The Sun..the good, the bad, and the ugly

[thecook]

My husband and I just returned from a 12 day Baltic cruise on The Sun.

THE GOOD

Although She is showing a little wear the crew keeps The Sun spic and span. The layout is a little odd..but once you get used to it..the ship isn't so big that you have to make long jaunts to dining rooms or bars.

We both love free style cruising. We are casual people and to be able to dine in comfortable clothes was a great plus for us. The food in the main dining room I would decribe as good quality banquet food. There was enough choice that I was able to find something appitizing every evening.One side of the menu was constant and the other had 4 or 5 specials. THere was never a problem getting a table wether it be for 2 or for 8.

Our balcony cabin 9228 was quiet and well appointed with plenty of space for all of our "stuff"

Our cabin steward Joseph was wonderfully friendly and of great help on several occasions when we experienced difficulty. If I needed anything I would leave a note and it would appear that day. He was careful to provide ice twice a day and clean towels every morning(once he realized this was our request) In fact all of the stewards made it a point to smile and say hello when they encountered me in the halls.

We ate in the East Meets West Steakhouse. The food and the service were both wonderful. I felt that it was well worth the surcharge.

THe pretzel rolls and salad bar in the garden cafe were both very good as was all of the soups that we tried.

The lunches in Pacfic heights (pasta) and Las Rumbas (soup and sandwich) were quite good.

Loved the Ice Cream bar!!!!!

The two NCL excursions that we went on were well planned and enjoyable (however expensive).

 

THE BAD

The matress was so hard my husband said he felt like Fred Flintstone on a granite bed. There were 8 in our party and no one was happy with the mattress. Joseph was able to secure a foam pad for our bed and this made it bearable.

The Garden Cafe was horrible. We called it the Cattle Call..it was so crowded even if the food was good (not), dining would not have been a positive experience. There were far more people than tables. Eating outside was not an option on many days because of the weather. Even the Sports Bar and Pacific Heights were full. Then there was the food..I know this is subjective, but in my humble opinion, it was awful some even inedible. Most of the entrees were tastless and uninspired. The salad bar,hot dogs and pretzel rolls was the only bright spots in the place.

The service in the main dining room was spotty. Somtimes slow and mostly what I would describe as robotic.THe dining room staff were not friendly at all. I began to think that perhaps they were trained to make meals feel formal. An occasional "how was your day" was as much as I got. In fact most of the staff (stores ,front desk) other than the stewards were stoic and robotic.

In Sweden we had to be tendered in and then it was a 45 minute bus ride to Stockholm. That was a waste of time that could have been spent touring. When we returned to the ship there were about 6 other buses that arrived at the same time. NCL only had 2 tenders waiting. The rest were still at the ship. We were lucky enough to get onto the 2nd tender, but others had to wait a long time in a long line to get back to the ship. Not good planning.

THE UGLY

My husband caught a cold and at the end of the cruise it went down into his chest. He is asthmatic. We visited the ships doctor. Despite my husband telling the doctor several times that he couldn't even walk to the bathroom without losing his breath, the doctor did nothing for him. No X-ray no breathing treatment ..etc. THe doctor advised him to take an extra Lasix and fly home (8 1/2 hours)the following day to his primary care doctor. Without going into a long story within hours of arriving home he was in PCU at our local hospital for 5 days with Community Aquired Pnuemonia. Now that my husband is home I plan to write to NCL to inform them of our displeasure.

 

Despite the bad medial experience, we had a blast on our cruise. If we had a problem with food we found an alternative. When the staff was robotic we still tried to strike up friendly conversation. We sailed with a glass half full attitude. Although I wouldn't choose to sail The Sun again, I am willing to give NCL another try just because of loving Freesyle.

I hope that you find my mini review helpful. I am happy to answer any questions about The Sun or The Baltic cruise.

[STARFISH*4]

THANKS for your review and HOPE you hubby gets well soon!

we are looking forward to our sailing on the SUN in December:)

[Don Haynes]

Sorry, but all of the cruise lines doctors are family doctors, not specialists. The medical facility aboard a ship isn't a fully staffed or equipped hospital... Passengers with special needs have to rent equipment before a cruise as the ships provides none. You are expected to bring your prescriptions aboard with you. They have a very limited supply of drugs...

I am sure they did the best they could outside of evacuation to a hospital...

 

I agree the tendering process on all ships are bad. Usually at the tender ports I stay aboard the ship to enjoy it almost empty...

[Sauer-kraut]

Thanks for posting a fresh review of the Sun. I am glad you balanced everything and gave a total reveal. I am going to print this and show it to my travelling companions so they can get an idea of what they might expect on board.

