E-Mail: Raoul Fiebig Last updated: 09-16-2001
Ship Review

M/S "Norwegian Sun", Norwegian Cruise Line
August 31st / September 1st, 2001 - Columbus Cruise Center, Bremerhaven, Germany

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On August 31st, 2001 I was given the opportunity to visit and spend a night onboard Norwegian Cruise Line's brand-new "Norwegian Sun", delivered to the cruise line less an hour before I boarded her.

The very first cruise line to offer regular voyages in the Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line was founded by Norwegian entrepreneur Knut Kloster in 1966. Following a successful start with its first ship "Sunward", Norwegian Caribbean Line, as the company was called back then, ordered three new purpose-built cruise ships in Germany and Italy for delivery in 1968 through 1971. In 1977, NCL took over the "Sunward II" from Cunard which replaced the original "Sunward".

Both experts and the public sat up when Kloster in 1979 announced the acquisition of the S/S "France", the last purpose-built ocean liner, that had been laid up in Le Havre since 1974. Kloster planned to convert the longest luxury liner ever built into a magnificent Caribbean cruise ship, a ship that would be a revolution for the cruise industry, a ship that would secure and extend NCL's leadership in the cruise market. In August, 1979 the S/S "France" left her homeport of Le Havre for the last time, under the protest of angry Frenchman who did not want their national idol to leave. Internationally renowned Hapag-Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven (Germany) then spent seven months of rebuilding and refurbishing. The result of this conversion, cruising's first superliner that was to become the prototype for all following super- and megaliners, sported a royal blue hull and its new name written in golden letters on prow and stern: S/S "Norway".

In the 1980s NCL added more and more ships to its fleet, operating under several different brand names. But due to mismanagement and the hard competition, NCL got into a dangerous crisis in the early and mid 1990s. With the departure of Knut Kloster Jr. as the company's president the situation slowly began to improve, but the crisis had left the formerly largest cruise operator with only a handful of ships.

In 1999 NCL's first newbuild in six years, the magnificent "Norwegian Sky" (see my ship preview and cruise review of that ship), was delivered by the same shipyard that created the S/S "Norway" in 1979/80 - Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH. Lloyd Werft used an existing hull that was to become Costa Crociere's "CostaOlympia", but the constructor in Bremen collapsed before the ship could be completed. The result was so promising that NCL decided to order a second "Sky"-class ship the same year.

With the company's takeover by Malaysian firm Star Cruises in early 2000, it was decided to redefine the NCL product as "Freestyle Cruising": open seating meals in an unsurpassed number of dining venues (some incur an extra cost), formal nights and fixed tables and dining times only for those passengers who want them; more crew members to allow a better service and to do away with the "bad habit" that passengers have to vacate their cabins early in the morning on embarkation day. It was also decided to remove the aging "Norway" from the fleet, a shock for the ship's loyal fans and followers, including myself. The vessel is currently on its farewell trans-Atlantic crossing. It is still not known what the plans are for her.

The new "Freestyle Cruising" concept required modifications to the "Sky 2" project as the new vessel should offer more restaurants than any other cruise ship in the world, larger staterooms and additional crew cabins. The hull of the "Norwegian Sun" up to the sixth deck was built at Aker MTW shipyards in Wismar, Germany, because Lloyd Werft does not have the capacity to cut the huge amount of steel needed for the newbuild. Aker MTW also has a covered building dock and has built a number of ocean liners and cruise ships in the past. The rest of the hull and superstructure from the sixth deck upwards was built by Lübeck's Flender-Werft an the Bremerhaven company Stahlbau Nord. Due to the current EU legislation it had not been possible for Lloyd Werft to give the contract for the construction of the hull to a single sub-contractor. In the summer of 2000, the huge brown hull made its first ever voyage, a trip through the Kiel Canal from Wismar (Baltic Sea) to Bremerhaven (North Sea). An armada of tugs towed the largest vessel ever to transit the canal. It was necessary to close the canal for all other ships and to lower the water level by approx. 50 cm (20") so that the gigantic hull could fit under the bridges spanning the canal. In Bremerhaven, up to 2000 workers from Lloyd Werft and approximately 100 sub-contractors awaited the vessel for completion.

