Live reports from the Sun - 3/18/06 Eastern Caribbean

[reporterjen]

Michael, I picked up a paper copy of all of the menus for the specialty restaurants, and I'll scan that in and post it when we get back. Tonight, Christopher and I are heading to Le Bistro.

 

Nita, so far the omelette bar has only been available in Las Ramblas, with waffles downstairs in the sports bar. Other common breakfast items in the buffets: bacon, sausage, an assortment of breads, fresh fruit salad, eggs and whole fruit. I've also seen grits and muesli. Boxed cereal is also generally available. Is there anything specific you're hoping to find?

 

No worries about cramping our style or cruise. I use a half hour each day to write my reports, which I'm also using as a personal travelogue and to keep friends updated. Since my memory is awful, it's great to get everything recorded within 24 hours.

 

We're having a blast!

 

Jen.

[reporterjen]

WKM, there's no indoor pool on the Sun...or, at least, if there is, I sure haven't found it. There are two adult pools outside (one deep, one standard), a kiddie pool and four jacuzzis.

[harveysalva]

Hi Jen,

I don't suppose you have any reason to know what's on the kid's menu, but since I've seen the main dining rooms menus from another review, the kids were asking. I would imagine it's standard kid's menu stuff...mac-n-cheese, pizza, burgers, chicken finger, pizza... but if you get a chance to see one, the kids are interested. We will be onboard on 4/8/06! We can't wait!

Thanks for all the info and have fun!

Shelly

[Babyboomer]

Hi Jen,

I don't suppose you have any reason to know what's on the kid's menu, but since I've seen the main dining rooms menus from another review, the kids were asking. I would imagine it's standard kid's menu stuff...mac-n-cheese, pizza, burgers, chicken finger, pizza... but if you get a chance to see one, the kids are interested. We will be onboard on 4/8/06! We can't wait!

Thanks for all the info and have fun!

Shelly

 

Shelly,

I found the following listing of the children's menu somewhere on this board. Not certain how old it is. Also, someone attached another childrens menu that was similar with some variance. I will see if I can figure out how to attach it. It's difficult to read due to upload sizing restrictions. Try to save it to your pc and enlarge it.

 

Childrens Menus on NCL Ships:

 

Choose a juice - orange, apple, lemonade

 

Souper Douper Noodle Soup - nothing green chicken noodle only

 

How Now Ground Round Cow - hamburger or cheeseburger with ranch fries

 

Ahoy Matey! - Hot Dog with battered Fries & things

 

Crispy Fried Onion Rings

 

Itza, Pizza! - Cheese or Pepperoni or as you like it

 

No, I want a peanut butter & jelly sandwich!

 

Lotsa Pastabilities - spaghetti plain or with cheese or with meat sauce

 

Captain Kidd's Favorite - grilled cheese with curly fries

 

Jurassic Dino Dudes - breaded chicken patties in disguise with fries

 

Icy Island Treats - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry ice cream pineapple, coconut, lime sherbert or lemon jello

 

Pina Colad Ice Cream Coupe - ask for the frozen yogurt of the day

 

Jolly Rogers Fruit Medley - chunks of fresh fruit

[harveysalva]

Thanks babyboomer, my youngest looks forward to the food almost as much as me. My teen however will probably order off of the kids menu!:)

Thanks again

Shelly

[4 of Harts]

Thanks Jen for all the good info. I'm going with my DW (I had to throw that in) and my angelic (yeah right) 3 and 5 year olds. I upgraded to the Sky Suite/Romance Suite/ Ain't that Sweet AB after originally booking the cheapest balcony. It cost an extra $900 for the 4 of us to upgrade. I've never heard or read what triggers the Upsell Department (5 people, I asked) to call. My thoughts are that I booked for 4/1 on 3/1 and added on Casino Chips / Flower / Wine and a few other things. I think that is what prompted the call as they saw an Upsell in Progress. I can't tell you how helpful and how informative this site is. It only makes you want to go even more, even sooner. I can't promise as the words may come out Corona-ized that I'll post while on the ship but I certainly will once I'm back. If anyone has any questions now that our wonderful on-board reporter Jen hasn't answered I will try to look around to give the info once I get back. April 1 in my Sky Suite can't come soon enough. Thanks again Jen and all !

[Michaelw5]

Jen-

 

Have fun! thank you for taking the time to pick up the menu for all of us back home. My wife would probably rather wait to see what we get when we are on the ship, but I am a planner......

 

How does this kiddie pool look? Does it look like it could entertain a 4 year for a couple of hours? Of course we will have to be near his side the entire time........

 

Thank you!:cool:

[BabsM]

Thanks Jen, I have really enjoyed your posts. We are leaving tomorrow and will board the Sun on Saturday. We are all so excited. Thank you for your informative and enjoyable posts.

[newmexicoNita]

Jen, it is so cool reading a review written by a writer/reporter. DH started his carreer out of college as a reporter so I have spent my entire married life reading things written by a reporter. Thanks for answering my question about breakfasts. Usually we do the buffet: I do want eggs bene one morning but DD has already said "I don't want to eat in the dining room for breakfast period" so Las Rambles for omelettes will satisfy both of us. Thansk again.

