Norwegian Sun Review - W. Caribbean Dec. 10-17, 2011

[hokierick]

This is my way of paying-it-forward as I found postings on Cruise Critic to be very helpful in planning this vacation. We booked two adjoining rooms (7001-7002) since my wife and I traveled with our four kids, ages 5-14. We all had a great time and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The worst part of the whole trip was actually after a smooth disembarkation. It took us an hour of waiting in exhaust fumes with our bags to get our shuttle back to the park-and-ride. Of course that had nothing to do with Norwegian. From what we can tell it was the poor organization of the port and the park-and-ride company we went through. But as for the cruise, everything really was great. So here is the review I submitted below. Feel free to ask any questions as I am sure I left out many salient points.

 

 

Embarkation: Smooth. Lines, yes, but moved quickly. Friendly staff. Probably 30 minutes from shuttle drop off to on the ship.

 

Dining: Loved it. Really enjoyed the main dining rooms. Service was excellent and we ate there every evening and lunches on sea days too. Did not try the specialty restaurants so cannot comment on them. But we all thought the non-extra pay food options were excellent. A couple of tips: the outdoor buffet at the aft of the ship is a great place for breakfast and you can often avoid crowds there. Yes, the buffet setup is a little odd, but we always walked right past the line at the entrance (where waffle/ice cream station is) to either access it from the back or, as mentioned, at the outdoor buffet which was never crowded. In the evenings they do crepes next to the ice cream station. Don't miss those.

 

Public Rooms: Didn't spend a lot of time just hanging around inside but everything was very clean and sparkling. The ship looked fantastic. I really question the negative reviews in fact. Were they on a different ship?

 

Entertainment: Did not attend all the shows, but really enjoyed the ones we did go to, particularly the juggler--simply outstanding. Comedian was pretty good. The Encore show was fun and the singers/dancers were very good, though as a Dad with young children there, I question some of the selections. I suppose it just reinforced to me that the values of Broadway don't line up very well with mine. "We Will Rock You" was a lot of fun too by the way.

 

Cabin: Exceeded expectations. Having adjoining rooms (door in-between) was great for our family. And both cabins had pull-down beds which made the bedding arrangement just perfect so the rooms did not seem small at all. We had plenty of room for a family of six! Very clean, functional. Beds were very comfortable. Steward was attentive to our every need. Only (minor) complaint is that because we were next to the Kids Club, there was a lot of kid traffic and noise in our hallway. We knew that ahead of time but it was worth it to have the adjoining rooms with pull-down beds. If you are traveling with kids, be sure to make sure your room(s) have the pull-downs--they are terrific!

 

Service: Excellent everywhere. Again, negative reviews regarding rude or uncaring staff are inexplicable to me. We were treated terrifically all week.

 

Fitness & Recreation: Didn't use the pool as much as we thought we would. And although I intended (smile) to use the fitness center, I never did. But it looked very modern. Track around ship is nice. We did play some hoops on the basketball court which was tricky given the wind up there :-)

 

Shore Excursions: Did not book any through the ship but were happy with the ones we booked on our own. We especially liked using Captain Marvin's in Grand Cayman. We also really loved Great Stirrup Cay. Wonderful, relaxing day at the beach.

 

Enrichment: We didn't do a lot of "enrichment" activities but there are plenty offered (see dailies).

 

Value for Money: The best deal we could find for week-long Caribbean cruise and in just about every respect our expectations were exceeded. We really had a great week.

 

Would I recommend Norwegian in general or this ship in particular to a friend? Yes, yes, yes. We are already planning on our next cruise, very likely to be with Norwegian.

 

 

I'll post the dailies below as that can be helpful with trip planning.

[hokierick]

Attached

Day 1.pdf

Day 2.pdf

Day 3.pdf

Day 4.pdf

Day 5.pdf

Day 6.pdf

Day 7.pdf

[gelo7]

Thanks for sharing.

