~ NCL Sun ~ Alaska ~ June 12-19 ~

These thoughts represent only my personal views of our NCL Sun Alaska cruise from June 12-19. Please do not flame me for my opinions.

Ports:

6/12 Vancouver embarkation

6/13 Inside Passage

6/14 Ketchikan (fishing with Ken of Northern Lights)

6/15 Juneau (city tour including Mendenhall Glacier)

6/15 Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier

6/16 Skagway (driving tour of the Klondike Highway to Emerald Lake)

6/17 Wrangell (self-guided walking tour)

6/18 at sea (entered inside passage around 16:00)

6/19 disembarkation in Vancouver

Group (14 total):

Mandy and Curt – ages 30/32. This was cruise #6 for us (started cruising in 2000) and our third cruise with NCL. Other cruiselines include Celebrity and Holland America. This was our first Alaska cruise. We married on our last Norwegian Cruise in 2003 while in port in St John, and our very first cruise was Norwegian Sky, so NCL holds a special place in our hearts. All cruises have been 7-night cruises.

Twelve others joined us (friends and family) and all have taken at least one other cruise. However, for everyone in our group, this was our first Alaska cruise.

Overall Impression:

Terrific cruise with NCL staff going above and beyond to satisfy. We loved the relaxation of Alaska and Freestyle cruising, and will probably be returning to Alaska again.

PreCruise:

Our group was flying in from various places (Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Tampa, and Austria). Most arrived in Seattle on Saturday while one couple arrived in Seattle on Friday to visit friends who live in Seattle. Twelve of us stayed in two separate hotels.

Of the twelve, eight of us stayed in Hilton Garden Inn (Renton) which we acquired on Hotwire for $35 per room (plus taxes/fees which came to $45 per room). Even paying regular rates, we would highly recommend this hotel. It was very well kept, comfortable rooms, good business center (free internet to check last-minute cruise weather), and also had an indoor pool and hot tub with good jets. Location was about a 10-minute drive from SEATAC. Following the hotel’s directions, you feel like nothing is around. However, ask for directions to the nearby WalMart and you find lots of restaurants nearby without using freeways. The Hilton Garden Inn provided a free shuttle to and from the airport. Something that really impressed us was when Curt’s parents arrived, the shuttle driver was on break. When phoning the hotel from the airport, they were told to take a cab and would be reimbursed upon arrival to the hotel. The cab cost $18 plus tip, and the front desk immediately reimbursed them. Considering the Hotwire rate of $35 and the hotel paying $18 for a cab, this was quite impressive.

The other four stayed at the Hilton airport and had no complaints.

We rented a minivan for the eight of us who arrived around noon. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to walk through Pike Market. It was very crowded that day and rained off and on. Because of the crowds, it was not very enjoyable as you could barely walk. However, we did watch the Seattle cruiseships sail away around 4:00 from a good viewing area just near the famous Fish! people. We took everyone back to the hotel and then returned the minivan to the airport so that we would not have to deal with it in the morning. Most in our group went to bed early, while Curt and I relaxed in the hottub for a short amount of time before retiring for the evening.

Transportation from Seattle to Vancouver (Amtrak Cascades):

The eight of us arranged for a shuttle from the Hilton Garden Inn (Renton) to the Amtrak Station (King Street). For $77 (plus tip), Shuttle Express (425-981-7000) took us and ALL of our luggage to the train station in a van. Our driver was punctual and friendly. I prefer to be early rather than late, so we had a 5:50 pickup. We arrived at the train station around 6:15.

Using the credit card I had purchased tickets with, I utilized the kiosk to print tickets. We needed these when turning in checked baggage. The checked baggage doors opened at 6:30. Yes, they do stick to the 50-pound policy, as one couple did get to do a little rearranging of items. We were the first in the line, but for some reason I felt it was disorganized. Although we were all traveling together, the lady wanted the luggage with each family (couple). Then she wanted them by reservation number, and since some couples had purchased tickets as a group online, that added to the confusion. However, she ended up stapling our baggage claim tickets to just one ticket. In the end, it worked out, but the most confused I became was when giving her four tickets (for the four people I booked) and she kept asking for the luggage of the three of us. I couldn’t understand why giving her four tickets she only wanted three of our bags. (I teach math, and am pretty exact with numbers). Fortunately, she realized she had miscounted and understood why I was confused with her “three”.

Ten of us had purchased the $36 business class tickets while four of us had purchased $24 coach tickets. At 7:15 we were called to get seat assignments, which were basically assigned in the order you lined up (business class was on the right, coach on the left). When I informed the desk we had ten of us together (five couples) he placed us in rows 1-5 on the left. The business class cars had a seating configuration of two on the left and one on the right. When heading from Seattle to Vancouver, the water (and best views) are on the left. Row one faces backwards, so that is good if you don’t mind riding backwards and want to visit with row two. However, my dad did become a little queasy riding backwards but didn’t want to inconvenience anyone else with switching seats. Once we were off the train, he was fine, but felt it was completely because of riding backwards.

Many of us enjoyed breakfast in the dining car. Because seating is limited, you need to go immediately when breakfast is announced if you wish to have a seat. Otherwise, it is about 1:15 before the next seating. There is a $8.50 per person minimum, and if booking in business class, you received a $3 off coupon when getting your seat assignment. Breakfast was very good and well worth it. We enjoyed a table for four, watching the scenery go by as we had good food. The menu on the Amtrak Cascades website is accurate.

Disembarking the train – business class was first but was also furthest from the exit. A few carts were available for helping with luggage.

After clearing customs in Vancouver, we took cabs to Canada Place. This cab ride was under 10 minutes. Most traveled in pairs, while my parents/grandparents decided to see if they could get four to fit in a cab (plus all luggage). Amazingly, ALL of the luggage fit in the trunk. Cab fare was about $10 (Canadian) so with tip we paid $10 US.

Embarkation:

The first line we entered was Customs. Not a problem. Then we split into the separate Norwegian lines (regular checkin, Latitudes, Suite/VIP). Four of us were in the Suite/VIP line. In this line there were cookies and marble bread, and we met the concierge and butler. Quite honestly, we felt this line moved slower than the rest (we watched the rest of our party in the other lines complete the process faster and board the ship well ahead of us). The positive thing was getting to meet our concierge at this time.

