sun

Wondering what everyone thinks of the Sun since it has been remodeled! We go on it for the first time

this Sept! But we have been on sister ships (Dawn, Wind)

Wondering what everyone thinks of the Sun since it has been remodeled! We go on it for the first time

this Sept! But we have been on sister ships (Dawn, Wind)

We did the Sun to Alaska in September 2016 and it was the best NCL cruise we had done. The MDR food and service was excellent.

Wondering what everyone thinks of the Sun since it has been remodeled! We go on it for the first time

this Sept! But we have been on sister ships (Dawn, Wind)

I am not sure, but I think there is a tread somewhere about the Sun since dry dock. OH, not to confuse things, but the Dawn and Wind are not sister ships to the Sun. In fact the Wind is much older or was. I don't know where she is anymore. The Sky is the closest thing to a sister ship to the Sun because they were both purchased, not completely built at the same time. I can pretty much say, the Sun will not disappoint you.

We were just on the Sun for the June 4th Cuba itinerary. This was my fourth time on the ship, and I must say the updates really looked good. The former observation lounge is now the Spinnaker lounge - very nice space to have a drink and relax. Dazzles was remodeled into a Bliss, and it's a definite improvement on the space. I always enjoyed Las Ramblas and its décor, and I was a little disappointed that it was being changed to Los Lobos - we planned on getting up there for tableside guac, but we never had the chance. It looks nice from the pictures I've seen, though. The buffet is notoriously small and weirdly laid out (a common complaint from people who sail her), however, the freshening up of the space in terms of tables, chairs, and carpet were noticeable to me, and very nice. Advice - we generally avoid the main buffet and either head to the Great Outdoors in back or over to Moderno, which is an extension of the buffet for breakfast and lunch. We ate in both main dining rooms, and I could tell there were new carpet and drapes. The menu is not the same as the newer ships like the Breakaway class, though. I still had no trouble finding something to eat, and I enjoyed both the food and the service. . The Sports Bar looked great - no more 90s TGIFridays décor. We wanted to eat in there one night, but it was packed. Both the Atrium bar and the Champagne bar

We were in an inside room on deck 9, and it looked beautiful with the new carpet, artwork, and reupholstered sofa.

All in all, I thought she looked great! I found the service and food to very good - I've read reviews from people on the same cruise I was on, and I don't understand all of their complaints. The all-inclusive drink deal was fantastic, and I felt like we had better service than we had with the beverage package on the Epic last February. We did pay for some specialty coffee and my husband paid one night to have a Maker's Mark - I also ordered water for the room ahead of time. The Sun is one of my favorite ships - I know others definitely disagree, but I like the size, I don't mind the "strange" layout, and she has some nice cabins that rival the newer ships in terms of space and storage.

Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we enjoyed ours!

I was on the June 1 cruise...I thought the Sun was great, we had a wonderful time. My complaints (I wrote a review) were the food in the MDR (dinner - we didn't eat there otherwise) was really bad. And, they did paint the balconies for one entire afternoon (we had two cabins) so for a three day cruise, to have an afternoon taken up was a bit much. But other than that, I thought she was a beautiful ship. The all inclusive drinks were great as well. GSC was beautiful. I would stick to weekend cruises on the Sun, just my opinion.

Here are recent trip reports. Not a bad value at less that $300pp. Any more than that, one might argue there are better options out there. At the end of the day, it all depends on what your expectations are. If you go with high expectations, you will be disappointed. Set the bar low, and you'll have a great time.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2644432

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642775

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=622165

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=621753

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=621778

I was on the June 1 cruise...I thought the Sun was great, we had a wonderful time. My complaints (I wrote a review) were the food in the MDR (dinner - we didn't eat there otherwise) was really bad. And, they did paint the balconies for one entire afternoon (we had two cabins) so for a three day cruise, to have an afternoon taken up was a bit much. But other than that, I thought she was a beautiful ship. The all inclusive drinks were great as well. GSC was beautiful. I would stick to weekend cruises on the Sun, just my opinion.

I am glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Sun. We have sailed her 4 times and she is one of our favorites. We do miss not having O'Sheehans but otherwise she has nice cabins, a wonderful friendly crew and just a nice, smaller ship to enjoy a few days or weeks out at sea. I can't quite understand the food problems, I wonder if it had anything to do with that particular sailing or maybe the fact she had just come out of dry dock. We have never had the food different on the Sun than any other NCL ship. It has been my experience, and I do have more than a little, the shorter cruises do not offer the same quality of food we get on 7 day or longer itineraries and the more party atmosphere the poorer the food.

Thanks for the info!

We have been on many NCL cruises and love the not so big ships.

Loved the Wind but of course that retired a long time ago. I know the Sun is in the same category size wise as the Wind, Dawn and Spirit. Maybe not a sister ship but in the same class is what I meant to say! :))

I don't usually eat in the dining room either or buffet. Since we are Platinum we get 2 free dinners and then we got the dining package for 3 other nights.

I am actually thrilled for the new Mexican restaurant.! Another dining option. We ate at it on the Dawn after she was remodeled and it was wonderful. We love the Dawn so hoping that the Sun is very similar. But, will be interesting to see since this is one of the older ships we have not been on.

