little knowledge since I've never sailed with little ones. Our next cruise is on the Getaway, and I'm really excited about some of the features, but I'm already a little stressed out about some of the required planning this ship seems to require.

 

The side balcony room was very nice, and the balcony was a decent size, with room for 2 chairs and a small table. It's bigger than the Getaway's balcony. The room was slightly bigger than the aft balcony room on the same deck, and bigger than the balcony room on the Dawn. It had a couch that could open up to a bed for two. It also had a full desk area and plenty of storage space. It had a mini-bar fridge, coffee maker, and robes (like all balconies). People complain about the bathrooms on the Sun, particularly the showers - I don't mind the showers, but the Dawn's bathrooms were better, and the Getaway's look better, too.

 

There is no thermal suite on the Sun, but you can access the steam room and sauna for free (after plunking down $179 for the spa pass on the Getaway, that's a perk I'll miss :rolleyes:). The pool & pool deck area is large compared to some of NCL's newer ships (though the chair hogs will still be out in force on a sea day). I really like the adult pool on the Sun.

 

There are two main dining rooms, and on three cruises, I have never had a wait for a table (I'm sure they happen, but not to me). We've always had decent to great food and service in main dining rooms. The buffet is okay - smaller and with an odd layout. I never understood the complaints until I sailed on the Dawn and saw a much bigger, more stream-lined layout. That being said, the main buffet isn't your only choice - you can get food in the back, the Great Outdoors, or during the day in Modernos. We would often skip the main buffet, and head right to one of the other alternate areas. The Sport Bar and Las Ramblas are two other free venues. I enjoyed both. We've eaten in Le Bistro and Modernos and enjoyed both. The noodle bar is NOT complimentary on the Sun, unlike the rest of the fleet.

 

Some of my favorite things about the Sun include the Observation Lounge and the front deck just off of it - it's a great space. I love Las Ramblas, the tapas place - they also have decent sangria. It's a very cool location. I love the eating area in the back of the Great Outdoors - love grabbing a cup of coffee and a snack and sitting and enjoying the afternoon. It's a space I missed on the Dawn.

 

She may not be the newest, and she may not have all the bells and whistles, but she's a great ship for a nice relaxing vacation. :)