Hesitant about booking the Sun (southern Caribbean)

[Seraphine]

Our family wanted to do a Southern Caribbean cruise next spring. We came up with the NCL Sun or the Emerald Princess.

 

I'm having doubts about the Sun. I'm worried it will be small, dull, and smelly (some recent reviews have mentioned a strong sewage smell). Although my ticker below mentions a Disney cruise this past May, we didnt go as we had a house move that month. So our last two cruises left a lot to be desired. The Princess cruise was stuffy and the Costa cruise was diabolically poor - bad food, rude people, very little fun at all (we only went for the itinerary, Middle East and Israel).

 

We need a really good experience this time so we don't sour on cruising completely. Should I listen to these niggles? Tell me some good things about the Sun?

[footballbabe3]

I have not been on the Sun but I just booked it for Nov 2014. I do a lot of research and it seems more positive then negative. It is a smaller ship and if you are looking for the WOW factor it might not be a good choice.

I booked the Penthouse in the front because with the OBC's it was a good price. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

[debnjoe1438]

Our family wanted to do a Southern Caribbean cruise next spring. We came up with the NCL Sun or the Emerald Princess.

 

I'm having doubts about the Sun. I'm worried it will be small, dull, and smelly (some recent reviews have mentioned a strong sewage smell). Although my ticker below mentions a Disney cruise this past May, we didnt go as we had a house move that month. So our last two cruises left a lot to be desired. The Princess cruise was stuffy and the Costa cruise was diabolically poor - bad food, rude people, very little fun at all (we only went for the itinerary, Middle East and Israel).

 

We need a really good experience this time so we don't sour on cruising completely. Should I listen to these niggles? Tell me some good things about the Sun?

 

I have not encoutered "stuffy" on any NCL cruise I've been on. The Sun maybe small, however plenty to do. On all NCL cruises I've been on, including the Sun, the Activities staff, had plenty of games and activities for those interested.

 

The cabins on the Sun a a little larger :D

 

Anyway IMHO the cruise will be pretty much what you make it, regardless of the line you choose to cruise with. One's attitude makes a HUGE impact on any endevor.

 

I'd say go with your gut, and enjoy.

 

As for not so good reviews...my experience. DH and I booked a cruise on HAL Zuiderdam, Panama transit. About that time I discovered CC and read quite a bit of negivative about HAL and the Zuiderdam. Well let me tell you that was one of the BEST cruises I've been on. (2nd NCL Jewel cruise was the best) Take the negative with a grain of salt.

[dexddd]

A bit more info would help like if you are traveling with kids or not, what you like to do.

 

The route should be decent enough but if you are traveling with kids, I would probably suggest another ship as it doesn't really have much geared towards them other than the kids club.

 

The ship is fine overall but it is one of the older ships in the NCL fleet. It is very classy inside but again, just older without the bells and whistles.

[Seraphine]

Yes, we'll be travelling with our two kids, ages 8 & 4. We generally do have a "make your own fun" attitude but the Costa sailing just upset us so much.

[deladypilot]

We sailed on the Sun this past summer and we fell in love with her crew members. They were all wonderful.

 

The ship is smaller and older and I did find a smell one day but it was gone the next. Wish I could tell you exactly where it was at on the ship but it just didnt seem to matter much so I guess I never put it into a permanent memory.

 

At one time this ship was in Hawaii and it was not built with a casino. When they took it out of Hawaii and refit her, the casino was placed in the middle and you have to go through it to get to things like the shopping area. It was a bit strange at first but we came to love it anyway. Some how all the weird is what gave it its charm.

 

We did not have children on the cruise so I can not help you with the kids club or teen areas. We were on a port intensive cruise so most of the time the children were with their parents ashore or watching for whales and looking at glaciers.

 

Overall I would travel on her again in a heartbeat.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We have sailes the Sun four times and are booked again for March. She is our favorite NCL ship. She is easy to navigate and has a very friendly upbeat crew.

[Karysa]

Our family wanted to do a Southern Caribbean cruise next spring. We came up with the NCL Sun or the Emerald Princess.

