I just returned from the Eastern Caribbean cruise (3/12 - 3/19) onboard NCL Sun with my college-age daughter who, like many others on this cruise, was on their Spring Break. The ports of call were Nassau (Bahamas), St. Thomas, and St. Martin and we left from Port Canaveral. My family and I have always cruised with NCL. We've been on NCL's SPIRIT (2X), STAR, JADE, GEM, PEARL, and now the SUN. This is the first time we were travelling alone and we looked forward to our trip with enthusiasm and anticipation! And overall, we did have a wonderful time but with few unexpected (and unpleasant) hiccups. More on that later.Getting to Port Canaveral from the Orlando Airport - I booked our shuttle with Orlando Disney Limo online. The round trip for the two of us (including tax and gratuities) was $100. We were very pleased with their service and would not hesitate to book with them again! The driver (same person for both directions) was always on time and very professional. The ride from the airport to the cruise terminal took about 40 minutes. We shared our ride going to the terminal with a young couple from Cincinnati, whose pleasant conversation made the long, boring ride tolerable. (There weren't much scenery to look at along the way.) Coming back, the van was packed.The ship:BALCONY STATEROOM - our stateroom had little legroom to move around the first twin bed that was near the door, but here was enough space underneath each bed to store your luggages. There was a large sofa-bed that could easily pulled out to sleep another couple comfortably. The bathroom was the smallest size we have ever seen. The shower base was round (approximately 34 inches in diameter) and with a shower curtain. It was a challenge in the beginning to shower without getting the water from seeping outside, but by the second day, we were able to do it without any problem. The bathroom had a hair dryer. We also got two robes. There were plenty of hangers and drawers in the room, but only one outlet (that we could find), so bring extension cord if you have a lot of electrical gadget! The TV was small with limited programs. There was a small fridge, safe, and a coffee maker as well. I found the safe's door rattled a lot, so I stuck a piece of paper in between the door and it stopped the noise. The balcony was a good size. We were on the starboard side (right side) and were only able to stay outside while going to the Caribbean. Coming back, our balcony was shady, chilly, and windy, and not a usable space. The balcony's door whistled when it was windy. When it rattled (like the safe's door), I stuck a piece of paper and it reduced the noise. (I only did this at night.) The telephone in the room can be set up as an alarm clock. Be advised that you can't always rely on your cell phone's clock because it may not be accurate. Mine was always off by couple of hours because it wasn't picking up the satellite signal. To be safe, on those days when you need to wake up early, set up the alarm on the phone by pressing #9 on the grey button. Our room steward appeared to be a very friendly fella. When I asked him to remove the content from the fridge so that I can put my own drinks in there, he did. He kept our room clean and our ice bucket was always full. Our surprise with this guy only came much, much later. RESTAURANTS - we had no problem with the food onboard. We knew the proportion at the no-fee MDR was quite small, so we always ordered several appetizers. (You are allowed to order whatever you liked from the menu.) On this cruise, we ate lobster tail (small, but lobster nevertheless), prime ribs, and escargot, among others. The desserts were always wonderful and went very well with their coffee. The Chocoholic Buffet was offered on Wed night (not announced, just a small print on back of the Freestyle Daily), but we skipped because we had enough chocolates. The Garden Cafe (buffet) was always crowded with long lines. People have every right to gripe! The area was badly laid out with no thought of crowd control in mind. Having said that, we always did find seats and we always did have a plateful of what we liked to eat. We were happy with all of our meals! Note - the best way to get to the Seven Seas MDR (no fee) is to go to the 7th deck, walk past the casino and the shops, and take the stairs going down to the 5th deck where the restaurant is located. After the dinner, you can take the same stairs to go to the theater, which is located right above the restaurant. GYM - plenty of equipments to get you in shape, but if the machine you want was occupied, just wait until it becomes available. There's a separate yoga/stretch room right next door. You just have to find the time when the room was not in use for a class.ENTERTAINMENT - every night (mostly 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM) there's singing, dancing, and juggling, and others. One of the shows, "Encore", we had already seen it in another NCL ship (with the same songs and routine), so that was bit disappointing. The others like Elvy Rose (great singer!) and Romano Frediani (great juggler!) were wonderful. If we were too tired, we just skipped the show.Ports of call:NASSAU, BAHAMAS - I booked a tour with NCL to go to the Blue Lagoon Island. Our guide was 30 minutes late. In her haste to give out wristbands, she neglected to give us our lunch passes, which meant we had to look for a manager when it was time for lunch. It was badly coordinated. I might as well book the tour myself! The best part was the scenic 35-min boat ride getting there. The beach was very crowded, but the island was small enough for anyone to walk around and find a quiet spot. The Dolphin Encounters was also located on this island.The straw market near the cruise terminal in Nassau was NOT very exciting. Every vendor was selling the same thing. I was able to buy couple of sodas ($1 for cans, $2 for bottles) before going through the security. Note - NCL security will check every bottle you bring on board. I