We have just returned from the Baltic Capitals cruise on Norwegian Sun from 8th to 20th September. This was the worst cruise we have ever been on – by a long way! The ports of call were very good and most time spent off the vessel was enjoyable – unfortunately time spent on board ship was definitely not very enjoyable.

My wife and I plus my sister and brother-in-law were celebrating my sister’s birthday on the 16th and their 45th wedding anniversary on the 11th. I had prebooked a birthday package surprise for my sister. After an efficient check in at Dover the trouble started as soon as we boarded the ship.

Going straight to our cabins we found that my sister’s cabin had been decorated with balloons and chains - oops – WRONG DAY! There was a card wishing my brother-in-law a happy birthday – oops – WRONG PERSON! Obviously we went straight to Reception to complain about this and they eventually agreed to refund the cost as the surprise had been ruined. I checked my onboard account next day - no refund. Reception said they had refunded it to my brother-in-law – oops – WRONG PERSON AGAIN! He then gave me the cash - only to find that they then refunded it to me so I returned the cash to him. This was the kind of inefficiency we found in all departments on board this vessel for the whole duration of the trip.

To summarise the worst departments on board :-
MAINTENANCE – the draught excluder round our cabin door was no good so at night, when the ship was moving we got the howl of the wind round our door – keeping us awake.

RECEPTION/CUSTOMER SERVICES – birthday surprise as above. We asked for a coffee maker in our cabin and they wrote our cabin number (0114) on a list. That was the last we heard of that – never did get a coffee maker.

KITCHEN – food was of a generally poor quality. It seemed they used cheap ingredients and a lot of the time did not cook them properly. Raw vegetables, uncooked pasta, semi-raw burgers and worst of all an almost raw pork chop from the barbecue! The self service Garden Café was, mostly, a scrum to get anything to eat or drink. I would recommend staying well away from this and eating all meals in the Seven Seas restaurant as there is very limited seating available and walking around the ship up 2 flights of stairs to a bar on deck 12 seemed to be the norm – very dangerous when you are carrying hot food and drinks without a tray – if you ask for a tray they just tell you it is not allowed. Also dirty cups and plates with unsanitary practices – kitchen staff were seen replenishing cup supplies and wiping the inside of cups with their bare hands – not very nice!

LAUNDRY – stained pillow cases, sheets and towels. Threadbare towels with holes. Not very pleasant!

I could go on all day with innumerable examples of bad practice. The management of this ship leaves a lot to be desired. They have allowed a “that will do” culture to thrive as nobody is checking the standards on board. The waiters, waitresses and cabin stewards try to look after the guests but the look on their faces as you point out another shortcoming says they know you are right but they cannot say anything which would risk their job. NCL management do not deserve such loyal staff! The only thing which seems to be on the mind of management is “how do I get more money out of these guests?” They charge for practically everything! There are only 2 restaurants (each serving the same menu) plus the self service scrum which do not incur an extra charge. Then there are the 5 – yes 5 – restaurants which do require extra payment. The ‘Le Bistro’ which I booked for an anniversary meal has a $20 surcharge but when you look at the menu there are items which then incur another $10 surcharge on top of that! We opted out of the $12 per person per day recommended gratuity and tipped the people who gave us good service as we did not consider the service we had received overall to be high enough to warrant such a charge.

This was the 8th cruise we have been on, having travelled on P&O, Princess, Holland America and even the Norwegian Dawn a few years ago, and have enjoyed them all. Had this been our first cruise it would also have been our last as we would have assumed that this was the accepted standard.

Would we travel NCL again? NOT LIKELY ! ! !

having sailed with this cruise line before we were happy to book with them again on the baltics cruise from dover.However the ship is too small for the amount of passengers it carries and there is always a scramble for tables in the buffet dining room.There is very little entertainment during the day and the bands and groups on the ship that entertain in the bars are very poor.The entertainment in the main theatre can only be classed as average and everything else that goes on within the ship eg wine tasting, backstage tours of the ship etc etc are all levied with another charge.It was money making, in all areas of the ship and really was pushed to the forefront on this cruise,by all ship staff.Will not sail with them again for this reason.

