elanatene

we leave on an alaskan cruise on ncl sun next month - I have seen so many completely contrast views on ncl that I really don't know what to expect.[ we are seasoned cruisers but have never done freestyle cruising before]
-Has anyone on the forum sailed the ncl sun?
-can you give me any tips on what to expect?
-has anyone/s kids experienced the teen clubs and if so were they good?
-what are the restuarants like and if we stick to the restaurants that don't have added charges will the food be diverse and good?
-have I understood correctly that there are only 2 such restaurants that serve the same food and that all the rest are with extr cost?
-what is your opinion on freestyle cruising?
sorry for asking so many questions and thanks in advance

petlover

I cruised on the NCL Sun a few years ago. It was a nice, well maintained ship for the most part. I don't know what type of cabin you have booked but I can say the suites are very spacious and nice. Part of our group had an inside cabin that was very small and you could hardly turn around in the bathroom.

As for the free restaurants, the food was certainly adequate (not gourmet). I don't think you'll see any need to pay for the other restaurants though we never tried them. I personally love free style dining and will never cruise on a ship with set times and dining companions again. The one thing that I noticed on NCL (but this seems to be the case now days on most mass marketed cruise lines) is they really seem to always be trying to promote drinks, photos, the gift shops etc. anything to make $$. This gets old real quick! I have no experience with the teen club.

I think you'll have a great time and don't have anything to worry about.

kfusto

The Sun is a pretty ship, well maintained and with a good staff. She is not glitzy and has no stunning lobby, etc. But, she is nicely decorated and there is a nice flow between the public.

I have cruised on the Sun 4 times, always solo in an inside cabin. Small but ok for one.

I did not care for the food or service in the main dining rooms. I used the alternatives most nights, or had a light dinner with wine in Las Ramblas, the tapas bar.

Entertainment was good. I especially enjoyed the Sinatra evenings and Jazz Jams in the Cigar Bar.

The gym was nice and well equipped. The classes were geared for the older crowd aboard so I was not happy with those.

The library is a great spot to relax and enjoy.

Pool area is very nice.

I am not a fan of Freestyle, instead much prefer traditional dining.

Cannot help with the kids club.

oui_paris

I agree with Kfusto. I sailed the sun a few years ago. While it is a lovely ship... I much prefer the traditional style to freestyle approach. So far, I`ve been on both NCL (sun) & Celebrity (millenium)- I found a big difference in terms of service (celebrity had much better service - more attentive in every way, IMO) ... also didn't appreciate people "pushing" to sell drinks on the sun . As far as food goes celebrity's regular dining room offered savoury dishes while I cannot say the same of the sun. You don't get a gourmet feel on the sun from the regular nightly dining... the specialty restaurants are better if you feel like trying something different. Loved the tapas, though - not to miss!
NCL cruise was cheaper than Celebrity, so I guess you get what you pay for.
Good luck & enjoy.

elanatene

thanks everyone.
If anybody has info on the teen clubs I'd appreciate it

semiramis

-Has anyone on the forum sailed the ncl sun?
Yes - about 8 months ago in the Caribbean
-can you give me any tips on what to expect?
Freestyle dining will be quite different from what you are used to - we love it but it is not for everyone.
We experienced very good service all nights except one in the dining rooms. One night the waiter was a bit inefficient. Major useful tip - READ your Freestyle Daily - lots of info about restaurant opening times and any themes (e.g. The Presidents Choice dinner night is excellent)
-has anyone/s kids experienced the teen clubs and if so were they good?
Sorry - no kids
-what are the restuarants like and if we stick to the restaurants that don't have added charges will the food be diverse and good?
On this cruise we stuck to the 'included' restaurants and found that the food was fine (not gourmet but good).
-have I understood correctly that there are only 2 such restaurants that serve the same food and that all the rest are with extr cost?
Yes and No: The two main dining rooms serve "almost" the same menu each night - although there are some differences (for example one night we actually compared the 2 menus - one had prime rib and the other had roast beef (if I remember correctly) - it was definitely 2 slightly different beef dishes. The other entrees that night were also similar but not identical. One of the other smaller 'restaurants' is also "no fee" (but because it is small you have to make a reservation. The other smaller restaurants (except the Tapas bar (also no fee) are "pay extra".
-what is your opinion on freestyle cruising?
Personally I love it (I like being able to eat when I want to and with whom I want to and I LOVE Freestyle disembarkation). However as I said before - it is NOT for everyone. BTW we had been on a couple of "traditional" cruises before we tried NCL. I would go on a "traditional" cruise for a very good deal or itinerary but if all things are equal I prefer Freestyle.
Just don't expect everything to be exactly like your other cruises and you will probably have a good time.

