First time on NCL

[tigger54]

Hello. My husband and I are taking a Panama Canal cruise out of California February 2019 on the Sun. We have never cruised on NCL before. We have taken about 17 cruises in the last 5 years but only on Carnival. Now that I am retired, we would like to venture out to other cruise lines.

Have some questions:

What are the biggest differences between the two cruise lines (we will be in an interior room)?

Do we need to make reservations for: shows, specialty restaurants (we like to eat early (5:00-6:00).

Is there an adult pool only?

Other than the MDR, what other free places are there to eat?

How is the food compared to Carnival ( I understand food can be subjective)?

Do they have free soft serve and if so, is it better than Carnival's (don't care for theirs)?

Do they have live bands in the evening? Dancing?

Any other info. You can give me that will enhance are cruise would be great. I am excited but a little nervous since it is a 14 day cruise on a smaller ship.

We are easy to please people and understand that no cruise is perfect and that the cruise is what you make it.

We have never had a bad cruise and just go with the flow.

Thank you

[dexddd]

The Sun is one of the older ships in the fleet. Small buffet but outside food area plus Moderno is open for B&L next to buffet.

 

Yes, free soft serve. No reserved shows.

[The Other Tom]

I would add that yes, you should make reservations for specialty dining. We didn't have a problem making same day reservations for "early" dining at specialty restaurants on the Epic.

 

I don't know how Carnival handles "anytime" dining but Princess made a mess of it. NCL is all "anytime" (aka Freestyle) for the included restaurants, no reservations or set dining times. No formal nights either but of course you can dress for dinner if you like. That works way better for us than the Princess system.

 

Yes food is subjective but I found food on the Epic to be better than Princess, but food on the Jewel was worse. I guess it depends on the ship and/or chef, or my taste buds on a given cruise :)

[tallnthensome]

Just curious why you're not waiting another month and taking the new NCL Bliss instead? We are taking that on the Panama Canal in March 2019. I sailed the NCL Escape in 2016 and Carnival Vista in April of this year. We like NCL better. Food is better on NCL.

[tigger54]

We chose this ship because we are flying from S. Carolina to California in January to take a 14 day Carnaval cruise to Hawaii. When we get off that ship we were going to fly back home but then noticed the NCL Star was leaving 4 days later from California for the Panama Canal cruise back to Miami. We decided it would be so much more fun to cruise back then fly back. Once back we can jump on a quick 90 minute flight home.

[DMH15]

Yes, the Sun might be older but it is still my favorite ship. I have taken 2 long cruises on her, 11 and 14-nighters. Never felt crowded to me. Granted I was in a suite, (Sun's aft PH is just the best), since there is no haven, I was out and about in common areas so I can judge.

 

Be sure to book one meal in La Cucina. Awesome ambience.

 

The front Observation Lounge is great. As is the Great Outdoors in the aft. A great place for outdoor relaxing. The soft serve is back there. It is good. So is the Sports Bar. Love that place.

 

When I cruised on the Sun Brian Walters was the Hotel Director. He is a class act. I think he is still on board.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

 

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[Lizcourt]

We chose this ship because we are flying from S. Carolina to California in January to take a 14 day Carnaval cruise to Hawaii. When we get off that ship we were going to fly back home but then noticed the NCL Star was leaving 4 days later from California for the Panama Canal cruise back to Miami. We decided it would be so much more fun to cruise back then fly back. Once back we can jump on a quick 90 minute flight home.

 

 

 

Ah, to be retired!!!!! When I grow up (enough to do so) I want to live my life just like that!!!

 

 

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[fshagan]

Do we need to make reservations for: shows, specialty restaurants (we like to eat early (5:00-6:00).

Other than the MDR, what other free places are there to eat?

Do they have free soft serve and if so, is it better than Carnival's (don't care for theirs)?

Do they have live bands in the evening? Dancing?

 

We have been on the Sun and her sister ship the Sky, and on about 10 NCL cruises over the years. We haven't been on Carnival, so I can't make the comparisons. But I'll give you my impression of NCL.

 

Reservations: On the smaller ships you do not have to make reservations for shows. The shows they have are a musical variety shows, magicians, comedians, and that sort of thing. The large production shows you hear people talking about making reservations are on the mega ships and are Broadway style shows with big production values. On the Sun, no reservations required.

 

Most people recommend making reservations in the specialty restaurants for the time you want to eat. On a cruise with sea days you might want to do that ... longer cruises with multiple sea days usually indicate an older crowd so the competition for dinner at 6 will be higher. I think NCL's policy is that you can reserve 90 days out from your sail date.

 

Complimentary restaurants: The Sun has two main dining rooms ... one will be open for lunch on embarkation day, even though the staff will try to direct you to the buffet. We like the main dining room for lunch on embarkation, and not every line has this available.