BTW: we have done the baths once, would you recommend we do it again or just plan on spending time in Tortola? NMnita

[kjquilts]

Jen, I feel like we are on the ship with you; could you answer one question, or maybe someone else who has sailed the Sun in the past few months can: I know they serve breakfast in both Pacific Heights and Las Rambles, but do they serve omelette in both or just Las Rambles? What else is on the breakfast menu at these 2 places if you know?

 

Thanks a bunch,

 

NMNita

 

we had breakfast in Las Ramblas several days - made to order omlettes, they have bacon and sausage (both good) and some pastries coffee, orange juice, some other type of juice there are two line up areas for the omlettes- the one toward the door to outside deck was usually shorter and that's the side that had the bacon/sausage the coffee, juices and water are on an attended cart

 

never had breakfast in pacific heights so can't help there

 

kj

[reporterjen]

* Day 5 - Wednesday, March 22 - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands *

 

The sun rose early on the fifth day of our vacation -- and so did we. The ship had docked in St. Thomas (not near the Havensight Mall, where three ships had docked, but by another vessel further down the coast). There were five ships total docked in St. Thomas during our visit.

 

NCL had told passengers with official excursions to begin lining up for immigration clearance at 8 a.m. -- a necessary step before getting off at St. Thomas, since this was a point of entry back into the United States. Guests who did not have excursions booked through NCL were told to begin lining up in stages (for instance, our stage would begin clearance at 9:30 a.m.)

 

Because Christopher and I did not have an official excursion booked through NCL and instead had made our own plans with a tour guide named Godfrey Renal, we were a little worried about getting off the ship by our designated meeting time of 9 a.m. But we headed down to the immigration clearance line a little after 8:30 and had no problems getting through it, even though we didn't have excursion tickets. The whole process took about 12 minutes -- from getting in line to getting off the gangway. Basically, you wait in line for a few seconds with a U.S. government official who checks your passports (or other citizenship papers) to make sure they are valid.

 

Once off the boat, Christopher and I headed off in search of Godfrey. There are two tour operators that receive high marks on cruisecritic.com: Godfrey Renal and Sunny Liston. At times, there have been debates on the boards at cruisecritic.com about which operator is better. Well, as it turns out, I suspect they're about the same, because at many points, the two men actually worked together. For instance, Sunny actually ended up picking us up and delivering us to downtown Charlotte Amalie for a few hours of shopping. Godfrey picked us up later and took ups around the island (Sunny's van was right behind us) and gave talks to both sets of passengers on the way up to Mountaintop. At Mountaintop, it was Sunny's turn to talk. Both gave excellent backgrounds on St. Thomas -- including an extensive history of the island's brushes with hurricanes.

 

Everyone talks about the good deals in St. Thomas -- the great bargains on duty-free jewelry, alcohol and other luxury goods. We weren't in the market for anything high-end, but I was hoping to snag some larimar earrings, and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some inexpensive silver pieces. I'm not a shopping fanatic -- nor am I obsessed with jewelry -- so it's probably no surprise that I wasn't wildly enthused about the shopping in St. Thomas.

 

There's a main drag about two blocks wide and five blocks long where there are alcohol and jewelry shops crammed right next to each other. Folks holler at you as you walk by: "Have you been invited up to the castle yet?" "Jewelry 75 percent off in here." "Good deals over here." "Here's your excursion."

 

We did buy some duty-free rum, mainly because of the selection (there were flavors I'd never seen before in the United States), though the prices were definitely far better than I've seen in Washington, D.C. (and better than I'd found in research before the trip). The stores send it back to the cruise ship for you, which makes for an easy transaction -- though, of course, you'll still have to find a way to lug it all home!

 

There's a little market next to the stores downtown, but I found jewelry sellers there started out their prices way too high (even good haggling didn't break the prices down as low as I thought they should have gone). In one jewelry store, we saw larimar pendants with sticker prices of $82 brought down to $41 before real haggling even began -- in one case, the item ended up at $32. I actually regret now not buying a half-dollar size larimar pendant for myself. (I guess I'll just have to come back!)

 

Godfrey took our little group up to Mountaintop, near -- you guessed it -- the top of the island. It provides amazing views of Magen's Bay, with its pristine blue waters, and a good overview of the whole island. The drink of choice at the bar in the little mall there is a banana daquiri. The bartender has a generous hand with all of the alcohol he adds to the blender.

 

Later, Godfrey gave our group a choice of what beach to hit for the end of the trip. Thankfully, most of our fellow passengers were also interested in my beach of choice: Coki, which is known for its good snorkeling. Coki was indeed beautiful, and while it wasn't secluded, I didn't feel like it was overcrowded (as, say, was the case on the sand at Great Stirrup Cay).

 

During our visit, the public bathrooms at Coki were all out of order. So folks were sent over to Coral World, an attraction on the beach, to use their bathrooms (for a $1 fee).

 

We left our best digital camera and some other gear locked up in the front of Godfrey's truck, but on the beach, we found a locker to stow the rest of our stuff. We got a burger, hot dog and Bahama Mama from a little restaurant on the beach and then hit the water. Snorkeling here was the best so far on our trip; the fish were plentiful along a little reef off to one side of the beach. They were easy to see and came right up to you (especially when you crumbled dog bones in their direction).