[mpk218]

The Sun is one of my favorites..;)

[STARFISH*4]

GLAD you enjoyed your cruise we LOVED our time on the SUN including this week and cant wait for our 3 weeks in November-December!!

[Sauer-kraut]

She's a special ship!

 

Thanks for taking the time to do a review.:)

[DMH15]

Thank you. Always love reading reviews of my fave, The Sun.

[Medtech2]

Attached

Thanks for posting these! There is so much to do, I am already going crazy....

[fergusonvt]

Thanks for the review. Glad you like the Sun as much as we did!

[jdvmd]

Glad you had a great time! The Sun is wonderful!

[LDVinNC]

Thanks! We embark on the Sun on Saturday and can't wait!

[TrinaLC]

Thanks! We embark on the Sun on Saturday and can't wait!

 

So do we!

[newmexicoNita]

This is my way of paying-it-forward as I found postings on Cruise Critic to be very helpful in planning this vacation. We booked two adjoining rooms (7001-7002) since my wife and I traveled with our four kids, ages 5-14. We all had a great time and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The worst part of the whole trip was actually after a smooth disembarkation. It took us an hour of waiting in exhaust fumes with our bags to get our shuttle back to the park-and-ride. Of course that had nothing to do with Norwegian. From what we can tell it was the poor organization of the port and the park-and-ride company we went through. But as for the cruise, everything really was great. So here is the review I submitted below. Feel free to ask any questions as I am sure I left out many salient points.

 

 

Embarkation: Smooth. Lines, yes, but moved quickly. Friendly staff. Probably 30 minutes from shuttle drop off to on the ship.

 

Dining: Loved it. Really enjoyed the main dining rooms. Service was excellent and we ate there every evening and lunches on sea days too. Did not try the specialty restaurants so cannot comment on them. But we all thought the non-extra pay food options were excellent. A couple of tips: the outdoor buffet at the aft of the ship is a great place for breakfast and you can often avoid crowds there. Yes, the buffet setup is a little odd, but we always walked right past the line at the entrance (where waffle/ice cream station is) to either access it from the back or, as mentioned, at the outdoor buffet which was never crowded. In the evenings they do crepes next to the ice cream station. Don't miss those.

 

Public Rooms: Didn't spend a lot of time just hanging around inside but everything was very clean and sparkling. The ship looked fantastic. I really question the negative reviews in fact. Were they on a different ship?

 

Entertainment: Did not attend all the shows, but really enjoyed the ones we did go to, particularly the juggler--simply outstanding. Comedian was pretty good. The Encore show was fun and the singers/dancers were very good, though as a Dad with young children there, I question some of the selections. I suppose it just reinforced to me that the values of Broadway don't line up very well with mine. "We Will Rock You" was a lot of fun too by the way.

 

Cabin: Exceeded expectations. Having adjoining rooms (door in-between) was great for our family. And both cabins had pull-down beds which made the bedding arrangement just perfect so the rooms did not seem small at all. We had plenty of room for a family of six! Very clean, functional. Beds were very comfortable. Steward was attentive to our every need. Only (minor) complaint is that because we were next to the Kids Club, there was a lot of kid traffic and noise in our hallway. We knew that ahead of time but it was worth it to have the adjoining rooms with pull-down beds. If you are traveling with kids, be sure to make sure your room(s) have the pull-downs--they are terrific!

 

Service: Excellent everywhere. Again, negative reviews regarding rude or uncaring staff are inexplicable to me. We were treated terrifically all week.

 

Fitness & Recreation: Didn't use the pool as much as we thought we would. And although I intended (smile) to use the fitness center, I never did. But it looked very modern. Track around ship is nice. We did play some hoops on the basketball court which was tricky given the wind up there :-)

 

Shore Excursions: Did not book any through the ship but were happy with the ones we booked on our own. We especially liked using Captain Marvin's in Grand Cayman. We also really loved Great Stirrup Cay. Wonderful, relaxing day at the beach.

 

Enrichment: We didn't do a lot of "enrichment" activities but there are plenty offered (see dailies).

