2022 Norwegian Sun Alaska season question - one or two shows per night in Stardust? Show time(s)?

[Shellbelle28]

Information on the Sun is pretty scarce and I'm hoping someone with experience on this season's sailings of the Sun in Alaska knows what the show times are for the Stardust Theater? I think I read that at one point there was only one nightly show? Is that still the case?

I want to make some dining reservations and don't want to book a time that conflicts with the shows. I know the Sun doesn't have the big productions like some other ships, but we still enjoy going to the nightly entertainment. 

[Old & Retired]

8 pm every night.  The shows and selection have been abysmal.  Some nights the 'show' is NCL playing an old movie in the theater.  Other nights it is bingo.  They have sliced the entertainment budget to the bone.

[Yo Adrienne]

On 5/26/2022 at 3:20 PM, Shellbelle28 said:

Information on the Sun is pretty scarce and I'm hoping someone with experience on this season's sailings of the Sun in Alaska knows what the show times are for the Stardust Theater? I think I read that at one point there was only one nightly show? Is that still the case?

I want to make some dining reservations and don't want to book a time that conflicts with the shows. I know the Sun doesn't have the big productions like some other ships, but we still enjoy going to the nightly entertainment. 

We were on the Sun to Alaska (a 9-day cruise, RT from Seattle) a week and a half ago...and what I can tell you is that we barely even noticed that there were shows/events in the Stardust Theater.  (In other words, basically nothing caught our eye as being worth going to.)  That being said...I think whatever was taking place in the theater was usually scheduled for just once per evening (I think)...and probably at about 8 p.m.

 

Here's the thing that I would say is probably more important...checking out the Freestyle Daily for the other shows/performers that are performing on the various nights.  We found some fantastic shows in the Bliss, Windjammer, Spinnaker and Atrium lounges...!  The catch is...these performers and show times vary greatly depending upon the day...so we found that we were regularly changing our dining reservations in order to see the performers.  (We pre-booked most of our dining reservations for 7:30, but often changed to a bit earlier or a bit later...depending on the daily schedule.)  Yes, we were very lucky that the ship was only at about half capacity, so making changes was VERY easy.

 

And just FYI...we loved the Banda Duo, LMH...and the show Ocean Fest...!

 

Hope this info is helpful...! 🙂 

 

(And if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them...! 🙂 )

[Shellbelle28]

2 hours ago, Yo Adrienne said:

Hope this info is helpful...! 🙂 

 

(And if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them...! 🙂 )

@Yo Adrianne Thank you, that's very helpful information. I booked our dining reservations for 6:00, so hopefully we're in a sweet spot for catching evening activities.

We are on the last Alaska sailing of the season on the Sun this fall. We've done last of the season cruises before, they're usually fine. Now that they've canceled all her Asia cruises after Alaska, I hope we'll still have all the crew, entertainment and provisions as mid-season. I know excursions tend to get fewer and port shopping shuts down. We mostly go to relax and enjoy the scenery and be indulged. 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Shellbelle28

[Yo Adrienne]

17 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said:

@Yo Adrianne Thank you, that's very helpful information. I booked our dining reservations for 6:00, so hopefully we're in a sweet spot for catching evening activities.

We are on the last Alaska sailing of the season on the Sun this fall. We've done last of the season cruises before, they're usually fine. Now that they've canceled all her Asia cruises after Alaska, I hope we'll still have all the crew, entertainment and provisions as mid-season. I know excursions tend to get fewer and port shopping shuts down. We mostly go to relax and enjoy the scenery and be indulged. 

Sounds like you cruise very much the same way we do...to relax and enjoy the scenery...!  We've done both, first of season and end of season Alaska cruises...and we've loved 'em.  Yes, there might not be as many shore excursions...and shops are closing down so stock is often limited...but that's really not been that important to us. 

 

The SUN is a smaller ship, so it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the newer, mega-ships.  That's fine with us--cause we prefer the smaller ships.  So, as long as you go into it knowing that, it's a wonderful ship.

