First, the positives: Norwegian Sun is a pleasant enough ship with mainly, very nice, helpful crew. We had been on two previous cruises with NCL so we thought we knew what to expect, although we were not aware that the ship had been repaired a few months earlier, having hit an iceberg in Alaska.

Now, the negatives: NCL seem to have a new policy of penny-pinching. Terrible coffee and very weak tea. Very poor quality food and drinks. Meats and fish appeared frozen and overcooked, the choice of starters was very limited - mainly what seemed to be trade catering pack soups and cheap salads; no seafood offerings at all. The ship had recently travelled across to Canaries from America, and this was reflected in the cuisine: Maple Syrup, peanut butter, etc. Extremely poor entertainment, mainly from out of tune singers using backing tapes (not just the karaoke) and no proper theatre shows in the theatres. Most passengers we spoke to were bored with the entertainment. Christmas day meal menu was like every other day with no special starters or festive table decorations.

The only smoking area was the bar on top deck, but as this was unsheltered, it could not be used in strong winds. Read more