NCL Sun 5-23 Alaska review, with 4 boys

[Brianinidaho]

Our family of 6 ( boys 12, 10, 6 and 5) just returned from the May 27th NCL Sun Alaska cruise. I may post this or part of it under different appropriate threads, so please forgive the duplication. I will write with other families, especially with young children, in mind. So this review is designed most helpful for families.

Our experience on the Sun and in Alaska was mixed. So here is the good and the bad. As an overview, we had cruised in the Caribbean a lot. Sitting in the sun, by the pool, with a calypso band and a tropical drink Alaska is not! It is an adventure. It is like river cruising in the mountains. Fun and different. The excursions seemed more “go out and do” instead of “sit and relax.” Nothing wrong with this, just know it going in. I have read that Alaska is the highest rated cruise destination, and I can see why. It is different than the Caribbean, Mexico, or other places, not just weather wise either. But it grows on you and I can see why it is sooooo popular. Just be prepared for an adventure, not a vacation, especially if you are bringing young kids.

The Ship:

We felt the ship was in generally good repair. Some scuff marks and worn carpet, but at 5 years at service it was pretty good. The staff was better and made up for it. Best staff we have seen in 13 or so cruises.

The pools were warm, and we and several others used them. They were sometimes closed in port. Last day at sea a high wind came up and blew some deck chairs into a pool, no one was hurt. The baseball cage has been converted into a table tennis area. There were plenty of basketballs out and the court was open all the time. Used when the weather allowed.

The Cabin: We started out with a reservation in the 5100s.. a 5th floor inside room for around $2600 for 2 adults and 2 kids in our cabin (2 others in with family). The upsell desk came along and for $1100 moved us to 1015, a mini suite on Deck 11.

This was a great room. The main difference between a balcony and mini suite was the extra large bathroom, which was awesome. As you enter the room, the hallway is about 10 feet long, then the bathroom door. Inside, a walk in type closet, a built in dresser, then an entry into the sink area. Here are 2 outlets, a desk and chair, plus the vanity across from the desk (which also has a mirror). Then a glass door which leads into the toilet and shower area with a full size tub. Very nice.

The room has a Queen, then a curtain, then a desk and TV on one side, and a sofa that makes into a Queen. We slept our youngest short ways, leaving about 5 feet between them as they toss and turn at night. It worked very well. There are 3 outlets in this room, including the one on the little built in table across from the bathroom door. Then the balcony. The door opens and has a latch to keep it open. Yes, the chairs are very small. We took our desk chair out. We also took a table and chair that were in the way and put it in the hall. Outside 1015 is an extra area that others had put their extra chairs… we called it our living room. It was out of the way and the steward said it was ok.

The TV had the 3 inputs on front which allowed us to playback our video camera shots. It would take a video game system if you brought one. The channels were very limited… for families. They did not have the Cartoon Channel as they had published. Thankfully, we had brought a few of our own DVD’s to play while the adults got ready. They have a DVD player in each room. Tip: Bring your own favorite DVD’s. You can rent some also on board.

There is a built in safe. It does not require a swipe of your card, rather, you program your own 4 digit code.

1015 was close to the exercise room, but we heard no outside noise at all. Except one time I was on the balcony and could hear a dance class. We always bring a fan to drown out noises at night, which helps.

I used the internet twice. A bit slow but a great thing to have on board. Slower than dialup. Took 20 minutes to retrieve and respond to 4 emails. At 55 cents per minute. But I was happy to have it.

The Kids Club: The staff was great, but the hours seemed shorter and activities less than on other cruises. DW said, lets do another line next time that takes the kids… Carnival Miracle and Caribbean Princess both took them longer and had as good as activities. These workers are some of the best though. You sign in and write where you will be. You can get a pager if your kid either is in diapers or has a medical condition. They normally have between 200 on up to 400 kids on board under the age of 18, per Jeff in the kids club, for the Alaska cruises. About 70 were actively using it on our cruise. Maybe a dozen or two more if you count the teen center.

The Food: Others have posted negative things on this topic. We tend to agree. When the best choices are either meatloaf or flat iron steak or lasagna on some nights, we felt we were eating more at a cafeteria than on a cruise. Some of it was very good, most of it seemed Waffle House quality. They sure are trying to get folks to upgrade to the pay extra places, which I am sure has the food we once got for nothing extra.