After another year of hard work, Lloyd Werft delivered the "Norwegian Sun" to Norwegian Cruise Line on August 31st, 2001. Less than an hour later, I boarded her to take a look at the first cruise ship purpose-built for "Freestyle Cruising". The vessel departed Bremerhaven September 1st for a pre-Inaugural Positioning cruise to Southampton. After a two-day charter to British Petrol (BP) and additional inaugural events, "Norwegian Sun" will depart for her inaugural trans-Atlantic crossing to New York September 10th.

It was yet another busy day at Bremerhaven's Columbuskaje or more precisely at the Columbus Cruise Center. Three cruise ships docking at the same time are not an unusual sight for one of Germany's most popular turnover cruise ports, but I'm not sure if the Columbuskaje had ever been visited by cruise ships measuring a total of 123,718 gt before. In addition to NCL's "Norwegian Sun", the undisputed "star" among the three vessels and cruising's latest scion, one of the oldest cruise ships still in active service, Phoenix Reisen's 1957-built T/S "Albatros" (please see my "Albatros Ship Review & Gallery" for more about her) was in port, as was Transocean Tours' M/S "Astor", one of Germany's most popular cruise liners.

On the occasion of "Norwegian Sun's" delivery, Norwegian Cruise Line had invited 1.600 guests, among them company and political representatives as well as media representatives and travel agents from all over continental Europe. I was lucky enough to be among the members of the press invited by NCL's German office in Frankfurt and INEX Communications, the company's German PR agency. Shortly after the official handover of the vessel with the change of flag (from Germany to The Bahamas), I embarked the spectacular new "Norwegian Sun". Being a sister ship to the popular "Norwegian Sky", NCL's latest ship has dimensions similar to those of the "Sky". The 78,309 gt "Norwegian Sun" is two meters longer and has a slightly different deck arrangement with more enclosed spaces (although the actual number of decks is identical), making her 1,205 gt larger than her 77,104 gt sister. The number of inside cabins was reduced while more outside staterooms were added. "Norwegian Sun" has 432 cabins and suites with private balconies, 180 more than the "Sky". Her overall capacity is lower than that of her smaller sister ship (1,936 vs. 2,002 lower beds), resulting in a better space ratio of 40.4 (38.5 for the "Norwegian Sky").

Serving as your personal guide, I would now like to invite you for a tour of the new ship starting on the lowest passenger deck. Please relax and enjoy the tour, which does not require any walking - it was my pleasure to cover several miles onboard the vessel for you, visiting and photographing her facilities.

The lowest deck accessible to passengers is Biscayne Deck (4), where a number of cabins are located. Even the most basic inside cabins are of a good size, being considerably larger than those on sister ship "Norwegian Sky". The cabin interiors look different from those on other NCL ships, e.g. different bedspreads (not spotted any longer, but with different seafarer's knots on them) and - thank you, NCL - different bedside lamps than on the sister ship. "Norwegian Sky" passengers usually remember their bedside lamps very well from frequent nightly collisions with the lampshade. Even the most basic cabins - well, there really aren't any "basic" cabins on this ship - feature a seat, TV, refrigerator, individual air conditioning, direct dial telephone, internet connection and a hair dryer. Wood accents create a warm atmosphere and at least one piece of art is featured in every stateroom. Additional berths are available in a number of cabins, either as Pullman berths (which could have been "hidden" in a better way when folded away) or as pull out sofas.

Passengers usually embark the "Norwegian Sun" on Atlantic Deck (5) just forward of The Atrium. All the way forward some inside and outside cabins are found. All outside staterooms have a sitting area with a small table. Some of you might remember that NCL tried to sell balcony cabins onboard the "Norwegian Sky" as "Superior Deluxe Suites" (this was discontinued after massive passenger complaints about the small size of the "suites"). Well, I'm almost tempted to call the "Norwegian Sun" an all-suite ship then. But seriously: the cabins are not huge, but both well-sized and well-designed. There are no major design flaws that are all too apparent. The TV set sits on a pivoted shelf, so it doesn't matter whether passenger watch TV from their beds or sitting area. Energy-saving lamps are featured almost everywhere in the cabins.