 

The reef itself had plenty of species to show off; there were lots of living plants and animals nestled along the crevices. I'll have to read more about coral life later so I can identify some of what we saw. We tried, of course, to take photos with a disposable underwater camera. Hopefully they turned out!

 

There was an accident on the road that leads to Coki Beach, and no one was willing to take responsibility, so traffic was tied up while folks yelled at each other and other islanders tried to step in and play traffic cop. Eventually, it all got sorted out, and Godfrey sped us away from Coki and got us back to our ship around 4:10, with plenty of time to board.

 

On the ship, we ate at Le Bistro, one of the specialty restaurants, which normally has a cover charge of $15 per person. We got the dinner free through our purchase of the romance package (we also got a bottle of house wine or a $22 credit toward a bottle of our choosing). Christopher had a beef bouillabase with a pastry top, a caesar salad (made tableside) and a filet mignon with a bearnaise sauce. He asked for medium rare, and the steak came out perfect (we've found that many of the best steakhouses in the D.C. area tend toward the rare side). I had escargot (yum!), fish (details later), French onion soup and a seared tuna nicoise salad. The entree was great; the sauce was tasty. The seared tuna salad was a disappointment, because the folks prepping it in the kitchen had left it in the icebox too long before adding the seared tuna. As a result, the eggs were actually a tad frozen. (Oops).

 

For dessert at Le Bistro, we went with the fondue, which was delightful. We had expected lukewarm chocolate, based on some bad reviews on cruisecritic.com, but ours came out at the perfect temperature. We were each served fruit for dipping in pineapples, with their cores removed. Either because we purchased the romance package marketed toward those on their honeymoon or anniversary, or because we lied when asked by our travel agent if we were celebrating a special occasion, our waiter came by and said he had a special surprise for us. He and the assistant waiter came by with a small iced cake ready to take back to our cabin. And they sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to our table, prompting red faces and plenty of appreciation.

 

Service in Le Bistro was excellent. And the food -- with the exception of that unintentionally frozen salad -- was great. There was a marked difference from what we've gotten in the main dining rooms. This was a memorable evening on board.

 

Tips:

- If you're ordering from room service and like your orange juice, make sure to ask for two servings. The juice is served in smaller glasses than you'll find in the main dining rooms or at the buffets; it is about a six ounce serving.

- When ordering breakfast from room service, you can ask for various items to be combined on one plate. Otherwise, each individual item (a single wedge of cantaloupe, for instance) might come on individual plates -- and that's just a mess for everyone.

- Wear your swimsuit under your clothes if you plan on visiting a beach during part of your time. Coki was beautiful, but all of the public bathrooms were out of order, and I suspect this happens often enough that it's a hassle.

- Pack an expandable, but lightweight, bag for carting stuff home at the end of the trip. You'll need it, no matter how much you plan to go through while on your cruise.

- Before your trip or early during it, make sure you get yourself a good hat with a wide brim that will stay put in the wind. I got a hat with a wide brim for $5 at the straw market on Great Stirrup Cay, but it wouldn't stay on in a breeze. I packed a hat that would stay on -- but fell short in the brim department. Do yourself a favor and make sure you get a hat with both features.

- Definitely snag towels from the pool deck for use as extra towels in your cabin and for use on shore. This saves time checking out towels by the gangway.

 

Positives:

- Docking. It was so nice not to have to worry about tender tickets.

- Le Bistro was a delight.

 

Negatives:

- St. Thomas is just 1.9 nautical miles from Road Town, Tortola, but still, we spent all night cruising that short distance. It's a shame NCL doesn't take advantage of the two islands' proximity to let us have more time ashore.

[reporterjen]

Michael, it's funny you should ask about the kiddie pool. We just took a picture of it -- and we'll be sure to post it online when we get back.

 

It's a nice little area, with a kid's jacuzzi and a small wade pool that has a slide entering it. Nearby, there are mini deck chairs suitable for the younger set. You should be able to get a couple of hours of fun out of it. Other families seem to be having fun.

 

Jen.

[Michaelw5]

Jen-

 

Thank you and I look foward to the post. What is amazing is my wife and I have been on (9) cruises and could not tell people anything the children's pool, baby sitting etc. It has always been just her and I.

 

Thank you for the photo. We all look foward to seeing it.

 

Michael, Dawn & Griffin

 

:)

[newmexicoNita]

* Day 5 - Wednesday, March 22 - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands *

 

The sun rose early on the fifth day of our vacation -- and so did we. The ship had docked in St. Thomas (not near the Havensight Mall, where three ships had docked, but by another vessel further down the coast). There were five ships total docked in St. Thomas during our visit.

 

NCL had told passengers with official excursions to begin lining up for immigration clearance at 8 a.m. -- a necessary step before getting off at St. Thomas, since this was a point of entry back into the United States. Guests who did not have excursions booked through NCL were told to begin lining up in stages (for instance, our stage would begin clearance at 9:30 a.m.)

 

Because Christopher and I did not have an official excursion booked through NCL and instead had made our own plans with a tour guide named Godfrey Renal, we were a little worried about getting off the ship by our designated meeting time of 9 a.m. But we headed down to the immigration clearance line a little after 8:30 and had no problems getting through it, even though we didn't have excursion tickets. The whole process took about 12 minutes -- from getting in line to getting off the gangway. Basically, you wait in line for a few seconds with a U.S. government official who checks your passports (or other citizenship papers) to make sure they are valid.

