In search of …. Freestyle Cruising, NCL Sun May 11 thru 22, Trip Report / Semi Live

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Day 6 - No Glacier for you, ship unable to get past the ice flow, guess they don't want a repeat of last year.

Which glacier?

[ChiefMateJRK]

Can you tell me which restaurants require pants?  Thanks.

[smarterman64]

On 5/16/2023 at 5:20 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

Which glacier?

itinerary was dawes glacier/endicott arm. Once onboard it was holkhom bay. which ended up being tracy arm, but no further than the elbow, because of reported ice. 

[JIMESOPUS]

Apologizes for going MIA these past three days. With phenomenal weather, never ending scenery and always something to do, time just flew by. 
Stops in Haines ( Hike ), Icy Strait ( Gondola / shopping )) and Ketchikan ( Self Walking tour ). 
We even had typical Alaskan weather in Ketchikan for a short while.
Encore was docked next to us yesterday, if I ever needed a reason not to book a larger ship I only had to look outside at that line getting back to the ship
Finally got back my laundry the other day, they found a broken belt loop and needed my permission to wash them.
We gave our bottle of wine to our server from Cagney's last night, very simple process. I was joking with him, asked him what bottle would he pick. Went down to guest services, gave the bottle to them, they placed his name on it.
Internet in the cabin is almost useless, have to go down to deck #6 for the best signal.

This is also day 4 of bathroom issues, they have been turning off the vacuum system to make repairs on this side of the ship.
Sea day today, Victoria on Sunday.

The Glacier missed was located in Tracy Arm, unsure of the actual name.

[smarterman64]

4 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Apologizes for going MIA these past three days. With phenomenal weather, never ending scenery and always something to do, time just flew by. 
Stops in Haines ( Hike ), Icy Strait ( Gondola / shopping )) and Ketchikan ( Self Walking tour ). 
We even had typical Alaskan weather in Ketchikan for a short while.
Encore was docked next to us yesterday, if I ever needed a reason not to book a larger ship I only had to look outside at that line getting back to the ship
Finally got back my laundry the other day, they found a broken belt loop and needed my permission to wash them.
We gave our bottle of wine to our server from Cagney's last night, very simple process. I was joking with him, asked him what bottle would he pick. Went down to guest services, gave the bottle to them, they placed his name on it.
Internet in the cabin is almost useless, have to go down to deck #6 for the best signal.

This is also day 4 of bathroom issues, they have been turning off the vacuum system to make repairs on this side of the ship.
Sea day today, Victoria on Sunday.

The Glacier missed was located in Tracy Arm, unsure of the actual name.

what side of the ship are you on? i've had bathroom problems almost every other day?

[JIMESOPUS]

@smarterman64 Found my response in the reader, Internet the last two days aboard had to be the worse experience for us, took over 2 minutes to load up Gmail, and some of the emails sent never made it.

Our cabin, 9021, was on the port side. On the first day, we noticed a lack of noise from the vacuum system, which got weaker, then nothing when the button was pushed ( have to assume that they shut it off while working on it ). Didn't see them snaking out the lines on our floor. From about day 7 to day 9, we had intermittent availability to use the toilet, early in the morning on day 10 the toilet flushed three times and there were no issues after that.

[JIMESOPUS]

Trip report - Getting to the pier and Seattle terminal

 

We booked NCL transportation to the ship. A greeter met us at carousel #9, gave us a card with the instructions on it, and directed us to the main desk near carousel #12. Dropped off the luggage there and walked to the bus area. After a short wait, we boarded the bus and headed off to Pier 66.

At the terminal, there was plenty of signage and personnel to direct you thru the building and up to the counter to check-in. 

Things went downhill pretty quickly after that, seems that USCG had a full inspection of the ship and the terminal filled up quickly. We got stuck in the outer room, did not have enough chairs, no A/C or fresh air, and ran out of water/cups. They removed the line stanchions to get more room but this led to even more chaos once boarding started.