The Atrium, the vessel's main focal point, is situated next aft. It looks almost like a copy of the atrium onboard sister ship "Norwegian Sky", but with the 53-seat Java Café an additional sitting area was created on the port side of "Norwegian Sun's" atrium. Four glass elevators run all the way up to Pool Deck (11), and the atrium is well illuminated through a clear crystal dome on Sports Deck (12). Wood accents, marble and brass characterize the lobby. The cherry- / rosewood accents are a familiar sight throughout the ship, acting as a kind of leitmotif combining the sometimes bright, sometimes more conservative rooms to a heterogeneous but nonetheless elegant overall picture. In some areas, however, it is difficult to decide whether the brown panels should resemble rosewood or some kind of polished stone. The grain is a bit too constant at times.

Next aft on Atlantic Deck, the Four Seasons Restaurant, one of two main dining rooms aboard the "Norwegian Sun" is located. As onboard sister ship "Norwegian Sky", a detailed ship model decorates the entrance to the restaurant. The dining room itself is not as colorful as its counterpart on the "Sky", but arguably more elegant, despite the fact that there is no huge chandelier in the room's center - which is good, by the way, as the chandeliers on the sister ship look almost oppressive due to the rather low ceiling in the raised center sections of the dining rooms. The Four Seasons Restaurant accommodates a maximum of 564 passengers. As this is a "Freestyle Cruising" vessel, passengers can enter the main dining rooms anytime between 05.30 p.m. and 10 p.m. (passengers must have finished their meals by midnight). There are tables in many different sizes (from tables for two to those accommodating 12 passengers), and it is worth mentioning that there is ample space between them. The wooden chairs with their comfortable red upholstery have armrests and even big people should feel comfortable. The Four Seasons has picture windows on two sides, and because of the raised mid section passengers seated near the center of the room can even watch the (probably blue and monotonous) scenery - blinds are lowered at night.

The main galley is situated between the Four Seasons and the Seven Seas Restaurant all the way aft. On starboard side, however, a narrow alternative restaurant, the 84-seat il Adagio Italian Restaurant, connects the two main dining rooms. The il Adagio incurs an extra charge and offers the same flexible dining times than the other dining rooms aboard the "Norwegian Sun". Guests are seated either at tables for two next to big picture windows or at semi-circular tables with banquet-style seating that accommodate four persons. While I am not a fan of sitting on benches, I agree that this is probably the best and most attractive way to offer "sea views" for all guests. The carpet has "rugs" sewed in in front of each table, which adds to the atmosphere of this room. With the exception of the carpet the il Adagio is very similar to its counterpart on the "Norwegian Sky", the Horizons. As already mentioned, this alternative dining spot is the only direct connection between the two main restaurants, which again (as onboard the "Sky") means that there might be some "through traffic", which really shouldn't be there in a restaurant. "Freestyle Cruising" is expected to lower that traffic, however, as passengers normally won't come in huge loads as on a ship with two seatings.

The Seven Seas Restaurant is found all the way aft. This is the ship's second main dining room which is included in the cruise fare. The Seven Seas is rather similar to the Four Seasons in terms of capacity (the Seven Seas seats 30 additional passengers) and general décor. It is interesting that the dining rooms onboard the "Norwegian Sun" are not as colorful and different as the ones on her older sister. There are certain elements such as carpet, chairs and chandeliers that distinguish them, but other than that NCL has been successful in offering two equally good dining rooms. To some, the fact that that the Seven Seas has windows on three sides might be a reason to prefer that room and it also has a partially secluded section near the entrance to the il Adagio where one really thinks to be in a small, intimate restaurant. Unfortunately, the tables in this area are mainly on the large side. The two main dining rooms feature different menus, and one of them offers formal nights from time to time. Those passengers who had never liked those will be glad to learn that with "Freestyle Cruising" everyone can decide whether he wants to take part in those or not.

Exiting the Seven Seas Restaurant through its main entrance, one enters the Seven Seas Court, the vessel's secondary atrium, which is three decks high. Its center piece is an interesting sculpture of sea birds circling the globe, placed on a wonderful carpet. An illuminated glass painting of a sailing vessel decorates the back wall of the court, above the restaurant entrance. This area's counterpart onboard the "Norwegian Sky" had been the subject of numerous passenger complaints before the ship was switched to "Freestyle Cruising". Imagine almost 600 passengers trying to enter or leave the dining room via two narrow flights of stairs or through four elevators. There is no way to continue on the same deck because of the galley. Well, there is one way: the small alternative restaurant on starboard. It simply was a huge bottleneck. Fortunately, the new dining concept means that fewer passengers arrive or leave at the same time. And even better, NCL has learned from the problem, widening the stairs on the "Norwegian Sun".

