On the verge of booking Sun

[RIvacationgirl]

Hello everyone.

We are on the verge of booking the Sun for next February.

We have been on the Dawn x 2, and the Jewel was our first, always in a mid-ship mini-suite. I have a few questions I hope you could help me with:

1. Does the Great Outdoors mean they have the open area to eat outside like the Jewel?

2. We would like to book an aft balcony for the first time. Good or bad idea? How about being beneath the Great Outdoors?

3. Any kind words on your recent experiences aboard the Sun? The reviews seem to be very good- especially the notes about the friendly staff.

4. Special tips on the Sun to enjoy???

Thanks for your help!

[BlueJai]

We have been on the Sun numerous times, our last visit was in February. The Great Outdoors is the same as what is on the Jewel. On the aft of the ship with a bit of a covering.

 

From what I have read, the aft is awesome but I can't comment regarding the rooms, never stayed there - Donna from Dallas - jump in here!!!

 

The staff and crew are amazing. We feel like we are going home when we cruise on the Sun and in fact have booked again for next February! She is my most favourite!

 

Favourite places include the open deck in front of the observation lounge - especially at night. There is never anyone out there and it is amazingly quiet and beautiful!

 

Bluejai

[roger001]

The Sun is a super nice ship. Her interior design is a bit weird and does takes some getting use to, without getting lost. Don't know about the aft minis, but her regular mini suites are excellent. The bathroom and separate dressing area in them are outstanding.

[deladypilot]

We too loved the Sun. We sailed on her last June. I think her crew is what makes her the best we have sailed so far.

 

Loved the outdoor eating area especially for breakfast or late at night when you just wanted a snack and coffee.

[cruisingiwish]

We were in an aft mini, 10th floor, last month on 11-day Southern. Mini-suite was WONDERFUL - four women and we had plenty of space. LOVED the balcony-two loungers, two chairs and a small table. We liked it so much we have booked Alaska cruisetour May 2015-mini-suite on 9th floor directly below the cabin we had last month. The was on 10 was already booked. You'll be very happy.

[DMH15]

Hello everyone.

 

We are on the verge of booking the Sun for next February.

 

We have been on the Dawn x 2, and the Jewel was our first, always in a mid-ship mini-suite. I have a few questions I hope you could help me with:

 

1. Does the Great Outdoors mean they have the open area to eat outside like the Jewel?

 

2. We would like to book an aft balcony for the first time. Good or bad idea? How about being beneath the Great Outdoors?

 

3. Any kind words on your recent experiences aboard the Sun? The reviews seem to be very good- especially the notes about the friendly staff.

 

4. Special tips on the Sun to enjoy???

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

1. Great Outdoors like Jewel. Have cruised both.

 

2. Yes! Love aft on Sun. Great balconies. The way the aft is scalloped decking being under the Great Outdoors is fine. If you are out at the rail people above can see you and you can see them. Otherwise it is very private and secluded. I never saw nary a napkin or piece of trash blow down.

 

3. Was on last March. Just as wonderful as time before. If Brian Walters is still the Hotel Director you can rest assured the staff is happy and in top form.

 

4. Il Adagio, the Italian restaurant is ambience plus! I love the Sports bar!

 

Yes. Love the Sun, just like BlueJai said.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RIvacationgirl]

You have given me some great feedback. I am starting to hear the sound of the waves off the back of the ship! You have had wonderful experiences on the Sun. The staff sounds like they are very happy in their work. Thank you for all of your thoughts!;)

[RIvacationgirl]

We have been on the Sun numerous times, our last visit was in February. The Great Outdoors is the same as what is on the Jewel. On the aft of the ship with a bit of a covering.

 

From what I have read, the aft is awesome but I can't comment regarding the rooms, never stayed there - Donna from Dallas - jump in here!!!

 

The staff and crew are amazing. We feel like we are going home when we cruise on the Sun and in fact have booked again for next February! She is my most favourite!

 

Favourite places include the open deck in front of the observation lounge - especially at night. There is never anyone out there and it is amazingly quiet and beautiful!

 

Bluejai

 

 

We will check out the open deck spot. This sounds like a place we would enjoy.

[cruiserssandr]

We were on the Sun this past February on deck 8. We did have problems with soot on our balcony. Our room steward had to clean it twice a day.

[Karysa]

I love the SUN and cruised her twice in 2013. The Great Outdoor Cafe and the indoor Observation Lounge are wonderful uses of public space. I have cruised in an aft balcony twice but never on the SUN. I found them too be too hot in the day but liked them in the early morning and at night. I would not get one under the Outdoor Cafe however because people sit out there in the early morning and late at night because that is where the midnight snack is and that means that you may here chairs moving a lot.

[Cruise_More_Often]

She's my favorite, too! We have cruised in a forward penthouse, an aft minisuite (0067, Deck 10) and an aft penthouse on Deck 9.

 

The Deck 10 minisuite balcony doesn't have as much cover as those on Deck 9, so if you want a little more privacy from above and a little less sun, book Deck 9. We did get some soot on the Deck 10 balcony (but none on 9). We had to put a towel on the carpet by the door so we wouldn't track it into the cabin. Also, on Deck 10 we did hear chairs scraping early every morning when the Great Outdoors floor was being washed down.

 

We LOVE the aft cabins and have booked them for our next two cruises.

