Excellent itinerary on the NCL Sun. Small ship for 14 days, but the itinerary is awesome. We did two days in Buenos Aires before the cruise (must do the hop on hop off bus) and then did two days in Santiago after the cruise. This is a long vacation but do worth it. Ushuaia is awesome little town at the end of the world. Falkland Islands was fun. We did the 4x4 penguin tour which was excellent. Getting to see Cape Horn and the end of the continent. The Chilean fjords were awesome--balcony room is recommended for this cruise to see everything. The glaciers were also very nice. Pack your winter gear for that portion as it gets colder as you go south. The cruise ended in San Antonio and we had to pay $100 to get a private car to take us to our hotel in Santiago. Santiago is an interesting city with lots of recent history. Must see there is the Human Rights museum and take the funicular up to the Mary statue. On the ship, we ate at Le Bistro --nice -- and Los Lobos and La Cucina both twice Los Lobos had good mexican good and was never crowded. On the sun there is a sauna and steam room that you don't have to pay for. That was great for a 14 day cruise. Take advantage of it. The spa locker room is small as well as the relaxation area after your sauna. The buffet was normal and got boring after a week, but there is something for everyone--the buffet had some special ethnic nights which was good. Read Less

Great ports, especially the Falkland Islands. Puerto Madryn was not a good shore excursion because we drove for about 2 hours and saw about 20 seals from a cliff about 200 feet up, then about 20 penguins at a different spot from about 50 yards and at the last stop, about 10 elephant seals (all male) from about 100 yards. 15 minutes at each stop! Big mix up with our shore excursion billing which took two days to fix and no apology received! A couple of shore excursion staff were downright rude on several occasions, snapping at people and a very disorganized debarkation for shore excursions. We will do our own planning from now on. Rest of the crew were very friendly and efficient x they were a pleasure. A couple of shows were good, a couple were poor. The ships dancers, singers and band were excellent. Enjoyed the cruise other than some shore excursions. Read Less

Booked this cruise as a means to achieving a long held curiosity to see South America. By sailing this cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago and following that up with the Santiago to Miami leg we were able to see a great deal if not the full monty. Not much space to do justice to 30great days but I’ll try! The Sun is a small ship and did suffer because of this at times on the first leg on sea days. This was especially true of the buffet where spaces were frequently at a premium. Size also meant that the options for light dining at lunchtime were very limited. Sandwiches were limited to filled croissants and there were few cold meat options. By contrast I found the range of choice in the main dining room to be excellent. In 30 nights I never duplicated a main course choice and was never disappointed. Of the speciality restaurants if found La Cucina and Los Lobos to be very underwhelming, but Le Bistro was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment in the Windjammer, especially Kiefer Wiley, who always kept the party going. A young pianist, Walisson, had joined the ship’s crew at Buenos Aires so it was early days for him but he settled well and was well worth a pre dinner listen. We caught a performance by the ship’s singers in Bliss one evening. Backed simply by electric piano, they were superb and distinctly better than in the over amplified main theatre. The show and produced a similar quality performance at each of the Jazz Brunches we attended. Old adage if you’re good enough you don’t need to be loud. We didn’t use any of the ship’s excursions, joining fellow Cruise Critic members on a series of excellent trips. Not once were we in danger of missing departure and one of the early questions we were always asked was when does the ship leave? I’ll probably give a thorough review of each excursion on a post under South America Ports of Call. Special stand out mentions now however for Dennis Purtov at Puerto Montt and Patricia at Trujillo. We also had great experiences at Valparaiso, Coquimbo and Puerto Chacabuco. I have to say that embarkation at Buenos Aires was excellent. A clean, comfortable waiting hall, a speedy transition through check in and a good transfer by bus to the ship was a really good quality service. Compare that to the sloppy positioning of colour tag luggage, muddled exit pathways and haphazard progress through security at Miami and it was like being in two different worlds... and it wasn’t the third world country that was shown up! Just an extra point of minority interest. It was so nice to be able to run on the Promenade deck and not feel guilty. Runners don’t have to feel compelled to run on treadmills in a humid gym or up on an exposed top deck. We made so many new friends on this trip and hope to meet up again some time. A lot of that was down to a really active Cruise Critic Roll Call, so thanks for making it all such a great trip! Read Less

Chose this cruise, to take advantage of an extra 15% discount, being afforded to us, due to a cancelled cruise. Frankly I have read some snobby reviews, about this ship, it's staff, and the food. My wife and I were well pleased with all of the above. We were surprised to learn, that this was a complimentary beverage sailing. We are not big drinkers, but got our money's worth from that perk. We have been on the Dawn Pearl Breakaway and now the sun. This ship is my personal favorite, and I wouldn't hesitate sailing on her again. I was also able to win a poker tournament while on board. Sometimes I wonder why some folks, feel the need to express their disappointment about trivial things. I have only cruised one other cruise line (Carnival), and will never do it again. Norwegian is and will be our preferred Cruise Line. We find their prices, value, ships and staff far exceed our expectations. Read Less

