Embarkation at Port Canaveral-excellent. Very simple, easy and quick. We carried on our luggage, arrived around 11 am and were on within 20 mins. Once onboard, there was a bit more chaos-the gangplank put you on the ship on deck 6, directly into the second floor of the atrium (which is very small and it is not that easy to figure out where to go). There were lots of people congregating and a few staff trying to point people to the buffet. We asked which dining room was open for lunch, and we were told Seven Seas (in the back of the ship) would be open, but not until 12:30. Great. So we sat on the ground outside on deck 6 (on the other side of the ship from where people were getting on) and waited.. (*why no tables and chairs on the Promenade deck, NCL?? More complaints on this later...)

The room-better than I expected. We booked an Oceanview with a porthole on deck 4 (#4025). This was the lowest level room we've ever been in, and with the porthole I was expecting the small porthole and a small-ish room (though I know from reviews that the rooms on the Sun are larger than usual). However, when we entered our cabins, around 1:30 (earlier than the originally announced 2pm)- I was pleasantly surprised. The porthole was huge, about the same size as the real windows we were used to-YAY! And the room was good size, though the sofa and coffee table took up a lot of room (as we didnt need the extra sleeping quarters). Tons of storage space, and a normal sized (for a cruise ship) fridge, though it takes a while to cool items down...The bathroom was a little different than I am used to. With a round shower with just a curtain and a very large vanity, with plenty of storage, and a toilet in the middle. The shower should really have a door, as every night we ended up with large puddles in the bathroom (I can only assume they came from the shower, where else?)-this wasnt fun for me and my pregnant bladder that calls for multiple middle of the night bathroom trips...resulting in cold and wet feet in the dark. When we entered the room, there was one issue-one of the drawers was in pieces on the floor. Fortunately, this was fixed within a few hours. Our TV was a new flat screen, though it was small and did not have good picture quality at all. Finally, our remote went missing on day 2 (after our steward had rearranged the beds for us) and despite multiple calls to Guest Services, it took more than 2 days to get it back. Not the end of the world, but a bit of a nuisance, and a bit strange.

The ship-smaller but tons of space, nicely appointed and in good shape. We enjoyed the Sun, there seemed to be tons of extra space, even though this is a "smaller" ship. I guess it is because the top decks arent taken up by Villas, etc? The pool area was large and offered plenty of lounge and table seating. The buffet was a madhouse, small and poorly set up. The Great Outdoors (at the rear of the buffet) was a great alternative to the buffet-skip the buffet (if you can walk through it!) and go all the way back-they serve food there too! Also a GREAT spot to sit and relax, people watch or sight-see. The Observation Lounge on Deck 12 FWD was a gorgeous spot, a hidden gem that is terribly under-utilized. If our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet hadnt been there-I wouldnt have known it existed! Check it out, even though there is never anything going on there. The carpets throughout the ship looked new-they must have been replaced in the Jan dry-dock. Dazzles is a great spot, though its placement makes it a constant pass-through which can be distracting. This leads to my three main complaints about the ship-where are the hallways?? You constantly have to walk through venues (Dazzles, Photo Gallery, Casino, Restaurants, etc) to get where you want to go. Some planning, creating hallways on either one or both sides of the ships, would have been appreciated...but what can you do now, eh? Also, the Promenade deck (deck 6 on this ship-they use it as the jogging/walking track, grr) has always been my favorite chillax place to sit in the shade and watch the ocean flow by. But there are no tables and chairs on this deck on the Sun, which really disappointed me. We found ourselves sitting on the ground just so I could enjoy some time there. I know they want to use it as the Sports deck, but there is DEFINITELY room for some tables and chairs as well. Other folks used this deck for smoking, but they all had to stand. I cant help but think a few drinks placed on the railing were lost at one point or another-which would have been prevented by the placement of tables and chairs. Ok rant about this is over..Finally, my last complaint is the crowding of the atrium with double elevators, then having an additional elevator bay just a few feet off the atrium. Now, I get that more is better, but this is a little ridiculous. The atrium is far too cramped with both bays. The bay on the aft end of the atrium is really all they need, and that would allow for more space in the atrium. Again, not much they can do about this now, though. *Sigh* Read more