Norwegian Sun Review
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Taking a look at the reviews online before the cruise, I had somewhat low expectations for the Norwegian Sun. Some folks like to complain, some like to be demanding. I was pleasantly surprised overall with my vacation! That includes on board the ship, ship excursions, food and drinks, entertainment options and customer service. This is a "get what you pay for" trip - remember if you want the best of the best and the finest of the finest, then perhaps this cruise line or this ship is not for you!
We were pleased with the spaciousness of our room. Cleaning was adequate by our steward, who we rarely saw as we spent little time in our rooms. Food was fine - I am not a fan of buffets and when you have droves of people (including inconsiderate ones cutting in line or ones that do not realize that tongs are there for a reason!) it makes it worse - even if there are dishes you would love to try. On excursion days, we had to use the buffet for breakfast due to time constraints - otherwise I recommend you take the time to go to any of the sit-down dining options! Decent if not delicious food options and good service. We had the drink package and a specialty dinner package, and used most of the specialty dinners at Moderno. Great salad bar and great meat/chicken/lamb/shrimp offered. We were glad we had the drink package, otherwise we would not have taken advantage of the variety of drinks offered at the different bars on the ship - it would have simply been too expensive.
Excursions and tendering - like a well oiled machine the ship personnel gets folks off and on like no other. They are organized! Some of our excursions were great, some were okay - a couple ports we did our own private tour (Montevideo and also in Puerto Montt) and it worked out wonderfully. Something to be said for staying off a big bus, stopping when you want and where you want, and not being held back by slow moving people. However, I speak Spanish so that also helped. We also had the luxury of FANTASTIC weather on our side for the entire trip, with the exception of the sea day through the Chilean Fjords.
Cabin Review
Family Inside
Adequate space for two - our friends were upgraded, and I actually liked our cabin better! Prefer to sleep in dark places and that is all we used our room for so it was perfect. Was also quiet for the entire trip.
Port Reviews
Montevideo
Met a gentleman outside the Leather Factory name Alvaro who does independent tours. Four of us toured all the highlights of the city via car and loved it! Especially the beach area! All for a mere $20 per person plus tip. He was great!
Buenos Aires
We flew in a few days early and hit all the major highlights of Buenos Aires. Next time I would fly in even earlier and take a trip to Iguazu Falls.
Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)
4x4 Range Rover with funny guide named Facundo took us outside the city and into the woods....saw the extensive damage to rivers and trees caused by beavers. Took hike through woods. A bit too lame for us although we like the guide. Our friends took the kayaking tour and had a much better time.
Punta Arenas
This was the only port we did not take a tour - as we had already seen penguins at Punta Tombo (Puerto Madryn) and at the Falkland Islands. We walked the city and explored the main square, the Cathedral, handicraft markets, Chocolatta Coffee Shop (YUM plus free wifii), the interesting cemetery..walked along waterfront and hung out at the skate park watching young men show off their tricks on their trick bikes!
Puerto Montt
Guide Eliacer only spoke Spanish but I played interpreter...we loved this area! Saw several lakes (Llanquihue and Esmeralda or Todos Los Santos plus others) took a boat ride on Lake Esmeralda, saw the Petrohue Falls, Laguna Verde, Puerto Varas and interesting gorgeous stops along the way. About 5 hours with our guide for $50 each plus tip and small fee for boat excursion that was separate.