NCL Newbies: Norwegian Sun His-and-Her Account, 3/19-3/26

[gander24]

We are 20-something married cruise addicts who tried NCL for the first time 3/19-3/26... this is our his-and-her account. She is 25 years old and has been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. He is 28 and has been on multiple Carnival cruises. We weren't entirely sure what to expect, and initially rejected the idea of NCL based on the whole non-traditional dining set-up but then figured, why not? We are SO glad we tried NCL!

 

Day 0, March 18th:

Both: We drove down to Port Canaveral, FL from North Carolina and stayed at the Comfort Inn. Getting the cruise shuttle set up was effortless; they knew right away on check-in we had booked the cruise package. we were very impressed with this hotel for its efficiency, cleanliness, and price. We moved our car to the long-term parking lot very early in on sail-day worried that it would run out of parking places (one couple seemed to have an issue finding a space right before the shuttle pick-up), so we advise this for anyone else as well.

 

Day 1, March 19th:

Her: Embarkation was easy as pie. We got to the port at 11:15 and were on the boat by noon and eating lunch in the main dining room. The decor was much more traditional maritime and classy than Carnival, and the boat had a good layout. It felt very big and luxurious but at the same time wasn't so big that we were walking for 15 minutes to get anywhere. It reminded me very much of Princess with lots of finished wood and trim. Our first Freestyle dinner was easy - we just showed up at 5:30 and sat down right away. We splurged for our first balcony and loooooved it! That night, we watched the sunset from our room and saw a family of dolphins swimming nearby. My husband managed to catch a pic:

 

 

Him: We saw the Welcome Aboard show and it was a nice change of pace from Carnival. I expected to see people from the crowd dancing and a blow-up ship in the background, but instead it was an actual show with entertainers. The entertainment was really good throughout the whole cruise. We watched the Newlywed game and had good laughs. The cruise director Shona was very energetic the entire cruise, and the back-up entertainment staff was just as good as the cruise director. Their sarcastic sense of humor was the perfect fit for all the silly things we all do while on cruises.

 

Day 2, March 20th, At Sea

Her: I had a little too much to drink on night 1, so most of the 2nd day was spent relaxing. We headed up to the Sports Bar to watch the Duke vs. Michigan game. The sports bar became one of our favorite spots on the boat, especially since you can get food until the wee hours of the night. The pub crawl folks came through while we were in there and even though I wanted nothing to do with "spirits" at the time, it looked like a ton of fun and we'll definitely consider it next cruise - people of all ages were there. We spent some time at the pool and were very impressed the amount of pool space on this boat compared to prior boats.

 

Him: This was the first day we dropped back an hour, and throughout the cruise we actually set our clocks back two hours behind to adjust for central time zone and daylight savings. It made for easy waking up in the morning but by the nighttime we were tired well before many of the entertainment acts.

 

Day 3, March 21st, Cozumel

Him: We decided spur-of-the-moment to do an excursion to Stingray Beach. The staff was professional, very knowledgeable, and they made you feel at ease with holding these 6-foot creatures. We were able to hold, pet, and feed the stingrays. Then we were able to snorkle while they were feeding the fish and stingrays. Later on in the day we saw Rod Long the comedian who was absolutely hilarious. This was his PG-13 show and he also did an over 18 show at the end of the cruise.

 

Her: The stingray experience was more amazing than I thought it would be. We love snorkeling on our own, so at first I was worried it would be a very structured group experience but when we got to the snorkeling part, we had the ability to pretty much do what we wanted in the water. What you see below that water is unlike anything else - tons of rays gliding along the bottom, and fish that aren't afraid to be around humans. Definitely worth the money. I think this is the night things got REALLY rocky, but they have free meclizine at the Guest Services desk which did the trick.

 

Day 4, March 22nd, Guatemala

Him: Pulling into port of Guatemala was simply amazing. We were surrounded by mountainous rainforest. Even though you dock in a shipping yard, it doesn't dampen the experience of being in a tropical rainforest. We took the water ferry out of port up to the Rio Dulce into the jungle. Along the way you stop and see waterfalls, birds, riverside huts, and are approached by children in canoes at your deepest point in the journey to buy handmade goods. We would definitely go back to Guatemala but would do a waterfall tour instead.