After completing checkin (setting up onboard credit, picture taken for cruisecard), we proceeded towards the gangplank. There were two photo stops, which we did, but did not purchase.

Cabin (AF MiniSuite 9278, aft):

Wow. We were impressed with everything and did not have a single complaint about the cabin. Ample storage, and as others in our group said, they could get lost in our bathroom!! We really enjoyed the layout of the cabin, and particularly the location. Only 18 cabins overlooked the wake, with six on three decks.

Our friends (Joe and Grace) were nextdoor in AF MiniSuite 9078 which was identical. Our headboards and bathtubs shared the same central wall. Visiting on the balcony was easy, as we did not have to really lean over the divider much. However, the divider between the minisuites and the BA balcony cabin nextdoor seemed to be thicker/wider. You really had to lean over the railing that way if you wanted to chitchat with those guests. If you are wanting a complete overhang, this is not the balcony for you. The overhang was only about a foot, but even standing out, you still had privacy because of the angle of the aft of the ship. The only way people from above could see us was if we were standing against our railing and they were too. I even tried looking at our balcony from deck 11 (outdoor café) but could only see Curt when he was against the railing.

Our balcony had two chairs, one small round table, and one lounge chair. Joe/Grace had the same furniture with the addition of another lounger. Blankets and towels were provided in our cabin. Because of the occasional soot, we would take the towels outside to sit on, as I learned my lesson the second day of the cruise.

The last two nights, the weather was good enough to sleep with the door open for fresh air. Hubby gets cold easily, so when I tried sleeping with the door open earlier in the week, he asked me to close it. Hearing the wake down below was so relaxing! And just like on most ships, sleeping at the aft of the ship is peaceful, particularly with that little vibrating alarm clock when pulling into port!!

We definitely used the balcony, safe, refrigerator, and bathtub (which was large enough for two).

Other than the two aft minisuites, the rest of our group had opted for category J inside cabins on decks 8, 9, and 10. They found the cabins to be efficient and well laid out. Curt and I did visit some of their cabins and found them larger than our category J inside cabin we had on the Sun’s sister ship in 2000, NCL Sky (now reflagged as Pride of Aloha).

Room steward (Armando):

To put it bluntly, he was the best ever. Even when we book inside cabins, we stay on a suite deck and have the same room steward as the suites. Armando was top notch. Not a detail was missed. We also had not really ever had towel animals, but he continually surprised us, with our favorite being two swans meeting with their heads forming a heart. I am not a wasteful person, so if I used a shower cap, I would hang it up to use it again later. Armando would throw it away and put a new little package in the tray in the bathroom. When we took a packaged roll of toilet paper in Skagway for our drive on the Klondike Highway (just in case… since we knew there were very few restrooms), we came back to the ship to see he had placed another roll in the bathroom. Just those little details – he did not overlook anything.

CruiseCritic Rollcall:

We only had one other couple respond to rollcall, although I tried to put something in there to bump it up every so often. Mike and Val from London were terrific, and we had the pleasure of meeting them at Las Ramblas on embarkation day at 5:30. We bumped into them throughout the cruise, the last time being when we were in the Observation Lounge the last evening about 10:30 going through Seymour Narrows.

Concierge:

Anca Zamfir is the new concierge onboard the NCL Sun as of June 12. We remembered seeing Anca on the Norway during our wedding cruise. Anca did a terrific job and was delightful to visit with. In visiting with her, we learned she speaks five languages fluently (wow!). NCL has made a wise decision in adding Anca to the fine pool of concierges. We expect to see her as a rising star with NCL. Anca’s previous NCL ships include S/S Norway and NCL Sea.

FitnessCenter:

I utilized the 24-hour fitness center. Cardio equipment included treadmills (open 8A-8P), four elliptical machines, bicycles (sit down and regular), and stairmasters. I did not use the weight equipment. Before getting on the equipment, I would wipe my equipment down as well as when I would get off. Even there were signs asking you to wipe equipment off after use, I still saw some people workout then leave without wiping off their equipment despite the signs. So to make sure I was on clean equipment, I definitely used the spray bottle and paper towels before beginning my workout.

Dining:

~ LeBistro (twice) was superb. The first night I had my normal (escargot, asparagus, cream of forest mushroom, Caesar salad, Bearnaise Barigold on a Red Wine Jus filet mignon, and chocolate fondue). The second night I had double asparagus (LOVE their asparagus), spinach salad, surf-and-turn, and banana flambé. I wanted fondue too, but didn’t think I could handle it just then, so they told me to call them later when I was ready for it and it would be delivered to our cabin. Hubby and I enjoyed sharing it on our balcony overlooking the wake. Very romantic.

~ Il Adagio was good. However, as I put in the comment form, we felt it was not worth the $12.50 surcharge. Maybe $7.50. I had the mozzarella.tomatoes, cesar salad made table side, pasta special, and incredible chocolate hazelnut cake. Hubby and the shrimp scampi with fort cloves of garlic. We love the views in this restaurant (same as the Horizons on the Sky when we sailed it, but was the same menu as dining room and no surcharge).

~ Two nights we ate in our cabin. Embarkation night (just too tired from travel – ordered prime rib and French onion soup from main dining room menu) and after Tracy Arm (tablehogs were upstairs and we didn’t feel like dressing for dinner after being outside all day, so we brought a tray down from Garden Café since there were no seats)

~ Two nights we ate in Seven Seas. Service was fine. However, we had made a 5:30 reservation for the last night for fourteen, but were told there were no tables to accommodate that many. They placed us at two tables for seven (splitting one couple). We passed a few tables set up for groups that definitely held 14 and were empty when we arrived and left, so I am not sure why we were placed at two separate tables. On our wedding cruise, we had a table of 15 and table of 4 next to it, which had been no problem.

Breakfast and lunch were mostly Garden Café, but we did enjoy Seven Seas and the soup/sandwich bar a couple of times.

Appetizers (tapas) at Las Ramblas were okay, but I really went there to enjoy the Sangria. $5.95 per glass or $13 for a half-pitcher which really seemed to be about four glasses.

