Norwegian Sun - What do you think?

Ok All,

 

I have searched and researched and can't find what I am looking for. So here goes my questions. This is my second cruise I am looking to book. I cruised on Carnival Valor last January with hubby and LOVED it all!! So now I am looking to book the next cruise with kids and parents. I don't care for the itinerary of Carnival's eastern route and don't want to do same western. So I was looking into the Sun's route to Roatan (my Favorite), Belize, Costa Maya and Stirrup Cay. I couldnt even find a review for this itinerary so I am assuming it is new.

 

I am trying to find out what the rooms are like; size, beds and comfort of an inside. I would also like to know what the kids programs are like. I felt like Carnivals were great, even though my children werent with me last time. If anyone can give me there opinions and comparisons that would be great!

 

Thanks so much, I look forward to hearing what anyone has to say.

Yes, the Sun has a north south itinerary whereas other cruise lines have a east west itinerary. I do not think the Sun this winter season will do Rooatan.

 

The cabins are similar to Carnivals, just a bit smaller. The main difference is that Carnivals ships are a foot or two wider.

I do not think the Sun this winter season will do Rooatan.

The NCL website suggests that Roatan will be a call on every Caribbean cruise this winter season. Half a dozen sailings will call at Cozumel rather than Costa Maya (those on 1, 8, 15 and 22 December 2007, and 5 and 12 January 2008).

I couldnt even find a review for this itinerary so I am assuming it is new.

The Sun has regularly called at almost all these ports for years, although not necessarily in this combination or in this order. The only novelty is, I think, the call at the private island which I haven't known the Sun to do before, at least for some years. But I've been to all the other ports several times on her.

 

One of the things about the Sun is that relatively few people write reviews after sailing on her. Most of us think that it's because she's a good, happy ship and people just have a good time and little to grumble about. That has certainly been my personal experience.

The Sun's itineraries this winter:

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: October 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 29

2008: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: December 1, 8, 15, 22

2008: January 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Costa Maya 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

Either choice looks like a great cruise. For those who prefer Cozumel over Costa Maya, check the dates carefully.

The Sun's itineraries this winter:

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: October 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 29

2008: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

According to my itinerary for the Nov. 17th sailing we stop in Costa Maya and not Cozumel.

The Sun's itineraries this winter:

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: October 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 29

2008: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: December 1, 8, 15, 22

2008: January 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Costa Maya 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

Either choice looks like a great cruise. For those who prefer Cozumel over Costa Maya, check the dates carefully.

 

 

We are sailing on the Sun Feb 16,2008. I booked through NCL and our invoice says Costa Maya, not Cozumel. Where did you get this info? Hope it is right! We would prefer Cozumel!

According to the NCL web site, the 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on the Sun (10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, 11/24, 12/29) stops at Costa Maya -- not Cozumel.

 

(We're sailing on the 11/10 voyage.)

 

Getting back to the original question, we sailed with our three boys back in February on the NCL Pearl, and they all had a BLAST in the Kid's Club. They looked forward to going, and we looked forward to sending them! I'm sure the Kid's Club on the Sun is just as good.

 

Regarding the itinerary, I'm very happy with the four stops the Sun is making on this cruise. I've been to Belize (in February), but haven't seen Roatan, Costa Maya or GSC yet. We're sailing without the kids this time, so we plan to get out a little more. I've already booked cave tubing in Belize, and zip-lining in Roatan. Add in some quality beach time in Costa Maya and GSC, and it sounds like the perfect vacation!

We are sailing on the Sun Feb 16,2008. I booked through NCL and our invoice says Costa Maya, not Cozumel. Where did you get this info? Hope it is right! We would prefer Cozumel!

 

I got this information straight from NCL's web site. Let's make sure I got them corect, and not reversed.

 

Sorry, I did reverse them. :eek:

 

REVERSE the itineraries I listed before and they will be correct. :cool:

 

They should look like this:

 

007: October 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 29

2008: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Costa Maya 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: December 1, 8, 15, 22

2008: January 5, 12

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

Most of the time the Sun sails to Costa Maya, there are just a few Cozumel sailings.

I sailed the Sun 3 years ago, but it was to Alaska. Wonderful ship with a great crew. As an interesting note, my DH wore his NCL Sun shirt on a later cruise on the Jewel, and had several crew members talk to him about it. Apparently it remains one of the favorite ships for the crew to work on. I know that's not what you asked, but you rarely see complaints about the ship, and I think that's part of the reason why.

 

Our kids were too old for the kids club, so I can't offer you any info there.

 

As far as inside cabins, the Sun has some of the nicest inside cabins in the NCL fleet. Specifically, look for the ones that are marked as superior inside (cat I, II, JJ). The average size of those is about 191 sq. ft. for the I and II, 172 for the JJ. The other inside cabins are smaller --- around 147 sq. ft. Just taking a quick glance, it looks like the Valor ones average over 180, so you will definitely see a difference if you book one of the smaller ones on the Sun.

 

The other thing that you need to make sure you understand is NCL's freestyle cruising. It's a more relaxed dress code, along with a different dining setup. Instead of having assigned dining times and an assigned table, you're free to eat where, when, and with whom you want. I prefer it, but not everyone does.

