My Sun Review 2/5/11

[abs711]

Hi all here are my thoughts on my recent Sun Cruise:

Day 1

We were delayed because of a Bomb Scare. It was a little upsetting at first as we had no idea when we would be able to board. A lot of people seemed very Angry at NCL like it was somehow there fault (because you know they enjoy having to clear the ship and then load everyone back on). In my opinion they did a pretty good job getting everyone on board since we all pretty much were boarding at the same time. Most will disagree but I give NCL a thumbs up. I felt the Captain kept everyone in the loop once we were on board. And we eventually got going.

The ship seemed to be in good shape. She is definitely an older ship but if you like the older ones she is a good one.

Day 2

We had to turn back to Key West due to an emergency medical situation. It was starting to seem like a bad news cruise but again I think NCL handled it well. The captain kept us informed and told us he would burn rubber to get us to Mexico on time. Which he did! Again, a lot of people seemed bother by this and I really wanted to scream at them. If it were you or your spouse you would hope NCL did everything in the power to keep you in the US. Anyway, it didn't change my day.

Our day at sea was good. Activities were plentiful and pools were nice and warm.

Day 3

Cozumel was nice the weather was great. Getting on and off the ship was easy.

Day 4

Santo Thomas Guatamala was very nice. I am disappointed ships will be pulling out of this port. I would like to take my daughter back when she is older. We did a Go with Gus Humanitarian Tour, which was wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity to do one DO IT!!! Worth every penny!

Day 5

Belize was also very nice. Very impressed. We did a Cave-Tubing dot com excursion and it was loads of fun. They guys (and girl) were all wonderful.

Day 6

Another sea day. Again cannot complain weather was great pools were warm. We did see a family fighting with an older woman because her kids were in the "everyone" pool. It was kind of funny as the kids really were not being a bother. I was really seeing a pattern here.

Day 7

Key West was ok. I do agree with a lot of folks on here that it was a waste of port. Going through customs was a pain but again I was shocked by the amount of people blaming NCL for this. Yes, they could have had a few more people swiping cards but then the Custom people would have been backed up. No matter what it is a tricky situation. Again I am not really blaming NCL on this one.

Day 8

We were slightly delayed again as someone was parked in our slip but other then that is was smooth.

Overall:

We had a great trip. I think the Sun is a great older ship. Her public areas need a little more work but again she is an older ship. I think that some folks are really getting on NCL for things out of their control. I could not get over the amount of whining from fellow passengers. Folks your on Vacation life could be worse. You could have been the person with the medical emergency.

As far as the restaurants they were all good. No complaints. The buffet was hard to get in and out but again I think if people showed a little more common courtesy and paid a little more attention to the folks around them, it would go a lot smoother. We did not eat dinner at the new restaurant but we did have lunch there and it is still the same as it always was with the pizza and pasta.

Thank you for reading. Please keep in mind these are my opinions and everyone is entitle to one :D!

 

Have a great day!

[fergusonvt]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. The Sun is great ship. Nice that you didn't let the complainers ruin your vacation. Thanks for the review.

[rstackjd]

Thanks for the review - we are on the same itinerary starting this Saturday - can't wait!!!!!

[macrush53]

Hi all here are my thoughts on my recent Sun Cruise:

 

Day 1

We were delayed because of a Bomb Scare. It was a little upsetting at first as we had no idea when we would be able to board. A lot of people seemed very Angry at NCL like it was somehow there fault (because you know they enjoy having to clear the ship and then load everyone back on). In my opinion they did a pretty good job getting everyone on board since we all pretty much were boarding at the same time. Most will disagree but I give NCL a thumbs up. I felt the Captain kept everyone in the loop once we were on board. And we eventually got going.

 

The ship seemed to be in good shape. She is definitely an older ship but if you like the older ones she is a good one.