 

I'm having doubts about the Sun. I'm worried it will be small, dull, and smelly (some recent reviews have mentioned a strong sewage smell). Although my ticker below mentions a Disney cruise this past May, we didnt go as we had a house move that month. So our last two cruises left a lot to be desired. The Princess cruise was stuffy and the Costa cruise was diabolically poor - bad food, rude people, very little fun at all (we only went for the itinerary, Middle East and Israel).

 

We need a really good experience this time so we don't sour on cruising completely. Should I listen to these niggles? Tell me some good things about the Sun?

 

The SUN does 10 and 11 day cruises. These types of cruises especially when school is in session attracts far less families with school-aged children. If you are looking for a quiet cruise then the SUN at this time of year will provide you with that. If you are looking to meet more families with children then I would suggest a 5-7 day cruise.

 

We were on the NY'sE cruise on the SUN this past year and had an amazing time. We then went on the opposite run on her in March and the new cruise director said to me (when recreation staff that we had previously met introduced us on embarkation day) "Oh, this is a much different crowd and will be a different experience than your NY'sE cruise.". He could not have been more right. Don't get me wrong we had a great time but it was much quieter and more subdued.

 

I love the SUN. It's a great ship that uses her public space to perfection as far as I am concerned.

[dexddd]

We sailed on the Sun this past summer and we fell in love with her crew members. They were all wonderful.

 

The ship is smaller and older and I did find a smell one day but it was gone the next. Wish I could tell you exactly where it was at on the ship but it just didnt seem to matter much so I guess I never put it into a permanent memory.

 

At one time this ship was in Hawaii and it was not built with a casino. When they took it out of Hawaii and refit her, the casino was placed in the middle and you have to go through it to get to things like the shopping area. It was a bit strange at first but we came to love it anyway. Some how all the weird is what gave it its charm.

 

We did not have children on the cruise so I can not help you with the kids club or teen areas. We were on a port intensive cruise so most of the time the children were with their parents ashore or watching for whales and looking at glaciers.

 

Overall I would travel on her again in a heartbeat.

 

I never realized the Sun was in Hawaii. I know the Sky was there as the Pride of Aloha and of course the Jade as Pride of Hawaii and that the Star spent some time in Hawaii.

[halos]

Our family wanted to do a Southern Caribbean cruise next spring. We came up with the NCL Sun or the Emerald Princess.

 

I'm having doubts about the Sun. I'm worried it will be small, dull, and smelly (some recent reviews have mentioned a strong sewage smell). Although my ticker below mentions a Disney cruise this past May, we didnt go as we had a house move that month. So our last two cruises left a lot to be desired. The Princess cruise was stuffy and the Costa cruise was diabolically poor - bad food, rude people, very little fun at all (we only went for the itinerary, Middle East and Israel).

 

We need a really good experience this time so we don't sour on cruising completely. Should I listen to these niggles? Tell me some good things about the Sun?

1) Never encountered a sewage smell on the Sun when I sailed her last February. Your mention of it is actually the first I have heard.

2) One thing you will never, ever have to worry about is NCL being stuffy....totally to the contrary!!!!

 

 

Good things about the Sun.

Yes, she is an older ship, but if you are a cruise purist, she is the perfect ship for you. She is a perfect size, the crew is amazing (I have found that on all my NCL cruises though :) ) and because she was built before they srated treating passengers like sardines, there is more space per passenger on board and the cabins are a bit larger than other NCL ships. The only thing I didn't like about the cabin on the Sun was the plastic shower curtain. All other NCL ships have glass doors which I prefer. LOL..that is my one complaint about the ship. I have no others. We loved her so much we booked again for this february. I am looking forward to it :)

 

The NCL experience is very different from other lines. We enjoy that difference. I hope you do as well. Please let us know your thoughts when you get back.

Happy sailing :)

[mpk218]

I'll add this . The Sun on its Southern Carib. route is my favorite cruise.

Relaxed ship , no crowds , warm Islands And if you can pull it off book an AFT PH. Some of the big new ships are like float shopping malls , The Sun is not .

 

Enjoy ;)

[blindrid]

I never realized the Sun was in Hawaii. I know the Sky was there as the Pride of Aloha and of course the Jade as Pride of Hawaii and that the Star spent some time in Hawaii.

