Ports were great!

Let me start by saying we had a blast! Were there some hiccups? yes. The cruise had everything you could want on the boat...pools, food, drinks, shows, casino, kid/teen care, shops, excursions, etc. If I could have gone back and picked a different cruise line, yes! Do I regret going on our cruise, not at all.

We have been on 5 cruises before, and the food on a cruise ship has always been so delicious. However, on this trip we thought the food that was included in the cruise pricing was just ok and bland...and saying it was ok is a stretch. As soon as we got on the cruise we were bombarded with people coming up to us and telling us about the specialty dining and packages available. While the options sounded great we decided to just stick with the food we already paid for in our cruise fare. Well the first night we did not enjoy the meal but thought maybe we just ordered the wrong thing or went to the wrong dining room so we agreed to try all of the "free" options before we would consider the upgrade. Needless to say we decided to purchase a specialty dining package. The food at the specialty restaurants was better! The Moderno food was by far the best. The last night we ate at Cagney's steakhouse and had the filet...and it was very disappointing!

Moving on. As always, the alcoholic beverages on a cruise are extra. So no surprise there! However, the juice and sodas are not included (juice is only free at breakfast). Not a deal breaker though.

Our room was surprisingly bigger than we expected! We originally booked an inside room, and luckily we read these reviews and found out to check the pricing as the cruise approaches because you could get upgraded. So sure enough, we ended up with one of the most expensive ocean view rooms! Definitely recommend to check prices often, and don't hesitate to call your agent...they are awesome and want you to get the best deal! Back to the room... We were very happy with the room and set up. After the first two night we noticed that we had not been getting towel animals or mints on our pillows (just 1 of the little things we look forward to on a cruise) So we asked our steward about it and he said that we could get the animals but that for the mints there was an extra charge. Anyway, there were a few days when we requested our towels be changed out that the towels that were placed into our room had gross looking stains on them and one day the new towels that were in the room were wet (gross)! There was also one day when the sheets were changed in our room that the new sheets had old stains on them. Also, bring your own hair dryer! Other than the towels and linens issue our room was great.

The ports that the Sun went to were awesome! We were reluctant to book excursions because they can get expensive and before leaving I looked up what to do in the ports and everyone said DON'T book the excursions on the boat...so what do we do? Book them on the boat (we were traveling with a group and didn't want to stress them by waiting until at port). Everyone on the cruise is going to tell you that going outside of the port gates alone is not safe...that is simply not true! We did it everywhere but Roatan because it was raining.

The excursions that we chose were awesome! We had lots of fun. When we went to the excursions desk to book our activities there was a lady there and we were asking some questions about the excursions and she started rolling her eyes at us!!!! We were just trying to discuss what the most recommended trips were.  Here are the excursions that we booked:

Roatan: Tabyana Beach (we just booked the beach, but paid more there to do the snorkel...excursions desk recommended because we could skip out on the 30min. presentation)

Belize City: Cave Tubing and Rainforest Trek- Then the 2 of us left the group and went outside of the port walls and walked around the market area and everyone was very nice! We met a couple that was on the boat with us and they told us what to check out after our excursion in Costa Maya.

Costa Maya: Chacchoben Mayan Ruins (probably shouldn't have done this one but everyone needs to see Mayan ruins once, right?). Once we got back to port we hopped on the $3 trolley and went downtown to the beach where they have resorts and restaurants galore! It was awesome and I highly recommend going downtown!!!! We had a couples massage on the beach for $20 and the bar stools were swings!!

Cozumel: All-Inclusive Playa Mia beach. Just as it says an all-inclusive 4 hours at the beach! Great time there. Then we walked around the shops downtown.

I don't want to sound like we had a terrible time because believe me we had a blast!! Any hiccups that we experienced did not make us have a bad time. If you find this cruise on a great deal I say book it!! The ports are a huge selling point and that is why we booked this cruise! As for paying extra for a little bit better "okay" food maybe it is part of the whole "Norwegian Freestyle" experience. Not sure. We have already said we would not go on Norwegian again.

Here is a little about us so you know if some of the suggestions would interest you. We are 26 years old and from Georgia. We were looking for a relaxing getaway with some friends/family. We are not big on the party scene at all. But we are always looking for a new adventure!