Review March 4th, The Sun

[jasondre]

I recently sailed on the Norwegian Sun and would like to share my review. This was my second cruise and only have one other cruise to use for comparison so bear with me. My other sailing was on the Carnival Conquest during the middle of Hurricane Ivan so let's just say this cruise blew it out of the water. :)

 

Embarktion: We arrived in Miami at about 9am and decided to walk around Bayside Marketplace for awhile as we had some time to kill before boarding. After our long road trip from Wisconsin it was nice to feel the warm temp. of Miami. We stretched our legs and browsed the shops for a couple of hours and at about 11am decided to make our way to the cruise terminal. Check in was a breeze and once they started boarding we were on the ship in no time. My DW was pleased to find the surprise of the honeymoon package and it was a great way to kick off the honeymoon. After a quick shower and change of clothes it was off to get something to eat. 30 hours in a car has a tendancy to make you really hungry!!! :D We found the buffet and all was well. We then headed back to the room to relax and take a nap. Sorry folks, I didn't make the meeting because I was dead tired from our mega road trip!

 

The Ship: I think NCL missed the boat with the layout of the ship. I hated the fact that you had to walk through the casino or dazzle's to get anywhere. I thought the layout on the Carnival ship was much better and they lost points with me. However, it was only a minor inconvience and didn't bother us that much.

 

Excursions: We booked all our excursions through the ship and even though they are a bit more pricey they give you some peace of mind.

 

Samana, D.R.: This was the first stop and we headed over to Cayo Levantado. I think the tendering at this stop was a big headache. They had us meet in one of the restaurants as we were one of the first excursions of the morning. Everyone else who wanted to tender in had to wait in the lobby, or the anywhere else they could find on the ship. I certainly think they could have handled the tendering situation better but oh well. The island of Cayo Levantado is small and the beach wasn't as beautiful as I thought it was going to be. The vendors on the island can be a bit pushy at times but they are like that all over the world so no big deal. The weather was nice and it was a nice relaxing day on the beach. A great start to a great week.

 

Tortola, BVI: We decided to head over to the Baths and see what all the fuss was about. ;) We booked through the ship and thought everything was well planned out and was very smooth. The Baths were absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed the day. Like Haras said in her review the waves were quite strong that day and I banged my knees on some rocks while doing some "exploring." Oh well, it just makes for some good memories! I would recommend this stop to any first timers to Tortola as it was extremely beautiful. Oh and the color of the water was an amazing blue!!!! That night we watched the sunset from our balcony and I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful display of colors in my life.

 

St. Thomas, USVI: This was my favorite stop of the cruise for many reasons. We were picked up at 8:30am and taken to Magen's Bay for our wedding ceremony. We used Cheryl Toner at Wedding Set Go and let me just say that everything was perfect. I strongly recommend her for anyone looking to get married at St. Thomas. Here's her website. http://www.viweddings.com/index.html Magen's Bay was an amazing place to get married and it was just perfect. The sun, the sand, the ocean and Cheryl's amazing vows were just great. That afternoon we headed back to the ship to change, get some lunch and head out on our snorkeling excursion. We sailed to Buck Island on Castaway Girl II and had a great time. The crew was great and the water at Buck Island was crystal clear. This was only second time snorkeling and I had a blast. So did the DW even though she was scared out of her mind! We enjoyed rum punch and beer on the sail home.

 

GSC (Great Stirrup Cay): We decided to stay on the ship at this stop and glad we did. We had the pools and hot tubs practically all to ourselves and had a great day in the sun.

 

The Food: The food in the buffets was as good as buffet food could be. I have no complaints about it and thought it was alright. However, I do have one complaint about the buffets on the cruise. While making the switch from lunch to dinner all the buffets are shutdown so for that half hour you can't get anything to eat. We ran into this a couple of times and found it to be annoying. I mean, it's not a huge deal and I understand they have to switch the food at sometime. I just thought they could stagger the times so atleast one buffet was open for business. Again, no big deal.

 

The first night on the ship was had sushi at Ginza and thought it was pretty good. We at ate Le Bistro twice and thought the food and service were outstanding! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who sails on the Sun. For the rest of the nights we either did room service or buffets. We didn't try either of the main free dining rooms. We always checked their menu's but nothing ever really tickled our fancies. No biggie.