~ As always, there is the “jeans in the dining room” question. Yes, jeans were seen each night when dining although we did not see any in Il Adagio. The most surprising to me was jeans in LeBistro on formal night. A couple by the window about our age wore jeans, sweatshirt, and sandals. (He wore an untucked flannel shirt). We’ve seen jeans in the dining room on each cruise we’ve been on, and NCL is no exception. Attire recommendations are always made in daily programs on each line, but I have yet to see anyone turned away from a restaurant for attire.

Executive Chef:

The NCL Sun Executive Chef, Markus Reichl, was fantastic. We attended a couple of his cooking demonstrations which were quite enjoyable. He definitely had a great sense of humor!

Onboard entertainment:

I will admit we did not attend a single show in the Stardust Lounge except for popping in to hear the comedian for about 10 minutes from the back. To us, the “show” was everything outside the ship.

For musical entertainment, we thoroughly enjoyed guitarist Marc Obitz. He took our requests in Las Ramblas, and could play a wide variety of artists. The pianist on formal night about put us to sleep in Windjammer, so we explored the ship.

Again, entertainment for us with this Alaska cruise was outside the ship. On most of our cruises, we attend a show each night, but Alaska was unique.

Weather:

Weather ranged from upper forties to upper seventies. We did wear shorts on two days. The inside passage, Ketchikan, and Juneau did have periods of mist/rain (Monday-Wednesday) and it cleared up after that. Our tour driver in Juneau told us they had had no rain the past 30 days until the day we arrived, and they needed the rain.

Receptions:

We did not attend the Captain’s reception on Formal Night, as we had planned for our group to dine in LeBistro. However, we did attend the Lattitudes reception in the Stardust Lounge (yummy rum punch!) and the VIP reception afterwards in the room off the library (champagne and munchies). On the Norway, the VIP reception was held in the Captain’s Quarters (who had a huge balcony) but on the Sun, it was off the library. Staff was very friendly here, shaking your hand as you walked in. However, at Latitudes, they were not into shaking hands, which we found odd. After leaving these two receptions, we went downstairs to Il Adagio for dinner.

Ports:

~ Ketchikan:

We went fishing with Ken of Northern Lights. Four of us from NCL Sun and two from Celebrity Infinity. Our scheduled time was 7:00-12:00. We were on the first tender to shore, but it dropped us off down past the third cruiseship. We just assumed that was where Ken would meet us, but apparently this was NOT a normal tender point. NCL had tendered us there, then the photography crew walked off. We waited, and after seeing no more NCL tenders (plus the fact that the photography crew walked off) we started wondering if this was actually where the tender would take us back to the ship, as NCL crew had said absolutely nothing. Normally in the past when tendering, you return to the ship from the same place you are dropped off. Anyway, we did venture down the dock and did find Ken. He was locating the two guys from Infinity.

The eagles were very impressive. However, apparently some killer whales had been through the area earlier in the morning. Ken said that sometimes that scares the fish for two hours or two days. With five poles in the water (I was an observer) we didn’t get a single nibble. Ken even kept us out until 1:15, and still nothing. I’m sure getting a nibble or even a fish would have been amazing. Just too bad you can’t predict when the whales are going to come through the area!!

~ Juneau:

We did a $20/pp tour of Juneau and Mendenhall. We got this at the dock. Because NCL docked far away, they provided buses to the main area (across from the tram). We took a 9:30 tour and were back at 11:40. Mendenhall Glacier was really fantastic to see, and our tour guide had grown up in Juneau. He was very knowledgeable.

~ Tracy Arm:

Wow. That’s all I can say. Decks were packed, so we spent the day on our aft balcony. We kept the door open so we could see the bridge cam, which played music. Marion Mitchell made the commentary though the television, and he was absolutely terrific. Some in our group stayed outside the Sports Bar, and with our walkie talkies, we were able to point out different things to each other. We did make it to the point where you could see North and South Sawyer Glacier, and turned around there. All of the waterfalls, icebergs, scenery, etc. was just amazing. Our aft minisuite paid for itself that day. We easily had 8 on our balcony leaning against the railing.

~ Skagway:

We used Murray’s guide and drove the Klondike Highway. Before leaving Skagway, we signed up for the 3:00 NPS walking tour of Skagway. To rent three cars, it took about 20 minutes (we were the first in line and had made reservations months in advance through Avis on the internet, as well as called to reconfirm in May with the Skagway Avis office directly). Our walkie talkies came in very handy on this drive.

My parents/grandparents were getting tired, so they went on back to the ship after seeing Emerald Lake. We were maybe 10 minutes behind them. About a mile before the Canada border, they saw a mother bear and THREE cubs crossing the road. Of course cameras had those once-in-a-lifetime problems, but we hope one got a shot of the bear’s butt going over the ridge. They were so happy to have the sighting.

~ Wrangell:

We did a self-guided walking tour of Wrangell after visiting the Visitor’s Center (very informative!). We saw the Totem Park, Chief Shakes’ island, and Petroglyphs Beach. We also had very yummy ice cream waffle cones from a place in town for $2.25 each. When getting off the ship, the visitor’s center and attractions were to the right, and Petroglyphs Beach was a mile to the left (easy walk – past the ferry terminal).

Disembarkation:

Smooth for those of us with VIP. We were off about 7:30 and in our Budget rental vehicle by 8:30. We took the scenic drive back to Seattle.

However… five in our group purchased the $60 NCL transfer to Seattle. 7:35 was the scheduled “yellow group” disembarkation time and was recommended for flights after 2:00 PM. They were not called until long, long after 7:35. To make a long story short, they finally borded a QuickShuttle bus and left Canada Place at 10:30. Let me explain why this bothered us: I had very thoroughly researched every aspect of this cruise in the months preceding embarkation. We knew QuickShuttle cost about $41 and left at 9:40 for nonstop to Seattle (arrive approximately 1:30). Some on CruiseCritic had stated that the NCL shuttle passengers left earlier (and past cruisers had arrived SEATAC by noon). Because since my husband had a 3:05 flight, we decided to pay the extra cost and go with NCL versus QuickShuttle. According to my husband, it was mass chaos after clearing customs. One NCL rep would say one thing, and another NCL rep would say another. Nobody seemed to know what was going on. Apparently NCL was to use Gray Lines but had reserved the buses for Monday instead of Sunday (the disembarkation day). Whatever the reason, they were placed on QuickShuttle (again, which we could have booked independently for much cheaper). Not all got on the first bus, so two in our group went later since their flight home was the next day. I am not sure what time they finally got to SEATAC, but when my husband’s group left Canada Place at 10:30, the other bus had not shown up. Fortunately my husband made it to SEATAC by 2:00 for his 3:05 flight. He is just happy he made the flight, as he was becoming very stressed by the NCL chaos at Canada Place. Thankfully, border crossing on his bus took about 15 seconds.