The terminal management should have stopped the checking-in process when both rooms were full. Provided better ventilation to the outer room and a better Public Address System, standing on top of a chair, cupping your hands, and shouting led to even more confusion.

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

The cabin - 9021. Plenty of room for storage, USB outlets in the lights near the bed, but only had 1 120 volt outlet with two European outlets. The dreaded shower, sink, and toilet. Besides the occasional problems with flushing everything else worked. Should also note that the TV didn't have the ability to book shows, check accounts, etc. Had to use the NCL APP 

[JIMESOPUS]

Senior leadership team. This is the second time we sailed with Brian Walters, the first time was about 10 years ago, very visible and friendly. 

[smarterman64]

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

@smarterman64 Found my response in the reader, Internet the last two days aboard had to be the worse experience for us, took over 2 minutes to load up Gmail, and some of the emails sent never made it.

Our cabin, 9021, was on the port side. On the first day, we noticed a lack of noise from the vacuum system, which got weaker, then nothing when the button was pushed ( have to assume that they shut it off while working on it ). Didn't see them snaking out the lines on our floor. From about day 7 to day 9, we had intermittent availability to use the toilet, early in the morning on day 10 the toilet flushed three times and there were no issues after that.

i was on 10 port mid (well, towards the aft of mid) and had toilet issues almost every other day. 

[MartaMartian]

I love your review! I cruised the Caribbean on the Sky last fall and also flew Southwest. Seeing the pictures of the drink tickets and the bathroom instantly took me back. 

[JIMESOPUS]

Entertainment -

Stardust, deck #6 and #7 aft, better seating on #6, look for those maroon seats

 

NCL production crew had three shows - What the World Needs Now, Rock You Tonight, and the finale World Beats ( including the traditional NCL song and crew thank you )

Comedian - Jay Stevens had two shows, the last one was Adult Comedy 

Vocal Duo - Ebony and Ivory had two shows.

 

Music venues throughout the ship, Atrium on Deck #5, Bliss on Deck #6, Windjammer on Deck #6, and the Spinnaker on Deck #12.

Ed Kelly, Ramie, 2 Intense ( they have been singing together for over 13 years and had the largest following), Rhythm Jive, Heartbeat Trio, and the NCL showband. 

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Food Complimentary

Two main dining rooms on Deck #5, Seven Seas, Aft ( breakfast, an occasional lunch, and dinner ), and Four Seasons ( dinner only ). Thought I had pictures of both venues but was only able to find Four Seasons.

 

Galley located in the middle

Didn't visit the buffet but they did have additional stations in back at the Great Outdoors. Overflow seating available at Moderno and Sports Bar 

They also had pizza and soup available in Moderno for lunch. 

The sports bar had a scaled-down O'Sheehans menu but we never ate there because of the hours it was available, 1730 to 0500. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS very nice pictures, thank you for sharing.  Interesting that they are still doing the traditional farewell by officers & crew on stage ... Epic, like other mega ships, have been doing virtual goodbye using video projection screen in the atrium lobby, not quite the same, nowhere the same.  

 

Pix of the gallery were taken with your iPhone/smartphone's zoom/tele lens ?  or while during BTS tour.  Also, seemed like plumbing issues are common these days with just about every ship - ours were offline 1 late night for several hours, vacuum or suction turned off - perhaps clearing obstructions.  Floor drain with our shower closet drained very slowly but thankfully, no backflow happened.    

 

[JIMESOPUS]

@mking8288The whole cruise was like we are " about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the " Freestyle zone.

When was the last time you saw the pastry crew? We ran into them one morning while heading to the Great Outdoors, their song was simple " You see it, You know you like it, You know you want it "

The gallery picture was from the BTS tour.

I don't know if anyone had this but every breakfast, lunch, and dinner they had us go to the same section, and we had the same waiters sometimes for all three meals. 

Comosmeticaly she looked great but I think there have to be underlying conditions with a 22-year-old ship, such as the recent power outage in Cartagena.  

