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NCL Sun November 16-23 The Good, The Bad, The Meh!

LD Silver

By LD Silver,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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LD Silver

LD Silver

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Posted (edited)

I was on the November 16 – November 23 sailing of the Sun doing the Western Caribbean itinerary. The ports of call were Roatan, Costa Maya, Belize and Cozumel. Overall, my BFF and I had a great time. We stayed in inside cabin 9321. The 9th deck is perfect as it is sandwiched between two other decks that are exclusively cabins....it was very quiet.

I’m not going to write a full review but the following is a list the Good, The Bad and the Meh!

The Good

· Overall friendliness of the crew – everyone was wonderful

· Into the Drift – A husband and wife duo that played in various venues on the ship. We particularly enjoyed their Eagles show. Their Fleetwood Mac show was great also.

· The chicken parmesan in the dining room was delicious. It was the chef’s selection one night.

· Cleanliness of the ship. It may be older but it is in great shape. The quaility of the bedding and towels was great.

· Bobby the cruise director – I can’t remember his last name but he was extremely visible the entire cruise. His interactions with the passengers were genuine.

· The Martini Tasting – This is held on sea days at 4:00. My BFF and I shared one. Cost is $15 and an excellent value. We had a fun time.

· The soups in the main dining room were delicious….especially the Garden Broccoli Bisque and the Mushroom soup.

· The White Hot Party - It was held on the pool deck and it was a kickin’ event. Lots of energy and great dance music.

· The cheesecake in the main dining room was sinful. It’s going to take a lot of miles on the treadmill to work all those slices off.

· Welcome Back party when boarding the ship in Cozumel. The crew was lined up dancing and clapping to Latin music. Made you feel appreciated.

· We Will Rock You - This show in the Stardust was full of great songs performed by a vocalist and dancers that truly appeared to love their jobs. It is it Vegas quality? No. But we sure had a great time singing along for this the entire 45 minute show. Don’t miss it.

· The salmon in the main dining room – My BFF really enjoyed it.

· Pez Quadro Beach Club in Costa Maya – We purchased the all-inclusive package and definitely got our money’s worth in tequila alone. We saw singers and dancers from the ship there. I had a 45 minute massage for $25 ($20 plus a $5 tip). It was as good as any massage I’ve had at home. The masseuse (Nancy) definitely had formal training.

· Dancing with the Norwegian Sun Stars – Thoroughly enjoyable……not for the dancing mind you…..but you can’t beat it for the laughs. My face hurt I laughed so hard.

· The wings in the Sports Bar at 11:30pm were pretty tasty…..especially after a few vodkas ;-)

The Bad

· The ventriloquist show that performed in the Stardust was lacking. I cannot remember his name and his show was equally forgettable.

· The beach vendors in Roatan were out of control. We went to Bananarama on the West Bay beach and from the moment we arrived were bombarded with offers to buy jewelry, massages, snorkeling excursions, cigars, conch shells, clothing…….you name it. I had one kid come up to me and blow into his conch shell 6 inches from my face. We must have told the same vendors “no thank you” five or six times. I have been to Bananarama two other times and it was never like this. I won’t be back. I realize this is not NCL’s fault.

· The pizza is horrible – We had it at the lunch buffet in Modernos. I would not waste the calories on it especially with so many other excellent choices.

· The treadmills in the fitness center have seen better days. The elliptical machines were good, though.

· The layout of the buffet is confusing and can be time consuming to navigate. This is just another reason to eat as many meals as possible in the main dining rooms.

· The obtrusive picture taking during dinner in the main dining rooms is annoying. A couple of times we were interrupted in the middle of our main course. Of course we declined but the interruption was bothersome.

The Meh!

· The weather…..again not NCL’s fault but Belize was a complete washout. And we had rain in Roatan, Costa Maya and the last sea day. But we did not stop us from having a great time.

· Bill Hildebrandt the comedian was OK. Not the worst but not the best. I did enjoy his ripping on people from Ohio J.

· Casino……..who know? We only walked through it on our way to someplace else.

· Pay restaurants…..again who knows? The food was so good in the Seven Seas and Four Seasons dining rooms we didn’t bother with them.

One last point regarding the cost of drinks on the ship. I know many say they are high but I don’t think so. A round of vodka and cranberry for my BFF and I was about $16. That is only slightly higher than what I would pay at a nice bar in downtown Detroit. And believe me, the ambience on a cruise ship is way better than anything downtown Detroit has to offer.

Overall, it was a great cruise that reaffirmed why NCL is my favorite cruise line. I’d be happy to answer any questions or elaborate on any of the above comments here or feel free to shoot me an e-mail at LD_Silver_Cruiser@Yahoo.com.

Edited by LD Silver
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moopig

moopig

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I was on the same cruise and I totally agree with what you said about Bananarama!!! We have been there before and the vendors were never this aggressive--they even grabbed my sister's feet when she was sunbathing. They were non-stop and relentless! Yeah, it is a beautiful beach but wont be back. I heard that Bananarama has a new owner who is lax in cracking down on vendor harassment.

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LD Silver

LD Silver

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Wait till you see me if there is free booze...:D

 

There is free liquor tasting in the duty free shops on the first night. Other than that your best bet is the $15 martini tasting on the sea days. Fifteen bucks gets you 6 martinis and a ton of laughs. They are not full size but 6 mini martinis in one hour left me feeling pretty good. :D

 

The liquor deals are pretty good. BFF and I each picked up a liter of Grey Goose vodka for $30 per bottle.

Edited by LD Silver
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mrsslp

mrsslp

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Thank you very much for this review! My husband and I set sail on the Sun on January 4th. It will be our first NCL cruise (we've done Royal Caribbean together, I've done Carnival). We're very excited!

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jwitt2

jwitt2

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Wait till you see me if there is free booze...:D

 

I think we were on the Star together to Bermuda and yes, we did drink up some free booze. Hope you guys are doing well since your move to FL, have wondered if it turned out well for you. We are going on the Sun in Jan. Sorry we won't be on with you again. Have fun.

Jo Ann

Edited by jwitt2
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Planmaam

Planmaam

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Hi, L D Silver. Looks like you were getting on as we got off the Sun. Sorry for using up all the good weather, it was beautiful at every port for us. Only a handfull (and I do mean handful) of sprinkles one morning on the balcony railing when I woke up.

 

Sorry your weather wasn't as perfect as ours was.:(

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