Yikes!!! We are booked on the sun

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

Well I like Vegas for lots of reasons, but glitz and glamour part gets tiresome after a period of time and yes, you are right about the Sun. For people look for glitz try newer mega ships, or stick with Carnival. For good service, nice cabins and good entertainment you really can't beat the Sun. I prefer the older ships and the size of the Sun is perfect for us: big enough to have choices, small enough to feel good.

 

 

Ohhhhhhhh :) hurry up cruise!! Cannot wait!

[don't-use-real-name]

NCL SUN 7/2013 SB Alaska ANC-YVR awesome trip !!!!!!!!!!

I can't think of any good BAD things to comment except that the Alaska

weather could behave better for this ole gal and show some respect !

 

So far not a sour puss comment in this thread !

 

After you take a cruise on her you will wonder what all the fuss was about !

 

This ship is the pinnacle of "FREESTYLE" cruising without the Hollywood lights

and fireworks and large crowds of people.

 

Large spacious accommodations and the best viewing from the "Observation

Lounge" of any ship I have been on !

 

AND did I mention that she has Soft-Serve Ice Cream in the Great Outdoors

Buffet.

Ice Cream always soothes the savage beast (complainer) !

 

So try it - you will like it - - -

And like a car salesman (CEO) commented awhile back if you can find a better cruise

ship well take it !

[dalgirl]

When I look at a new cruise, I first decide where I want to go. Then as I prefer NCL I look for those ships first. If it is an area they do not cover (such as Asia) I broaden my search. Once settled on an itinerary, I then look at ship reviews.

 

Case in Point: We decided to book a cruise through Asia and based on itinerary and cost booked the Celebrity Millennium for April - it is getting really mediocre to rotten reviews. So what?

 

I generally discount the over the top 5 stars and the 1-2 star reviews, seeing both as mostly hyperbole. You really get a feel for the true experience from the 3-4 star reviews. After reading what was written, I still booked.

 

I expect to be on a ship that is a little worn around the edges, with average entertainment (I am sure not NCL quality) with good restaurants that have declined over the past few years (which cruiseline food has not?) but with an excellent crew, exciting ports, and a lot of adventure.

 

I booked the Sun again because it is going to South America (can't wait!) and I expect a similar experience as the older Millennium with, perhaps, better entertainment and the complete freestyle experience. And a LOT of adventure.

 

Reviews can insert some realism into your expectations, but they can only make or break your cruise because of your attitude.

 

Over the next 1 1/2 years I will be on three relatively older ships, but I will be experiencing Asia, South America, Scandinavia and the UK - keep your focus on the experience, not cosmetics, and it will be wonderful.

[Cruisercl]

When I look at a new cruise, I first decide where I want to go. Then as I prefer NCL I look for those ships first. If it is an area they do not cover (such as Asia) I broaden my search. Once settled on an itinerary, I then look at ship reviews.

 

Case in Point: We decided to book a cruise through Asia and based on itinerary and cost booked the Celebrity Millennium for April - it is getting really mediocre to rotten reviews. So what?

 

I generally discount the over the top 5 stars and the 1-2 star reviews, seeing both as mostly hyperbole. You really get a feel for the true experience from the 3-4 star reviews. After reading what was written, I still booked.

 

I expect to be on a ship that is a little worn around the edges, with average entertainment (I am sure not NCL quality) with good restaurants that have declined over the past few years (which cruiseline food has not?) but with an excellent crew, exciting ports, and a lot of adventure.

 

I booked the Sun again because it is going to South America (can't wait!) and I expect a similar experience as the older Millennium with, perhaps, better entertainment and the complete freestyle experience. And a LOT of adventure.

 

Reviews can insert some realism into your expectations, but they can only make or break your cruise because of your attitude.

 

Over the next 1 1/2 years I will be on three relatively older ships, but I will be experiencing Asia, South America, Scandinavia and the UK - keep your focus on the experience, not cosmetics, and it will be wonderful.

 

Can I just say an Amen to your post!? : No matter (to me) what others think or what their perception of a ship is.......I will still be on a cruise (yay!). Waaaaaay better than working; AND I will be seeing other parts of the world than I live in. This is always a really good thing. :D

 

Happy and safe cruising all no matter what ship you are on or wherever that ships takes you!! :)

[mya603]

We have the Sun booked for Alaska next June and we are looking forward to it. My friends have sailed the Sun before and love it! This will be my first cruise and although I am sure there will be a few things I won't like, I intend to go with the attitude that I am going to love it! Remember your attitude has a huge impact on whether you enjoy something or not. But I've been looking at photo's of the Sun and reading reviews and so far I have only read one bad review. And I think that person went on the cruise expecting something that a cruise is not. My only expectation? To have a blast!:D

[uvasag]

I'm booked for our Alaskan cruise next year and honestly I've read nothing but great reviews for her. Granted some posters say she's showing her age, but she's been overwhelming a positive experience. I'm looking forward to our sailing and hope you find the positives!!!