 

Day 2

We had to turn back to Key West due to an emergency medical situation. It was starting to seem like a bad news cruise but again I think NCL handled it well. The captain kept us informed and told us he would burn rubber to get us to Mexico on time. Which he did! Again, a lot of people seemed bother by this and I really wanted to scream at them. If it were you or your spouse you would hope NCL did everything in the power to keep you in the US. Anyway, it didn't change my day.

 

Our day at sea was good. Activities were plentiful and pools were nice and warm.

 

Day 3

Cozumel was nice the weather was great. Getting on and off the ship was easy.

 

Day 4

Santo Thomas Guatamala was very nice. I am disappointed ships will be pulling out of this port. I would like to take my daughter back when she is older. We did a Go with Gus Humanitarian Tour, which was wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity to do one DO IT!!! Worth every penny!

 

Day 5

Belize was also very nice. Very impressed. We did a Cave-Tubing dot com excursion and it was loads of fun. They guys (and girl) were all wonderful.

 

Day 6

Another sea day. Again cannot complain weather was great pools were warm. We did see a family fighting with an older woman because her kids were in the "everyone" pool. It was kind of funny as the kids really were not being a bother. I was really seeing a pattern here.

 

Day 7

Key West was ok. I do agree with a lot of folks on here that it was a waste of port. Going through customs was a pain but again I was shocked by the amount of people blaming NCL for this. Yes, they could have had a few more people swiping cards but then the Custom people would have been backed up. No matter what it is a tricky situation. Again I am not really blaming NCL on this one.

 

Day 8

We were slightly delayed again as someone was parked in our slip but other then that is was smooth.

 

Overall:

We had a great trip. I think the Sun is a great older ship. Her public areas need a little more work but again she is an older ship. I think that some folks are really getting on NCL for things out of their control. I could not get over the amount of whining from fellow passengers. Folks your on Vacation life could be worse. You could have been the person with the medical emergency.

 

As far as the restaurants they were all good. No complaints. The buffet was hard to get in and out but again I think if people showed a little more common courtesy and paid a little more attention to the folks around them, it would go a lot smoother. We did not eat dinner at the new restaurant but we did have lunch there and it is still the same as it always was with the pizza and pasta.

 

Thank you for reading. Please keep in mind these are my opinions and everyone is entitle to one :D!

 

Have a great day!

Hi

thanks for the review. I am doing this trip in April. I am going to do the Go With Gus tour. Do you still have your dailies? Would you mind scanning them and emailing them to me? macrush53 at yahoo dot com

Cheers.

[macrush53]

What I like about Key West is that I will get to visit with family for a bit.

[Susie51]

I was on the Sun in 2005 and like the OP the layout of the ship is very nice. We had an inside cabin and the floor plan was excellent. One of the best inside cabins I have ever been in. The card room was on the promenade deck and it had a door that led outside. We like to play cards and we spent a lot of time there.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

I would also like the Dailies if you have them!

[Got2Cruise]

How were the meals in the main dining rooms? Did you try any of the specialty restaurants?

[amcb]

Hi all here are my thoughts on my recent Sun Cruise:

The ship seemed to be in good shape. She is definitely an older ship but if you like the older ones she is a good one.

Overall:

We had a great trip. I think the Sun is a great older ship. Her public areas need a little more work but again she is an older ship. I think that some folks are really getting on NCL for things out of their control. I could not get over the amount of whining from fellow passengers. Folks your on Vacation life could be worse. You could have been the person with the medical emergency.

As far as the restaurants they were all good. No complaints. The buffet was hard to get in and out but again I think if people showed a little more common courtesy and paid a little more attention to the folks around them, it would go a lot smoother. We did not eat dinner at the new restaurant but we did have lunch there and it is still the same as it always was with the pizza and pasta.

Thank you for reading. Please keep in mind these are my opinions and everyone is entitle to one :D!

 

Have a great day!

 

Thanks so much for your review.

 

I especially appreciated the comments about the state of the ship. I'm interested to know a little about what additional work you feel is needed. Is it just a a matter of being a little bit older, or are there areas that are in need of real repair? I thought that the recent drydock would take care of the major issues, so am simply curious about your comment.