 

Her: If you want to get off the boat in Guatemala, you have to book an excursion. There is nothing there right off the boat but truck crates. We did the Discover Rio Dulce tour which I was really excited about and even though it was really amazing to see the rainforest and other amazing remote sites, I was disappointed. We didn't stop at the hot springs, our boat malfunctioned a couple times requiring a nearby tour boat to come assist us, and we didn't have more than 10 minutes at the tortilla/market hut. That being said, I'm really glad we went on the tour because I have never been in a boat speeding by giant jungle cliffs and river huts. We stopped in the city of Livingston which was quite an experience. I think this part needs to be a little more structured because the guide said we could either have "free time" or go with her, and we were not about to get lost in the city so most everyone just followed her. There is a large hill you have to walk up to if you want to go into the city so that was a challenge for some of the older folks. We ate at a restaurant to sample the local fare of fried bananas and rice & beans (at our own cost, all of a cheap 8 dollars!) which was one of the coolest parts of the trip. When you pull out of port, some of the tour guides get together and give you a fun dancing/car-alarm send-off.

 

 

 

 

Day 5, March 23rd, Belize

Him: We did the Raiders of the Lost Mayan Cave tour. It was the best excursion we've done anywhere. It's an hour and a half bus ride into the rainforest where you gear up in mountain climbing gear and start your journey into the jungle with a 10 minute walk up a mountain then into a Mayan cave. From there, you enter the cave by crawling on your hands and knees through small crevices. This excursion also includes a 25-foot rappel down a cliff and a 200-yard zipline from mountain to mountain coupled with rope bridges in the caves. The staff is very knowledgeable in the history, environment, and your safety. I would do this excursion again in a second.

 

Her: I totally agree, best excursion ever. The bus ride was by no means boring - our tour guide, Elvis, had lots to talk about and point out. It was really neat going that far into Belize and then once you get to the jungle and caves, you are blown away. At no point do you feel in harm's way, but you are doing things that you probably have not gotten to do in the U.S. This is no lit-path-Mammoth-Caves tour - the only light you have is on your helmet and you feel like you are one of only a few select humans privy to such a beautiful natural space. I was REALLY nervous to zipline and rappel but they made me feel at ease. On the way back, you get to see crocodiles and also stop to have a lunch of chicken and beef skewers, hot fresh tortillas, and baked beans and get to sample the local wine (which is all included in the tour). Elvis was SO good about always stopping to offer to take photos with your own camera, so we got a lot of amazing shots. Our cave tour guide, Louis, was so good as well. We had an amazing time and would recommend this to ANYONE!

 

 

Louis (our cave tour guide), Her, Him

 

 

 

Day 6, March 24th: At Sea

Her: We spent the day relaxing and getting some sun. The poolside band is REALLY good! You really believe them when they sing "Don't worry about a thing, cuz every little t'ing is gon' be alright."That night the ship was abuzz about the White Hot Party. We went to another couples gameshow (which was friggin' HILARIOUS, hosted by two of the funniest cruise staff), then saw a show in the main theater which again impressed us. The dancing/singing crew is really energetic and feels more like mainland theater than canned cruiseship entertainment.

 

Him: This day was more about relaxing after three action packed days in three countries. We had some poolside drinks and watched the splash contest which included one of the staff members joining in at the crowd's request. We made it back to the sports bar later that night to unfortunately watch Duke lose. On the upside, the best wings and chicken tenders you can eat.

 

Day 7, March 25th, Key West

Him: Coming back into Key West we had to go through immigration which was a breeze - basically you had to show officials your passport in the main theater lounge. After that you were good to get off the boat. We got on the trolley right off the boat which dropped us right off at our request at Fort Zachary Taylor Beach (close to the boat) which is only $2.50 per person to get into. It's a 10 minute walk to the beach from the park entrance. We planned on doing some snorkeling, however, the water was freezing and we couldn't gain the courage to immerse ourselves. We made the walk back to the Security Checkpoint - due to security, you have to take a trolley back to the boat, then took the trolley back into Mallory Square for conch fritters and chocolate key lime pie on stick. Definitely try the conch fritters right across from the Shipwreck Museum with the key lime mustard!

 

Her: The time in Key West is limited but enough - when we got back on board, we headed back up to the pool where they had a poolside barbecue. There's nothing better than the smell of a grill mixed with ocean air and a live band playing. That night was way more fun than we anticipated. They really emphasize making the most out of your last night, rather than incessantly reminding you it's the last night. We saw the variety show with Elvy Rose, who is amazing and crazy energetic, Romano Frediano who was spectacular and hilarious, and Rod Long in a comedy show again later that night. We once more hit up the sports bar for chicken tenders and headed back to our room to enjoy the last night at sea.