 

The Staff: I thought the staff on this ship were great. Everyone always greeted us with smiles and hellos. The cabin was kept clean and towel animals were enjoyed three times during the week! The one thing that did bother us throughout the cruise was how NCL tries to push the alcohol. Numerous times we were approached by many different staff for drinks after having told the previous person no thanks. I know that they are just doing their jobs and I have no problem with that. Maybe NCL can have them relax a bit in their efforts for service. However, whenever you did need a drink they were always right there and were ready to get you whatever you asked for. It was also a little annoying not being able to touch anything in the buffets but we got use to it. It's better to wait a couple more minutes than to get sick on the ship! From what I understood they had a bad outbreak of a virus on our ship the week before and that was the reason the NCL took such drastic measures in keeping everything clean. I do applaud NCL for their efforts in trying to keep everything virus free! I loved all the hand sanitizers all over the ship and that they sprayed your hands down with sanitizer everything you either left the ship or came back aboard.

 

Activities: We didn't go to any of the shows, comedians or auctions. We did the bingo three times and once one $115.00!!! So, that was nice. We went to the Not So Newlywed Game and were picked to represent the couple for Newlyweds. It was a great time being up there and for the rest of the cruise we were recognized everywhere! We felt like celebrities!!! :D So, if you were on the ship and saw the show, yup, i'm the farting guy! LOL

 

Overall Thoughts: Would I cruise NCL again, probably. Would I cruise on the Sun again, probably not. The layout of the ship was enough of a bother for me to try a different ship. Overall the cruise was absolutely amazing and we had a great time. The weather was perfect and the people on the ship were amazingly friendly. It didn't matter if they were crew or just passengers. We couldn't have imagined a better time for our honeymoon and are already planning our next cruise!!! I hope this review helps as these boards have been invaluable to me in my planning.

[haras]

You sound like you had a Fantastic time on your cruise. I'm so glad everything worked out well as I know how much time you spent planning it. Congratulations again on your wedding. We had an awesome time on the cruise as well. Sounds like the cruise bug has bitten you and your DW!

[cmdchiefthom]

Jasondre

 

Thanks for the honest review. We're leaving on the Sun for the third time in a couple of weeks, and although the layout can be a pain, we adapt and overcome. Can you tell us, did you have to tender anywhere else other than Samana and GSC?

[newmexicoNita]

I recently sailed on the Norwegian Sun and would like to share my review. This was my second cruise and only have one other cruise to use for comparison so bear with me. My other sailing was on the Carnival Conquest during the middle of Hurricane Ivan so let's just say this cruise blew it out of the water. :)

 

Embarktion: We arrived in Miami at about 9am and decided to walk around Bayside Marketplace for awhile as we had some time to kill before boarding. After our long road trip from Wisconsin it was nice to feel the warm temp. of Miami. We stretched our legs and browsed the shops for a couple of hours and at about 11am decided to make our way to the cruise terminal. Check in was a breeze and once they started boarding we were on the ship in no time. My DW was pleased to find the surprise of the honeymoon package and it was a great way to kick off the honeymoon. After a quick shower and change of clothes it was off to get something to eat. 30 hours in a car has a tendancy to make you really hungry!!! :D We found the buffet and all was well. We then headed back to the room to relax and take a nap. Sorry folks, I didn't make the meeting because I was dead tired from our mega road trip!

 

The Ship: I think NCL missed the boat with the layout of the ship. I hated the fact that you had to walk through the casino or dazzle's to get anywhere. I thought the layout on the Carnival ship was much better and they lost points with me. However, it was only a minor inconvience and didn't bother us that much.

 

Excursions: We booked all our excursions through the ship and even though they are a bit more pricey they give you some peace of mind.

 

Samana, D.R.: This was the first stop and we headed over to Cayo Levantado. I think the tendering at this stop was a big headache. They had us meet in one of the restaurants as we were one of the first excursions of the morning. Everyone else who wanted to tender in had to wait in the lobby, or the anywhere else they could find on the ship. I certainly think they could have handled the tendering situation better but oh well. The island of Cayo Levantado is small and the beach wasn't as beautiful as I thought it was going to be. The vendors on the island can be a bit pushy at times but they are like that all over the world so no big deal. The weather was nice and it was a nice relaxing day on the beach. A great start to a great week.

