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

[samscruiser]

Thanks for your review, we're considering the Sun for Baltics next year. Looks like she's going in for some renovations in April '11, so maybe they'll improve the traffic flow in the buffet area.

[newmexicoNita]

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.

 

As I had said, this must be standard for cruise lines and it is a little scary. On the other side, our roughest cruise was sailing from Ft Lauderdale to the canal and a lady fell out of her bed, breaking her neck the story goes. The medical staff apparently did a great job, keeping her stable til we could get to Aruba, where she could get decent care. That was the same doctor that gave me the wrong medicine for my skin infection. The charge, including a few pills, $171.00. Thank god we had insurance. My husbands experience with the toe, $105.00. Both of these were a few to several years ago.

 

Nita

[rannoch]

Thanks for the advice re dress code. Much appreciated.

 

One question loosely related to clothes.

 

Noticed that smoking is allowed in the casino. I really detest the smell of smoke on my clothes. A few comments in other threads said the casino was "smoky". Is it really bad?

[thecook]

Pretty bad...I am an X smoker, but believe it or not the smell doesn't really bother me..so if I noticed it ...I would think that it depends on how many smokers are on your cruise. We seemed to have quite a few,

[newmexicoNita]

Pretty bad...I am an X smoker, but believe it or not the smell doesn't really bother me..so if I noticed it ...I would think that it depends on how many smokers are on your cruise. We seemed to have quite a few,

 

I am an X smoker as well. I only notice it when we first walk into the Casino but it is really bad at the time.

 

Nita

[rannoch]

My wife is an X smoker, and the general smell will put her off - let alone someone smoking in our vicinity. I would have thought the casino would have been classed as a public area, but anyway ...

 

We usually go to the casino last thing at night to play roulette - for as long as $10 lasts, or make a profit of $20+.

 

I guess we won't be frequenting the casino.

I wonder how many passengers are put off by the smell and don't go compared to the numbers of smokers.

[thecook]

I think that a lot of the smell is residual...I don't remeber my clothes smelling when I left the casino. I tried to avoid being next to someone who was smoking for that very reason.

[newmexicoNita]

My wife is an X smoker, and the general smell will put her off - let alone someone smoking in our vicinity. I would have thought the casino would have been classed as a public area, but anyway ...

 

We usually go to the casino last thing at night to play roulette - for as long as $10 lasts, or make a profit of $20+.

 

I guess we won't be frequenting the casino.

I wonder how many passengers are put off by the smell and don't go compared to the numbers of smokers.

 

 

Can't say how many smokers versus non smokers, it looks like most are non smokers, regardless the casinos are always pretty full from midday on. (Sea days that is) otherwise they are busy at night. There are always a couple of Black Jack tables full, some types of slots you can only get to early in the mornings and poker is usually busy.

 

It would be nice if NCL would do like Princess and HAL, have a couple of non smoking days in the casino.

 

Nita

[Maggie Mae]

Thank you for all the great info - I have a laundry question. I believe I read that NCL is still doing the "fill a bag" promotion, but does anyone know/remember which day/s they did this on the Baltic trip?

Thanks, trying..to pack less.

[thecook]

I know they had one at the end of the trip that would get your clothes back in time to pack...I believe they also had one midcruise...sorry I can't remember more...Laundry was expensive..so stuff those bags as full as you can get them:D

[mikewrit]

Great stuff, the cook. Most helpful. We sail on Jun. 16 hoping for a great white night in St. Petersburg. The only NCL shore excursion I consider essential is the train to Berlin from Warnemunde. Did any of your party try that? Is Stokholm the only tender port? I am looking for at least one Segway tour. Any advice on those? I see they are available in all of our ports of call except St. Petersburg.

[newmexicoNita]

Thank you for all the great info - I have a laundry question. I believe I read that NCL is still doing the "fill a bag" promotion, but does anyone know/remember which day/s they did this on the Baltic trip?

Thanks, trying..to pack less.

 

The last 3 cruises we have been on it is not at the end, but about the 4th or 5th day. It is back in time to enjoy for a day or so and well worth it.

 

Nita

[thecook]

We actually joined a fellow CC member who had orginized a tour through SPB in Berlin. It was wonderful. Our Guide's name was Heather, an American taking advanced German studies and living in the city. She was tops. Check your roll call and see if anyone has orginized an SPB excursion or consider starting one yourself. There were 21 of us..and I recall it costing 95 euro..

Only one tender port...Stockholm.. and I had no experience with Segways..

[Cruise NH]

Hi Thecook!

 

Did you dock at Freeport in Copenhagen? If so, did NCL have a shuttle from downtown back to the dock?

