A cruise to remember---very relaxing, BUT...
Norwegian Sun Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 180
5 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 27, 2020
Ship: Norwegian Sun
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 8335
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review summary
We arrived early at for embarkation and were through formalities in 20 minutes. We were afraid the ship would be 'empty' because of COVID, but lots more people showed up. We got into our cabins earlier than expected and our cabin was OUTSTANDING as was our STEWARD, Jayesh Nundell. We ate Teppanyaki, which was excellent as were the buffets. We ate in the main dining room on the second night and >> much of the food was not goodEmbarkation
Very good---one of the best ever.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
THIS WAS OUR ONLY NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE. You guys need to re-think the whole main dining room experience, especially the menus. The ENTREEs in the dining room were QUITE POOR, much inferior to the buffets. For example, we had a "Tenderloin" that was difficult to CUT, and impossible to chew, and a pork chop that was mushy and had clearly been in the freezer too long. It was worse than eating leftovers! The appetizers and salads were good, but the main courses and desserts were uninspiring at best and unpleasant at worst. The MENU needs to be re-considered. If I had been served that meal at a non-complementary restaurant, I would not have paid.
We have cruised for 20 years and there's very little on the dining room menus that hasn't been there for 20 years: a steak, ribs, fried chicken, pasta, nothing very intriguing there! Unless something changes, we won't likely go back to the main dining rooms.
The buffet has food that is more appealing, fresher, and more flavorful. It is inviting. I can determine what I get, large or small, dry or moist, and how fast I want to eat it. Buffets were very good. We had mostly OUTSTANDING food on the buffets.
The service in the main dining room was very good. It was the food that was very disappointing. Breakfast dishes in the main dining room were very good, as was service.
I recognize that you guys are emphasizing Specialty Restaurants. We liked the laid back dining with tasty food we have enjoyed in the past in main dining rooms. Unfortunately, the complimentary dining rooms seem to be dying on the vine. Norwegian can do better than what we experienced!
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Our cabin steward, Jayesh Nundall was fantastic! He was available when needed, did anything we asked him to do, kept the cabin immaculate, and was exceptionally PLEASANT. We have cruised for over 20 years and he was the best. He was the model of an EXCELLENT STEWARD!
Ship Quality
Everything was clean and well-maintained, well above typical, even better than Norwegian usual condition (which is excellent). The public bathrooms were kept clean and there was no waiting. I appreciated the "Washy, washy" encouragement of the staff for cruisers to cleanse their hands prior to entering food service areas.
I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATED THE NEW SINKS IN DINING AREAS FOR GUESTS TO USE. (Or it appeared to me me that they had recently been installed.) Infection control seemed to be rigidly practiced--good for you!
THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM AND WE HAVE HAD THIS ON THE LAST TWO NORWEGIAN CRUISES--NOT ENOUGH DECK CHAIRS. Both cruises it was quite windy. I didn't count on our last cruise, but on the previous cruise, there were more than 3000 passengers and on the sea days there were only between 250-325 deck chairs (that's room for about 10% of your passengers). I recognize that safety dictates that chairs be secured, but you guys need to find some way to secure them where people have a place to sit outdoors. There is a device called a "Cable Winch Puller" that is manual and would firmly secure an entire row of chairs. It could be applied by deck crew in the morning and removed in the evening for chair storage. Sea days get very long; no one wants to sit on the deck or spend the day indoors!
I also appreciate that it was NOT necessary to go through the casino to go anywhere on the ship. I don't appreciate smoking. (to go just about anywhere on the Epic, you have to go through the Casino--but not the Sun)
Cabin / Stateroom
This was one of the best cabins we've ever had, and THE BEST INTERIOR CABIN EVER! It was very roomy and well-arranged with plenty of storage. Our steward Nundell kept it spotless. It was exceptionally comfortable. Kudos also for the USB ports on the reading lights. This cabin was a WINNER!
Ship tip
Eat in the buffets instead of the dining rooms
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
NO excursion. We have taken excursions in the past. Outside the port, but nearby is somewhat run-down. It was windy and chilly in the day of visit. I'm glad I didn't have excursion in the water!
The port is fine. It was Sunday, during Lent and many stores were closed. No excursion. We have had good excursions in the past in Cozumel, especially Playa Uva. It was chilly and windy. No problems. I wouldn't have wanted to stay longer than we did.--not much to do on our own.
Disembarkation
BEST EVER DISEMBARKATION!!!!!!!!! The new facial recognition system was used. Fifteen minutes after our color was called on the ship, we were on our shuttle! FANTASTICO!!!!!!!!!!!