elanatene

thanks semiramis for the comprehensive answer - that sounds a lot better than things I had previousky heard - I was starting to get really worried.

Again - if anyone out there has kids that have been on this ship I'd love to hear their opinion

ncgrrl

I <i>think</i> I sailed on the Sun. Alaska round trip out of Seattle.

I don't have kids, so I can't comment on the programs. However, on the final evening I saw more than ever before, so I assume the programs are popular.

The restaurants were okay. I don't think any ship could have 'gourmet' food because they have to cook for around 2,000 people per meal. I couldn't take the crowds at the buffet restaurant for supper, but it was fine for breakfast or lunch (usually I ended up sitting away from the main seating area at lunch). The free specialty restaurnt had similar food to the main restaurants but better presented and may/maynot have been cooked with the other 2,000 meals. Didn't pay for restaurants.

I've only been on this cruise so I can't compare to traditional dining. But freestyle is more my style: eat when I'm hungry.

There was a chocolate 'special' one day. One of the dining rooms closed for set up, but it was mainly food service goodies loaded on in Seattle and not handmade. But you can never go wrong with chocolate.

If you wanted the 'free' drinks (water juice, coffee) you always had to get it yourself if you were on deck. Drink cart lady only selling alcohol and sodas. The cups for the free drinks were very small, so you need to get around 4 of their glasses of water to make a regular glass.

My biggest concern about the 'drink of the day' was the special was always listed right in the daily calendar right after the notice of the Friends of Bill W. meeting. Of course, it's mentioned about 5 other times in the daily calendar, but the listing right after Bill W. was troubling to me.

ncgrrl

Oh, another thing about food. If you want to order soup + salad, 3 entrees, all the vegetables, and 2 desserts, in the restaurants the staff wouldn't bat an eye.

Tipping was an automatic charge (fine with me since I knew about it beforehand).

Also I had the opportunity to book excursions before arrival. Do this if you can. The line to book excursions the first day looked about 500 people deep.

Liz_Frazier

Hi elanatene-
DH and I really loved the Sun and NCL until this year. Sure it used to be great, then it was really good, then it got to still good but remember when....., and the last time was in May 2005 and we absolutely couldn't stand the food.
To be fair it was on a repo trip, Pacific Coastal to Vancouver, BC then we stayed on for the Alaska trip. I got pneumonia from some jerk (really) who sat behind us in the art auction and coughed without covering his mouth. I could tell he at least had bronchitis, but we couldn't escape his coughs and sure enough, I got it. I tell you that to tell you the second week (Alaska) I couldn't get out of bed and we didn't go to the dining room. DH brought me soup from the buffet.
So others on the cruise commented the food was fine, but they ate every evening in the pay restaurants.
So hopefully the Alaska trips will be better because they cost more but when NCL lowers the prices for repos, etc., don't expect the same food.
We decided after 10+ cruises (5 on the Sun) on one line we had enough and are switching to a higher rated line out of the mass marketed group from now on.
If you try the Cruise Critic board they have a board just for NCL and on the ROLL CALL thread you can meet some of your cruise mates for the trip. Good fun to chat before you go. You'll love Alaska and the ports. Liz