My concern that I will be sharing with NCL is this:

If NCL is just going to put passengers on QuickShuttle at a LATER time than the 9:40 QuickShuttle bus, then don’t even offer the service. Hubby could have saved money and left much earlier by booking QuickShuttle versus the NCL transfer.

This was not a concern I could share on our comment card since we were now off the ship (comment cards completed the day before disembarkation).

Passenger Clientele:

We were told that close to 2,100 passengers were onboard. At the Latitudes party, the staff said that there were 177 Latitudes members onboard, which we thought was low. Very few children were onboard.

To be quite honest, this was the only semi-negative with this cruise (other than the NCL transfer chaos). This represents our opinions, and do not want to be flamed for sharing our opinion. We had never encountered such a rude group of passengers on a cruise with a lack of etiquette. It seemed to be the mentality of “me me me”… “this is MY vacation and nobody else is around”. On multiple occasions, we observed the following:

~ tablehogs: yes, at the peak of dining times in the Garden Café, a single person would be sitting at a table for four reading a book, completely oblivious to the fact that there were no empty tables and people were walking around with trays looking for a seat. Yes, there were other restaurants available at breakfast/lunch to eat in, but those restaurants were utilized at dinner as specialty restaurants. With as many public areas on the ship to read (library, card room, java café, Observation lounge, champagne bar area, etc) one would think these people would read their book somewhere else instead of in a dining area at peak dining times. Very similar to chairhogs at the pool.

~ cutting in line: I was amazed that you could be standing in line and an adult couple would just decide to “merge right in” as opposed to getting at the end of the line. (Such as in disembarkation lines, Garden Café lines, etc.) One couple did this as we were disembarking in Wrangell, then turned around and said “I guess we should apologize”. My thoughts were ‘no, don’t apologize, just go to the back of the line like any decent adult should do’. Of course I was too chicken to actually say my thoughts. If they were physically disabled, I would completely understand, but some people just had the “me me me” attitude onboard and it definitely showed.

~ pushing in tight areas: the photo gallery area could be busy, especially when other shops would place tables in the area for the ship “sales”. One day while walking through the area, three ladies with canes literally pushed their way through. We were not looking at anything, but merely trying to go from point A to point B, which included going through that area. They came from behind, and we were moving as fast as we could (it was jam-packed), but they felt they should push their way past us. Thinking it was just us, I just looked at them in disbelief. Then others in our group mentioned these three ladies that just practically pushed their way past them, and we decided it was the same three. Hubby and I do walk a quick pace, but when it is packed, we just slow down and go with the flow. Apparently these ladies with canes felt it was appropriate to push their way through people when they felt we were moving too slowly.

Hubby and I usually used stairs, but on a few occasions we did use elevators:

~ elevators: when someone in back needed off and would try to make their way to the front of the elevator, some passengers would just stand there not allowing the passengers around them

~ elevators: when I would step off to let others in back off (and I would hold my hand in front of the door to keep it open), some passengers would just pile in the elevator before others had a chance to get off, almost leaving me absolutely no room to get back on. Maybe that’s why people in the previous scenario don’t move so people in the back can get off – they were probably too afraid the people waiting on the elevator would charge right on leaving them no room to get back on.

As I told my husband, I hope he lets me know if I ever become anything like some of the passengers we encountered onboard. I would expect lack of manners from kids (I teach middle school) but from adults who should know better? We were shocked as were other members of our group. We had not encountered adults behaving like this on previous cruises. Yes, the majority of the passengers had proper etiquette, but there was a large group that obviously had a different definition of proper etiquette.

Post-Cruise:

My husband had to return to work on Monday, so he flew home from Seattle.

I stayed with my parents/grandparents at Embassy Suites SEA Airport. We drove through Stanly Park in Vancouver, through Customs at Blaine (not Peace Arch – longer wait), and down I-5 to Mount Vernon. From there we went through Anacortes, over Deception Pass, lunch in Langley, a stop at Whidbey Island Winery, and the car ferry at Clinton. We were tired, so after driving past the Boeing facility (largest building in the world) we went straight to our hotel. Some were in bed by 6:30.

On Monday, they chose to relax for the day, so I went solo to Defiance Zoo in Tacoma (35 miles from SEA). I love polar bears and knew this zoo had some, so it was definitely on my list. That evening, three of us went to the Mariners’ game versus Oakland. It was our first visit to Safeco field. However, we ended up moving seats because TicketMaster had somehow sold the same seats twice. We were a group of three and another group of five had our same seats. When they showed up (we had been sitting there awhile), representatives from each party went to get help, and reps at Safeco Field preferred to move the smaller group (so we lost our aisle seats, which is specifically why I called to order our tickets months in advance). We could have had aisle seats towards the outfield, but we wanted to remain behind homeplate. I’ve never had that happen before.

We flew home on Tuesday, and my parents/grandparents still had a 2.5 hour drive from Dallas.

My husband’s parents also stayed in Seattle post-cruise for two nights at the DoubleTree. They had lunch on the water on Sunday, and did the $42 City Pass on Monday before going to the Mariners’ game that evening. They also flew to their home on Tuesday.

Four in our group took the ferry to Victoria, where they stayed Sunday/Monday nights, followed by the ferry to Seattle on Tuesday. They should be flying home as I type.

Again, this was an excellent cruise :) and NCL definitely met and exceeded our expectations in several cases, with just a couple minor things that could improve. We are thankful for each day we are given and very grateful to have spent a wonderful week with our families. This review represents only my personal opinions.

Hey Mandygirl! A review is supposed to be your personal observations! What else could it be? Reading it, I wondered when I would come to the bad part, and there it was.....right at the end!

