We came back from a fantastic cruise aboard the NCL Sun on October 30th (departing on October 23rd for 7 days). Although we were a little concerned about the concept of Freestyle Cruising (and reading about the problems in other forums), my husband and I were pleasantly surprised at the level of convenience, service and total fun that this concept embraces.

This particular cruise had a passenger list that consisted of Jazz aficionados who meet to enjoy a week of jazz on-board with some of the most well-known jazz musicians throughout the generation. Those passengers paid more than we did for the opportunity to participate in multiple jazz concerts, jam sessions and get-togethers. Had we known this cruise offered this additional entertainment, we probably would have paid extra, too! The best part of it was that the passengers were from many countries congregated for the love of music. Never on another cruise (and this is our 5th) have we found so many diverse people totally enjoying the ambience and informality of this event. We hear that they will be embarking on another cruise next year for Alaska and hope that we can attend.

Our experience, sans jazz, was wonderful. We upgraded within the last 2 weeks of our journey to an AB balcony cabin from a 4th level oceanview. For the extra $250 total it was well worth it. As my husband and I like to spend lots of time in the cabin, it was exceptional. The cabin (at the back of the ship) was appointed nicely and kept extremely clean the entire trip. Kudos to our cabin steward, Lino, for ensuring our cabin was tidy, had plenty of towels and our bed linens were fresh. Read more