NCL Sun vs Liberty

[amjdcm]

I am stuck. I need some advice. I currently have a cruise booked on the Liberty of the Seas for the 12-15-07 departure. I booked almost a year in advance and got a price of $2281.50 total. I booked a balcony cabin. I have sailed RCCL before but not on the Freedom class ships.

 

I just got an offer from NCL to sail on the sun, also in a balcony cabin for a total price of $1553.00. I have also sailed on NCL before, I sailed on the Jewel when she was just months old.

 

My savings if I switched would be aprox. 728.00 dollars total. I want to save money, but do not know if the NCL Sun is in good shape. I know about the onboard experice of NCL. I like to travel on newer ships, that is why we sailed on the Jewel last year and are booked on the Liberty this year. But we do not mind sailing on an older ship if she is in good shape. Can anyone give me some information on the condition of the NCL Sun who has sailed on her recently?

 

Also, the itin on Sun is much better because it goes to Roatan and Belize, two ports that we have never been to. In contrast the Liberty does the same western itin, coz, g.cay, mobay and labadee. Any one want to chime in on the ports?

 

Looking for advice from my fellow CC's

[piercetc4]

have you asked about the sun on the ncl board? only you can decide how imp. it is to save that 700- we met a couple in coz last fall who were on the sun- they loved it- this couple was mid 50's and doing shots on the beach with us...lol ....very fun couple- i would read as many reviews of the sun as you can before deciding- the liberty would be so nice and new and huge- but the sun saves you 700 and goes to ports you want to see- hard decision- good luck

[debshomespun]

We were on the Freedom last year and it was an awesome experience. We were on the NCL Pearl, it's newest ship in March/07, and it was nice, but IMHO didn't compare to the Freedom class ships. You said you prefer newer ships, and the NCL Sun isn't very new, but I don't know what shape it is in. Jus from your post, I think you would be disappointed on the Sun. The Liberty is one of the largest ships at sea, although while on Freedom we didn't feel crowded at all, and you have so much to choose from. The Royal Promenade is great also.

 

What is more important to you. The ports, or the ship? That would be a big deciding factor too. For us, it is the ship as our destination, the ports are just a bonus!

[DrivesLikeMario]

I am stuck. I need some advice. I currently have a cruise booked on the Liberty of the Seas for the 12-15-07 departure. I booked almost a year in advance and got a price of $2281.50 total. I booked a balcony cabin. I have sailed RCCL before but not on the Freedom class ships.

 

I just got an offer from NCL to sail on the sun, also in a balcony cabin for a total price of $1553.00. I have also sailed on NCL before, I sailed on the Jewel when she was just months old.

 

My savings if I switched would be aprox. 728.00 dollars total. I want to save money, but do not know if the NCL Sun is in good shape. I know about the onboard experice of NCL. I like to travel on newer ships, that is why we sailed on the Jewel last year and are booked on the Liberty this year. But we do not mind sailing on an older ship if she is in good shape. Can anyone give me some information on the condition of the NCL Sun who has sailed on her recently?

 

Also, the itin on Sun is much better because it goes to Roatan and Belize, two ports that we have never been to. In contrast the Liberty does the same western itin, coz, g.cay, mobay and labadee. Any one want to chime in on the ports?

 

Looking for advice from my fellow CC's

 

You get what you pay for. The two ships could not be more different! :eek:

[toonjie]

I'd put it this way, although you would save $728 with the Sun, $2281.50 for the Liberty is a better deal than $1553.00 for the Sun! Research and see what you would actually do at those 2 new ports for you. If it's just a beach day or basic sightseeing then it's not really that big a deal, but if there's something you can only do in those ports or something you've always dreamed of seeing then that would be a bigger factor in the decision. If it were me, I'd do the Liberty. As stated above, the ship is really the destination and the ports are just gravy! It's a 2-1 decision in my view-better cruiseline, better ship, vs better ports.

[BillandKateC]

We did the Sun last year and were not impressed. We were very disapointed with the food.:(

[Travelitis]

We loved the Sun, but we had the OS, so it's not a fair comparison. We did see a balcony cabin (9A) and thought it nice. The itin for the Sun is far better than the Liberty, but the ship is not going to be as impressive. Don't get me wrong, the Sun has its own look, and we thought it an attractive ship. It doesn't have the over-the-top features of the Liberty, but we never thought it lacking in the decor department.

 

What's more important to you: itin or ship? One caveat about the Sun is that I wouldn't eat anywhere but alternative restaurants (plenty to choose from and lower fees than RCI) which were very good. The dining room, however, was the worst food I've had at sea, and friends we met on CC had the same experience on another sailing. We particularly liked the Cooking Light restaurant (don't remember the name). These ships are very different, but that's a good savings. If you're not dying to rock climb, use the flowrider, or ice skate, and you get good reports on the condition of that ship currently, then I'd go on the Sun just to be able to dive Roatan again. If you snorkel or dive, the Sun's itin far outstrips the Liberty's. RCI fans talk about the "wow factor", and that's what you'll get on the Liberty. It's glitzy compared to the Sun, but we love freestyle cruising, and the Sun had enough elegance for us. I'd suggest going to cruiseclues dot com or webshots and searching for NCL Sun.