 

Value for Money: The best deal we could find for week-long Caribbean cruise and in just about every respect our expectations were exceeded. We really had a great week.

 

Would I recommend Norwegian in general or this ship in particular to a friend? Yes, yes, yes. We are already planning on our next cruise, very likely to be with Norwegian.

 

 

I'll post the dailies below as that can be helpful with trip planning.

 

I love your kind of review. It is simple but helps those who want a quick overview. We love the Sun. Actually we were scheduled to sail her next month, but health issues have caused a delay. I am hoping we can take a cruise on her the 7th or 14th of April. We should know anyday.

 

Nita

[m$m7]

Tank you for the great review:) It has me even more excited now for my cruise on the Sun in only 30 days:D

 

Any update you can provide on GSC? I was wondering how things are progressing on the improvements. Pictures would be awesome if you have any.

[Medtech2]

I love your kind of review. It is simple but helps those who want a quick overview. We love the Sun. Actually we were scheduled to sail her next month, but health issues have caused a delay. I am hoping we can take a cruise on her the 7th or 14th of April. We should know anyday.

 

Nita

Oh, please join us APRIL 14!

[Losnab]

Thanks so much for posting your positive review and for sharing the dailies.

Heading out on the Sun in 3 days. First NCL and I sure I will enjoy every moment. (Boy do I need a vacation)

[Lollygil]

Thanks for getting me more excited---counting down to my cruise!

[pritbrit]

May I ask how you booked your tours privately I am new to that area of cruising. I understand many people are doing this but I dont want to be scammed. Is there somewhere that I can find legit excursions for a Norwegian Sun sailing in February. Thank you :)

[Lollygil]

Thanks here are some quick questions...were there 2 for one deals for the specialty restuarant on the first night? What night was Lobster Night? And is the Lobster stilll a tail in MDR or is it cut up pieces in sauce? What nights were Dress up or not?

[hokierick]

May I ask how you booked your tours privately I am new to that area of cruising. I understand many people are doing this but I dont want to be scammed. Is there somewhere that I can find legit excursions for a Norwegian Sun sailing in February. Thank you :)

 

We really like consulting with TripAdvisor.com Check out a location and their rankings (based on user reviews) of "things to do." That is a really good place to start.

[hokierick]

Thanks here are some quick questions...were there 2 for one deals for the specialty restuarant on the first night? What night was Lobster Night? And is the Lobster stilll a tail in MDR or is it cut up pieces in sauce? What nights were Dress up or not?

 

We missed Lobster night! My sons especially were so bummed. I think it was the first night--the one night we didn't go to the MDR. We thought it would be at the end. Just check the menus outside of Four Seasons (both Four Seasons and Seven Seas menus will be there, every day, side-by-side).

 

As for the specialty restaurants, I am not sure. I wasn't planning on going so didn't pay attention to special deals.

 

Dress up nights, I don't recall, but check the dailies that I uploaded. Have a great cruise!

[jdvmd]

May I ask how you booked your tours privately I am new to that area of cruising. I understand many people are doing this but I dont want to be scammed. Is there somewhere that I can find legit excursions for a Norwegian Sun sailing in February. Thank you :)

 

On Cruise Critic, there is an area called Ports of Call. You will find various topics on each of the places you are visiting. I generally go through the threads and see some of the same vendor names popping up. Never have had a bad experience with any private excursion. Much cheaper also.

[NMLady]

May I ask how you booked your tours privately I am new to that area of cruising. I understand many people are doing this but I dont want to be scammed. Is there somewhere that I can find legit excursions for a Norwegian Sun sailing in February. Thank you :)

 

If you go to the Roll Call forum and join the Roll Call for your sailing, there will probably be several members organizing private tours. If not, you can at least ask your question there and get answers specific to your cruise.

[Rabbitlady]

Thank you so much. Our first time on NCL in March.................

 

Rabbitlady and hubby

[kclcruise]

Can you give me any info on how your children enjoyed the kids club? We are sailing in March.:)