 

Once off the boat, Christopher and I headed off in search of Godfrey. There are two tour operators that receive high marks on cruisecritic.com: Godfrey Renal and Sunny Liston. At times, there have been debates on the boards at cruisecritic.com about which operator is better. Well, as it turns out, I suspect they're about the same, because at many points, the two men actually worked together. For instance, Sunny actually ended up picking us up and delivering us to downtown Charlotte Amalie for a few hours of shopping. Godfrey picked us up later and took ups around the island (Sunny's van was right behind us) and gave talks to both sets of passengers on the way up to Mountaintop. At Mountaintop, it was Sunny's turn to talk. Both gave excellent backgrounds on St. Thomas -- including an extensive history of the island's brushes with hurricanes.

 

Everyone talks about the good deals in St. Thomas -- the great bargains on duty-free jewelry, alcohol and other luxury goods. We weren't in the market for anything high-end, but I was hoping to snag some larimar earrings, and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some inexpensive silver pieces. I'm not a shopping fanatic -- nor am I obsessed with jewelry -- so it's probably no surprise that I wasn't wildly enthused about the shopping in St. Thomas.

 

There's a main drag about two blocks wide and five blocks long where there are alcohol and jewelry shops crammed right next to each other. Folks holler at you as you walk by: "Have you been invited up to the castle yet?" "Jewelry 75 percent off in here." "Good deals over here." "Here's your excursion."

 

We did buy some duty-free rum, mainly because of the selection (there were flavors I'd never seen before in the United States), though the prices were definitely far better than I've seen in Washington, D.C. (and better than I'd found in research before the trip). The stores send it back to the cruise ship for you, which makes for an easy transaction -- though, of course, you'll still have to find a way to lug it all home!

 

There's a little market next to the stores downtown, but I found jewelry sellers there started out their prices way too high (even good haggling didn't break the prices down as low as I thought they should have gone). In one jewelry store, we saw larimar pendants with sticker prices of $82 brought down to $41 before real haggling even began -- in one case, the item ended up at $32. I actually regret now not buying a half-dollar size larimar pendant for myself. (I guess I'll just have to come back!)

 

Godfrey took our little group up to Mountaintop, near -- you guessed it -- the top of the island. It provides amazing views of Magen's Bay, with its pristine blue waters, and a good overview of the whole island. The drink of choice at the bar in the little mall there is a banana daquiri. The bartender has a generous hand with all of the alcohol he adds to the blender.

 

Later, Godfrey gave our group a choice of what beach to hit for the end of the trip. Thankfully, most of our fellow passengers were also interested in my beach of choice: Coki, which is known for its good snorkeling. Coki was indeed beautiful, and while it wasn't secluded, I didn't feel like it was overcrowded (as, say, was the case on the sand at Great Stirrup Cay).

 

During our visit, the public bathrooms at Coki were all out of order. So folks were sent over to Coral World, an attraction on the beach, to use their bathrooms (for a $1 fee).

 

We left our best digital camera and some other gear locked up in the front of Godfrey's truck, but on the beach, we found a locker to stow the rest of our stuff. We got a burger, hot dog and Bahama Mama from a little restaurant on the beach and then hit the water. Snorkeling here was the best so far on our trip; the fish were plentiful along a little reef off to one side of the beach. They were easy to see and came right up to you (especially when you crumbled dog bones in their direction).

 

The reef itself had plenty of species to show off; there were lots of living plants and animals nestled along the crevices. I'll have to read more about coral life later so I can identify some of what we saw. We tried, of course, to take photos with a disposable underwater camera. Hopefully they turned out!

 

There was an accident on the road that leads to Coki Beach, and no one was willing to take responsibility, so traffic was tied up while folks yelled at each other and other islanders tried to step in and play traffic cop. Eventually, it all got sorted out, and Godfrey sped us away from Coki and got us back to our ship around 4:10, with plenty of time to board.

 

On the ship, we ate at Le Bistro, one of the specialty restaurants, which normally has a cover charge of $15 per person. We got the dinner free through our purchase of the romance package (we also got a bottle of house wine or a $22 credit toward a bottle of our choosing). Christopher had a beef bouillabase with a pastry top, a caesar salad (made tableside) and a filet mignon with a bearnaise sauce. He asked for medium rare, and the steak came out perfect (we've found that many of the best steakhouses in the D.C. area tend toward the rare side). I had escargot (yum!), fish (details later), French onion soup and a seared tuna nicoise salad. The entree was great; the sauce was tasty. The seared tuna salad was a disappointment, because the folks prepping it in the kitchen had left it in the icebox too long before adding the seared tuna. As a result, the eggs were actually a tad frozen. (Oops).

 

For dessert at Le Bistro, we went with the fondue, which was delightful. We had expected lukewarm chocolate, based on some bad reviews on cruisecritic.com, but ours came out at the perfect temperature. We were each served fruit for dipping in pineapples, with their cores removed. Either because we purchased the romance package marketed toward those on their honeymoon or anniversary, or because we lied when asked by our travel agent if we were celebrating a special occasion, our waiter came by and said he had a special surprise for us. He and the assistant waiter came by with a small iced cake ready to take back to our cabin. And they sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to our table, prompting red faces and plenty of appreciation.

