Sun In The Riviera 10/13 - 10/24

[Elawies]

Now I know why there haven’t been many posts by Sun travelers. It is simply because; as one person suggested to me, that they wish to keep this lovely ship a secret and all to themselves. What a wonderful experience this was. Not perfect, mind you, but very, very nice. The ship is tastefully decorated, not ostentatious, the crew friendly and helpful, and the beds are very comfortable. It’s a little worn in spots, not bad, not flashy, but nicely decorated. The rooms are comfortable but the bathrooms are small. We had good stewards, (Dr. Phil and Jose) and they keep the rooms clean, always fresh ice, candy on the pillow, and towel animals a few nights. The rooms have lots of hangers and draw space and shelves. There is plenty of room under the beds for suitcases. Oh, and there is a small clothesline in the shower in case you have to rinse out some undies, etc. There is also shampoo, liquid soap, and hairdryers in the shower, If you want a bar of soap, bring your own. Physically, a great experience. However, when it comes to food, it is just the opposite. Not up to standard at all. Tasteless, very bland, even in the restaurants that charge a fee. However, I did enjoy the Chicken Parm in the Italian Restaurant, Il Adagio, and the Filet in the steakhouse, East meets West. Those were the nights we celebrated our anniversary and birthday. Naturally, there was cake and singing, and a lot of fun. Lunch in Las Rambles was very good. They make sandwiches fresh and to order. As for the buffet, well it is always crowded and as others have said, they really don’t have a good flow to the traffic and definitely not enough seats. But, the food isn’t bad and you can get almost the same thing as in the Seven Seas. The difference is it is just a buffet, not served. Other than that, very dull. Same menu every night, with a teeny bit of variation. But, isn’t there always a but, the crew and waiters more than offset the food. Even though we had a different waiter/waitress every night, we bonded with a few of them because we had breakfast and dinner in the Seven Seas/Four Seasons almost every day. What a great group of people they are!

Embarkation: We arrived early, 11:30 am. No problem, embarkation was already started. We proceeded to the VIP line because we had a balcony, check in was easy because we had filled out the pre-boarding passes on line and within minutes were on our way to the ship. The whole thing took less than ½ hour. At the top of the ramp, the crew were handing out champagne and directing passengers to the Café for lunch. I read here that the Seven Seas was open for lunch, but we opted to go to the café. Worked out well for us. We used our coupon that said on embarkation “Buy 2 drinks, get 3rd free, and ordered glasses of wine and lunch. Sat at the table by the window and enjoyed our lunch and just as we finished the announcement came over the loud speaker that the rooms were ready. This was about 1:30 pm. We also used our coupon for dinner on embarkation night. This coupon was make a reservation at one of the specialty restaurants and one is free. Other than those two coupons, nothing else was usable for us. I tossed the coupon book at the end of the cruise.

Muster on sail away is mandatory, and they do take names. It was at 3:30pm and over within 20 minutes.

We set sail that evening, and as we sailed off under the Golden Gate Bridge, I thought of all the men and women who had left this port to fight for our country and this was the last sight they saw, and when they returned, the first sighting that told them they were really back. Very patriotic feelings

On the first night sailing from San Francisco, advance clocks one hour forward.

Entertainment: Mr. Producer was good. We arrived a little late due to dinner running over, but enjoyed the last hour. It was singing and dancing, not my thing, but others really like it. However, I really enjoyed Tim Kaminski the comedian. I laughed from the minute I sat down and went to all his other shows later on board. Very entertaining. The other performer I enjoyed was Juan Pablo, the piano player. What a wonderful talent this man has. These men are both not to be missed. Excellent entertainment. None of us in our group were interested in Hypnosis show with Brenda Kaye or physical comedy of Henrik Bothe so I can’t comment on them as we didn’t go to see them. We also enjoyed Amadeus in the Observation Lounge. 50’s and 60’s music. They had a good crowd that enjoyed the music and danced up a storm. Personally did not enjoy Kim Doolittle the guitar player, however it’s all a matter or taste,

Ports of Call: After two days at sea the first port of call was Matzalan. Not much to do or see there if you don’t enjoy water sports or the beach, but we took a tour along the coast. We hadn’t lined anything up with the ship so we scouted out a tour in the terminal. After we made our way through the time share people, we found a tour that took us along the coast, up into the hills. Lovely homes, clean city, We went to the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and to the cliff divers. Everytime we stepped out of the van we were besieged by vendors hawking their wares. Over and over, again and again. They never stopped even when you said no. Once they got the idea you meant no, they sent in the children. Very unsettling experience. Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead when leaving Matzalan.