I have benefited immensely by the reviews posted on Cruise Critic, but have never taken the time to write one myself. For many years, the message boards have proved invaluable for planning our excursions. I can’t thank Cruise Critic enough. It is my hope that readers will find this helpful. Warning- very detailed. We booked balcony cabin #8221. I appreciate the connections on the CC message boards and were able to join private excursions with them. They were limited person tours at a fraction of the ship's cost. I have taken about 30 cruises, 4 on Norwegian. I gave up on Carnival years ago and have not sailed NCL in a very long time remembering the food was so bad. Oceania and Azamara are favorites, but the prices are higher. My husband insists on a balcony and loves a beverage package. We find Celebrity to be the best cruise for the price. Royal Caribbean’s food has gone down hill and does not offer the beverage package as a perk. We chose this cruise for the itinerary and the offers. My husband and I flew to Buenos Aires, nonstop from JFK, two days before our cruise in South America. A real benefit of a South American destination is no jet lag. We were met at the airport by a driver, arranged by our host at the Airbnb. We had dinner at Don Julio’s, a favorite restaurant. The next morning, the same driver drove us to the cruise port. We arrived at 11:30 and were on the ship quickly with priority boarding. Luggage was promptly delivered to our cabin. Nothing compares to that first day on the ship feeling. Our room steward stopped by, but seemed put out when we told him that we needed fresh towels and ice. He had hoped not to come back again that day. We never received any ice after that. We had dinner in the MDR with a table for two. We prefer the traditional seating, with a large table, but NCL only offers Freestyle. The number of English speakers on the cruise seemed limited. Many Germans were on this sailing, some South Americans, French and Swedes. We enjoyed meeting many of the international passengers. Dinner was an unappetizing onion soup and chicken picante. We went to a nearly empty Spinnaker for cocktails and were told that they closed at 11:00. If you are looking for any Bar after 11:00 on this cruise, you will not find one. Montevideo was our first port. My husband went off the ship for a walk around and returned a couple hours later. I stayed on the ship to enjoy the drink package, sun and hot tubs. The hot tub was lukewarm. To my surprise children were allowed in the hot tubs unattended. A couple took their baby in. No food or drink is allowed in the tubs, but I fished out a small brown object, floating in the tepid water.(I subsequently developed a rash and never went in any hot tub again) After a hot shower, we went to see the comedian. Didn’t find him particularly funny. We did not attend any other shows. Dinner in MDR consisted of clam chowder, which lacked clams or potatoes, sprinkled with bacon followed by dry fish. As it was Super Bowl Sunday, the ship offered the game shown on a large screen in the theater. They thoughtfully provided traditional Super Bowl foods. We had drinks in the Windjammer Bar and enjoyed the bartenders and singers who performed there. It was to become our regular spot for it’s wonderful service. Punta del Este. We had breakfast in the dining room. The food was better there than in the buffet. We had arranged a walking tour and met at the famous sculpture on the beach. There were only five other people, all from the ship. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the walking tour, though the beaches didn’t look too inviting. My husband felt his gout starting to flare and the medical facility on the ship did not have prednisone. Fortunately, we had no trouble buying it at a pharmacy in town without a prescription. We were back on the ship for lunch after a quick tender. Our room steward dropped off the next day’s itinerary and took the opportunity to ask if we wanted him to come in the evening while we were at dinner. We replied in the affirmative and said that we would be leaving for dinner at 9. He seemed exasperated and asked if we could go at 8:30 and we agreed. The line at the MDR was very long and we took the buzzer with us to the Windjammer to wait. After about an hour, the bartender offered to check on our reservation. He was told that they were looking for us and the buzzer didn’t work outside of the dining area. I had very good ribs, we were the last to leave the dining room. We went to the Spinnaker only to find a few people singing bad karaoke in Spanish. We didn’t stay. I expected the weather to turn much cooler for our Sea Day as we headed south, but it was delightful. I asked about the Cruise Critic reception, as it is usually scheduled for the first sea day. A large group gathered at 11:00 in the Spinnaker. The ship provided officers who kindly answered questions and concerns. The wonderful woman, who organized this gathering, arranged special tenders for us with the helpful staff. The ship provided a barbecue on deck for lunch. We made dinner reservations by phone so we wouldn’t have to wait in line at the MDR and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in the sun. Dinner was passable linguine with clams, then drinks at the Windjammer which closes at 11:00. Puerto Tambo. We were up at 7 and enjoyed breakfast on the aft deck. One staff member said that we were very fortunate with the weather. The week before it had been windy and cold. We met our tour at 9:15, which we had arranged through the cruise critic message board members in advance. We joined our small group for a 2 1/2 hour ride to see the penguins. The weather was perfect. We returned for cocktails and snacks before a 9:00 reservation in the MDR. Dinner was a good pate served with stale bread, risotto and unpleasant beef stroganoff, followed by nice music and drinks in the Windjammer- until 11:00. The following sea day we enjoyed breakfast in the MDR with a very nice couple from Colorado whom we met waiting in line. Afterwards we went to listen to a professor scheduled speak about the Falkland Islands, a place he had never visited. He was elderly and rambling and got into it with some of the Argentinians. We then went to what was billed as a lecture on the history of the wristwatch which turned out to be a sales pitch. Dinner was at Cagney’s, the first of four reservations at specialty restaurants. Because of our disappointing meals at MDR, I was looking forward to this. It was nice, but not particularly special. Lovely views from the windows. We attended an Irish music night in the Windjammer. Very popular. Port Stanley. Arose at 7 and took our buffet breakfast to the Sports Bar. Breakfast is also served in Moderno and outside, on the deck. It had started to turn noticeably cooler and the Sports Bar has great views from the large windows. We took our special, cruise critic tender to the Falkland Islands and paid $20 for a shuttle to see the penguins. We had a nice hike, though it was cold and windy and then walked into town. There is a great museum, free with your ship card. We had dinner at Le Bistro. Lamb chops were good, but not much else. The weather was getting cold and windy, the ocean a little rough. At sea day. Used the ship’s internet, which worked well. Had a good lunch in the MDR. Enjoyed watching the sail around Cape Horn around 6 from our balcony. Ushuaia. The day started cold and rainy. Took the $10 bus into town and returned for lunch. Free WiFi was available at the tourist center. Back on board, we had to wait in line for an hour to get through immigration and passports for Chile. Sailed the Beagle Channel and saw beautiful glaciers. Could not face another bad dinner in the MDR, so just skipped it. Punta Arenas. Paid $3 for shuttle into town rather than wait in a long line, in the cold, for the free NCL bus. Free WiFi in the Central Park. We joined an English speaking walking tour which was forming nearby. Lots of people. More of a guided walk than a tour. We visited a cemetery and a free museum. When we returned to the buses, it was mayhem with so many people clamoring to get on the free NCL bus. That evening, Jimmy Buffet music was played at the Windjammer. We had fish and chips in the Sports Bar and sailed the Straits of Magellan. The following day at sea was particularly rough as we sailed the Pacific. People were sick and hazmat suits were pressed into service. Passengers were unsteady and food was spilled, outside decks were closed. We watched the waves from the Sports Bar. Lunch featured a German theme, very good. The sea was calm as we sailed the Chilean Fjords. Just beautiful. We had another dinner in Cagney’s that night. Another sea day as we sailed the Patagonia Channels. We saw porpoises and whales. The weather warmed as we sailed north and we enjoyed spending time on deck watching the stunning scenery. Puerto Montt. Our Cruise Critic leader arranged for early tenders for our group. We joined 15 others for another small group tour arranged by a Cruise Critic member. It was an exceptional day with perfect weather. We visited an alpaca farm, saw falls, National Parks, lake, volcanos, took a scenic ride on a ski lift and stopped in a German style town. It seems that all of the tours stopped there. Thank goodness we found a Radisson Hotel. Free bathrooms had been scarce throughout Argentina and Chile. We did not have any local money for pay toilets or food, beverages. We used the WiFi at the Radisson until we met our bus. Unfortunately, all the tours arrived at the port at the same time. We waited in a very long line for 1 1/2 hours to go through local security before being allowed to board a tender. Thankfully, the ship delayed our departure. As it was Valentines Day, we were delighted with the festive decorations. We had dinner in the MDR and was served the best entree of the cruise, lamb shank. Our last day was spent relaxing at sea. We had dinner at Le Cucina.There was nothing to recommend it. We were off the ship by 8:30 and joined the 8 others who had arranged a day in Santiago from Cruise Critic boards. It was very nice and we arrived at the airport by 7 for our 10 o’clock flight. We loved the 14 day itinerary with plenty of time spent in port, balanced with sea days. Freestyle cruising has become very popular in the industry, but not for us. We like sharing a table and getting to know other passengers. Some people have complained that there wasn’t enough to do on sea days, but I loved them. I think there was plenty to keep people occupied with dance lessons, workouts, crafts and games. The food was pretty bad and I doubt that I will sail NCL again. I had asked about upgrading our 4 night specialty package to a seven night, but was told that I had to buy a separate 3 night package after I used my 4 night package. You will no longer find smoked salmon at the breakfast buffet, no sign of fresh berries or made to order hamburgers, though the pasta and pizza station were good at lunch. The French fries served were right from the freezer, even those served in the specialty restaurant. For the most part, staff was very good. We didn’t spend time in the casino (too smoky), art auctions or the spa. The beverage package is nice to have, but cans of soda, iced tea, fresh squeezed juice, smoothies, and bottled water are not included. I heard many ask for herbal tea or sugar free tonic, but these were not available. Some bar items simply ran out, not to be replaced. Some Chilean wines were added and enjoyed- while they lasted. The ship was the perfect size for us and easy to navigate. I have enjoyed all of my cruises, some more than others. Ultimately, in my opinion, good food is very important and I have already booked my next cruise with Celebrity. Read Less

