SUN review- Nov 5-12

[IDKaren]

Embarkation--WOW--got to Pt Canaveral at 2pm..NO waiting in Latitudes line- whipped right through- short line in non Latitutdes but seemed to be moving pretty good. On ship within 15 minutes of arriving.

 

SUN- Still in good shape...carpets bright and clear..does not look worn like I have seen in later reviews. Balcony cabin has lots of room and lots of storage space.

 

CREW-- everyone very friendly- very helpful..not a sour puss to be found. Service was not slow as stated most nights..going at a comfortable pace. Our cabin steward kept room clean and neat and a couple nights we must have got the 'new sheets" cuz they were sooo soft and silky!

 

FOOD- from poor to good. After cruising for 30 years I have to say food is jUST not what it used to be on cruise ships. You can tell ships are cutting back. THere was a good selection of food in Main Dining rooms but nothing "fancy". Buffet always had plenty of entrees to pick from and for "buffet" food pretty good but ugh the crowds! My only real 'Complaint" would be the desserts! Used to be SO many good baked desserts and good desserts to choose from..now all desserts seem to be pan type custards, cheesecakes etc. Not so impressed..although I must say the cobblers near the ice cream were yummy!

 

MODERNO-- DO try this Brazilian Steak house..not too many people seemed to go but it was great. Meat assortment was amazing..service was great! Worth the $20!

 

PORTS--

Nassau- my goodness- windy and cool. Went to Sheraton hotel for day pass and too windy to do anything we looked forward to. No snorkeling- no water toys- no slides..BUT the hotel was so nice..after almost an hour of not being able to do anything-we asked for a refund and they cheerfully gave it. That is class!

 

St Thomas- took a cab to Secret Harbor- great snorkeling..not crowded with four big ships in town. Great atmosphere!

 

San Juan- walked to forts and around old San Juan. Not a real full day but fun.

 

Stirrup Cay- WINDY and crazy! Took tenders ashore but everyone got called back early due to weather getting worse. NCL showed alot of class- refunded everyone who rented snorkel gear etc since they day was cut short!

 

All in all a good cruise! After all the negative reviews I was kind of worried- even after being on the SUN four times. But besides obvious cutbacks in more expensive foods and cuts of meat etc..it was a really nice time!

!

[zounds]

Thank you for the review! We're really looking forward to our first Sun experience next mo. steve

[newmexicoNita]

Embarkation--WOW--got to Pt Canaveral at 2pm..NO waiting in Latitudes line- whipped right through- short line in non Latitutdes but seemed to be moving pretty good. On ship within 15 minutes of arriving.

 

SUN- Still in good shape...carpets bright and clear..does not look worn like I have seen in later reviews. Balcony cabin has lots of room and lots of storage space.

 

CREW-- everyone very friendly- very helpful..not a sour puss to be found. Service was not slow as stated most nights..going at a comfortable pace. Our cabin steward kept room clean and neat and a couple nights we must have got the 'new sheets" cuz they were sooo soft and silky!

 

FOOD- from poor to good. After cruising for 30 years I have to say food is jUST not what it used to be on cruise ships. You can tell ships are cutting back. THere was a good selection of food in Main Dining rooms but nothing "fancy". Buffet always had plenty of entrees to pick from and for "buffet" food pretty good but ugh the crowds! My only real 'Complaint" would be the desserts! Used to be SO many good baked desserts and good desserts to choose from..now all desserts seem to be pan type custards, cheesecakes etc. Not so impressed..although I must say the cobblers near the ice cream were yummy!

 

MODERNO-- DO try this Brazilian Steak house..not too many people seemed to go but it was great. Meat assortment was amazing..service was great! Worth the $20!

 

PORTS--

Nassau- my goodness- windy and cool. Went to Sheraton hotel for day pass and too windy to do anything we looked forward to. No snorkeling- no water toys- no slides..BUT the hotel was so nice..after almost an hour of not being able to do anything-we asked for a refund and they cheerfully gave it. That is class!

 

St Thomas- took a cab to Secret Harbor- great snorkeling..not crowded with four big ships in town. Great atmosphere!

 

San Juan- walked to forts and around old San Juan. Not a real full day but fun.

