Trying to find out everything you all know about the Sun

Hello, we are cruising on Norwegian Sun, this November to Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. We have only been on 1 prior cruise, was just a 5 day on Carnival Paradise, and, we had a blast. . Now on that ship, you had like 24 hrs a day pizza and ice cream for example, 24 hr room service, and some other things .. now, on the Sun, i hear that there is a chocolate buffet ?? You can dress up a couple nights if you want to, Carnival has there own website forum and if you read alot, we found out alot, ncl, doesn't .

We leave up to experienced cruisers on good stuff and bad also, on the Norwegian Sun ...

Thank you, Cyndee and Jeff

This may help... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1475741

Hello, we are cruising on Norwegian Sun, this November to Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. We have only been on 1 prior cruise, was just a 5 day on Carnival Paradise, and, we had a blast. . Now on that ship, you had like 24 hrs a day pizza and ice cream for example, 24 hr room service, and some other things .. now, on the Sun, i hear that there is a chocolate buffet ?? You can dress up a couple nights if you want to, Carnival has there own website forum and if you read alot, we found out alot, ncl, doesn't .

We leave up to experienced cruisers on good stuff and bad also, on the Norwegian Sun ...

Thank you, Cyndee and Jeff

All NCL cruise ships are set up pretty much the same. If one ship has a chocolate buffet, they probably all do. I don't recall one from our trip on the Sun last year, but we could have missed it. Things like chocolate buffets come and go, but you will find lots of desserts in any case.

The Sun is a great ship. There is a free 24 hour restaurant with comfort food like wings. They also serve meals there in the evenings like prime rib and BBQ ribs. Of course the buffet and 2 main dining rooms. There is 24 hour pizza delivered anywhere on the ship for $5. It is very big. We thought it was pretty good, but some don't like it. The pizza from the buffet is actually better in my opinion. Room service free limited menu, but a small service fee sometime in the wee hours of the night. Specialty restaurants are all very good and worth the $15 to $30 pp for a night or two.

No required formal night ever on any NCL ship. But you CAN dress up as much as you want on any night. Most guys wear khakis or jeans in the MDR or Le Bistro and many wear shorts in the other venues. No early or late seatings for dinner. Eat when and where you want at a table for whatever size group you are dining with that night.

This may help... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1475741

Very very nice pile of pictures, seems you really enjoyed the ship .....

if you think up anymore cool/neat things we need to look for, please let us know

Do they do the comedy club shows ???

All NCL cruise ships are set up pretty much the same. If one ship has a chocolate buffet, they probably all do. I don't recall one from our trip on the Sun last year, but we could have missed it. Things like chocolate buffets come and go, but you will find lots of desserts in any case.

 

The Sun is a great ship. There is a free 24 hour restaurant with comfort food like wings. They also serve meals there in the evenings like prime rib and BBQ ribs. Of course the buffet and 2 main dining rooms. There is 24 hour pizza delivered anywhere on the ship for $5. It is very big. We thought it was pretty good, but some don't like it. The pizza from the buffet is actually better in my opinion. Room service free limited menu, but a small service fee sometime in the wee hours of the night. Specialty restaurants are all very good and worth the $15 to $30 pp for a night or two.

 

No required formal night ever on any NCL ship. But you CAN dress up as much as you want on any night. Most guys wear khakis or jeans in the MDR or Le Bistro and many wear shorts in the other venues. No early or late seatings for dinner. Eat when and where you want at a table for whatever size group you are dining with that night.

Seems you guys had a good time ..thanks for the info, we are looking for all the info we can find, we sorta missed out on a lot on first cruise, like i said before, we are new to this .. and we have till November to check it all out ...

if you think of something else, we will appreciate it i'm sure ..

I really like breakfast, where is the best ????

Seems you guys had a good time ..thanks for the info, we are looking for all the info we can find, we sorta missed out on a lot on first cruise, like i said before, we are new to this .. and we have till November to check it all out ...

if you think of something else, we will appreciate it i'm sure ..

 

I really like breakfast, where is the best ????

I love to eat breakfast in the buffet and take it out on the covered deck (Great Outdoors Cafe) at the back of the ship on Deck 12. Lots of people race out there to take pictures of the sun rise. The Sun has a Observation Lounge (forward on Deck 12) with an outside deck. Great place to watch entering or leaving a port.

 

I really like breakfast, where is the best ????

We usually ate breakfast at the Great Outdoors Café. At the beginning of our cruises, it was less crowded since most people saw the regular buffet first and ate there. It is at the very back of Deck 11 (Pool). Nice area to sit, eat, and watch the wake.

