AKR2011

One of my favorite things about NCL is the staff, and the staff on The Sun were my all-time favorite. The DH and I followed them around to all of their programs and had a blast! One night there was a sing along with the staff. I LOVE to sing, but not so much solo, so I knew this would be fun. DH is not musical at all but said he would grab a drink and sit with me for a few minutes. Once the drink was gone, he was leaving. Well, we both stayed the entire show, sang at the top of our lungs, and on the last song, they moved all of us to the middle of the atrium. As we all sung and danced around, balloons fell down and we laughed as we were trying to keep them all in the air while still singing and dancing. The most random and fabulous fun that we have ever had on a cruise. I would go back on The Sun in a heartbeat just to experience that again :)

Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! I read them all and always look forward to them. Each time I am reminded that I am a little bit closer to my next cruise. I see a lot of pictorial reviews, but I have to say that yours are my absolute favorite. I love reading about your family's adventures and wish you luck on getting to the rest of the NCL Fleet. The Gem is still going out of NY for awhile, but I'm not sure the itinerary is what you're looking for. And I feel like The Jade is always overseas, but you never know. Either way, I look forward to another review. I'm sure it will come before my next cruise :( Thank you again for your awesome reviews! I can't wait for more :D

For me, it really depends on the length of a cruise. I'll book two restaurants in a 7-9 day cruise, but if it's a longer cruise, I'll do three. I like the change from the MDR, and I have my favorites. I would never pay for the UDP, but I'm glad that I was able to get a three-meal package recently. I really like that option, and it's a way around the a la carte pricing too.

One thing I have noticed is that if you browse excursions from the main NCL site, you will see good prices. Then if you log in under MyNCL, you'll see that the prices are MUCH higher. I noticed that last year when the husband and I were looking at different options for our cruise and looked at excursions prior to booking. It seems that the prices on the main NCL site are really old. In the end, we booked only one with them and did the rest with awesome private companies.

Another question: If I buy one of the mini dining packages (like the three restaurant one), will I be charged an upcharge on those special items? I order Fruits de Mer every time I visit Le Bistro, and it would be fabulous to have the same benefit of the UDP...So long as that's still on the menu at the end of 2016 when I get to cruise again. So many changes lately...

My 2-cents:

I LOVE having the DSC, so I don't have to worry about figuring out all the people I have to tip. I would lose track with all of the various crew in the dining venues, running programs, and not only cleaning my room, but also continuously polishing the banisters, vacuuming the floors, painting the murals, etc. I appreciate the fact that every time I cruise with NCL, I see staff working to keep the ships clean and beautiful. The Sun was built in 2001, but she was my favorite ship, and it's thanks so all the crew that work so hard. I enjoy the fact that my tips get spread out for everyone.

I also LOVE pre-paying my service charge, simply because it's one less thing that I have to budget for when I'm on vacation. The DH and I keep a notebook where we write down all of our charges, and we have an amount that we allow ourselves to spend each cruise. Thanks to pre-paying, it's a lot easier to manage.

I still tip my room steward a little extra. I do this at the beginning, because I'm an adult dork who still loves the towel animals. I also tip my favorite bartenders, because I always find a couple impressive ones who will share their stories. I even had one that gave me riddles to solve at the bar. Man, I bought so many drinks there! It was a win for all, and I tipped him better than anyone in my history.

Finally, you can choose to remove the service charge. I know people are against that here, but you can. I wouldn't let people know if you do because of that, but it's your choice. NCL is still Freestyle, despite all of their recent changes. The choice is yours. And no matter how you look at, you'll probably still spend less with NCL than you would with Disney or RCL :)

Two Words: Pretzel Rolls.