Ascending those stairs, one reaches Promenade Deck (6). The vessel features a wrap-around promenade / jogging track, which is located on this deck. The promenade has a rubberized "anti-slip" covering - not half as nice as teakwood, but probably less slippery when wet. As on sister ship "Norwegian Sky", there are no deck chairs on the promenade ("for security reasons"). This is probably the most colorful jogging track afloat as large-scale paintings on the walls reflect the rooms behind them inside the vessel. Some people won't be thrilled to find those "comics" onboard a cruise ship, but I think this is a good idea to make the otherwise rather boring and plain promenade much more attractive. With the exception of the most forward part of the promenade, the paintings are found almost everywhere on the jogging track.

All the way forward on Promenade Deck, some outside staterooms are found. As in all cabins aboard the "Norwegian Sun" (the suites feature queen-size beds), the beds can be arranged as two singles or as a queen-sized bed. There is ample closet and drawer space for a one-week cruise, and the sitting area is a nice extra. The bathrooms are identical in all cabin categories (suites excluded), and are virtually identical to those aboard the "Norwegian Sky", which means they are compact "plastic" units. Adequate for one person, they are too small for two and the shower is small, yet just spacious enough even for big people. The plumbing fixtures are high-quality products by Grohe, a well-known German company, but it is regrettable that the shower stall does not offer a strong massage jet. A hairdryer is featured, as are dispensers for soap and hair shampoo / conditioner - this means less waste. Other than that, amenities include shower cap, moisturizing body lotion and sewing kit. The toilet is of the "jet engine" vacuum type - loud but effective.

Further aft, just forward of The Atrium, two seminar rooms, Tech Styles Room and Life Styles Room, are situated. As their names might indicate, the Tech Styles Room is equipped with computers for seminars that need them, while the Life Styles Room offer some "unobstructed space" for those seminars that do not need them. As part of its "Freestyle Cruising" concept, Norwegian Cruise Line plans to offer more seminars at sea than before, offering passengers everything from computer courses to stock market seminars to health advice.

Inside The Atrium, the vessel's Internet Café with nine workstations (which feature flat screens and web cams) is located. This is the same equipment as onboard all other NCL ships, and while it wasn't possible to check it on the "Norwegian Sun", I used it only a couple of weeks ago on the S/S "Norway" and found it easy to use and comfortable, but rather pricey at US$ 0.75 per minute.

A short hallway aft of The Atrium features two wonderful stylized musical instruments, a bass and a saxophone. Next aft is Dazzles, the ship's night club and disco, so it isn't difficult to guess what the instruments shall hint at.

Dazzles is a popular late-night spot, and also serves as the ship's secondary show room with 335 seats. As it counterpart on the "Norwegian Sky", it features one of cruising's longest bars, as well as a good-sized dance floor. A band or a DJ take care of the musical aspects of the night club experience. Seating is offered in comfortable tub chairs, and thanks to the big "oversized porthole" windows, the room is airier than many other cruise ship discos.

The popular Windjammer Bar, a favorite on many NCL ships, is situated aft of Dazzles. A "ship railing" somehow marks off the 57-seat Windjammer against the adjacent hallway that connects the forward and aft sections of the deck. Tall ship models and pictures decorate the bar, and the bar counter itself serves both the Windjammer and the adjacent 35-seat Havana Club, the ship's cigar bar, which is not fully enclosed so guests in the windjammer will probably be affected by cigar smoke. The Havana Club features excellent green leather sofas and arm chairs which are heavy and oh so comfortable. Hand-rolled cigars and spirits (which are not hand-rolled, by the way) are offered. Just remember to consume those Cuban cigars before returning to the U.S.

The Photo Gallery is next aft on starboard side. This is where those beloved pictures taken by the ship's photographers are displayed and sold. Passengers may also bring their exposed films for developing. The area features a dark wood trim and poster advertisements from the age of the grand ocean liners. The Photo Gallery is very spacious as long as the picture displays are folded in, but can turn into quite a bottleneck when passengers try to enter or exit the Stardust Lounge further aft through The Photo Gallery, while other passengers crowd there to take a look at their pictures. Unfortunately this is the only connection between the aft and forward sections of the deck (not counting the outside promenade, of course).