[seekatz]

Thanks for the great review, we were on the same cruise and thank goodness we had no plumbing issues on deck 4 in an outside cabin. We found the buffet lacking, so used the MDR and specialty dining where possible. The buffet is just to small, lacking in variety and even with the extra seating you so well described it is not up to NCL standards. The weather was great, the service was wonderful and time in ports being a full day was sure a plus. Overall a very good cruise.

 

The only negative is coming home testing positive for COVID. We actually wore masks indoor and at the airport and on the plane (N 95). This is our 6th cruise since the re start and we are fully vaccinated/ boosted. Previous to this we have avoided COVID. On the 2nd to last day we sat next to a table with 2 people coughing, it was uncomfortable and we should have moved.

I have no expectation for others to mask up, but I hope if people are ill they would self isolate and mask up to protect the crew and fellow passengers. I know people say its just like the flu, for many this is true, but I would not go into public settings knowing I had the flu either.

 

My thanks to the many great people we met on the cruise.

[JIMESOPUS]

@seekatz Get well soon !!!! I started feeling off on day #11, my first thought was allergies. Negative C19 test, so I really don't know what I have. Noticed on the last few days of the cruise that more and more of the crew were sniffing/wearing masks. When we got back to Seattle about 200 crew members were marched off the ship around 0600, and it appeared all of them came back.

Agree that those who aren't feeling well so avoid public areas or at least wear a mask to protect those who are near them. 

 

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS  LOL on the Freestyle Zone.  Except, on our Epic TA, didn't work all that well, lines just about everywhere ... excluding the restrooms.  Duty-free, gift shop, and photo center all under-perform from what we could see, all that premium 5-6-7 space wasted ... Starbucks did okay for those looking for their caffeine fix while parading with the fancy cup of Joe.  

 

We never once saw the singing pastry team at breakfast in the MDR and the washy washy duo stationed outside the buffet were just singing, didn't even show up for their assigned duty with that spray bottle of (diluted, most likely ... ) sanitizer spray and most pax never bothered with sanitizer dispenser near the host/ess station when checking in for dining.  It was sheer luck that norovirus didn't break out ... that used to set off bells, alarms & lights and warnings, nada.  

 

I wish we're able to get seated in the same table(s) with the same server team on most days/evenings - but, even with a bit of discrete priority & not having MDR reservations, just happy to get a clean table quicker than most, and get our food on a timely basis.  When the MDR was open for lunch on sea days, it was the worst as they only open Taste & kept the bigger Manhattan MDR closed - funneling the herd to the buffet, O'Sheehan's or Taste ... 3,825 was the stated "official" headcount for pax onboard.  As a whole, most of the crew worked hard & were doing their best, as the ship was basically well staffed per the GM.  

 

Cosmetically, I agreed, these "older" ships do look good from a distance but look closely & listen, one can see, hear & feel the wear & tear ... in a funny way, the loud flushing sound from our toilet closet was positive affirmation that the lines were clogged.  I figured that the slower shower floor drain wasn't a big deal & we had a pile of towels nearby, just in case.  

 

It sounded like the satellite WiFi was even worst than expected, at least ours were usable 95% of the time, not fast but it was able to connect most of the time.  What NCL needs to do, is to push their "Starlink" Express on a faster track and not wait until 2024 ... 

 

 

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Trying to power thru this review but Spectrum has other priorities. Last night our power company decided to join the party and have an outage. And now the second C19 test is positive, at least it's not the dreaded PCB ( Post Cruise Blues )

Back to the report.

Quaint, Cozy, Tiny comes to mind when I look back at specialty restaurants. Take the aft elevators to deck #12 ( or you can enter from the outside thru a wooden door ). On the port side is Cagney's in the back, Sushi, Teppanyaki, and Los Lobos. Starboard Le Bistro can be found. One deck down is Moderno's, starboard. Somewhere on deck #5 starboard, in between the two MDR's, La Cucina can be found.

 

Cagney's had about 20 tables.