 

Tortola, BVI: We decided to head over to the Baths and see what all the fuss was about. ;) We booked through the ship and thought everything was well planned out and was very smooth. The Baths were absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed the day. Like Haras said in her review the waves were quite strong that day and I banged my knees on some rocks while doing some "exploring." Oh well, it just makes for some good memories! I would recommend this stop to any first timers to Tortola as it was extremely beautiful. Oh and the color of the water was an amazing blue!!!! That night we watched the sunset from our balcony and I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful display of colors in my life.

 

St. Thomas, USVI: This was my favorite stop of the cruise for many reasons. We were picked up at 8:30am and taken to Magen's Bay for our wedding ceremony. We used Cheryl Toner at Wedding Set Go and let me just say that everything was perfect. I strongly recommend her for anyone looking to get married at St. Thomas. Here's her website. http://www.viweddings.com/index.html Magen's Bay was an amazing place to get married and it was just perfect. The sun, the sand, the ocean and Cheryl's amazing vows were just great. That afternoon we headed back to the ship to change, get some lunch and head out on our snorkeling excursion. We sailed to Buck Island on Castaway Girl II and had a great time. The crew was great and the water at Buck Island was crystal clear. This was only second time snorkeling and I had a blast. So did the DW even though she was scared out of her mind! We enjoyed rum punch and beer on the sail home.

 

GSC (Great Stirrup Cay): We decided to stay on the ship at this stop and glad we did. We had the pools and hot tubs practically all to ourselves and had a great day in the sun.

 

The Food: The food in the buffets was as good as buffet food could be. I have no complaints about it and thought it was alright. However, I do have one complaint about the buffets on the cruise. While making the switch from lunch to dinner all the buffets are shutdown so for that half hour you can't get anything to eat. We ran into this a couple of times and found it to be annoying. I mean, it's not a huge deal and I understand they have to switch the food at sometime. I just thought they could stagger the times so atleast one buffet was open for business. Again, no big deal.

 

The first night on the ship was had sushi at Ginza and thought it was pretty good. We at ate Le Bistro twice and thought the food and service were outstanding! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who sails on the Sun. For the rest of the nights we either did room service or buffets. We didn't try either of the main free dining rooms. We always checked their menu's but nothing ever really tickled our fancies. No biggie.

 

The Staff: I thought the staff on this ship were great. Everyone always greeted us with smiles and hellos. The cabin was kept clean and towel animals were enjoyed three times during the week! The one thing that did bother us throughout the cruise was how NCL tries to push the alcohol. Numerous times we were approached by many different staff for drinks after having told the previous person no thanks. I know that they are just doing their jobs and I have no problem with that. Maybe NCL can have them relax a bit in their efforts for service. However, whenever you did need a drink they were always right there and were ready to get you whatever you asked for. It was also a little annoying not being able to touch anything in the buffets but we got use to it. It's better to wait a couple more minutes than to get sick on the ship! From what I understood they had a bad outbreak of a virus on our ship the week before and that was the reason the NCL took such drastic measures in keeping everything clean. I do applaud NCL for their efforts in trying to keep everything virus free! I loved all the hand sanitizers all over the ship and that they sprayed your hands down with sanitizer everything you either left the ship or came back aboard.

 

Activities: We didn't go to any of the shows, comedians or auctions. We did the bingo three times and once one $115.00!!! So, that was nice. We went to the Not So Newlywed Game and were picked to represent the couple for Newlyweds. It was a great time being up there and for the rest of the cruise we were recognized everywhere! We felt like celebrities!!! :D So, if you were on the ship and saw the show, yup, i'm the farting guy! LOL

 

Overall Thoughts: Would I cruise NCL again, probably. Would I cruise on the Sun again, probably not. The layout of the ship was enough of a bother for me to try a different ship. Overall the cruise was absolutely amazing and we had a great time. The weather was perfect and the people on the ship were amazingly friendly. It didn't matter if they were crew or just passengers. We couldn't have imagined a better time for our honeymoon and are already planning our next cruise!!! I hope this review helps as these boards have been invaluable to me in my planning.

thanks for your review, it sounds like you really enjoyed yourself. As for the layout, I guess it isn't the best in the world; the ship originally wasn't built for NCL but purchased before it was complete. That may account for it being a little different. I must be in another world as we didn't find the layout to be enough of a pain to keep us from sailing her again. I think I have been on two or three ships where it was necessary to walk through the casino. For me that's fine, I just stop!!! LOL

[snorklephile]

Thanks for your review jason. Can you tell me - the Buck island snorkel trip - did you get off on a beach during the excursion at all?