 

 

Disembarkation

Both: We did easy walkoff, which got us off the boat by 8 a.m. The Comfort Inn Shuttle was waiting for us and fellow guests so we hopped back on and were on the road by 8:45. We walked away chattering about the next NCL cruise we're going to take and how excited we are to get our families on this line. We loved the Sun!

 

 

Things That Really Stood Out:

- The professionalism of the staff

- The effiency of dinner

- The food was top notch

- The high energy and sense of humor of the cruise entertainment staff

- The shops on board were awesome with so much variety

- The shows were all great

- You could actually get in the pool rather than feeling like a bunch of sardines packed in

- The elevators had the least wait time of any boat we'd ever been on

- The basketball court and ping pong tables (we also liked that you didn't have to go hunting down a ping pong ball/paddle as you had to on Carnival by "checking it out")

 

Things We Didn't Like So Much:

- The Garden Cafe closes at 9:30

- No 24-hour walk-up pizza like Carnival (the pizza needs a LOT of improvement on this boat)

- We ran into a REALLY awkward situation where we went to Four Seasons for dinner at 6:15, were told there was a wait and we should come back or go to Seven Seas even though we weren't dressed up in accordance with the dress code for Seven Seas. We went back up to our room to change, but our room steward had just started cleaning our room and wouldn't be done for a while. So we went to Seven Seas anyway, and told the hostess what had happened and she went and got the maitre-d. It didn't seem like he had gotten the full story from the hostess, because he came out and sort of went off talking about the dress code and how he can't possibly see how the other dining room would've told us to come there, and making us feel like we had lied to him about the dining room telling us that Seven Seas had a spot open, blah blah blah. We felt really embarrassed because it's not like we were trying to barge in and eat that second. We don't take dinner THAT seriously! It was a very awkward experience and we wish he would've been more gracious about the situation instead of saying things like, "Well, I ought to call them right now to find out what exactly is going on over there! I need to call them to find out WHY they are telling you to come here!" Awwwkward. We just went back to Four Seasons and waiting off to the side for about 3 minutes for a table. Situation solved.

- Sometimes with the bar service, they would take your card to charge you for the drink and then you wouldn't see them again for several minutes -- this happened twice when we thought we were going to have to go ask someone where we could find our cruise card. At sailaway, the guy gave us our drinks then disappeared with our cards for almost 10 minutes. It happened again at dinner where we had to flag down the bar staff to remind him that he had our cards.

- On Carnival, they have face-up blackjack in the Casino and because of that we'd spend several hours there. NCL doesn't have that. We played regular blackjack and blew $40 in 10 minutes and decided to avoid the casino the rest of the trip just because we knew we had no idea what we were doing.

Last but not least...

- Getting off the boat - isn't that the worst part of any cruise?

 

We both saw lots of things in NCL that our extended families would love and are looking forward to booking our next cruise with NCL. We were really impressed and can't wait to get back on board!

[vols_159]

Wow what a great review of the cruise! I was on board and agree with your review... I had the same thing happen to me at 4 seasons but opted just to come back later because I didnt wanna wear pants for dinner.. After that we just started getting in the dinner line at 5 15 problem solved.. the line for ice cream was usually a few minutes but no real big deal and I agree with you The wings at the sports bar was AMAZING the best ever!

[terrymtex01]

What a great review. Thank you for coming back and taking the time to share your vacation with us. We think the Sun is a great ship and we remember the crew as being some of the best at sea. We also loved their casino.. a bit too much, probably.. LOL. But we do remember that, at the time we were aboard her, they had an extremely friendly casino staff.

 

I loved the way you approached your review and that you included pics. To be honest, as long as I have been on CC I have yet mastered adding pics. The only thing I really have to comment about your experience was about the Mayan cave thingie you did.. and that is to say.. "GOD LOVE YOU". LOL. That sounded like complete hell to me... Of course, look at my picture, at my size.. and try to imagine me doing something like that. I am so glad you guys enjoyed it and that you had a great time. I really do believe you guys, and Vols would be great people to meet on a cruise some time.

