Sun to CUBA 7/9-7/13-Thoughts

Hi All,

We just got back from our trip onboard the Sun to Cuba-

I thought I would share some Pros and Cons as I see them=

My daughter, who is a high school Spanish teacher, and I decided to take this little cruise as we both have been wanting to go to Cuba-We left our husbands at home and decided to go on our own-

I have previously sailed NCL Getaway (twice) and the Epic as well as a few Carnival and Royal cruises-We loved the Getaway and went on the Epic to see the Med last fall. My dd has sailed just Carnival and Royal-

I knew the Sun was an older, smaller ship and frankly I was a little apprehensive about taking this cruise-I didn't know if I would like it or be disappointed-

We ended up having a much better time than I imagined-

PROS-

-The ship was full BUT never felt crowded!

-The public spaces looked pretty darn good since they had just been refurbed

-Our cabin (9041) was larger then our cabins on the Getaway and Epic

-NCL excursion in Cuba-Havana Old and New was great-It was very informative-We learned so much about the history and culture of Cuba-We took tons of pics for my daugter to use in her classroom

CONS

-the food was just OK-We went to Le Bistro and was def lackluster compared to other NCL ships I have been on

-Our waiter in the main dining room wasn't good at all-He didn't seem to want to be there-He acted as if he had just been fired-He was strange to say the least

-the entertainment was meh-One of the reasons we really like NCL is because of the entertainment-Maybe this size ship is where entertainers go to get trained, idk

Final thoughts: If anyone has any reservations about the Sun to Cuba don't let that keep you from going-All and all it was a pretty good trip! I will not hesitate to take an older, smaller ship in the future if it meant getting out in the world and seeing cool places and cultures!

Oh and while we were out on the sun deck all day Thursday I got an email from NCL-

It was the Haven bid upgrade offer for our trip to Bermuda in September my husband and I will take on the Escape!!!!!! I will be spending time today investigating on cruise critic the Haven today and if we should go for it or not

We are booked on the Sun in October and are looking at excursions for Havana. On your excursion, did the bus stop and allow you to get out to explore a little? Thanks very much for posting your review, perfect timing!

-Our waiter in the main dining room wasn't good at all-He didn't seem to want to be there-He acted as if he had just been fired-He was strange to say the least

Did he remind you of Lurch from the Adams Family? If so, I know exactly who you speak of. :')

Hi All,

 

Oh and while we were out on the sun deck all day Thursday I got an email from NCL-

 

It was the Haven bid upgrade offer for our trip to Bermuda in September my husband and I will take on the Escape!!!!!! I will be spending time today investigating on cruise critic the Haven today and if we should go for it or not

Look in NCL.com and see how many cabins are available in each of the Haven/suite cabin category. This will help you decide which category to bid, and how much.

Hi All,

 

We just got back from our trip onboard the Sun to Cuba-

I thought I would share some Pros and Cons as I see them=

 

My daughter, who is a high school Spanish teacher, and I decided to take this little cruise as we both have been wanting to go to Cuba-We left our husbands at home and decided to go on our own-

 

I have previously sailed NCL Getaway (twice) and the Epic as well as a few Carnival and Royal cruises-We loved the Getaway and went on the Epic to see the Med last fall. My dd has sailed just Carnival and Royal-

I knew the Sun was an older, smaller ship and frankly I was a little apprehensive about taking this cruise-I didn't know if I would like it or be disappointed-

 

We ended up having a much better time than I imagined-

 

PROS-

-The ship was full BUT never felt crowded!

-The public spaces looked pretty darn good since they had just been refurbed

-Our cabin (9041) was larger then our cabins on the Getaway and Epic

-NCL excursion in Cuba-Havana Old and New was great-It was very informative-We learned so much about the history and culture of Cuba-We took tons of pics for my daugter to use in her classroom

 

CONS

-the food was just OK-We went to Le Bistro and was def lackluster compared to other NCL ships I have been on

-Our waiter in the main dining room wasn't good at all-He didn't seem to want to be there-He acted as if he had just been fired-He was strange to say the least

-the entertainment was meh-One of the reasons we really like NCL is because of the entertainment-Maybe this size ship is where entertainers go to get trained, idk

 

Final thoughts: If anyone has any reservations about the Sun to Cuba don't let that keep you from going-All and all it was a pretty good trip! I will not hesitate to take an older, smaller ship in the future if it meant getting out in the world and seeing cool places and cultures!

I agree - we are going on the SUN in Sept (our 3rd time on SUN) - the food, service, etc are crapshoot, however, we have rarely received bad service. We have managed to enjoy every one of our cruises with NCL.

We are looking forward to visiting Cuba on SUN. We have booked an OldCarTours excursion privately.

Yes, I agree about the smaller ships - we went on the Spirit in April on a very port intensive Med cruise and had a great time, and we have booked another on her for Aug 2019.

We prefer bigger ships on longer cruises like the Transatlantic.

I sailed on this cruise and enjoyed every minute. Yes, I agree, the food preferences are sub-expectation, but I was able to maintain my diet choices. I went to the Havana Old and New and Hemingway tours. I was so curious and feel I have to revisit to take in more of the culture. Con: Humid.

I sailed on this cruise and enjoyed every minute. Yes, I agree, the food preferences are sub-expectation, but I was able to maintain my diet choices. I went to the Havana Old and New and Hemingway tours. I was so curious and feel I have to revisit to take in more of the culture. Con: Humid.

Humid for real!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The coffee maker in the room..is it kcups or the filter pods? planning bring more along just want to right one

Thanks so much for posting this! I'm booked on Sky to Cuba next month with my oldest son (25). Nice to hear good feedback about the shore excursion.

