Star or Sun for Alaska?

[littlestars]

And which is the best aft balcony cabin to go for? :D

 

Thanks so m

[Toyz711]

number 1) would be the pearl for doing glacier bay. the star and the sun do tracy arms. depending on when you go tracy arms can have problems with ice blocking the ships.

number 2) would be the sun...for sailing out of vancouver and sailing what they call the "true" inside passage.

number 3) would be the star..nice ship, has great viewing from the top decks. (i did the star when it did the route the pearl is, now, doing)

 

the star sails west of vancouver island, the best chance for rougher seas.

from leaving seattle's sound area and (about) noon the next day, she sails in open seas, after that time and up to juneau...you are in the inside passage.

the sun goes between vancouver and vancouver island and sails the inside passage all the way from leaving vancouver.

[littlestars]

Thanks Cathi....

 

We need Vancouver to Vancouver to fit in with our plans... Am I correct in thinking the Pearl only does Seattle (seems to be the case for next July!)

 

Any tips on getting a great aft cabin :D

[littlestars]

Just noticed there is a forward pool deck available. Does anyone have any experience of this? (1002)

[Toyz711]

except for the 1st cruise, so does the star...

both the pearl and the star sail out of seattle. the star does one 6-day cruise leaving from vancouver and ending in seattle (end of april), after they she does 7-day cruises out of seattle.

if you want out of vancouver, the sun is the ship.

we don't do afts, just got the hubby to start booking balconies in '06. unless we got accidently upgrade to an aft, i will never know what they are like.

[littlestars]

I am just trying to figure out if it is worth the price but we are sailing with 2 young kids and we found last year on RCCL that it really helped when they were in bed to be able to go sit on the balcony...

 

Maybe the weather in Alaska won't let us do that anyways :confused:

[Toyz711]

i was on the star in '06, to alaska...in SEPT! we used the balcony every day...the temps, even in sept..never got lower then low 40s in daylight hours, usually it was mid to high 50s. the protected balcony of the star, (covered by the balcony above) was nice.

much warmer earlier in the cruise season...some even get to wear shorts!

[littlestars]

oh excellent ~ thank you! :D

[Toyz711]

i was much colder in scotland during a sept visit, alaska may seem warm to you!

[littlestars]

i was much colder in scotland during a sept visit, alaska may seem warm to you!

 

 

We actually live right on the Shetland Islands at the moment!! Even colder than mainland Scotland so we will probably be in shorts and tee shirts!!! ;)

[Toyz711]

that's great!! LOL!!!

hopefully someone will come on and be able to give you some advice on the aft balconies on the sun. wish i could help on that:(

if you haven't been yet, go over to the alaska boards...really great information for planning excruisons.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[littlestars]

Thanks so much!

[Cruise_More_Often]

that's great!! LOL!!!

hopefully someone will come on and be able to give you some advice on the aft balconies on the sun. wish i could help on that:(

if you haven't been yet, go over to the alaska boards...really great information for planning excruisons.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

Toyz, I think the balcony they mentioned, 1002, is a forward balcony. We've booked one of the forward minisuites for our next cruise on the Sun. For Alaska, I would definitely choose a forward cabin so you can see where you're going. When we went to Alaska (on the Sun), we chose an aft minisuite, and it just felt weird. We did not have that "great expanse" feeling that we have had when cruising in forward cabins. We've been in forward cabins on the Sun twice and aft cabins on the Sun and Jewel. To me, being on the balcony as we approach a town just feels fabulous!

 

Forward balcony plusses (Sun): You're on top of the world, the balcony is really big (as is the room), you can see everything!

 

Minuses forward: Wind, but not so much that you can't enjoy being outside, quite a walk to the buffet and main dining room (to me this is a PLUS, as I like to walk off the calories I'm consuming).

 

Aft balcony plusses (Sun): You're out of the wind, it's closer to the Great Outdoors Cafe and the 7 Seas Dining Room.

 

Minuses aft: Smaller balcony, soot on the balcony, if you're on Deck 10 you can hear the chairs being moved when they clean the Great Outdoors Cafe early in the morning.

 

We had a horrible time deciding whether to choose a forward or aft cabin, because we love both. However, for Alaksa, I'd absolutely choose a forward balcony.

 

Whatever your choice, Littlestars, you're in for a treat. Enjoy!

[Deadskins]

Thanks for the comments on forward baconies on the Sun. We are booked in 8002 for May 11. Any knowledge on this suite?

