Back from the 11 day SUN cruise

[DMH15]

No, no flat screens at all. The old CRT screens, with the usual limited choices for viewing. Repeat movies, reviews of port talks/games/other events, bridge reports, port previews, sometimes CNBC, CNN, and such.

 

Thought I had read the suites had flat screens now????

[cacj]

Thought I had read the suites had flat screens now????

 

Oh, sorry, I don't know a thing about a suite. Best we can afford is an occasional balcony cabin. So, maybe someone else has first hand knowledge about the suites and their tv.

[mali06]

I read that they were going to have the flat screens in all cabins by our cruise January 16th. That would be very nice!:)

[kato92]

Cigar area (Havana Club) is next to the Windjammer, but we never saw anyone sit there unless it was overflow guests who were enjoying the piano player. As for cigars offered, I cannot help you there, but hopefully someone else can advise you on this. I think that the Friends of Dorothy meet were listed as being invited to Havana Club each day.

 

Is this cigar area indoors? I thought the indoor cigar was shut down and used for other purposes:confused:

[cacj]

Is this cigar area indoors? I thought the indoor cigar was shut down and used for other purposes:confused:

 

Well, there were no guests smoking in the area, but there were display cases of cigars if my memory serves me correctly. Smoking is only outdoors, and there are specific spots for cigar smokers, but I cannot remember where, as we don't smoke. But the Havana Club is not an appealing area to our tastes, smoking or no...it is sort of tucked next to the piano bar (Windjammer) and very dark, with some leather seating and some display cases which give it a feeling of crowdedness. I don't have a photo, but it is not a favorite spot for us at all.

[jdvmd]

From NCL's FAQ.

 

Where can I smoke cigars on Norwegian Sun?

 

Are there any cigar bars, lounges indoor bars that let you smoke and smoke cigars, such as a cigar bar?

asked 3 days ago by bornin1950 on Norwegian Sun

2 answers

Answers

answer 1

Guests can smoke cigarettes, cigars and pipes in outdoor public guest spaces and open decks, where designated by the appropriate signage. Smoking is not permitted near outdoor venues which serve food, in open spaces such as the jogging track, sport complex, children’s pool and in The Haven outdoor areas.

 

answered 18 hours ago by NCLSTAFF24 - Miami

answer 2

Cigar smoking is more restricted than cigarette smoking. The Sun doesn't have a cigar bar. The only option is to smoke cigars outside on the deck away from the pool. You cannot smoke cigars in the balcony or the casino where cigarettes are allowed.

[sonicbuffalo]

I want to thank everyone for posting the dailies and info on the Sun. I just booked the 11 day this afternoon. I actually postponed the cruise we had scheduled on the Allure.

 

Can anyone compare NCL to Carnival? We've never ventured away from Carnival but glad we switched for the 11 day. We've been to all the islands, but have never been to Cartagena. Is it a good port to shop, or what should we plan to do there?

 

Any information would be welcome about anything having to do with NCL.

[2boyzmom]

I have been on Carnival twice and find the service on NCL much better. We were in Cartegena a few years back and loved it. We are returning there in March and booked a party tour bus. Just be prepared for the heat and many vendors bothering you and you will be fine. Enjoy the culture of this beautiful city.

[dmwnc1959]

Hi OP,

 

I was in Saint Martin on that same day docked next to you on Ruby Princess and took a few pictures of your ship from our vantage point. A few pictures of the Norwegian Sun can be found here in my Saint Martin album...

 

 

 

 

Here's on also as you guys steamed off into the sunset

[plank]

Hi OP,

 

I was in Saint Martin on that same day docked next to you on Ruby Princess and took a few pictures of your ship from our vantage point. A few pictures of the Norwegian Sun can be found here in my Saint Martin album...

 

 

 

 

Here's on also as you guys steamed off into the sunset

 

Great pics! Leaving Feb. 6 for 11 days!!!! Sooo excited!!!! Thx.

[dmwnc1959]

Great pics! Leaving Feb. 6 for 11 days!!!! Sooo excited!!!! Thx.

 

Have a GREAT cruise and try to have fun. ;)

[cacj]

From NCL's FAQ.

 

Where can I smoke cigars on Norwegian Sun?

 

Are there any cigar bars, lounges indoor bars that let you smoke and smoke cigars, such as a cigar bar?

asked 3 days ago by bornin1950 on Norwegian Sun

2 answers

Answers

answer 1

Guests can smoke cigarettes, cigars and pipes in outdoor public guest spaces and open decks, where designated by the appropriate signage. Smoking is not permitted near outdoor venues which serve food, in open spaces such as the jogging track, sport complex, children’s pool and in The Haven outdoor areas.

 

answered 18 hours ago by NCLSTAFF24 - Miami

answer 2

Cigar smoking is more restricted than cigarette smoking. The Sun doesn't have a cigar bar. The only option is to smoke cigars outside on the deck away from the pool. You cannot smoke cigars in the balcony or the casino where cigarettes are allowed.

