NCL Sun, a good way to go??

[Liesje]

Hi all,

 

I'm considering a 7 day cruise on the Sun in Febr 2008 as a birthday gift for my mom. She has never cruised before and I would really like for her to enjoy herself. I've seen however that the last reviews on the Sun were not great. I 've never cruised NCL before so I have no idea what to expect. I chose this ship because of the ports and planned it around my moms birthday. I would like to hear from more people who have cruised on the Sun recently. Is it a good way to go or should I start looking for something else?? :confused:

 

Thx a lot

[garycarla]

Not sure where you are getting the bad reviews - well I guess there have been some bad, but the vast majority of what I have read are positive. There were quite a few threads about the 3/25 cruise out of Orleans that were favorable. Even though I was sick for three days, it was still a good cruise.

 

As you can see from our signature, we have been on many cruises lately, and we enjoyed the Sun. No qualms about going again.

[cruisequeen10]

The Sun is fabulous. I am going on her for the 2nd time to Alaska in August. We are celebrating my mom's 85th birthday on board.

[Zeno]

There is nothing wrong with the Sun. She is a clean, well-maintained ship with a friendly, competant crew. (My best cabin steward ever was on my 2nd cruise on the Sun and the best waiter I ever had was on my first cruise on the Sun.) I have been on her twice and enjoyed both cruises. She is not one of the newest NCL ships but she is also not one of the oldest. She was designed with Freestyle cruising in mind and in my experience Freestyle cruising works well on the Sun as long as one uses a little common sense. (Don't expect immediate seating in the main dining rooms at 7PM on "Lobster" night!). She is also a nice size - not so big as to be overwhelming for a first time cruiser.

 

Out of curiosity - I checked the negative reviews for the last sailing - THREE of the four negatives are from the same family - which was interesting. There were 9 very positive reviews ( 4 5 fishies and 4 4 fishies) and 1 3 fishy review.

SO - it actually appears to me that most recent cruisers were quite positive.

[starfamily]

If you are choosing the cruise for the ports and price is good then go for it.

I personally was not overly impressed with the sun. We had a penthouse suite so it was not like we had a bad cabin it just was not what I had been used to when cruising. I much preferred the sun princess. That said I enjoyed the itinerary, it just seemed like a much different atmosphere than other cruises I had been on. Maybe the crew was worn out, it was the end of the year, I don't know but it seemed pretty lackluster to me.

[genesis81]

I don't have much time to really write a review right now but will within the next week, but I saw this post and thought I would tell you what I thought. This was my first cruise so I didn't really know what to expect. We also picked this cruise because of the ports. I will have fun anywhere I go but was disapointed was the Sun. Just to sum things up quickly: Ports were great, shows were good, food was below average to average, and teenagers were running wild taking over everything. I will post a review soon but if you have any specific questions just ask me.

[Liesje]

Thanks everyone for the fast replies. Will consider them when making a decision. I'm sure I'll have a bunch of questions later on. It's good to know that I can find the answers here.

[BeachBumMama]

You'll find lot's of info here. I've read some recent reviews on her so all you'd have to do is look around at a few pages of threads. I haven't sailed on the Sun, but sailed on the Sky, which I believe is her sister ship. Now it's the Pride of Aloha. But we loved the Sky, my mother was with us and she prefers the smaller to mid-size ships and this seemed to be perfect for her. Have fun!:)

[E&D_in_AR]

I would completely recommend the Sun to you. My review is on the review page and we loved it. We aren't hard to please people, just laid back and like to have a good time. We found the service to be excellent and the food wonderful. :)

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I too was on the 3/25 sailing and have done a review but I don't think it's up yet. I would recomment the Sun but you need to check the itinerary. The Sun will be sailing Hawaii next February and the Spirit will be sailing the N.O. route previously done by the Sun.

[Stillfloatin']

I too was on the 3/25 sailing and have done a review but I don't think it's up yet. I would recomment the Sun but you need to check the itinerary. The Sun will be sailing Hawaii next February and the Spirit will be sailing the N.O. route previously done by the Sun.

 

It was my understanding that the Sun would not be sailing in Hawaii but instead would go to Miami for the winter and sail to the Caribbean, but maybe my info is incorrect. :confused:

[jetskier]

I also understood the Sun to be going to Miami. The Spirit will be in New Orleans during the time frame that you are looking at. I am on the 15 day repositioning cruise for the Spirit to New Orleans.

Dave

[bobobeagle]

The ports are good. I posted a review from 3-25. My expereince was just average. Others loved it. I have been on seven (7) cruises including prior NCL cruises. I will be happy to answer specific questions. Of cousre, keeping in mind it is my opinion.