The Sun is my DH's favorite ship. :)

The Sun is a nice relaxed ship with a very nice crew. It is one of the slightly smaller ships. However, she is one of our two favorites. Do check out the Spinnaker lounge. It's the upper forward observation lounge. Also the Sun has a Great Outdoors which is a rear open grill/sitting/eating spot, especially good for breakfast I think. The Sun is small enough that you will have time to get comfortable and familiar with all she offers. If you want to try one of the less expensive specialty restaurants, the Sun's La Cuchina Italian restaurant at $15 pp is very good I think. Otherwise, you have two MDR and the buffet, plus the 24 hrs comfort food, the Great Outdoors, and additional pool deck grilling on sea days. The buffet has an ice cream station and I believe the soft serve machine is in the Great Outdoors. The Sports Bar (I believe that's it) is open during the lunch hours with pizza and pasta type stuff.

I love to eat breakfast in the buffet and take it out on the covered deck (Great Outdoors Cafe) at the back of the ship on Deck 12. Lots of people race out there to take pictures of the sun rise. The Sun has a Observation Lounge (forward on Deck 12) with an outside deck. Great place to watch entering or leaving a port.

They had a lido deck buffet on the Carnival paradise when we sailed in may, the food wasn't as good as in the main dining rooms though, and the coffee wasn't as good either ...i'm an early riser and need about 2 cups of good coffee, but, we seen pictures of that outdoor buffet, seems like the place to be when you leave ports like you stated ...:)

We usually ate breakfast at the Great Outdoors Café. At the beginning of our cruises, it was less crowded since most people saw the regular buffet first and ate there. It is at the very back of Deck 11 (Pool). Nice area to sit, eat, and watch the wake.

 

The Sun is my DH's favorite ship. :)

Oh ??? , so there are 2 buffets near the back of ship ??? so, walk clear to the back ???

omelettes back there ??? :)

I believe the soft serve machine is in the Great Outdoors.

There is a soft serve ice cream machine in the Great Outdoors. DH "visited" it frequently! LOL

The Sun is a nice relaxed ship with a very nice crew. It is one of the slightly smaller ships. However, she is one of our two favorites. Do check out the Spinnaker lounge. It's the upper forward observation lounge. Also the Sun has a Great Outdoors which is a rear open grill/sitting/eating spot, especially good for breakfast I think. The Sun is small enough that you will have time to get comfortable and familiar with all she offers. If you want to try one of the less expensive specialty restaurants, the Sun's La Cuchina Italian restaurant at $15 pp is very good I think. Otherwise, you have two MDR and the buffet, plus the 24 hrs comfort food, the Great Outdoors, and additional pool deck grilling on sea days. The buffet has an ice cream station and I believe the soft serve machine is in the Great Outdoors. The Sports Bar (I believe that's it) is open during the lunch hours with pizza and pasta type stuff.

Well, well, well, we like Italian, and we haven't heard much about how good it was or not, and, ... you gotta be kiddin me ?? BBQ on seadays ?? it doesnt get any better than that ... i never heard about that at all .. Good BBQ ???

loved hearing about that ..

If you think of something else, we are all ears ...

Oh ??? , so there are 2 buffets near the back of ship ??? so, walk clear to the back ???

 

omelettes back there ??? :)

The main buffet is called the Garden Café. Walk all the way through it and go through the glass doors. At the back there is a buffet and nice outside eating area. Not sure where the omelet station is. DH had omelets almost every day but not sure where he got them. We have a system where we locate a table first; he stays at the table and I go to the buffet first since I am the slower eater (LOL), and then he gets his food. And we finish eating at the same time; that tells you how slowly I eat. :D

When we got to our room on last cruise, there was stuff in bathroom, they had body wash and shampoo on in the shower so you didn't have to bring it , well, wife brought her's, is there stuff like that on this ship ??

At lunch time there was a free Pasta Station in the Pacific Heights restaurant. The PH restaurant is located on the port side opposite the Garden Café on the starboard side. It was much easier to get pasta the first few days of the cruise before others discovered this little gem of a lunch. ;)

When we got to our room on last cruise, there was stuff in bathroom, they had body wash and shampoo on in the shower so you didn't have to bring it , well, wife brought her's, is there stuff like that on this ship ??

Every cruise ship that we have been on has had a shampoo and body wash dispenser in the shower.

