Norwegian Sun Cruises Reviews

Thursday 24th May 2012

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Norwegian Sun

Staff Were Excellent, Shame About The Guests!

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Staff were excellent, shame about the guests!

Reviewed By: Graham, Kent on 6th Sep 2010
Cruise Line: NCL Cruises	Times cruised before: 0
Cruise Ship: Norwegian Sun	Sailed: August, 2010
Destination: Baltic	Age: 26-35
Cabin: Inside	Occasion: Honeymoon

This was our first cruise and we mainly did it to visit plenty of countries, without having to drive. When we booked in, we quickly noticed we were some of the youngest (28 and 31) on board! The guests going aboard were mainly American, Spanish and British. The Room: We were extremely pleased with our room. We booked an inside room as this was the cheapest, figuring that we only use it to sleep and get showered/changed. It was a very spacious room with an all-in-one shower/toilet affair en-suite. It was very clean and the 2 staff that looked after us, Renee and Bradley were superb. They worked extremely hard and tidied the room twice a day. The Ship: The ship was very big to start with, but once we had been on board for a few days we were itching to get off. Everything was clean and well kept. The theatre had some great acts in the evenings. The comedians were actually unexpectidly funny and so was the ventriloquist. The introductions to the evenings entertainment were from the cruise director were very cheesy and outdated. Apart from that, the library was well stocked and the gym was very well equipt. The spa prices were extortionate, more expensive than the best spas in London. The weather was not good, so we couldn't make full use of the swimming pool and outdoor activities. This left us very restless and bored on sea days. Food: The food was one of the best parts of the cruise. The garden cafe and Great Outdoors were always very well stocked with a variety to choose from. The Sevens Seas and Four Seasons restaurants have the same menus. The food was very good quality and very varied. We paid extra one evening to go and eat at the Italian restaurant. The food wasn't anywhere near as good as the free restaurants, which was a disappointment. Ports/Days Out: The best by far was Helsinki Finland. Very well laid out, lots of green areas in the city and great shops. The second best was Warnemunde and Rostock. We didn't want to waste our time going to Berlin, so we went to the train station which is about 5 minutes from the ship and got tickets to Rostock. The train took 20 minutes max and the city was brilliant. On the way back we walked around the port town of Warnemunde and it was lovely, especially the beach and quayside. The third best was Talinn in Estonia. A very pretty old town, although quite alot of tourists on the day we went. Not so good was Copenhagen. We found it difficult to get in to the centre and there wasn't a great buzz to the city. Sweden wasn't great. The boats to take us to shore got delayed until 11:30am due to weather, so by the time we got to land it wasn't worth going to Stockholm. We went to the port town and it was very small and boring. We went on 2 excursions in St. Petersburg one evening on the first night to see traditional Russian dancing and the second day we went on a canal boat and went to the Spilled blood church. We were disappointed with St.Petersburg and realised the reason you stay over night is to squeeze as much cash out of people for excursions as possible. Bar Prices: This was not as bad as I was expecting. Considering its the only place to buy alcohol, I thought they would have taken advantage of this even more. A 1/2 litre of beer was $6.85inc serv. A bucket of 6 bottles of beer was $28inc serv. A vodka and coke was $6inc serv and a bottle of daily special wine was $24inc serv. Obviously take a 1/3 off for £prices. We went on a pub crawl which was 5 drinks in 5 bars for $25 each. Although you actually got more than 5 drinks once you did some of the games and the measures were huge. This was a very good way to meet people and was a highlight of our trip. The disco on the night of our pub crawl was a brilliant end to the night with a stolen Pineapple as my trophy memory. Guests: The guests were actually the downside to the cruise. We found alot of the guests to be very rude. Very few would thankyou for holding a door open for them. If you were struggling with a plate of food and trying to get out on deck, you had to get the door most of the time and have pople walk straight through behind you as you struggle with a heavy door and plate of food. Some guests treated the staff very poorly, as if they were third rate people. There was very little queing and alot of pushing in. I was very surprised as alot of the guests were of an older generation, yet they were some of the rudest on board. Saying thankyou was one of the only things that wouldn't cost you onboard. Improvements: They should offer local specialities on the menu according to where you were, to get a taste of the countries you were visiting. They should update the pay restaurants and make them cheaper. They need to offer more activities that suited all age ranges. They need to loose the stuffy attitude associated with cruises. They need a cover over the swimming pools, so you can use them whatever the weather. They should only do a day in St. Petersburg and stop at somewhere else on the way back home rather than 2 days at sea. Overall: Great staff, some great cities, but some rude guests and boredom issues to solve.
Quality of Food
The food was one of the best parts of the cruise. The garden cafe and Great Outdoors were always very well stocked with a variety to choose from. The Sevens Seas and Four Seasons restaurants have the same menus. The food was very good quality and very varied. We paid extra one evening to go and eat at the Italian restaurant. The food wasn't anywhere near as good as the free restaurants, which was a disappointment.
Entertainment
The ship was very big to start with, but once we had been on board for a few days we were itching to get off. Everything was clean and well kept. The theatre had some great acts in the evenings. The comedians were actually unexpectidly funny and so was the ventriloquist. The introductions to the evenings entertainment were from the cruise director were very cheesy and outdated. Apart from that, the library was well stocked and the gym was very well equipt. The spa prices were extortionate, more expensive than the best spas in London. The weather was not good, so we couldn't make full use of the swimming pool and outdoor activities. This left us very restless and bored on sea days.
Shore Excursions
The best by far was Helsinki Finland. Very well laid out, lots of green areas in the city and great shops. The second best was Warnemunde and Rostock. We didn't want to waste our time going to Berlin, so we went to the train station which is about 5 minutes from the ship and got tickets to Rostock. The train took 20 minutes max and the city was brilliant. On the way back we walked around the port town of Warnemunde and it was lovely, especially the beach and quayside. The third best was Talinn in Estonia. A very pretty old town, although quite alot of tourists on the day we went. Not so good was Copenhagen. We found it difficult to get in to the centre and there wasn't a great buzz to the city. Sweden wasn't great. The boats to take us to shore got delayed until 11:30am due to weather, so by the time we got to land it wasn't worth going to Stockholm. We went to the port town and it was very small and boring. We went on 2 excursions in St. Petersburg one evening on the first night to see traditional Russian dancing and the second day we went on a canal boat and went to the Spilled blood church. We were disappointed with St.Petersburg and realised the reason you stay over night is to squeeze as much cash out of people for excursions as possible.
Staff
Renee and Bradley were our room staff, they were fantastic and looked after us very well. Bullet (Yeoman) was a character and a very funny guy. Mitch from the sports bar was brilliant and a friendly face to see in the evenings after a days exploring onland,
Children's Facilities	n/a

