A slice of life aboard the NCL Sun cruise ship

If you have never cruised before or just want an opinion of an Norwegian Cruise Lines cruise ship, then read on. Alaska being our destination, NCL are more relaxed in dress code. Dress up or down as you wish, and it suited us perfectly for the layers we needed to keep out the chill. We cruised Alaska onboard the spacious Sun in a well-tended balcony cabin on deck 10. Plenty of storage space even in the bathroom and room under the very comfy bed for our (5!) cases. The shower room was neat with plenty of fresh towels, soap and shampoo/conditioner dispensers but the small shower cubicle might feel a little challenging if you need more space!

Now very important for us ladies – a full length mirror was great for checking my thermal layers, but you might want to take your own hairdryer. The one in the cabin was not very powerful and attached to the wall with a long stretchy tube that I kept pulling off. Beware - only two plug sockets, one US two flat pin and one Europe two round pin so a little electrical rotation is necessary.

The balcony with two chairs and a small table was covered, great for the region we were sailing and fantastic for spotting whales or just watching the world go by. Tea and coffee making facilities meant we could always have a hot cuppa there was also a fridge if we needed to attack the minibar (Extra charge). A continental breakfast was available to order every day in the cabin – other room service from the great choice had a small charge.

So many places to dine – we were spoilt for choice. From the sports bar serving burgers and comfort food, the deli area with pizza ovens and sandwich station, to the buffet with a multitude of hot and cold choices to the traditional restaurants with a daily changing wide choice of menu. Also, at a supplement, there are six a la carte restaurants including Teppanyaki, but the Steakhouse was our favourite.

Bar areas were scattered around. I could enjoy bubbly at the champagne bar, a nice beer in the Sports bar or maybe a cocktail in the Observation Lounge, many accompanied by a live band, pianist or solo artist. A variety of shows could always be found in the theatre or maybe bingo or a flutter in the casino might be your choice?

On deck, the brave ones used the pool whilst sailing by snow-capped peaks or the chickens like me used the hot tubs. On bright days, this was a spacious area to enjoy the sunshine, nice ice cream too! For those needing pampering a spa was the choice or the gym if you prefer to burn off the calories.

Children were catered for with their own entertainment arranged and kids’ clubs to join. Single guests could choose to dine with fellow solo travellers if they wished. There was also a passenger travelling with a service dog.

Welcome aboard fun, sail away parties, fantastic on-board lectures by park rangers, trivia quizzes, internet cafe and so much more. All this contributed to a perfect cruise experience – I’m looking forward to my next one already.