Chose this ship because of the pricing and its itinerary(both what we all wanted.) Went to Buenos Aires for 4 days ahead and toured city on our own. Highly recommend doing that. Transfer to ship on Feb 2 was easy and well organized by Ship. Just need a private taxi organized by your hotel. No need for NCL to do that. Food: I liken this experience to going to perhaps a favorite restaurant of yours that has good food, good service, but gives you nothing as a reminder that it was a memorable meal. The food was "fine", plentiful, and had many choices. They put in many specialty restaurants, so there were times when it was impossible to find a place to sit for lunch or breakfast if everyone was trying to eat at the same time. The food tasted okay, but again, can't think of any meal that we ate that we truly enjoyed both for the quality and experience(with the exception of Cagneys and the Argentinian restaurant which you pay extra for.) Having said that, no one got ill, we all ate well, and overall I guess we decided we got what we paid for. We brought on 2 bottles of wine from BA that we drank on the ship. You could purchase a bottle of wine at the dinner table for the $30-50 range easily. Our room was on the 9th floor, towards the back port side. When they docked in the mornings, our room really shook from the side thrusters. MIght enjoy a room away from that more. The balcony was a nice feature. The bedroom cabin was fine. One bed had a newer mattress and mine was older and sagged in the middle. Room was very clean and the housekeeper was very friendly. We took this trip because of the stops. We were very pleased with our daily outings that we chose. Lots of penguin stops and lots of wildlife to see. The natural scenery was spectacular. Out of the 14 days, we only had 7 stops. So there's lots of at sea time. I thought the daily offerings on the ship were very poor and marginal. Most days we could not find anything of interest. Folding napkins and making origami doesn't do it for us. We would have appreciated lectures on the wildlife, countries, and history of the places we went to see. I also am not interested in paying to play bingo, or gamble, or spend my time at a bar. Lots of bars and lots of drinking going on on this ship, though not a "younger" crowd so things were relatively calm. Also remember the weather is cold even in summer, so some days at sea sitting by the pool or outside was not possible. We even hot quite a storm in the Pacific with 50 foot waves for 1/2 a day. Would I go again? I would probably try to find a more upscale ship, but of course then I would have to accept the pricing with that. Read Less

