Recent SUN Cruisers

[FierceAXBoi]

I will be boarding the ship in 14 days and had a few questions

 

1)Whos the C.C. and how good is she/he?

 

2)What day was the Chocaholics buffet?

 

3)Is it true you have better chance of winning the lotto then getting a seat in the buffet area?

 

THANKS

[newmexicoNita]

I will be boarding the ship in 14 days and had a few questions

 

1)Whos the C.C. and how good is she/he?

 

2)What day was the Chocaholics buffet?

 

3)Is it true you have better chance of winning the lotto then getting a seat in the buffet area?

 

THANKS

The only question I can answer in all honesty is the buffet seating: that is a total bunch of you know what: we never had trouble finding a place to sit, sometimes we ventured out on deck, but not casue there was no place to sit, because we wanted to. Of course you will be sailing Alaska and if the weather isn't cooperating it may be a little different, but that can't be helped. There can be only so much inside seating; if it is raining or very cold and everyone wants to sit inside you will have the same problems you do in any buffet on land. NMnita ps there may be a time when you will need to share a table, rarely I would say and what a wonderful way to get to know your fellow travelers. NMnita

[shoreguy]

The only question I can answer in all honesty is the buffet seating: that is a total bunch of you know what: we never had trouble finding a place to sit, sometimes we ventured out on deck, but not casue there was no place to sit, because we wanted to. Of course you will be sailing Alaska and if the weather isn't cooperating it may be a little different, but that can't be helped. There can be only so much inside seating; if it is raining or very cold and everyone wants to sit inside you will have the same problems you do in any buffet on land. NMnita ps there may be a time when you will need to share a table, rarely I would say and what a wonderful way to get to know your fellow travelers. NMnita

 

The question have you been on the Sun to Alaska? It is different. For the most part you do in fact lose the outdoor seating. It is not impossible by any means. They open Pacific Hieghts and the Tapis bar for additional seating.

 

What happens is those passengers that normally put towels out on chairs claim the window seats for the day in Alaska. Insted of towels it is books and binoculars :)

 

I had a long talk with the captain about the problem. He indicated that very few passengers take advantage of the dinning room for breakfast and lunch in Alaska. Total meals about 75% less. Passengers don't want to miss that one whale. It puts a strain on the buffet.

 

They work with it very well. Directing passengers to alternate stations in the other areas but in the end the area is pretty full all day long.

 

All that said we never had to stand and wait. I had no problem sitting down at a table for six that one passenger had parked in for the day. Some felt is was their space but we did not fill it up too long :D

[Big Al B.]

We encountered a few problems finding seating on our Canal cruise. It seemed if you got there early or later there were fewer problems. We also found that not many people realized that Pacific Heights was available and often we wound up there. I do remember one day we tried regular buffet, Tapas Bar (soup/salad station), Pacific Heights (pizza/pasta), outdoor (both levels), and pool deck and wound up eating on our balconies. This was at height of lunch time though on a sea day and only happened once. We also saw some grumbling and friendly hand gestures toward a single person sitting at a table for four reading a book. :) Most of the time we did find seats for 4 though.

 

Some of our CC group stayed on the ship for the LA to Vancouver leg and said that they actually took some of the stations (dessert, fruit, etc) away to make more seating and that the captain apologized about it.

[shoreguy]

Big Al B.

 

Now take all the outdoor seating out of play. It is 50 degrees and misty and I think you can see why from time to time in Alaska seating can be a challange

[Atomica]

We were on the May 15th sailing of the Sun, and were fortunate to have good enough weather to eat outside at the Great Outdoor Cafe every morning. There's also some tables just one deck up from there that are quite sheltered from the wind as well. We were never actually able to find seating indoors (at the buffet) at all during breakfast. I think it's sort of hit-or-miss. As for the Chocaholic's buffet, it was held in the Four Seasons on the last day at sea, during the afternoon. It wasn't very well marked in the daily program, if I remember...

[FierceAXBoi]

What about my questions guys?

Whos the Cruise Director

[Atomica]

Patti Honacki - we thought she was quite good.