[newmexicoNita]

Hi all,

 

I'm considering a 7 day cruise on the Sun in Febr 2008 as a birthday gift for my mom. She has never cruised before and I would really like for her to enjoy herself. I've seen however that the last reviews on the Sun were not great. I 've never cruised NCL before so I have no idea what to expect. I chose this ship because of the ports and planned it around my moms birthday. I would like to hear from more people who have cruised on the Sun recently. Is it a good way to go or should I start looking for something else?? :confused:

 

Thx a lot

you will always get a few bad reviews; those bad ones lately about the Sun boil down to maybe one bad one. You don't want to throw our a negative review but don't discount the positive ones. The Sun is one of NLC fans favorite ships. Don't change your plans because a couple of people really liked another line better. Normally these reviews are written by cruisers who have a favorite line and nothing will ever match up to that one. Nothing is wrong with this, I happen to have a favorite line as well and am always comparing cruises on line A with line B. Interesting you are talking about cruising with mom for her birthday. I have done the Sun twice, both times with my DD and both times for my birthday, once 5 years ago and once, last year. Enjoy

 

NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

I don't have much time to really write a review right now but will within the next week, but I saw this post and thought I would tell you what I thought. This was my first cruise so I didn't really know what to expect. We also picked this cruise because of the ports. I will have fun anywhere I go but was disapointed was the Sun. Just to sum things up quickly: Ports were great, shows were good, food was below average to average, and teenagers were running wild taking over everything. I will post a review soon but if you have any specific questions just ask me.

I am surprised you thought the food was sub par, but everyone has his/her preferances. As for kids, anyone who cruises from late Feb until the week after Easter will find all cruise ships over run with kids. Most of us veteran cruisers have learned (some the hard way) to stay away from cruising during school break times.

 

This being your first cruise and you didn't know what to expect? Cruising isn't for everyone, you could be one of the 10 to 15% that just wasn't cut out for it. NMnita

[Stillfloatin']

As for kids, anyone who cruises from late Feb until the week after Easter will find all cruise ships over run with kids. Most of us veteran cruisers have learned (some the hard way) to stay away from cruising during school break times.

 

We did back-to-back cruises on the Pearl last month and encountered almost zero kids or college students on the 9-day Southern Caribbean, but wow, the following 5-day Western Caribbean had just over a thousand college spring breakers (mostly from the Florida schools) on it, and let me tell you, that cruise was LIVELY! However, we knew to expect this and just went with the flow and had lots of fun. In fact, one of our fave actitivies was sitting on our stern balcony and watching them all stagger back from Senior Frog's and Carlos n' Charlies! We have some hilarious photos.

[Chexmix]

The Sun will be sailing from Miami. I am on the Sun repo cruise in October. Going from San Diego to Miami.

 

I can't give you any advise on the Sun as this is my first time on her as well my first time with NCL but no matter what we will enjoy ourselves. :D

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Sorry about the incorrect info. Silly me just assumed what was printed in the brochure was correct. Now, I should know better than that!:rolleyes:

 

Enjoy!

[watergirl]

Hubby and I were on the 2/18 sailing of the Sun and had a wonderful time. This was our 3rd cruise, the first 2 being on Celebrity. We enjoyed it so much that we too are looking at booking the Sun for next January or February.

[indy317]

yes, book it. Short answer, nice boat - good food, my 8th cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

We did back-to-back cruises on the Pearl last month and encountered almost zero kids or college students on the 9-day Southern Caribbean' date=' but wow, the following 5-day Western Caribbean had just over a thousand college spring breakers (mostly from the Florida schools) on it, and let me tell you, that cruise was LIVELY! However, we knew to expect this and just went with the flow and had lots of fun. In fact, one of our fave actitivies was sitting on our stern balcony and watching them all stagger back from Senior Frog's and Carlos n' Charlies! We have some hilarious photos.[/quote']

 

wow, 1000, I bet it was lively!!! Yes, the 9 dayer would attact less college age and younger kids; the longer the cruise the fewer kids. Talking about watching them stagger back, about 4 years ago (or maybe a little less) our 2 granddaughter, college kids at the time did the Pirate booze cruise when we were sailing Celebrity. It was next to the last day of the cruise and I had, just that morning completemented them on how well behaved they had been on the cruise and how proud I was of them. I think you can guess the end of this story. Not only was I really ticked with them, they were so embarrassed for me to find out what condition they returned in. thank god they got back safe and are now a little more mature. In fact one became a mommy 5 weeks ago. NMnita

[mailbroad]

The Sun is great! The crew was nice and the food was good! The singers in Dazzles are really good!!!! Find Noel the bar waiter in the casino or Dazzles and give him an extra tip and you will have great service.:D

I would go again in a minute!

[genesis81]

I am surprised you thought the food was sub par, but everyone has his/her preferances. As for kids, anyone who cruises from late Feb until the week after Easter will find all cruise ships over run with kids. Most of us veteran cruisers have learned (some the hard way) to stay away from cruising during school break times.

