Sweet Sun Suite

[Deadskins]

We just finished the May 11 Sun Alaska cruise out of Vancouver, in AD suite 8002. Here are the details. (We were quite happy.)

 

Embarkation: Took about an hour at 12:30, because of Vancouver security and about a million people trying to enter at once. Once through security, we were met and briefed by the Concierge, Ericka, and all went smoothly. We were then escorted to our cabin where all our bags were ready for us.

 

Debarkation: Ericka had it all planned and, with VIP tags on our bags, we left our cabin at 8:00 AM and were through security with all bags and in a taxi by 8:15. Had we wished, we could have left later. But, the 8:00 time was reserved for VIPs and handicapped. There was also a 7:30 express for those carrying all their bags.

 

Suites and VIPs: (We did not realize how good this was going to be when we booked.) On the Sun, the residents of the 20 suites (AA-AE) are considered VIPs. You get issued a silver ID card, that we later learned means we were in the VIP category. The Concierge, Ericka, is dedicated to the VIPs and is your contact for anything you want other than cabin food. She met with us at Breakfast and lunch daily, plus called us personally when something of interest was about to happen, like when the ship was sailing by a pod of whales. She also made all our reservations for dinner and reserved seating at shows. We had a couple of minor problems during the week with our cabin. We called, left a message, and they were corrected in minutes. She would later make a follow-up call to verify. There are two butlers, with each assigned to ten cabins. Naveen, our butler, was excellent and made sure all was correct in our cabin. Each day, we ordered in-cabin snacks for the following day and coffee and pastries for pre-breakfast (yes, we ate two breakfasts.) He also delivered movie CDs that we selected from our cabin book. On early shore days, he also delivered breakfast earlier than normal so we could get going. In addition to the embarkation champagne and chocolate strawberries, we also got a bottle of wine and coupon for another bottle at one of the restaurants. At no time did we ever ask for the room to be made up. We would simply leave and come back and everything was cleaned and back to normal.

 

Cabin 8002: This was a very nice cabin with more than enough storage space for our five bags. I had about four feet of closet plus four drawers for my jeans and shirts and one suite. The wife had at least double that amount. The marble double sink and large medicine cabinet was more than adequate. The separate Jacuzzi type bath was fine for one person and the separate shower and toilet areas adequate. The double shower doors are held together by a magnet and came apart during slightly rolling seas. The wife used her hair clip to hold them together. The one really annoying item was the hair dryer. They supply you with a 220V hair dryer. But, it only works in the cabin. There are 110V plugs in bathroom, but, no 110V dryer. Had we known, we would have brought our own 110V dryer. So, to dry her hair, she had to go into the cabin. (She tried getting me to take a bath while she dried her hair. But, the cord was to short for her to throw it into the bath tub.) The main cabin had two beds put together to form a comfortable king size bed, with probably ten lamps and lights all over. The standard TV and VCR were OK, with a seven speaker surround sound. Except for movies on sea days, we did not do much TV watching. The whole front of the cabin was basically a wall of windows with a great view. This was especially nice during cooler weather and the two days of showers. We found we could leave the balcony doors open and little breeze came in when under way, except the day when there was a 20+ wind. Being on the forward part of the ship, the rolling was significant in the 4-7 foot seas we had one day. But, we just went to La Adagio for a two hour lunch, where it was smooth sailing. The balcony was really, really nice. Measuring about 17x12 feet, it held two lounge chairs, a small table, two chairs and a large table, with plenty of spare room to walk around. There was complete privacy except when standing by the railing, when you could see the passengers above you. (We traded cameras and took each others picture.) There was no one below and the forward part of the ship that you see in the web cam is completely off limits to passengers and crew, except when one guy goes out to raise the flag. We had a lot of great views and drinks. All passengers should definitely bring separate, good binoculars. Because of the angled front of the balcony, most of the wind is diverted upwards. As the balcony is three feet high and solid steel, there is no problem with kids or tipsy visitors. The wife figured out that placing a couch pillow on the seats raised you high enough to see over the rail. This was especially important after multiple drinks.

 

Meals: We did not eat any breakfasts or lunches at any of the public restaurants or bars! One of the best kept secrets of the VIP suites is that you get full served meals in the Il Adagio. This is a very nice place with the best side views on the ship. Imagine having your breakfast served sitting in a very nice booth or window side table for two with either table looking out on the Alaskan scenery. In addition to your choice of a full menu normally available at the best restaurants, there was always a full array of fruits, meats, salmon, cheeses and pastry to select from. We varied between coffee, espresso and cappuccino (or two). There were seven different lunch menus, all superb. As breakfast was served between 6:30 and 10 and lunch was served between 11 and 2, there were typically less than ten couples in the restaurant. We were normally met by the Concierge prior to or during both meals, where she inquired about our evening plans and whether we would need reservations.