 

Can you answer any questions regarding the Casino or the Spa? I don't see these areas addressed too often. I am interesting in knowing if the spa is worth using and if they offer a pass for the length of the cruise as the larger ships seem to do. Did your group have a slot pull activity? I would love to know how you went and set that up. As I'm not really a gambler I would like to know if there is a dollar slot machine that can play $3 at a time.

[thecook]

Sorry, I didn't use the spa. My sister in law had a massage which she enjoyed.

As for the casino, I did play the slots some. There were $1 machines but I didn't play them. Our group seemed more inclined to play the quarter slots. The casino seemed to have a good mixture of games to play and at peak hours seemed to have plenty of machines to go around. The one negitive to report is the smoke...but that is true in most casinos. Hope your luck is better than mine :D

[thecook]

Don, My husband's asthma is fully under control with his medications which he always carries with him and uses religiously. It had been over 20 years since he had breathing difficulty. If the doctor, family physician or otherwise had listened to my husband's complaints and not had a cavalier attitude he would have been able to treat him correctly. Although their scope may be limited, I can't believe that the ship's clinic had nothing at their disposal to help. The ER doctor suspected pneumonia within 10 minutes of our arrival at the hospital.

[debnjoe1438]

I hope your husband is better soon. Thanks for posting the review. I'm hoping to see more of the "good, bad and ugly" from others in the coming months.

 

I'm excited the Sun will be in Port Canaveral, less the 2 hours from my home. Unless the "bad and ugly" really out weigh the good, I'll be sailing her in January. (Not booked yet:()

[Cruise NH]

Thanks to thecook, I enjoyed your review. We'll be on the Sun this August for the same cruise.

 

I'd love to hear which Sun excursions you took and how they were. We're doing a combination of our own and cruise tours too.

 

How was getting off the ship in St Petersburg?

 

Thanks again.

[NayRN]

Don, My husband's asthma is fully under control with his medications which he always carries with him and uses religiously. It had been over 20 years since he had breathing difficulty. If the doctor, family physician or otherwise had listened to my husband's complaints and not had a cavalier attitude he would have been able to treat him correctly. Although their scope may be limited, I can't believe that the ship's clinic had nothing at their disposal to help. The ER doctor suspected pneumonia within 10 minutes of our arrival at the hospital.

 

I'm sorry to hear of your husbands illness. I too am asthmatic and can sympathize with him. I always discuss the possibility of pneumonia, etc with my primary care physician prior to cruising as we are so susceptible to respiratory diseases with the added bonus of so many people is a confined space only adds insult to injury. I'm lucky in the fact that I'm an ICU nurse and have "easy access to physicians" :o to get a broad-spectrum antibiotic to take with me on a cruise. I've been lucky that I've not had to take them but nonetheless, will continue to do so with my future cruises. Perhaps this may be something your husband and his physician might discuss prior to your next cruise. It's better to be safe than sorry. Remember, it's much cheaper to toss-out the antibiotics if they aren't needed than to be laid-up with pneumonia! Hope he's feeling better!!

 

NayRN

[DMH15]

thecook-

 

I was on the Sun last year and agree with a lot of what you said. Since I was in a suite I was fortunate to dine in the wonderful Il Adagio for all breakfasts except one, (more later) and most lunches, (we lunched in the MDR and Great Outdoors some with non-suite friends and family). At night we dined either in specialty, MDR or served ensuite, which was my favorite, especially after a long port day. I preferred the specialty food, but found the food in the MDR acceptable.

 

Our group of 8 was very disappointed with the food in Pacific Heights, it just missed the mark. We also did not care for Las Ramblas, but that was primarily due to the server who would dole out the tapas one at a time. Asking for more would result in surliness.

 

I do not care for buffets... On land or sea. So I avoid them at all costs. I had to dine there one morning when I had an early excursion, and it was okay. But I walked through several times and agree it was a zoo. I especially noticed the "campers", those who sat for hours on end, talking, reading or playing games. Then there were not enough chairs for those who wished to eat. I have a suggestion for NCL: Make the beautiful forward observation room more hospitable for the "campers" during the day... Maybe a coffee bar, and maybe somes appetizers and cookies. Then put little cards in the buffet asking folks to leave buffet tables open for those eating.

 

The casino was smoky, so I usually went during the day when it was less crowded. Yes, other poster, there are several $1/$3 slots. We also enjoyed the tournaments. I placed 2nd in Blackjack. Enjoyed slots and Texas Hold 'Em too... Being a Texan... Haha.

