Sun Eastern Caribbean. Tell us everything

[cmdchiefthom]

I know there are a lot of us on this board who are dying to hear from passengers who returned this morning for the Sun's first cruise on the new itinerary. I have a ton of questions and hope someone has the time to give us a complete review.;)

 

Most of us, I'm sure, want to know about Cayo Lavantado. What's it like, how does the tendering work? How were the excursions? I know another question we're all interested in hearing the answer to is did you really have to tender into St. Thomas and Tortola?:eek:

 

So please, pretty please, give us the hot and happening scoop on your cruise!:)

[jaylb31]

I will be on the 3/18, curious to hear review as well.

[Arwenmark]

Me too we go on Feb 4, tell us now, how was the food are the menu's different? Did you go to the private Island? if not where instead?

Did you tender at ALL ports or were you able to dock at any of them?

Thanks.

[Tinkerbell]

E-mail me and I will give you details. Just got off the Sun a few hours ago.

KR027@comcast.net

[macfamily]

Can you please post here? Lots of us are curious and you don't want to answer ALL our emails do you?? We will be ever so grateful for whatever morsels of info you can give us on your cruise and the Eastern itinerary we are looking forward to ourselves! Since you were on the first trip of this itinerary give us whatever words of wisdom you can on the ports, embarkation, etc. etc. But we will let you unpack first!! Thanks!!

[tpear3]

We don't go on the Sun until December--western caribbean out of New Orleans, but sure would love to hear all about the ship, restaurants, shows and entertainment, and cabins!!!:D

[haras]

Can you please post here? Lots of us are curious and you don't want to answer ALL our emails do you?? We will be ever so grateful for whatever morsels of info you can give us on your cruise and the Eastern itinerary we are looking forward to ourselves! Since you were on the first trip of this itinerary give us whatever words of wisdom you can on the ports, embarkation, etc. etc. But we will let you unpack first!! Thanks!!

 

It would be great if you could let us all know how your cruise went. Of course once you've had a moment to sit down and relax. :) I'm very curious if the Sun stopped at their private island or changed to Nassau?

 

Thanks so much!

[Tinkerbell]

No, we did not go to the private island. Yes, I need to unpack etc..... I am sure lots of travelers from this trip will post their reviews. Everyone will have different views of the trip. We try to enjoy ourselves and take things as they come. I really don't want to give my thoughts on the trip but will try to give facts to help you guys out.

[MaryAnn261]

Welcome home. I have a few questions. I sail to the same ports on Feb 4th and I'm very anxious to hear all the details.

1. Did they substitute a different port for the private island?

2. When were the speciality rest. half price?

3. Did they have the Dinner Murder Mystery show? Which night?

4. Did you notice the signs outside the dining room? Has the no jeans been crossed off the "forbidden" list of things to wear?

5. What excurisions did you take?

6. Did you have to wait to eat in the regular dining rooms?

 

Thanks for listening. Hopefully lots of people will be able to fill all of us in.

[Tinkerbell]

1. Did they substitute a different port for the private island? Yes, we went to Nassau

2. When were the speciality rest. half price?

The first and second night

3. Did they have the Dinner Murder Mystery show? Which night?

No

4. Did you notice the signs outside the dining room? Has the no jeans been crossed off the "forbidden" list of things to wear?

It said no jeans

5. What excurisions did you take?

Whale watching, Baths and Snorkel, Snorkel to Anthol Island.

6. Did you have to wait to eat in the regular dining rooms?

We never waited and had a table for two next to the window always.

[can'twaittogoagain]