 

They are addictive and fabulous. I eat them every day at the buffet during lunch. Don't miss out! Someone already mentioned the lamb in the MDH, and I will second that. Tender and delicious. The DH and I do a couple paid restaurants each cruise, but honestly we find that the MDR is great for dinners and the buffet is fine for breakfast and lunch. Sometimes if it's crazy during the day though, we'll opt for lunch in the MDR, and it's always been pleasant. It just takes a little longer. Have an amazing cruise, and remember that food is incredible subjective. These threads have turned nasty lately, but I will tell you that I have only had one bad meal in three cruises, and the waitress went back and fixed it. You're going to love it.

I am with you, OP! Any day at sea is better than a day at home, especially since the three cruises my DH and I have taken have all been when it's been cold and snowy. We get snow from Nov-April, so any day at sea is perfect. I also have rarely had food that wasn't great, I always find great crew members, and never let the little things get to me. It's vacation, after all! And although we cruise exclusively NCL (we've never had a reason to go elsewhere), my feelings would probably be the same no matter what line we were on. If you love to cruise, you don't let little things get to you.

The Jewel definitely has Tango's in 2011, and I would guess that it was replaced by Moderno. Sad because it was only $10 and you got a complimentary margarita! I remember loving that place and enjoyed the food a lot.

I love this concept, but I have an issue with the price. I enjoy giving back, but I could never afford to do this trip. I know that you can book shore excursions that give back, and I almost booked one last year. I think it was thru Shore Trips. Has anyone done one? Personally I try not to go over $75/person/night for a cruise(and I usually go much less). I love being on the ocean but simply cannot afford anything more.

If it helps you at all, I was on The Sun April 2014 and on deck 9. It was the best trip ever. Here was my review:http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=253851

Do we know if you can get the UBP on repos?

Three with NCL and one more booked. I don't use room service and don't understand why so many people like to eat in their rooms when you can eat outside on the back of the ship or in a beautiful restaurant. I'm not a fan of the prices going up with tips and drinks, but the service has always been incredible, and I look forward to seeing the improved changes that FDR is promising for the future. I don't sail again until 2016, and I am already counting down the days!

Do you know if you can still order martini flights? The show and are are fans of trying all the little concoctions.

I've answered this question before, and I hope I don't sound too much like a cheerleader, but The Sun was the best cruise the dh and I have taken. The crew was incredible and knew us BY NAME almost immediately. The Cruise Director and his staff made the time to get to know us. We were on a 10 day S. Caribbean around this time last year, and all the entertainment was great. We had a regular comedian, the Second City comedy cast, a ventriloquist, a hypnotist, an awesome Beatles tribute band, and multiple shows from the Sun Performers. These were thE weakest of the shows, but they were still great. We also liked the personal touches of The Sun - a glass of champagne when we boarded (something that used to be a regular thing but not so much anymore), a special sing along one night in the atrium, and welcome back port parties that were really unique. Not just frozen face cloths. We had ice cream, rum punch one one day, games, etc. I can't speak for Alaska, but I would go back on The Sun any day. It was a really special experience.

Another vote for small ships from me :) I would go back on The Sun in a heartbeat. However, I would also like to go to Bermuda someday, and for that I may just give The Breakaway a try. Unless they bring another smaller ship to NYC after The Gem leaves. Then that will be my boat.

We really enjoyed Richard the cd on the Sun when we cruise the PC last October. Very friendly and did a great job; always out and about.

 

I agree! Richard was my favorite. He knew our names from the very beginning and seemed to be everywhere all the time. He made The Sun our favorite cruise to date.