This trip had always been on my bucket list. We flew to Buenos Aires and explored the city for two days. BA has been called the Paris of the South. It is a beautiful and elegant city. We were impressed by the Norwegian Sun's renovations. The ship looked beautiful, clean and brand new. Our first stop was beautiful Montevideo, Uruguay, a historical lovely city. Our second stop was Punta del Este, Uruguay, a beautiful resort destination. Then, we cruised to Puerto Madryn, Argentina, which was originally settled by the Welsh. We could have taken the Welsh city tour. However, we chose to take the Valdes Wildlife refuge tour instead. We saw amazing animals such as sea lions, elephant seals and Magellanian penguins. Our next stop was Stanley in the Falklands. That was also an amazing center for wildlife viewing. We walked with the penguins on Bertha's Beach which was one of our most amazing lifetime experiences. Stanley itself looks so very British and charming. We only stayed half a day in Stanley and had to leave a bit early due to a bad weather forecast. That's typical for the geographic area. In fact, a cruiser who had taken the same trip 14 times told us that many times, ships can't dock in certain ports in that area due to weather conditions. We were lucky, because we only had one rocky morning. Otherwise, the ship was as smooth as glass. The sail around Cape Horn brought back memories of history lessons at school. I remembered hearing about Magellan sailing around the Cape in the 16th century. I remembered reading James Michener's Hawaii and visualizing the trip around the Horn. Actually Cape Horn is just an island, but it was memorable. Our next stop was Ushuaia, the most Southern city in the world. It reminded me of ports in Alaska and is the gateway to the Beagle Channel. We went to the gorgeous Terra del Fuego National Park. However, with the wind chill factor, it was in the 30s with freezing rain. This was summer no less. We visited Punta Arenas, the most Southern port in Chile. Then, we sailed through the Chilean Fjords and the Straight of Magellan. Imagine being surrounded by snowy mountains and glaciers as you sail through the strait. We saw penguins and sea lions on a small island right in the middle of the Straight. The views were breathtaking. When we arrived in Puerto Montt, we saw Puerto Vayas, a city founded by the Germans. However, there was nothing very German about it. However, we went to the marvelous cowboy dancing and rodeo demonstration followed by a wonderful late lunch of unlimited grilled meat, fruit and vegetables. Sadly, our cruise ended in San Antonio, Chile. It was a wonderful experience. The ship itself was newly outfitted and gorgeous. The food was for the most part decent. However, we ordered steak in the dining room, and it was tough. The steak at Cagney's Steak House however, was delicious. The 11th floor was almost always crowded, especially on tour days. One maître' D told me that was nothing. "You should see the buffet crowds on the bigger ships," he joked. The one thing I didn't like was the price of the tours, but the tour package was a bargain. Even company tours outside of Norwegian had expensive tours. Prepare to shell out about $150 per person for most tours, onboard ship or off. Some may be less, but they are far and few between for what I could tell. We also heard that not many captains like to take this route, because it is treacherous, but Captain Teo did an amazing job. Read Less

We were very excited to be on this 14 night Buenos Aires to Santiago (via Cape Horn) sailing, and particularly pleased when our upgrade bid moved us from a Mini-Suite to a Forward Facing Penthouse with Balcony (SH). As there is lots of good information about this amazing itinerary, I will focus on the experience of being a suite guest. As NCL embarkation was actually on the ship (because of port restrictions), there wasn't really any special treatment through this process, although we were in the first group through immigration and we were quickly checked in. Our room was already ready which was great and our bags arrived soon after (Room description below and photos attached). We were able to go to Cagney's for lunch - and this was an option every day, along with every morning for breakfast. We didn't often go for lunch, as we prefer something pretty light if it is a sea day, so normally just grabbed some fruit and cheese from the Garden Cafe and ate in our room. But breakfast in Cagney's was one of the highlights of the suite perks. Breakfast included a buffet and the option of cooked dishes (which we indulged in occasionally) I have attached photos of the menu and pictures of the buffet. We loved starting the day with some peace and quiet, along with exceptional service, and also enjoyed the morning stroll from forward to aft in the crisp morning air. There was never more than 10 people at Cagney's, and by the end of the 14 days everyone was friends - passengers and staff alike. The other reason you didn't need lunch was that your Butler brought you snacks twice per day, savoury treats around mid-afternoon and sweet treats before bedtime. Luckily we had some friends to share these with, otherwise we would have come home a few pounds heavier. You could also get room service with no delivery charge, and we did this once. We did though make good use of the Nespresso coffee machine and great tea bags on offer in the room. On port days it was certainly nice to be able to "jump the queue", particularly as there were a number of tender ports on this itinerary. It was also very helpful to jump the queue the day Chilean immigration decided to board and check everyone's passport and visa, the normal queue went forever. And on the final day it was nice to get off when we wished. There was supposedly reserved seating in the theatre, but I believed it was upstairs in a less than prime spot. One other Suite party asked for reserved seats downstairs, and that was arranged for them. We just went early to get the seats we wanted. Overall I'm not sure I would pay "full price" to sail Suite. We aren't very demanding, and like to be independent, so didn't maximise our use of the Concierge or our Butler. But the extra room size, and that quiet breakfast could tempt me again. Read Less

