Getting on and off the ship was very smooth. The staff on this ship is very friendly and they work very hard. I didn't have one problem with any member of the staff on our cruise. The Kids Club was awesome and our son had the time of his life. The staff should all get raises for there hard work with the kids. Nice ship and tons of things to do. I would say the food in the Garden Cafe was substandard. Very strange choices and it was just OK. We had some good meals in the cover charge establishments and in the main dining room. They need to fix the Garden Cafe. We do a lot of gambling and I have to say the casino was so tight it wasn't funny. Unless you play table games or video poker I would stay out of the casino on this ship, you and your money will so be parted. What they charge for photos was the biggest joke. Take your camera everywhere you go and take your own pictures. I don't understand this policy of charging for sodas. I know first hand from operating my own eating establishment that soda out of a bar gun is about 2 to 3 cents per serving. I bought a soda card for me and my son and with the gratuity it was over $100 to drink soda on the cruise. Lets not even start if you wanted a beer. I would rather pay more upfront and get certain items on the house. I came off the ship feeling like they snuck into my room at night and took money out of my wallet. This was my second cruise so I don't know what other lines do but I will do a little more digging before I book my next cruise. Overall, we had a great time and the ship and staff was very nice. It's the little things that can put a dark cloud on a trip. Would I go again, maybe.

I would not hesitate to recommend the Norwegian Sun(Alaska cruise) to anyone - young, old, handicapped or not - there is something for everyone at anytime of the day. Food choices were incredible and service amazingly good considering there are over 60 nationalities of crew members.

Although, I enjoyed my first cruise, I would have like to see more shows during the day. For example, when we were sailing all day, it would have been nice to catch a show in the afternoon or late in the morning. Bingo, yoga, spinning classes would be a plus if you did not have to pay extra money. Restaurants with a cover charge was a negative point for me. At the price, we pay for the cruise, a steak dinner, a seafood platter or an Italian fiesta would have been a plus. Paying for soft drinks, wine or beer is also very negative for me. I am used to an all inclusive holiday . . . and this includes everthing.

Drink prices carry 15% gratuity even though you are charged 10$ per day per passenger. Most passengers like ourselves disputed this and settled on a lower charge. I very much doubt if anyone pays the full cost as it is very very expensive on the ship.

From the time we got on the bus to the ship it was a nightmare. The bus was 2hrs late. We were taken to a convention center with everyone else. No reason were given. No place to sit. No food or water for the next 4 hours. We were in our state room by 1am. The next week was nothing but one confusing thing after another. The entire ship was angry. We missed an entire day at sea.

If you don't like the formality that is associated with a cruise, then this is the cruise for you. Do what you want and when you want. If you want to dress for dinner then fine but the choice is yours.

NCL Cruises, Norwegian Sun - We boarded in Vancouver and felt every step was very efficient. There were people at the elevators and staircases directing us so we did not feel overwhelmed. They had upgraded our room and we were situated on deck 11. The Outdoor Cafe is very popular but it is hectic. We preferred eat in the Seven Seas. We ate most of our meals there. It was fine dining with excellent service. We also had purchased the aniversary package. That is well worth the money. If you buy 5 bottles of wine you receive the 6th one for free. You do not have to purchase all at once, just keep your receipts. You can have them keep a partially opened bottle of wine and have them serve it to you at another time. You do not have to be in the same resturant but you must give them time to go to the restaurant that you stored it in. We took bus tour to Glacier in Katchican and the Best of Skagway tour in Skagway. We felt we received value for our money. We managed to get up Tracey Arm and see Sawyer Glacier. That was incredible. We only saw one show because the weather was so nice and the scenery ever changing that we did not want to miss anything. I heard the shows were good and we enjoyed the one we did see. Disembarking was hassle free and we were able to have a great breakfast and relax in our room until our turn to leave was called. All in all it was the best holiday I have taken.

We were on the Alaska Cruise on May 10th. 2009 to May 17th. 2009 with this Norwegian Sun. It was a fantastic trip. My wife & myself were really liked it ! We enjoyed watching the show every night; they were beautiful. The programs on ship were non-stopped and it did not make us felt boring at all.
One thing I must mention is that during the karoake night, they were not able to play with my own karoake disc in DVD or VCD. They can only play CDG of their own. I hope they will buy a DVD karaoke player to improve this karaoke night program.
If any friend talk to me about going for Alaska Cruise, I would recommand him/her join the ship.