Just got back home about 1/2 hr. ago from the 1/21 Sun Eastern C. cruise! This was our 3rd cruise on the Sun. Embarkation (Latitudes) was efficient and swift. We stayed in BA0221. It had not been properly cleaned prior to our arrival - the first time we had experienced a problem of this sort; however, this was quickly corrected. We did note we were able to hear music from the pool deck in this cabin. The weather conditions were very rough the first 2 days with wind gusts to 40-50 and because of this the 2 main pools were closed and chaise lounges were not allowed. The bad weather delayed our arrival in Cayo Levantado where some of the excursions were cancelled. ( C. L. was a tender.) We decided at the last minute to ditch the Whale Watch excursion (smart move!) and we were offered a full refund of our excursion fees. There were many, many irritable, complaining people on board. On Tuesday we were in Tortola and did the excursion to the Baths. Weather was finally lovely. IMO there was wasted time and some disorganization in disembarking for this excursion...I can't speak to others at this port. Overall, we were happy we decided to take the tour and enjoyed it very much. Snorkeling equipment was included in the price and water was offered on the boat. That evening there was a big party around the pool with a lovely buffet, dancing, contests, free rum punch, etc. At this point it seemed they were trying real hard to please the crowds/raise the morale of the guests. Wed. in St. Thomas-weather was gorgious and we took the snorkeling excursion to Trunk Bay on St. John. Snorkeling equipment was available at no cost except we were charged $5.00 to rent a vest for about 1 1/2 hours. There is a snack bar on site with prices @ $5.50 for a burger, $2.50 for a small bottle of water.. It was breathtakingly beautiful there...a fair amount of fish, an underwater snorkel path with signs indicating facts about fish, etc. Not much in the way of coral. Depths to about 18'. Lifeguards at water's edge. Full restroom/showering facilities that were reasonably clean. People friendly. A long day..no water offered...plan to take enough money to grab a snack and drink.... Thurs. sea day. Friday we were to have gone to NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. BUT, our captain explained that a storm had severly damaged the area and it would not be available to us for use, so instead we went to Nassau. Excursions were available, though we opted to take advantage of the pool in the morning and walked through town for about an hour that afternoon. We had tried to pare down, taking only luggage we didn't have to check in at the airport, therefore, we qualified for early departure this a.m. We were out of our cabin and completely off the ship in less than 10 minutes. A cab ride for 2 was $24.00 to MIA. Overall impressions: The Sun is showing a little wear now. We first cruised with her in June '02. She will be refurbished in early Jan. '07. Nothing glaring, mind you...she just doesn't sparkle as she did. I.E. furniture showing some wear. Pool tile looking a little dingy. "Glass areas" in Atrium weren't terribly clean. I didn't find it bothersome, just noticeable, by comparison. She is still a lovely ship and just the right size for "freestyle cruising" concept. Housekeeping: I think this may vary depending on your cabin steward. I didn't notice the visibility/friendliness during this cruise compared to the past two, although we immediately tipped with our initial request to have cabin cleaned when we got there, and weren't irritable with our request. After the 1st day, our cabin was serviced nicely. It was clean. We had towel animals twice. Entertainment: The Jean Ann Ryan troupe is as good as ever. This was our 3rd time seeing Mr. Producer, Que Noche, and Cirque Pan. Olga and Dima are still there as well as the couple in Cirque Pan whose names elude me at the moment. IMO, the comedy act, singer, and illusionist were not as good as in the past. Our CD's name was Simon. Food: Specialty restaurants were 1/2 price the first night. Breakfasts were taken in the Garden Cafe-freshly prepared omlettes to order for me. The pastries are plentiful/good. The fresh fruit carving station was gone, but there were bowls of fresh melons/pineapple at every meal. We have never had complaints about the food. All the staff persons were extremely friendly and pleasant. We had dinners in East Meets West, Le Bistro, and Tapanyaki and all were excellent in quality and service. (We booked our reservations immediately upon embarkation...and I think it was a good thing we did...they were turning people away on the last night...) We also ate dinner in the Four Seasons as well as the Seven Seas and found the food to be very good in flavor and served at the proper temperatures. I thought maybe last night might be weak in the dining room, but I had a honey-grilled salmon that was excellent. They seem to do a really great job with their sauces, vegetables, breads, soups, salads, desserts. I guess that about says it. Again, the staff persons were very friendly/pleasant. We had no wait. They still do the Chocolate Buffet. The "Captain's Dinner was on Sunday...lobster that night in the Four Seasons and Seven Seas...I found it to be quite good. We bought the soda cards which had almost doubled in price since the last time. Next time I won't. By comparison, we didn't feel this cruise quite measured up to the prior two. That being said, we will certainly be repeat customers. We are considering the Jewel, although I understand that because of the number of passengers, there can be some wait times in lines for meals....It may be time to try a different ship...see new shows....etc. We've done the Western C. twice and now the Eastern C. We are still newbies! I would love to hear any comparisons between the Jewel and the Sun. We were surprised at some of the horrible comments being thrown about by our fellow passengers...."What could you expect...this is the bottom of the barrel!" "This is the worst food I ever ate...." For us, Freestyle Cruising is perfect for our needs. We don't especially want to be tied down to a specified dinner seating, and my husband certainly doesn't want to dress beyond resort casual for meals....the staff was energetic, friendly, and accommodating. It was a very good week.

[crazycanuck1]

for taking the time to write such a long review..........one question....you mentioned tendering at CL......since you did not mention a tender anywhere else I'm assuming you docked???? Also, my husbad and I are booked on the Baths excursion via catamaran in Tortola......is this the excursion you took and if so did you have to swim to shore once he catamaran got there?? i have heard some talk of this and am wondering as i would love to bring my camera but it's very expensive and don't want it ruined.......glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise

once again thanks so much for taking the time

 

one week to go!!!!!!!