 

I would say that 6 p.m. reservations are a great way to start...and you can always try to adjust, if necessary.  Most of the performers' sets are about 45 minutes long...so we often found that we could catch most of the sets (or at least part of of 'em).

 

I have to tell you...we were on the second SUN cruise of the season (and only their second in the past two years)...and yes, the crew was new.  But they were new to working with each other--not necessarily new to being a part of a ship's crew.  Many of them were well-experienced and knew very much what they were doing and how to interact and help passengers.  They were clearly excited to be back cruising...and most (if not all) went above and beyond to make sure that passengers had a wonderful time...!  (We certainly did.)  They were all so friendly and welcoming.  The only thing we missed...they had to mask up...so we missed seeing their smiles...!  But you could tell...they were smiling...!  And every one of them greeted us warmly--everywhere...! 

 

One specific note about the crew wearing masks...many of them have heavy accents, so they can sometimes be a little difficult to understand through masks.  If you have any difficulty, just ask them to repeat what they said...they're more than happy to.

 

Were there some glitches...?  Of course.  (But what cruise doesn't have any glitches, right...?)

 

You didn't ask...but I have to tell you...the food in every specialty restaurant we tried was excellent.  We went to Cagney's, La Cucina, and Los Lobos.  The only one we didn't love was Moderno--it was fine, but we only went once.  (We do like Moderno, but the others were just better, so we stuck with those.)  Quick tip...if you go to Cagney's, see if you can get Katerina as your server...!  She's one of the best (if not THE best) servers we've ever had on an NCL cruise...! 

 

As you can probably tell, we had a fabulous time...! 🙂  Hope you do, as well...! 🙂 

[Shellbelle28]

49 minutes ago, Yo Adrienne said:

As you can probably tell, we had a fabulous time...! 🙂  Hope you do, as well...! 🙂 

Thank you! We've never been on the Sun, but our first two cruises ever were on the Sky. I originally booked this one to bring my elderly parents on their first cruise, I thought the smaller ship would be easier for them. But after the trip getting canceled in '20 and '21, they're no longer mobile enough to travel. 

We love the Jewel Class ships, and would choose them over the bigger ones. We'll be in an aft penthouse suite with large balcony on the Sun, the balcony looks big but the room layout is kind of different! 

We were on the Bliss last fall for her first trip of the restart and really missed the smiles of the crew members because of masks. 

I will definitely look to see if Katerina is in Cagney's. We had a great one in Cagney's on the Jewel in 2020 called Kamesh. And on the Bliss, Roxanne. Cagney's is our favorite specialty venue. I've got it booked for all 7 nights, though sometimes we swap some once aboard. I can't tell from the photos, is there any booth seating? Are there windows with water views? 

[Yo Adrienne]

19 hours ago, Shellbelle28 said:

Thank you! We've never been on the Sun, but our first two cruises ever were on the Sky. I originally booked this one to bring my elderly parents on their first cruise, I thought the smaller ship would be easier for them. But after the trip getting canceled in '20 and '21, they're no longer mobile enough to travel. 

We love the Jewel Class ships, and would choose them over the bigger ones. We'll be in an aft penthouse suite with large balcony on the Sun, the balcony looks big but the room layout is kind of different! 

We were on the Bliss last fall for her first trip of the restart and really missed the smiles of the crew members because of masks. 

I will definitely look to see if Katerina is in Cagney's. We had a great one in Cagney's on the Jewel in 2020 called Kamesh. And on the Bliss, Roxanne. Cagney's is our favorite specialty venue. I've got it booked for all 7 nights, though sometimes we swap some once aboard. I can't tell from the photos, is there any booth seating? Are there windows with water views? 

I'm sorry to hear that your parents won't be able to join you...! 😞  (We had two cruises on the SUN that were cancelled over the past two years, too, so it was nice to finally be able to sail...!) 