 

Please note, my mother got sick on the Jewel. She has asthma too. Her cold became bronchitis, very severe. She had the doctor come to our hotel in Athens a few times. She was restricted to bedrest. The NCL ship doctors are not employees of NCL. They are general in practice. Sorry they met with your disapproval.

 

It sounds like you had a good time, albeit with a few bumps. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

Happy cruising.

[michigan tim]

Funny how that "glass half full" attitude/outlook can salvage just about anything.

[valleyvillage]

Thanks for posting a fresh review of the Sun. I am glad you balanced everything and gave a total reveal. I am going to print this and show it to my travelling companions so they can get an idea of what they might expect on board.

 

Can you answer any questions regarding the Casino or the Spa? I don't see these areas addressed too often. I am interesting in knowing if the spa is worth using and if they offer a pass for the length of the cruise as the larger ships seem to do. Did your group have a slot pull activity? I would love to know how you went and set that up. As I'm not really a gambler I would like to know if there is a dollar slot machine that can play $3 at a time.

 

 

The Casino is quite nice IMHO, they do have the dollar slots.

 

When I cruised the Spa was quite modest, nothing like the beautiful Spa on the Star. I would be surprised if they had a surcharge. The steam and sauna are very simple. There was no surcharge when I cruised.

 

We really loved the Sun! And this is a great mini review! I love people who, instead of just complaining, actually find ways to make it work. Bravo!

[newmexicoNita]

My husband and I just returned from a 12 day Baltic cruise on The Sun.

THE GOOD

Although She is showing a little wear the crew keeps The Sun spic and span. The layout is a little odd..but once you get used to it..the ship isn't so big that you have to make long jaunts to dining rooms or bars.

We both love free style cruising. We are casual people and to be able to dine in comfortable clothes was a great plus for us. The food in the main dining room I would decribe as good quality banquet food. There was enough choice that I was able to find something appitizing every evening.One side of the menu was constant and the other had 4 or 5 specials. THere was never a problem getting a table wether it be for 2 or for 8.

Our balcony cabin 9228 was quiet and well appointed with plenty of space for all of our "stuff"

Our cabin steward Joseph was wonderfully friendly and of great help on several occasions when we experienced difficulty. If I needed anything I would leave a note and it would appear that day. He was careful to provide ice twice a day and clean towels every morning(once he realized this was our request) In fact all of the stewards made it a point to smile and say hello when they encountered me in the halls.

We ate in the East Meets West Steakhouse. The food and the service were both wonderful. I felt that it was well worth the surcharge.

THe pretzel rolls and salad bar in the garden cafe were both very good as was all of the soups that we tried.

The lunches in Pacfic heights (pasta) and Las Rumbas (soup and sandwich) were quite good.

Loved the Ice Cream bar!!!!!

The two NCL excursions that we went on were well planned and enjoyable (however expensive).

 

THE BAD

The matress was so hard my husband said he felt like Fred Flintstone on a granite bed. There were 8 in our party and no one was happy with the mattress. Joseph was able to secure a foam pad for our bed and this made it bearable.

The Garden Cafe was horrible. We called it the Cattle Call..it was so crowded even if the food was good (not), dining would not have been a positive experience. There were far more people than tables. Eating outside was not an option on many days because of the weather. Even the Sports Bar and Pacific Heights were full. Then there was the food..I know this is subjective, but in my humble opinion, it was awful some even inedible. Most of the entrees were tastless and uninspired. The salad bar,hot dogs and pretzel rolls was the only bright spots in the place.

The service in the main dining room was spotty. Somtimes slow and mostly what I would describe as robotic.THe dining room staff were not friendly at all. I began to think that perhaps they were trained to make meals feel formal. An occasional "how was your day" was as much as I got. In fact most of the staff (stores ,front desk) other than the stewards were stoic and robotic.

In Sweden we had to be tendered in and then it was a 45 minute bus ride to Stockholm. That was a waste of time that could have been spent touring. When we returned to the ship there were about 6 other buses that arrived at the same time. NCL only had 2 tenders waiting. The rest were still at the ship. We were lucky enough to get onto the 2nd tender, but others had to wait a long time in a long line to get back to the ship. Not good planning.

THE UGLY

My husband caught a cold and at the end of the cruise it went down into his chest. He is asthmatic. We visited the ships doctor. Despite my husband telling the doctor several times that he couldn't even walk to the bathroom without losing his breath, the doctor did nothing for him. No X-ray no breathing treatment ..etc. THe doctor advised him to take an extra Lasix and fly home (8 1/2 hours)the following day to his primary care doctor. Without going into a long story within hours of arriving home he was in PCU at our local hospital for 5 days with Community Aquired Pnuemonia. Now that my husband is home I plan to write to NCL to inform them of our displeasure.

