drvalo

 

And before I go..

Any tips or tricks I should know about?

It'll be our first time sailing and we booked a Balcony BD.

This forum is full of tips and tricks. You really have to read through them. I have never been on the Breakaway so I don't know ship specific tips, but generally bring a positive mindset, be flexible, and have fun. You're on vacation!!!! We really like the casual atmosphere. My DH would never wear a suit/tie on vacation. We like the people we meet and we enjoy the variety of freestyle cruising.

If you have specific questions, I am sure someone here will be able to answer, although sometimes you might get conflicting answers, LOL.

Have fun!

"Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing. Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking. Itineraries are subject to change at any time without notice."

 

 

So any shore time listed on the site is cut by 4 hours?

Almost never. Usually you have to be back on board about 30 minutes before. There will be signs and announcements about the time for each port. That two hours is for your very first embarkation while at home port.

Although it can change because of weather or other reasons, the ship usually docks before the scheduled disembarkation time. Sometimes we have been able to disembark before the scheduled time.

my concept of freestyle dining with ncl, is not having to make reservations and just turn up to dine when you want to:)

agreed!!!!

I had a similar question because as Platinum we get the two dinners comped and could not make reservations without paying. I was told by a PCC that they limit the number of reservations that can be made online before the cruise and she promised there would be openings on board. I hope she is correct.

Being able to make reservations online before boarding and the limiting the number of openings online does seem to create a perceived sense of limited supply and urgency that may not exist in reality. Also the various threads here may lead one to assume that the vast majority of people eat all their meals in the specialty restaurants, which I know is not true. Most of us have no problem with the MDRs, Blue Lagoon/OSheehans and the buffet for most days. The specialty restaurants are just that.

Is the Moderno buffet for lunch free of charge? Or is it considered specialty dinning during those times too?

 

I know that you can have breakfast at places like Blue Lagoon/O'sheehans on different ships, so since the Sun doesn't have either of these, does the bar serve the breakfast as well? We "usually" eat breakfast at the buffet, but once or twice we like to do the "sit down" thing usually at Blue Lagoon. I'm just wondering what my choices are on the Sun. :confused:

Moderno is free of charge for lunch and breakfast. It is really just an extension of the buffet and just happens to be in the same spot as Moderno. There is no regular specialty dining for lunch.

If you want to be served a sit down breakfast, I would suggest the MDR. I just love breatfast there. It takes a little longer than the buffet, of course, but there is something lovely about it. On the Sun it is in the aft MDR and the views are wonderful. Or have room service! As the sports bar is really "attached" to, well they share a wall with, the buffet and in back of Modernos, I think there is no additional breakfast food served there.

So the sports bar has everything that the Blue Lagoon or O'Sheehans would have? Is this "sports bar" a place that you can actually sit down at a table and eat? Or is it just a bar? I love my late night "snack" a few times a week from there. :o

You can sit in the bar at the tables there or, because its back door opens to the Great Outdoor, you can eat on the aft deck tables and chairs.

I was on the Sun last December for 11 days, so I have not experienced the new menus, but we ate in the MDRs, the buffet, and the sports bar most of the time. I don't recall that the MDR menus started repeating after 7 days. The lunch menu in the MDR never changed, but there were a couple things on it that I really liked so I made a point to stop by when it was open for lunch. Some of the selections were excellent. Some were ok. All of it was edible and we never went hungry. And I didn't have to cook it or clean up afterwards!!!!

I am always curious about the criticisms saying the buffet never changes. True, the Sun buffet is a bit smaller because it's a smaller ship, but there is a tremendous variety of food. It is possible to eat something different every day and still not taste everything. There are also different selections in the Moderno section of the buffet during lunch time, including the pizza. The Great Outdoor section was open for breakfast as well as between lunch and dinner when the buffet was closed.

I have not been on the Epic yet as I sail the week after you do, however, there are many holiday decorations on the ships. I am not sure when they start putting them up, but by the time we have typically gotten on a ship the week before Christmas there have been many decorations including wreaths on the windows, trees (large and small), and center pieces in the dining rooms. But they continue adding them the whole week. Similarly, I would imagine they will be adding them throughout your cruise.