 

Per Wikipedia:

 

Norwegian Sun is the third and final ship of this design. She was preceded by Norwegian Sky (entered service in 1999, relaunched as Pride of Aloha in 2004); and Costa Victoria of Costa Cruises (entered service in 1996). NCL defines both Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky as Sky class ships.[2]

 

The Sun was the same class as the one in Hawaii which was the Sky and was the last Sky Class ship built. I don't believe the Sun was ever in Hawaii.

 

You do not have to go through the casino to get to the shops as there is a hallway around the perimeter. I'll doublecheck as I'm on it two weeks from yesterday :)

[Seraphine]

Thank you, everyone, for your kind and helpful replies. I'm still of two minds and it's hard to make a decision.

 

I'm assured by you all that NCL won't be "stuffy". I hope I wasn't too vague - it's just that no one really seemed to want to engage at all on our Alaska cruise. The entertainment was boring and while the kids seemed to like their kids club alright, it just felt like we were totally on our own for the whole week.

 

We are a bit flexible when we go, but our school's term break is the beginning of April for 2 weeks. We're in the UK, and I have no idea when the rest of the world takes it's school breaks... we hear of "Spring Break" but doesn't it vary from place to place? I figured that there would be a fair number of kids on the sailing as it was April - I don't want to be in the position that there's only 10 kids on the whole ship. I realise that choosing longer sailings plays into this a bit, but coming from the UK involves a lot more travel and some very expensive plane tickets - we want to make the most of the visit.

 

We have also looked into trying to do a back-to-back of two shorter cruises. This will be my task for tomorrow. Our TA said we had til 20 Oct to make a decision on this NCL sailing, so I have homework to do.

 

Thank you all again!

[mpk218]

You will have a whoooole bunch of kids . A lot of the Spring breaks lead up to Easter (4/20) week . If you have any really specific questions you dont feel comfortable asking here . Email me . see my sig.

One question . Do you like the real wild party cruise ? The dressy adult cruise ?

Or a cruise where it appears a group of your neighbors are on board , thats NCL.

 

If not have a really super cruise ..

[Seraphine]

Thanks MPK... that helps a bit :)

 

We used to love formal nights, but after a while they just added a lot of stress and packing issues! A more casual experience might be a nice change, yet we don't really want "tank tops in the dining room" level of informal. Neither are we real party animals - we like a drink and a laugh and sometimes even a wee sing-song, but with two kids there's only so much of that you can do and still survive the next morning!

 

I'm relieved to hear there will still be lots of kids around.

[halos]

Thanks MPK... that helps a bit :)

 

We used to love formal nights, but after a while they just added a lot of stress and packing issues! A more casual experience might be a nice change, yet we don't really want "tank tops in the dining room" level of informal. Neither are we real party animals - we like a drink and a laugh and sometimes even a wee sing-song, but with two kids there's only so much of that you can do and still survive the next morning!

 

I'm relieved to hear there will still be lots of kids around.

 

NCL is the most informal cruise line but has a pretty good grip on the 'tank top' crowd. There are two mdrs and one is for shorts/casual. Those that wear shorts/tank tops will not be permitted in the second dining room.

It's a great system. Everyone is happy

And if you do want to dress up for those few nights that they have the photographers out, you won't be alone. many do dress up for those evenings :)

[debnjoe1438]

Per Wikipedia:

 

Norwegian Sun is the third and final ship of this design. She was preceded by Norwegian Sky (entered service in 1999, relaunched as Pride of Aloha in 2004); and Costa Victoria of Costa Cruises (entered service in 1996). NCL defines both Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky as Sky class ships.[2]

 

The Sun was the same class as the one in Hawaii which was the Sky and was the last Sky Class ship built. I don't believe the Sun was ever in Hawaii.

 

You do not have to go through the casino to get to the shops as there is a hallway around the perimeter. I'll doublecheck as I'm on it two weeks from yesterday :)

 

:confused: I don't remember any "hallway's" on the Sun. I remember walking thru one (lounge, shop, photo area) place to get to another. No matter, I liked the Sun and going again:)

[Cruise_More_Often]

. . . The only thing I didn't like about the cabin on the Sun was the plastic shower curtain. All other NCL ships have glass doors which I prefer. LOL..that is my one complaint about the ship. I have no others. . . .