This was our first cruise and first time to south america we stayed in Buenos Aries for 3 days prior to departure,went on hop on hop off bus.. wonderful city full of interesting architectural wonders....buildings, statues.. old and new..the ship had easy embarkation... friendly knowledgeable and helpful staff..stayed in partial porthole cabin it exceeded our expectations for size of cabin and view out of porthole ..dining was great and did not have a disappointing meal in 2 weeks..we had the drink package and dining package ..part of the free at sea promotions..although "free" is a bit of a stretch..$700.00 in gratuities for drink package ...good entertainment..service was friendly and helpful at every turn..a bit unorganized for shore excursions...would have been helpful to have more information on ports of call as well as prior information on excursions.. the tender boats were a bit crowded and unorganized but only needed them at a couple ports our cabin steward Milos did a wonderful job every day and was most friendly and helpful...disembarkation was easy and stress free..not really a trip for young children although there were some onboard...once in a lifetime trip... highly recommend it Read Less

Wanted to see S America, a Gold Member and travel with 4 other couples 5th cruise! NCL this was the worst cruise, our toilet would not flush on demand, button pushed nothing ... middle of night it flushed reported numerous times! Restroom stall doors held on with electrical wire ties(casino men's room). Mens room at The Windjammer had a hole in the wall covered by cardboard and duct tape. Every other NCL cruise we have been on while in port they cleaned the windows not on the Sun! Water spots on most of our pictures. The windows were either dirty or there were numerous window fogged from loss of vacuum! We made reservations for ten in different resteraunts and many times they sitted us at different tables when there were large settings available and were not used while we were there! Shame on NCL! We are looking to cruise Australia and New Zealand later this year and we( all 5 couples) are not sure we will chose NCL this time! One bright spot was Freddie the Bartender at the Champayne Bar! Read Less

This was my first time cruising with this cruise line and I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed with the services provided compared to other cruise lines that I have travelled with. This is a small, older ship with only 12 floors; however it was recently refurbished. I found the cafeteria dining on the 11th floor always congested. You are constantly bumping into other people. The layout is poor to accommodate the traffic and good luck in finding a table to sit on those cold days when everyone wants to sit inside. Don't expect to be served coffee, juice or anything while seated as you are on your own to push through the crowds to get whatever you want from the buffet tables. Think you might to go to the main dining room to avoid the crowd, think twice as you might be waiting to be served all day...they are slow as snails! My biggest gripe was the lack of ability to see your bill online while on board. There is no kiosk or television prompt to do so. You will have to join the long line at guest service to do so and I recommend you do so every couple days as there were certainly mysterious charges to dispute which will take them another day or two to resolve. On the positive side, the "washie washie" staff were always fun and greeted you with a smile in the cafeteria. The amenities and future cruise deposits offered by NCL are very attractive. Note FCD must be used within 4 years (non-refundable) or lose it. There was no pressure to take/buy photos. As a matter of fact, I only saw 1 photographer on board! This is a very casual cruiseline. If you enjoy dressing up for formal nights and dining at a classy chefs table, this is not the cruiseline for you as there is none. If you enjoy watching a movie under the stars curled up with a blanket, cookies and milk, this is not the cruiseline for you as there is none! Read Less

The ship is very clean and livable. We enjoyed the regular dining room which had very good food. The only exception was the lack of lamb chops, lobster or crab which you had to get in the specialty dining restaurants for extra money. I also sorely missed having any salmon for breakfast. The protein for breakfast was eggs plus unhealthy bacon, sausages, etc. Service was exceptional, consistently. Our room 8039 was very clean with plenty of storage. Ports were very interesting though we had to skip Puerto Arenas due to strong winds. During the sea days we enjoyed card playing with friends and reading in the lounges. Strong negative: In cold weather, there is not enough seating in the buffet for lunch or breakfast. You stand around with your food, hovering around people waiting for them to leave because the outdoor seating is too cold to use. We ended up going to the dining room which is open only 90 minutes for lunch so you have to time it carefully. Similarly, the ship does not have enough seats in the lounges for people when the weather is cold as all outdoor seating is too uncomfortable. Some people brought their books to the chapel to find seats. The library has only two chairs which is so unsatisfactory. Clearly this ship is meant for warm weather cruising. Shopping is limited on board. There is much expensive jewelry, very cheap jewelry, a penguin themed store (really?) and much makeup/perfume. The ship is small so they do the best they can. We were disappointed there were no lectures on each port which would have been wonderful on sea days. Read Less