[Markandrews]

Patti Honacki - we thought she was quite good.

 

 

She was the CD on my PoAl cruise. We thought she was great. We would watch her every morning on the cabin TV. After 12 days you could tell she really needed an assistant CD. But she never missed a beat and even sang a couple of nights in one of the lounges. Upbeat, funny but never "fun ship" tacky and a really nice lady. You will like her.

[Susie51]

What are tapas?

[johnb24]

On crowded buffet days try taking your breakfast or lunch tray to the tables in the Sports Bar across the hall or to Pacific Heights across the hall, go up one deck to the Tapas Bar tables, dress warm and eat outside under the canopy at the outdoor cafe or adjecent to the pool, or ask people sitting at larger tables if you can join them. Eat early or later to avoid the sea day crowd. The Seven Seas Restaurant has great views if you want a sit downbreakfast or lunch.

[Big Al B.]

Is Patti back? She had told us she would be leaving after our Canal cruise in May.

[samdham]

Tapas are an easier way to say hors d'our...hors'd'erv....appetizers. :D

[Susie51]

Thank you Samdham. Is there an extra charge for tapas?

[CPT Trips]

Thank you Samdham. Is there an extra charge for tapas?

 

No charge, just show up and place an order.

[pattizta]

HI! this is Patti Honacki. Thanks for the nice things said in this thread. I will not be back on the Norwegian SUN, at least I'm not scheduled to be. There's always last minute changes for millions of reasons. I have requested to be put on vacation rotation duty, in order to see more places and ships. It also keeps things fresh. Anyway - I am scheduled to take over for Kieron Buffery's vacation on the Norwegian Star in the beginning of November, then, I do not know where! I am currently on vacation in Chicago. I believe Simon Murray is the CD on the Sun now - unless something changed. :-) He is a great chap!!!

 

Happy cruising, and thanks for choosing NCL. You know what I always say - "You keep coming back, and I will still have a job." :-)

[Retiredsailor]

On our trip 4 of sep 2005 the CC was Linda Millikan, she was very good, and was kept very busy.:)

[Checkmate1955]

Why does NCL feel the need to have the two (inside/outside) buffets? They are side by side and yes they do cause some problems for seating and crowds... Thanks goodness we were in Hawaii and the outside was pleasant if not windy...

 

Does NCL have four ships that use this dining concept? It does not make sense to me personnal as not only do they have this inside outside buffet but they also have the pool area for buffet and BBQ dining...

 

When we were on the Star Princess a couple of years ago we found their buffet to work very well... Two buffets they would open one or both depended upon the crowds... We would even get our trays and food at the open buffet and walk about 30 feet to the other side into the closed buffet for a nice quiet meal by the large window...;) I believe the Conquest has something like this also.

 

NCL had some bad advice when they designed the several ships that have inside/outside dining... The Sun, The Aloha, and others... Why? Because the weather is unpredicable at best and cold in some climates and hot in others...:(

[electricron]

Let's give NCL a little break about the designs of the Crown, Majesty, Pride of Aloha, Pride of America, Sun and Spirit. NCL didn't design any of them from scratch. Although the latter four were completed as Freestyle Crusing ships, they were not initially designed specifically for NCL or North America.

The Spirit was designed Far Eastern passengers sailing on Star Cruises, which is now NCL's parent corporation. NCL is still remodeling it, note I didn't say redecorating, to make it a better cruise experience for the North American market. It is in drydock in San Francisco Bay right now undergoing modifications.

The Pride of Aloha and Sun were initally designed for European passengers for Costa Cruise. NCL actually got lucky a few years back by picking up both of these ships during Costa's recent bankruptcy. The POA (Ex-Norwegian Sky) was almost half completed upon NCL gaining ownership, and NCL made many changes to it while it was under construction. With more time, NCL made more changes to the design before construction started on the Sun.

The Pride of America was specifically designed for the Hawaiian market for the now bankrupted American Classic Voyages. The half built hull was towed from a Mississippi shipyard to a German shipyard, the exact same shipyard that stretched the Majesty, Dream and Wind, where it too was extended for NCL to support Freestyle Crusing.

