Can someone make me feel better (good) about the Sun?

We have been on four DCL cruises and one Celebrity (Eclipse-an American Girl themed cruise). We are booked on the 10 day Southern Caribbean holiday cruise because the KSF offer was just too good to pass up. We will be sailing with two DDs, 9 & 11.

But, I guess I am a wee bit apprehensive. While the reviews here on CC are fine, there's even one really nice thread, when I google NCL Sun Reviews and all these other places come up, the reviews range from middling to bad to downright excoriating.

Am I just reading too much? Or should I really have concerns about this long a trip for my family on this particular ship?

Thank you!

We are cruise veterans, and LOVED the sun! Great crew, great ship - what are you worried about?

You will have a WONDERFUL time :)

I can't wait to go back on the Sun.

I've stopped putting any stock in the reviews on here. Why? Both cruises we've been on, we had a phenomenal time, noticed that the NCL crew are some of the nicest people we've ever met - and that customer service has been top notch.

Our last cruise on the Star - we met a couple that lives about 30 min north of us and met up with them for dinner/drinks a couple of nights. She used to be a cruise director for Carnival - and even though we could take Carnival out of where we live (they live north of Norfolk, we live south of it) she said they only cruise NCL now...

I do enjoy reading the reviews after I come back from a cruise, so I can think "were you on the same ship as me?!?"

The worst reviews mentioned a very dirty ship--especially the staterooms with stained sheets, etc--, bad food (I'm not a foodie so not real concerned about this), unfriendly crew, no entertainment worthy of watching....

I guess I would love to hear from those who have cruised with children to see how the kids clubs/activities were, especially since mine are used to cruising with Disney.

And I hope that the ship is festive, I guess, at least for the girls.

I'm sorry--I feel like someone is going to say "then why are you going?" -- we love cruising over the Christmas holidays, love longer cruises and Disney has gotten over the top, price wise, and this just fit the days and the price. Nice ports, too. I just wish I could get over the nagging unknown-ship feeling and am looking for encouragement.

The worst reviews mentioned a very dirty ship--especially the staterooms with stained sheets, etc--, bad food (I'm not a foodie so not real concerned about this), unfriendly crew, no entertainment worthy of watching....

I guess I would love to hear from those who have cruised with children to see how the kids clubs/activities were, especially since mine are used to cruising with Disney.

And I hope that the ship is festive, I guess, at least for the girls.

I'm sorry--I feel like someone is going to say "then why are you going?" -- we love cruising over the Christmas holidays, love longer cruises and Disney has gotten over the top, price wise, and this just fit the days and the price. Nice ports, too. I just wish I could get over the nagging unknown-ship feeling and am looking for encouragement.

I took the Behind the Scenes Tour on the Sun and let me tell you, it was spotless! I found it to be a very clean ship. I saw a couple of groups of kids with counsellors out and about and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. After being on the Epic I was afraid I would be bored but that was not the case. Your family will have a great time!

When your reading reviews you have to realize that your reading on average on review = one persons opinion out of 2000 passengers for that one cruise.

We have been on the Sun for 19 day SA cruise and had a great cruise. The ship is smaller than the other ships in the fleet and the buffet so called action stations can be tricky to maneuver at peak times but it certainly wouldn't stop us from sailing her again.

We were on the Sun 1/2012 for our very first cruise. We loved the Sun and everything about the cruise. However, I might not be the best source as we had nothing to compare it to. I, too, was a bit afraid at first from some of the reviews but we were very happy with the Sun!

The crew was wonderful and we felt so spoiled. We thought the food was good and found the ship to be very clean. We never had a stain on anything and our room was cleaned spotless each day!

Our 4 year old, at the time, loved Kids Club and begged to go each day. The kids your daughter's age seemed to enjoy it too. He is so shy that we never thought he'd go. The crew is also so good with the kids and made him feel extra special. There were many nightly shows that my little guy had a great time at too.

