Loved Alaska but hated the ship experience

Item: Norwegian Sun
Rating: 3
Author: MJthomas

Norwegian Sun Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

MJthomas

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 8

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

9 Night Alaska: Glacier Bay Skagway & Juneau (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 20, 2024

Ship: Norwegian Sun

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9140

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

we have sailed Norwegian before and had a great cruise but this was a total mess and not fun. the leadership on the ship needs replaced and the port times need to be adjusted to what the port has to offer. the first two stops were way too long because there was nothing in port to do unless you paid a small fortune for an excursion. the buffet was horrible and the sports bar did not serve food until 10 pm at night. the main dinning rooms were ok and usually had plenty of seating.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

very easy and fast

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

the buffet was horrible and the management of the staff was poor. most of the time only one bar tender and service was limited. this ships crew were great but the leadership needs to be replaced with competent people who know how to manage.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

more time spent on bingo and deal or no deal than on providing good entertainment

Entertainment

3 out of 5

the ones that did perform were good

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

the staff did what they could and did a good job but were not managed well and needed more help

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

poor layout

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

it was fine

Ship tip

dont sail on it

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

3 out of 5

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

2 out of 5

we spent 12 hours here and there is only something to do for one hour. this stop needs to be shortened in length

Thumbs Up 0

Sitka, Alaska

3 out of 5

too long of a stop, add time to Ketchikan

Thumbs Up 0

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Glacier Bay

3 out of 5

KETCHIKAN (WARD COVE), ALASKA

5 out of 5

way to short of a stay, only four hours and needed to be 8-12 hours.

Thumbs Up 0

Victoria, British Columbia

1 out of 5

a wasted stop. we arrived at 8pm when everything was closed and had to be back on the ship by 11. total rate of time

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

fast

12 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 4 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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saraannewheeler 5 months ago

We are cruising on The Sun in August and to be honest the fact that she is a smaller and older ship doesn’t worry me at all. In fact my three favourite cruises have been on an older ship. As far as the ports are concerned I believe, on this sort of bucket list cruise, that a lot of research needs to be done. We have booked excursions in almost every port, not all with the cruiseline, and am hoping this pays off. I am intending to enjoy my cruise even if everything isn’t perfect. I am certainly going to try not to look for problems!

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ddme 5 months ago

We did this cruise on the Sun in 2015 and our experience was completely different. It is sad to hear how time changes your experience.

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Gwbigdog 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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iamkates 5 months ago

Sorry you didn't have a great experience. We're going on this cruise in August and have made plans for all ports. I'm hoping our planning pays off so we can enjoy even our shorter stays.

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javawoody 5 months ago

Ketchikan is one of better ports. But with NCL docking at ward cove and shuttling to the edge of town for a short stay, it limits the time to enjoy.

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Gammi6 5 months ago

I agree about Ketchikan. Since they actually dock at Ward Cove and you shuttle to town and back it takes about 45 minutes off your stop. You really should be there longer than 4 hours.

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HeavySeas 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience

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bubbles60 5 months ago

We went on the Sun twice and had a good time. Sorry you were disappointed.

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BnCTcruising 5 months ago

We were only in Victoria 2 hours on our Alaska cruise last summer due to delays however, after watching some YouTube content, we were planning on exploring the town but due to the time constraints we didn’t disembark.

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Lawnboy1956 5 months ago

Victoria is not a stop for sightseeing. It’s there only because of the. Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). All US ships leaving from a US port and coming back to a US port needs to stop at one foreign port. This stop is a throwaway just to complete the journey.

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cruising2004 5 months ago

Glad you enjoyed the ports, sorry the ship wasn’t up to par.

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