Long Sun Review 4/2

Sun Review 4/2-4/9

4/2- Embarkation- We were newbies to cruising and we had some reservations. We did not want to be hearded like cattle. DH doesn’t like lines. We arrived in FLL and were directed to the shuttle bus area. Waited about 15 minutes and were loaded on to a very old and beat up bus. It got us to the port of Miami, but the ride was rough and the bus was dirty. Could have been better, but hey, we were on vacation!

Checked in and made it through security in 15 minutes, very painless. We were in the room by 1:00pm.

We had booked the romance package, so there was a chilled bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in the cabin when we arrived. We had also purchased a bottle of Absolut, that was in the room as well. We had a balcony cabin, 10th floor aft. It was convenient to the buffet and sports bar, very clean, and much more spacious than we thought. We made a reservation for Il Adagio for dinner.

After a few strawberries and some champagne, we set out to explore the ship. After our walk around, we headed back to our room to find our luggage. After more champagne and strawberries, we changed for dinner and headed to the CC meeting at the observation lounge. Had a nice time meeting everyone and then went off to dinner. Dinner was great and the service was fabulous. It was very quiet. I recommend booking at a specialty restaurant on embarkation day, there was no one there.

4/3- Day at Sea

After coffee in the cabin, we went to the Gym for some exercise. The treadmills were full, so we hit the bikes for 15 minutes and then to the aft deck for 20 minutes of power walking, then to the buffet for breakfast. The selection was good and the food was hot, although not very flavorful. We never use salt at home and found ourselves salting most everything. Headed to the forward deck for some sun, found 2 chairs with no problem and soaked in the warm sun for about an hour or so. Lunch at the Seven Seas was nice. The food was great and the service was wonderful. Back to the room to hang out on the balcony and then off to Las Ramblas for some tapas before sushi at Ginza. After dinner drinks at the Windjammer listening to wonderful piano music.

4/4- Grand Cayman/day at Sea

The Captain announced that it was too rough to tender in so we continued on. We were looking forward to a quiet day on the ship, but we enjoyed the day anyway. After a long walk on the jogging path, we had a quick breakfast at the buffet and then off to the spa for our massages ( included n the romance package).Then out the pool for some more sun. We had lunch at the buffet and then lounged around the cabin. Dinner at Seven Seas was very good. Service was good, not great. Back to the Windjammer for more piano music, after trying the observation lounge. Music there was not our style, we found that we really liked the Windjammer and would go back every night.

4/5- Roatan

We did not plan an excursion, so after breakfast we headed of the boat to walk around a little. The boat is only docked until 11 am, so we spend about an hour and a half shopping and got back on board. It was a great day on the ship. The pool was empty, as were the restaurants. It felt like we had the ship to ourselves. We ate at East meets West for dinner. Service and food were excellent. Went to see the “Cirque Pan” show, we did not really enjoy it at all. It was not our style, though many others seemed to enjoy it.

4/6- Belize

After breakfast we headed to the tender line to get out ticket. We made it off on one of the 1st tenders and met Marvin from Wet and Wild for our cave tubing excursion with some other CC members. Junior was our guide and was very funny and knowledgable about Belize. The tubing is not for the weak. It is a lot of work, but it is a one of a kind trip. My arms were sore, but it was worth it. The included lunch was very good and we made it back to the dock with plenty of time for some shopping. We returned to our cabin and had canapés delivered (included in the packahe) Dinner at Four Seasons, again the food was great, service was good as well.

4/7- Cozumel

After all the exercise in Belize, we skipped the work out and had breakfast in bed ( included in the package) and then off the ship for 4 hours of shopping. Back to the Ship for a nap and then to Seven Seas again for dinner. We were very disappointed with this meal. While the food was good, we were sat in a very warm corner of the restaurant and our service was poor. But again, we were on vacation…so no big deal really. Off to the Windjammer for an after dinner drink and great piano music.

4/8- Day at Sea

Slept late! After breakfast at the buffet, headed out to the forward deck for our last day of sun. Lunch at the buffet and after some shopping and napping, dinner at Le Bistro

( included in the package) Food was wonderful as was the service. Went to the observation lounge for the Farewell variety show and then to the Windjammer for a last drink with great piano music.