 

Thanks in Advance,

[Cruise_More_Often]

Thanks for the comments on forward baconies on the Sun. We are booked in 8002 for May 11. Any knowledge on this suite?

 

Thanks in Advance,

Yup, first-hand knowledge. We stayed in it in 2004, our first NCL cruise. It was an upsell. There are lots of photos in Webshots; just click on the photos link in my signature and look for "NCL Sun AD Penthouse Suite." Cool suite, wonderful (huge) bathroom, monster deck. I could go on and on. :D

 

There are lots more photos of the inside of the Sun in my Alaska album ("Sun Aft Minisuite").

[suzyed]

except for the 1st cruise, so does the star...

both the pearl and the star sail out of seattle. the star does one 6-day cruise leaving from vancouver and ending in seattle (end of april), after they she does 7-day cruises out of seattle.

if you want out of vancouver, the sun is the ship.

we don't do afts, just got the hubby to start booking balconies in '06. unless we got accidently upgrade to an aft, i will never know what they are like.

'

Why don't you do afts? The price or you just don't like it?

When I booked our Alaskan cruise (leaving 5/3 on the Star), I requested an AE and I was told by my TA that we got the last one......then when I checked where it was, it turned out to be on the stern....guess I lucked out. ;) Maybe someone just cancelled. :confused: My impression has been that they are hard to come by. I hope we like it...this is our first time on the stern. I did notice that right next to us are balcony cabins (sorry don't know what the cat. is). I wonder if they come at a premium?

[suzyed]

Yup, first-hand knowledge. We stayed in it in 2004, our first NCL cruise. It was an upsell. There are lots of photos in Webshots; just click on the photos link in my signature and look for "NCL Sun AD Penthouse Suite." Cool suite, wonderful (huge) bathroom, monster deck. I could go on and on. :D

 

There are lots more photos of the inside of the Sun in my Alaska album ("Sun Aft Minisuite").

 

Thanks for the photos..they are great! We have an AE on the stern, and the cabin looks really similar to the pics I have seen of our cabin...except you balcony looks huge!

Now I am even MORE excited! Thanks for sharing!

[Toyz711]

DH and i just don't see spending on the money on us...we enjoy all or any cabin. a suite, with a butler, would be lost on us..we are very comfortable doing for ourselves, we don't drink and don't entertain. on the star, to alaska, we had family with us..they won't go for more then a inside cabin. we, only , took the balcony with the idea that FIL (had cancer) could sit on our balcony and see some of the sights, even when he wasn't feeling well. the size of the balcony was perfect for us...i like being able to take photos of where the ship was heading AND where it had been. side balconies are my favorite:D

IF i was to cruise back to alaska i would go with a forward balcony...just for the chance of seeing humpbacks. best chance of seeing them are from the forward viewing areas. as the ship approaches them, they tend to move to one side or the other...forward gets the best chance to see them.

on the spirit, we got such a good price on a balcony..out of new orleans...but didn't care which balcony.

[DizzyDallasDi]

that's great!! LOL!!!

hopefully someone will come on and be able to give you some advice on the aft balconies on the sun. wish i could help on that:(

if you haven't been yet, go over to the alaska boards...really great information for planning excruisons.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

I stayed in 9278 - aft mini-suite on the Sun. I absolutely loved the layout and view. Deck 10 separates this deck from the Great Outdoors Cafe and I never experienced any noise problems at all. I would highly recommend an aft balcony cabin on the Sun!

[newmexicoNita]

Given a choice I would choose the Sun and yes, aft is the best in my opinion, for what that is worth.

 

Nita

[Cruise_More_Often]

Thanks for the photos..they are great! We have an AE on the stern, and the cabin looks really similar to the pics I have seen of our cabin...except you balcony looks huge!

Now I am even MORE excited! Thanks for sharing!

Suzy, we had an AE on the Jewel this past February. I've been meaning to upload more pics, but so far all I have up are of the cabin (and here's the link to them http://travel.webshots.com/album/562799636oYhtik). We get almost as much enjoyment out of the cabins we select as we do the itinerary. Yours should be similar.

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

We had mini-suite 0067 on Sun to Alaska three years ago. Fantastic, other than a little bit of soot. I think the cabin steward cleaned it up regularly, but he also said to just throw an NCL towel over the chairs, which we did, and they changed those towels daily.

