Recent Sun cruisers-Sewage odors-your experience

[biker@sea]

We are in 9277 on the Northbound Alaska, 5 Sept.

I am going to stick with the booking, but if the sewage odor is still there, NCL is going to hear about it big time.

 

I was forewarned about Sewer odor before we sailed in 9277 and a little noise from under the connecting door to 9276 years ago.

 

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[ljrfrm]

That's the same stateroom I have booked for next summer, so I am VERY interested to hear about it.

 

I left a message for NCL Guest Relations via their website, then copied my message and forwarded it my PCC this weekend. He wrote me back and promised to expedite this with GR. They called me last night, but I was in a rehearsal and could not answer my phone, so I'm going to attempt to call them today.

If anyone here can provide me with details on when you previously spoke to someone about this (on ship or the shore-side team) and possibly the name of that person, I can respond if they continue to deny knowledge of this. I had mentioned in my original message that from what I can tell, this issue goes back at least to 2013.

Thanks!

 

That's our room next summer also. This all does make me nervous. We booked early to snag the aft cabin - and are paying more for it. It's hard to figure out what to do - but it does seem like an ongoing issue that hasn't or can't be addressed. We have plenty of time to move if needed, so I'll just keep a close eye on everything this summer.

[jamminlion]

Thanks, jamminlion!

Were you in an aft-facing stateroom? Which deck?

Did you report the odor to anyone?

Just trying to get some info before I speak with someone in Guest Relations (just in case they pull out the "we've never heard of this before" response).

 

We were aft facing. I noticed it on deck 10, but also on 7. I didn't complain because I wasn't terribly bothered by it. It was intermittent at best.

 

I say go for the aft. We enjoyed it very much.

[OhJinkies]

We were aft facing. I noticed it on deck 10, but also on 7. I didn't complain because I wasn't terribly bothered by it. It was intermittent at best.

 

I say go for the aft. We enjoyed it very much.

Thanks, jamminlion -- was the weather warm or cool when you were cruising? There has been speculation that this odor is worse when it is warm outside. I'm sailing in early June so it could go either way!

[sandysk]

Has anyone recently contacted NCL directly about this smell in the aft areas of the ship? Would think that after several compliments something more would be done!

[sandysk]

Join Date: May 2011

Location: Colorado

Posts: 25

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MrHaney View Post

Please tell us more. We have an Alaskan cruise booked on the Sun and after reading recent reviews, I am beginning to wish I had chosen another ship. I don't handle stinky overflowing toilets very well and it seems they are unable to fix this problem.

The weird part about the smell was that it was mostly just the aft stairwell area. You could smell it sometimes as you entered the Stardust Theater, but not when you were in the seats. Also i feel like the restrooms near the aft stairwells didn't have the smell inside, it seamed to be just the public area around the stairs.

__________________

[4774Papa]

Join Date: May 2011

Location: Colorado

Posts: 25

Default

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrHaney View Post

Please tell us more. We have an Alaskan cruise booked on the Sun and after reading recent reviews, I am beginning to wish I had chosen another ship. I don't handle stinky overflowing toilets very well and it seems they are unable to fix this problem.

The weird part about the smell was that it was mostly just the aft stairwell area. You could smell it sometimes as you entered the Stardust Theater, but not when you were in the seats. Also i feel like the restrooms near the aft stairwells didn't have the smell inside, it seamed to be just the public area around the stairs.

__________________

 

You could read this thread from the start.

 

I like to read member reviews of the ship that we are going to be sailing on.

 

I booked my aft balcony a year and a half ago on the Sun, don't remember reading any reviews about the sewer odors.

 

A few months ago, I noticed several reviews with complaints about the sewer odors and even posted a special thread asking other about the details. Most of the complaints focused on the aft stairwell and aft section of the ship.

 

There were some pretty bad reviews of the Sun while it was on the South American cruises during this past winter. I compiled some of these reviews and complaints and called my PCC at NCL, who had not heard of the problem, she referred me to customer relations. I called them and Christina put me on hold to check for any issues. She came back and said that NCL had complaints about the issue, but that was before the refit in spring this year. I pointed out two or three reviews/posts from people that had noticed the problem on cruises after the refit.