 

We also love the Jewel class ships (and in fact, we'll be on a B2B in September/October on the Jewel--assuming there are no cancellations)...but we were on the SUN back in 2004, so it was wonderful to be on this ship again--with all of the great memories it brought back for us...! 🙂 

 

One thing we'd totally forgotten about with regard to the layout of the SUN...there are some "you can't get there from here" decks...so we found ourselves often having to go up or down a deck or two if we were on one end of the ship and needed to get to the other end.  One of the crew members told us that even they sometimes forget that they have to go up or down--instead of going straight through from one end to another.  

 

And I have to mention again...the crew members were terrific...!

 

Since you mention having a penthouse suite...a few more bits of info for you...

 

There is no actual Haven at all...so there is no actual Haven restaurant.  However, there is a dedicated restaurant for suite guests for breakfast and lunch.  It's Cagney's...and the food for these meals was excellent (I think I had the shrimp toast every morning).  Breakfast also has the continental buffet in the corner and everything was very fresh...with a great selection of fruit, croissants/pastries, etc...while you're waiting for your entree.  The menu for lunch and dinner isn't huge and it doesn't change, but we found that food was so good, we didn't mind at all...! 

 

The concierge is Sumdedh (sp?)...and he's excellent.  He made all of our dining reservations for us (and the changes we requested), then checked with in with us every morning to see if we needed anything.  He also looked for us at every dinner...to make sure everything was going well...and to see if we needed anything.  He's very attentive, but also figured out very quickly that we're very low maintenance...so was also very good about not pushing us to sign up for activities, nor excursions.  He hit just the right balance...and I saw him do the same with the other suite guests...!  He was definitely one of the best concierges we've had...!

 

One note about Cagney's...there are really only 3 tables that are right next to windows...so you might want to see if you can request one of those.  They have some "banquet seating" tables...one side is chairs and the other side is a booth...but none of those are near the windows.  We only sat at one of those tables once (the bench side was too low for me), so we chose to sit at only actual tables.

 

We usually eat at Le Bistro at least once per cruise...but because we didn't feel like dressing up quite as much, we didn't make it to LB this time.  However, we peeked in...and they also have some nice window tables.  Unfortunately, we didn't go in far enough to see if there are any booths.

 

Moderno had window tables...but I don't recall seeing any booths.

 

By far, the best window tables we saw were in La Cucina and Los Lobos...!  Los Lobos has some booths (not by the window, though).  The booths are raised slightly (I think) and the atmosphere is light and bright...so, the views are very good from the booths.  (If you like guacamole, the tableside preparation is a must.)  La Cucina has the most window tables...and because the restaurant is located on deck 5 (access is via deck 6, though), you're much closer to the water, so the view of the water is fantastic...!  The restaurant is long and narrow--window tables on one side...and raised circular booths on the other.  We didn't try the booths there--we went with a window table each time. 

 

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer those, too...! 🙂 

 

 

[ptuser]

As of last week there was one 8pm show with the production cast on three nights in the theater, plus a smaller vocal-only show in the lounge, for a 7-day cruise. There were nights with just a movie in the theater. However, I don't think you can plan beyond maybe one day ahead. Some people at NCL probably have some idea of what entertainment won't be happening months from now, but even they have no idea of what will be happening. Nobody can assume anything to the degree that was reasonable to before the pandemic. Overall the crew made the most of what resources were available and seemed very appreciative to be back at their jobs.

Edited May 29, 2022 by ptuser

[Old & Retired]

The name of the Cagney's waitress you are looking for is Katerine Dela Cruz.  The name of the concierge is Sumedh Sawant.  Cagney's has one 'banquet' table next to a window.  All the way in the back and to the left.  LaCucina can also be accessed from the Four Seasons restaurant on deck 5.

Edited May 30, 2022 by Old & Retired

[Yo Adrienne]

@Shellbelle28

One other thing to be aware of...depending upon your itinerary...we found that the port times in Juneau and Ketchikan were a bit disappointing. 