Norwegian Sun to Alaska Aug 3rd to 10th 2008

This was our first ever cruise and after 15 years or so of independent travelling we were a little apprehensive of being so organised for a week. We were also wary due to some of the negative reviews we had read about the trip prior to our embarkation.

We were travelling as part of a tour with Titan Holidays and so arrived on Sunday at the dock by coach after 4 days travelling through the Rockies. Titan took care of the luggage and so we only had to carry our hand luggage onto the boat.

Immigration took about 30 minutes and we were in our cabin within an hour of getting off the bus. We had been told to expect at least a 2 hour process. We had an inside cabin and it was plenty big enough. The bed could have slept 4 people at once and there was lots of dressing space and more drawers and cupboards than we could fill with clothes. So while we waited for everyone else to embark we found a table by the rail in the outside Garden Café and had lunch.

After waving goodbye to those on shore we had an explore of the ship to see what’s what. We sat chatting over a beer or three in the observation lounge until it was time to eat. The meal in the Seven Seas was very good with excellent service. We had been travelling all day since very early and so decided to give the opening show (a ‘taster’ of all the entertainers) a miss and went to bed. The Chocolate coated Strawberries and Champagne had arrived in the cabin (part of the Anniversary package) and so we enjoyed those before going to sleep!

Monday. A sea day. The day started off misty and cool. A leisurely breakfast was enjoyed in the Seven Seas that included fruit juice, tea, fried breakfast, kippers and toast! (We took breakfast every day in the Seven Seas). So what to do? Bingo is not our style and neither is pouring money into slot machines and so we wrapped up warm, picked up our books and found ourselves a spot out of the wind overlooking the outside Garden café deck and within easy reach of the coffee and hot chocolate dispensers! Apart from a few people strolling by we sat alone for an hour or so. Then the mist cleared and the Sun came out, the layers of clothing came off and we sat in the Sun for the rest of the afternoon (in fact I had to go back to the cabin to get some sunscreen)! Lunch was soup and sandwiches from Las Ramblas. In the afternoon we saw the first of many whales. The second part of the Anniversary package saw a tray of canapés delivered to the cabin, these were good appetisers for another excellent evening meal in the Seven Seas. We took in the second show in the theatre. The Dancers and Singers were excellent doing a selection of numbers from Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s stage musicals. It must have been the sea air as we were exhausted and decided to give the later comedian’s show a miss.

Tuesday. Ketchikan. Breakfast in the Seven Seas then off the boat to explore on a warm and bright day. We had not booked any trips here and so made our first stop at the tourist information centre on the dock. Here a very helpful assistant gave us a walking tour map. First stop on the walk was at the Salmon Ladder at the back of the town. A friendly shopkeeper took time off setting out his wares to come over and explain how the system worked and generally chat for 10 minutes. Another 15 minutes walking brought us to the Native Fish Hatchery. $12 each bought us tickets to see this plus the Totem Pole Centre on the other side of the river. The tour of the hatchery took about 30 minutes with the guide explaining every stage in the process to us. The centre also contained two Bald Eagles who had been rescued after being injured. The Totem Pole museum was very interesting with Native guides explaining the significance of the poles on display. It also contained other Native artefacts. Both of these places were the ‘real deal’ and would exist even if tourists never came. Refreshingly there were no souvenir shops in either. Out of the museum and we walked back towards town stopping only to buy two glasses of homemade lemonade (50 cents each) from a young girl selling it from the steps of her house! Back in the town we had a look at the shops and round the small market. Then it was a stroll through the crowds along the boardwalk of Creek Street. Mostly filled with souvenir shops the only real place of interest was Dolly’s Brothel but the queue to get in put us off waiting to have a look inside. The walk then took us back up the hill behind the town to the Eagle’s Lookout. However there were no eagles to be seen up there as they were already circling the town. Then it was back to the ship for lunch and a 2 o’clock sailing. Again we found our spot out of the breeze and spent the afternoon sitting in the sun with cold beers. The evening show was the Cats Pajamas, a four person acappela group. They were excellent and we followed the show with another superb dinner in the Seven Seas.