[Tinkerbell]

Can'twaittogoagain-------You pretty much said it all. Except we went on the Whale Watching tour! We were making jokes at one point about collecting all the food together we might have because we were going to end up on an island like the show "Lost". We were at the back of the boat and we felt like we were going thru a car wash........

[Hockey19]

I am booked on the whale watching excursion in 3 weeks (can't wait). I am pretty hearty on the water but the DW gets questy quick. She does the patch and pills in rough water. How rough was the whale watch?

[Tinkerbell]

Very rough but it had to do with the "windy" weather we were having on this trip. I am sure NCL has learned from this trip and things will be great when you go in 3 weeks.

[can'twaittogoagain]

Hi crazycanuki1..Our group meet in the pool area on ship prior to excursion where we were supplied with mask, fins, and vests. There were underwater cameras for sale. We boarded the cat. directly from the ship and when we reached the Baths we anchored approx. 75 yards off the beach, snorkeled a bit then we explored the boulders, etc, and swam back to the cat. It would be difficult, but not impossible, to swim to shore with an expensive camera, although I suppose you could do it if you geririgged a protective covering and say, pumped your vest up enough to allow you to hold the camera above water in order to kick your way to shore.... I wonder if you could get a small screw-on lidded plastic cooler that would be waterproof as well as float, if you really wanted to use that camera??? Where there is a will........Anyway, enjoy! It was truly a beautiful sight. We just had breakfast at our kitchen counter and watched the birds at our feeder, but both agree we really miss the ship today!

[can'twaittogoagain]

Tinkerbell...you brave person! LOL regarding the car wash analogy!! We heard a lot of comments about the whale watch... If I remember correctly we were having up to 15' swells that day....not your normal day at sea!!!

[Tinkerbell]

15' were the whimpy swells! We were also on the Tortola Baths excursion! We are here in Michigan wishing we were still on the whale watching excursion so you know how much we don't want to go to work tomorrow.

[bubbachief]

Jo and I have waiting to hear how the trip was. We sail on 2/4. What did you do in Cayo? Do they dock or tender? I think we'll go out on our own in St Thomas, probably go to Sapphire Beach and snorkel, Did you have to tender at all the ports? John and Jo

[Hockey19]

It sounds like the trip was everything it should be- new adventures, great memories, badges of honor (it was 15' swells and we survived) different food and new friends. Less than 3 weeks to go and I would love to hear a bit more about Atlantis. Since it was "unscheduled" what did people do for the day. Were there any clear favorites for a trip or was it just a wonderful beach day. Did you get any prior notice that they would not stop at Stirrup?

[crazycanuck1]

you anchored and snorkeled then went ashore in the catamaran??? hhmmm.......maybe i should switch tours......my hubby doesn''t want to snorkel (he is sure a barracuda is going to kill him) Should never watch the movie open water if you like to travel! Maybe i should do the one where you tour land to get there.........?

[crazycanuck1]

someone on last weeks cruise alreayd told me the only place they tendered was cayo levantado......

[can'twaittogoagain]

It was a great cruise...only tender is Cayo Levantado. We didn't even get off the ship there, however. We were late arriving due to the rough weather, and we decided to opt out of the Whale Watch...just too rough out there to look like it would be anything but miserable... We got notice on Thurs that we wouldn't be able to go to the private island on Friday. We debated on whether we would use the NCL excursion while in St. Thomas to Trunk Bay on St. John or fly by the seat of our pants....We ended up booking with NCL, just because we hadn't been there before and would have had to get a taxi to the ferry to St. John, then another taxi to Trunk Bay....As we see it now, it wouldn't have been a problem...many taxis and ferrys running....

If you do book the Trunk Bay snorkel excursion with NCL, be aware that by the time you return there will be relatively no time for shopping in St. Thomas. We had the option of staying with our transport and returning to ship, or shopping in St. Thomas and then hailing our own taxi for what I remember being quoted was $8.00. We figured by the time we walked to the shopping district it would have allowed us only about 30 minutes...not worth it.

[can'twaittogoagain]

We boarded the cat. from the ship and the cat. took us to within about 75 yards of the beach at the Baths where it dropped anchor. We entered the water from the cat. and swam/snorkeled the area. So, yeah, you have to swim from the cat. to the beach in order to see the boulders. If your husband is worried about sea creatures, then the other excursion might be the better option for you...

[macfamily]

How hard was it to get on and off the catamaran at the Baths? I have a bum knee and I don't want to injure myself! Walking and swimming aren't a problem, just climbing. Thanks!