 

This being your first cruise and you didn't know what to expect? Cruising isn't for everyone, you could be one of the 10 to 15% that just wasn't cut out for it. NMnita

 

 

I wouldn't say that I am not cut out for cruising at all, I absolutely loved it. I just found this particular cruise lacking in some areas. I along with my travel partner, who has cruised before had the same opinion as myself. Everyone will have different opinions about what they like and don't like, neither one being the right or wrong one. I think I just expected more out of a gourmet meal. Maybe a little more flavor and a little less time in trying to make it all look pretty.

 

I agree with the statment about it being near school breaks. I don't think I will choose to do this again. The main issue I found with this was the dance club/bar at night after 11pm. The fact that you were supposed to be at least 18 was never enforced and allowed 14 and 15 year olds to dominate the whole place. I am only 25 and would have enjoyed staying out and dancing/drinking but this was prevented, I also talked to other couples who felt the same way.

 

Once again, I did have a great time. For me I don't think it would be possible not to. But would I try NCL again, probably not at least for awhile. I think I will try something else.

[bobobeagle]

Thanks for your opinion. We agreed the food was average. I know that food is subjective. Perhaps it would help to compare to resturants that guests enjoy. I would consider the buffet food of Shoney's quality or Dennys. Neither of which I would pay for given any other option. SOmeone else compared Le Bistro to Ruth Chris. Perpahs a fair comparion. I do not personally care for RUth Chris as I prefer gourmet food not just a steak with potatoes.

[bennyjammin]

The Apr 1-8 Sun was my second cruise. My first was on Carnival. This was my girlfriend's first cruise. We are in our 20s.

 

Ports were great. The cruise was reasonably priced. Live theatre shows were excellent--much better than Carnival.

 

The ship decor is pretty dull and plain looking. I liked the Vegas style look of Carnival more. There isn't any real "wow" factor walking around the Sun.

 

The comedian was sort of funny but corny at the same time. He refused to swear, even on the adult comedy night. He performed at least three different shows, and I wish they brought someone else in. The other "adult" shows were also corny-- the cruise directors kept warning "those under 18 or easily offended should leave," however nothing was ever really risque and I felt the adult entertainment was pretty PG-13 at worst.

 

The hypnotist was good. Even on the adult show she kept things PG-13. Would have been better if she allowed things to get a little crazier.

 

The ship did not enforce the 18+ rule in the Disco after 11pm. Pre-teens and teens (in droves) were allowed to grind and hump all over each other on the dance floor and consequently drove away all adults from the disco every night. One night after getting fed up with this, we complained to the bar staff. The bar staff threw up their hands like they were powerless. We then complained to the reception desk. They acted surprised that this was happening and said they would do something about it. The DJ then made an announcement telling everyone under 18 to leave-- did the kids leave? Of course not. Did NCL do anything further? No, that was the extent of their enforcement of their own rule. By the way, adults buy alcohol, not kids. Does NCL realize how much money they are losing in late night drink sales in the Disco because of this problem?

 

Let me preface this by saying I have a big appetite and I'm not a picky eater:

 

Compared to Carnival, the food sucked. The buffet food was terrible. Not once did I say "mmm this is good, I think I'll bo back and get more of this." Everything tasted bland. Grilled chicken sandwhiches available on Carnival were sorely missed. None of the deserts tasted fresh-- all of the cakes tasted bland and like the typical frozen/thawed mass-produced banquet pastries. They kept putting out this dense chocolate thing on the buffet. The Carnival buffet wasn't great either but at least better than this. No lemonade or fruit puch like Carnival, only water, tea and milk.

 

Carnival pizza is awesome. NCL pizza sucked.

 

Ate at the steakhouse one night and the "sinful chocolate obsession" dessert sounded good so I ordered it. What do you know, dense chocolate thingy again, this time in a different shape. Gimme a break NCL, I paid extra for this meal and expect something better than another buffet dessert!!!!! Steak was only about 3/4" thick. Great steaks don't need A1 sauce. This steak did. I expected better at the specialty restaurant.

 

Food in main restaurants was ok. I liked about 3 of the dinners. The other four were average. Dessert again wasn't that good. A few things tasted warm and fresh, the rest did not. On Carnival I often ordered two of anything that was really good. I didn't once order seconds of any entree/appetizer/dessert on NCL. Coffee was always luke warm. Wait staff didn't seem as "polished" as Carnival. Example-- we once got asked by three different bar staff waiters if we wanted a drink during dinner.

 

Chocolate Buffet-- terrible. Again bland, nothing tasted fresh. Even the fondue was bland and not very sweet. How do you screw up fondue?

 

About 60% of the ship didn't dress up for formal night. That was dissappointing. To me this is one of the things that makes a cruise special.

 

Only got one towel animal. Not a big deal if you've cruised before, but for those on their first cruise it's fun to come back to your room and find a different animal each night.

 

The staff was generally very friendly. Bar staff was a little too pushy.

 

Overall, we still had a great time, but with so many other cruise lines to choose from, the nightlife (theatre shows excluded) and food will keep us from picking NCL again.