My wife and I chose this cruise since it fit in well with our schedule and compared to other South American cruises it visited the Falkland Islands and spent more time in the Chilean Fjords than some other ships. It was only our second "ocean" cruise (our last one was with Holland America in Alaska in 2010) Prior to the cruise we arranged with our travel director to visit Iguazu falls. Given the uncertainties of domestic Argentinian flights it was good that we had some leeway in Buenos Aires before embarkation. Embarkation was relatively painless with the main delay being the queue for passport processing. Passports were held by the ship until redistributed on the first cruising day through Chile. We had a balcony stateroom 0257 which was clean and well presented. Rooms were relatively well soundproofed. We chose to eat most of our meals in the Seven Seas main dining room as a more relaxed option to the "zoo" of the Garden Cafe. We had a part of our package 4 meal Ultimate Dining Package as well as the Ultimate Beverage Package. We chose to have two meals each in Le Bistro and Cagneys which were very good, although if we hadn't had the package I don't think the extra cost would have been good value. It was evident that the best meat is chosen for use in the 12th floor specialty restaurants and the fatty and poorer steaks and cuts are sent downstairs to the Main dining Rooms. The Seven Seas managed to fit in well with the Freestyle Dining Option once one learnt to avoid the post showtime surge. The Ultimate Beverage Package was good to have. Although we never had more than 3 drinks a day it saved a lot compared to the high cost otherwise. It meant that most drinks were included and in the one case where we chose a $17.50 glass of wine the UBP covered $15 and only the $2.50 + 50c gratuity was added to our account. We did a mixture of NCL and other provider onshore excursions. In Montevideo the best option which we took was to join a tour that met the ship near the gangway without any prior booking. For $20 USD the three hour tour did most of what the much more expensive NCL tour covered. Doing non NCL tours at ports where the ship berthed at a wharf or jetty and gangways could be used wasn't too difficult (Puerto Madryn, Ushauia ) However at ports where tenders were used (Stanley, Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Monte) Norwegian would make sure that their tours got the priority on tenders to shore. We had relatively moderate sea and weather conditions to round Cape Horn but the weather deteriorated once we left Ushauia through the Beagle Channel. When we got to Punta Arenas there were 40 to 45 knot winds pushing the ship away from the wharf and after some time the Captain made the call that it was not safe to remain in port and elected to leave once crew and provisions had been exchanged / loaded. Shore excursions were cancelled and we set sail about 11am. The extra time cruising was used to travel with less haste during the rough weather once we left the Strait of Magellan. We're not into the American entertainment culture and didn't go to many of the shows during the evening. From talking with other guests, and from the few shows we did attend it would be fair to say that the entertainment was a weakness of the cruise. In the Stardust theatre upstairs many of the seats had a partially obstructed view of the stage on account of the pillars and seating layout (including tall seat backs relative to the slope of the floor). The ship layout does not have much public space for seating and relaxing if the weather is cold or wet. We were glad we had a balcony stateroom with room to sit and read or view the scenery. Tip if you're going for the scenery choose a stateroom on the side of the ship that faces the land (eg from Buenos Aires to San Antonio choose the Starboard side). Disembarkation at San Antonio was not too arduous. Unless one uses the Self disembarkation option and carry off your suitcases, those not partaking of an NCL transfer or tour could not disembark until 9am (if early enough to obtain lime baggage tags). This caused some uncertainties for those participating in other tours. We had booked on a SEG Santiago day tour which had on our documentation as showing at 9am. Talking to the other tour participants during the day it became apparent that some had self disembarked prior to 8am thinking their tour would not wait for them while others of us assumed that the tour would wait for those booked provided they attempted to be in the first groups to disembark after 9am. In summary I would say it was a well run cruise using an older ship. We enjoyed it for the scenery and the destinations en route rather than for the cruise activities and cruising itself. Read Less

Within a couple of hours we were in our cabin and our bags showed up shortly after. The balcony cabin was very clean and stayed that way throughout the cruise. Our cabin steward was excellent; looking after our every need. The ports of call were good choices, from the Penguin colony on the Falkland Islands, to Ushuaia, Punta Arenas. the Beagle Channel with the glaciers and fjords, and other destinations in Chile. Everywhere we went, the local folks were very friendly. The guides and drivers were very knowledgeable. Besides seeing the sites , we also learned quite a bit about the history of Argentina and Chile. Some thing that NCL should look into is their selection of on board entertainment. There were 2 bar/lounge acts that were not very good, based on that which we've experienced on the many cruises we have been on. These entertainers tried to imitate others singers/groups and failed. We tried to give them more than one attempt to listen to them. But, after a few minutes each time, we left. NCL did have a group called the BRAZILIAN BEATLES and they were very entertaining and did a good job as a tribute band. The ship's entertainment groups also did a good job with their nightly shows. The one thing, as seniors, that will change is that we will no longer fly economy on flights over 4 hours. Arriving at our far destinations not twisted like a pretzel, will be worth the increase in air fare. We were fortunate that we booked this trip more than a year in advance, because Norwegian Cruise Line offered us a BOGO, which we couldn't refuse. Read Less

Wanted to see South America and chose this ship. Bad choice- entire month onboard plagued with problems. Sickness of many people, lack of staff, chaos at service desk, lost my luggage on disembarcation, ship repairs made observation deck unusable many days. Staff tells you different stories about the same thing when you ask 2 or 3 people same question. Sometimes outright deliberate lies. Have sailed a number of times with NCL and was very happy with the cruises but this was a disaster over and over. Ran out of red wine( how does that happen?) Staff was not the usual cruise staffers in many cases- couldnt understand them, they didnt understand you. No hustle, no personalty. Intertainment was terrible/juvenile/silly if it could go wrong it did go wrong very dissappointing . Sailig with friends who say they will never sail NCL again. Good things: Embarcation was great Food was tasty Read Less

Lots of sick and coughing people. People need to be more sanitary, wash there hands, and cover their cough, especially when in public areas. The crew did a great job. the rooms were small but adequate for our needs. We didn't spend a lot of time in the room. The ship's tours were extremely overpriced. Tours could be purchased for half or less outside of the port. the entertainment was good and had a good variety. There was a good choice of things to do on board. The spa and sauna was a plus. Dining was good and had a variety of choices. The trick is to exercise, use the stairs, walk everywhere, eat a lot of fruits, vegetable, and salad. The ship is a nice size, not too big or too small.There are enough activities on board to keep us busy all day if we wanted. I think the staff did a wonderful job. Read Less