 

Service in Le Bistro was excellent. And the food -- with the exception of that unintentionally frozen salad -- was great. There was a marked difference from what we've gotten in the main dining rooms. This was a memorable evening on board.

 

Tips:

- If you're ordering from room service and like your orange juice, make sure to ask for two servings. The juice is served in smaller glasses than you'll find in the main dining rooms or at the buffets; it is about a six ounce serving.

- When ordering breakfast from room service, you can ask for various items to be combined on one plate. Otherwise, each individual item (a single wedge of cantaloupe, for instance) might come on individual plates -- and that's just a mess for everyone.

- Wear your swimsuit under your clothes if you plan on visiting a beach during part of your time. Coki was beautiful, but all of the public bathrooms were out of order, and I suspect this happens often enough that it's a hassle.

- Pack an expandable, but lightweight, bag for carting stuff home at the end of the trip. You'll need it, no matter how much you plan to go through while on your cruise.

- Before your trip or early during it, make sure you get yourself a good hat with a wide brim that will stay put in the wind. I got a hat with a wide brim for $5 at the straw market on Great Stirrup Cay, but it wouldn't stay on in a breeze. I packed a hat that would stay on -- but fell short in the brim department. Do yourself a favor and make sure you get a hat with both features.

- Definitely snag towels from the pool deck for use as extra towels in your cabin and for use on shore. This saves time checking out towels by the gangway.

 

Positives:

- Docking. It was so nice not to have to worry about tender tickets.

- Le Bistro was a delight.

 

Negatives:

- St. Thomas is just 1.9 nautical miles from Road Town, Tortola, but still, we spent all night cruising that short distance. It's a shame NCL doesn't take advantage of the two islands' proximity to let us have more time ashore.

interesting point about the proximity of the two islands. You would think, either they could dock at one overnight and cruisers could choose to ferry back and forth or they could leave later in the evening giving everyone a longer time in Tortola. I would guess the prefer not to dock overnight because of the casino regulations. NMnita

[Michaelw5]

NMina the best line I ever heard was from John Helad from CCL Destiny.

 

"For all you gamblers that are upset we are in port. Please do not get mad. Place any money you plan to spend in an envelope under my room door, to see if you will win anything. Chances are just like the casino you have just made a donation"

 

Have fun! and donate some $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$:eek:

[reporterjen]

* Day 6 - Thursday, March 23 - Samana, Dominican Republic *

 

Cruise ships just started sailing to Samana, Dominican Republic late last year -- and the newness is evident everywhere at this very small port. Poor children from the town crowd sidewalks near the port and ask you to exchange their quarters for fresh, spendable U.S. dollar bills. The single bathroom at the port is barely functioning. The single pier jutting out into the sea can only handle a couple dozen people unloading off tenders at any one time.

 

Despite the newness of cruise tourism in this small port, the city is worth a visit. Because the port is just getting used to boatloads of tourists -- and based on the advice of posters on the cruisecritic.com message boards -- we decided to book an official NCL excursion: the cave, rainforest and mangrove tour.

 

The Sun dropped its anchor around 8 a.m., but those on official excursions were told to gather in the Four Seasons dining room beginning at 7:45. Our tour was the second to leave; we were led directly to the gangway and onto a tender. The ride to the pier was about five to 10 minutes long.

 

As you approach the port, you see palm trees jutting up from mountaintops overlooking the sea and small boats bobbing in the water. The area is lush and tropical.

 

From the tender, we were taken directly to a speedboat for the tour. There were three operators: Kelly, our tour guide and the narrator, and two other men who operated the boat. We sped along on the open sea for a while, passing by the anchored cruise ship and heading to islands about 30 minutes away. Kelly, who has been operating tours like this since 1978, gave a brief history of Samana,

 

He took us first to a cave that is part of land protected by the Dominican Republic government. From the speedboat, we stepped off onto a very, very small pier that could hold less than 10 people at a time (and then it would be crowded). We then climbed up some steps and headed into the cave. Inside, there were stalagtites and stalactites. Long vines hung down from plants at openings in the cave above. The plants send the vines down, and over time, they anchor to the ground and take root before growing wider and stronger.

 

Back in the speedboat, Kelly took us around some of the small, lush islands off the Dominican Republic coast and showed us some of the small caves on their sides. One is nicknamed "Mouth of Hell." Another he called "Shark's Mouth," for its resemblance to the same. We saw scores of birds -- some pelicans, some vultures, and some other wild types -- circling above one small island. The birds have made this island their home for years, and the place is always crowded with them. When we were there, we saw male birds puffed up and red, seeking mates.

 

Along the way, we also saw a silvery blue fish skipping along in the water. He bounced six or seven times, parallel with the boat, before slipping under the water and disappearing.

 

We cruised into a mangrove, where the trees' long roots flanked our boat. We docked at another small pier and headed into a protected rainforest. A short trail through the forest led us to a cave where children had long ago painted petroglyphs on the rock walls. Again, we saw unusual and interesting rock formations inside the cave, before we headed back out.

 

There were other tour groups -- both official NCL excursions and unofficial ones taken by other tourists on the Dominican Republic -- entering the rainforest as we left, all via the same small pier. Too many more, and this place would have been overrun. If this port becomes more popular, it seems inevitable that some of these lush, more secluded sights will be.