saw one security guy shaking one passenger's water bottle to make sure it's not vodka inside. I can't tell the difference, but apparently the way the bubbles formed in the bottle when you shake it will tell you whether it's H2O or not. Go figure.ST. THOMAS - we booked another tour with NCL to go to St. John's. When the tour description said "Island Tour", I thought we would be visiting several beaches that St. John was famous for. Not so! What this tour actually turned out to be was sitting in an open jitney, riding around the island, and only stopping to take pictures of the beaches - from far, FAR, away! The only place where we actually stopped long enough was at the souvenir shop. Again, the best part on this excursion was the 40-minute scenic boat ride.The Havensight Shopping Mall, located across the street from the cruise terminal in St. Thomas, was interesting and appealing. This is where we spent the rest of the day.ST. MARTIN - I didn't book a tour with NCL here but instead planned my own itinerary. I booked a perfume making class at Grand Case called Tijon Parfumere & Boutique. The class lasted approximately 2.5 hours and we created our own unique fragrances. (The hardest part was coming up with a name!) The class was a lot of fun and informative and my daughter and I had a great time! After the class, we walked to the beautiful Grand Case beach, which was just steps away from the shop. The beach was not only beautiful with clear water, but also not crowded (as most people went to the Orient Beach); we absolutely fell in love with this place! We had our lunch at one of the lolo restaurants (low cost, local food) near the pier called "The Talk of the Town" and it had the BEST ribs I ever had! The meat was crusty outside and moist inside with just enough spices - it was super yummy! We each had a plateful of ribs with cole slaw (I also had salad and corn on the cob) and two large, cold Arizona ice teas. Our bill was $18 (before tip.) It was a very satisfying meal for my stomach as well as my wallet!After that, we took a local "bus" (really a rundown van with a sign on the window) and went to Marigot. The seats were torn, it was crowded, and there was no a/c, but the friendly people greeted each other when they got on the bus. This simple civility made the torn, crowded, seats rather irrelevant. We enjoyed our ride with the local people! (The fare was $1.50 pp.) Marigot was a very nice place to shop. It was very colorful and offered variety of merchandise in their outdoor tents. Mindful of the time, we took another bus to go back to Philipsburg where the cruise terminal was located. (The fare was $2.00 pp this time.) Note - the best place to pick up the local bus is at the intersection where there's a sign pointing to the place where you want to go. When you see a van with sign on the window, just wave and the driver will stop. You can pay the driver when you get on, or when you get off the bus. Each ride took approximately 20 minutes each way. Traffic in St. Martin can be very hectic. Always allow yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship.Philipsburg - this is where the cruise terminal is located. It has a beautiful beach (crowded) and tons of shops (more upscale) for the cruisers. The prices were surprisingly reasonable. To get to the cruise terminal required a long walk. It took about 25 minutes and you will be walking with many other cruisers doing the same thing. I counted 6 cruise ships docked there, with NCL Sun being the smallest. (I believe you can take water taxi from Philipsburg to the terminal as well, for a nominal fee.)The ports of call on this cruise, for the most part, were pleasant and beautiful.Now, for the unexpected (and unpleasant) hiccups:First surprise - one early afternoon, my daughter and I were watching TV in our room when we heard someone putting a keycard to our door. We were stunned as we watched the door opened slowly to reveal our room steward at the door! He asked us if we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. When we shook our heads, he just grinned and quietly closed the door. What was THAT all about??? We never did find out what he wanted (the room was already cleaned), or why he didn't knock first, but that incident left both of us rather uneasy. We learned to bolt our door whenever we were in the room and not just at night. I would suggest the same for other cruisers as well. You absolutely SHOULD bolt the door if you are in the room alone, or if you want to take a nap. If a family member wants to come inside, he/she can knock. It never occurred to me to do this until this trip. The second unpleasant surprise was that our hallway's ceiling was exposed throughout our entire trip. The maintenance guys were always fixing the pipes on the ceiling. Couple of times, we couldn't get to our room until one of the guys moved the ladder. The worst part was when they shut off the water in the middle of the night (for which I did get a prior notice), but I had no idea they would be working on the pipes as well - ALL NIGHT LONG! The banging sound of the metal kept me awake. How my daughter slept through is beyond me. Thankfully, it happened only one night, but it left me very lightheaded the following day. I don't blame the maintenance crew because they were just following orders. I blame the management for giving that order. If you are going to fix the ship, do so while dry-docked, not while charging the passengers at the same time! When I'm on a vacation, I expect to see palm trees, not pipes! It was an unpleasant sight and I didn't feel like I was on a cruise at all. As I said earlier, this trip overall was a lot of fun. The SUN staff was friendly and polite. I don't want to condemn all for my unexpected hiccups. My room steward did keep the room clean (with clean sheets and clean towels) and for that I still left him with extra tip when we left. But I think my relationship with NCL has come to an end. It's time my family and I try something new.