Higher end suite on a moderate price ship vs. lower end suite on a higher price ship

[Wormy53]

Originally Posted by spirit rev

I agree they did have some problems with Anytime Dining on Princess. But, because we were in a suite, we received priority seating whenever we were ready to eat with the group of friends we made on the ship. A couple of nights we arranged for a time and waiter ahead of time. The head waiters in the the Anytime Dining room "bent over backwards" for us in many ways, some nice surprises.

Originally Posted by Yo Adrienne

You are SO right about some folks having "an axe to grind"...maybe they figure that the squeaky wheel gets the grease...? And I'm SO glad to hear that you think the Sun is still a great ship--we loved our time on her! And yup, the amenity level was just perfect for us!

That 10 day out of San Fran on Princess looks good to us, too--we like the itinerary and longer length--plus no hassle with customs (not that it's ever been that much of a hassle) and an opportunity to spend a few days in SF afterward is quite appealing--not to mention cheaper airfare cause it's not an int'l flight. Most of the other lines do only a 7 day--wish NCL had the 10 day option on the Sun...we'd probably book it in a heartbeat...!

We've looked at the Celebrity cruises a little bit, but we're wondering if they're a little too formal for our taste--and whether we're a little older than the clientele they're courting. And the only longer cruise they seem to currently have is an 11-day that goes only once in September (don't think we wanna go quite that late in the season). Maybe they'll add more for 2014? I will have a look at the Celebrity forums, too.

What did you not like about the Princess anytime dining--if the food was similar in quality to NCL's freestyle?

We found Princess' anytime dining to work well for us. We have yet to have a problem getting served in a reasonable time. On the Grand in a suite it was extra special-could set up specific times. Found the food in the MDR to be better on Princess. We ate in specialty dining rooms on NCL due to this issue. Sabatini's will be as good for breakfast, but you will need to go the the International Cafe for lunch. No problem!!!

[Locomotiveman]

Yo Adrienne,
We too asked ourselves the same question. We booked Deluxe Veranda #SC6175 and another cabin next door on Holland-America's NOORDAM last year. #6175 overlooked the rear of the ship, away from hustle and bustle, with concierge service etc. Superb for our needs on that cruise. You too may like such accomodations. Bye-bye Locomotiveman Tom

[Yo Adrienne]

Originally Posted by jdvmd

Love the Sun! Have been on her for 23 nights on two different amazing cruises - South America and the Baltic. Not sure where you are reading negative reviews. She is a wonderful ship with great staff, food and entertainment. Would sail on her in a second. The suite life on NCL is much better than any other line.

Was your Baltic cruise on the Sun that 12-day itinerary that NCL does over the summer? We took that one several years ago and had the OS on the Jewel...it was nice, but we SO wished that they'd been using the Sun for that route! Our weather was amazing and that Sun OS balcony would have been just fabulous!

The negative reviews are in a variety of places, but as another CC member pointed out, some people just want to complain--you can find negative reviews about anything if you look hard enough! I've had a number of comments from folks who assure me that the Sun is still a lovely way to travel...which is so nice to hear!