[NJLVW]

I too love the Sun. Still my favorite ship after all these years. Have been on her 4 times on the aft on deck 10. Yes, my personal preference. Great balcony with unbelievable view. Sometimes, you can see how some stuff could land on your balcony or a little soot but not enough not to book again. We just put a towel on the lounge chairs. Also, if you let your room steward know they really keep everything clean..The mini suite on the Sun is alot larger then the minis on the Dawn. Traveling in January and decided to try the front of the ship on the Sun. My DH prefers the front to see where you are going instead of where you have been. As others have mentioned yes it has the Great Outdoors. A great place to relax and eat. A fantastic crew..I have found it to be quite easy to find my way around this ship. When on this ship I feel like I am at home. We have also been on the Dawn & Jewel and a few others. But for your comparison I still like the Sun the best...Much more intimate then any other ship we have been on. Hope you decide to travel on the Sun. You will not be disappointed.

[biker@sea]

Our Sun cruise in aft. cabin 9077 is still our favorite to this day .:D

[RIvacationgirl]

Our Sun cruise in aft. cabin 9077 is still our favorite to this day .:D

 

You have been on so many cruises, it is nice to know you still keep the Sun as your favorite. Thank you for your response!

[RIvacationgirl]

I want to again thank everyone for their responses.

We are curious, where does the soot come from? Is it from the smoke stack?

Where is the Sports Bar? Is that the same as the Pearly King's on the Dawn?

Is there a Blue Lagoon?

I like to get a spa pass- how does the spa compare to other ships?

[puddles99]

I'm another fan of the Sun having sailed in aft penthouse 9076 in 2012. It was my kids' first cruise and they fell in love. The Sports Bar is similar to Blue Lagoon (but better in my opinion!) and has an entrance to the Great Outdoors.

 

 

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[MaryL31]

Happy to read all these responses...will be on her for the last Alaska sailing in September...first time on NCL...but not the first time to Alaska.

[ShannonSC2]

Hello everyone.

We are on the verge of booking the Sun for next February.

We have been on the Dawn x 2, and the Jewel was our first, always in a mid-ship mini-suite. I have a few questions I hope you could help me with:

1. Does the Great Outdoors mean they have the open area to eat outside like the Jewel?

2. We would like to book an aft balcony for the first time. Good or bad idea? How about being beneath the Great Outdoors?

3. Any kind words on your recent experiences aboard the Sun? The reviews seem to be very good- especially the notes about the friendly staff.

4. Special tips on the Sun to enjoy???

Thanks for your help!

 

 

1. Yes the Great Outdoors has an outdoor area. I have never been on the Jewel but on the Sun & Pearl.

2. Not sure about the Aft balcony.

3. The ship was spotless when we were on her last June in Alaska. The staff was friendly and would go out of their way for you. The food was good.

4. It is a small ship. Of course we were in Alaska so the White Out Party was held inside which made things a little tight for dancing. I am not sure if this the case in the Caribbean or not. Overall we had a great experience on the Sun. Go and enjoy it.

[biker@sea]

I want to again thank everyone for their responses.

We are curious, where does the soot come from? Is it from the smoke stack?

Where is the Sports Bar? Is that the same as the Pearly King's on the Dawn?

Is there a Blue Lagoon?

I like to get a spa pass- how does the spa compare to other ships?

 

Ya a little soot from the stacks . Do find the door to go out on the walk way outside the windows of the upper observation lounge .:)

[MaryL31]

What is the White Out Party?

[Sauer-kraut]

Yes the soot comes from the stack.

 

The Sports Bar is the "Pearly King" but food is only served from 5 pm to 5 am. You'll find popcorn there in the afternoon. The soft serve machine is just outside the exit doors to the outside eating area (Great Outdoors).

 

The spa on the SUN is practically non-existent. There is no charge to use the gender specific steam/saunas on the SUN. They are in the locker/shower room. Otherwise the spa consists of treatment/massage rooms.

[NMLady]

Happy to read all these responses...will be on her for the last Alaska sailing in September...first time on NCL...but not the first time to Alaska.

 

The Crows Nest observation lounge on top deck bow not only has floor to ceiling windows on three sides but it also has doors on each front side that lead outdoors to a small viewing area. Wonderful for enjoying the view, as is The Great Outdoors in the aft.

 

The Sports Bar is accessible from The Great Outdoors and has floor to ceiling windows on its port side.

 

I loved the Sun, despite its quirky deck plans.

[Mysto]

With all of you past sailors on the Sun - I have a question. We like to sail out of Tampa and we like smaller ships so we are going from the Dawn to the new NCL in Tampa the Sun. My question is - we have an inside over the casino.

Noise? Smoke? I have heard it both ways. Anybody?

[ohiotek]

We were in an aft suite in December and had friends in the aft mini.. We also saw an aft balcony on a cabin crawl. The aft mini is huge compared to those on other ships I've seen. The aft balcony was also very nicely configured and had a nice sized balcony.

 

There is no spa pass on the Sun. The spa is much smaller and only had a Spa and maybe steam rooms. No therapy pools. Therefore it is "free" for these. On our previous cruises we purchased the Spa pass. We didn't miss it on the Sun because of our balcony. It was very peaceful and calming.

 

A few "negatives"

1)There is not as much shade as on the side balconies.

2) You won't need an alarm clock when coming in to a port because there is quite a bit of vibration from the engines (not sure from what but it will wake you up).

3) There is a soot problem. On a 10 day cruise we had the problem 2 days. It seemed to happen when they started up the engines after sitting in a port all day, but not every time.

 

I am not complaining we really enjoyed the aft and would do it again. I agree that you should try for deck 9.

[RIvacationgirl]

Well we did it!

We booked the Sun, and our first aft balcony. We may switch up to the aft mini-suite after some of the comments. We shall see. Maybe if I see a good promotion, we will upgrade. I usually get a spa pass for myself and DH, so the money saved could go towards an aft mini.

I am intrigued by the comments on the layout of the ship and the obso deck. It will be interesting to explore.

Another great help from everyone on CC. Thank you all!:D