 

Back at the port of Samana, locals were eagerly offering their services to tourists as we stepped into the country: "Do you want your hair braided?" "Want a tour?" Some had set up small tables, where they sold pina coladas in coconuts and cans of soda. Others were hawking hats made out of palm fronds. (Haggling could get them as low as $2 apiece).

 

Christopher and I walked about five blocks away from the port, passing a few restaurants and lots of locals selling their wares and services (hair braiding and shoe shining were popular). We saw a small pharmacy (later, fellow cruise passengers told us they were able to get some of their prescription cholesterol-lowering drugs without a prescription for extremely low prices here).

 

We stopped in a restaurant -- one of the three bigger ones along the main drag. Outside on the deck, we enjoyed bottles of beer, the shade and a cool breeze. The menu was offered in English, Spanish and French, though our waiter really only knew Spanish. Prices were in pesos (with an exchange rate of 30 to $1).

 

Fellow passengers raved about the grilled shrimp. Christopher had garlic pasta and a flourless chocolate cake. I had fish in a coconut sauce (very much like a Thai coconut-curry sauce). It was delicious! (Some of the other tourists from our cruise joked that the food there had been the best on their vacations so far). Watch out for tips being included in the final bill if you dine at this spot.

 

A small market is set up about two blocks from the pier. There, the main offerings are Cohiba cigars, some larimar (or knock-off larimar; I'm no expert) jewelry and a few locally made trinkets and bowls.

 

Outside the market, Christopher and I saw a woman carrying bananas in a basket on her head. Of course, we had to take some pictures -- and get a few bananas at the same time. They looked green, and when I selected our three from the woman's basket, I wasn't sure if I was going to get anything good. "Not green," she said, assuring us that they were all good. Indeed, she wasn't lying. They were easily the sweetest, best bananas I'd ever had -- and not at all mushy. Yum!

 

Speaking of yum...for dinner, Christopher and I ate at the Four Seasons, where we had the champagne that came with our honeymoon/romance package (and had been waiting in our room for us the day we embarked). I had swordfish (huge portion, good treatment); Christopher had a chicken parmesan, one of the Cooking Light items, which turned out to be a tad dry. The chocolate souffles with a Bailey's sauce for dessert were delicious.

 

That dessert, it turned out, was just a prelude to the chocolate orgy to come. The popular "Chocoholics Buffet" ran for an hour Thursday in the Four Seasons. Christopher and I came within the first 10 minutes, and already, lines reached the door. (Thirty minutes later, lines stretched through the atrium on the fifth floor). Carved chocolate sculptures of animals and sealife decorated the tables, along with a few ice sculptures, too. Along the tables were chocolate offerings of all kinds (except, as one passenger despondently noted, there was no fudge). Chocolate cakes lining the front of each table were tempting, but if you could get past them, you found better options, including chocolate-covered strawberries and bananas, fondue and chocolate pastries (including some sugar-free options). Wait staff circled the room, providing iced water to guests.

 

The chocoholics buffet inspires greed in even the most responsible, refined individuals, and we saw (and displayed) plenty of it Thursday night. People left the dining room with heaps of chocolate-covered strawberries on their plates; others grabbed for goodies in line without any shame. I can't blame them. Chocolate is pretty heady stuff.

 

Before the simultaneous food/entertainment of the chocolate bufeet, the hot ticket in the Stardust Lounge was Cirque du Pan, the Sun's scaled-down copy of Cirque du Soleil. The show was entertaining, and I certainly admire the ability of some of the performers, all part of the Jean Ann Ryan company. But it still was on par with what you'd see at theme park shows (this was not the caliber of a Las Vegas or touring show). Christopher and I did not take advantage of the Latin dance show the night before, but that got rave reviews from fellow passengers.

 

Tips:

- Write-in "ice" as an order on your breakfast room service card, if you're ordering the meal for your room. Your room stewards will keep the room's ice bucket replenished, but they won't usually have visited for the morning clean-up before you head out on excursions. And it's handy to have ice for water bottles at the ready (without having to trek over to the Garden Cafe to get some).

- Feel free to bring some breakfast with you to the designated waiting area for folks on official NCL excursions who need to take tenders to the dock. Though we were told to show up at 7:45, it was at least 20 minutes before we headed off the ship, and in the meantime, we were just sitting in the dining room wishing we were eating fruit or drinking coffee.

- If you take the cave, rainforest and mangrove tour, and you get cold easily, be sure to wear a long-sleeve cover up or bring a beach towel to wrap around you while on the speedboat. It's fine at slow speeds, but when you're speeding along, it can get pretty chilly.

- If you're uncomfortable climbing along rocky paths, the mangrove tour isn't for you. You will have to navigate across rocky paths, and at times climb up a couple feet in a single shot without handrails or other places to brace yourself. Good shoes are a good idea (sandals, like the Teva ones that anchor to your feet are fine).

- Sure, NCL offers "freestyle cruising," and you can dress most any way you want for dinner. But, if you want to take advantage of nights for more formal dressing, be sure to check the clothing specifications and guidelines on the top right corner of each Freestyle Daily. We didn't realize Thursday night was a semi-formal night (optional, of course) until after we were in the dining room. I had two long dresses with me on the cruise, and I'd have loved to wear the second this evening.