Typically, there is a designated place to smoke on deck. It will be marked. You can smoke in the casino if you are playing, and there is usually a cigar lounge or such where you can smoke. We've often traveled with a smoker even though we don't smoke, but even before the rules changed there were few public areas when one could smoke. The main difference in the public space rules seems to be you can only smoke in the casino if you are playing.

I have only cruised NCL, so I can't really answer your last question. After reading these forums for years, I would imagine the differences will be in the freestyle dining and in the level of entertainment. These huge ships are also very different than the smaller NCL ships in terms of entertainment. There are probably several existing threads about the differences. If you search the NCL forums for CCL or RCCL you will probably find them.

In other words, and has been my experience, you can buy the certificate for $150.00 and receive no OBC. It's still good for the full $250.00 deposite on your future cruise.

It's little known that those hairdryers on the Sun have different speeds. There is a Blue (I think) button that can make it hotter and blow faster. It's also hard to figure out so maybe ask your steward if you can't. It's really not obvious how to do it.

We stopped by the desk only once before we left port because we had a question about our OBC. We wanted to make sure everything was correct while still at port so we could contact our TA if needed. Otherwise, I agree with most of the others, stay away.

Later we have stopped once when I lost my key card :( , (I had it in my pocket, not in my bra, so that must have been my error), when we needed more of those cards to fill out about staff, and to check our bill.

We usually bring 12 pks packed in luggage. The one time we brought bottles we were sent to the "naughty room" to retrieve our luggage so we could prove we were not bringing in contraban. That never has happened with the cans.

I had a similar, well perhaps similar, experience booking my next cruise. My TA could not get a lower rate for me that was posted on the NCL website. She called NCL and the rep said that rate was not available for Latitudes members. I signed in to NCL and purchased the cruise at the lower rate. Why my travel agent could not do that is very curious. It is possible to move your reservation to the travel agent after you do reserve through NCL and still get any perks from your travel agent. But it was really an odd experience. Perhaps NCL has started limiting what TAs can offer?

I would also suggest that you speak to the maitre'd (perhaps when it's not so busy)in the less formal dining and explain your situation, especially if there is someting on the evening menu you don't want to miss. You may be able to have them reserve an out of the way table for you and allow you to preorder some or all of you dinner to limit the waiting. I have found the staff on most ships to be most accommodating about such things if they are able and know about it. On a different NCL ship we actually found the evening main dining room maitre'd supervising the buffet one day for lunch. We were able to have a nice conversation with him and he had time to speak with us. Doesn't hurt to ask.

Bring some sort of clock you can see if it's dark. It's very disorienting to wake up and be clueless as to the time of day. The one we bring also provides enough blue-ish light that we can easily see if we have to get up in the dark.

What a great review! I just found it.

Thanks for the shout out. We really enjoyed playing the games with you, too. I generally agree with everything you said although we did not take so full advantage of every eating experience as you did. Seems like we missed out!!!! We mostly ate in the main dining rooms, the Great Outdoor or the Garden Buffet and were very pleased with each. Our special treat was the soft serve ice cream with some of the chocolate from the fondue pot (at Sprinkles) drizzled on top. It made a delicious hard shell.

For us too, it was one of the best cruise we ever have taken and that was because of the great friends we met on the ship who happened to be really great at trivia. Thanks for the memories of a warm place. The Sun is a great ship with a wonderful crew who do their best to ensure you have a good vacation. And it's small enough that you can get to know some fun cruise mates.

Cat's Pajamas is my favorite. I feel like we stalk each other though. I have been on five cruises and they have been entertainment on three (Majesty, Jewel, and Dawn.). Maybe they are my favorite because I have not seen any others!

Fountains is usually at the end of the staff talent show, which is also some of the best entertainment. CD Johnny Cash Sanchez was fabulous in the talent show.

We really like the chocolate mousse served at lunch in the MDR. It's been on the menu the last couple of years and I hope it stays there. I go have a salad just to justify having a mousse for dessert.....smiles.