 

Thanks also for your take on the buffet. With two little ones under 5, I think we'll stick with the MDR or specialty restaurants where we can sit and be served. (I know that sounds terrible!) Trying to juggle multiple plates, drinks, utensils etc., and keep up with them is a bit too much of a challenge, especially since I am somewhat mobility impaired. :-)

[Mom2B&Z]

We were on the Sun in Jan with our two boys (5 and 3 yrs) and we loved this place for a quick meal. The buffet is never that crowded, there's less selection than the Garden Cafe but not as crowded and lots of people to grab extra plates and carry them to the table for you. The other trick is to put all the kids' food on one plate, then carry the second (clean) plate under the one with the food. Use your other hand to carry your food, then one adult takes a quick pass back to get drinks and you're set! We found sometimes the service in the main dining rooms was quite slow.

Have fun on the Sun :)

 

Thanks so much for your review.

 

I especially appreciated the comments about the state of the ship. I'm interested to know a little about what additional work you feel is needed. Is it just a a matter of being a little bit older, or are there areas that are in need of real repair? I thought that the recent drydock would take care of the major issues, so am simply curious about your comment.

 

Thanks also for your take on the buffet. With two little ones under 5, I think we'll stick with the MDR or specialty restaurants where we can sit and be served. (I know that sounds terrible!) Trying to juggle multiple plates, drinks, utensils etc., and keep up with them is a bit too much of a challenge, especially since I am somewhat mobility impaired. :-)

[amcb]

We were on the Sun in Jan with our two boys (5 and 3 yrs) and we loved this place for a quick meal. The buffet is never that crowded' date=' there's less selection than the Garden Cafe but not as crowded and lots of people to grab extra plates and carry them to the table for you. The other trick is to put all the kids' food on one plate, then carry the second (clean) plate under the one with the food. Use your other hand to carry your food, then one adult takes a quick pass back to get drinks and you're set! We found sometimes the service in the main dining rooms was quite slow.

Have fun on the Sun :)[/quote']

 

We might try it for a quick snack, but it might be a bit too much of a challenge for me for anything more significant. I use a cane to walk, so only have one hand available which makes buffets even on my own a little difficult. With the kids it's even more challenging. But it's nice to know that there are people around to help carry things. :-)

[debnjoe1438]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it. DH and I were on the Sun in December. While I would have rather gone someplace other than Key West (and stayed longer) I can't complain about the immigration. On our trip the immigration process went very quickly and smothly.

[debnjoe1438]

Also very relieved there was no bomb on the ship.

[NMLady]

I was on the Sun in 2005 and like the OP the layout of the ship is very nice. We had an inside cabin and the floor plan was excellent. One of the best inside cabins I have ever been in. The card room was on the promenade deck and it had a door that led outside. We like to play cards and we spent a lot of time there.

 

I don't know when they took the card room out but when we were on the Sun this past Sept/Oct there was no card room on the promenade deck even though it was still listed on the ship's 'map'. However, instead of a card room there were auction paintings stored in there.

[roger001]

From original post: Day 4

Santo Thomas Guatamala was very nice. I am disappointed ships will be pulling out of this port. I would like to take my daughter back when she is older. We did a Go with Gus Humanitarian Tour, which was wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity to do one DO IT!!! Worth every penny!

 

 

I agree. I wish NCL would keep it as a port stop. We've been twice this past year, on the Sun and on the Spirit. I love the people and their efforts to show us their country. It is an educational stop. I said something similar....wish we could take our grand daughter there.

[mailbroad]

The buffet was hard to get in and out but again I think if people showed a little more common courtesy and paid a little more attention to the folks around them, it would go a lot smoother.

 

Hear! Hear!

[vols_159]

From original post: Day 4

Santo Thomas Guatamala was very nice. I am disappointed ships will be pulling out of this port. I would like to take my daughter back when she is older. We did a Go with Gus Humanitarian Tour, which was wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity to do one DO IT!!! Worth every penny!