 

As you probably already know, Ward Cove in Ketchikan is quite a distance outside of the main area of town.  We arrived between 6-8 a.m...the last shuttle into town was at 9:30 a.m...and the last shuttle back from town was at about 11:30 a.m.  And the ship departed at 12:15 p.m...so very little time to really explore.  (The original itinerary listed the port stop as short...but this was even an hour shorter than listed.)  Having been to Ketchikan many times, we opted to just stay on the ship this time (it was rainy and dreary)...but I felt sorry for the folks who had never been there before. 

 

In Juneau...although the port schedule had initially listed us as docking at one of the main berths, the day before we arrived there we were that we'd been switched to a "tender."  Again, since it was rainy and we've been to Juneau many times (plus we hope to be back in September), we stayed on the ship.  And this was also a relatively short port--though not as short as Ketchikan.  

 

Since it sounds like you're more interested in the scenery than the excursions, these port times might not bother you (they didn't bother us)...but if you are planning on any excursions--especially those not purchased through NCL--you'll want to keep these in mind. 

 

And of course, the fun part of staying on board in these ports...the ship was almost empty...! 🙂 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseblues2013]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:00 AM, Yo Adrienne said:

I'm sorry to hear that your parents won't be able to join you...! 😞  (We had two cruises on the SUN that were cancelled over the past two years, too, so it was nice to finally be able to sail...!) 

 

We also love the Jewel class ships (and in fact, we'll be on a B2B in September/October on the Jewel--assuming there are no cancellations)...but we were on the SUN back in 2004, so it was wonderful to be on this ship again--with all of the great memories it brought back for us...! 🙂 

 

One thing we'd totally forgotten about with regard to the layout of the SUN...there are some "you can't get there from here" decks...so we found ourselves often having to go up or down a deck or two if we were on one end of the ship and needed to get to the other end.  One of the crew members told us that even they sometimes forget that they have to go up or down--instead of going straight through from one end to another.  

 

And I have to mention again...the crew members were terrific...!

 

Since you mention having a penthouse suite...a few more bits of info for you...

 

There is no actual Haven at all...so there is no actual Haven restaurant.  However, there is a dedicated restaurant for suite guests for breakfast and lunch.  It's Cagney's...and the food for these meals was excellent (I think I had the shrimp toast every morning).  Breakfast also has the continental buffet in the corner and everything was very fresh...with a great selection of fruit, croissants/pastries, etc...while you're waiting for your entree.  The menu for lunch and dinner isn't huge and it doesn't change, but we found that food was so good, we didn't mind at all...! 

 

The concierge is Sumdedh (sp?)...and he's excellent.  He made all of our dining reservations for us (and the changes we requested), then checked with in with us every morning to see if we needed anything.  He also looked for us at every dinner...to make sure everything was going well...and to see if we needed anything.  He's very attentive, but also figured out very quickly that we're very low maintenance...so was also very good about not pushing us to sign up for activities, nor excursions.  He hit just the right balance...and I saw him do the same with the other suite guests...!  He was definitely one of the best concierges we've had...!

 

One note about Cagney's...there are really only 3 tables that are right next to windows...so you might want to see if you can request one of those.  They have some "banquet seating" tables...one side is chairs and the other side is a booth...but none of those are near the windows.  We only sat at one of those tables once (the bench side was too low for me), so we chose to sit at only actual tables.

 

We usually eat at Le Bistro at least once per cruise...but because we didn't feel like dressing up quite as much, we didn't make it to LB this time.  However, we peeked in...and they also have some nice window tables.  Unfortunately, we didn't go in far enough to see if there are any booths.

 

Moderno had window tables...but I don't recall seeing any booths.

 

By far, the best window tables we saw were in La Cucina and Los Lobos...!  Los Lobos has some booths (not by the window, though).  The booths are raised slightly (I think) and the atmosphere is light and bright...so, the views are very good from the booths.  (If you like guacamole, the tableside preparation is a must.)  La Cucina has the most window tables...and because the restaurant is located on deck 5 (access is via deck 6, though), you're much closer to the water, so the view of the water is fantastic...!  The restaurant is long and narrow--window tables on one side...and raised circular booths on the other.  We didn't try the booths there--we went with a window table each time. 

