Opinions on the Sun

[cruisekitty22]

What are the Pros and Cons of going on  the NCL Sun?  What room types have a pole in them?  We are getting an outside cabin.

[GA Dave]

When I saw the title of your post, my first thought was "it is very bright". 

 

The only con I can think of is that it is an older and smaller ship, so there are not as many amenities/activities as the newer ships.  But, it was just refurbished last year, and some people prefer the smaller ships with the lack of crowds, etc. of the BA/BA+ ships. 

[AKR2011]

The Sun is one of my favorites! It is mid-sized, but still plenty to do. The biggest pro IMO is that you really get to know the staff, and they are very personable.  Cons would be that there are less entertainment options. The big ships have comedians, Howl at the Moon, dinner theater,  etc. The smaller ships do not have that, but do have a different show in the theater each night. But again, AMAZING staff! I would sail again just because of them. 

[newmexicoNita]

 

 

 

We haven't cruised her in several years, but she is one of our favorite ships because she is the perfect size and has a wonderful crew. 

[dalmatian13]

Hi,

 

We are going on the Sun to the Bahamas.  It will be docking at 8am on 9/23 in Nassau.  Does anyone know if you can get off the boat by 8:15am?  We have an excursion and need to be off the boat by then.

thanks for any help

 

[Laszlo]

Love the Sun, great pool deck, the forward mini suites are huge compared to rest of the NCL fleet

[newmexicoNita]

16 hours ago, dalmatian13 said:

Hi,

 

We are going on the Sun to the Bahamas.  It will be docking at 8am on 9/23 in Nassau.  Does anyone know if you can get off the boat by 8:15am?  We have an excursion and need to be off the boat by then.

thanks for any help

 

That would be pushing it, but the tour companies do pay attention to when the ships come in and normally, will not leave without all passengers that have signed up. This applies to tours booked through NCL and booked privately. Of course they are not going to wait an hour or so, but they will wait until the passengers have time to disembark. 

[Pens fan]

We loved the Sun.  Our Alaskan cruise on the Sun was our first introduction to NCL and we had such a great time that we've booked three more cruises with them since then.  It's a small ship, but we found plenty of options to keep us entertained and fed.  One thing I really appreciated about the small size is that most of the public spaces still have a great view of the sea.  I loved that.  

 

I would not hesitate to book the Sun again for the right itinerary.

[CruisingNole]

The sun is good for what it is. A small, well maintained ship good for short trips. Any longer, and you will be bored. I’d hate to have a sea day on the sun. If you’re not content with hanging out at the pool all day, you’re out of luck because there really is nothing else to do during the daytime hours. 

 

There are activities in the evening, typical couples game shows etc that are fun but unfortunately the venue they are held in is the absolute worst. Too small and unless you’re at the front, good luck seeing anything. It was not designed to be a theatre, which is obvious. Due to the ship’s poor design, the venue serves as a “cut through” that people take between bars. In the evening there is a constant stream of people shuffling in and out during the shows and it’s very annoying.

[don't-use-real-name]

Pluses + + +

Observation lounge forward with outside deck

Great Outdoors aft

Recent renovation added Los Lobos Mexican fare food

Minuses - - -

What's not to like about this small ship - it is not a Carnival party ship

nor a floating amusement park - no mega crowds

 

Yes she has her quirks but that makes it fun and a

challenge to cruise on her -

You take the high road (sea) and I'll take the low (sea)

and I will beat you to the bar theatre restaurant - see ya !

 

[teachberry]

1 hour ago, CruisingNole said:

The sun is good for what it is. A small, well maintained ship good for short trips. Any longer, and you will be bored. I’d hate to have a sea day on the sun. If you’re not content with hanging out at the pool all day, you’re out of luck because there really is nothing else to do during the daytime hours. 

 

There are activities in the evening, typical couples game shows etc that are fun but unfortunately the venue they are held in is the absolute worst. Too small and unless you’re at the front, good luck seeing anything. It was not designed to be a theatre, which is obvious. Due to the ship’s poor design, the venue serves as a “cut through” that people take between bars. In the evening there is a constant stream of people shuffling in and out during the shows and it’s very annoying.

I had to laugh at "nothing to do during the daytime hours." We were on the Sun's South American cruise last March. The day we cruised around the Horn, I fractured my ankle; thus, my excursion days were over! One day (while everyone else was on an excursion), I hobbled down to "craft hour." I was the only passenger there and had very personal instruction on making my iguana beaded key chain! BTW, I love the Sun (it was my second cruise on her.).

[Sauer-kraut]

5 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

The sun is good for what it is. A small, well maintained ship good for short trips. Any longer, and you will be bored. I’d hate to have a sea day on the sun. If you’re not content with hanging out at the pool all day, you’re out of luck because there really is nothing else to do during the daytime hours. 

 

There are activities in the evening, typical couples game shows etc that are fun but unfortunately the venue they are held in is the absolute worst. Too small and unless you’re at the front, good luck seeing anything. It was not designed to be a theatre, which is obvious. Due to the ship’s poor design, the venue serves as a “cut through” that people take between bars. In the evening there is a constant stream of people shuffling in and out during the shows and it’s very annoying.