Wednesday. Juneau. After breakfast it was off the boat and into the town. Again we had not booked any trips here. The free shuttle bus took us to the cable car station. From there we had a walk round the town. Not the most pleasant place in the world, Juneau was just a collection of big souvenir shops and jewellers (In fact 2 of these for each of the other shops)! 30 minutes walking later and the delights of Juneau exhausted we returned to the quay where a variety of excursions were being sold. One booth was offering a BOGOF bus tour for $30 each. However the offer turned out to be a bit of a con as the ‘free’ trip was in fact a $30 voucher for another trip! But a bit of haggling got us two tickets for $20 each and what a bargain it turned out to be. The 2 ½ hour tour with a Native Guide included a quick tour of the town, a trip to the river to see the salmon spawning followed by an hour up at the breathtaking Mendenhall Glacier. The tour finished with a drive along the shore where we could watch the Bald Eagles fishing and a ride across to Douglas Island. Back on the boat it was custom made sandwiches from Las Ramblas and then a voyage up the Tracy Arm (Fjord). This detour took 3 1/2 hours and involved taking the ship up a narrow inlet through a sea littered with icebergs. We stood at the front of the ship as the rocks and ice slid slowly by taking in the sights. Everyone stood in silence and awe as the ship crept up the passage. The view of the glacier was a little disappointing as it has receded so far back that it is barely visible from the ship, this made us doubly glad that we had taken in the Mendenhall glacier earlier in the day. The weather was so unique that the captain launched one of the ship’s boats containing the photographer. They took pictures of the ship surrounded by ice burgs, look out for them in next year’s brochures! The entertaining Latin American show in the evening was followed by another excellent dinner in the Seven Seas.

Thursday. Skagway. Breakfast over we made our way to the dock to pick up our tour. We had booked a day’s bus tour of the Yukon through the Cruise line. This took place under clear skies. We joined our fellow travellers in a small minibus and set off. Our guide turned out to have excellent local knowledge. He deliberately bypassed the spots frequented by the convoys of big buses and took us to see some quiet panoramic views. The weather was so calm that even he was rendered awestruck by some of the views and took his own photographs in some places as he had not seen some of the lakes so still in the 17 years he had been a guide! The mountains were mirrored in the lakes. Lunch (included in the price) at a roadside café was followed by a visit to Emerald Lake, the World’s smallest desert (it was claimed), a sighting of a black bear and then Carcross, a small town on the railway. Time for an ice cream and to get your passport stamped at the post office. On the road back he stopped off at all the places we had bypassed on the way up as we now had them to ourselves. The cloud was starting to descend which gave some of the stops a mystical feel. On the way back our guide explained that Skagway is in fact a National Park and that the Park Rangers take free walking tours round the town. So he dropped us off at the Ranger Station and we took the 3 o’clock tour. This took an hour and included a look at and explanation of, some of the significant town buildings and a potted history of the area. We had been tempted to do the train trip instead of the bus tour but on speaking to some of those that had taken the train ride we were glad we chose the bus. They told us that for most of the journey they had been in the trees and so could not see anything and when they did get out in the open the low clouds obscured a lot of the panoramas. The train also only goes as far as the USA/Canadian border whereas our bus crossed over into Canada and way into the Yukon. Back on the boat to freshen up for the evening’s entertainments, tonight it was the magician. He was hilarious and showed great sleight of hand during his act. This was followed by dinner, again in the Seven Seas and then it was off to Dazzles to catch the comedian. He had us in stitches as he took the micky out of the various nationalities in the room, the Germans coming in for particular treatment.