1st This is too small an area to list the problems we encounterd on the ship. The biggest being the noise levels due to ship refitting being done while we were cruising. DB levels were off the charts very annoying in lounge areas (when raining and no other place to hang out) and pool side. Tea was store bought tea Lipton (sorry Lipton Fans) - why not then also use store bought coffee. Extremely poor service from wait staff - yet they get 20% for being bad at what they do. French restaurant had rolls that were so dry (all the way through) that they shattered into dust as you tried to open them. Watched another person do the same thing with their roll. Ashes were often coming down over our food and drinks while sitting aft. Have pictures of them in my drinks and on the floor. Yes, I did post them on Social media so others could see. Only places to take unobstructed pictures were often blocked off - due to Ship Refurbishment. One of the worst cruise experiences I have been on. Was very disappointed, expected a much higher class of service and products. Read Less

The ship was due in for a major refit so the wonderful NCL decided it would be a good idea to start early and hammer and drilll on the roof of the largest lounge (Observation) during daylight hours.effectivily closing this area. During cold days this made other available seating in the warm areas difficult to find and what seating was available was tired and uncomfortable.. All external windows were fithly from the start and never got cleaned. Food was good to avearage to poor and we had the head chef come see my wiffe and I after a particually poor Pork Loin shank meal which was was 80% fat. We waited an age for my wife's gluten free pancakes but arrived was uncooked. Food service in restaurant was generally very slow and poor, expect your veg to arrive uncooked cold or both, drinks services was poor or none existant and standard of cocktails varied by barman or bar We were in cabin 4031 and due to the design on the ship where was no access ot the top of the corridor which meant we has to the back for the ship to get the lifts to go up and walk to the front, or go back across and up the opposiite corridore to get to the only other lift, you will know you was nearly there by the smell of smoke from the officers mess Activities were nowhere as good or varied as the previous 8 cruises we have been on. Cabins were in general clean and tidy but we had faultly telephones and hair dryer, other passenges we not so lucky and plumbing problems seem to be a common theme. Last Friday of the trip we found a nice sunny sport on the outdoor cafe, only to feel bits falling on my arm, when reported we were told the ship was using different fuel and we were asked to leave and hazard tape and chairs were used to cordon of this area, it's getting harder to find somewhere to sit. We later told by other passengers that the bits was paper that the ship was burning as it was cheaper than recycled. We both felt that the ship crew was under compliment, untrained and did not show the same care and attention as on other cruises and when I queried some of the issued raised, I was lied to on a least four occassions just to fob me off. Ordered a continental breakfast for an early morining excursion at Puerto Mott, but none arrived, however the excursion to Volcanoes, Lakes and Waterfalls was brilliant Most ports and excusions were good to great and scenary was fantastic, but be warned on Sundays, everythings is closed in these ports and our NCL Highlights of Puerto Airnas excursion consisted of a cemetary, a dusty museum, a second museum (field of wooden carts and cabins) and a town square where everything was closed, boring and not value for money ,do not go on this!! During the second week the dreaded novovires was announced as a Red Alert, three days affter the crew has taken over handed out all food, drinks, condiments, washy, washy washy time. Worst cruiseship and crew I have every been on and even with a major refit completed and guaranteed no virus outbreak I would never travel on this NCL (SUN OR STAR) class of ship again. Read Less

I wanted to cruise around Cape Horn and I wanted to get out of the winter weather. Everything thing began wonderfully in Beunes Aires with a Flamingo Dance before we got on the ship! Once we set sail I enjoyed early stretching classes every morning followed by Fab Abs and then yoga and a message while at sea. The sea was calm the whole way down to the cape and we enjoyed local excursions to take in the sites. The Dancing shows on the ship were also excellent and I would have taken lessons with my husband, however, he sprained his ankle during our first day at sea playing volleyball. When we approached the Cape Horn the water got rough but the scenery and the glaciers were magnificent. The food was excellent and the service was wonderful. I love eating in the beautiful dining rooms and listening to the live musicians. The Classical strings trio was fabulous! However, on our way to Santiago, many people were getting sick with a virus and I also got it. The ship offered free medical assistance but then quarantined both my husband and me to the room for 48hrs so we missed one of the ports of call. I thought they might offer us a voucher or something but it did not happen. We went horse riding in one of the last ports of call and had a great time. This was the only Norwegian arranged excursion and it was terrific. All in all, it was a great vacation with a few bumps here and there. Read Less

We have cruised 5 times each year and this was one of the best experiences mainly because of the dramatic vistas floating past our balcony. Gigantic Glaciers, rugged mountain peaks, wildlife(penguins, alpacas, condors,..) and cultural ports in Argentina and Chile. The ship itself was clean and well-maintained with attentive staff everywhere. We would have liked a better quality of shows in contrast to "Burn the Floor" on the Escape. But this was a smaller ship and so it is a matter of economics. Fortunately, the weather was mainly fine and the choppy seas around Cape Horn were mitigated by the ships stabilizers. Our next cruise is on the maiden voyage of NCL "Bliss" to Alaska which is much larger. We expect to see from our balcony, dramatic Glaciers and craggy peaks, but we hope it will not be too boisterous with all the race car tracks, water slides, and other adventure features. Just a nice cozy safe trip is all we are looking forward to experiencing. Read Less