I totally agree with you re dress in the dining room. We were recently on the Sovereign (RCCL) and we too had a couple next to us in jeans on formal night. Why can this not be stopped? Are these people doing it just to be obstinate? There should be "dress" police at the entrance, and these offenders turned away. I am so right wing, I almost goose-step! (Kidding of course, but what is the matter with these people??) (And you thought YOU would be flamed?)

As for pushy people, or those sitting reading when I am looking for a table.....I am just old enough (older than dirt!) to say something to them. How rude!

We are going on the same cruise July 31st....and totally looking forward to it....moreso after your review, despite the hooligans! DS and almost DIL are coming too, and neither one of them is backward about going forward.....should be interesting!

Thanks for the comprehensive review!

M.

Thanks, Mabers! :) If we had not booked a great cabin just two floors down from the Garden Cafe, I believe I would have said "do you mind if we join you?" a couple times to those reading by themselves at a table during peak dining times. Instead, we just walked on downstairs. I took a picture of four of us using the coffee table as our dining table - two of us on the couch, two on the bed. I hope to upload pictures tomorrow from somewhere with a faster connection (not what I have at home). We were very pleased with the cruise, and I was really touched how crew members often spoke as we walked down the hall - "how are you doing"?". I know they work their butts off and would always share a smile and a "thank you" whenever possible. They really did do an outstanding job on the Sun! YOU enjoy your cruise!!

Great Review!! Rude people..somehow...they seem to be everywhere...no getting away from them.

Glad your trip was a big success...now back to reality.

Websites we utilized with this cruise:

Flights:

www.southwest.com

Pre-Cruise Hotel in Seattle (Hilton Garden Inn - Renton):

http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?moreDesc=true&ctyhocn=SEARHGI

Transportation from Hotel to Amtrak Station (Seattle):

http://www.shuttleexpress.com/webpages/FAQ.html

Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver:

http://www.amtrakcascades.com

Ketchikan Fishing with Northern Lights:

http://www.ketchikanfishing.net/cruise.htm

Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/index.html

Skagway Car Rental:

www.avis.com

Skagway Mile-By-Mile Detail:

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

Lunch on this drive:

http://www.yukonalaska.com/buns/

Skagway National Park Service (3:00 PM Walking Tour):

http://www.nps.gov/klgo/

Wrangell - Visitor Info:

http://www.wrangell.com/visitors/attractions/history/

Wrangell - National Park Service:

http://www.nps.gov/wrst/home.htm

Post-Cruise one-way MiniVan Rental:

www.bcbudget.com

Post-Cruise Hotel (Embassy Suites - SEATAC):

http://embassyseatac.com/

WEBCAMS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK (shared ahead of time with family not going on cruise):

Sunday, June 12 - Vancouver embarkation (port cam showing various ships in port from a distance)

http://www.northvancouver.com/webcams/cruisecam/index.html

bridge cam:

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

list of other ships in port that you may see in the port cam pic:

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx?tabid=198

Monday - at sea for inside passage (NCL bridge cam - always available)

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

same pic but with statistics to the side (always available):

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/ncl_sun/ncl_sun.htm

Tuesday - Ketchikan (port cam)... we are tendering, so we will not be docked

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/ports/ketchikan.htm

list of other ships in port in Ketchikan:

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx?tabid=129

bridge cam:

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

Wednesday - Juneau in the morning (port cam)

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/ports/juneau.htm

Tracy Arm in afternoon (bridge cam - icebergs in water)

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

list of other ships in port in Juneau:

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx?tabid=125

Thursday - Skagway (drive to Emerald Lake)

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/ports/skagway.htm

Live webcam in Carcross (the little town just before Emerald Lake):

http://www.yukonalaska.com/webcam/webcam/

list of other ships in port in Skagway:

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx?tabid=44

bridge cam:

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

Friday - Wrangell (in afternoon) - NCL bridge cam (no port cam in Wrangell)

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

Saturday - at sea for inside passage (NCL bridge cam)

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/webcam.htm

Sunday, June 19 - disembarkation in Vancouver

port cam:

http://www.northvancouver.com/webcams/cruisecam/index.html

NCL Sun bridge cam with statistics to the side (always available):

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/ncl_sun/ncl_sun.htm

list of other ships in port that you may see in the port cam pic:

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx?tabid=198

The ship:

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/09/deckplans.htm

Overview calendar of our ship, Norwegian Sun:

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx?tabid=311

Mandy

I LOVE your Picutre of the DMB Stand Up! What a great album! Woo Hoo!:)

GREAT review. Isn't Alaska Great??? We have sailed there twice and are thinking of doing it again next year. Just 1 question, who was the Cruise Director on your trip?

GREAT review. Isn't Alaska Great??? We have sailed there twice and are thinking of doing it again next year. Just 1 question, who was the Cruise Director on your trip?

Yep - it was AWESOME! I just clicked on the webcam to see the Sun entering Tracy Arm... :( withdrawal is TOUGH!

Cruise Director was Patti Honacki, but she did announce she was moving to a different ship at the end of our cruise. I don't know who took her place for the June 19 sailing.

Mandy

 

 

I LOVE your Picutre of the DMB Stand Up! What a great album! Woo Hoo!:)

So true!! I snagged it from a link on the DMB site. Here's a link for ya - there's a few others to choose from that are animated!! We try to see DMB somewhere different each summer... and turn it into a vacation... so I have something to look forward to during this cruise-withdrawal period. :) This summer it is Alpine Valley. :D And to think I really didn't know about DMB before I met hubby... But now that he is doing three concerts at Red Rocks, we may be making another roadtrip if I can talk hubby into it and get lucky enough with tickets.

Thanks! and LOL on the web cam comment. I did the same thing (looking at it) for each day the month following our cruise.

Thanks! and LOL on the web cam comment. I did the same thing (looking at it) for each day the month following our cruise.

Well... last night I "cooked" takeout Chinese, and tonight I "cooked" pizza delivery. It is so hard to get back in the groove of things, and we normally never have take-out more than once a week! :eek: I just keep saying it's jetlag from coming home yesterday. Reality won't hit until I'm desperate enough to start doing the laundry...