 

 

I agree. I wish NCL would keep it as a port stop. We've been twice this past year, on the Sun and on the Spirit. I love the people and their efforts to show us their country. It is an educational stop. I said something similar....wish we could take our grand daughter there.

 

why are the getting rid of this port?? Im going next month..??

[Nickymjw1]

How was the CD and her staff? Any deck games? I had posted on the NCL Facebook page that they should do something different than hairy chest, sexy leg and Ms. Norwegian games on deck and they replied that they did. Just wondering what they do now if anything...

 

Thanks,

I can't wait for our sailing on 3/19! We've sailed the SUN before and she is our favorite ship!

[Doughboy139]

Thanks for the post.....I was on the Sun this past August and found it to be a wonderful ship, 1st time cruiser.....I will be sailing her again on a B2B starting on 9/11 and can't wait to see the improvements.......I had a starboard mini-suite 1210 last year and will be in a mini-suite aft cabin this year

[newmexicoNita]

Hi all here are my thoughts on my recent Sun Cruise:

Day 1

We were delayed because of a Bomb Scare. It was a little upsetting at first as we had no idea when we would be able to board. A lot of people seemed very Angry at NCL like it was somehow there fault (because you know they enjoy having to clear the ship and then load everyone back on). In my opinion they did a pretty good job getting everyone on board since we all pretty much were boarding at the same time. Most will disagree but I give NCL a thumbs up. I felt the Captain kept everyone in the loop once we were on board. And we eventually got going.

The ship seemed to be in good shape. She is definitely an older ship but if you like the older ones she is a good one.

Day 2

We had to turn back to Key West due to an emergency medical situation. It was starting to seem like a bad news cruise but again I think NCL handled it well. The captain kept us informed and told us he would burn rubber to get us to Mexico on time. Which he did! Again, a lot of people seemed bother by this and I really wanted to scream at them. If it were you or your spouse you would hope NCL did everything in the power to keep you in the US. Anyway, it didn't change my day.

Our day at sea was good. Activities were plentiful and pools were nice and warm.

Day 3

Cozumel was nice the weather was great. Getting on and off the ship was easy.

Day 4

Santo Thomas Guatamala was very nice. I am disappointed ships will be pulling out of this port. I would like to take my daughter back when she is older. We did a Go with Gus Humanitarian Tour, which was wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity to do one DO IT!!! Worth every penny!

Day 5

Belize was also very nice. Very impressed. We did a Cave-Tubing dot com excursion and it was loads of fun. They guys (and girl) were all wonderful.

Day 6

Another sea day. Again cannot complain weather was great pools were warm. We did see a family fighting with an older woman because her kids were in the "everyone" pool. It was kind of funny as the kids really were not being a bother. I was really seeing a pattern here.

Day 7

Key West was ok. I do agree with a lot of folks on here that it was a waste of port. Going through customs was a pain but again I was shocked by the amount of people blaming NCL for this. Yes, they could have had a few more people swiping cards but then the Custom people would have been backed up. No matter what it is a tricky situation. Again I am not really blaming NCL on this one.

Day 8

We were slightly delayed again as someone was parked in our slip but other then that is was smooth.

Overall:

We had a great trip. I think the Sun is a great older ship. Her public areas need a little more work but again she is an older ship. I think that some folks are really getting on NCL for things out of their control. I could not get over the amount of whining from fellow passengers. Folks your on Vacation life could be worse. You could have been the person with the medical emergency.

As far as the restaurants they were all good. No complaints. The buffet was hard to get in and out but again I think if people showed a little more common courtesy and paid a little more attention to the folks around them, it would go a lot smoother. We did not eat dinner at the new restaurant but we did have lunch there and it is still the same as it always was with the pizza and pasta.

Thank you for reading. Please keep in mind these are my opinions and everyone is entitle to one :D!

 

Have a great day!