 

Found this on the daily from the SUN:

 

Smoking in public areas is only permitted in designated spaces of open decks: on the portside of the Topsiders Bar, Deck 11. Portside on the outer decks: deck 6 and 12 by the wall with the mounted ashtrays. You can also smoke in the casino and stateroom balconies (cigarettes only.) Smoking of any kind is prohibited in the staterooms.

 

 

It can be confusing to figure out the policy, (especially since the website and the welcome aboard book mentions other things), but any bartender or crew member will be happy to help you figure out where is the "legal" spot to enjoy yourself.

[cacj]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the Chocolate event now happens during the dinner hours in all dining rooms. We preferred this approach than the midnight choco-buffet or afternoon event. All guests in any dining area were treated to chocolate displays.

 

Also, one night at the Seven Seas, they had a dessert buffet, which was a nice and different way to end your dinner with a sweet treat.

[welove2cruise*]

I have been on Carnival twice and find the service on NCL much better. We were in Cartegena a few years back and loved it. We are returning there in March and booked a party tour bus. Just be prepared for the heat and many vendors bothering you and you will be fine. Enjoy the culture of this beautiful city.

 

Can you let me know what party tour bus? We will be there in February and would like to check into that.

[2boyzmom]

Can you let me know what party tour bus? We will be there in February and would like to check into that.

 

Sorry- I am not on the party bus until March, but the reviews look good :)

[kato92]

Can you let me know what party tour bus? We will be there in February and would like to check into that.

 

NCL has a CHiva Pary Bus tour

[rovergal]

Thanks for scanning in the Freestyle daily info - getting excited for my Sun cruise at the end of Feb!

[erichard]

Thanks for the review and the Freestyle dailies. We are on the 11 day cruise in a week. Do you remember which days the laundry bag special was offered?

[mali06]

erichard . . . have you joined our roll call? I don't remember seeing your name! We are having a meet and greet and a cabin crawl and poker run! You can do any or all or none but it should be fun! See you onboard!:D

[Karysa]

Was on this cruise same time, Dec.16-26, 2012. This was my 9th but second NCL cruise and first NCL for DH, DS, and DD.

 

The ship is definitely showing signs of age. One of the things I hated most about this ship was the very small bathroom and teeny tiny shower with the cloth shower curtain always sticking to me even with the weights at the bottom. My daughter had the pleasure of hearing me cursing it every night. :) The two soap dispensers were awkardly placed. Shaving legs, almost impossible. :mad:

 

Our family opinion was the evening meals in both dining rooms were just so so. Not bad but nothing to get excited about either. We felt their signature cheese cake was the best dessert overall. There were a couple of other good ones but you could always count on cheesecake being good. The daily buffet was decent and hardly any lines to speak of, plenty of locations to choose from which was nice. We don't do special restaurants so can't speak of those but heard good reviews about a couple mentioned but didn't pay attention to which ones since it wasn't an issure for us.

 

My son loved hanging out in the Observation Lounge with his Surface with it's great view. I passed thru a couple of times and did notice it to be a nice place to just chill during sea days.

 

Pool band, Titanium, was pretty good with its Caribbean influence. They tried hard to get audience participation but at times very difficult. Denis the piano man was enjoyable to listen to. Only heard Cat Wells one time poolside and she too was good and enjoyable, kinda folk style music. The only group we didn't care at all for was Adam's Rib. They were often off key and pretty bad sounding. The cruise singers and dancer's were very good and we enjoyed all their performances that we saw.

 

The cruise director, JC, was awesome and very visible as well as his staff. He even sang and has a very nice voice. For those of you that did the Dawn this last Feb., Alvin (karaoke) is now with the Sun. He too is awesome and so much fun. The hypnotist, TerranceB, from Dawn was on the Sun - not sure his schedule or how his rotation works. Who doesn't love a hypnosis show? :D Greg the magician was OK. Overheard he's had better shows. I wasn't too impressed or amused with Rick Starr the comedian. I felt he thought he was funnier and more amused with himself - however, there were a few times he was entertaining. We did a little too much partying and didn't get to see the Cirque du Soleil show but heard great reviews. Overall, I think the entertainment was really good and some of the best we've seen, of what we saw. There were plenty of daily activities that should keep you from getting bored.

 

Because of age demographics for this particular cruise, chair hogging wasn't an issue. You could "CH" all you wanted, not that I'm promoting it. ;) There's a nice basketball/volleyball court right above the pool area that allowed for observing (in case you wanted to watch kids playing games from pool decks or vice versa). The net enclosed ping pong tables are in same area as bb court but off to the side as well as shuffleboard.

