Alaska Cruises Should Be on EVERYONE's Bucket List
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Literally less than fifteen (15) minutes from time I stepped off the Norwegian Airport Transfer Bus, to the terminal, through the check in and securing my card, through security and up the gang plank onto the ship. Friendly, Fast, Efficient check in process.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food in ALL the venues was delicious. Did not eat in the Buffet as it was much smaller than the Breakaway and Breakaway+ class ships which obviously meant the variety wasn't as massive. BOTH the main dining rooms were staffed by friendly, helpful, prompt and polite wait staff that were very attentive in the providing of food to the tables. Specialty Dining that I enjoyed included Cagney's Steakhouse (always a favorite), Le Bistro, La Cucina, and Los Lobos twice. The food is ALL the specialty restaurants was delicious and had more than generous serving sizes. Was fortunate enough to have had the Premium Plus Beverage package provided this cruise, so I was able to indulge in some full bottles of wine, sparkling water, and Starbucks at no additional charges which was wonderful.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Typical onboard activities for a smaller cruise ship but this cruise is about the itinerary and the destination NOT the ship's on board activities. There was trivia, some game shows, plentiful live music throughout the ship, Karaoke, and your typical shipboard entertainment in the theater in the evenings: singers, dancers, comedian, magician. etc. There was no big Broadway productions like on the Breakaway Classes of ships.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Typical onboard activities for a smaller cruise ship but this cruise is about the itinerary and the destination NOT the ship's on board activities. There was trivia, some game shows, plentiful live music throughout the ship, Karaoke, and your typical shipboard entertainment in the theater in the evenings: singers, dancers, comedian, magician. etc. There was no big Broadway productions like on the Breakaway Classes of ships.
Observation Lounge
5 out of 5
Spinnaker's Lounge (Observation Lounge on Breakaway Classes) was a great setting to see the beautiful Alaskan scenery during the daytime and in the evenings it was a great place to meet for a drink or to relax and enjoy the sunsets listening to live music, and late evenings served as the setting for Karaoke. There were some very fine singers that were enjoyable to hear sing what was obviously a very limited song list, although the songbooks were large, many of the songs listed were not in machines que so were not able to be sung.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Norwegian Sun crew, staff and service were ALL exceptional. Norwegian has some of the finest hardworking crew members at sea,
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Sun is an older and smaller ship which is holding up nicely and is well maintained. There are plenty of quirky deck issues, like going up from Deck 5 (Seven Seas Dining Room) to Deck 6 and then down the Atrium Staircase to reach the Atrium, Guest Services, etc. There are a few specialty restaurants added in the recent refurbishment that are uniquely designed in order to fit the space that was not part of the original ship's design or deck planning. Part of its charm. Ship is very well maintained and the crew did an amazing job of keeping things "in ship shape" throughout the nine night cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Mid-Ship Oceanview Room
PERFECT LOCATION as it was centrally located between both the bow and the aft of the ship.
Getting ANYWHERE was extremely easy since the Sun is such a small ship to begin with.
Enjoyed the Gold Creek and Salmon Bake, where we got to see the raging waterfalls and the river where settlers used to mine for gold and some of the old equipment that they used to separate the gold from the sediments. The Salmon Bake was DELICIOUS and there was plenty of food and plenty of variety for everyone's tastes. After the Salmon Bake, I walked around downtown and visited some of the bars and saloons.
This is the reason people come to Alaska is to see nature and the pristine waters up close and in person. Amazing views of the Glaciers and local wildlife: Bears, Goats, Bald Eagles, Otters/Sea Lions, and Whales.
Visited Craigdarroch Castle & Butchart Gardens.
The Castle was a very well maintained 18th century home with many original period-pieces of furniture. The term "Castle" is very liberally applied so folks should understand that before booking this tour because otherwise they may feel disappointed. However, the main attraction on this tour is of Butchart Gardens which are spectacular and very well maintained, Open 364 Days a Year. The beauty is indescribable. Truly something you must see for yourselves to appreciate. We had a few hours at the Gardens but it wasn't nearly enough to walk the entire grounds at a leisurely and enjoyable pace that would allow for an appropriate amount of time to stop and enjoy the many wonderful flowers, flora and fauna.
Disembarkation was as fast and efficient as the embarkation process. I did SEA to PORT Luggage Transfer, which is a FREE SERVICE provided by the Airport that picks up your luggage and transports it to your airline and prints you a boarding pass along with the luggage tags receipts. SEAMLESS. So I just went through customs on the ship, walked through the checkout on the ship, into the terminal and straight to my bus for a post cruise excursion without the hassle of having to pickup luggage, trasport it to the bus, take it to the airport, and then check it in. ALL those worries disappeared thanks to SEA to PORT. HIGHLY recommend for cruise passengers returning to Seattle following a cruise. Did a post cruise excursion with airport drop-off that included a visit to the Observation Tower that looked down at the Space Needle, which we also visited, along with an enjoyable and meandering drive through some of the City's neighborhoods (Chinatown, Water Front, Sports Complexes, Downtown, and Pike Market Center, where we enjoyed lunch.
What an amazing review; thanks for sharing it! I'm doing an Alaska cruise on this ship in a few short weeks, so I hope I'll have as awesome a time as you did!
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