 

Stirrup Cay- WINDY and crazy! Took tenders ashore but everyone got called back early due to weather getting worse. NCL showed alot of class- refunded everyone who rented snorkel gear etc since they day was cut short!

 

All in all a good cruise! After all the negative reviews I was kind of worried- even after being on the SUN four times. But besides obvious cutbacks in more expensive foods and cuts of meat etc..it was a really nice time!

!

 

We love the Sun (or I do, hubby hasn't cruised her yet) and can't wait til Feb. Too bad the weather was yucky and 4 ships in at once. We just had this on our last cruise and too many ships in at once can really take away from the fun in port.

 

As for the negative reviews, I am not saying those who posted had any reason to blast other than their personal feelings and experiences, but I have trouble taking them too seriously.

 

Nita

[kenb]

I completely agree with this review. The food was good but has lost the "wow" factor. Portions were small in the MDR but the waitstaff were happy to bring more of anything that was requested. My DW talked to a couple of people as we waited for our shuttle and thet were unhappy with everything about the cruise and the crew. I don't understand how some people form their opinions but I feel the crew and the cruise were great. This was our 2nd time on the Sun and we will be back.

[jdvmd]

Embarkation--WOW--got to Pt Canaveral at 2pm..NO waiting in Latitudes line- whipped right through- short line in non Latitutdes but seemed to be moving pretty good. On ship within 15 minutes of arriving.

 

 

SUN- Still in good shape...carpets bright and clear..does not look worn like I have seen in later reviews. Balcony cabin has lots of room and lots of storage space.

 

CREW-- everyone very friendly- very helpful..not a sour puss to be found. Service was not slow as stated most nights..going at a comfortable pace. Our cabin steward kept room clean and neat and a couple nights we must have got the 'new sheets" cuz they were sooo soft and silky!

 

FOOD- from poor to good. After cruising for 30 years I have to say food is jUST not what it used to be on cruise ships. You can tell ships are cutting back. THere was a good selection of food in Main Dining rooms but nothing "fancy". Buffet always had plenty of entrees to pick from and for "buffet" food pretty good but ugh the crowds! My only real 'Complaint" would be the desserts! Used to be SO many good baked desserts and good desserts to choose from..now all desserts seem to be pan type custards, cheesecakes etc. Not so impressed..although I must say the cobblers near the ice cream were yummy!

 

MODERNO-- DO try this Brazilian Steak house..not too many people seemed to go but it was great. Meat assortment was amazing..service was great! Worth the $20!

 

PORTS--

Nassau- my goodness- windy and cool. Went to Sheraton hotel for day pass and too windy to do anything we looked forward to. No snorkeling- no water toys- no slides..BUT the hotel was so nice..after almost an hour of not being able to do anything-we asked for a refund and they cheerfully gave it. That is class!

 

St Thomas- took a cab to Secret Harbor- great snorkeling..not crowded with four big ships in town. Great atmosphere!

 

San Juan- walked to forts and around old San Juan. Not a real full day but fun.

 

Stirrup Cay- WINDY and crazy! Took tenders ashore but everyone got called back early due to weather getting worse. NCL showed alot of class- refunded everyone who rented snorkel gear etc since they day was cut short!

 

All in all a good cruise! After all the negative reviews I was kind of worried- even after being on the SUN four times. But besides obvious cutbacks in more expensive foods and cuts of meat etc..it was a really nice time!

!

 

The cost for Moderno is supposed to be $18. Are you saying you were charged $20?

[Coastalbreezes]

Thanks for the great review. Was just on the Sun a few weeks ago and really enjoyed this ship! For some reason, we missed Moderno and everyone said how good it was. Hope to try it next cruise.

 

TracyE

[newmexicoNita]

I completely agree with this review. The food was good but has lost the "wow" factor. Portions were small in the MDR but the waitstaff were happy to bring more of anything that was requested. My DW talked to a couple of people as we waited for our shuttle and thet were unhappy with everything about the cruise and the crew. I don't understand how some people form their opinions but I feel the crew and the cruise were great. This was our 2nd time on the Sun and we will be back.