The East Indies Library is reached through The Photo Gallery. This is an excellent library with many, many books (unfortunately, NCL did not publish the number in the "Norwegian Sun" press kit) - well-arranged by topic. The library is intimate and features some seating for those who would like to read books "at the source". It also serves as the passage to the East Indies Conference Center on portside, which has a capacity for 100 people and can be divided into three different rooms (Bali Room, Malaysia Room, Borneo Room) by sliding walls. The décor of the conference room is similar to the one of the library, with a wood trim and comfortable chairs that do not remind the seminar participants of those ugly "cafeteria" seats in so many conference rooms ashore.

All the way aft on Promenade Deck, the 1037-seat Stardust Lounge - or more specifically its main level - is located. This is the "Norwegian Sun's" main show room with both lounge- and theater-style seating. The look of this room is much nicer than that of the lounge of the same name onboard the "Norwegian Sky". It is colorful (the seating is yellow, red and violet), and features a good-sized stage. The balcony railing is not too high and a kind of "mini life-net" is installed in case somebody falls down from the balcony. The pillars that obstruct the views from a couple of seats have a grayish grain, which from a distance looks like concrete - not that nice. The theater-style seats which are mainly found on the balcony are far from being comfortable. Not only or they too low for anybody 6' or longer (your knees are still below ear level, however), but their case is very smooth so if you are a big guy / girl (like me) and wear woolen trousers like those that are probably part of your formal wear, you will simply glide out of the seat and onto the floor unless you do something against it. I rammed my left knee against the best rest of the seat in front of me to avoid gliding out of my seat. I can tell you, it was less funny than it sounds! The upholstery is simply too soft and in combination with wool on that smooth case sitting on those seats is hell. Something like this has never happened to me before, and I have been to hundreds of cinemas / opera houses / theaters etc. Without that "inconvenience" the Stardust Lounge would be a very good room, and as former NCL passengers know, the shows provided by the Jean Ann Ryan Company are among the very best performances at sea. As her sister ship, the "Norwegian Sun" features a special show celebrating the musicals of Sir Cameron Macintosh, aptly named "Encore, Mr Producer".

The two main entertainment decks onboard the "Norwegian Sun" have extra high ceilings to create a more generous feeling, but as cabins are found in the forward sections of both the Promenade Deck (6) and the International Deck (7), it was possible to "sandwich" a small forward-only cabin deck between them. That deck, Oslo Deck (6a), features some inside and outside staterooms. As already mentioned, the "Norwegian Sky" had originally been planned as a Costa ship and many of her cabins retained Costa's typical round "oversized porthole" windows. And while some areas on the new "Norwegian Sun" feature them, as well, the vast majority of all passenger cabins features "regular" picture windows.

International Deck (7) is the second main entertainment deck aboard the "Norwegian Sun", with the Stardust Lounge's balcony level all the way aft. The balcony is reached either through separate entrances on this deck or through two spiral staircases that connect the two levels. Two conic chandeliers are found near the entrances and through cylindrical gaps in the floor they do so for the main level entrance areas, as well.

The Shopping Arcade is next forward. As onboard the "Norwegian Sky", the Galleria Shops are operated by Colombian Emeralds International. The shopping center is very similar to the one onboard the "Norwegian Sun's" sister ship, but features even more shopping venues due to the fact that the new ship does not have a coffee bar, and the internet café has been relocated in The Atrium. This is a very attractive Shopping Arcade - with beautifully decorated ceilings, wood accents and a wonderful polished flooring (using different types of stone). As we were in port, the shops were closed.

Moving forward one enters the Sun Club Casino. On almost all NCL ships from the S/S "Norway" to the "Norwegian Sky", the casino looks very much the same - on the "Sun" it is different. Gone is the dark atmosphere with lots of use of black, black and probably even more black. This casino is bright and colorful - but not bursting with neon lamps and signs. Red is the predominant color, and an abundance of slot machines as well as Roulette, Blackjack and Caribbean Stud Poker await the passengers. The nearby Casino Bar cares for the gamblers' essential needs (although hardly anybody would probably order natural spring water). It is good to see that NCL does not force its passengers to walk through the casino, but the "bypass" is really difficult to recognize when approaching the casino from the forward part of the ship (it looks like a corridor leading to the restrooms) and if you use it from aft to forward, it ends in a kind of bottleneck. As good an idea as it is - it could have been done better.