I'm sure it's nothing like Disney but I bet you'll have a wonderful time! We loved the Sun so much we are taking our 2nd cruise on her over Christmas. Probably the same cruise you're booked on.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

The Sun is the first ship I booked a repeat on. I sailed 14 day South America in 2009 and will be back on in 2013. I specifically wanted to cruise same ship/stern penthouse suite. Itinerary was secondary.

If you are concerned, upgrade yourself into a suite, if you aren't already. That would definately enhance your cruise.

The only negative about the Sun appears to be the crowded buffet. But I don't like buffets so it doesn't concern me.

Of the four NCL ships we have sailed thus far, Sun is hubby's favorite. He likes the Sports Bar to watch sports and enjoy hot wings. I like the Observation Lounge with large windows. We had no problems with cleanliness and noticed the crew cleaning "all the time". Hubby finds the size a plus, easy to navigate. We stayed in an oceanview room on Deck 9, so a suite, while nice, was not necessary for us to enjoy ourselves.

We took our very first cruise on the Sun in 1/2011 and loved her. The crew and ship was fantastic and we had a fabulous time. I am seriously thinking about switching our Pearl in 2014 to the Sun. She is not the biggest or newest ship but is very well maintained and just the right size in my opinion.

We've sailed the Sun twice. Once was a few years ago out of New Orleans to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize and Guatemala and the second was last October to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and GSC.

Had a blast both times with few complaints, so relax and enjoy!

.... when I google NCL Sun Reviews and all these other places come up, the reviews range from middling to bad to downright excoriating.

Am I just reading too much? Or should I really have concerns about this long a trip for my family on this particular ship?

Thank you!

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Welcome to Cruise Critic. Yes, I think that you are reading too much in it. We cruised on the SUN one time, way back - 2007 and I still remember how nice she was back then. And she has since been to dry dock and upgrade so things have only gotten better.

So think of it this way. For everyone one bad review are hundreds of good reviews that never get written.

I booked it...no apprehension at all. I can't WAIT! :D

What's not to feel good about? We've been on her twice and she was just great......everything. Some people I guess seek/expect absolute perfection in service oriented events and anything less then becomes "just horrible".

We sailed on the Sun this past April with my two DD (11, 12). We had a great time. This ship or the line is not Disney. It doesn't try to be Disney. If you go, comparing it to Disney, you probably will be disappointed. Now, the ship is very clean, spotless and crew is working non stop to keep up with the maintenance. We never had a problem with our cabin, it was very clean and well maintained. Our stateroom guy was as good or better than ones we had on Disney. No stains on the sheets, nothing that caused us any problems. Our ice bucket was always filled and if we needed extra pillows or another blanket, it was no problem. I will say the bathrooms are smaller than Disney and for a big guy like me, plus traveling with 3 women it made taking a shower at times, a bit tricky. The average age of someone traveling on the Sun, seems to be a bit older than that of someone who travels on DCL.

Also, the ship can at first, seem hard to navigate. You might end up walking through the casino or through a lounge once, but you'll figure your way around after the fact and it is a good way to see the ship. The pool area has an adult pool, a regular pool and 4 hot tubs. No slides or aquaduck. Space wise it is about the same as the smaller Disney ships. They do have on deck BBQs on sea days and cook hot dogs, chops, burgers, chicken on these huge charcoal grills. Very nice.

The service on the ship, in my opinion was equal or at times better than Disney. The Service Desk, Excursion Desk, Dining Reservations were all were just top notch. The cruise director on the Sun is a young lady name Jamie from Canada. She is really fun and has a very wicked sense of humor. The captain's staff are very much available and you will see them all over the ship, just walking through talking to people.

Food wise, I think the MDRs were not on par with Disney, but still really good. I like the fact that you can go eat what you want, when you want and are not restricted by the dining schedule. The premium restaurants are very good, probably not on par with Palo, but excellent still. Le Bistro is very good as is Il Adiago. I was not particularly a fan of East Meets West or the Japanese Steak House, although my kids loved them. The buffet does get crowded, but here's a tip. Go all the way aft, to the outside buffet. Never a crowd there and the same food. We always went through the sports bar and hit the aft buffet. Sitting outside and eating is really nice. BTW The Sports Bar is very good for snacks as is the Tapas bar.