Mandy

 

 

I LOVE your Picutre of the DMB Stand Up! What a great album! Woo Hoo!:)

Oh - BTW - the guitarist on the Sun, Marc Obitz, REALLY did good DMB. The last one I remember was Crash - he did a great job.

Thanks for the review! I have a question and a few comments. First, when you say the fitness center is open 24/7, but the cardio equipment is only 8-8, well, what is available before 8am and after 8pm? Weights? Just a little confused! Thanks!

I agree with you about elevator etiquette- it's just bad everywhere and drives me up the wall. I am the type to say something because most of the time I don't think people realize they're being rude and a friendly (ehem) reminder is in order.

This isn't a flame, but I don't agree about reading at mealtimes being rude. I'm a librarian, though, so this may have something to do with it. When I'm dining alone I consider a book or magazine to be my "company" and I have no guilt reading.

I would have said "do you mind if we join you?" a couple times to those reading by themselves at a table during peak dining times.

You have EVERY right to ask if you may sit with a lone person at a four-top table during a meal. It's very common in restaurants in Europe and on cruises to sit with "strangers" at meals- You do it in the dining rooms, so why not the buffets? It's less casual, not more formal. Ask away next time instead of getting frustrated with us table-readers. :)

Thanks again for the nice review. DH and I are sailing the repo Pacific Coastal in Sept and looking forward to the SUN.

Michele

Mandy- great review, we leave on saturday for the sun and love reading all the reviews. do you have pictures posted? Where did the guitarist play? We have balcony 9277-aft was it windy and how was the view?

thanks

chris

I've been looking for it since I'm on the SUN in about a month.

Did you notice if the Tracy Arm excursion went farther into the glacier area? Thinking of sending my DH on this excursion.

I know you didn't do any shows, but what about other activies? Bingo? Games? Casino? Exercise classes? BTW. agree with you on the treadmill cleaning. Had the same problem on the Mariner in May, sweaty males (sorry guys!) who NEVER cleaned the machines.

I notice your a "GRITS" also (Girl Raised In The South! :) ) It's funny that you noticed the 'rudness' of fellow passengers. I've only been on one ship that didn't go out of Port Canaveral, and that was the NCL Majesty to Bermuda out of Boston two years ago. I notice the same thing....we were a party of 5 and would look for a table to eat lunch from the buffet at...and 2 folks would just be sitting at tables for 6, obivously finished eating. If you asked them would they mind moving, they either ignored you or said NO. I have never noticed this on ships out of Port Canaveral, Rednecks maybe, but not rudeness.

Thanks for the links! I plan to check them out!

Jacquelyn :D

Thanks for the review! I have a question and a few comments. First, when you say the fitness center is open 24/7, but the cardio equipment is only 8-8, well, what is available before 8am and after 8pm? Weights? Just a little confused! Thanks!

 

I agree with you about elevator etiquette- it's just bad everywhere and drives me up the wall. I am the type to say something because most of the time I don't think people realize they're being rude and a friendly (ehem) reminder is in order.

 

This isn't a flame, but I don't agree about reading at mealtimes being rude. I'm a librarian, though, so this may have something to do with it. When I'm dining alone I consider a book or magazine to be my "company" and I have no guilt reading.

 

You have EVERY right to ask if you may sit with a lone person at a four-top table during a meal. It's very common in restaurants in Europe and on cruises to sit with "strangers" at meals- You do it in the dining rooms, so why not the buffets? It's less casual, not more formal. Ask away next time instead of getting frustrated with us table-readers. :)

 

Thanks again for the nice review. DH and I are sailing the repo Pacific Coastal in Sept and looking forward to the SUN.

 

Michele

Hi Michele! Thanks for sharing your comments and questions.

I'm sorry I didn't clarify - Treadmills were the only cardio equipment not available 24-hours. My guess is due to people who run so hard and pound it so hard that it wakes the minisuites below the fitness center. All other equipment was available around the clock (bikes, stairmasters, elliptical machines, weights, etc). I would usually be in there about 6 AM using the elliptical machines, and one day I was there closer to 8 and observed a NCL crewmember come in to remove the signs off each treadmill. There were also televisions in the fitness center available around the clock. I was very pleased to observe passengers observe the 8A-8P notes on the treadmill, as I'm sure those passengers snoozing one deck down were too. :)

As far as the dining, if they were actually eating something or had food somewhere on the table, I would have no concerns. But when it is an empty table with absolutely no plates, no silverware, etc except a book... that's when I thought they might possibly consider offering the table to others with trays who were repeatedly passing by (these were usually window tables). Particularly when you can sit anywhere and read a book. But those I had concerns with as "tablehogs" were the ones utilizing the tables in the dining areas but not having a spec of food anywhere on the table. One in particular I recall was there when we proceeded to eat outside (just a book on the table) and was still there with the book after we finished eating (still no food on her table for four - just her and her book). I teach middle school and encourage reading, so I'm not against it at all. I just felt that if you were doing nothing but reading a book, there may have been more appropriate places to read during peak dining times when all tables are being used by people eating. The Sun had so many public areas to offer such seating.

We were usually a group of two or four when eating, so we definitely did not mind splitting up as two and two when no tables for four were available. (Made reservations for 14 on two nights so we could eat as a group- not in the buffet - LeBistro and Seven Seas) It wasn't a frustration, but really just something that I felt would be like a "tablehog" I had read about on this board. I had never observed that since this was our first Alaska cruise... only seen the "chairhogs" on Caribbean cruises by the pool. :rolleyes: I had told hubby on the cruise that next time I would ask to join if it was just the two of us and someone was sitting alone reading at a table for four. Otherwise, we were content going downstairs to eat in our cabin since we were just below. Four in our cabin for dinner made it interesting though, but we made it through with no spillage. :) Joining others at mealtime is somewhat like joining others for afternoon tea --- on HAL, we always made it a point to join others as we were situated in groups of four around small tables. It is fun meeting other people!

Enjoy your repositioning cruise! The Sun is a beautiful ship and the crew/staff were outstanding. It was good to return to NCL for this cruise - it suited our group well as we had a wide variety of tastes/ages to satisfy when planning this cruise.