The coffee maker in the room..is it kcups or the filter pods? planning bring more along just want to right one

pods.

thx for the review!

waiting for 0% solo supplement for Cuba.

4days is perfect time off for my job.

missed out when ncl had the sale back in May :(

Hi All,

 

We just got back from our trip onboard the Sun to Cuba-

I thought I would share some Pros and Cons as I see them=

 

My daughter, who is a high school Spanish teacher, and I decided to take this little cruise as we both have been wanting to go to Cuba-We left our husbands at home and decided to go on our own-

 

I have previously sailed NCL Getaway (twice) and the Epic as well as a few Carnival and Royal cruises-We loved the Getaway and went on the Epic to see the Med last fall. My dd has sailed just Carnival and Royal-

I knew the Sun was an older, smaller ship and frankly I was a little apprehensive about taking this cruise-I didn't know if I would like it or be disappointed-

 

We ended up having a much better time than I imagined-

 

PROS-

-The ship was full BUT never felt crowded!

-The public spaces looked pretty darn good since they had just been refurbed

-Our cabin (9041) was larger then our cabins on the Getaway and Epic

-NCL excursion in Cuba-Havana Old and New was great-It was very informative-We learned so much about the history and culture of Cuba-We took tons of pics for my daugter to use in her classroom

 

CONS

-the food was just OK-We went to Le Bistro and was def lackluster compared to other NCL ships I have been on

-Our waiter in the main dining room wasn't good at all-He didn't seem to want to be there-He acted as if he had just been fired-He was strange to say the least

-the entertainment was meh-One of the reasons we really like NCL is because of the entertainment-Maybe this size ship is where entertainers go to get trained, idk

 

Final thoughts: If anyone has any reservations about the Sun to Cuba don't let that keep you from going-All and all it was a pretty good trip! I will not hesitate to take an older, smaller ship in the future if it meant getting out in the world and seeing cool places and cultures!

 

Oh and while we were out on the sun deck all day Thursday I got an email from NCL-

 

It was the Haven bid upgrade offer for our trip to Bermuda in September my husband and I will take on the Escape!!!!!! I will be spending time today investigating on cruise critic the Haven today and if we should go for it or not

We just got off the Sun today, loved it, the food was awesome, the wait staff friendly and accomodating and our room steward was also very friendly. The only ones we found not to be friendly on the entire ship were the 2 lifeguards. I loved the choices on the menus each night (the egg rolls were to die for) and the food always came out presented nicely and hot and actually sizeable portions. The bread was really good too. I only ever picked at the Buffet at night, but usually went into the sports bar for the chef salad or wings which were both very good. This was one of the best cruises I've taken out of 14 cruises.

The coffee maker in the room..is it kcups or the filter pods? planning bring more along just want to right one

Filter pods, but they will give you as many as your want.

we were on this cruise as well and I agree with the assessment. I will say that the staff was courteous and professional (I did catch a little attitude from a female bartender at the nightclub, but that was the exception.) I was informed by another bartender that NCL brought in an outside firm to train the staff for better customer service, and it showed.

food was acceptable and about what I expected. I did have to send the prime rib back because it tasted "off" and was covered in brown gravy, not au jus. had we not ordered it rare, we probably would not have noticed.

I did almost have a run in with another group of passengers being overtly rude to a woman in a wheelchair that got on the elevator with us. they complained she was going to make them late when she got on, then they told her to get out of the way when the elevator opened as they were in a hurry. that really pissed me off and I told them they should have left earlier. they seemed stunned when I let them know their behavior was unacceptable, but went about their business.

the other thing... seeing a group of twenty-something girls with their parents in the dining room, order two apps, a salad, soup and TWO entrees, prime rib and seafood medley, then sit there and pick at it and waste most of the food. take what you want, but eat what you take.

ok glad I got that off my chest.

Happy Cruising!

Was there a "Dinner with Officers" available to Platinum Plus guests on your cruise?

I presume that there was no Platinum meals perk.

I too had the steak covered with brown gravy. Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. Other than a southern restaurant that serves battered and fried meat, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a steak covered with gravy. Disgusting. Sent that back along with several other items over the course of 3 days. Worst food I’ve ever had on a cruise ship.

Where do you go to exchange US dollars for Cuban currency? If there is money left over at the end of the day, do they exchange it back? I'll be sailing on 9/16 and I'm doing the Ultimate Highlights of Havana, Old & New, so I'm glad to hear the excursion was worthwhile. Is there an opportunity to shop?

Where do you go to exchange US dollars for Cuban currency? If there is money left over at the end of the day, do they exchange it back?

There is a place in the terminal. First you go thru and do the passport & visa stuff, then xray, then there are some shops and the money exchange is at the end. They do exchange back.

I too had the steak covered with brown gravy.

What colour gravy would you expect? Personally I like a really black mushroom sauce on my steaks.

.... the money exchange is at the end. They do exchange back.

Do you know the two exchange rates?

.... the money exchange is at the end. They do exchange back.

Do you know the two exchange rates?

A quick search of google images suggests there's a spread of about 6% or 7% on the currency exchange rate. So if you change 100 Canadian Dollars into CUCs then back into Canadian dollars, you'll end up with about $93.

A quick search of google images suggests there's a spread of about 6% or 7% on the currency exchange rate. So if you change 100 Canadian Dollars into CUCs then back into Canadian dollars, you'll end up with about $93.

I believe it's 3%. But if you change US$, throw an extra 10% into it = 13%.

I believe it's 3%. But if you change US$, throw an extra 10% into it = 13%.

Yes, but it'll be 16% or 17% if you end up converting it back. The original question was about both the bid and the offer prices, presumably because the poster wanted to have more than enough CUC for their time in Cuba, then convert any surplus back before getting back on the boat.