And if the OP books a mini-suite or a suite, they won't have even that to complain about. :D They have real tubs with real doors. (I, too, hate those grabby shower curtains.)

[DMH15]

I'll add this . The Sun on its Southern Carib. route is my favorite cruise.

Relaxed ship , no crowds , warm Islands And if you can pull it off book an AFT PH. Some of the big new ships are like float shopping malls , The Sun is not .

 

Enjoy ;)

OK, I COULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS POST VERBATIM. RIGHT DOWN TO THE AFT PH. DECK 9 PLEASE.

 

Seriously, going back 2014 for three-peat on the Sun. The bedt!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[blindrid]

There are two mdrs and one is for shorts/casual. Those that wear shorts/tank tops will not be permitted in the second dining room. :)

 

Are you sure? All of the NCL's I've been on have had two dining rooms but the same dress code, albeit relaxed.

[debnjoe1438]

Are you sure? All of the NCL's I've been on have had two dining rooms but the same dress code, albeit relaxed.

 

Typically one is a little dresser than the other. (such as no shorts) I did see on the Epic men with shorts told shorts were not allowed in the Manhattan Room. (Didn't see any ladies in shorts)

[Zeta3]

We did a 10 day on the Sun in March and really enjoyed it. My daughter enjoyed the kids club. We did a lot of things together as a family which was a lot of fun. Things like learning circus tricks, arts & crafts, board games, dance classes, Wii were available throughout the cruise. The food was very good, we often ate in the sports bar, my daughter enjoyed the chicken tenders and we were able to get things from the various buffet areas.

[PatJim]

We did a Baltic cruise on the Sun in 2012, and loved the ship. Best thing about the Sun, as others have mentioned, is that the cabins per category are larger than same category on newer NCL ships. We were in a balcony cabin, and it was the same size as the Dawn's mini-suite. Loved it.

Only thing we didn't like was the old hose-style hair dryer that is on a hook in the bathroom. Ugh! Not enough power, plus you are hogging the bathroom while using it. Newer ships have better hair dryers outside the bathroom. But you can always bring your own, or maybe they've changed from hoses?

 

 

Five things about NCL in general:

--their entertainment is super. Lots to choose from day and night;

--agree with everyone about the crew, but having also sailed on the Dawn and the Gem, we've found all of the crews, including the officers, to be friendly and willing to go out of their way to please.

--the kids club is well run, from everything I've read about it on CC;

--the many choices of where and when to dine can't be beat;

--NCL, unlike some other lines, pays attention to the Meet & Greet, setting up nice meeting room with refreshments; top officers come to it. You'll meet them afterward all around the ship. It's amazing how many faces they recognize. So take advantage of the Cruise Critic Roll Call for your cruise, and sign up. Log on and chat ahead of time with other CC'ers beforehand and attend the Meet & Greet. Knowing others on board can add to the fun, and meeting the officers can help if any problems arise.

[wannabeavip]

I had been loyal to Carnival but decided to try NCL Sun because of the itinerary. I loved the change. The smaller ship was so easy to get around. The interior was so bright instead of dark and gloomy. In December 2012 there were only about 50 kids on board and they were very well behaved, no running around, no yelling, no pawing over the buffet, etc. They were well mannered and dressed like little ladies and gentlemen. The atmosphere was much more relaxed - not so much of a party - just relaxing. I went to a Cruise Critic meet and greet and the manager of each department was there to greet us. I think you will like the Sun. There were also plenty of activities.

[Seraphine]

I had been loyal to Carnival but decided to try NCL Sun because of the itinerary. I loved the change. The smaller ship was so easy to get around. The interior was so bright instead of dark and gloomy. In December 2012 there were only about 50 kids on board and they were very well behaved, no running around, no yelling, no pawing over the buffet, etc. They were well mannered and dressed like little ladies and gentlemen. The atmosphere was much more relaxed - not so much of a party - just relaxing. I went to a Cruise Critic meet and greet and the manager of each department was there to greet us. I think you will like the Sun. There were also plenty of activities.

 

 

What sort of things do you all like to do in the evenings? What sort of entertainment is available?

 

We loved going to Carnival's comedy club and their piano bar. The kids love going to their clubs so we'd like to have some place to go as a couple in the evening. Somewhere fun!!

 

So tell me what you like to do?