Kid's club, well this one is tricky. NCL isn't DCL so the emphasis isn't on the kids clubs. My tween girls didn't like the NCL club at all, but they also hated the DCL kids club for a lot of the same reasons. NCL puts the smaller children with the tweens, so there is a lot of commotion going in. The schedule for activities seems to be a bit more lax as my girls would go check out something at the club only to find that it wasn't happening or had be rescheduled. What they didn't like about DCL was that there were just too many kids that didn't know how to act. My girls had been taught to wait their turn and share. They never got to use a computer or a video game in the DCL clubs because some kid (typically a boy) would either hog it, or snatch the controllers out of their hands, in a "hey let me show you how to do it" kind of way. They had more fun hanging out at the pools and making new friends there. In fact, we met the family of one of the girls they met and since we had no dinning restrictions we were able to go to dinner with them as a group and had a great time. It was just like going to dinner with friends back home. We picked out one of the restaurants and went. You aren't going to be able to do that on DCL unless you go to the buffet.

The entertainment is also different. The Disney themed shows are nice and give lots of nice moments to share as a family, with dreams, and wishes and pixie dust. The NCL shows are more just entertainment driven. The crew based entertainment is IMO a bit on the cheezy side, with lots of dancing and singing etc. Lots of rock tune covers and broadway show tunes. The other entertainment comedians, magicians etc. are pretty much the sames as we have seen on DCL.

I would not hesitate to sail the Sun again. We like Disney for what it has to offer, and will be sailing on the Dream in a couple of weeks. That said, they do price themselves out of the market at times. In 2013 we will be sailing to Alaska on NCL (The Jewel) and I saved $5k over the price of Disney with the same Itinerary and a better category of cabin.

So overall I think if you don't try to compare the two, you will have a great time. The Sun is a fine ship with a great crew. I know you will have fun! Enjoy your time.

We have sailed 23 nights on the Sun in two separate sailings, one to South America and the other just last summer to the Baltic. We love the Sun and would love to be on her again to anywhere. The crew is fabulous!

Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster.

You have to remember those that had a good cruise are not posting reviews but planning their next cruise, where those that are unhappy are on the boards ranting in hopes someone will agree with them.

Sailed on the Sun last year...saw no evidence of anything but a well kept ship...

We have been on four DCL cruises and one Celebrity (Eclipse-an American Girl themed cruise). We are booked on the 10 day Southern Caribbean holiday cruise because the KSF offer was just too good to pass up. We will be sailing with two DDs, 9 & 11.

But, I guess I am a wee bit apprehensive. While the reviews here on CC are fine, there's even one really nice thread, when I google NCL Sun Reviews and all these other places come up, the reviews range from middling to bad to downright excoriating.

Am I just reading too much? Or should I really have concerns about this long a trip for my family on this particular ship?

Thank you!

I would have to question anyplace that has a majority of the reviews as bad as you are saying you are seeing. Where are you getting this, you say you googled Sun reviews, did you check dates, maybe the reason for the negatives etc.

No, you are not cruising Disney and you are not paying Disney prices nor are you cruising the Eclipse so don't epect the same sized cabins, the same of anything, but I think your daughters, at their ages will love NLC and the Sun.

Again, you have picked one of the lines considered mid price so you are not going upscale like you have in the past. We have sailed close to 30 times now, on all mass marketed lines from run of the mill to premium like Celebrity and HAL. Our favorite ship happens to be the Sun. No,it doesn't have a 9 story atruim, or a lot of glitz and glamour but it has a friendly crew, decent food, good entertainment, a great itinerary and the best part, nice clientele. so, you can relax, just don't expect a champagn experience when you are not paying for one...You wouldn't go to Ouback and expect Ruth Chris...

