Quick SUN Cruise - June 29 - July 2

[happyscmom]

My husband and I like to take a cruise without the kids once a year. Usually it is a 7 day cruise, but due to work restrictions, we had to opt for a short cruise this summer. This cruise was only 3 nights, which was the biggest bummer of the whole cruise! Also, it has been years since I've been on a small ship, so there was a little learning curve there, as well.

 

Us:

We are a married couple with four kids, so we need our vacation! I'm 42 and my husband is 49. We cruise a few times each year but are not particular to a line. Most of our cruises have been with NCL, but we also love MSC and RCL. We love cruising, and this was another great cruise

 

Embarkation:

We arrived at Port Canaveral at 10:30 and parked at the port. Parking was very convenient and easy. Yep, the price is high, but the lot is right across from the ship, so it is great. We got through check-in by 10:50 and were in group 5. We sat down and heard an announcement that boarding would start at 11:30. However, about ten minutes later boarding started and we were on by 11:15. It was so easy and not crowded at all, even though this sailing was sold out. We walked on and had a drink in our hands within 5 minutes.

 

Ship Overall impression:

It is obvious that the boat was recently refurbished. Fixtures look great, carpet has been redone, and the paint is fresh throughout. We found the layout of the ship to be weird. You constantly have to walk up and down to get to places on the same floor. We didn't mind (more steps!), but I felt lost a lot. The atrium area is small. It is pretty, but it is a small area. There is a bar on each floor (5, 6, and 7). The dining rooms are very pretty, and they appear to be refurbished. Though the ship is small, it is well-kept and very pretty.

 

Crew:

The crew was fine. We tried to make conversation with some bar tenders, etc. but were never able to engage them. I missed the fun bar staff of other boats! Honestly, most crew members seemed unhappy.

 

Drinks for all:

Since this was a ship on which everyone had the drink package, I was concerned about the quality and ability to get a drink. It was NEVER an issue at all. There are a lot of types of liquor available. The first drink that I ordered was vodka soda and I got a well brand of vodka. However, after that I just asked for Tito's and soda, and I was always able to get it. The drinks were quick and good throughout the ship. At dinner they would bring a bottle of white and red wine to the table. One night the red was Merlot (which I hate), so I asked if there was another house red and they offered me a few other choices. I think that the drink experience was absolutely GREAT!

 

Bars:

Because this is a small ship, there are a limited number of bars. We enjoyed the bar on deck five a great deal. There was always music playing and the crowd was nice. On the last night we didn't use this bar because there was a very smoky smell down the whole atrium. We also enjoyed Bliss at night for shows. It was a fun area. Really, all of the bars were nice and we didn't have a bad experience in any of them.

 

 

Cabin:

We had cabin 9227. This is a mid ship balcony. The balcony size itself was nice! It is bigger than the balcony on the Getaway and Escape, which is nice. We could both sit on it comfortably without turning sideways!

The bed is by the bathroom. It was very comfortable. The bathroom is where the older ship shows age. The shower is tiny with a shower curtain. Honestly, this isn't a problem for us because it is not a place that we spent much time.

Overall, the cabin was nice. The recent refurb was obvious with new carpet and fresh seeming curtains, etc.

One weird thing, we never met or even saw a cabin steward. The room was always done, but it was odd. Our minibar was empty except for a carton of milk when we boarded the ship. I was going to ask the steward to remove it, but we never saw him. On the last night he removed it and left it on the desk, which was odd.

 

Dining:

Dining on this ship was very poor. It was by far the worst food that I've ever had on a cruise.

 

After boarding the ship we went to lunch in the main dining room. It was a great location, but the food wasn't great. I ordered a salmon burger, and it was really nasty. It was a ground salmon patty that tasted like it had gone bad. I ate the bun with lettuce and tomato.

 

Night one we decided to eat sushi at the sushi bar. The location of the sushi bar is weird. It is located right outside of Cagney's. It feels like you are sitting in a hall. We ordered edamame and seaweed salad to start. The edamame was totally mushy and old tasting. As our dinner we each ordered 2 different rolls. All were really bad. We didn't eat much. The waiter noticed and cut the bill in half.

 

We ate dinner on the other two nights in the main dining rooms (one night in each). The food was not bad, but it was very bland. But, at least we didn't OVER eat.