Another complaint was that the food had dead times. Meaning everything was closed 10:30 to 11:30 am sometimes. All places, except room service. You had to really study the times to avoid getting nothing. For example, the kids club ends at 5. We stopped by our room, stopped by the gift shop, and went up to the grill in the back at 530 only to find they were closing and we could not get a hot dog or hamburger for the kids!

One night we wanted pizza and found you had to go to the sports bar and sit down and order. The bar was crowded and no empty tables.

I contrast this to the Princess ships we have been on. 24 hour pizza. Just step right up. So NCL is different. Staff was always friendly. Scheduling of food availability was less than perfect.

General Tips: We brought lanyards and had our keys punched at the reception desk on deck 5. The kids wore them. The keys do not have your room number, so it is safe if you loose them.. just have them “programmed out” immediately.

The Weather: It was the end of May in Alaska, so we were lucky to get a day or two of sunshine. Mostly rainy and nearly always overcast. It was in the 50-60, so a jacket was fine. The scenery was nice. It was very windy at times. Enough to make most folks stay in, even from their balaconies.

Entertainment: Since the crowd is likely to be older on average than others, the entertainment, at least some, was for the older folks. Case in point was the “tribute to Cole Porter” on the last night. No 80’s or 90’s music we could find, at least prime time. There was a juggling duo that was fantastic! Other than that, we often looked at the program and found little of interest, which was a new cruise experience. At least this was our opinion.

Ketchikan: The Lumberjack show was a great surprise. It was very well done, and the youngest to the oldest in our family liked it. It was not nearly as cheesy as was posted. Strongly recommend for family with kids.

We took the Duck tour and felt that the script was the Cheesy part of Ketchikan. It was interesting, but our youngest lost interest half way through the 90 minute ride. They let you off at the dock by the visitor center. Be sure to take pictures of the kids by the liquid sunshine sign and the welcome to Ketchikan sign.

Juneau: The Sun docked away from the other ships but provided a free bus into the shopping areas by the Tram. My 6 year old and I took the tram. 24 for adults, 12 for kids. Ouch, but that was unlimited rides for the day. My kid did not want to get off the tram, so 14 times we heard the same speech! The fog was gone and the views were good. There are trails and exhibits at the top. But pricey.

Skagway: We did the family gold rush tour and it was pretty good. Starts with a narration and tour of the city. Then a stop at Liarsville for a little show and a look around a mining camp, then panning for gold. They give you a pan of dirt that has been seeded with Canadian Gold flakes. The kids liked it. Then on to the cemetery and the talk about how Reid shot Soapy Smith, and a walk to the waterfall.

My 6 year old joined me on the train ride. Nice, but a 3 hour tour turned into 4 as they were late leaving, and it was a bit long. You change sides at the top, and the seats change so you are always looking forward. They supply a bottle of drinking water also. Realized the killing they are making: 400 passengers times $105 X 2 trips a day X 3-5 trains running.. wow, potentially around a half a million dollars per day! Felt $35 or so would have been a fair price. But they were selling out at the high price, so capitalism is alive and well here. The views are great at times but they are running older cars and the stench of diesel fuel was strong if you went outside for better pictures.

Prince Rupert: This is the most beautiful port. Get off the ship, go to the left and up the hill and around to the right is a great park with play toys for the kids. A bank of payphones right behind the exit building calls most US 800 numbers as well.

We had read about the Railroad Museum that was opened June-August. It was June 1 so I took the kids and walked about 3 blocks along the dock to it. It was closed, but a worker let us in and we did a quick tour. It is a 4 or 5 room house sized exhibit. With an upstairs. He said that right now they are only letting in the cruise ships’s deluxe city tour. He let us in just to be nice. He said that due to budget cutbacks he was unsure if or when they would be open to the public. As we left the ship’s tour pulled up. It was a fair museum, focusing more on the way folks lived than on the trains themselves.

There is also a small fire house museum up by the Safeway store, on the north side. Free, but small. My kids liked that.

Overall. Alaska, they say, is a place you should cruise to at least once. And I agree. We would probably be more energetic if we were just a couple or our 5 and 6 year olds were older. We will probably stick to warmer climes for future cruises. NCL Sun was a nice ship but it seemed the activities were lacking and the food was fair at best. The staff, however, was the best at sea. Thanks for reading.

[jamandamn14]

thanks for the review, Would you say that this cruise would be different in say 2 months time?

[Brianinidaho]

thanks for the review, Would you say that this cruise would be different in say 2 months time?

 

The weather should be better, more sunny ... but still cloudy alot. Probably get closer to glaciers. Food the same, activities the same.