 

I will say that the complaints after the refit the problem was not as bad as before the refit.

 

Others from this thread and our roll call have also complained to NCL about the issue, so clearly they know about the problem.

 

The problem seems to be at its worst early in the morning. The problem is not overflowing toilets, its stems from the burning of the sewage refuse that somehow gets into a part of the ventilation system.

 

If you have a forward cabin, this will not likely be a problem. It may or may not be a problem for those of us aft, depending on what NCL does about the problem.

[sandysk]

i AM BOOKED IN AN AFT CABIN FOR A nOVEMBER SAILING. i HAVE CONTINUALLY READ THESE REVIEWS AND WORRY THAT NOTHING IS BEING DONE BY ncl. aLL THE POSTINGS WILL NOT RESOLVE THE SMELL OF SEWAGE ONBOARD. hOPEFULLY, THESE REVIEWS WILL GET BETTER.

[judyzoo]

We were on the June 6 Southbound Sun sailing, in 8253 (aft balcony). Did not experience any sewage smells in the cabin or on the balcony, or in the theater or any dining venues. Just an occasional brief smell while walking around, which was nothing worse than I've noticed on some other ships. Maybe we were lucky.

[nunuc2000]

I posted this on our roll call about ten days ago after receiving an email response from NCL on the odor topic:

 

Good morning, everyone,

 

I sent an email to NCL last week, in part expressing the concerns that guests on our upcoming cruise have regarding the foul odors on the Sun. They wrote me back yesterday, and this is what I received (in part):

 

"This is in response to your inquiry via website. First , my apologies about your findings. We have a schedule maintenance in place this month for the ship’s water treatment system and this should take care of the sewage smell issue. I hope this makes you feel at ease for your retirement cruise."

 

It appears they are aware of the issue, and are trying to rectify it. Now if only I could get that free upgrade to a suite!!

 

Celine

[Love my butler]

I posted this on our roll call about ten days ago after receiving an email response from NCL on the odor topic:

 

Good morning, everyone,

 

I sent an email to NCL last week, in part expressing the concerns that guests on our upcoming cruise have regarding the foul odors on the Sun. They wrote me back yesterday, and this is what I received (in part):

 

"This is in response to your inquiry via website. First , my apologies about your findings. We have a schedule maintenance in place this month for the ship’s water treatment system and this should take care of the sewage smell issue. I hope this makes you feel at ease for your retirement cruise."

 

It appears they are aware of the issue, and are trying to rectify it. Now if only I could get that free upgrade to a suite!!

 

Notice the language. This 'should' take care of the issue. The odor issue has been ongoing for years and NCL can't or won't fix it. The response you received was simply to pacify you. I can almost guarantee the issue won't be fixed. If a fix was as simple as a water treatment maintenance this would have been done long ago. Don't hold your breath....

[dexddd]

Notice the language. This 'should' take care of the issue. The odor issue has been ongoing for years and NCL can't or won't fix it. The response you received was simply to pacify you. I can almost guarantee the issue won't be fixed. If a fix was as simple as a water treatment maintenance this would have been done long ago. Don't hold your breath....

 

They might just have to if the smell is still there.

[4774Papa]

They might just have to if the smell is still there.

 

If the odor is still there, we may have to hold our breath.

[OhJinkies]

We were on the June 6 Southbound Sun sailing, in 8253 (aft balcony). Did not experience any sewage smells in the cabin or on the balcony, or in the theater or any dining venues. Just an occasional brief smell while walking around, which was nothing worse than I've noticed on some other ships. Maybe we were lucky.

judyzoo, I was encouraged by your post and looked up your stateroom location on the deck plan. Stateroom 8253 is a starboard balcony located somewhere between midship and the stern. While it is technically aft of midship, I don't think it's in the immediate area of concern.

My stateroom is an aft-FACING balcony, 9277, and this is the area (staterooms and hallways/stairwells as well as the Stardust Lounge and Seven Seas dining room below) where the bulk of the issues have been reported.