 

The buffet on Sun is very odd. During the day Moderno has a small buffet, but the actual buffet is small and limited. Not bad...but I never saw much that I wanted in it.

 

The one food place that we did enjoy was the Great Outdoors. The food is just burgers, sandwiches, fries, etc., but the environment is great. We loved sitting on the back of the ship outside. The area is covered but outdoors, which is wonderful. I wish that the larger ships had this area.

 

Pool area:

The pool area on Sun is very nice. We didn't ever get in the pool, but it was never overly crowded, and there always seemed to be chairs available.

 

Entertainment:

We enjoyed the nightly game shows in Bliss, the live music throughout the ship, and the Rock You Tonight show on the final night. The comedian was pretty bad, but that changes weekly, so it is no need for concern. Overall, for a short cruise, I think they did a good job with entertainment.

 

Ports:

We had two ports, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay. We did a day pass to Breezes in Nassau. Honestly, for the money, I wouldn't do it again. The price is up to $94/person (used to be $80), and the cab fare was $30 each way. The drinks were weak and the crowd was not the best. The beach is beautiful, though. Nassau is a throw away port, so next time we plan to either stay on the boat or just walk to Junkano Beach. I can't speak to any NCL excursions in Nassau. Great Stirrup Cay was great. We rented a clam shell ($29/each) and spent the day on the beach. The water was divine! We saw beautiful fish and even stingrays without even snorkeling. The beach was not crowded and the bar was nearby. The food was fine. I love Great Stirrup Cay. It is nice to have everything included at this stop.

 

Debarkation:

Easiest ever! We did walk off and walked off at 7:30. We were through security and in the car by 7:45. Best!

 

So, that is about it. Feel free to ask questions. Overall, we had a great time, it was just way too short. Don't expect the glamour and constant entertainment of the larger ships, but it is a wonderful way to spend a weekend!

[MrsJones02]

We were on the Sun June 25-29 and have to agree with your opinions on the food and the staff. We found the dining room entrees to be so bland. The appetizers were actually better (vegetable spring roll and beef slider were yummy). Also, the staff didn’t seem as friendly as other times I have cruised. The only exception was Mohammed who was a server in the sports bar late at night. We wrote him a hero card and tipped him extra on the last night because he was the only person who actually made conversation with us!

 

 

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[Georgia_Peaches]

My DM and I were on the Sun on June 22-25. We had a great time together and also noticed the sparkling newness of the ship. We, too agree with OP regarding food. MDR dinner course was often inedible. We did enjoy the appetizers leading up to the main course. And I have to say that our experience with the staff was quite different. Although I never tried to engage the bar tenders beyond my drink order, we found the staff to be remarkably friendly and eager to serve. The only exception was our cabin steward who, like the OP mentioned, we never saw but 1 time. It was odd...perhaps we had the same guy as we were also on deck 9. Despite the small ship, I'd definitely do it again.

[KcInGa]

Great review!

Did you happen to save any of your Freestyle Dailies? I am a travel agent and have a group going later in the month and would love to be able to share with them if you would share.

 

 

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[happyscmom]

Great review!

Did you happen to save any of your Freestyle Dailies? I am a travel agent and have a group going later in the month and would love to be able to share with them if you would share.

 

 

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I didn’t! I’m sorry. Tell them to go to the Newlywed / Not-so-newlywed snow in Bliss on night 2. Lots of fun!

 

 

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[CruisingNole]

"Dining:

Dining on this ship was very poor. It was by far the worst food that I've ever had on a cruise.

 

After boarding the ship we went to lunch in the main dining room. It was a great location, but the food wasn't great. I ordered a salmon burger, and it was really nasty. It was a ground salmon patty that tasted like it had gone bad. I ate the bun with lettuce and tomato. "

Your experience completely mirrored ours, which I wrote a review for. I was told that food is "subjective." There was only one way to describe the food - it wasn't very good. That salmon burger was absolutely horrendous and we sent it back. Gross.

[CruisingNole]

The only exception was our cabin steward who, like the OP mentioned, we never saw but 1 time. It was odd...perhaps we had the same guy as we were also on deck 9.

 

We were on 9 as well, (June 1 -3) and the steward was practically a ghost. His name was Depak.