Disembarkation

It was very easy. We were off the ship and in line for the transfer bus in about 20 minutes. The bus ride back was much better than the ride there, but then again anything would have been better.

Final Thoughts-

Cabin- A

Service- A

Food- A

Entertainment- C (Except the piano bar-A)

We had a wonderful time. Met some great CC members, ate good food, enjoyed some wonderful music, and (mostly) had great service.

:)

What did you think of the romance package?

Chris

The romance package was worth the $229. The massages were great, dinner at Le Bistro was wonderful and the champagne, canapes,and breakfast in bed were awesome.

We will do it again, definitely.

Great review...thanks.

Could you please give a little more detailed description of the food at Las Ramblas?

Las Ramblas is really an appetizer restaurant. The menu changes daily and you go up to the counter and tell them which ones you would like. We had:

2 empanadas

2 ham and mushroom croquetes (sp?)

1 goat cheese ball

marinated olives

eggplant dip with pita triangles

They had very good sangria as well. It is not a full sit down meal though, just a nice place for a snack before a late dinner.

Thanks. I was thinking it would be burritos/enchiladas etc.

Can you elaborate on the formal night on the Sun? Were certain restauants only participating? Which ones? I am confused about this part of freestyle dining. Also, do all of the staterooms have a coffeemaker and coffee supplied? Thanks!

I don't have too much info on formal night, as we did not participate. I read in the daily that it was formal at Four Seasons and optional formal at Seven Seas.

There are so many other options for dining, that we just decided to go to another restaurant that night.

Our balcony cabin had a coffee maker and coffee was replaced each day by our cabin steward.

Thanks for the response....are those 2 restaurants the ones with the same menu with only one being formal and the other freestyle? We are taking this cruise because of the freestyle aspect and want to avoid formal night if possible.

Can you give some details on your cabin? What was the layout, and how large was the balcony?

Also, was the balcony covered, and was the railing one of those see-through plexiglass things?

Was the room noisy?

Glad you had a good vacation. Thanks for taking the time to share it with everyone. Do you remember the name to the entertainer at the piano bar?

OceanDreams

We just retuned from the Sun as well, and agree it is a nice ship. As to the cabin layout, I am not a cruise person and was surprised at how small the Cabins are, but I may not be a good judge. Ours, a 9th deck balcony was narrow. When you walked in the bathroom was on the right and the closet on the left, just beyond the closet were shelves and the safe. Then the bed on the right. We had ours made into one. Just past the bed was a sofa and across from that was a desk with the fridge and TV. The door to the balcony was glass so gave a good view. The balcony was the width of the room and maybe three feet across, solid side walls and a metal rail. Two plastic chairs, which one person reported to be the worlds most uncomfortable, I am not so sure of that. There may be some somewhere more uncomfortable.

WOW- Lots of questions

Formal Night- I have no idea about the menus, since we did not go to either of the main dining rooms on formal night, we chose a speciaity restaurant that night,but I think that, though similar, the menus in the 2 main dining rooms were different from each other every night

Cabin- As a first time cruiser, I was very surprised at how big the cabin was. I expected it to be very small and although it was compact, we had plent of room. The balcony was as described in the previous post, and the chairs were just fine for me. We never heard any noise in the cabin. On the balcony we would occasionaly hear chairs moving above us, as we were directly below the outdoor cafe, but that was only during the day. It was very quiet at night.

Piano Player- His name is Bobby Hamilton, but I am sad to say that he is leaving the cruise industry after 8 years. He is on his final cruise right now. You can check him out at www.amazingpiano.com however.

I think that is all the questions! Feel free to ask more!

It was such an amazing experience! The crew was FABULOUS!

We did take part in formal night. We went to the Seven Seas for dinner almost every night since we loved the service there. For formal night, the Four Seasons required jacket and tie. Seven Seas was optional formal but the majority of the people were dressed up. The dinner menus at both main dining rooms were essentially the same minus a few variations. On formal night, it was Lobster tail in both restaurants but there were other options as well.

The Sun is a magnificent ship! We were on a Cat II cabin (191 sq ft) and it was WAY bigger than we expected. Perfect for us and our toddler.

We had a balcony on deck 10 and were actually able to get 2 adults and three kids in there. It was crowded but not much more so than a hotel room and the balcony helped a ton. I dont think I could have a room without a balcony.