We loved the Sun so much we are disappointed we will sail the Pearl again in Jan. We have a family get together and the Sun just didn't work out for everyone. My first time on the Sun, she was about 6 months old, the second time was a few years ago. If I have any complaints is would be the buffet isn't nearly as easy to manover as some ships.

The worst reviews mentioned a very dirty ship--especially the staterooms with stained sheets, etc--, bad food (I'm not a foodie so not real concerned about this), unfriendly crew, no entertainment worthy of watching....

I guess I would love to hear from those who have cruised with children to see how the kids clubs/activities were, especially since mine are used to cruising with Disney.

And I hope that the ship is festive, I guess, at least for the girls.

I'm sorry--I feel like someone is going to say "then why are you going?" -- we love cruising over the Christmas holidays, love longer cruises and Disney has gotten over the top, price wise, and this just fit the days and the price. Nice ports, too. I just wish I could get over the nagging unknown-ship feeling and am looking for encouragement.

remember those who write negative reviews usually over exagerate the problems. A sheet can have a small stain somewhere and suddenly the guest decides the linens are filthy because a small stain could be seen somehow. I am not saying I want to sleep on dirty linens but I have never been on an NCL ship that was dirty. In fact check the CDC reviews, maybe that will make you feel better. People are quick to criticize and often slow to praise. We always excecpt to have a good time, so we take the good things for granted; it is human nature. The bad always seem worse than they are. I can think of many little irks that have bothered me when I have returned from dinner, from a vacation or from shopping. If I were to write about them, at the time, God knows what I might say. Let me relax a few days and most of those little issues end up being absolutely nothing.

As for your girls, they are at an age where the might enjoy the Sun kids activities betteer than Disney truthfully, plus the port intensive sailings really don't leave a lot of time for kids activities anyway..

Have cruised on the Sun 3 times with our young kids .. We all Loved it .

Our first NCL cruise was on the Sun last year with two kids. We loved it! Our kids loved the kids club and we found our selves with a lot of free time because they always wanted to be there. The staff were always friendly and everything was always clean. The food was good, and we found it to be up to par with RCI and Carnival (our other two cruises). Have a great one!

LOVE the Sun! The crew is wonderful, she's a grand ship, charming and fun. You will have a great time.

I only know HAL CCL and NCL but I have to say NCL crew hands down wins my heart every time!

Gosh- should I do further research? Most of what I read was pretty positive. And we are 2/3 of the way into a booking next June. Well, booked but only 2/3 of us have made a decision yet.

OP.. I'm going to say this... If you are expecting DCL and Celebrity, you will be disappointed more than likely. I don't think anyone could honestly compare NCL ships to DCL or Celebrity.. as far as the actual ship. But I will tell you we LOVED the Sun and cannot wait to be back aboard her this October. I think NCL's crew can stand up to any other cruise lines crew. We have always found them to be very friendly. If food isn't a big deal to you, then you should love it. The Sun had some of the best food we have had on NCL.

One thing we love so much about the Sun is it is a different ship layout than most other NCL ships. We really enjoyed it.

Just go at it with an open mind and realize you are not stepping on board a DCL or Celebrity ship. If you can do that, you will have a terrific vacation. Focus on whats most important. Being with your family and creating memories that will last you a life time. If you can do that, you can have a wonderful vacation on any cruise line. (And believe me.. before I ever step foot on another Carnival ship, I will have to tell my own self that.. LOL)

The Sun is the first ship I booked a repeat on. I sailed 14 day South America in 2009 and will be back on in 2013. I specifically wanted to cruise same ship/stern penthouse suite. Itinerary was secondary.

 

If you are concerned, upgrade yourself into a suite, if you aren't already. That would definately enhance your cruise.

 

The only negative about the Sun appears to be the crowded buffet. But I don't like buffets so it doesn't concern me.

Donna we are going to be back on the Sun this October in the same stern suite we had before, 00065. We cannot wait. Seems like it will never get here. We are planning our vacation right now for next year, which will be a land trip to Colorado, but when they post the 2014 schedule, if the Sun is going to keep making the one way trips for the Alaska cruises, we are going to take her then as well.