In July 2026, I embarked on the Norwegian Sun for an incredible 9-day Baltic Cruise. I was so excited to be on a smaller, classic cruise ship! The Norwegian Sun was built in 2001 and is one of the smallest and oldest ships in NCL’s fleet. With a smaller size comes special considerations. Of course you’ll want to do things like make dining reservations ahead of time, arrive to shows early if you want a good seat, and so on. However, there are a few additional special considerations for this unique ship. Here are my top tips for sailing on the Norwegian Sun!
Moderno for Buffet Alternatives
The buffet on the Norwegian Sun is small, only taking up the starboard side of the ship’s aft on deck 11. During peak times, it can get really crowded. Instead of fighting those crowds, make your way over to the port side to Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse specialty restaurant. During breakfast, you’ll find the exact same spread (just in smaller quantities). The crowds here were far less and there was plenty of extra seating. During the lunch hours, Moderno offers pizza and soups. It’s a great option for both breakfast and lunch!
Buffet Seating Overflow
In addition to Moderno as mentioned above for buffet overflow, there are several other options as well. One of my favorite places to eat was at The Great Outdoors. This venue is the outdoor buffet and seating area on the aft of the ship. This area had two separate buffet sections to dine from (including a self-serve ice cream machine!) and tons of tables. The Great Outdoors isn’t a secret and is well advertised, but utilizing the tables in the Sports Bar for buffet overflow seemed to be much lesser-known. This venue is inside, which is perfect escape from the sun, rain, or wind. Plus, as silly as it sounds, the Sports Bar is the only area with ketchup on the table. On all of the other tables, they only had mustard and you had to get ketchup from the buffet.
Stateroom Blow Dryers
The Norwegian Sun is an old ship, and it is shown in their stateroom blow dryers. They are mounted to the wall, and my best guess is that they’re original to when the ship was built in 2001. I have long, thick hair and definitely spent longer than normal blow drying my hair each morning. They’re not great, but they do the job. If you’re very particular about your blow dryer, I’d recommend bringing your own from home. Otherwise, you can ask your stateroom attendant and they have a limited number of traditional ones on board for guests to use.
Secret Hot Tub
This “secret hot tub” was definitely a hidden gem for the first five or six days of the cruise. By then, the secret had gotten out amongst passengers. But if you’re looking for a little solitude while soaking, head up to deck 12 next to the kid’s pool. I believe most people saw it attached to the kid’s pool and presumed it was not for adults, but that is not the case! There were a few times that I had to listen to children playing in the pool next to me, but there were also many times when I had the entire area completely to myself. Snag some time in this secret hot tub before word gets around!
Elevators
The Norwegian Sun surprised me with the amount of elevators it had on board! I never found myself waiting for an elevator more than a minute, as one seemed to always be ready to move. This tip may sound silly, but it actually took me until about day 3 to realize that when a button is pushed (and an elevator is called to that bank), the button lights up blue. The default is that all the buttons are lit up white. During the first few days, I saw this glowing light and presumed someone had called the elevators here, they were taking too long, so they abandoned. Therefore I wouldn’t even wait! I felt so silly when I pushed the button several days into the cruise, saw it light up blue, and an elevator showed up right away. I suppose I got my stairs steps in those first few days!
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