 

Evening Meals: Because this was an early cruise, there were only 2200 passengers filling all cabins. This meant that the public restaurants were never packed. On two nights, we just walked in and were seated immediately. We had Ericka make reservations twice for us and even had her change the times, and still had great seats. (Tip: Don’t schedule a dinner before 8 on the night you cruise to the glacier.) On two other nights, we walked up to a private restaurant and asked to be seated. Upon being informed there were no tables for some time, I showed my silver ID card and they immediately seated us. The other option would have been to call the concierge, who would have made us immediate reservations. On another night, we had dinner at the Captains table.

 

Excursions: We made the decision to budget extra dollars for the suite versus extravagant shore excursions. However, we really lucked out on the excursions. At Ketchikan, we did the Eagles, Totem Poles and Light House boat, which was only half full, because of the early season. It was fantastic as we spotted over fifty eagles and 15 nests, followed by lunch at Il Adagio. At Juneau we booked a private cruise with Captain Jack (Captain USCG-Retired) of the Scania. Force 8 gale winds were forecast for the afternoon. However, our morning cruise was on calm waters with lots of whale sightings, followed by lunch at Il Adagio as we left port. This was our favorite tour. Most of the morning plane and helicopter tour were grounded. At Skagway, we had 20-30 mph winds and again flights were cancelled. However, we had booked the White Pass morning train. With clear skies it was fantastic. After lunch at Il Adagio, we went on the streetcar tour followed by a mandatory shopping spree.

 

Glacier Viewing: Although we could not get close to the Glacier because of an early season ice flow, the view was still terrific and the 25 mile trip up the narrow fjord very memorable, especially in a forward facing cabin.

 

Conclusion: We had a budget, which we exceeded, and decided to get a suite with excellent views and space but with limited excursions versus a room with balcony and more extravagant excursions. As it turned out, the helicopter and plane excursions we would have selected were cancelled due to weather (this is Alaska). We did not really comprehend the advantages of the suite or great the views from both the suite and at breakfast and lunch would be. If we had it to do over again, we would do the same. If we had to do it over again with a higher budget to break, we would probably get the AB suite with both rear and side balconies.

[freestylecruizer]

We just finished the May 11 Sun Alaska cruise out of Vancouver, in AD suite 8002. Here are the details. (We were quite happy.)

 

Embarkation: Took about an hour at 12:30, because of Vancouver security and about a million people trying to enter at once. Once through security, we were met and briefed by the Concierge, Ericka, and all went smoothly. We were then escorted to our cabin where all our bags were ready for us.

 

Debarkation: Ericka had it all planned and, with VIP tags on our bags, we left our cabin at 8:00 AM and were through security with all bags and in a taxi by 8:15. Had we wished, we could have left later. But, the 8:00 time was reserved for VIPs and handicapped. There was also a 7:30 express for those carrying all their bags.

 

Suites and VIPs: (We did not realize how good this was going to be when we booked.) On the Sun, the residents of the 20 suites (AA-AE) are considered VIPs. You get issued a silver ID card, that we later learned means we were in the VIP category. The Concierge, Ericka, is dedicated to the VIPs and is your contact for anything you want other than cabin food. She met with us at Breakfast and lunch daily, plus called us personally when something of interest was about to happen, like when the ship was sailing by a pod of whales. She also made all our reservations for dinner and reserved seating at shows. We had a couple of minor problems during the week with our cabin. We called, left a message, and they were corrected in minutes. She would later make a follow-up call to verify. There are two butlers, with each assigned to ten cabins. Naveen, our butler, was excellent and made sure all was correct in our cabin. Each day, we ordered in-cabin snacks for the following day and coffee and pastries for pre-breakfast (yes, we ate two breakfasts.) He also delivered movie CDs that we selected from our cabin book. On early shore days, he also delivered breakfast earlier than normal so we could get going. In addition to the embarkation champagne and chocolate strawberries, we also got a bottle of wine and coupon for another bottle at one of the restaurants. At no time did we ever ask for the room to be made up. We would simply leave and come back and everything was cleaned and back to normal.