 

Despite the bad medial experience, we had a blast on our cruise. If we had a problem with food we found an alternative. When the staff was robotic we still tried to strike up friendly conversation. We sailed with a glass half full attitude. Although I wouldn't choose to sail The Sun again, I am willing to give NCL another try just because of loving Freesyle.

I hope that you find my mini review helpful. I am happy to answer any questions about The Sun or The Baltic cruise.

 

Thanks for an objective and honest review. I am glad you enjoyed yourself.

 

Yes, the buffet is designed to be a full fledged nightmere. We don't think the food is bad at all, just the traffice flow..

 

I am a little surprised at the attitude in the main dining room, but yes, sometimes the waitstaff isn't the friendliest. We have learned if you try to ask them about their home country or how long they have been with the cruise line, something like that they loosen up a little.

 

We have had to visit the doctor on two different occassions (never on NCL) never were we thrilled with the care we received. I think the doctors are there just to aid in case of a true life or death siutation or to give more first aid type of service. This doesn't mean they were negligent or not nice, just not like the going to your family doctor. I hope he is well on his way to better health.

[newmexicoNita]

Sorry, but all of the cruise lines doctors are family doctors, not specialists. The medical facility aboard a ship isn't a fully staffed or equipped hospital... Passengers with special needs have to rent equipment before a cruise as the ships provides none. You are expected to bring your prescriptions aboard with you. They have a very limited supply of drugs...

I am sure they did the best they could outside of evacuation to a hospital...

 

I agree the tendering process on all ships are bad. Usually at the tender ports I stay aboard the ship to enjoy it almost empty...

 

We have found exactly what you are saying about the doctors. The first time we visited one, I had a skin infection due to a dog bite I had gotten prior to the trip. The ship doctor gave me an antibiotic. At least the injury didn't get any worse, but when I returned our doctor informed us it was the wrong antibiotic for a wound.

 

The second time, hubby woke up with a swollen toe and the side of his foot. The doctor wasn't too sure what the problem was but told him to take ibeprophrin (spelling) for the swelling, it turned out to be a mild case of gout.

 

Nita

[thecook]

THanks to all for asking about DH. He is doing much better but is weak. Recovery will just take a little time. Thanks for the advice RN.We actually discussed the fact that we would not go on another cruise especially out of the country without taking a broadbase antibiotic along. I talked to the Infectious Disease doctor that was treating my husband while he was in the hospital about this very thing. He said to visit his office before our next trip and he would help DH out with that request!!!

[thecook]

Cruise NH, Dh and family began ourtrip in London with a private tour with Harry Norman of Londons Tours - Personally managed by Harry offering London Day Tours & London City Tours - Homepage..in a word fantastic!! We did NHL's Easy Copenhagen with a canal ride and Vasa, Ice Bar and Old Town in Stockholm. We enjoyed them both. We did Helsinki on our own after taking a public bus #16(which is just a short walk from the ship)to townand Tallin on our own taking a taxi to the upper part of Old Town. In Germany we joined the SPB tour orginized by a fellow CC member. Heather our tour guide was top notch. She is an American living in Berlin and doing advanced studies in German history. Great tour. We had Masha from St.Petersburg Best Guides for our party of 8 in St Petersburg. SHe was wonderful. Getting off the ship was not a problem. The Russians seemed to have several Immigration Officers available to check passports and papers. We waited only a short time. THe 8 adults in our party have agreed that all of the tours that we took were great. The private tours are much more personal and informative. I would look into taking quality private tours (with 20 people or less)as much as possible.

[newmexicoNita]

Cruise NH, Dh and family began ourtrip in London with a private tour with Harry Norman of Londons Tours - Personally managed by Harry offering London Day Tours & London City Tours - Homepage..in a word fantastic!! We did NHL's Easy Copenhagen with a canal ride and Vasa, Ice Bar and Old Town in Stockholm. We enjoyed them both. We did Helsinki on our own after taking a public bus #16(which is just a short walk from the ship)to townand Tallin on our own taking a taxi to the upper part of Old Town. In Germany we joined the SPB tour orginized by a fellow CC member. Heather our tour guide was top notch. She is an American living in Berlin and doing advanced studies in German history. Great tour. We had Masha from St.Petersburg Best Guides for our party of 8 in St Petersburg. SHe was wonderful. Getting off the ship was not a problem. The Russians seemed to have several Immigration Officers available to check passports and papers. We waited only a short time. THe 8 adults in our party have agreed that all of the tours that we took were great. The private tours are much more personal and informative. I would look into taking quality private tours (with 20 people or less)as much as possible.

