seekatz

We are on the NCL Escape visiting Florence in just a few weeks taking the train from Livorno to Florence. Since I am unable to see the transfers until I board, could you please let us know when you booked your NCL transfer that took you to the Livorno train station directly and how much it was? Do you book it through the shore excursion desk?

Wonder if someone wanted Italian food, Korean BBQ, Chinese food. My point is a rotation would be a good idea, but to think just because we like one of these foods it might be difficult to have all of them available. As noted the Sky and Sun are very limited on space. When they add a dish, they need to remove another.

We were on the Sun in May and September. The singers and dancers really work hard to give you a good show. On both cruises they performed multiple times on the 11 and 9 night cruises. The guest performers were different each cruise, but each night we had the choice of going to a show. The last cruise we were lucky enough to see a Lionel Richie type performer do 2 shows, both very good. Could not agree more with the concerns about the buffet, small and crowded, the biggest negative for the ship. A very good crew and the ship for its age is well maintained.

Based on my numerous cruises out of SF we find no problems unless a major storm is in the area. Of the most resent 5 or so sailings no issue and smooth sailings. Agree with other poster, rough sea conditions can be subjective.

Enjoy your cruise. For me I have worn a mask indoors at times during shows or crowded events and on the plane and busses as I have to be careful due to a medical condition. Everyone is understanding if you choose to have a mask on. On our 8 cruises since the re start I have not had COVID, but did get some sort of flu that was not serious. Our position is we need to get out and do the things we want. We were locked down in California and helped our grandchildren in remote learning, and they stayed with us for weeks at a time as my wife just retired before the pandemic. Have a great time.

We have a sizeable amount of OBC on our Celebrity coming up and have not cruised with them for awhile. Are you able to use your OBC to pay for your gratuities onboard?

We have a sizable amount of OBC for our HAL cruise coming up. In the past, we were able to use OBC to pay for our gratuities on our onboard account. We are just checking to see if this still applies.

Can any of the pro's help with the question. Our cruise leaves in a few months and we have OBC and want to book excursions but do not see how to do it using OBC. I know once on the ship we can do it, but do not want to risk the tour being sold out. Thank you.

If you have the time get a passport, as some travels require it and it makes international travel much more efficient.

Cabin # was 5206 and main difference in cabins on deck 4 vs 5 was the size of the window. The larger window was a nice feature, for little price difference on our sailing. Deck 5 cabins are only in the the front 1/3 of the ship so little hallway traffic. I would avoid the very front of the ship due to movement. I also forgot to mention on both sailings the beds we found to be hard, the room steward was able to add padding to make it better.

We are off the Sun in Alaska about a week ago and had a good cruise, we also sailed her in May so a total of 20 days. Last cruise was a picture window on deck 5, which was nicer than the porthole on deck 4. Both cabins were very quiet, some of the quietest rooms we have had in 40 cruises. The downfall of the ship is the buffet; its way too small and crowded, and the pizza is limited to lunch time for a few hours. Great Outdoors is more open, but we had rain most days so it was limited. The Bliss lounge is awkward, as it is also a major walkway so the use of it for presentations is not the best. Know its a smaller ship, but not a crowded feel except in the buffet area.

The sooner the cruise lines notify the passengers the better. If the line has a strong doubt they will not be able to do a full, or partial they need to say so prior to final payment. As others have stated, this is for some a reason for booking the cruise. Many people fly long distances for the lifetime chance of a canal cruise.

Agree, if internet is a must have, especially for streaming or Zoom calls it is not reliable enough. So many issues effect coverage, strength of signal and other factors.

Being on the Sun in Alaska earlier this year we saw very few families, and kids. The ship does not have Children activities that I saw, it seemed more geared to adults. The good part about the Sun in Alaska is the ship has long port times. If your goal is to do activities in port, this is a good choice. If it is to have a lot of ship board activity, another choice is better. As several have noted, the buffet and pizza offerings other than a few hour's at lunch are not what you find on more modern ships.