 

thanks, I was afraid after the frist couple of days something else would happen and you would be just sitting in the middle of the ocean for the rest of the week. I too, love the Sun.

 

Nita

[RaMar]

Thanks for posting your review, glad you enjoyed the cruise.

[roger001]

why are the getting rid of this port?? Im going next month..??

 

Not sure, but assume the following. Santo Tomas and connecting community Puerto Barrios (?) are not tourist areas. Santo Tomas is an industrial shipping container port and Puerto Barrios is the community in which most locals live. The two communities also live on the banana industry. And both communities are very rugged, impoverished, unrefined areas with a reasonable degree of crime. There is nothing immediate around the cruise docking area to serve tourists, other than organized tours. (There is a shopping area contained within the secured dock area however). The shame of it is, the locals working the tours are the nicest persons in the world. There are some adventure type tours available, but many are informational/educational tours that will show you their community and surrounding opportunities. In addition to the Gus tour mentioned, I recommend the NCL river tour up to the town of Livingston. Most loved it and the wonderful care given up by our guide Evelyn, a few hated it, "it's all so dirty, I won't touch this food, the boat is too windy and water too rough, how can these people live like this, get me back to the ship". So I guess NCL feels that Santo Tomas isn't Disneyland enough for many of it's customers. There's a few Santo Tomas pics at the following.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff281/roganderson60/Santo%20Thomas/?start=all

[newmexicoNita]

Not sure, but assume the following. Santo Tomas and connecting community Puerto Barrios (?) are not tourist areas. Santo Tomas is an industrial shipping container port and Puerto Barrios is the community in which most locals live. The two communities also live on the banana industry. And both communities are very rugged, impoverished, unrefined areas with a reasonable degree of crime. There is nothing immediate around the cruise docking area to serve tourists, other than organized tours. (There is a shopping area contained within the secured dock area however). The shame of it is, the locals working the tours are the nicest persons in the world. There are some adventure type tours available, but many are informational/educational tours that will show you their community and surrounding opportunities. In addition to the Gus tour mentioned, I recommend the NCL river tour up to the town of Livingston. Most loved it and the wonderful care given up by our guide Evelyn, a few hated it, "it's all so dirty, I won't touch this food, the boat is too windy and water too rough, how can these people live like this, get me back to the ship". So I guess NCL feels that Santo Tomas isn't Disneyland enough for many of it's customers. There's a few Santo Tomas pics at the following.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff281/roganderson60/Santo%20Thomas/?start=all

 

WE had mixed feelings, hubby loved it, I think we did Gus tours, I wasn't impressed. I can understand why the port is being replaced. Of course I feel sorry for those who depend on tourism for thier living. WE did find the people truely friendly and helpful.

 

Nita

[abs711]

How were the meals in the main dining rooms? Did you try any of the specialty restaurants?

 

I thought the meals were good in the Main DR. A couple of the days we had to order an extra entree because the portions seem to have gotten a little smaller.

 

We ate at the Sushi Bar one night and it was very good. The Sushi Chef had us try just about everything on the menu. We were impressed.

[abs711]

Thanks so much for your review.

 

I especially appreciated the comments about the state of the ship. I'm interested to know a little about what additional work you feel is needed. Is it just a a matter of being a little bit older, or are there areas that are in need of real repair? I thought that the recent drydock would take care of the major issues, so am simply curious about your comment.

 

Thanks also for your take on the buffet. With two little ones under 5, I think we'll stick with the MDR or specialty restaurants where we can sit and be served. (I know that sounds terrible!) Trying to juggle multiple plates, drinks, utensils etc., and keep up with them is a bit too much of a challenge, especially since I am somewhat mobility impaired. :-)

 

There are still carpets that can use a refresh. A lot of dings in walls, doors, elevators and such. Again, nothing major but you could tell that she was an older ship. Nothing that really bothered us.

 

For the most part sticking to the Main DR will be easier for you during peak times. If you can get the kids to eat off peak you will be fine.