 

Cabin 8002: This was a very nice cabin with more than enough storage space for our five bags. I had about four feet of closet plus four drawers for my jeans and shirts and one suite. The wife had at least double that amount. The marble double sink and large medicine cabinet was more than adequate. The separate Jacuzzi type bath was fine for one person and the separate shower and toilet areas adequate. The double shower doors are held together by a magnet and came apart during slightly rolling seas. The wife used her hair clip to hold them together. The one really annoying item was the hair dryer. They supply you with a 220V hair dryer. But, it only works in the cabin. There are 110V plugs in bathroom, but, no 110V dryer. Had we known, we would have brought our own 110V dryer. So, to dry her hair, she had to go into the cabin. (She tried getting me to take a bath while she dried her hair. But, the cord was to short for her to throw it into the bath tub.) The main cabin had two beds put together to form a comfortable king size bed, with probably ten lamps and lights all over. The standard TV and VCR were OK, with a seven speaker surround sound. Except for movies on sea days, we did not do much TV watching. The whole front of the cabin was basically a wall of windows with a great view. This was especially nice during cooler weather and the two days of showers. We found we could leave the balcony doors open and little breeze came in when under way, except the day when there was a 20+ wind. Being on the forward part of the ship, the rolling was significant in the 4-7 foot seas we had one day. But, we just went to La Adagio for a two hour lunch, where it was smooth sailing. The balcony was really, really nice. Measuring about 17x12 feet, it held two lounge chairs, a small table, two chairs and a large table, with plenty of spare room to walk around. There was complete privacy except when standing by the railing, when you could see the passengers above you. (We traded cameras and took each others picture.) There was no one below and the forward part of the ship that you see in the web cam is completely off limits to passengers and crew, except when one guy goes out to raise the flag. We had a lot of great views and drinks. All passengers should definitely bring separate, good binoculars. Because of the angled front of the balcony, most of the wind is diverted upwards. As the balcony is three feet high and solid steel, there is no problem with kids or tipsy visitors. The wife figured out that placing a couch pillow on the seats raised you high enough to see over the rail. This was especially important after multiple drinks.

 

Meals: We did not eat any breakfasts or lunches at any of the public restaurants or bars! One of the best kept secrets of the VIP suites is that you get full served meals in the Il Adagio. This is a very nice place with the best side views on the ship. Imagine having your breakfast served sitting in a very nice booth or window side table for two with either table looking out on the Alaskan scenery. In addition to your choice of a full menu normally available at the best restaurants, there was always a full array of fruits, meats, salmon, cheeses and pastry to select from. We varied between coffee, espresso and cappuccino (or two). There were seven different lunch menus, all superb. As breakfast was served between 6:30 and 10 and lunch was served between 11 and 2, there were typically less than ten couples in the restaurant. We were normally met by the Concierge prior to or during both meals, where she inquired about our evening plans and whether we would need reservations.

 

Evening Meals: Because this was an early cruise, there were only 2200 passengers filling all cabins. This meant that the public restaurants were never packed. On two nights, we just walked in and were seated immediately. We had Ericka make reservations twice for us and even had her change the times, and still had great seats. (Tip: Don’t schedule a dinner before 8 on the night you cruise to the glacier.) On two other nights, we walked up to a private restaurant and asked to be seated. Upon being informed there were no tables for some time, I showed my silver ID card and they immediately seated us. The other option would have been to call the concierge, who would have made us immediate reservations. On another night, we had dinner at the Captains table.

 

Excursions: We made the decision to budget extra dollars for the suite versus extravagant shore excursions. However, we really lucked out on the excursions. At Ketchikan, we did the Eagles, Totem Poles and Light House boat, which was only half full, because of the early season. It was fantastic as we spotted over fifty eagles and 15 nests, followed by lunch at Il Adagio. At Juneau we booked a private cruise with Captain Jack (Captain USCG-Retired) of the Scania. Force 8 gale winds were forecast for the afternoon. However, our morning cruise was on calm waters with lots of whale sightings, followed by lunch at Il Adagio as we left port. This was our favorite tour. Most of the morning plane and helicopter tour were grounded. At Skagway, we had 20-30 mph winds and again flights were cancelled. However, we had booked the White Pass morning train. With clear skies it was fantastic. After lunch at Il Adagio, we went on the streetcar tour followed by a mandatory shopping spree.

 

Glacier Viewing: Although we could not get close to the Glacier because of an early season ice flow, the view was still terrific and the 25 mile trip up the narrow fjord very memorable, especially in a forward facing cabin.

 

Conclusion: We had a budget, which we exceeded, and decided to get a suite with excellent views and space but with limited excursions versus a room with balcony and more extravagant excursions. As it turned out, the helicopter and plane excursions we would have selected were cancelled due to weather (this is Alaska). We did not really comprehend the advantages of the suite or great the views from both the suite and at breakfast and lunch would be. If we had it to do over again, we would do the same. If we had to do it over again with a higher budget to break, we would probably get the AB suite with both rear and side balconies.

 

Yes, the Sun is truly a nice ship - we've been in two suites on the ship - AD 9002 and AC 0065 AFT (which is far better than the AD's up front).

 

Nice to see that they are truly recognizing the VIP status now.

[canuckgal]

we are in this exact suite is a month- you just made me so excited!! when you said don't make reservations on glacier day before 8- did you mean because you'll want to be on the balcony viewing , or was there some other reason too?