Sun vs. Dawn- need your opinion

[2boyzmom]

We booked the 11 day sailing on the Sun for next March and are super excited. I looked at the deck plans and the ship layout looks so different from the Dawn (which we love). Are the pools large? Are the shows and activities as well done? We are traveling with two active boys and hope there is enough space in the kids club since it looks a bit small on the deck plan. It looks like they kept Tapas but no Cagneys?

[dexddd]

The steakhouse is East meets West. The Sun has two main pools one was adults only. I'd say they are smaller in total only because it seemed that way. Also, there is not a kids pool area aft. There is a dinky kids pool area up by the main pool, iirc, it was up one deck. I'd say toddlers only for that one.

[jdvmd]

The Sun is a great ship. I haven't sailed on the Dawn but I think you will like it quite well.

[puddles99]

I've been on both ships but haven't used the pool on either! My perception is that the pools were slightly smaller on the Sun. The shows, activities, specialty dining venues, etc were comparable although the Stardust Theatre is much smaller on the Sun.

 

Like someone else mentioned, the steakhouse on the Sun is called East Meets West and since there is no Cagney's, the breakfast / lunch suite perk is in Il Adagio - which I actually preferred in terms of comfort and the view.

 

I don't know how old your kids are, but mine were 7 and 9 when we sailed on the Sun. The Kids Club seemed large enough but wasn't perfect. My oldest struggled to find something she wanted to participate in at first (they had combined age groups due to the number of kids on board and seemed to cater to the youngest kids) and a lot of the staff seemed to be disconnected. It appeared to me that many of them had been on board too long and need a break.

[fergusonvt]

I've been on the Sun and the Dawn's sister ship Star. Out of the two ships I liked the Sun the best but also had a great time on the Star. Shows were equal in both ships in my opinion and we enjoyed everything we saw. I didn't see many children on the Star but saw the kids club parade when we were on the Sun. The kids looked like they were having a great time.

[ronn772]

Sailed the Dawn last year, Sun this year. Loved the Art Deco look of the decoration on the Dawn... it is definitely a prettier, more decorated ship than the Sun. And the pools on the Dawn did seem to be larger. But we both really preferred the Sun... everything just seemed to be easier to get to, and even though we were at full capacity, it just never seemed crowded.

 

As has been mentioned, no Cagney's (which we really missed!) We didn't have any experience with the Kid's Club, so I can't help there. But you'll love the Sun!

[Doughboy139]

One of the best part of the SUN is the "Great outdoor cafe". It is on the aft and is a covered outdoor eating area where you can really enjoy the view while eating your meal.

 

Here is a video of the area

 

http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k614/Doughboy139/?action=view&current=20100804044909.mp4