 

I love Rotan and Belize, and have been considering this itinerary myself.

I got this information straight from NCL's web site. Let's make sure I got them corect, and not reversed.

 

Sorry, I did reverse them. :eek:

 

REVERSE the itineraries I listed before and they will be correct. :cool:

 

They should look like this:

 

007: October 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 29

2008: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Costa Maya 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: December 1, 8, 15, 22

2008: January 5, 12

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

Most of the time the Sun sails to Costa Maya, there are just a few Cozumel sailings.

 

Thank you for the info, Costa Maya will be fine, we just love Cozumel.

We are booked on the Sun for the western itinerary. I too love Roatan and have even been there for a week long stay.

 

I am very excited to be on this ship and there seems to be many fans of the Sun.

We loved this ship. We stayed in a standard balcony cabing and it was wonderful. Very well laid out. The bathroom had great storage and was very comfortable. The food and dinning options were great. It was a wondrful trip. They only thing we did not like was the layout of some public spaces in regards to smoking. You had to walk through the disco and casino (both were on different decks) to get from one end of the ship to the other. You could not avoid the smoke. We've had chances to go again on this ship but have passed for this one small reason. If smoke does not bother you than you will have a great time on this fine vessel...............

Hunter -- Did you read about the smoking changes that NCL is implementing? There was a thread talking about it in some detail a few days ago. You might want to read it, or look it up on the NCL.com website. My guess is that they won't allow smoking in the disco anymore. The casino will probably be worse than ever, but if the disco is smoke free, that should improve your chances of avoiding the smoke.

We also loved this ship and are just back from the Alaska cruise last week. Before going I could not find too much info on this ship and I think it is because there are not many complaints about it. We had a balcony cabin and although it was not large, even with the four of us it was efficient and had enough storage space. Dining was awesome with so many choices. All of the staff was friendly and accomodating and we felt pampered.

rubybc62,

 

Were you traveling with children? My family (me, wife, son age 10 and daughter age 7) will be departing on the Sun this Sunday. I would be interested in any feedback you have especially pertaining to traveling with the kids.

 

Thanks!

A beautiful, wonderful ship. Great food. Great rooms.

Have a great time.

kingfish06,

 

My kids are 10 and 12. They really enjoyed the kids program and chose to spend the afternoon and evenings in the kids program. I posted some more info on the other thread about Kids Programs on the Sun. Besides that, they enjoyed some of the evening shows. On our trip there was a Cirque du Soleil type show with dancers and a gymnast. Excellent beyond words! As a surprise, the next day some of the show performers met with the kids in the program.

 

My kids enjoyed dining in the Garden Buffet and Pacific Heights(pasta bar) for breakfast and lunch and we would either eat in the Garden Cafe or one of the sit down restaurants for dinner. They frequented the ice cream bar alot.

 

We did not do any extensive shore exursions other than the White Pass train. Let me know if you want more info.

How are the beds on the Sun?

How are the beds on the Sun?

We found them to be hard compared to the Sleep Comfort system that Carnival has. You can ask for an egg crate topper to be put on the bed to soften it.

Dave

I loved this ship also, one of my best, if not the best cruise I have been on.

Lisa:)

The Sun's itineraries this winter:

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: October 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 29

2008: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

7-Day Western Caribbean, Norwegian Sun, Round-trip Miami

2007: December 1, 8, 15, 22

2008: January 5, 12

 

Sat Miami - 4:00 PM

Sun At Sea - -

Mon Roatan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Tue Belize City 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Wed Costa Maya 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Thu At Sea - -

Fri Great Stirrup Cay 10:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sat Miami 8:00 AM -

 

Either choice looks like a great cruise. For those who prefer Cozumel over Costa Maya, check the dates carefully.

 

 

Mar 8 2008 is Costa Maya not Coz. I am on this sailing. 2 rooms C cat.

Hi Ruby,

 

We are looking forward to our first experience with the Sun next week. You mentioned helpful crew and good food... any dining experiences you can remember that were particularly good?

 

Did you dock or tender in Ketchikan?

 

Also, how far did you get while cruising Sawyer Glacier? Were you able to see both arms?

 

Thanks for your help! I promise to write a long trip report when I get back and provide lots of details on the Sun for those looking ahead.

 

Linda

Hi Ruby,

 

We are looking forward to our first experience with the Sun next week. You mentioned helpful crew and good food... any dining experiences you can remember that were particularly good?

 

Did you dock or tender in Ketchikan?

 

Also, how far did you get while cruising Sawyer Glacier? Were you able to see both arms?

 

Thanks for your help! I promise to write a long trip report when I get back and provide lots of details on the Sun for those looking ahead.

 

Linda

Linda - I look forward to reading your review. I hope you can include something on the dining venues.

Thanks in advance.:)

Mar 8 2008 is Costa Maya not Coz. I am on this sailing. 2 rooms C cat.

 

I agree. I did post the correction earlier. :D

After sailing 5 NCL ships I found the Sun to be my favorite. Just got back from sailing her to Alaska. I was frusterated trying to find info on her too. But I think what others say is right. People just enjoy her so they don't have much comment.