[jackinthebox422]

Thanks for the review

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Great review! We leave in 5 days!!!! (Can't believe it's FINALLY here)

 

Ok, this question relates to Guatemala solely:

 

So, on the Rio Dolce tour, they tour guide did not take you to the school? I am and educator and have supplies packed for that purpose to take to the kids. Did your tour guide ask if anyone wanted to go? I would love to try the food, was it good? What did you have there?

 

and last... I take it you didn't make it to the White Hot party? What about chocolate buffet? Any of the Margarita, Martini, Sangria or wine tastings????

 

Thanks,

Meg (I'm 26 btw, so I found this review very helpful. I've done Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Disney and NCL before, this cruise 13 for me.)

[vols_159]

Great review! We leave in 5 days!!!! (Can't believe it's FINALLY here)

 

Ok, this question relates to Guatemala solely:

 

So, on the Rio Dolce tour, they tour guide did not take you to the school? I am and educator and have supplies packed for that purpose to take to the kids. Did your tour guide ask if anyone wanted to go? I would love to try the food, was it good? What did you have there?

 

and last... I take it you didn't make it to the White Hot party? What about chocolate buffet? Any of the Margarita, Martini, Sangria or wine tastings????

 

Thanks,

Meg (I'm 26 btw, so I found this review very helpful. I've done Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Disney and NCL before, this cruise 13 for me.)

 

 

They took us by the school and little kids was out in canoes and paddled up to our boat to sell us some of there goodies.. also there was about 10 kids or so.. Some of the people in our boat had some candy or school supplies they brought and gave to the kids! at the resturant I ordered just some nachos another couple in our group ordered shrimp said it was the best shrimp they had eaten..

[Carnac767]

Great review--really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to write it. We can't wait to cruise on the Sun again.

[STARFISH*4]

GREAT REVIEW...THANKS for Sharing YOUR experiences on the SUN....8 months more to go for us...we really LOVED our 2 weeks in Dec on the SUN!!!

 

i am "curious" if i may ask to how you were dressed for dinner that one night?

[ncyankee]

Great review -- can't wait. We leave on the 16th.

 

Fun to read a his/her perspective.

[krisdamom]

Thanks so much you two for taking the time to share with such great detail! Loved the his/her format & the pics too.

If you could add a bit about your cabin that would be appreciated by many, i.e., location & pics.

Because the Sun just had a refurbishing, many of us are eager to see & hear about her 'facelift'.

[traveler916]

We are 20-something married cruise addicts who tried NCL for the first time 3/19-3/26... this is our his-and-her account. She is 25 years old and has been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. He is 28 and has been on multiple Carnival cruises. We weren't entirely sure what to expect, and initially rejected the idea of NCL based on the whole non-traditional dining set-up but then figured, why not? We are SO glad we tried NCL!

 

 

Things We Didn't Like So Much:

 

- No 24-hour walk-up pizza like Carnival (the pizza needs a LOT of improvement on this boat)/quote]

 

You nailed it. The one really big food shortfall on the Sun...the pizza is inedible.

 

From the standpoint of NCL management, I think i would rather serve inexpensive but good tasting pizza, so the guests aren't tempted to eat too much shrimp, roast beef, steal and lobster.

 

Royal Caribbean and HAL serve great pizza at all times....it would really help the overall food aspect if NCL did the same.

 

Nice review

[CP50]

Thanks for the wonderful review.:)

[xodezi]

Her: If you want to get off the boat in Guatemala, you have to book an excursion. There is nothing there right off the boat but truck crates.

 

I am taking the Sun with my mom next Saturday.. this may have already been answered (it'll teach me to read further), but you HAVE to book an excursion to get off the boat in Guatemala? We are first time cruisers and totally inexperienced!

[Medtech2]

Thanks for your review. It makes me really look forward to our cruise on the Sun. It will be a long year's wait for us!!

[gander24]

Great review! We leave in 5 days!!!! (Can't believe it's FINALLY here)

 

Ok, this question relates to Guatemala solely:

 

So, on the Rio Dolce tour, they tour guide did not take you to the school? I am and educator and have supplies packed for that purpose to take to the kids. Did your tour guide ask if anyone wanted to go? I would love to try the food, was it good? What did you have there?

 

and last... I take it you didn't make it to the White Hot party? What about chocolate buffet? Any of the Margarita, Martini, Sangria or wine tastings????

 

Thanks,

Meg (I'm 26 btw, so I found this review very helpful. I've done Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Disney and NCL before, this cruise 13 for me.)