- With all of the activities onboard and excursions at shore, you'll be running around a lot -- and, trust me, you'll be showering a lot, too. The shampoo-conditioner mix in the staterooms is pretty weak (I didn't get much conditioner from it, at all). If you have long, thick or tangle-prone hair, bring your own conditioner.

 

Positives:

- A tip to the room stewards and a request from Christopher brought us two new towel animals: a dog wearing sunglasses and a rabbit with gold Andes mint eyes. Even better: we read in Friday's Freestyle Daily that we'll be able to learn how to make the things ourselves during a class led by housekeeping staff. That's a very good thing, since my attempt to deconstruct the terrycloth works of art were not always a success.

 

Negatives:

- Muzak report: No lie, during our dinner in the Four Seasons (from 6:45 to 8:15), we heard instrumental versions of "Wind Beneath My Wings" on three different occasions. We asked our waiter about the song, and he said was on regular rotation not just on NCL but also on the other cruiseline on which he worked -- and he's been in the business about a dozen years. Amazing -- and dreadful!

[reporterjen]

* Day 7 - Friday, March 24 - At Sea *

 

With the memory of the Sun's eggs benedict still lingering, Christopher and I headed to the Seven Seas for breakfast. For all of the formal meals, we've sat alone, but this time, the place was hopping, and the hostess asked us if we would mind sharing. I was inclined against; Christopher was neutral. But we ended up doing it anyway -- and I'm very glad we did. We sat with a couple originally from England, who asked all about the "holiday" and unintentionally reminded us that the proper way to ask for croissants is to request a "cra-saw." :)

 

My biggest priority for the day was to learn how to make towel animals at a workshop with the housekeeping staff. A couple dozen people attended the class in the observation lounge, where room stewards showed us how to fold, twist and bend terrycloth sheets into all sorts of creations: dogs, mice, monkeys, swans, alligators, elephants and more. I videotaped the presentation to ensure I could make my own once home, but they also gave us a handout with notes on some of the animal-making.

 

Later, Christopher and I hit the digital photo behind-the-scenes tour of the Sun. Before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, these tours used to take place in-person, with Sun crew leading passengers through the bridge and other areas of the ship that are now off-limits. The digital photo tour is the end result; now we see many of the same sights, just on a projection screen and from theater seats. The hour-long presentation was informative and interesting; it was capped by a Q-and-A session with the captain and the chief engineer.

 

A trip by the photo gallery was in order to purchase a couple photos from the two formal shots Christopher and I had taken. Throughout the cruise, we mostly avoided the photographers, jumping past them on the piers, in the embarkation line and as they milled around the pool. But twice, we took advantage of the studio photography setup in the atrium before dinner each night. I wouldn't say the photo quality was stellar. After all, the photography staff is shooting with the same Nikon D-70/D-70s that Christopher and I both have. But they do have remote flashes set up for softer lighting, and the photographers do go through several poses (and several props) with each couple.

 

Through the honeymoon/romance package, we were supposed to get a free photo (presumably a 5-by-7) or a $5 credit toward the purchase of something larger. Unfortunately, all of the formal photos were pre-printed at 8.5-by-11, and to get our free 5-by-7, we were told, we'd have to buy the bigger print first. They would not sell digital images, which is disappointing. And, a package of three formal 8.5-by-11 photos was $60, before the $5 discount -- not the $25 each you'd pay if purchased separately. Later, a photo staffer told us we could have used our $5 credit to get -- for free -- an additional large print of an image we had not purchased (in direct opposition to what he'd told us not a half hour before). Fully knowing our $55 purchase was obscenely priced, we bought the photos, because, well...we just looked good. We can't help that. :)

 

I'm not sure if the photo department still offers a package of all of a family's photos for $200 or so, though I've heard about that on the cruisecritic.com boards. For a family of four, this actually could be worth it -- and a great way to get lots of shots of the entire family. If you intended to do that, I'd definitely take advantage of every canned opportunity with the photogs, go to every formal photography session in the atrium and snag the photographers for shots anytime you saw them walking around the ship. You'd still probably be paying $10 and $5 for each photo, so it wouldn't be cheap, but it is one alternative to buying a couple of extremely expensive individual prints.

 

Christopher and I both went for runs around the ship on the deck six track (he did 18 laps, just over five miles) and I did seven laps (two miles). Then, we stopped by the "Body Waves" gym on deck 11, which was a ghost town (even though it's been packed every other day of the cruise). I hopped on an elliptical machine to complete my cardio, before we took advantage of the empty weight machines. I have a gym membership at home, so this routine isn't too different from what I'm already doing (though it's much more convenient!) but for Christopher, it was a nice change to be able to work out at will. Christopher said later he would miss being able to use the weight machines.

 

Dinner was the "chef's menu," and Christopher and I both took advantage of some of the tasty entree selections to ask for an extra each. Unlike the previous night, however, we didn't loudly specify that I wanted the risotto, for instance, as an appetizer, so we were each served two full-size entrees when it came time for that portion of the meal. Besides making us look like gluttons, this was just way too much food. The latest risotto was creamy and the honey-glazed salmon was tasty and moist. The pasta with chili flakes had more kick than Christopher expected, but the flavor was all one-note (there weren't other flavors to complement that heat). The warm apple pastry dessert had a flavor just like apple pie. The vanilla caramel flan (a Cooking Light option) had a decent flavor, but the texture was all wrong.