Every cruise ship that we have been on has had a shampoo and body wash dispenser in the shower.

thank you very much for your insight on all of this, keep adding to this, and we will keep reading and learning ..we had fun "watching" karaoke on last cruise, and they had comedy shows that were good, they also had a game on Carnival Paradise that you guys, being from Ohio i'm sure you are familiar with, (they had "cornhole" boards set up on lido deck and we played almost every day ....:)

here is an example, in case people don't know what cornhole is

thank you very much for your insight on all of this, keep adding to this, and we will keep reading and learning ..we had fun "watching" karaoke on last cruise, and they had comedy shows that were good, they also had a game on Carnival Paradise that you guys, being from Ohio i'm sure you are familiar with, (they had "cornhole" boards set up on lido deck and we played almost every day ....:)

 

here is an example, in case people don't know what cornhole is

 

Have you folks joined the Roll Call for your cruise? Usually there is lots of very valuable information found there.

Have you folks joined the Roll Call for your cruise? Usually there is lots of very valuable information found there.

yes, we have a roll call for nov 9, but, seems mostly experienced cruisers and not much talk about the ship ... we made all of are shore excursions, just got done a few days ago actually, now we are trying to find out about the ship, we looked on beyondships . com, but, the stuff we learn from people who will share

their experiences is priceless ..............:)

My favorite restaurant out of all on NCL is Il Adagio. It may be called La Cucina now like on the other ships, but the venue itself is unique to the Sun. It is a long narrow room with floor to ceiling windows. There are rows of small tables in front of the windows and across the isle, raised curved banquettes which face the windows. Everyone is close to the windows and everyone has a view. The views are fantastic. And only $15 per person.

The 24 hour restaurant also serves cooked to order breakfasts, or even the main dining room. Food is very good there, but I'd prefer to get mine from the buffet and sit out at the Great Outdoors, weather permitting.

Make sure you go to your meet and greet set up by your role call. On most cruises, it is on the first sea day. Most of the senior staff will be there including the captain. They will hand out cards with direct numbers in case there are any issues you can't get resolved.

At lunch time there was a free Pasta Station in the Pacific Heights restaurant. The PH restaurant is located on the port side opposite the Garden Café on the starboard side. It was much easier to get pasta the first few days of the cruise before others discovered this little gem of a lunch. ;)

I think Pacific Heights is now a Moderno extra charge at dinner restaurant.

I don't know if free pasta is still available there at lunch. Maybe someone who has cruised the sun more recently can say.

I'm not sure what other changes have been made. I hope the Sports Bar with its floor to ceiling windows is still there, entry from Great Outdoors, on opposite side from buffet. That was a good place to get evening snacks, have a drink, and enjoy the view.

I think Pacific Heights is now a Moderno extra charge at dinner restaurant.

I don't know if free pasta is still available there at lunch. Maybe someone who has cruised the sun more recently can say.

I'm not sure what other changes have been made. I hope the Sports Bar with its floor to ceiling windows is still there, entry from Great Outdoors, on opposite side from buffet. That was a good place to get evening snacks, have a drink, and enjoy the view.

Everything noted was just like my NCL SUN SB Alaska trip 7/2013.

Additional comment the Sports Bar was used as an overflow area for the

very crowded Garden Café and you could get something to drink other than

coffee tea or a juice - and yes the PH (Moderno) had an upscale buffet featuring

pasta and an ambience (dress code) that you did not belong here coming

right out of the pool area forward. The PH was closed off at night for dinner

by reservation and the staff very discretely directed thru traffic from the Sports

Bar around and thru the Garden Café side - the pool entry was roped off HINT

no entry this way ! The PH (Moderno) was a lesser of the Specialty Restaurants !

The Specialty Restaurants would be hard pressed because of their space/size

to accommodate most everyone who wanted to dine. NCL SUN small ship at

max capacity would be overtaxing the SRs and even the Garden Café at times.

If you make last minute reservations for dinner you will get the idea that NCL

can not perform the loaves and fishes to everyone's satisfaction.

BUT relax it seems to work out with out any snags - you got alternatives and

so does NCL.

My group sampled the East-Meets-West (Cagney's) Steak house; the Le Bistro

and the Il Adagio (LaCucina) - only the E-M-W did we have to accept a different

reservation time.

The sample package was $65 reduced to $57 for purchase pre-cruise.

This package has been discontinued replaced with the UDP with an average

daily cost of a bit less than $20. Nice but a lot of overkill at best.

On my upcoming Panama Cruise would have opted for twice around on the

original package - 6 out of 14 days leaving 8 days for MDR's and buffets.

does anyone have pictures of the poolside bbq ??? :)

A tip at lunch, they open moderno next to the garden cafe with extra seating and freshly baked pizza and a salad station, we found there was no line in there

The sports bar on the top deck that does blue lagoon style comfort food had tapas in the display cabinet and you can ask the barman for it

Cyndee and I are mid 50's, and on our previous cruise, we got a dessert one evening we have never had in our life "Baked Alaska". We seen it on the menu a few times, and finally ordered it, It was great, previously i thought it was fish ....lol, anyways, do they serve it on the Sun ???