Most of the time private tours are the best way to go. The only time we consider a ship excursion is, when time in of the essence. They also work for new cruisers who don't know much about ports, booking with others etc.

 

Nita

[Cruise NH]

thanks to 'thecook' for answering my questions.

 

I like private tours, but DH is very nervous about getting back to the ship on time, I'm trying to talk him down on some of these but I think in Stockholm, what with tendering and the 1 hour to town...I will have no luck.

 

I will share that we took a small van type tour one time, I think about 10-12 people. It was awful, one of the guys was a loud obnoxious bigot, ruined the whole tour. On a big bus tour you can get away from people like that, on this one, there was no escape. Needless to say my DH remembers that tour very well.

[newmexicoNita]

thanks to 'thecook' for answering my questions.

 

I like private tours, but DH is very nervous about getting back to the ship on time, I'm trying to talk him down on some of these but I think in Stockholm, what with tendering and the 1 hour to town...I will have no luck.

 

I will share that we took a small van type tour one time, I think about 10-12 people. It was awful, one of the guys was a loud obnoxious bigot, ruined the whole tour. On a big bus tour you can get away from people like that, on this one, there was no escape. Needless to say my DH remembers that tour very well.

 

yep, we have had a couple of those as well, and one that almost didn't get us back to the ship in time. But generally they are cheaper and much better. A great way to get with a group you will like is via the Roll Call.

 

Nita

[Sauer-kraut]

Thanks to those of you who posted about the spa and the casino. I am looking forward to sailing but gotta get summer out of the way first. :)

[Cubuff1]

I'm wondering if they had anything in the way of enrichment activites? If so how were the presenters?

[thecook]

My sister went to a few...by her report boring..

[rannoch]

I can't see any information on the NCL website regarding dress code during the Baltic cruise, but the impression I'm getting of the Baltic cruise and NCL in general is that their cruises are more casual dress than other cruises.

 

Can anyone advise when/if there are formal nights on the Sun.

If so, do people actually dress up - dinner suits, suits, etc or tend to go casual.

 

Thanks,

Rannoch

[Sauer-kraut]

I can't see any information on the NCL website regarding dress code during the Baltic cruise, but the impression I'm getting of the Baltic cruise and NCL in general is that their cruises are more casual dress than other cruises.

 

Can anyone advise when/if there are formal nights on the Sun.

 

The whole idea of NCL is to be as you wish to be, casual or not. The "formal" evening is called Dress Up or Not night, dress as formal as you wish. Most cruisers will be more casual but there will be some who are dressed to the nines, so just do what you feel comfortable with. I will be doing a TA from Europe in Oct and since airline baggage allowances being what they are I am only packing a nicer skirt and maybe a dress. Nothing terribly dressy though.

 

Here is a thread debating this issue on this board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1208946

 

Our QM2 crossing was a nightmare, and that was before baggage restrictions, those beaded gowns weighed a ton. :eek:

[erpa]

Thanks The Cook for posting an informative review. I am an NCL addict, but your story about your husband's medical care only validates my previous experience with the doctor on board. On a cruise a few years ago, my friend slipped and fell while in Aruba and got a very long cactus spine stuck in her forearm. Her husband, my husband and I all tried with various implements to remove the spine - to no avail. I was kicking myself because I'm a PA in a very busy ER and could have gotten it out in about 2 minutes with the right tools. The following day, my friend went to the ship's doctor to get it removed. The said they had no equipment with which to remove it! This amazed me, because really, it just needed some local anesthetic and a scalpel to get it out. She paid $80 for that visit, which yielded nothing. The day after that, she woke up with a red, infected arm. Instead of coming to me (she was new friend we'd made on the ship and said she didn't want to impose on me), she went back to the ship's doctor, who wanted to sell her a course of antibiotics for $200, plus the visit fee of $80. She then came to her senses and came to me, and I gave her an appropriate antibiotic to treat the cellulitis in her arm - still couldn't get the cactus out though! By the time the cruise ended, the cellulitis was gone and she went to an ER and got it removed in, hmmmmm about 2 minutes...

I was unimpressed with the care she got on the ship, and at the exhorbitant charges.

Your story likewise really amazes me - at the very least, based on your husband's history of asthma and difficulty breathing with minimal exertion should have prompted them to give him an antibiotic and possibly steroids. And, they must have albuterol and oxygen on board to give to someone in status asthmaticus, and your husband certainly should have gotten a breathing treatment and close follow up by the ship's doctor. I find it interesting that they seem to be very attentive when someone comes down with non-life-threatening but uncomfortable norovirus, but are slack when someone like your husband truly needs immediate care. I hope he has completely recovered and, with the help of your internist, your next cruise is worry-free.