 

We want to walk around Copenhagen at the end of our tour, but I want to get some idea of the distance to get back to the ship.

 

Thanks.

[WinnieinWA]

Wow, I'm surprised at the Dr's on board. I had a COPD attack last Oct.on board and I was given several breathing treatments, steroids that were needed and expert care from the ships doctors and nurses. The Customer Service desk sent a porter with a wheelchair several times a day to get me to and from the medical center. I'm so sorry you did not get the great medical treatment I got. I was impressed with it.

I guess it all depends on the doctors.

[princessebird]

[quote name='Maggie Mae']Thank you for all the great info - I have a laundry question. I believe I read that NCL is still doing the "fill a bag" promotion, but does anyone know/remember which day/s they did this on the Baltic trip?
Thanks, trying..to pack less.[/quote]

I was on this cruise last week. They had two "fill a bag" promotions. The first was about 3 or 4 days into the cruise and the second was 3 days before the end of the cruise. It was $25 for as much stuff you could shove into the bag.

[princessebird]

[quote name='Cruise NH']Hi Thecook!

Did you dock at Freeport in Copenhagen? If so, did NCL have a shuttle from downtown back to the dock?

We want to walk around Copenhagen at the end of our tour, but I want to get some idea of the distance to get back to the ship.

Thanks.[/quote]

Again, I was on this cruise last week. We docked at Freeport (not Langelinie). There was NO shuttle run by the cruise ship (which I was kinda shocked at...seems like it would have been a money maker for them, but I suppose they want people to take a ship-based excursion instead). I heard people saying that a cab for 2 people from Tivoli was "expensive" but I never heard the numbers. We had actually planned to use the shuttle, so I had to do some last minute research on what to do (which was sorta moot because NCL blocks websites of potential shore excursion competitors).

I saw people walking back to the ship, but I think that would be a long walk, even if your tour wound up at Langelinie. If it ends at Tivoli, it would be a significant hike.

We took the HOHO bus (we paid in kroner and paid the equivalent of about $22). It was very comfortable, especially given how cold it was. It took us about an hour to get to the Amilenbourg Palace, but we drove by a bunch of stuff on the way there and the narration was good. We then walked to Nyhavn, took a Netto canal boat tour (much cheaper than the competitor), then walked to the Stroget, and down towards Tivoli, where they had direct returns to the ship at 2, 3, and 4.

[Cruise NH]

[quote name='princessebird']
We then walked to Nyhavn, took a Netto canal boat tour (much cheaper than the competitor), then walked to the Stroget, and down towards Tivoli, where they had direct returns to the ship at 2, 3, and 4.[/quote]

Thanks for the information, but I don't understand the line above...2,3 and 4?? Are those bus lines or times of the day and if so by what mode of transport?

Thanks again.

[princessebird]

[quote name='Cruise NH']Thanks for the information, but I don't understand the line above...2,3 and 4?? Are those bus lines or times of the day and if so by what mode of transport?

Thanks again.[/quote]

The HOHO bus has a direct trip back to the ship at 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm from a place near the western end of the Stroget. The standard HOHO route would never get you back to the ship as it doesn't stop at Freeport.

[mikewrit]

[quote name='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[/quote]

There probably will be at least two dress-up-or-not nights aboard, most likely during sea days. Maybe half of the folks go for it and get photos in bib and tucker taken with the captain and crew in the main atrium. A few people will dress up more nights just to keep the tuxedos warm. There is a bit more dress code in the main dining room: no jeans or raggedy T shirts.

[princessebird]

[quote name='mikewrit']T There is a bit more dress code in the main dining room: no jeans or raggedy T shirts.[/quote]

Jeans ARE absolutely allowed in the MDR and anywhere else for dinner (shorts and flip-flops are not allowed except in the buffet). I wore a nice pair of jeans to the MDR and Pacific Heights several times, and saw several people wearing nice jeans to East Meets West. It actually says on the Freestyle Daily "Resort casual (including jeans) is welcome in all of our restaurants."

[mikewrit]

[quote name='princessebird']Jeans ARE absolutely allowed in the MDR and anywhere else for dinner (shorts and flip-flops are not allowed except in the buffet). I wore a nice pair of jeans to the MDR and Pacific Heights several times, and saw several people wearing nice jeans to East Meets West. It actually says on the Freestyle Daily "Resort casual (including jeans) is welcome in all of our restaurants."[/quote]

I stand corrected. Happily so. My reference is from the Jade, Istanbul to Barcelona, last year. I don't remember anyone being turned away from any venue on any NCL ship on account of dress, but a hostess may raise an eybrow just slightly at the sight of flip-flops during the later evening.