 

Unlike someone else's comment, we seldom heard anything of the public space directly overhead. It was not at all a big deal. And the swish of the ship's wake was the best of therapy.

[freestylecruizer]

Toyz, I think the balcony they mentioned, 1002, is a forward balcony. We've booked one of the forward minisuites for our next cruise on the Sun. For Alaska, I would definitely choose a forward cabin so you can see where you're going. When we went to Alaska (on the Sun), we chose an aft minisuite, and it just felt weird. We did not have that "great expanse" feeling that we have had when cruising in forward cabins. We've been in forward cabins on the Sun twice and aft cabins on the Sun and Jewel. To me, being on the balcony as we approach a town just feels fabulous!

 

Forward balcony plusses (Sun): You're on top of the world, the balcony is really big (as is the room), you can see everything!

 

Minuses forward: Wind, but not so much that you can't enjoy being outside, quite a walk to the buffet and main dining room (to me this is a PLUS, as I like to walk off the calories I'm consuming).

 

Aft balcony plusses (Sun): You're out of the wind, it's closer to the Great Outdoors Cafe and the 7 Seas Dining Room.

 

Minuses aft: Smaller balcony, soot on the balcony, if you're on Deck 10 you can hear the chairs being moved when they clean the Great Outdoors Cafe early in the morning.

 

We had a horrible time deciding whether to choose a forward or aft cabin, because we love both. However, for Alaksa, I'd absolutely choose a forward balcony.

 

Whatever your choice, Littlestars, you're in for a treat. Enjoy!

 

Well I can tell you first hand because I have been in Penthouse in the Fore and the Aft on the Sun, and despite what people say, the wind in the fore of the ship is quite something. The balcony is wider, but not longer. The balcony is also hindered by the bulkhead - meaning if you are sitting down on a deck chair, you cannot see over the railing (and I am 6'3"). Other than the owners suite and the romance suite, the rooms are not laid out very well in the fore of the Sun - ie. the AD Penthouse is one big room - not so great if you have kids and want to relax. The Aft AB is way better. Owner's suites in the fore are exceptional, and have their own hot tub on the balcony!

 

The Aft is better - no wind, the balconies are larger, you can actually see over the railing and the AB penthouses have 2 rooms - extra special if you have kids, and they have 2 TVs and 2 patio doors. Also, no soot on the chairs, as some have mentioned - we were in this cabin for 13 days to Hawaii, and never noticed soot at all. The balcony isn't as deep as the fore, however it is larger. Trust me on this, as I have been in both rooms.

 

We had friends on the ship that had kids with them - they were in the AD at the front - when they saw our AFT Penthouse, they really wished they had booked AFT.

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

... Also, no soot on the chairs, as some have mentioned - we were in this cabin for 13 days to Hawaii, and never noticed soot at all. The balcony isn't as deep as the fore, however it is larger. Trust me on this, as I have been in both rooms.

 

I'm one of those who reported soot on the aft of the Sun. We had it on our cruise to Alaska, the only cruise we have yet taken. But I have a theory about that, respectfully posited for your consideration, and your experience bringing up the rear to Hawaii fits okay with it. As I recall, we had more soot on our lanai on the mornings after a cool, damp night. It makes sense that the soot would drop out of the sky more readily on such evenings.

 

According to every staffer we spoke with, our July 2005 cruise to Alaska was accompanied by the best weather they had seen in two years. They said there was one other week earlier that summer that was a close tie, and there had been no weeks the previous year that were anything near as nice. The point of mentioning this is, I imagine most cruises to Alaska might see a little more soot than we did on the aft lanais. Cruises to Hawaii on the other hand, it is heartening to learn that they are likely to be sans soot.

 

It is interesting to read what you said about the Sun's fore lanais. I am beginning to wonder if there are going to be one or two thorns on the rose stems of our fore mini-suite to the Mexican Rivierra this October. If the upsell fairy comes 'round, it looks like my best-case choices would be between a fore AD, and aft AD, a fore AB, or keeping our fore AE, which, by the way, is just below the observation deck pub. Care to opine about those options?

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

... If the upsell fairy comes 'round, it looks like my best-case choices would be between a fore AD, and aft AD, a fore AB, or keeping our fore AE, which, by the way, is just below the observation deck pub. Care to opine about those options?

 

Correction: There is no AD in the aft. If an upsell offer comes in, it will be for something else on the bow.