In The Atrium, the 56-seat Champagne Bar is located on portside, while the 28-seat Shuffles Card Room - which is also used for seminars and private functions - is situated on the starboard forward side.

As all passenger decks with the exception of the Sports Deck, International Deck also has a number of - both inside and outside - cabins all the way forward, with the Teen Club sandwiched between some of the inside cabins all the way forward. The Teen Club is equipped with computers, an LCD video projector, stereo system and disco lights. During the day, this is a popular spot for teenagers to "hang with the gang", while at night, it turns into a disco / party room. One can only hope that the room is well-insulated - otherwise passengers in the adjacent cabins won't find any rest before midnight.

But not only teens have their own dedicated area onboard the "Norwegian Sun"; all the little pirates and mermaids will love Kid's Corner all the way forward. This is a large, airy room (through an own elevator also accessible by wheelchair, by the way) overlooking the foredeck with the spare propeller blades and anchor. Games, stereo set, LCD projector and even a "small-scale" kitchen are only some of the features waiting for the young passengers. The (inner and outer) walls are decorated with comics and colored drawings of "wild" animals.

The next deck, Viking Deck (8), is a "cabins only" deck. The picture shows a Cat. D "Superior Outside" stateroom, which is the same size as the balcony cabins excluding the private veranda which is missing. There are also a number of inside cabins on this deck, like the Cat. JJ inside stateroom pictured. It is good to see that all cabins feature illuminated closets. Special mention deserve four Cat. BA balcony staterooms which are accessible by wheelchair. Those cabins are extra spacious, featuring a king-size bed, a sofa which may be converted into a bed for a third person, a ramp which makes it possible to access the extra-large balcony, and an excellent bathroom. A number of cabins in the forward part of Viking Deck are also equipped for passengers with a hearing defect. All the way forward and aft cabins overlook the prow / stern of the ship, among those two Cat. AF Suites, four Cat. AD Penthouses, two Cat. AB Honeymoon / Anniversary Suites as well as two "standard" balcony cabins. The aft "corners" are occupied by two Cat. AC Penthouses, which feature a living room, bedroom with queen-sized bed, a bathroom with whirlpool tub, and a spacious private veranda, unfortunately featuring an ugly plastic flooring instead of teakwood.

Fjord Deck (9) exclusively accommodates passenger cabins as well, among them many with private balconies. In contrast to sister ship "Norwegian Sky", all balcony cabins have floor-to-ceiling windows instead of those "oversized picture portholes". The reason is that in contrast to her sister ship, "Norwegian Sun's" superstructure was built to include balcony staterooms. "CostaOlympia", which later became the "Norwegian Sky" on the other hand, was not built to have them, the result being that her superstructure would have lost a lot of stability without those solid exterior walls - making it necessary to go without "walls of glass".

All outside staterooms and suites on Norway Deck (10) feature private balconies. I was lucky enough to stay in a Cat. BA stateroom - the highest cabin category onboard with the exception of suites - for the night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The balcony cabins feature all the amenities of the superior outside staterooms, and the balconies are surprisingly spacious. The only letdown is that in all cabin categories (in contrast to the "suites") the bathrooms are identical. As already mentioned, they are far from being bad, but people already pay a lot of money for the top-grade balcony cabins, and probably expect more than those "standardized plastic" bathrooms.

"Norwegian Sun" has a fully enclosed command bridge (in contrast to "Norwegian Sky"), which is located all the way forward on Norway Deck, with officers' quarters next aft.

The next-higher deck is Pool Deck (11), which features the most spacious accommodations onboard the "Norwegian Sun", the two Owner's Suites - aptly named Star Suite and NCL Suite - all the way forward, overlooking the bow. And while they are far from being the most spacious accommodations afloat, they are well-furnished and laid out. The living room has a spacious and comfortable sitting area, a dining table, bar, writing desk and flat screen TV set (which can also be used as a computer monitor), while the bedroom features a queen-sized bed. There is a separate guest bathroom and the actual bathroom features both shower and a whirlpool tub. Finally, a large private (teakwood!) veranda overlooking the bow has a hot tub and excellent teakwood furniture.

In addition to the two Owner's Suites, a number of Cat. AE Suites are also found on Pool Deck.

Next aft is a huge spa / fitness complex, consisting of the Body Waves Fitness Center and Aerobics Room on portside, and the Mandara Spa & Beauty Salon on starboard, featuring massage, sauna and steam rooms. The fitness center is equipped with all kinds of sports equipment.