Onboard Activities
Only catered for the older generations. Bridge, bingo, napkin folding!
Cabins
We were extremely pleased with our room. We booked an inside room as this was the cheapest, figuring that we only use it to sleep and get showered/changed. It was a very spacious room with an all-in-one shower/toilet affair en-suite. It was very clean and the 2 staff that looked after us, Renee and Bradley were superb. They worked extremely hard and tidied the room twice a day.
Overall Rating

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Comment by Southey, Dover (07 Sep 10 16:10) about this REVIEW

I think there is a global infection of bad manners and rudeness, my cruise was spoilt because of this.Although we enjoyed St Petersburg is was not our favourite port of call as we has a hostile reception from the immigration. I would not visit Russia again and if i do the Baltic cruise a second time i would not bother getting off the ship.

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Comment by Riddle, Velez-Malaga (08 Sep 10 07:55) about a COMMENT by Southey (07 Sep 10 16:10)

What a shame you had a bad experience with Immigration at St Pete's. We found them to be efficient, but also charming and allways ready for a joke. They asked us why we went through at 7pm when our Guide didn't arrive till 7:30. We said "Because we're English" and they laughed so hard and called others to share the joke! Jacquie

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Opinion: Disagree Comment by paul, Inkpen (07 Sep 10 14:43) about this REVIEW

Never heard anyone say they didn't find St Petersburg interesting ... This should have been the highlight of your trip.... two days is not enough. It's a pity that you were unaware of Alla tours, as two full days would only have cost you about as much as you paid for your church visit & canal boat ride . Still, your young enough to go back .

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Comment by Scorpio, Heywood (07 Sep 10 14:00) about this REVIEW

Like Dave, we did the two day tour of St Petersburg with Alla Tours which we found to be excellent value. Alla were much cheaper than the ship's tours and covered more of the famous sites. You missed so much: The Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, St Peter & St Paul Fortress, Yusupov Palace, St Isaac's Cathedral, to name but a few.

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Question by Maddox, West Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand (12 Nov 10 07:00) about a COMMENT by Scorpio (07 Sep 10 14:00)

Which of Alla's tours did you do. We are do this cruise in May?

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Answer by Scorpio, Heywood (13 Nov 10 14:53) to a QUESTION by Maddox (12 Nov 10 07:00)

We did the Complete St Petersburg two-day tour and saw all the major sites. If you go to their website, www.alla-tour.com, you will see the full itinerary. We did not team up with others prior to the cruise and were allocated to a group of approximately 16 when we arrived at the dockside. We found immigration to be very easy. On the first day, we just had to show our passports, our tour tickets and leave a photocopy of our passports with them. The second day it was just passports and tour tickets. If your cruiseline tells you that they are disembarking passengers who are on ship's tours first, just ignore this and disembark in time to meet with your chosen tour. We found Alla to be excellent pre-cruise. They gave us lots of information and told us to contact them if we were unsure of anything. You can communicate with them via a 'dedicated' email system on their website. Hope this helps. If there is anything else you need to know, just ask and I will try and answer. I am sure you will love St Petersburg, it is fantastic!!

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Opinion: Disagree Comment by Dave, Tunbridge Wells (07 Sep 10 08:23) about this REVIEW

We've been to ST Pete twice now, so much to do, and if you arrange the right tour through a local company like Alla Tours the cost is not bad, and you get to see so much, long hard tour but so worthwhile seeing so much of fantastic scenic interesting St Pete. Food is so subjective, I love the specialty restaurants on NCL, oneof the best things. I find the drinks cost double what they cost in my home town so I just don't buy them on NCL. I have always found plenty to do on NCL, got to be the most fun line around, but then I like Trivia, Pictionary, Liars Club, WinLoseorDraw and all those other stupid games, and the themed evenings inthe disco which are fun. Of course there are a lot of tourists when you get into any port on a cruise, you brought nearly 3 thousand of them with you on your ship! Most of the doors to go out to a dining area are automatic sliding ones, I would suggest that if you took your food out on deck through one of the heavy hinged manual doors then it was a somewhat strange thing to attempt, and I am not surprised not so many people held doors open for you, they probably didn't expect you to be doing such a silly thing.

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Comment by Graham, Kent (07 Sep 10 20:48) about a COMMENT by Dave (07 Sep 10 08:23)

There was only one automatic door to the rear of the ship, most people ate midship near the pool. I just think its manners to hold a door for someone, even more so if they are struggling. We thought judging by the brochures about NCL's Freestyle cruising that they may have modernised cruising and got rid of the old tacky traditions associated with cruising. I guess its just a holiday suited to the older generation and families.

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Comment by Smith, Ardrossan (07 Sep 10 15:03) about a COMMENT by Dave (07 Sep 10 08:23)

And there you have it a typical cruiser!

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