Help! Considering Sun @ Christmas

[toliver]

We are considering the Exotic 11 day Caribbean cruise on the Sun on 12/18. After reading these boards I feel much better about NCL. Some other boards are not to friendlyl. Couple of questions:

Daughters age 7 & 10 any input regarding the kids programs?

How many of the restaurants are and extra charge?

Balcony? or no balcony?

and lastly, where is the best place to book the cruise. Website?

Travel agent? Orbitz etc?

Thanks for the help. We are first time cruisers and really want to make

sure our $$ is well spent.:eek:

[fitters]

Well TOliver, we are going on the Sun 12/11/05, so I really can't tell you much about the ship. This is our first time on NCL, been on Carnival and Princess. I'd say go for it. You'll love cruising. Regarding booking, look at websites out there first to see what rates are being offered. Then you can go to a TA to see if they compare.

[richtersl]

You can get answers to your questions much quicker by just using the forum's search feature. ;)

 

Someone just recently posted some wonderful comments about the kids program. A search should bring that up for you.

 

Also, NCL's web site at http://www.ncl.com will tell you which restaurants charge extra and what the charges are. Off the top of my head, the restaurants that charge are Le Bistro, Il Adagio, East Meets West (there's a rumor going around that this one will be replaced by a steak house), the Sushi Bar, and the Teppenyaki room (aka Hibachi Grill). You can eat for free at all the other restaurants. The web site also has plenty of information there about freestyle dining and dress.

 

As to where the best place to book the cruise: just shop and compare prices at all the places you just asked about. I found a better deal on line than with NCL when I booked my trip for last November. You just have to shop around.

[cliffd64]

We are considering the Exotic 11 day Caribbean cruise on the Sun on 12/18. After reading these boards I feel much better about NCL. Some other boards are not to friendlyl. Couple of questions:

Daughters age 7 & 10 any input regarding the kids programs?

How many of the restaurants are and extra charge?

Balcony? or no balcony?

and lastly, where is the best place to book the cruise. Website?

Travel agent? Orbitz etc?

Thanks for the help. We are first time cruisers and really want to make

sure our $$ is well spent.:eek:

 

 

Congrats on your choice... it looks like an interesting itinerary! We will be aboard the Sun (again) this November for a 7 night :)

 

 

Kids programs: The kids club programs are good for kids on the days at sea. There are no programs while in ports. They do fun activities like scavenger hunts and all sorts of other fun activities.

 

There are quite a few restaurants on board:

 

Free restaurants include the main dining rooms : Four Seasons, and Seven Seas.

 

The buffet areas are also free of charge (Garden Cafe and Great Outdoor Cafe) as well as the Pacific Heights restaurant - which is all "Cooking Light" meals.

 

Las Ramblas has free appetizer type stuff, not a place for a full meal...

 

Specialty restaurants include le Bistro (french mediterranean), Ginza and East meets West (Asian fusion, sushi and teppanyaki) Il Adaggio, (Italian). All iof these require surcharges ranging from $10 - 20 per person.

 

As for balcony or no balcony... that is a personal preference. You need to ask yourself if you will be in your cabin enough to enjoy it and justify the increased expense. Many people have all sorts of opinions on this, but yours is obviously the only one that counts.

 

We are not allowed here to suggest a travel agent, but use the one you are most comfortable with who gives you the best service :)

[Jim Gallup]

toliver,

 

The Sun is a great ship. I worked on her for quite some time.

But as a newbie, you need to know that the Christmas Cruise is normally the most expensive, over-crowded, and problematic cruise of the year for most mass-market ships.

It starts with the overcrowded airports and overbooked airlines. Continues with everything closed for the holidays, so if you have any problems with flights, bags, etc, there is nobody to help you. It's usually complicated by winter storms that cause flight delays and cancellations - and less than perfect weather even in the Caribbean.

Then the ship is usually booked solid for the Holiday. Heaven help you if there is a problem with your cabin or booking. There are NO empty cabins to move you to.

There will be long lines for nearly everything; security at the airports, checking in for the cruise, getting a meal onboard.

Many tour operators, museums, and other tourist sites are closed for Christmas. At least you can save some money there.

The crew is usually not too happy to be there. They would rather be at home with their families. They also are painfully aware that they are going to encounter more problems and complaints this week than during anyother time of the year. Since Christmas Cruises are normally more expensive than most others, the many families onboard need to save money here and there.Those savings normally equal reduced tips for the staff.

Every family has brought their children for the Christmas Cruise. If you love hundreds of children running around the ship, playing elevator race games, dominating the swimming pools, hanging out in packs in staircases, you will be very happy. By the way, the latest trend in teenage fun is vandalizing your suitcase after you put it in the corridor on the last night of the cruise. You probably will not realize it happened until you open it at home after the cruise.

 

On the positive side, the following cruise (New Year's) is usually one of the best cruises of the year.

[toliver]

Thanks so much for the advice everybody. Jim thanks for the heads up about the crowdes conditions at Christmas. Maybe I will check out the New Years cruise as well.

T.

[richtersl]

...It starts with the overcrowded airports and overbooked airlines. Continues with everything closed for the holidays, so if you have any problems with flights, bags, etc, there is nobody to help you. It's usually complicated by winter storms that cause flight delays and cancellations - and less than perfect weather even in the Caribbean.

 

Then the ship is usually booked solid for the Holiday. Heaven help you if there is a problem with your cabin or booking. There are NO empty cabins to move you to.

 

There will be long lines for nearly everything; security at the airports, checking in for the cruise, getting a meal onboard.

 

...<snip>

 

Every family has brought their children for the Christmas Cruise. If you love hundreds of children running around the ship, playing elevator race games, dominating the swimming pools, hanging out in packs in staircases, you will be very happy. By the way, the latest trend in teenage fun is vandalizing your suitcase after you put it in the corridor on the last night of the cruise. You probably will not realize it happened until you open it at home after the cruise.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Now I understand why my sister prefers going in mid-January. She's a part time TA. Thanks for the tips, Jim.

[richtersl]

Thanks so much for the advice everybody. Jim thanks for the heads up about the crowdes conditions at Christmas. Maybe I will check out the New Years cruise as well.

T.

Check the Cruise Critic bargain board to see if they have any specials listed for the NCL Sun. It may help you in your decision.