 

From what I understand she's a older ship, but still loves her passengers! And her passengers love her, there is a high devotion to the Sun, with people sailing her many many times. I've done the Sky which is a sister ship, which I loved and was my first cruise, so she will always hold a piece of my heart. If your traveling with kids, you may want more bells and whistles, but overall, I hear great things!

 

When are you sailing ? I'm on the July 13th cruise from Seward to Vancouver.

[newmexicoNita]

When I look at a new cruise, I first decide where I want to go. Then as I prefer NCL I look for those ships first. If it is an area they do not cover (such as Asia) I broaden my search. Once settled on an itinerary, I then look at ship reviews.

 

Case in Point: We decided to book a cruise through Asia and based on itinerary and cost booked the Celebrity Millennium for April - it is getting really mediocre to rotten reviews. So what?

 

I generally discount the over the top 5 stars and the 1-2 star reviews, seeing both as mostly hyperbole. You really get a feel for the true experience from the 3-4 star reviews. After reading what was written, I still booked.

 

I expect to be on a ship that is a little worn around the edges, with average entertainment (I am sure not NCL quality) with good restaurants that have declined over the past few years (which cruiseline food has not?) but with an excellent crew, exciting ports, and a lot of adventure.

 

I booked the Sun again because it is going to South America (can't wait!) and I expect a similar experience as the older Millennium with, perhaps, better entertainment and the complete freestyle experience. And a LOT of adventure.

 

Reviews can insert some realism into your expectations, but they can only make or break your cruise because of your attitude.

 

Over the next 1 1/2 years I will be on three relatively older ships, but I will be experiencing Asia, South America, Scandinavia and the UK - keep your focus on the experience, not cosmetics, and it will be wonderful.

 

throwing out 1, 2s and 5s are perfect. No ship is so perfect as to get the max and none so bad as to get min unless someone has an axe to grind or lives in a fairytail world.

 

btw, we were on the Milly but many years ago. We put it into a category very similar to the Sun. We had done the Sun about 6 months before. Have a great time.

[ngagirl]

We just returned from the Sun (July 28th). In my opinion the Alaska itinerary that includes Glacier Bay and Hubbard is one of the best out there. We had some negative issues with the Sun in general thought it could be cleaner and updated. Out of 10 cruises I have never written negative comments, so I do not consider myself hard to please. We noticed while cruising that we never saw anyone wiping down stair railings or elevators. Usually on other cruises we have always witnessed cleaning and wiping down going on constantly. It was just an observation. It did not dampen our enjoyment of Alaska. Perhaps they are short staffed at the moment - who knows why experiences vary so much.

 

While our family would look at other ships next time, we did not have a horrible time. Food is subjective- we liked some meals, others not so much. LeBistro was very good, but in our opinion not worth the extra 80.00 plus tip for our family of 4. We realize cruising in general has changed, but on this trip, the blandness of food reached a new level. We are NOT picky- we like the local steakhouse or a Cracker Barrel for that matter- but we all agreed most meals did not reach that level of quality! We ate off ship for lunch when in port- loved Annabells in Ketchikan.

 

In all honesty, I think a Caribbean cruise on this ship would be different than Alaska. We had 4 "sail" /glacier days in bad weather- so that made inside spaces tight and staff was worked really hard. The Seven Seas dining room staff at lunch on sail days seemed LOW energy because so many patrons used the dining room instead of the Garden Café and Outdoor café. In warmer climates this would probably NOT be the case. In warmer climates more cruisers are in the "SUN having FUN" .....not crowding the ship and staying out of the rain.

 

SO, my advice.....consider WHERE you are sailing and really think about what is important to you. Is it the itinerary, updated ship, food, entertainment? Only you can answer those questions.

[fishin' musician]

Currently on the final Amtrak leg of an adventure that began 7/21 and included the southbound sailing 7/28 - 8/4. The Sun may not have climbing walls, water slides, zip lines and cantalevered hot tubs; but it has a crew that without exception was friendly, personable and engaging. Hotel Director (Brian Wilson?) has been with NCL since 1969 and from all observations has his crew running like a well oiled machine.

 

The food seems to be an oft mentioned topic, not having sailed NCL in the last 5 years the cuts seem no different than other mainstream lines (I've sailed all of them I believe), and they did have lobster tails (day 2). I usually eat them for the novelty as they are typically over cooked, tough and stringy. These, however, were the exception as they were flavorful and melted in your mouth, my wife and I ordered seconds, I talked to someone who had 5! The outdoor giant weber grill bbqs seemed to be a big hit (we had exceptional weather, bright sunny, the only rain was in Whittier and late in the day at ISP).

 

Bottom line, DW and I prefer ships this size for several reasons and would sail the Sun again in a heartbeat.

 

Curious, they were not hawking a cruise DVD, is this fleetwide? Alaska? Sun?

