The itinerary including the Canary Islands and Morocco was the reason we chose this as our 3rd Mediterranean cruise. The NCL Sun ship is older, dirty, and below expectations in terms of cleanliness, food, and entertainment.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation at Lisbon was very good.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Don't expect a much - it took 20 minutes to get tea at dinner - but no cup - which took another 25 minutes & we were almost done at this point. Food tasted off - bacon tasted rancid, burgers tasted weird like their was some strange meat substitute filler in them. We both lost weight during this cruise - hubby 10 lbs & I lost 3 lbs.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
What activities??? A few trivia sessions or bingo? They don't have much to do on this ship, it was not like Royal Caribbean Anthem or Oasis of the Seas, or Celebrity ships - it was lacking.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
We saw Duo Estancia once, which was okay - but they were the ONLY performers other than the ship singers who were more like a high school talent show instead of professionals. The lounge singer had trouble pronouncing words in the songs in English, so that was pretty pathetic.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Los Lobos and Cagneys specialty restaurants had good service, and we liked the tableside guacamole & other appetizers a lot. Cagney's tiger prawn appetizer was excellent, too. Food in the main dining rooms and buffet were below par.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
I won't go on this ship again because our stateroom was very dirty when we arrived and it took a lot of effort to get it cleaned (going to guest services the 1st day didn't do it- and our stateroom attendant wasn't going to vacuum until I requested it.) There were bits of paper on the stateroom floor and pubic hair in the shower from the previous occupants when we arrived. No showers the first day & I had to wear socks on my feet in the stateroom because the floors were dirty.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The balcony and views were nice from this cabin. It was older, but large enough that we didn't feel cramped. Cleanliness was a problem, but the cabin itself was fine.
Ship tip
Bring LOTS of hand sanitizer wipes with you and wipe down your room - don't expect that your stateroom attendant will have done that, our room was very dirty. Go to Los Lobos & Cagneys - and get a meal package with 2 or more nights. Don't expect Bailey's Irish Cream or most brands of liquor you know - they have cheap substitutes that we'd never heard of before. Bring a glass of wine you like from a bar to dinner - the main dining rooms only have 2-3 selections - so you should bring what you like with you.
Lisbon is a fabulous port! Be sure to explore this city. You can get a Grayline Hop On Hop Off bus across the street from this port if you don't want to use/buy from NCL.
I recommend the Hotel Britannia and Fenix Lisboa by the Marques de Pombal for pre and post cruise stays in the heart of the historic district and Melia Aeroporto by airport if you have an early morning departure flight. Our boarded at 4:30 am, so we chose to stay a the airport. Hotel Britannia is a small boutique hotel with great service & a higher price. Fenix Lisboa is less expensive, big rooms, excellent free breakfast, and across the street from all the day tours that leave from the Marques de Pombal parking/tour area. We have stayed at all 3 hotels.
Skip the Fantasia show - the dancers barely did anything and the acrobats did some cartwheels - not as good as most high school cheerleaders in the US. The souk was interesting to explore.
This was a stop on my bucket list & I'm glad we toured Casablanca. Rick's Cafe wasn't worth the stop - it doesn't live up to the Bogart & Bacall movie, which we watched for the umpteenth time about a week before our trip.
I like the British feel of Gibraltar and we enjoyed the bus tour with less walking and English Tea. The bus tour would have been better if it went to the top of Gibraltar, but we've been here before & explored the Rock. I would recommend people take the tram to the top of the Rock - I wish we had done that instead, but we still had a nice day here.
Malaga is a busy, vibrant city and we've been here a few times before for several days at a time. The one-day port stop was good, but didn't give much time to see things. We have been to the Nerja caves & found it a little boring. Touring the castle on segways or some of the other excursions are better.
We did the white villages and seaside port stop. There was a lot of walking - probably 3-4 km up steep and uneven cobblestone streets & alleyways. Our guide did a lot of backtracking and it would have been better to circle around the area instead of going up, going down over and over. The BEST part was the our stop in the seaside village when the 4 in our group got our first good meal in days at The Good Burger - it was soooo much better than the food on the NCL Sun!!!
So sad when a ship doesn't meet our expectations. I have been on the Sun, prepandemic, and it was fun....however, we like smaller ships.. When we were on Oasis of the Seas, we didn't like it. I think switching from one class to another can be disappointing. So frustrating you felt your ship was not clean... I will be sure to take clorox wipes on our upcoming cruise on Princess.. I appreciate the suggestion.
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