 

TIA!

[lovetocruise99]

Good review. Can you elaborate a little more on the beach excursion at Cayo levantado please? We are booked on this excursion in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide if I should change it to the Cave, Rainforest, Mangrove excursion. Thank you for any info.

[newmexicoNita]

Good review. Can you elaborate a little more on the beach excursion at Cayo levantado please? We are booked on this excursion in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide if I should change it to the Cave, Rainforest, Mangrove excursion. Thank you for any info.

would like some info as well. We are trying to decide what if anything we want to do on our April 15th sailing. NMnita

[jasondre]

You sound like you had a Fantastic time on your cruise. I'm so glad everything worked out well as I know how much time you spent planning it. Congratulations again on your wedding. We had an awesome time on the cruise as well. Sounds like the cruise bug has bitten you and your DW!

 

Yeah, we had an amazing time and the cruise bug has definitely sunk it's teeth into us! :D I'm glad that you had fun on your cruise also.

 

Thanks for the honest review. We're leaving on the Sun for the third time in a couple of weeks, and although the layout can be a pain, we adapt and overcome. Can you tell us, did you have to tender anywhere else other than Samana and GSC?

 

Nope, no tendering anywhere else. We docked in St. Thomas and Tortola. However, be aware that when we docked in St. Thomas we didn't dock at the usual port. Charlotte Amalie. We docked at Crown Bay and that is about 10 miles from Charlotte Amalie and all the shopping. So, you will have to catch a cab over to the shopping if that's what you want to do. However, I think we docked at Crown Bay because of the amount of ships in port that day. Just a heads up!

 

thanks for your review, it sounds like you really enjoyed yourself. As for the layout, I guess it isn't the best in the world; the ship originally wasn't built for NCL but purchased before it was complete. That may account for it being a little different. I must be in another world as we didn't find the layout to be enough of a pain to keep us from sailing her again. I think I have been on two or three ships where it was necessary to walk through the casino. For me that's fine, I just stop!!! LOL

 

yeah, it really wasn't a big deal or anything and it certainly didn't ruin our cruise. it was just a minor inconvienence! trust me i stopped in the casino a couple of times as well..... stupid blackjack!!! LOL

 

Thanks for your review jason. Can you tell me - the Buck island snorkel trip - did you get off on a beach during the excursion at all?

 

Nope, no beach. We sailed from the dock to the island and tied the boat up to some anchored buoys. I would say it was about 20 - 30 feet of water. You can either walk down some stairs into the water or jump over the side like we did. The water is warm and crystal clear. We loved it. It was about a one hour sail to the island, we had one hour of snorkeling and then obviously one hour sail back. It was a lot of fun and would do it again in a heartbeat. The crew was great and they make great rum punch!

 

Good review. Can you elaborate a little more on the beach excursion at Cayo levantado please? We are booked on this excursion in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide if I should change it to the Cave, Rainforest, Mangrove excursion. Thank you for any info.

 

Well, we boarded a tender from the dock that took us to the island. On the island there are vendors selling everything like clothes, jewelry, cigars and paintings. They were very nice but some were a tad pushy. There are a couple of bars and one or two restaurants I believe also. They have lounge chairs all over the beach to relax in and also snorkel equipment is available to rent. We didn't do the snorkeling because it was rough that day. And the area people were snorkeling in looked pretty small. Basically, it's just a relaxing day on the beach. Hope this helps.

[newmexicoNita]

Jason, thanks for your response. We are getting pretty excited. The idea of doing a ship the second time is fun. I did the Sea twice, but it was serveral years apart and I was quite surprised at what I saw. I didn't remember it that way at all. It's like driving by the house you were raised in 40 years later. NMNita

[lovetocruise99]

Thanks for patiently answering all the questions!