Mandy- great review, we leave on saturday for the sun and love reading all the reviews. do you have pictures posted? Where did the guitarist play? We have balcony 9277-aft was it windy and how was the view?

thanks

chris

Thanks Chris! No pics posted yet - I tutored all day and just got home. I'll start trying to upload tonight and have my sig updated when it is.

You will LOVE your view. It was awesome!!! The divider to your right (9278) is pretty thick so you really have to lean out to visit with 9278. (Of course, don't lean on the rails! ;) ) We visited with the nice lady in your cabin a couple of times - while we were outside.

Okay - take a bottle of bubbles for sailaway - those little cheapie bottles you get and blow through. When backing out of Vancouver, just place the little bubble stick in the air and bubbles go forever! :D Oh, the little things you discover on a cruise!!!

The wind was not bad at all. However, there were some chilly days where the wind did add to it, so we would stand at the door with the door open to watch with binoculars. But compared to trying to walk in front of the Observation Lounge or on Deck 6 for walking while the ship was sailing???? Forget it!! So the wind at aft compared to those places is minimal, but sometimes a little too chilly for us to fully step outside. Remember... I'm from Texas... if it's below 60 that's considered freezing!! LOL!

Enjoy your cruise!!

I've been looking for it since I'm on the SUN in about a month.

Did you notice if the Tracy Arm excursion went farther into the glacier area? Thinking of sending my DH on this excursion.

I know you didn't do any shows, but what about other activies? Bingo? Games? Casino? Exercise classes? BTW. agree with you on the treadmill cleaning. Had the same problem on the Mariner in May, sweaty males (sorry guys!) who NEVER cleaned the machines.

I notice your a "GRITS" also (Girl Raised In The South! :) ) It's funny that you noticed the 'rudness' of fellow passengers. I've only been on one ship that didn't go out of Port Canaveral, and that was the NCL Majesty to Bermuda out of Boston two years ago. I notice the same thing....we were a party of 5 and would look for a table to eat lunch from the buffet at...and 2 folks would just be sitting at tables for 6, obivously finished eating. If you asked them would they mind moving, they either ignored you or said NO. I have never noticed this on ships out of Port Canaveral, Rednecks maybe, but not rudeness.

Thanks for the links! I plan to check them out!

Jacquelyn :D

Thanks Jacquelyn! Yes, the catamaran went further towards Sawyer Glacier but I don't know how far. I didn't even notice it until it was coming back to meet the ship. I think someone in our group took pics, but not us. We're still trying to get together and combine all our pics here and then mail to others in Tampa and Houston. Had we not had a balcony cabin, hubby and I would have booked the catamaran. However, my parents/grandparents chose to stay outside the Sports Bar all bundled up, and every time the Sports Bar doors opened, warm air greeted them where they were standing, and they said that was terrific. None of them drink a drop of alcohol - they were haning around there for the spurts of heat. :) We had 8 others in our cabin from hubby's side of the family.

I'm telling ya, I really was L-A-Z-Y on this cruise. Normally, we get the Freestyle Daily, and I have each activity highlighted that I want to attend the next day and Curt just rolls his eyes. I was "good" on this cruise and pretty much did nothing. (I had also been told not to book an excursion at every port - did that on our last cruise and it wore us out!) Not a single Bingo game except to accompany my grandmother for the free bingo. Then we learned the free game would be game #3 and games #1 and #2 were so long and drawn out --- not like back home where you have to be a speed-demon to keep up! Hubby spent some time in the casino with his dad - his dad did well on a slot machine. I think $10 turned into $50 which turned into $140 at the blackjack table... all in a short afternoon. Hubby only donated $20. The spa classes this time were "surcharges" for the ones I normally like to attend - like the feet reflexology classes, couples massage classes, etc. I think they were maybe $10. On the same token - HAL couples massage classes were about $50. Only the classes there were total "upsells" were free - my mom and grandmother attended a few of those. Curt's cousin did Pilates a few times - she said it was real basic but she enjoyed going. Somehow I completely overlooked the wine tasting ($10) but would have definitely been in attendance had I noticed it! There were many activities to choose from, but we really spent a lot of time on our balcony. This was our first balcony, so we were in awe the entire week - especially with the amazing scenery. It was just so beautiful.

Now, when we laid down to take a nap on Monday, Curt always watches tv to help him fall asleep. CNN had the "breaking news" of the Michael Jackson verdict... so we did watch that. Does that count? :confused:

I've learned that cruising from different embarkation cities has different effects. Our cruise out of Puerto Rico was definitely different, and a staff member told me that Seattle vs Vancouver also makes a big difference.

Don't hesitate for any other questions - and enjoy your cruise!!

Where did the guitarist play?

I knew I'd forget something... the guitarist (Marc Obitz) played at Las Ramblas and in the Observation Lounge. He really was terrific - he has a notebook of songs you can thumb through for requests and also knows many just by naming an artist. The few I remember I picked were Tracy Chapman, Dave Matthews Band, and Jimmy Buffett. Surprisingly, I was the only one singing along with him for Margaritaville and inserting the appropriate audience words!!!:D

After you write a review, especially the day after flying home, you realize your brain cells were still a few states away. Here are some things I should also mention:

Alaska Research / Map:

We purchased "The Alaska Cruise Companion" by Joe Upton. This was available by calling Princess Cruises's 800 number. I think I paid $20-$25 including shipping. It was a WONDERFUL resource that we highly recommend. The website link below is a snipet of a few pages. The actual book is 336 pages (good quality, soft cover, great pictures/maps). A fold-out map comes with it and is correlated to the book as well as the longitude/latitude lines. On the tv in your cabin, at any time, you could watch the Bridge channel and the lat/lon would show up. The map made it easy to find your location, and note any upcoming villages, lighthouses, etc. Also, the last day of the cruise, I was hoping to see Seymour narrows. I asked Anca if she could find out for us, and she made one quick phonecall while we were standing there and received the immediate answer of 2230. We had guesstimated 2300 by using hubby's GPS (to calculate speed) and measuring on the map, so I'm glad she found out for us. Plus we didn't know the tide schedule, which is imperative for Seymour Narrows. But the map was used many times a day.

http://www.alaskacruise.com/Books/Coast16.html

Our group age range:

Our group ranged in age from 30 to early 70s, with couples representing each decade inbetween.