NCL has had to make modifications to ship designs they probably would not have ordered. Compromises were made. The only ships in today's NCL fleet designed specifically for NCL from scratch are the Dream, Wind, Star, Dawn and Jewel. As mentioned before, two of them have been stretched for Freestyle Crusing.

The remaining ships in today's NCL fleet that I haven't discussed completely yet, are the Crown, which was originally built for Crown Cruises, and the Majesty, which was originally built for Majesty Cruises, both companies NCL acquired over a decade ago. Note that the Majesty was also stretched to support Freestyle Crusing.

 

So please don't blame NCL for the compromised designs of most of its ships in service today. The newest ships, with NCL a major player in the ships' designs from scratch, the Star, Dawn, and Jewel are all getting magnificent reviews. That tells me NCL knows how to design ships. :)

[ronandannette]

:eek: There is an easy way to solve the seating issue - DON'T GO THERE! The buffet food (except breakfast, which was fine and had many more choices than the dining room) is total SLOP. Really worse than anything you can imagine. I recommend that you simply must find a way to eat in the dining rooms, eat at the pool barbeque, eat room service or just don't eat. I'm not just trying to be negative as we really enjoyed this trip and would recommend it (with certain disclaimers), but honestly - such horrible, horrible food does not belong on what is otherwise a very nice quality ship.

 

On the upside (there always is one;)), the service is as excellent in the buffet as it is everywhere else, and there are tons of crew members in there trying to make it all o.k. I'm quite sure one would stand there and hold your tray while you ate from it if necessary...

 

P.S. When the boat sails full (as it was this week) it is hard to find seating regardless of the weather. If you must, try taking your tray into the Pacific Heights or the Sports Bar or up the aft stairs to the top deck outside. Again, a crew member will be happy to carry it for you and help you find a place.

[Globaliser]

NCL had some bad advice when they designed the several ships that have inside/outside dining... The Sun, The Aloha, and others... Why? Because the weather is unpredicable at best and cold in some climates and hot in others...:(

Personally, I would have thought that the outside buffet on the Sun is ideal when the weather's hot. That's why you've gone to a hot destination to cruise, isn't it? To enjoy the weather? The big sunshade allows you to enjoy it without the risks of being in direct sunlight, and the outside buffet means you don't have to fight for food with the people who prefer being in the artificial environment indoors.

[SueSea]

Let's give NCL a little break about the designs of the Crown, Majesty, Pride of Aloha, Pride of America, Sun and Spirit. NCL didn't design any of them from scratch. Although the latter four were completed as Freestyle Crusing ships, they were not initially designed specifically for NCL or North America. . . .The Pride of Aloha and Sun were initally designed for European passengers for Costa Cruise. NCL actually got lucky a few years back by picking up both of these ships during Costa's recent bankruptcy. :)

 

Clarifications: The ships were designed for Costa, but NCL acquired them before 1999 when the builders went bankrupt. Costa has not recently declared bankruptcy--they were purchased by Carnival in 1996.

 

You are correct that NCL did not build these ships from scratch, but NCL publicizes Sun as being the first ship built for Freestyle. Since they are the ones claiming it was built for Freestyle, they don't get a break for that one!

[electricron]

You're correct about Costa. NCL does make a false claim that the Sun was the first ship designed for Freestyle crusing, technically the Superstar Leo, presently the Norwegian Spirit, was first from scratch. Never-the-less, NCL was still limited to the changes it could make to the Sun by the original overall design for Costa. ;)

[newmexicoNita]

What are tapas?

When we were on the Sun (3 years ago) the tapas were one of our favorite parts of the cruise. You could easily make a meal out of them. This was not the case on the Jewel. That was one of the weak spots in my mind anyway. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

Thank you Samdham. Is there an extra charge for tapas?

There is no extra charge and I would call them heavier than appitizers, but regardless they are very good. Someone help me remember the name of the bar? Was it Los Rumbles or something like that? NMnita