 

They also have a pub-style, 24 hour restaurant named "O'Sheehans" that serves burgers, fish and chips, pot pie, and dishes for breakfast and dinner (omelets during breakfast, an entree each evening like Prime Rib, etc.) O'Sheehans is one of our favorite places for breakfast because it is table service rather than self serve like the buffet.

 

The buffet has a self serve soft serve ice cream machine, usually with vanilla, chocolate and swirl (it might be located at the aft / outside buffet line called The Great Outdoors on the port side; I don't recall exactly). The machine is available most of the time, but is closed for cleaning late at night. They will also have hard ice cream by the scoop in the buffet line, but they limit the time on that (the hours are posted).

 

There is a poolside grill and, on sea days, they often have a great barbeque on the pool deck.

 

Live Music: NCL has always had the best live music among the lines we sail except for the very last cruise we took, a Pacific Coastal cruise on the Jewel. Most of the music acts were just not very good, although the "party band" did OK. Usually we find the live music very good. It's typical for them to have two or three musicians who play in the lounges (piano, guitar and one time, a trio of bluegrass musicians). There is usually a band for dancing and parties playing pop / rock / country mainstream music and oldies. The house band usually handles the more sedate classical style music. Most cruises have had a "white hot" or "glow" party that is on pool deck (weather permitting) with a DJ and lots of encouragement from the staff.

 

We prefer the MDR dining experience on NCL more than on other lines. We can grab a table for two at any time we want to eat, and the tables are not 2" apart as on some lines' "anytime dining". There is rarely a wait; the longest we waited was about 15 minutes with a party of 7 when we were cruising with family, and that was right at the restaurant opening time. There is no formal night. Jeans are fine everywhere (some of the specialty restaurants and one of the main dining rooms restrict shorts from being worn). You might see a different hostess and waiter each night, and some people miss that. It is more like going to a restaurant at home than it is the traditional cruise ship main dining room.

 

Service for dinner is slower on NCL unless you let them know you have a show or something to catch. With no set dining times we have found they never rush you out of the dining room, but the flip side is that sometimes you can spend 90 minutes or more in there.

[Sauer-kraut]

You will have a great view in the Observation Lounge on deck 12 forward while going through the locks. There is also an outside viewing area on the deck in front of the lounge windows if its not too hot while navigating the canal.

The pool is deep so not many children actually go in there there.

[SandyAtSea]

We chose this ship because we are flying from S. Carolina to California in January to take a 14 day Carnaval cruise to Hawaii. When we get off that ship we were going to fly back home but then noticed the NCL Star was leaving 4 days later from California for the Panama Canal cruise back to Miami. We decided it would be so much more fun to cruise back then fly back. Once back we can jump on a quick 90 minute flight home.

 

Pretty sure OP is going on the Star, not the Sun. First post said the Sun and that seems to be what most people responded to. Second post - above - said the Star and that agrees with the NCL website as far as dates. So no forward observation lounge (on the Star). Star is probably my least favorite NCL ship for this reason and also the way the Market Café (buffet) is laid out. Looking forward to the Bliss next year myself.

[Barb Nahoumi]

We chose this ship because we are flying from S. Carolina to California in January to take a 14 day Carnaval cruise to Hawaii. When we get off that ship we were going to fly back home but then noticed the NCL Star was leaving 4 days later from California for the Panama Canal cruise back to Miami. We decided it would be so much more fun to cruise back then fly back. Once back we can jump on a quick 90 minute flight home.

 

Now that sounds like a great plan.

 

Since you'll be in an interior cabin, you'll want to be on the pool deck or promenade deck for great views when you go through the locks.

[dexddd]

We chose this ship because we are flying from S. Carolina to California in January to take a 14 day Carnaval cruise to Hawaii. When we get off that ship we were going to fly back home but then noticed the NCL Star was leaving 4 days later from California for the Panama Canal cruise back to Miami. We decided it would be so much more fun to cruise back then fly back. Once back we can jump on a quick 90 minute flight home.

 

Now I'm confused. You first mentioned going on Sun now you mention Star. Are you going on both or is it the Star going back home?

[tigger54]

Oops. My mistake. It is the Star that we are going on. I take it the Star and the Sun are pretty similar. Am I correct.

[roger001]

Oops. My mistake. It is the Star that we are going on. I take it the Star and the Sun are pretty similar. Am I correct.

 

No. Different designs and size completely. The Star is a sister ship of the Dawn. It is similar in size to the Jewel class ships. However, both the Dawn and Star had their forward observation lounge/bar removed a few years ago and that area converted to more cabins. Also, the Star does not have the rear Great Outdoors open air dining/sitting area.