 

There will always be people who spend thier lives comparing and bitching about things not being exactly the way they think they should be. I remember a few instances, one, a couple of guys on a tender (we were sailing the Sun that time) were complaining about the ship compared to Princess. The one guys main complaint, get this: Princess has fresh water pools. Sure, fresh water is nice,but it isn't an issue I would use for comparing cruise lines. I have said this before: every cruise line has its own personality and there are some people who should not cruise NCL. There are a couple of cruise lines we stay away from, not because they are not good lines, but because they are not for us. For those who want to be pampered do not sail NCL, for those who like bells and whistles, don't sail NCL, for those who want a quiet, relaxed, subdued experience, don't sail NCL. For those who want to have a good time, enjoy a friendly, smiling crew and like to be as busy or as relaxed as you want with a truely "do your own thing" experience, do cruise NCL.

[jdvmd]

I'm a big believer in treating people the way I want to be treated. I bet those that were complaining were nasty to the crew too.

[dna529]

I agree with your review. I was on that week also. It was my first time on the Sun and I was pleased with the crew and the cruise in general. Just surprised by the amount of movement I felt on the ship on this cruise (compared to two other cruises I've taken). My kids were sick on Sunday night, but were still happy to sail the rest of the week! Overall, it was a great cruise.:D

[newmexicoNita]

I agree with your review. I was on that week also. It was my first time on the Sun and I was pleased with the crew and the cruise in general. Just surprised by the amount of movement I felt on the ship on this cruise (compared to two other cruises I've taken). My kids were sick on Sunday night, but were still happy to sail the rest of the week! Overall, it was a great cruise.:D

 

Most of the time the movement has to do with the size of the ship and your location. We just got off a ship with 3500 passengers, but we were on deck 15, forward and had a really bad night with swells around 17 to 19 ft we were told. We had never felt so much movement before. I am sorry your kids got sick, that isn't fun for anyone.

 

Nita

[puddles99]

Thank you so much for your review. Every time I read a new post about the Sun I get even more excited about our trip . . . less than five months away! :D

[slotaddict]

The cost for Moderno is supposed to be $18. Are you saying you were charged $20?

 

 

 

Speaking only for my self, the charge for Moderno is 20pp..we were on the Sun a month ago....

[NJLVW]

What a nice review. Thank you for sharing. 67 days and counting. WooHoo

[Flaps15]

really appreciate the review... got 5 more days until the Sun! :)

[newmexicoNita]

Speaking only for my self, the charge for Moderno is 20pp..we were on the Sun a month ago....

 

Not quite sure where the $18 came from, I thought it was $20.

 

NIta

[IDKaren]

The cost for Moderno is supposed to be $18. Are you saying you were charged $20?

 

 

Yes it is $20 per person but the 10 meats or so they serve are amazing and a great salad bar and the waiters were so attentive. Well worth it!

[IDKaren]

I did have a couple kind of negative feelings. Some can be addressed by NCL ===some not but just my own thoughts!

 

#1--HOT TUBS... the number of kids in the four hot tubs was crazy! Using it for their own personal pool/tub I guess and neither parents nor staff addressed it. Hard to use a hot tub with kids jumping in and out!

#2- BUFFET- not NCL fault but as usual the tables were always full and many people were just sitting and reading or chatting after being done as people balanced plates while rocking back and forth..stumbling back and forth! BUT if one goes over to Moderno or Sports Bar there is usually room for sitting with your buffet food.

#3-ENTERTAINMENT--well something for everyone I guess and lots of people seemed to enjoy shows but we were not really keen on the dancing/singing group a couple of nights. Hypnotist was funny- especially since my daughter got up center stage..laughed till I cried.

 

ALSO- forgot to mention how GREAT disembarking the ship was. We were off by 8:20 and waiting for our shuttle that I had ordered for 9:30 thinking it would be a mess. YAY~~

[dna529]

I agree about the buffet. It was frustrating to see people sitting there just talking with no plates while I tried to manage my own plate and two kids plates with no where to sit. Not NCL's fault, but this is why we rarely ate at the buffet!

[triplett]

I'm a big believer in treating people the way I want to be treated. I bet those that were complaining were nasty to the crew too.

 

I agree, we get out of an experience what we put in.