 

The decor on the ship is lacking, in MY opinion. One guy at front desk is a real ass but everyone else was nice and friendly to deal with. Our cabin steward, Al, was great and always greeted us with a smile and called us each by our names every time. He was awesome at meeting our request and handling some plumbing issues. No matter the time of day when we'd leave our room, when we'd come back it would be tiddy.

 

Overall our time on the ship was OK. However with that said, not sure I would seek out this ship or it's class for future cruises unless it was just an awesome, too good to pass up, best deal ever cruise. Nothing to do at all with Captain, ship staff, or entertainment. I just wasn't that excitied about this ship, and did I mention the shower. :eek: Also, just MY opinion, but the food was just so so. I'm afraid this is more of a changing of the times thing and food quality just isn't going to be what it use to be unless you want to pay extra for the speciality restaurants. I think cruise lines should go back and provide good quality and great meals, especially dining room meals that everyone can enjoy but unfortunatley, it's probably never going to happen. Oh well, won't keep me from cruising. :)

 

I cruised over New Years and agree with many things such as the small shower and great staff but your family and ours differed very much in regards to the food in the MDR. We found the food very good thought the cruise. For desserts we often went up to the Garden Cafe and enjoyed the made to order crepes.

 

The entertainment staff commented on how the cruisers on New Years were an exceptionally lively group who loved to dance.

 

We thought that although the ship was on the small side that other than the theatre, the public rooms such as the observation lounge inside in the front of the ship and the great outdoor cafe in the aft overlooking the wake were fantastic venues for all passengers to enjoy.

 

If you didn't like the food then maybe RCCL would be better for you as we found that the food on our 3 Royal Caribbean cruises to be the weak link on that line, but food is subjective so it may be just what your family likes.

[Carey and Kerry]

Thanks for all the information - we are booked for the 11 day for the same reason as most it seems - 3 new ports and 5 days at sea! One question I did have about Cartagena and emerald shopping. Are the prices reasonable and any stores ou can recommend?

 

Thanks!

[wibeachbum]

Hi OP,

 

I was in Saint Martin on that same day docked next to you on Ruby Princess and took a few pictures of your ship from our vantage point. A few pictures of the Norwegian Sun can be found here in my Saint Martin album...

 

 

 

 

Here's on also as you guys steamed off into the sunset

 

Great pictures! Thanks!

[Kaboochi]

We just got back and want to make a quick report that the cruise was a success for us. A much needed rest was what we wanted, and we got it.

 

If you have any questions, I will check back each day and try to answer them.

 

Overall, the Sun still has what it takes to enjoy a cruise. While her age is showing here and there, the public areas have a few dings and bruises, nicks and scratches, the crew and Captain are doing all they can to keep her ship shape.

 

The cabins are beginning to show some infrastructure wear and tear that cannot be remedied without big effort, though. For example, our bathroom floor had surface cracks and the flooring around the shower was soft and felt saggy when stepped on. The sink area was a bit marred, and the mirror was beginning to peel off in the edges behind the glass. And yes, there are places where metal or paint need to be reworked, but no safety issues that we saw. The public areas sparkle, and the promenade deck is always a great place to walk, jog, or enjoy the sea air while at sea or in port. The restaurants look fantastic.

 

But for us, one of the outstanding spots on the Sun is the Observation Lounge. And we are so happy to report that this area was given its proper place in usage. We enjoyed drinks during Happy Hour (2 for 1) most nights, and enjoyed the different singers and music offered here. We danced and found new friends, and enjoyed sail aways and just sailing and watching from that front location of the ship. It was a fabulous cruise because of this lounge...it gave us a quiet spot to read or chat when we wanted to be out of the cabin, and away from the pool activity and hustle. We cannot say enough about how great the lounge was. We repeat, the music and dancing in the lounge were a very high point of our cruise.

 

The Love Brothers and Lira often entertained there, and they are a great group. They can sing anything. Cat Wells rotated in and so did others. There were theme music nights, and requests and you name it. And everyone who came in to the Lounge seemed to be having a great time. As the cruise went along, the crowds grew in number for the Happy Hour and for the dancing each night.

 

Other things were great too. But this is all I have time to write about right now. And Merry Christmas to all.

 

Love The Sun, no matter what shape she is in. Great Outdoors for bleakest and lunch, great outdoors even better. Great crew, M&G excellent. Would sail her again tomorrow.

[sonicbuffalo]

I think the OP forgot they were going to do a review....and I was sure looking forward to it. Oh well....guess we'll have to wait for the next reviewer.

[put me on a ship]

Thanks for posting all the dailies....how am I ever going to decide what to do on the ship???? SO many options....and how am I ever going to wait until December to go on this cruise?????

 

I am beyond excited to try NCL...IMO Carnival has gone downhill (don't get me wrong, I will sail with them again....after all, I'll be on a cruise...no bad days EVER!), but NCL, well, all I can say is WOW!! Trying to convince DH to try a 3 or 4 day this summer!