The actual pool deck is next aft, and it is slightly smaller than the one onboard sister ship "Norwegian Sky", due to the fact that the spa / fitness area had to "move aft" in order to accommodate the suites on this deck (the Observation Lounge was moved up one deck). The pool deck has a teakwood flooring and lots of deck chairs - there is a deck chair for every passenger onboard. There are two pools and four hot tubs as well as a stage and dance floor for those beloved (or hated) pool parties. Topsiders Bar is situated on the aft end of the pool area, being yet another long bar onboard this ship seating 92 passengers.

Moving aft on starboard side, one enters the Garden Café, the ship's casual buffet restaurant, which offers food around the clock, while accommodating 201 guests. The area is similar to the one aboard the "Norwegian Sky", with colorful mural paintings and comfortable seats with good cushions. In the forward part, Sprinkles Ice Cream Bar is located.

On port side, Pacific Heights is the ship's "healthy living" restaurant, which also serves as a pizzeria during lunch hours. As with all alternative restaurants onboard the "Norwegian Sun", reservations are requested and a dining fee of US$ 10 pp. is required. The 102-seat Pacific Heights offers an "athletes' menu", with lots of pasta, vegetables and light meat dishes. Nutrition facts for all food items are found on the menus. Décor and furniture are very subdued (some might call it "conservative") with earth tones being predominant.

Next aft on portside is the Video Zone, a game arcade young and young-at-heart passengers will enjoy. When I was onboard the "Norwegian Sun", some game machines were still missing, resulting in a lot of yet unused space.

NCL's popular Sports Bar is found adjacent to the Video Zone. Virtually identical to the room of the same name aboard the "Norwegian Sky", the Sports Bar seats 61 passengers. Sports events are shown on various TV screens, while pre-dinner snacks are served here, as well. This is a pleasant room with a great parquet floor and spectacular sea views through floor-to-ceiling windows.

All the way aft, the Great Outdoor Café occupies the whole breadth of the ship, seating 275 guests. Unfortunately, the buffet lines are still not very good - people stand in each other's way because of the bad design which does not have designated entrances / exits. And as another disappointment, the comfortable chairs with integrated cushions that are found on the "Norwegian Sky" have been replaced by standard "plastic" seats on the "Sun" - this is really everything but an improvement. Otherwise, the Great Outdoor Café is quite pleasant, but crammed as soon as the weather is good. The whole area is partially covered by a huge canvas. Weather-permitting, this is where nightly barbeques are featured. A welcome touch for those passengers who would like to exchange the more formal dinners in the dining rooms and alternative restaurants with a solid meal under the stars.

All the way forward on Sports Deck (12), the wonderful Observation Lounge is situated. In contrast to its colorful "Miami Beach"-style counterpart on the "Norwegian Sun", this is a subdued and very elegant room. From the interesting "corrugated iron"-like ceiling to the wonderful wall panels and murals to the comfortable wicker furniture this is a room where almost anybody should feel comfortable. This is also a big and very airy room - a wonderful spot to watch the scenery passing by. A good-sized dance floor, a bandstand and a fine bar complete my favorite bar / lounge onboard the ship.

On starboard the Splashes Kid's Pool is next on the open deck. Featuring a small water slide and an own hot tub, the children's pool is still small, but the location is generally better than on the "Norwegian Sky", where the children's pool is located on top of the ship, not protected against strong and sometimes chilly winds.

On portside, a small Chapel is located aft of the Observation Lounge. Renewal of vows and other services are held here.

Adjacent is another open sun deck, which is larger than onboard the "Norwegian Sky", making up for the smaller pool deck on NCL's latest ship. Arranged around the crystal dome that "crowns" The Atrium is the 73-seat Champ's Bar, which overlooks the pool deck.

Forward of the funnel, a basketball / volleyball court is found, with Shuffle Board, Betting Cages and Golf Driving Nets following aft on starboard side. This is where sportsmen and -women can "romp around."