[mugtech]

 

Curious' date=' they were not hawking a cruise DVD, is this fleetwide? Alaska? Sun?[/quote']

 

We started cruising with NCL every year beginning in 2010, never saw any cruise DVD's offered in Caribbean, Hawaii or Europe. We got one from RCCL on their Caribbean cruise, seems like a good item to introduce others to cruising and to your own brand, we would buy one on every cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

I certainly can not comment on the cleanliness of any ship unless I am on it at the time, but we found the Sun very clean 6 months ago and check the CDC reports; that should satisfy most of us. Yes, the ship could use some updating, like most ships 13 years old, even being refurbished from time to time it will not look like a brand new ship. How often I see someone wiping down the railings doesn't enter my mind. This doesn't mean the ship isn't clean, they might do most of the wiping down overnight, heck I don't know.

 

It seems to me, people are more inclined to write negatives than positives. I know they are. We all expect to be satisfied so we don't bother to praise as often as we should, but when we are unhappy it is human nature to let people know. Maybe it makes us feel better just getting it off our chests.

[deladypilot]

We adored the Sun. Of the ships we have been on, she is our favorite. I would book here again today if I could. Loved her crew and the rooms were great. Took a tour of the cabins in a Cabin Crawl and all were nice size and very clean

[ricklepickle]

We were on the Sun 6/30-7/7 sailing (southbound Whittier to Vancouver). It doesn't have the bells and whistles of the newer ships, and yes it is showing its age. Things could definitely be updated, and things like the couch upholstery was very obviously worn, and the bathroom mirror and sink had cracks. This did not impact our enjoyment. Everything was super clean...

 

People seem to complain about the food on the reviews. We ate two dinners in the main dining room, first two nights, and they were good., not amazing, but good. (Including surf and turf on night two). We ate at specialty restaurants the following five nights only because we realized we had so much OBC we needed to spend spend spend. Better dining experiences than in the MDR, of course, but we would have been fine with the MDR.

 

Another complaint I saw was about a weird sewage smell, which we did not experience.

 

And another was about excessive smoke and perfume. Which for us, although very sensitive to smoke, was also not an issue at all. I was worried about this, and if we were next chain smokers we would have been upset, but we had no issue at all, even in public spaces. And even when walking through the casino, it wasn't bad. Of course, we only did that mid day. :)

 

And the last complaint I saw was entertainment. It is not like the mega ships, broadway quality, etc. but we were entertained, laughed at the comedienne (who brought me up on stage), and even our blasé teenager was hysterical over the hypnotist show.

 

I will say that it was also one of the friendliest ships, passenger wise, I have been on. Between the small size, and the good cheer of the staff, people were very very friendly and chatty, and that made the experience lovely.

 

So stop worrying and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[pokerpro5]

I'm on the Sun right now.

 

Glacier Bay day. We are done with the glaciers, fog has rolled in, it's raining, and I am somehow getting an AT&T signal (I didn't buy the internet package).

 

I will write a review when I get back. I've been on this ship for 5+ days, and I can say that both the good and bad comments about it are true.

 

Bigger rooms: TRUE

 

Friendly staff: TRUE

 

Weird layout, but with a few interesting quirks: TRUE

 

Lack of entertainment options: TRUE (why do you think I'm on the internet right now?)

 

Ship showing its age: TRUE

 

Smaller, more personal feel than large ships: TRUE

 

Small, unexciting pool area: TRUE

 

Overall, I would say that this is a good ship if you don't have many sea days and aren't counting on the onboard entertainment to keep yourself amused, but it's a bad ship if you are either at sea often or enjoy a good pool scene.

 

For our purposes (Alaska cruise, where there is really only one sea day without anything to see out the balcony), it was fine.

[Orygungirl]

I absolutely loved eating breakfast at the Great Outdoors on the Pearl, especially the smoked salmon. Makes my mouth water right now. Do they have that at the GO on the Sun?

[gerry1.10]

I'm on the Sun right now.

 

Glacier Bay day. We are done with the glaciers, fog has rolled in, it's raining, and I am somehow getting an AT&T signal (I didn't buy the internet package).

 

I will write a review when I get back. I've been on this ship for 5+ days, and I can say that both the good and bad comments about it are true.

 

Bigger rooms: TRUE

 

Friendly staff: TRUE

 

Weird layout, but with a few interesting quirks: TRUE

 

Lack of entertainment options: TRUE (why do you think I'm on the internet right now?)

 

Ship showing its age: TRUE

 

Smaller, more personal feel than large ships: TRUE

 

Small, unexciting pool area: TRUE

 

Overall, I would say that this is a good ship if you don't have many sea days and aren't counting on the onboard entertainment to keep yourself amused, but it's a bad ship if you are either at sea often or enjoy a good pool scene.

 

For our purposes (Alaska cruise, where there is really only one sea day without anything to see out the balcony), it was fine.

 

Hi

 

Can you tell me who is the CD and other oofficers like thr hotel director and exe chef.

 

thanks

gerry