Cindy

Hi ... am thinking of booking a cruise on NCL's SUN to the western Caribbean. If you have taken this cruise, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about the ship, itinerary, shore excursions, ... Thanks, Cindy

Larry

The Jan. 5, 2002 cruise on the NCL Sun was a real treat. We approached this cruise with no small amount of apprehension due to the mixed comments we had heard regarding “Freestyle” cruising. All of our previous cruises had traditional dining and, frankly, we enjoy dressing up for dinner, making it a special event each day. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the service and atmosphere and food met or surpassed all of our expectations.<BR><BR>Embarkation went ok, but not without a hitch. One of our boarding cards was missing and had to be re-printed. NCL is really “missing the boat” when it comes to getting your trip started on the right foot. Lines are very long, with less then adequate help available. We’re Latitude members and probably waited longer than other lines because there were only two agents handling Latitude Club members. RCCL beats out NCL hands down with embarkation.<BR><BR>Our cabin was very nice…more room than we expected. We had a balcony cabin and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent in our cabin. Woodwork is excellent, as is the closet space.<BR><BR>The ship is lovely, not spectacular, but very nice. Much of its appeal is due to the fact that it was less than six months old. The two main dining rooms were very nicely decorated. Le Bistro was nice, but not as nice as I had expected. Il Adagio Italian restaurant was very nicely laid out and the food was good, not exceptional, but worth the extra $10 for the atmosphere. We did not eat at any of the other restaurants, as the food was not to our liking. Getting a reservation for a table for two was no problem. Service was excellent, as was the food. We felt that the overall meal preparation and service exceeded RCCL, but not as good as HAL or Celebrity.<BR><BR>Our biggest disappointment was the weather. We were scheduled for a snorkeling trip at Roatan, but it was cancelled due to high seas. Unfortunately, Roatan is a third world country that we felt was not suitable for wandering around on your own. Plus, there was truly nothing to see on your own, except the beaches, which were closed due to high seas.<BR>We thoroughly enjoyed our shore excursion in Belize City when we took a bus tour of the city and also saw Maya ruins. Very worthwhile trip. Grand Cayman also had rough seas, so we were unable to tender into the downtown area but had to go ashore where it took a 20 min taxi ride to get downtown, but, we enjoyed out time there. Cozumel was nice because we were able to walk off the ship and enjoy some excellent shopping, especially in silver and Mexican folk art.<BR><BR>The pool area was just ok…it lacked “eye appeal.” Seating was very limited in the pool area, so you often had to find a lounge on the upper level, which was very windy on sea days.<BR><BR>We have mixed feelings about the “Free Style Cruising.” We enjoyed being able to reserve a table for two whenever we felt like eating. But, since we enjoy dressing up for dinner, we did not enjoy the “resort casual” atmosphere on the ship most every night. There was only one formal night, and even that was not widely followed. You would think that NCL would have at least one restaurant designated as “formal.” When all is said and done, we will probably stick with the more traditional seatings.<BR>

Cheryl

Cindy,<BR>I will be taking the NCL Sun on the March 30 sailing. There will be 8 in my group. We have cruised many times before on RCCL, Disney, Celebrity, etc. We were wondering what the best shore excursions were for Belize and Roatan. I was very interested in Larry's comments (previous respondant to your question). This will be our first time trying Freestyle Cruising. But the ports of call for this cruise seemed great. If you go, have a great time.

Sarah

Hey Cindy, My husband & I just got back from this cruise. We sailed March 30th- and I can't say enough great things about it. It was EXCELLENT!! Excursions were fantastic...we did the Jeep Tour in Cozumel- that was very adventurous and so much fun. Did the Stingray Encounter in Caymen Islands which was also incredible (however my husband wouldn't agree with that one).hahahaha...but I loved it. Any questions you have feel free to send me an e-mail and I'll help you out as much as possible.<BR><BR>Sarah*

travelitis

We're booked on the 6/8 sailing. Have you looked at the cruisecritic message boards? There are many reviews of the Sun.