Again, appreciate the information!

doodlesinkentucky: Is your Sept cruise 7 days? I'm platinum, but had no dining perks because Cuba was just a 4 day cruise. I know they switched some of the Sun's 4 day cruises to 7.

newmexicoNita: I sailed the Sun in 2014, the Getaway in 2016, the Epic in 2017, and the Sun again this year. I saw definite differences in the menu offerings between the bigger ships and the Sun, and the menu from 2018 didn't seem too different from the one in 2014. Some of the things I noticed were the spring roll appetizers on the Sun both years, but I don't remember seeing them on the big ships. The Sun had the scallops gratin, too. The big ship had my favorite lunch meal ever, the blackened grouper sandwich. and that was missing on the Sun this last time. I'm not complaining about the food - I always find something good to eat. But I notice when things I liked on one ship aren't on the others. It just seems like the new menus haven't fully rolled out to the Sun.

Wondering what everyone thinks of the Sun since it has been remodeled! We go on it for the first time

 

this Sept! But we have been on sister ships (Dawn, Wind)

I posted a bunch of pictures of the Sun after she came out of dry dock.

Search “Pictures of refurbished Sun”.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We were just on the Sun for the June 4th Cuba itinerary. This was my fourth time on the ship, and I must say the updates really looked good. The former observation lounge is now the Spinnaker lounge - very nice space to have a drink and relax. Dazzles was remodeled into a Bliss, and it's a definite improvement on the space. I always enjoyed Las Ramblas and its décor, and I was a little disappointed that it was being changed to Los Lobos - we planned on getting up there for tableside guac, but we never had the chance. It looks nice from the pictures I've seen, though. The buffet is notoriously small and weirdly laid out (a common complaint from people who sail her), however, the freshening up of the space in terms of tables, chairs, and carpet were noticeable to me, and very nice. Advice - we generally avoid the main buffet and either head to the Great Outdoors in back or over to Moderno, which is an extension of the buffet for breakfast and lunch. We ate in both main dining rooms, and I could tell there were new carpet and drapes. The menu is not the same as the newer ships like the Breakaway class, though. I still had no trouble finding something to eat, and I enjoyed both the food and the service. . The Sports Bar looked great - no more 90s TGIFridays décor. We wanted to eat in there one night, but it was packed. Both the Atrium bar and the Champagne bar

looked very nice as well, with updated chairs and barstools.

We were in an inside room on deck 9, and it looked beautiful with the new carpet, artwork, and reupholstered sofa.

 

All in all, I thought she looked great! I found the service and food to very good - I've read reviews from people on the same cruise I was on, and I don't understand all of their complaints. The all-inclusive drink deal was fantastic, and I felt like we had better service than we had with the beverage package on the Epic last February. We did pay for some specialty coffee and my husband paid one night to have a Maker's Mark - I also ordered water for the room ahead of time. The Sun is one of my favorite ships - I know others definitely disagree, but I like the size, I don't mind the "strange" layout, and she has some nice cabins that rival the newer ships in terms of space and storage.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we enjoyed ours!

Thanks for all of this insight!! First time NCL cruiser here ... sailing on the Sun 7/20 to the Bahamas and I must say, I was getting nervous from the negative comments about the food, layout, etc ...

Thanks for all of this insight!! First time NCL cruiser here ... sailing on the Sun 7/20 to the Bahamas and I must say, I was getting nervous from the negative comments about the food, layout, etc ...

I'm not that picky about food, and I don't love everything, but the four of us in my group (husband, sister, and BIL) all found plenty of good things to eat - I never understand the "everything was inedible" comments myself. Really? :confused: You found NOTHING good to eat?? :o LOL. :D Have I had better on other ships and other lines? Sometimes! But some of my favorite menu choices have come on the Sun, too. As they say, food is subjective.

The Sun was my first cruise (which is probably why I have some biased affection towards her), and I didn't understand the complaints about the layout, the buffet, the bathrooms, etc. until I sailed on some other ships. The buffet is on the small side compared to other NCL ships, even other "smaller" ships like the Dawn. The main buffet has a weird design - it isn't a straight line; it projects out into the rest of the space (that'll make sense when you see it). At crowded times, it is definitely awkward. We solved that by not going there during crowded times! There is a smaller, but adequate, buffet line to the back called Great Outdoors. Tends to be less crowded. They also open up the Moderno space during breakfast and lunch. If you just want pastries and coffee, you can pop into the Sports Bar - they have a small station set up in there. I think they do a pretty good job with the small space.

The ship's layout isn't THAT weird. To get to the Seven Seas aft dining room, you can only access it from the aft staircase and elevators. If you are forward, you can walk through on 6, either inside through Bliss and Windjammer, or outside on the promenade deck. The Atrium Bar, Champagne Bar, and Internet Café are all accessible from the atrium elevators and stairs. The worst part is having to get to the aft staircase & elevators by walking through the buffet when it's busy during dinner, because the Moderno side is closed. We usually just walked to the forward steps and then went through the hallways - a nice thing about the smaller ships is that's not too far a walk.

Anyway, I read a lot of the criticisms before I took my first cruise on her in 2011, and none if it mattered - I had the time of my life! And then I became addicted to cruising, ;p haha. I hope you have a great time!! :D

Thanks for all of this insight!! First time NCL cruiser here ... sailing on the Sun 7/20 to the Bahamas and I must say, I was getting nervous from the negative comments about the food, layout, etc ...

Just remember, it is easy to post negatives but most of us are not so into posting the positives because we expect to have a good time so don't always let the world know how good something is.

Yes the ship is laid out a little differently but not all that unusual. We sailed on HAL and they too had a little unusual lay out. Certainly it didn't make much difference to us.

As for food, the old saying still holds: food, like so many things is subjective. I happen to have a reputation for being an above average cook, majored in nutrition so I know a little about decent food and have never thought the food on the Sun was second rate. Of course the food in the specialty dining rooms is better. Don't let the negative comments wear on your mind. Go with an open mind.