Le Bistro appeared to be the largest venue

Bliss going south in a hurry

Los Lobos

 Pictures of Moderno and La Cucina went MIA along the Seven Seas MDR. Not sure if it's a camera thing, an operator thing, or just blame it on the alcohol.

At Cagney's, there were only 4 waiters and several helpers, were fortunate to have Minguel every time we visited. Was able to give him our Latitudes free bottle of wine, the one he picked out ( had to visit guest services to accomplish this )

 

 

[Von & John]

We have really enjoyed your review!

We were on the cruise before you & truly loved our first trip on the Sun...
The Team Members (all except one bar assistant - I imagine he won't be offered a future contract) were fantastic!

We would have loved to stayed on the ship & joined you - but needed to get back to work after our 24 day trip.

The tiny shower was interesting - but a minor inconvenience...
Sorry to hear your captured C-19 and hope you are recovering well @ home!

Cheers  --  Von & John

[JIMESOPUS]

So it's been about 2 weeks since we disembarked. Truly amazing the different side effects of C19 that I get each time. Taste and smell went MIA for about 5 days, and nothing worse than a slight cold for about 6 days.

So did we find FreeStyle cruising, yes, and here is the proof. Maybe a little dated but it's still here.

We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for drinks or a waiter asking if we wanted a drink. We met Desak, a bar waiter at the Champagne Bar on deck #7. She didn't like seeing any glasses half full and was always there when you needed a refill. Didn't have to ask for snacks that was a given.

It seemed that everyone knew our names, well it appeared that way.

Service at all the dining venues was fast, not perfect but nobody is. It was fun to be seated in the same section in the MDR's and get to know the person waiting on you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Had to step out for our mid-morning walk. My annual physical tomorrow, should be interesting, 4 cruises in the past 5 months ( 33 days at sea ) with a few days spent in NOLA and Vegas. 

Back to the Sun.

 

Will we sail on her again, yes, and especially cruises like Alaska.

The Sun docked in Haines

Since we are not spa or Haven people, we didn't give up anything sailing on her. The entertainment was great, bands/singers at the bars were all great. Enjoyed sitting at the Great Outdoors and watching Alaska sail by.

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

While docked at Wards Cove ( Ketchikan ) we had the Encore next to us. They had a free shuttle to town, and lines were long going thru the building but we finally got on a bus. Later on, we decided to go back to the ship, we didn't know that the Encore was leaving soon. We got back to the terminal and found a huge line, we were able to bypass most of the mess and get aboard the Sun within 10 minutes.

Sure didn't miss this. The bus ride back to the ship turned into a " ***** " festival. Most aboard were on the Encore, they were constantly complaining about lack of service, long waits, and lack of entertainment. We and another couple just sat there and smiled.

 

So after this cruise, we will slowly step up in size and jump on the Star. Going, Emerald Green

 

I think for now we are done with the away and away+ ships. Guess it's my age, don't have time to waste standing in lines. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS  Glad to read your update that C19 wasn't bad, the invisible & unwanted are still lurking around and we'll all just have to be extra careful or live with it.  SIL that cruised with us last month on our Epic TA came home just fine, like us - then ... home self-tested positive about a week later (post-disembarkation, plus we spent 3 days in Barcelona, Spain) after experiencing some of the "common" symptoms.  She had minor & annoying symptoms and didn't bother her, but also got careless & not wearing a mask around others ... several days later, her hubby hit the jackpot too - followed by one of her twin daughters (our nieces).  

 

Sailing out of NY, don't think we have a year round choice for a mid-sized NCL ship this Fall/winter & next Spring, unless we head south to Baltimore and/or seasonally, north to Beantown for those Bermuda runs.  

 

Looking at the lines for the shuttle buses, at least it was "free" b/c when we're docked at Ibiza and Palma, Spain - ship was docked at quite a distance (1+ mile walk to town) and anyone needing to ride the shuttle had to cough up $15 for the round-trip; and, couldn't use or apply that $50 shorex credit for pax #1.   But, wait - those lines were moving slowly ?? even with multiple gangways in use ...