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise, though. I may have to move to a different stateroom to escape the stench, so your report lets me know that the issue doesn't extend as far as your stateroom -- so thank you!

[Fred the ferret lover]

OK you win; "after promenade" may well be grammatically correct but who in common usage would use the tern "after promenade"?

 

Who would know? Just some "know it all" on an anonymous cruise forum. Don't even get him started on how surge superssor are exploding all over the place. Lol.

[3pinks1blue]

I was also on that sailing - June 6 and didn't notice anything. We had a cabin more forward. We did spend a lot of time on the aft (garden cafe) and we never noticed it. I asked my son if he noticed it and he couldn't detect it either.

[Merriem]

I ask my husband last night about this smell. We were in South America on the Sun in Februrary. He would go out early walking, and said at the rear of this ship it smelled so bad he thought he would get ill. Yes is was the sewage smell. We were on for two weeks, so he just avoided that area on his morning walks. Our cabin was 8003 in the front, but I sure feel sorry for the people in the aft as it was really bad.

[Funtime4me]

Does anyone on the Norweign Sun from Alaska cruise this past week notice a strong

odor in the back of the ship????

[newzandile]

We were on the Sun June 27 - July 4. We had a midship - forward balcony (9026) and didn't have any issues with our room. I occasionally detected a faint odor in the aft stairwell (and we used that stairwell a lot as we'd just walk to the back of the ship and then go up to the garden cafe or specialty restaurants or down to the theatre or the Seven Seas). We usually ate in the Seven Seas and didn't notice it in the dining room. We didn't notice it in the theatre either once we were seated. Nor in the outside buffet up top but it was typically pretty breezy there.

 

I will say that the only day that it was even strong enough to bother me was our day in Skagway (I think). I noticed as we approached the ship (it was a long walk up the pier) from the back that there were huge vents on the back at the level of Deck 7 (so above the Deck 6 promenade and below the Deck 8 aft balconies). One of the vents was removed and I could see workers up there on the side by the vents. There was smoke (not a lot, maybe not smoke, possibly steam?) coming from that area and the smell was noticeable as we walked by and then on the ship that evening, but again, I only detected it to any degree in the stair well. I didn't know anyone with an aft cabin so I don't know if it was worse there.

 

I will say that everyone keeps talking about a sewage odor, it didn't smell like sewage to me, more just like burnt refuse. Not pleasant but I felt the issue, at least in the public areas, has been blown way out of proportion.

 

I really enjoyed the Sun, she is an elegant ship and although our sailing was full she never felt crowded (except for the buffet which we mostly avoided except the outdoor part early in the mornings). We loved our balcony.

 

It might be prudent to avoid the aft balconies for the time being but don't fret too much about the public areas being affected. I loved all the open decks up top on the Sun and the sheltered Deck 6 promenade. Those features are important on an Alaskan cruise and I've gotten the impression that the newer ships have sacrificed those areas for more bells & whistles.

[hartwickds]

We were on the Sun June 27 - July 4. We had a midship - forward balcony (9026) and didn't have any issues with our room. I occasionally detected a faint odor in the aft stairwell (and we used that stairwell a lot as we'd just walk to the back of the ship and then go up to the garden cafe or specialty restaurants or down to the theatre or the Seven Seas). We usually ate in the Seven Seas and didn't notice it in the dining room. We didn't notice it in the theatre either once we were seated. Nor in the outside buffet up top but it was typically pretty breezy there.

 

I will say that the only day that it was even strong enough to bother me was our day in Skagway (I think). I noticed as we approached the ship (it was a long walk up the pier) from the back that there were huge vents on the back at the level of Deck 7 (so above the Deck 6 promenade and below the Deck 8 aft balconies). One of the vents was removed and I could see workers up there on the side by the vents. There was smoke (not a lot, maybe not smoke, possibly steam?) coming from that area and the smell was noticeable as we walked by and then on the ship that evening, but again, I only detected it to any degree in the stair well. I didn't know anyone with an aft cabin so I don't know if it was worse there.