 

We must have been on different ships!  13 day Transatlantic on her with ONE port of call and it was a fantastic cruise!  Lots of daytime activities, the shows in the theater were great and a dynamic cruise staff. I didn't even hang out at the pool deck, too busy doing other things.   I loved the Seven Seas dining room and when we sailed there was still the Tapas bar on one of the upper decks with FREE small plates (Diablo shrimp anyone?)

All in all she's a good ship, her balcony cabins are the largest in the fleet, her mini suites are fantastic and if you can afford the suite life, the SUN's are just lovely and very special.

[C cruise]

I loved the Sun... first time in an inside room because I read about some being sideways - booked one and it was a huge room - as big as a balcony without the balcony! Also loved the pool - it was awesome and large for a small ship... 

[bobsfamily]

On 7/31/2019 at 2:55 PM, dalmatian13 said:

Hi,

 

We are going on the Sun to the Bahamas.  It will be docking at 8am on 9/23 in Nassau.  Does anyone know if you can get off the boat by 8:15am?  We have an excursion and need to be off the boat by then.

thanks for any help

 

That's really pushing it. Unless you are in a suite, or Plat (plus or better) I am not sure that will happen. Once docked a ship cannot let passengers off til cleared thru customs... that can take 10 minutes to an hour.

[qdog123]

We just sailed her in April and loved it so much we’re sailing her again at the end of next week. I’m usually a big ship guy as you can see from my history but there were things I loved about this ship:

 

as don’t use real name noted the front observation lounge is great, very quiet and has a unique outdoor forward facing deck that is only accessible from the lounge so it was rarely used. Great spot to hang out and get those port pictures.

 

the great outdoors was one of my favorite spots as well. This is the area at the back of the ship behind the buffet. Great bar here to watch the sunsets and tons of tables if you like to dine outdoors(fun fact from our bartender: once the sun hits the horizon, it will be less than 2 minutes before it is completely gone. I timed it as I couldn’t believe it and it turned out to be true!).  There is a great little deck area just above the bar that offers even better views and is quieter. This is also the spot where the 24hr buffet can be found. I would head up there at 1:30AM to grab a cheeseburger when I was done losing money in the casino.  Another great placement is the sports bar which is right next to the great outdoors. You can catch a game on the TV’s and when you want to get some fresh air, just step out the door to the great outdoors.

 

I also second the vote for the inside cabin.  This was the first time we’ve ever booked and inside and I swear this room was bigger than the balcony we had on the Escape. We booked another inside for our current trip.

 

Once again I’ll give props to the staff. I could head to any bar and by the third time they pretty well knew what I wanted. 

 

Hope this helps!

[don't-use-real-name]

And another secret that soft-serve ice cream machine -

Where is it ?

Wait for it !

Behind the Great Outdoors Bar where there is a late evening after shows buffet -

Look for it there -

Egad the calories that you can pack on at the aft end of the ship and another aft end ! LOL !

Sports Bar

Great Outdoors Bar

Buffet with deserts (and another secret COOKIES) and sandwich cold cuts etc.

The calorie remover area is on the pool deck 11 forward port side the Aerobics/Fitness center -

Or you could jog walk saunter mosey along on the Promenade deck 6 for 3.5 revolutions to the mile.

 

The SUN has hidden charms and mysteries to solve -

Did you note the dead end cabin passageways forward with no elevator access ?

Deck 6A Oslo

Did you misstep going from the Atrium elevators mid ship to those other elevators a

a hop skip and a misstep away ?

Did you locate all the Bars on the SUN ?

Champs Bar deck 12 has a view down into the Atrium.

If you have young ones finding the Kids Korner can be a real challenge ?

Did you find the secret elevator aft that goes from deck 4 to 12 ?

Dining at La Cucina deck 5 starboard - did you use the stairway from deck 6

Or did you find the secret way thru the Four Seasons Dining Room on deck 5 ?

 

Just some the quirky fun trivia examples - maybe that Lady Winchester had something

to do with the construction of the ship as it only has 13 decks ! 

[Birdie And Sue]

The Sun has some inside cabins on deck 9 that are rated at a capacity if 5.   They are some of the biggest inside cabins I have ever seen.  I'm not sure I'd try to fit 5 people in them but there is a LOT of room if you have 2 or 3.  If I am thinking correctly (which can be a stretch) the cabins I saw were on deck 9 near the elevators.

[don't-use-real-name]

4 hours ago, Birdie And Sue said:

The Sun has some inside cabins on deck 9 that are rated at a capacity if 5.   They are some of the biggest inside cabins I have ever seen.  I'm not sure I'd try to fit 5 people in them but there is a LOT of room if you have 2 or 3.  If I am thinking correctly (which can be a stretch) the cabins I saw were on deck 9 near the elevators.

Those would be class IA inside cabins - deck plan diagram cabins 9108 and 9311 near the forward elevators

and adjacent to the stairs. No videos or photos available YET !

[C cruise]

4 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Those would be class IA inside cabins - deck plan diagram cabins 9108 and 9311 near the forward elevators

and adjacent to the stairs. No videos or photos available YET !

I had cabin 9141 an inside cabin that was huge... I did a video of it - although its not the greatest video, it is on youtube -Norwegian Sun inside cabin 9141.