Cruised around South America with NCL. The ship was old and numerous things in the room did not work or were broken. Food was very basic quality and there was no variety. Same menu every day. NCL seem to have a simple policy for dealing with any customer queries. 1. If the answer could be Yes or No then the answer is ALWAYS "No" 2. If a third party is involved then the third party is ALWAYS at fault. 3. If 1 or 2 fail to deal with the query then they just ignore you! They have no flexibility in their thinking so make totally ilogical decisions. As an example we did not like the choice of desserts in their steak restaurant so asked if we could order from the French restaurant 50 feet away. "No" was the answer but we could order from the main restaurant four floors below. So a waiter sent down stairs to get us a menu then went back down to get what we wanted.You simply could not make this up!!! Everything about NCL is about taking the maximum money from every cruiser. Gratuities on food and drink add 20% to the base price. If you have the all inclusive drinks package it is $89 per person but only allows you drinks up to $15.00, You have to pay anything over this price plus the 20%, The package does not include speciality coffees. The cost for two people on a 15 days cruise is a massive $2670! Shore exursions are very pricey and can easily add over $2000 more on a 15 days cruise. That been said many of the ship's team were exceptionally nice and very helpful. However we were told they live in fear of making a mistake that gets reported as their contract can be terminated straight away. This was our first and our last cruise with NCL. There are much better cruise companies out there. Read Less

Route around South America was the main attraction for us. Turned out that a number of the stops must have been chosen to sell their very expensive tours, Nothing else there, for sure. Ship was nice enough, but furnishings (tables/chairs) are wearing out. Small, but well equipped fitness center. Very repetitive menu in main dining rooms, especially lunch. Buffet restaurant is way too small and poorly arranged. Think "food fight". Specialty restos were way disappointing and expensive, priced ala-carte. Some waiters excellent, but some incomprehensible (in English) and surly. One was alarmingly so. Extra gratuities charged for everything. Paid for water. Drinks package (good selection) did not include tips. Thus, there is a generally annoying air of cheapness. NCL need to just price it into their base rate. I guess they want to make it seem cheap. We filled in a big piece of our "Terra Incognita," but that's about it. Suggest that critics start using the full 5 stars. Not everything can be a 4.5! Read Less

We were invited to join a family member on this cruise and were excited about the itinerary. Unfortunately, the ship is older and definitely showing its years. There's a fair amount of wear and tear and it could use some general sprucing up. We were quite disappointed in our dining experience. My husband has celiac disease and has to have gluten free meals. Despite our making the request months in advance, the chef and staff did little to accommodate him. For example, ordering French Onion Soup, he was given only the broth because the crouton is made of bread. However, my husband was served gluten free bread with every meal, so why couldn't they just substitute that for his soup? Eventually a top-notch wait person went to the kitchen, toasted a piece of gluten-free bread and took it to the chef with a request as to how to prepare it. A trained chef should be able to handle this situation more effectively. Having cruise with several other cruise lines and received much better responses for his gluten free needs, we were surprised and disappointed. After returning to the ship on a tender, we were literally held in the entry area (open to the water) for about 30 minutes with no explanation. There was inadequate room for all the passengers to comfortably stand -- some were on the stairs -- and others had physical limitations that caused problems with trying to stand for too long. Despite yelling, crew members making phone calls to staff on board and even one passenger making a call, we were locked out of the ship with no communication whatsoever. Eventually, a staff member opened the door and told us that Chilean officials had determined that was some immigration impropriety and stopped the boarding process. At no time was any effort made to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers affected by this. Eventually a general announcement was made apologizing briefly for the inconvenience. Trying to lodge a complaint with guest services about the way the situation was handled resulted in lots of defensive responses and nobody appeared interested in hearing from us. Overall, we were disappointed with Norwegian and didn't think it measured up to other cruise lines we've traveled with (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Viking). It's highly unlikely that we will cruise with Norwegian again. We did book one shore excursion through the ship but thought it was overpriced and of poor quality. Read Less

I have wanted to go around the Horn since I read maritime experiences when I was a youngster. The experience was special and was enhanced by the travel environment provided by Norwegian Cruise Lines on the Norwegian Sun. The ship provided all that I hoped for and I have cruised many times before. I have been spoiled by balcony cabins in the past and the Sun fulfilled my needs. I chose the Ultimate Beveridge Package and my travel mate and I took full advantage of that package. I highly recommend it. I used the buffet on a regular basis but the special dining venues offered special meal entres that were exceptional culinary experiences. There were more on board activities than I could take advantage of but I tried my hardest and enjoyed my selections. The staff was excellent and made me feel like I was a special guest. I thought the cost of the shore excursions were high until I experienced them and found that they were full of features that could not be fully explained on the internet. The excursions had great guides; most if not all of the excursions included full sit down meals including drinks and entertainment; most transportation cosisted of comfortable air conditioned buses. I would highly recommend this cruise. I was disappointed that Rio Di Janeiro was not a port of call. I hope it is included in the future. Read Less

We choose this cruise for the itenary, it also worked well for us as we were on our way to New Zealand. Enjoyed all the ports and tours we did, loved our penguin experiences and felt all the tours were comprehensive and gave us a good feeling of the countries we visited. The scenery was spectacular, especially the glaciers and Fjords. Found the ship a little tired but do understand it is going in for refurbishing in April, 2018. We had four speciality dining rooms booked, but have to admit we enjoyed the main dining rooms and would not choose to go to the speciality ones again. As always we were well looked after by Norwegian, which has now become our number one choice or cruise lines. We have backed to back cruises booked for May 2018, and very much looking forward to our next cruise around the UK, Ireland and then onto Spain, Portugal and France. Read Less