First let me say that I decided to go on the New Norwegian Gem based on past positive experiences with NCL cruises. I've been on the Dawn twice and the Spirit twice also. Being the Gem was "brand new" I decided that this would be a best bet! However I do have a few disappointments. Getting on the ship went fairly smooth as we were considered "latitudes" members. But I will tell you that you will have to wait even though they say you will board first. It was a long process to finally get on this ship. When we did get on I will say the decor etc was beautiful. The ship itself was very very pretty! Our trip was heading to Florida and the Bahamas on a 7 day cruise. We boarded the ship around 12:30-1 pm and decided that we would get something to eat at the "Garden Cafe". My husband and I had a piece of rotisserie chicken which looked very very good. And it really was! They now have in the Buffet area's what they call "action stations" . I find them to be nice but at the same time holding up lines and making your experience at the buffet very very long and time consuming. On the other two ships I've been on before NCL upgraded to 2.0 the buffet was actually an enjoyable experience! Now I find it nothing more than annoying to go and eat there. (And the food and variety isn't as good as it was on other ships)
We decided to pay an upcharge of 20.00 per person at our usual favorite restaurant that evening at LeBistro (which I will tell you about later). Our stateroom was on Deck 11 and a mini suite. The room was very large as well as the larger balcony! We really enjoyed it a lot. However my husband had a complaint about the TV. Yes it is a new larger flat screen TV, but try to get some of the channels in. All you get on and off all day especially on TNT is "poor signal". Which I did find very annoying. They aren't giving you much TV anymore with their new 2.0 upgrade as they call it. And they are now charging for movies which range from 5.95-11.95 per movie. Don't get me wrong I DO NOT sit in my room all day and night and watch tv when I am on vacation, but I do enjoy it a little before going to bed. There TV stations are extremely limited now (which they weren't before). We had a nice dinner at LeBistro that evening, and the next day, Sunday afternoon, my husband and I both developed a violent illness( forgive me for being so graphic) vomiting and diarrea for the next 24 hours. Monday at Port Canaveral we couldn't even get off the ship! So that did ruin our first two days. After we started to feel a little better, all we did was eat their soup. Plus it was all we could hold down. Soup and crackers. We got off on all the other ports (Nassau, Grand Bahama Island, and had a good time at all the beaches)
As far as this new NCL 2.0 I just don't think NCL has it down. Even their signature chocohaulic buffet has changed. They served it at the hours of 10:45 pm and 11:30 pm in the Garden Cafe and the Chocolate was nothing like it used to be. All it was was chocolate cake with frosting, (nothing more than I could have made at home with Betty Crocker). As a matter of fact all of their desserts were horrible! Based on how the "stampede of people charged into the Garden cafe for this chocohaulic buffet, NCL should call it the chocohaulic stampede! Oh by the way , they also had servers coming around to offer champagne but and yes there is a BUT, while they are shoving it in your face, it also comes with a 4.95 a glass charge to your keycard! (What's up with that NCL?) Half of the time on this cruise ship you feel like a heard of cattle. From the buffet room, to the ship to get to their private island, etc. Not to mention everything is an upcharge,!!! NCL really needs to get it together and work on their food as well as their organization. I felt that this trip after sailing 5 with NCL in the past has definitely made me reconsider other cruise lines for future cruises. Good luck to all boarding NCL from now on, I wish you all good luck and health onboard!!!

I gave back my latitudes card, as it served no purpose at all. The Norwegian Sun NCL cruise ship was awfully laid out. The buffet food was awful. The life boat drill made no allowance for elderly and handicapped people. They had people climbing stairs that should not have been. The stories from other passengers about problems on this ship were awful. This my last trip on NCL. I have been on 6 other cruises, and I have never had these problems. I only had one other cruise with NCL, and that was in Miami, and it was a good experience.

We had a lovely time on the Norwegian Sun NCL Western Caribbean Cruise. We would go again when we can afford it. We got to see the Caribbean from the sea, as well as do excursions. The wife had a great time in the salon as well as the gym, and for me I had a great time at the bar, and the entertainment was really good.