I am one of those budget cruisers, and I'm not afraid to admit it. The husband and I work incredibly hard but don't make a lot of money. However, a vacation is something that we budget for. We chose NCL for our honeymoon after looking at many factors, including cost and value. NCL was the best choice. Now I'm afraid that we won't be able to afford the cruises anymore after our next one. We're not huge drinkers, and the UBP is unavailable as a promo on our upcoming cruise. However, I feel like I have to buy it with the 14% increase in beverages. It may not be worth it to buy individual drinks along with the soda package that we usually get. We don't need to eat in specialty restaurants every night, but trips to Le Bistro and Cagney's each cruise have become a special tradition for us. Now that's more too. I love the staff, but I always add an extra tip to my favorite bartenders and give cash to other staff. Now I'm also being forced to tip18% and pay more each day? In two weeks, that's almost an extra $30 for the eh and myself by itself. We have never ordered room service, but I can understand why people are upset by this new cost as well. I just wonder what's next. I have no problem with the "Ship Within a Ship" concept, as those who want the suite life seem fine with paying for it. But I think NCL is forgetting the little people like us. People who work incredibly hard for their vacation. There are a lot of others just like me. I wish they would remember that. The economy may be looking up, but not that much. I am one of the "NCL Cheerleaders" as people call them in this forum. Everyone I know is tired of hearing my praises and love for the cruise life. I really hope things go back to the way they were soon. It wasn't a broken system. We're NCL passengers, not luxury ones, and it's simply because as average people, we simply can't afford it. I'm afraid of being pushed away because of that.

Thanks for the comments...as for Pepsi vs Coke...I like Pepsi better so one up for NCL. Do they have comedians on NCL?

 

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There's a huge thread on Coke/Pepsi if you really want to debate ;) As for comedians, on all three of my NCL cruises, we have had them, plus Second City productions on our past two in addition to a one man act. NCL has a partnership with Second City, so they are expanding across the fleet. Last spring, the cast did a regular show, an adult one in a lounge, an improv show, and a cool history session on the company. They were all fabulous!

The Sun was DH's and my favorite ship. It has an intimate feel since it's mid-sized, and the crew are amazing. My favorite activity of all time happened there one night when they had a sing-along in the atrium. At the end, we were in the middle dancing and singing at the top of our lungs, and a bunch of balloon dropped on top of us. It was such a special memory with our fellow passengers and awesome crew. They really go out of their way to make it personal, and that's what makes the biggest difference. I would book her again in a heartbeat!

Sorry, what is a "milk run"?

 

And who is FDR?

 

FDR = Frank Del Rio, the new CEO

 

"Milk Run" = What Del Rio refers to as the same 7-day cruise every single week. He is fighting against them, according to what he said in the article where he was interviewed after taking over. He wants variety just like we all do.

FDR doesn't want "Milk Runs," so it will be interesting to see what he does with these new ships. Hopefully we still get all of them. Remember when they canceled future Epic ships? I'm not saying this is going to happen again, but they need to offer more variety if they're going to go with that future plan. Definitely upgrade some ports to allow for larger vessels and start getting creative with itineraries.

With all of the changes, this is exactly WHY I am happy that I am booked so far in advance. Believe me, I wish my cruise was this fall instead of fall 2016 :eek: BUT I have locked in everything already and pre-paid the gratuities and everything else that has gone up recently. Even if the price goes down, my TA has assured me that I will be able to hold onto everything that I already paid for. I feel confident that I made the right decision, and now I just have to see if prices drop anytime until August of 2016. That's a long time for changes to happen. Who knows if prices will go down, but you can't book thinking that it's going to happen. You have to book at the price you're willing to pay. Sometimes you just get lucky...But I for one never bet on it.

The UBP recently went up and now covers drinks up to $11. You can search the threads, as there are quite a few on the topic. I'm getting it for the first time on my next cruise, but I never had it before. I always thought it was unnecessary. Definitely weigh your options and decide how much you'll drink on the ship verses how much time you'll be spending in port. That really makes a difference. I used to just budget $30-$40 a day and go for the specials like Drink of the Day and whatever was 3 for $15. I was always able to find specials and Happy Hours, but now people are reporting that there are less of those. Like I said, check out the forums and you'll see a lot of debate. That's what made me get it now for my cruise in 2016. Who knows what it will cost then.

I don't know if it's on the new menu, but the old everyday one used to have an amazing lamb shank. Definitely one of my favorite things. I also love the pesto pasta and Caesar Salad with anchovies (you can ALWAYS request these).