Reasons for selecting NCL Sun:

- Roundtrip

- Inside passage (read that Vancouver is better for inside passage vs Seattle)

- Freestyle (four in our group do not like dressing for dinner and prefer staying in jeans or relaxed clothing - they mostly ate in the Garden Cafe but did eat in Seven Seas several times... yet some of us do enjoy dressing and trying different restaurants... so we had a range of dining preferences)

- One couple had never tried Freestyle but have cruised at least a dozen times (they learned Freestyle wasn't for them)

- Freestyle was good so that some nights we could dine alone, with friends, with family, or as a whole group (at 5:30 with reservations). Freestyle gave us the flexibility when traveling as a group.

- And most importantly, as hubby said, NCL had taken care of us twice before, particularly on our wedding cruise, ane he knew NCL would take care of us again... which they DID!!!:)

Ketchikan:

We also walked over to Creek Street after our fishing excursion (arrived back from fishing at 1:15). Last tender to ship was 2:30, and we had time for Creek Street and popping in some shops.

Drinks:

I did notice a difference in size in ordering the same drink from two different bars. What I would order was billed as a "basic cocktail" for $4.50 (plus 15%), but the glass size given to me in the Sports Bar (closest to our cabin) was probably 50% larger than the glass size given to me in the Observation Lounge. It only took one time of ordering in the Observation Lounge to just save that special drink for ordering at the Sports Bar (which I would take downstairs to our cabin). We also enjoyed after-dinner drinks in Windjammer and Java Cafe, not to mention the yummy sangria in Las Ramblas. The Sun does have that recipe displayed outside Las Ramblas, which I need to try to make. In my opinion, the drinks were not "watered down" as I have noticed on another cruiseline. NCL was good! Our bar bill was well under $100 total for the week - including wine at dinner - so we didn't experience the beverages as much as some might expect over 7 nights.

If I think of any more that I missed, I'll be certain to add it. :)

Mandy- thanks for all the tips- i never thought about bubbles :) What a great idea. Reading your review and tips has really gotten me so excited for the trip. Great to know about the Guitar player- we always look for an area to listen to good music and have a cocktail.

We have prepared for photos by packing a video camera, digital, and a 35 mm with a 300 lens- so when i get back will hopefully have some pix's to share.

This should be quite different from our usually caribbean trip.:)

thanks again

Chris

One more thing I just recalled as unpacking and came across the shore excursion guide...

We booked all shore excursions independently, were very satisfied, and figured we saved close to $400 as a couple by booking independently versus through the ship. (Multiply this for our group of 14, and the savings was quite substantial... but hubby and I just figured our own savings for the two of us.)

Yes, we realize the risks of booking independently, but we felt these were low-risk items for missing the ship and also left buffer time "just in case". When driving in Skagway (to Emerald Lake) we had three cars, so we figured that IF there was a problem, we had two other cars we could pile into if necessary. There are some ports we know to book ship excursions, but after researching the CruiseCritic Alaska boards, we felt comfortable with our decisions for each port we were visiting in Alaska on the Sun.

Ketchikan Fishing with Northern Lights:

http://www.ketchikanfishing.net/cruise.htm

Cost booking independently: $119 plus $7 tax plus $10 fishing license plus $10 king salmon tag (7:00-12:00... but our's kept us until after 1:00 since we all had time)

Comparable excursion with NCL:

"Ketchikan Sportfishing" (5 hours) $180 (plus book specifies extra $20 in license/tag)

Maximum of six persons total (plus captain)

Price difference for fishing: about $60 per person

I went along for the sightseeing / eagles for a rate of $60 (total).

Comparable excursion with NCL:

"Lighthouse & Eagles Excursion" for 3 hours at $90 (although we didn't see lighthouses when fishing with Ken - which I was most curious about eagles)

Juneau - City Tour including Mendenhall Glacier:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/index.html

Cost of city tour including Mendenhall Glacier when booking as a walk-up at the pier:

$20 each (2 hours)

Comparable excursion with NCL:

"Juneau City & Mendenhall Glacier" (3 hours) for $45 each

Skagway Scenic Drive into Yukon Territory:

Car Rental: www.avis.com

Skagway Mile-By-Mile Detail:

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

Lunch on this drive: http://www.yukonalaska.com/buns/ (HUGE sandwiches - split one!)

Our cost (four per car, including car, taxes, insurance, and gas):

$30 each (plus lunch)

We rented car shortly after 8:00, on road as a group by 8:30, returned 2:50 for National Park Service tour (free), then back towards Dyea for overlook since we ran out of time earlier - so approximately 7 hours

Comparable excursion with NCL:

"Yukon Territory Drive" - 5.5 hours - $89 each (plus any food)

Skagway National Park Service Walking Tour of Skagway

3:00 PM Walking Tour - Free - 50 minutes

Can tip USNPS

Signed up when opening at 8:00 AM before scenic drive to Emerald Lake (max of 30 per walking tour; obtain free ticket early to ensure a spot)

http://www.nps.gov/klgo/

Comparable excursion with NCL:

"Skagway Street Car" - 2 hours - $41 each (we did see these at the scenic overlook on the way to Dyea, which you cannot easily get to by foot)

Wrangell Walking Tour (our cost: free)

We took about 2.5 hours to see Visitor Center, Totem Park, scenic church, Shakes Island, and Petroglyphs Beach

Could have paid about $3 each for admission to museum at Visitor Center and about $3 each for admission to Chief Shakes house. Hubby's parents did go in Chief Shakes house, which they found informative.

Wrangell - Visitor Info:

http://www.wrangell.com/visitors/attractions/history/

Wrangell - National Park Service:

http://www.nps.gov/wrst/home.htm

Comparable excursion with NCL:

"Wrangell City Highlights" (2 hours) $35 each

icon in brochure depicts "walking over relatively flat terrain... comfortable shoes are recommended"

Recommended NCL Excursion in Skagway:

Our friends did book a ship excursion in Skagway which they HIGHLY recommend and say was "first class all the way":

"Glacier Point Wilderness Safari" - 5.5 hours

As we were eating dinner leaving Skagway, they were able to point out the glacier as we neared it and passed it. They were very impressed and saw many seals and other sealife. Passengers from all ships were on their tour.