 

I will say that everyone keeps talking about a sewage odor, it didn't smell like sewage to me, more just like burnt refuse. Not pleasant but I felt the issue, at least in the public areas, has been blown way out of proportion.

 

I really enjoyed the Sun, she is an elegant ship and although our sailing was full she never felt crowded (except for the buffet which we mostly avoided except the outdoor part early in the mornings). We loved our balcony.

 

It might be prudent to avoid the aft balconies for the time being but don't fret too much about the public areas being affected. I loved all the open decks up top on the Sun and the sheltered Deck 6 promenade. Those features are important on an Alaskan cruise and I've gotten the impression that the newer ships have sacrificed those areas for more bells & whistles.

 

Thanks for the update! Relieved as I am sailing two weeks from today.

[Funtime4me]

...

Edited July 12, 2016 by Funtime4me
error

[Funtime4me]

We were on the Sun June 27 - July 4. We had a midship - forward balcony (9026) and didn't have any issues with our room. I occasionally detected a faint odor in the aft stairwell (and we used that stairwell a lot as we'd just walk to the back of the ship and then go up to the garden cafe or specialty restaurants or down to the theatre or the Seven Seas). We usually ate in the Seven Seas and didn't notice it in the dining room. We didn't notice it in the theatre either once we were seated. Nor in the outside buffet up top but it was typically pretty breezy there.

 

I will say that the only day that it was even strong enough to bother me was our day in Skagway (I think). I noticed as we approached the ship (it was a long walk up the pier) from the back that there were huge vents on the back at the level of Deck 7 (so above the Deck 6 promenade and below the Deck 8 aft balconies). One of the vents was removed and I could see workers up there on the side by the vents. There was smoke (not a lot, maybe not smoke, possibly steam?) coming from that area and the smell was noticeable as we walked by and then on the ship that evening, but again, I only detected it to any degree in the stair well. I didn't know anyone with an aft cabin so I don't know if it was worse there.

 

I will say that everyone keeps talking about a sewage odor, it didn't smell like sewage to me, more just like burnt refuse. Not pleasant but I felt the issue, at least in the public areas, has been blown way out of proportion.

 

I really enjoyed the Sun, she is an elegant ship and although our sailing was full she never felt crowded (except for the buffet which we mostly avoided except the outdoor part early in the mornings). We loved our balcony.

 

It might be prudent to avoid the aft balconies for the time being but don't fret too much about the public areas being affected. I loved all the open decks up top on the Sun and the sheltered Deck 6 promenade. Those features are important on an Alaskan cruise and I've gotten the impression that the newer ships have sacrificed those areas for more bells & whistles.

 

Thank you for the update. We are sailing on Monday 7/16. Our group has 3 balconies on deck 8 in the back. I hope everything is resolved. I appreciate your response!

[lanceholt]

We've sailed on the Sun three times and have an Alaska cruise booked for May 2017. No problems with sewage odors and we are looking for our next voyage on the Sun!

[OhJinkies]

It might be prudent to avoid the aft balconies for the time being but don't fret too much about the public areas being affected. I loved all the open decks up top on the Sun and the sheltered Deck 6 promenade. Those features are important on an Alaskan cruise and I've gotten the impression that the newer ships have sacrificed those areas for more bells & whistles.

Unfortunately, I have an aft balcony booked. I need to follow up with Guest Services and decide whether to give it up. :(

[ECCruise]

We've sailed on the Sun three times and have an Alaska cruise booked for May 2017. No problems with sewage odors and we are looking for our next voyage on the Sun!

 

If you haven't been on the Sun in the last 4 months and/or had an aft cabin in that time period, then of course you wouldn't have problems with sewage odors so not sure what this adds to the discussion.

 

Take it from someone who has been on the Sun in the last 4 months (20 days in April) in an aft PH and the problems were not only real but some days forced you to leave the cabin. At that time they spent several days denying a problem and then "revealed" that raw sewage was leaking into the aft elevator bank. The odor was marginally minimized on the last few days of the trip but by no means disappeared.