So-So First Cruise

Item: Norwegian Sun
Rating: 2
Author: DavidB40

Norwegian Sun Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

DavidB40

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska & Sawyer Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 15, 2006

Ship: Norwegian Sun

Cabin type: Suite

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 18 years ago

Review summary

First let me say that without hesitation I recommend cruising the Inside Passage. To me, value for this cruise was derived from the little things. I figured that on a cruise the big things like condition of the ship and nautical ability of the crew were a given. So that left the little items that occur everyday to really determine the overall value of the cruise. This is where I was left disappointed. Things such as miscommunication between crew, a concierge that could not be located when needed, waiting 30 minutes in a non-crowded lounge without service, waiting for over 20 minutes in another non-crowded lounge for my order to be delivered, being hit with serving trays, and having food spilled on me when a table was being cleared. I also opted to pay the extra cost for a suite, but when the cruise was over I could not justify the added cost of a suite over the next lowest price stateroom. I did not expect to be waited on hand and foot, but I did expect a little more value for the money. The inside passage makes for a beautiful voyage and one I will want to repeat. I just do not think it will be with this cruise line.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

I have to say that the stateroom stewardess and steward that took care of my suite were awesome. The rest of the staff were generally friendly, but many did not seem happy to be there. So overall the staff gets a good.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Value vs. money keeps the rating from being any higher. The stateroom was nice to be fair.

Ports of call

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Juneau presented me with the one great shore excursion of the cruise. I took one of the whale watching tours and it was awesome. During the tour the crew would use a hydrophone near any spotted whales which was a nice touch. From what I saw they may have been the only tour company using the hydrophone. I got to photograph a lot of humpback whales with two groups engaged in bubble net feeding. This is where the hydrophone really shone as one whale would sing out just before they started feeding upward through the bubble net. Once during the feeding the hydrophone let us know that the whales were really close and when they broke the surface they were within 20 yards of the boat. That was an unbelievable sight.

Thumbs Up 1

Don't Miss: Whale watching

Ketchikan, Alaska

3 out of 5

Our first port and canceled shore excursion. The cancellation was a huge let down and somewhat an omen for things to come. I was told that the cancellation was due to a mechanical failure and since I cannot verify otherwise, I will leave it as a mechanical failure. I was offered space on one of two other shore excursions, but declined. These other excursions did nothing for me and if I had been interested in them I would have booked one of them in the first place. Ketchikan is a nice place and I used my "canceled" time to wonder the town and watch other tourists. My wife and I had so much fun watching and photographing other tourists that I feel compelled to give a good rating despite the excursion problems.

Thumbs Up 0

Prince Rupert, British Columbia

3 out of 5

Another sleepy little town with a short stopover. The excursion here was OK with friendly and knowledgeable staff, but was nothing to get real excited about.

Thumbs Up 0

Skagway, Alaska

3 out of 5

A small sleepy town. My shore excursion here was disappointing. The excursion actually went to Haines, Alaska and back. The excursion staff was very friendly and tried to give a great excursion experience, but I was not thrilled with the overall value of the excursion. Most notable was the lack of wildlife which I know is never guaranteed, but disappointing when not there.

Thumbs Up 0

Pros: A week alone with my wife

Cons: The cost of a suite without seeing the value of the extra cost

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