Friday and Saturday. Two sea days racing back to Vancouver. Friday saw the great weather continuing and we took advantage out on deck. In the afternoon I took in the lecture about the running of the ship from some of the ship’s officers. This was very interesting as was the Q&A that followed. In the afternoon we went to the Champagne and Cake party which was part of our Anniversary package. The evening show was a Peter Pan ballet performance by the dance company which was enjoyed by the audience although it was not my particular ‘cup of tea’. Saturday saw the weather turn. We took an hour to listen to the lecture from the resident expert on the wildlife of Alaska. In my professional opinion (I teach) it was ‘Death by PowerPoint’ and I am sure I could have made a better job of the lecture given the quality of the subject material that was available! A bright morning became wet in the afternoon but this was the first bad weather of the cruise and so we couldn’t complain. We used some of the time to pack. We had a meal booked for ‘Le Bistro’ that night. This was the final part of the Anniversary package which covered the restaurant surcharge and included a bottle of wine with the meal. The food was excellent. We managed to catch the last 30 minutes of the show which was an ensemble performance from the whole entertainment cast plus a contribution at the end from representatives of the crew.

Sunday saw us leave the ship. Disembarkation went well and we were on the bus doing a tour of Vancouver by 10.30am.

Overall, having started the cruise unsure what to expect we left the ship having enjoyed an excellent week. The food was first class and the entertainment top rate. There were shows and events that we missed but fellow travellers told us how good they were and often you could catch them next day on the TV if you were so inclined. We didn’t play the daily Bingo games neither did we try out the Casino. The on board shopping consisted of a very large selection of jewellery, a duty free store and a small souvenir shop, we were not tempted. The ship was spotless and the staff of the boat who worked hard to ensure our enjoyment were well worth the $10 per person per day service charge. We left some extra cash for our cabin crew who put in lots of extra touches to make us feel special. The anniversary package was a present from our kids as it was our 30th wedding anniversary. It cost $79 and was fantastic value for money and made us feel very special. It has to be booked and paid for 2 weeks before you cruise. We know we were spoiled with the weather and the sea conditions. The previous cruise had suffered days on end of rain and rough seas which, if it had happened to us I’m sure would have made a big difference to our trip. Of the three stops Skagway was the most enjoyable. The town had a genuine ‘North West frontier’ feel to it. Ketchikan was quaint. Juneau was only made bearable by the tour that we picked up. The cruise line will sell you loads of trips. Some of these are very good and people we spoke to really enjoyed them. However there is plenty to see and do without lashing out loads of cash. The tourist information centres have loads of leaflets and suggestions. You can pick up tours and trips on the quay at a fraction of what the cruise ship charges (and frequently they are the same trip and you share them with fellow voyagers)! The walking about also helps to work off some of the food you eat on board. Finally what is it with the jewellery? Not only are they pushing the jewellery on the ship constantly but about 70% of all the shops in the towns are jewellers. We were told that the cruise lines own these shops! We can heartily recommend this cruise and ship but please don’t blame us if the weather gives you a different experience!

We have just returned from an alaskan cruise onboard the NCL Norwegian Sun.

All I can say is that it was brilliant. The ship, the crew, the food, the room, the shore excursions wow.

I would recommend this cruise and ship to anybody.

Had a wonderful 8 day cruise along the mexican coast, liked the freestyle idea a lot, didn't have to dress up if you didn't want to. Not too keen on the dining areas where you didn't have to dress, felt like butlins! The cleanliness was excellent, lots of hand disinfectant going on, before getting food, before going ashore and definately on coming back on board. The entertainment was excellent, better than Costa cruise, we had a very good compare and a magician, but the best was the comedian, had us in fits! we had a mini suite which was great, balcony with glass wall, very nice views through this, made it really special. Awful departure though, you have coloured tickets and they call you, very long wait to get off the boat, advise anyone to take the earlier option where you carry your own luggage off especially if your catching another plane the same day, you could possibly miss the connection. Other than not liking Accapullco (sorry for the spelling) the cruise was great.