On portside, "Norwegian Sun's" most spectacular restaurant - that is at least my opinion - is situated: Aptly named "East meets West", this is actually a 165-seat restaurant complex offering a very special combination of Japanese, Californian and Hawaiian cuisine. The Ginza Restaurant has its own Sushi Bar and even an original Teppanyaki Room. This is an a la carte restaurant, which means that you order and pay a la carte. There is even a lobster tank from where guests can select their "personal" lobster, which is then cooked to order in several different styles (the price for lobster is US$ 25). This restaurant's décor is colorful and a bit eccentric, and some would probably even call it daring. But I do think that it creates a wonderful and rather "authentic" atmosphere. Just think of all those "kitschy" Chinese and Japanese restaurants ashore - isn't this one much more sophisticated while still having an "authentic" touch? This is a definite "must see" aboard the "Norwegian Sun". If you don't care for the food, just walk in there during the "off hours" and take a look - it's worth it!

Next aft is Las Ramblas Tapas Bar & Restaurant, which offers a fine Mediterranean atmosphere. I had pre-dinner tapas there, which were excellent. Seating 81 guests, Las Ramblas offers not only the atmosphere of a sophisticated Spanish eatery, but also the right background music, performed by a live band. The authentic tiles and colored chairs scintillate the Mediterranean joie de vivre, while the dark wood ceiling panels and the excellent parquet floor add to the room's impression - which is an impressive one.

Finally, NCL's well-known French restaurant, Le Bistro, is situated on starboard side, aft of the Golf Driving Nets. This is a very elegant restaurant, which has some similarities to the il Adagio, but still a very distinctive character. As in all the alternative dining spots, Le Bistro features a set menu with daily special additions.

"Norwegian Sun's" highest deck, Sun Deck (13), is yet another open sun deck with lots of deck chairs. This is sun worshippers' paradise!

Not unusual for a new ship, the service staff onboard the "Norwegian Sun" was trying hard to please everybody, but as always it will take some time for everything to work as it should. Service both in the dining rooms and from the cabin steward was very friendly, and to my surprise NCL now features many waitresses and busgirls in the dining rooms. When our waitress introduced herself and her assistant to our "German press" dining party, she said "It is my pleasure to be your waitress and to make your dinner an even bigger pleasure, please let me introduce your busgirl to you." Well, of course dinner wasn't that bad at all. :o)

The food was surprisingly good for a new ship, although in my opinion it is still the "Norway" that has the best food of any of the four NCL ships I have been on. Service was sometimes slightly amusing, e.g. when our busgirl had just finished her tour round the table to ask if anybody wanted some black pepper, our waitress arrived with the pepper mill to ask the same, followed by another busgirl which made a third attempt to "spice up" our meals.

The buffet food was "as always" - good (not more, not less), but often not hot enough.

In general, "Norwegian Sun" is evolutional rather than revolutional. What is really missing is an additional stair tower (including lifts) amidships. The cabins are better than on sister ship "Norwegian Sky", with better amenities, more space and a more sophisticated design. When it comes to dining, no other cruise ship in the world comes even close to "Norwegian Sun's" range of restaurants that should really offer something for every single passenger. Some industry experts call Star Cruises the "Carnival of Asia", hinting at the company's colorful an eccentric ships. Fortunately, "Norwegian Sun" has - while colorful - a good combination of elegant and more conservative public spaces on the one hand, and bright and colorful areas on the other hand. It definitely shows that there are so many crew members onboard.

I have to confess that while I generally liked the idea of "Freestyle Cruising" when it was first announced, I was kind of skeptical if it worked as fine as it sounded in theory. After my Kiel Canal passage onboard the "Norwegian Dream" in June, the doubts were everything but brushed aside. The "Norwegian Sun" has convinced me, however, that "Freestyle Cruising" works pretty well on a ship that was built for it. The dining rooms were never crowded, the service good (taking into account that this is a new ship) and the food better than expected.

All in all, I do consider the "Norwegian Sun" a winner. Although she is "only the second ship in the series", she is an even more important addition to the NCL fleet than the "Norwegian Sky" was two years ago. And while some people might say "Hey, in a couple of years I will have to pay extra for all meals, if it goes on like this" my reply is that cruise fares are so low that almost everybody can afford to pay the US$ 10 fee for most of the alternative restaurants - even us Europeans that have to battle with the strong US$. Let's enjoy this wonderful new ship, without being too afraid of the future. In my opinion, it is pure pessimism that cruising might become a vacation for "rich people only" again - there are simply too many ships out there that can't be filled with millionaires only.

If you any questions or suggestions, criticism or praise, please feel free to send me an e-mail.

Raoul Fiebig

Copyright 2001 © Raoul Fiebig