After another sailing day, we reached Acapulco. We had set up a tour to see the Cliff Divers with the cruise ship and it was at 9:15 am. The cliff divers perform early when the cruise ships are in port. Very impressive performance and they now have a young girl diving with them. There is folk dancing by a local group and after the performance, the divers come and mingle with the crowd and ask for donations. There are also the usual vendors between you and the bus and there were soldiers standing around with guns. It makes you think twice about going out on your own, expecially after dark. The tour took us around the city and we stopped for a drink and bought a couple of t-shirts to benefit the homeless.

Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is an anchor/tender port. We took the Rustic and Folklore tour with the ship and I’m glad we did. We went to a coconut plantation and met a farmer who has 8 acres. He showed us how he grows the trees, harvests them and gets them ready for market all by hand. Next we stopped at a tile factory, which consists of a family making tiles out of clay, drying them in the sun, and putting them in a kiln. Very hard working people and they make very little money. The tour then took us to a fishing village where we had lunch, very tasty fried fish, but it was 10:30 am. so I wasn’t very hungry. But it was tasty. Only problem, more vendors,

Puerto Vallarta is another port we took a ship sponsored tour, City Sights. The bus took us into town and we walked along the Malecon for a short period. This is a great place to walk around. There are many statues and the Panpantla Flyers were performing. The flyers were an extra bonus as our guide didn’t expect see them, but we stopped for a little while so we could watch them perform. After that we went into the city hall and looked at the mural and moved on to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Very impressive church. Shorts are ok as long as there is not a mass being said. Men must remove their hats, but then they would in any church. We then took a ride along the coast for picture opportunities and visited a tequila factory for a free drink. This was very relaxing as it is in a rural setting with a running stream, trees, etc. The tour guide let some people off in town to go shopping and a couple who wanted to visit Walmart. Walmart and Sams Club are across the blvd. from where the ship docks. If you need a few things, it’s easy to get to. On leaving Puerto Vallarta, set your clocks back one hour again.

Cabo San Lucas is another tender port. We did not have a tour set up so elected to go to marina. Went through the Arts & Crafts building. Unfortunately it is full of the same old stuff, different day. Wandered around a little bit and ended up taking a tour to the arches, saw the pelicans and seals. Very pretty tour and it cost us $10 each. Not much else happening unless you like water sports or the beach so we returned to the ship. The traffic on the bay is very heavy. Lots and lots of people rented ski doos. They were everywhere. Another time change when you leave Cabo and it is a laundry day. Day 5 and day 9 were laundry days. Stuff all you can in the bag for $19.99.

Back to sea for two days, and then we were back in San Francisco. It was over before we even were ready.

Debarkation: Very easy. Decide when you want to get off the ship, pick up the color coordinated tags for your bag, set them out the night before and wait for your color to be called. You can wait in your room or any of the public rooms except the Atrium. Went very well. The only glitch is when you have to go find your bags. Lots and lots of bags to go through, but eventually you find yours. We had a great cruise and a wonderful time. I would recommend the Sun to anyone. It’s a great ship and has a great crew. Not sure I would recommend the Riviera to all. If you like water sports, snorkeling, going to the beach, it’s perfect. But if you are looking for places to see, historical sights, etc. it may not be to your liking. There were quite a few handicapped people on board and they seemed to be getting around without any problems. They were not able to get off at the tender ports because of steps and using the tender boats, but overall I think things were pretty easy for them. There are plenty of elevators and lots of room for scooters, etc. We had a good time, but as in all vacations, it is what you make of it.

If I forgot anything, ask questions. I’ll answer if I can.

[Cruise Raider]

We did the same itinerary on the Sun in Sept and also had a wonderful time. I agree with the statement that the crew is great. We were on deck 9 aft and had two of the most wonderful room stewards. We had great service in the dining room for the most part, with a couple of nights just being off. No matter, though! The great service on the other nights made up for this.

I was a bit disappointed that they have done away with the pool games and most of the music around the pool for all but one hour during the mid afternoon. They claimed it was for those people that complained about not finding a quiet place to relax. Hmmmm??

All in all, though, we really had a wonderful time and do disagree about the food...we were really pleased. Have to agree on the itinerary. This was about our 12th time to the Mexican Riviera and found it is no longer quaint or a bargain. We were tempted to book this trip again for the same time next year but th itinerary just didn't thrill us other than it sails right out from our back door.

[Ron & Kristy]

I would question your comment regarding handicapped people and not getting off at tender ports. I don't believe this is true, simply because I specifically asked the captain when we sailed on the Sun on the 21st of Sept. He said yes...all passengers can go ashore regardless and people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities are included in this. I would not want anyone to get the wrong idea or misinformation. I saw people with disabilites being assisted off the ship in all ports including the tender ports.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Thanks for the review. Only a about 8 days till I see her!