 

Hi! This is the "her" responding :) The tour guide took us by the school, but told us the kids had exams this week, so they were not officially in session. The school was completely empty as below...

 

 

As far as food goes, the tour guide was talking about this dish popular in Guatemala of rice & beans cooked in fresh coconut so we just had to try it. 1 US dollar = 7.4 Quetzals, and we didn't have much time to eat (40 minutes) so we just ordered a side of fried bananas and two orders of rice and beans which was plenty for us. Other groups I think ordered more elaborate entrees but we were happy with our purchases. The rice and beans was pretty good but not nearly as coconut-y as I expected it to be :)

 

 

 

White Hot Party - Oh yes, we went. I was really excited about it as it was very hyped up the whole day. They had a spectacular mojito-making station at the back and we stayed and danced a while.. I wished they played more variety - they played a lot of generic club music we didn't recognize, but luckily every so often a high-energy song we actually knew came on to get the crowd excited (Enrique, Lady Gaga). I think a lot of older folks were turned off at it as the dance floor was overrun with teenagers. (Me, I didn't care. Those nights are the best nights of your life when you're young!)

 

Chocolate Buffet - I never thought I'd say this at age 25, but because of the time change, the 10:45 timing of the chocolate buffet was too late for us, lol! Our bodies still told us that was 12:45 a.m. We had had such a LONG day of go-go-go, and had been up since 7 a.m. so we succumbed to stargazing on the balcony and a nice snooze.

 

Margarita/Sangria/Etc tastings - Because of my terrible experience on night 1 of drinking too much, I just did not feel at all like drinking until several days later. But trust me, next cruise, I will be there. Hope this helps!

[gander24]

GREAT REVIEW...THANKS for Sharing YOUR experiences on the SUN....8 months more to go for us...we really LOVED our 2 weeks in Dec on the SUN!!!

 

i am "curious" if i may ask to how you were dressed for dinner that one night?

 

Her: dark jeans and heels and a striped nice shirt, Him: a nice blue polo shirt, khaki shorts, a belt, and sandals. Definitely not in line with the Seven Seas' dress code of no shorts, but we were just following directions to go there from the hostesses in Four Seasons. I'm telling you, I blush when I think about this because it was such an awkward experience!

[gander24]

Thanks so much you two for taking the time to share with such great detail! Loved the his/her format & the pics too.

If you could add a bit about your cabin that would be appreciated by many, i.e., location & pics.

Because the Sun just had a refurbishing, many of us are eager to see & hear about her 'facelift'.

 

One of the most noticeable thing about this boat is the carpet. I can't say much in the way of before-and-after since this was our first time on the Sun, but it felt fresh. On other ships we've been on, the carpet shows its age. It's so nice to step on a boat and see beautiful plush colorful carpet :) Our balcony was 9249, starboard, more aft I believe. It was a GREAT location - we have learned we do best when in line stairwise with the buffet :) I didn't notice anything spectacular in the stateroom that made it look any different than others we've been in, but it was comfortable. We were surprised they didn't update any of the TVs though (but really, who goes on a cruise for the TV?).

 

 

 

[gander24]

I am taking the Sun with my mom next Saturday.. this may have already been answered (it'll teach me to read further), but you HAVE to book an excursion to get off the boat in Guatemala? We are first time cruisers and totally inexperienced!

 

Sorry for the confusion - no, you don't have to book an excursion to get off the boat, but there literally is NOTHING right off the boat. If you just want to get off the boat to say you set foot in Guatemala, you're definitely able to and hop right back on. But you dock right outside a shipping yard (see pics below of dock)... no shopping centers, tourist areas, welcome centers, or other avenues for tours. Just crates and bulldozers.

 

 

[skbaw]

In Guatemala, there was a shopping area at the far end of these containers. We walked through there in about 30 minutes and picked up some soveniers. But to do anything beyond that and to see the countryside you need to book an excursion

[PozGuy82]

Thanks so much you two for taking the time to share with such great detail! Loved the his/her format & the pics too.

If you could add a bit about your cabin that would be appreciated by many, i.e., location & pics.

Because the Sun just had a refurbishing, many of us are eager to see & hear about her 'facelift'.

The cabins were not redone just new mattresses were added to her I got off of her on the 5th-12th sailing and she looked very good, but the cabins had yet to be redone she is going through a 12 step refurbishing process air conditioning and more is next