New to NCL: Dining & Shows on Sun

[vakamalua]

A couple of Qs re the Sun 4 day to Cuba:

 

• Is the Sun well maintained?
• What kind of evening shows do they have?  And what time(s) do they start?  Any show a 'must see'?
• Is there a charge for a room service continental breakfast?
• We have one included specialty restaurant.  I was told there are four to choose from--two steakhouses, one hibachi, and one French.  Any recommendations (not big steak eaters)?
• If I make the specialty dining reservation on the website, will it know that it's included?

 Thanks.

[Pugs]

I am doing the Sun to Cuba also, I have these same questions. I did read in about post that you need to call to make reservations since the system does not pick up the credit. 

I have read that many people like the Sun and said the refurbishing was really nice. I will keep peeps here for the answers.

I am on the 9/21/19 cruise.

[Vyhanek]

The Sun is a nice smaller ship.    Even before the rehab (haven't been on after rehab) but even before, its a classy decorated and nicely maintained ship.   It doesn't feel old, or look out of date at all.

 

The Sun was built before the mega ships.   It was built back when being out on the ships decks were the highlight, before the rock walls, before the race tracks.   If you like a nicer outdoor deck experience, being less crowded you will like it.   

 

The biggest problem with the Sun is that it wasn't built for Specialty Dining and for Freestyle.   It was built back in the days of traditional dining.   So I don't think the Sun manages the current dining experience very well.   You will wait for a table with a beeper, you might experience a very, very painfully long meal in the dining room, I remember some dinners lasting 2 plus hours and we had to leave before dessert to make the show.    The courses came painfully slow and meanwhile people are waiting with their pagers waiting for a table to eat.    They just could not manage the dining experience at all.   Hopefully this is under control.

 

 

[C cruise]

1 hour ago, Vyhanek said:

 

 

The biggest problem with the Sun is that it wasn't built for Specialty Dining and for Freestyle.   It was built back in the days of traditional dining.   So I don't think the Sun manages the current dining experience very well.   You will wait for a table with a beeper, you might experience a very, very painfully long meal in the dining room, I remember some dinners lasting 2 plus hours and we had to leave before dessert to make the show.    The courses came painfully slow and meanwhile people are waiting with their pagers waiting for a table to eat.    They just could not manage the dining experience at all.   Hopefully this is under control.

is the buffet a good alternative for dinner?

1 hour ago, Vyhanek said:

 

 

 

[FLcruisergrl]

4 hours ago, vakamalua said:

A couple of Qs re the Sun 4 day to Cuba:

 

• Is the Sun well maintained?
• What kind of evening shows do they have?  And what time(s) do they start?  Any show a 'must see'?
• Is there a charge for a room service continental breakfast?
• We have one included specialty restaurant.  I was told there are four to choose from--two steakhouses, one hibachi, and one French.  Any recommendations (not big steak eaters)?
• If I make the specialty dining reservation on the website, will it know that it's included?

 Thanks.

I’ve not been on the Sun yet, but we have a June cruise booked. I can tell you that there is no room service charge for continental breakfast. The specialty restaurants are Cagney’s (steak), Moderno (Brazilian steak), La Cucina (Italian), Le Bistro (French), Los Lobos (Mexican), and I think there is a sushi/Teppanyaki. We have Cagney’s, La Cucina, and Los Lobos booked based on past experiences on other ships and personal tastes. You can book online and definitely won’t be charged for an ala crate restaurant.

[newmexicoNita]

16 hours ago, vakamalua said:

A couple of Qs re the Sun 4 day to Cuba:

 

• Is the Sun well maintained?
• What kind of evening shows do they have?  And what time(s) do they start?  Any show a 'must see'?
• Is there a charge for a room service continental breakfast?
• We have one included specialty restaurant.  I was told there are four to choose from--two steakhouses, one hibachi, and one French.  Any recommendations (not big steak eaters)?
• If I make the specialty dining reservation on the website, will it know that it's included?

 Thanks.

1-very well maintained and was in dry dock about a year ago.

2-no charge for continental breakfast. We like to have it if we are leaving for a tour early in the morning. 

3-as for the steak houses, there are lots of choices other than steak on the menu. 

4-shows: normally the main showroom show starts at 7 and the second one about 9 or 9:30

5- yes, if you make reservations for dining on line they will know it is included. Even if they ask for a CC it won't be charged or shouldn't be anyway. However we usually either call the restaurant reservations number or we just wait til we get on board. 

The Sun is one of our favorite ships: enjoy!!!!

[Sauer-kraut]

For atmosphere alone eat at the Italian restaurant, its beautiful.  Large windows with all tables having  a view. 

[vakamalua]

Thanks for all the info.

 

• What kind of shows are on the Sun?
• Is there anywhere online that shows the menus of the specialty restaurants?
• When is the main restaurant most crowded (times to avoid a long wait)?

[B4May]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm on the Sun with my mom for a quick Mother's Day getaway on May 10.  I'm really excited to be on a smaller ship again, and we loved our last Norwegian cruise.  Hope others chime in with some tips!

[ithaca gal]

 We just took the four night cruise to Cuba on the Sun  last week. It was our first NCL cruise. We ate in specialty restaurants for the three nights we are on board and in Cuba for the other night. At Cagney‘s, my prime rib looked beautiful and had absolutely no taste whatsoever. In the French restaurant, we sent back our cream of mushroom soup because it was so terribly strong tasting.  My first thought was to ask for some cream to lessen the strong flavor but realized I would have to add so much that it would be cold. The big big big disappointment was the chocolate fondue for two. It was like chocolate water. Once you dipped fruit into it, you could not get it to your plate without leaving a trail of chocolate water across the tablecloth. We went to the Teppan-Yaki restaurant on the last night  and it was a fabulous experience. If you like a singing, cheerleader type Teppan-Yaki cook, this is for you. We quickly made friends with the other six people at our table and had such fun but the food was the star. I had steak and my friend had steak and shrimp. Everyone at our table agreed that it was the best food on the ship. 

[tcruisin77]

We took a three night Parents Getaway on the Sun last August and will do one again this summer.

 

There are some nice videos out there that show you cabins and public spaces to give you some ideas of what has and hasn’t been updated in the 2018 refurbishment.

 

On our 3 night there were 2 singing and dancing shows; not well known titles like on the bigger ships. We didn’t go to those. We did see the comedian on night 2, but I think those change often depending on contracts. In addition, there is karaoke, game show type entertainment, and musical performers in the lounges. 

 

If the menus are the same fleet wide, you could search some trip reviews posted here on the boards to see what is offered. I’d recommend Teppanyaki, La Cucina, or Le Bistro. 

 

There are 2 dining rooms for complimentary sit-down dinner. We ate Specialty on the three nights so can’t speak about busy times but did enjoy breakfast in the aft dining room.  It wasn’t accessible by the main deck; you had to go up one deck and down a special staircase to get to it so maybe that one would be less busy...  Enjoy your trip!