 

After packing, Christopher and I headed to the pool deck for a game of shuffleboard we'd been planning since the day we stepped on board. Tragically, the game area was cordoned off, either because it was the last night of the trip or because the wind was really blowing up there. So, we did not get our game on. (I guess we'll just have to go on another cruise for some of the much-anticipated shuffleboard).

 

Tips:

- Take advantage of the breakfasts in the main dining rooms. The eggs benedict, I've now learned, will not come out with any predictable yolk consistency. But I like mine any way I can get it. And the cappuccinos are always free in the main dining rooms, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

- Stretch your limits and sit with other guests, if that's offered to you. I was not inclined to do it, but Christopher and I agreed to share a table when the hostess asked. We ended up having a delightful breakfast and conversation with a couple from Canada (by way of England).

- If you have your laptop with you on the cruise and are using wireless, make sure you check it out on the pool deck. I didn't realize it was a hotspot until Friday, and, of course, it's much better to sit poolside to check your email than in some stuffy lounge on the sixth floor.

 

Positives:

- The ship is always sparkling clean, and guests frequently come across crew members touching up outside doors with paint or polishing brass on the stairwells.

- I can't say enough about the crew members, who, on the whole were friendly and eager to help. I found this to be true everywhere on the ship -- from the staffers cleaning walls who asked how you were doing and chatted to the room stewards who asked for stories about your day at shore. The only exception were some of the wait staff in the main dining rooms; although some (mainly the assistant waiters) were pleasant and officious, others were stiff and unenthused; they seemed to be just going through the motions.

 

Negatives:

- The "free photo" component of the honeymoon/romance package isn't all what it seems. It's billed as a free photo of your choosing, but, in fact, to get the free photo -- only good for 5-by-7s -- you have to buy the 8.5-by-11 version first (for formal pics, the pricetag for those is $20-$25). Otherwise, the "free photo" is just a $5 credit toward the purchase of such a photo.

- Shuffleboard closed early!

[atlmichelle]

OK, I am just LOVING your Ship Tips, Jen! Our Sun cruise will be a pacific coastal repo, so I have kinda skipped over your port reports since they don't really apply to us. But the Sun-specific info and tips have been some of the best I have read here. THANKS again for taking time out to make us feel like we are all on board with you!

[newmexicoNita]

Jen, thanks so much and thanks for the tip about booking DR via the ship. I actually choose to do this last week. We did the same thing our first trip to Roatan as it was a brand new port. We have 2 weeks and 6 days before we board the Sun. Your daily news bulletins have helped us a great deal. NMnita

[Michaelw5]

Jen-

 

Thanks so much for all the information.

 

:cool:

[newmexicoNita]

Jen, I have one more question: on Samana, what type of wares were they selling and were there any real deals? Many years ago we could buy amber at really great prices, is this still the case? Michael: I know about the casinos: many times I have donated to the cause, never tried just leaving the money, I prefer to hear the slots talking to me. LOL

[lovetocruise99]

Jen:

 

Thanks again for all your great tips. I leave Saturday on the Sun. One last question...did any of the specialty restaurants offer 1/2 price deals on any nights?

[Nickymjw1]

We were on the cruise with Jen, so maybe I can answer.

 

As far as shopping, the little market place had the tipical tourist gear and was not cheap as it was in St. Thomas.

 

We did not venture away from the main strip, so I cannot answer the jewelry question. However Semana did not look like it would have many.

 

We did shop in Las Terrenas on our tour, and I found a place with real nice local arts and crafts stuff.

 

 

As far as 1/2 price. On the formal night, Le Bistro and the italian place were half price.

[unyieldingtyrant]

Great info! We'll be on the Sun this Saturday after a night in South Beach. Did you hear any fellow passengers commenting on the exursion to the Island off of Samana? I'm wondering if it would be just like the day a GSC (minus the barbeque). I was thinking about doing the horseback tour, but the only site I found with this tour showed the horses looking like donkeys. Decisions, decisions. :)

[newmexicoNita]

We were on the cruise with Jen, so maybe I can answer.

 

As far as shopping, the little market place had the tipical tourist gear and was not cheap as it was in St. Thomas.

 

We did not venture away from the main strip, so I cannot answer the jewelry question. However Semana did not look like it would have many.

 

We did shop in Las Terrenas on our tour, and I found a place with real nice local arts and crafts stuff.

 

 

As far as 1/2 price. On the formal night, Le Bistro and the italian place were half price.

Nicky, thanks for the info: as for the Amber, yes, I had pretty well figured out the little market place was just overpriced trickets, but because Amber comes from DR I was hoping they would have some. Our other visits to DR (many years ago I should add) features lots of it, cheap to very expensive. As for the prices not being cheap, this reminds of our first cruise out of HOuston (about 8 years ago) We embarked at a very small port one afternoon. I do not remember the name of it, but OMG, the prices for even T shirts cracked us up. We exited the ship, walked around for about 6 or 8 minutes, took a couple of pictures and entered the ship. NMNita