 

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer those, too...! 🙂 

 

 

Thank you for all of the information on the Suites.   Is Cagney's open for breakfast and lunch on Sea days and Port days?  Do you remember the hours they serve for both.  

[Yo Adrienne]

1 hour ago, cruiseblues2013 said:

Thank you for all of the information on the Suites.   Is Cagney's open for breakfast and lunch on Sea days and Port days?  Do you remember the hours they serve for both.  

@cruiseblues2013...you're very welcome for the info...! 

 

Yes, Cagney's is open for breakfast and lunch on sea and port days.  If I recall correctly, for lunches it was open from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. everyday (regardless of whether it was a sea or port day).  Breakfasts were usually from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m...but there were a couple of days (when we reached ports early) where it opened a little earlier.  It might have been open at 6:30 or 7:00...to accommodate those who had early excursions.  (My apologies here, we didn't have early ones, so I don't recall for sure.)   

 

As you probably saw from my earlier comment(s), we thought the food was excellent for both breakfast and lunch.  The menus for lunch and dinner weren't huge, but everything was so well-prepared that we didn't mind it at all...!  And they were always very willing to accommodate special requests, too...! 

 

They do have the little continental breakfast "buffet" area (fruit, cheese, cold cuts,  yogurt, cereal, pastries, smoked salmon, etc.) tucked around the corner (you can't see it from the entrance) and that could definitely suffice if you were in a hurry.  Service wasn't overly fast for the hot/prepared items that you would order from your server, but I'm betting that if you mentioned that you were in a hurry, they would try to speed things up for you. 

 

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask and I'll see if I can answer 'em for you...! 🙂 

 

Happy cruising...! 🙂

[T12345]

I was on the Sun 2-weeks ago, (May 2022) and the nightly show was cancelled thru the entire cruise due to cast members having covid. Was disappointing!

[T12345]

On 5/28/2022 at 8:54 AM, Yo Adrienne said:

We were on the Sun to Alaska (a 9-day cruise, RT from Seattle) a week and a half ago...and what I can tell you is that we barely even noticed that there were shows/events in the Stardust Theater.  (In other words, basically nothing caught our eye as being worth going to.)  That being said...I think whatever was taking place in the theater was usually scheduled for just once per evening (I think)...and probably at about 8 p.m.

 

Here's the thing that I would say is probably more important...checking out the Freestyle Daily for the other shows/performers that are performing on the various nights.  We found some fantastic shows in the Bliss, Windjammer, Spinnaker and Atrium lounges...!  The catch is...these performers and show times vary greatly depending upon the day...so we found that we were regularly changing our dining reservations in order to see the performers.  (We pre-booked most of our dining reservations for 7:30, but often changed to a bit earlier or a bit later...depending on the daily schedule.)  Yes, we were very lucky that the ship was only at about half capacity, so making changes was VERY easy.

 

And just FYI...we loved the Banda Duo, LMH...and the show Ocean Fest...!

 

Hope this info is helpful...! 🙂 

 

(And if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them...! 🙂 )

 

Yes, Banda Duo were great. This was their first cruise. Their next one is in Oct. I left a positive review for them on the feedback card. They should've played more around the ship in different venues. Mainly in observation lounge. 

[Yo Adrienne]

20 hours ago, T12345 said:

 

Yes, Banda Duo were great. This was their first cruise. Their next one is in Oct. I left a positive review for them on the feedback card. They should've played more around the ship in different venues. Mainly in observation lounge. 

So glad you enjoyed them...! 🙂 

 

We "found" them in the Bliss Lounge on our first night when we walked through, then checked the Freestyle Daily each evening before going to bed...to see where they would be performing the next day...and yes, they were in a few venues that weren't great.  (The Atrium on deck 5 comes to mind.)  We loved it when they were in Spinnakers...!  

 

I also have to mention that they were SO appreciative when passengers (like us) "followed" them to wherever they were going to be performing.  Sometimes there were only a few of us in the audience, but we always made sure they knew how much we enjoyed their shows...!