Becky and I sailed the Western Caribbean again last year, though we followed a different itinerary from our previous Western Caribbean cruise. Our ports on this cruise included George Town, Grand Cayman; Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. Originally, we wanted to cruise the Panama Canal, but Becky’s schedule didn’t work with any of the Panama Canal cruises on any cruise line. I then suggested that we sail Alaska, but Becky wasn’t willing to fly to Seattle or Vancouver. Then I suggested that we sail the Southern Caribbean, but Becky didn’t want to fly to San Juan. We finally agreed on a Western Caribbean cruise that offered a different itinerary from last year’s cruise, so on July 13 we set sail aboard the Norwegian Sun.

After sailing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Of The Seas, we found the Norwegian Sun unremarkable. Once we sailed on Voyager, we expected future cruises to be less impressive and our expectations were met. Voyager weighs in at a whopping 144,000 tons, while the Sun merely dents the sea with its modest 77,000 tons. Every inch of Voyager is extraordinary. The Sun is simply a nice, clean, pragmatic cruise ship. Our stateroom aboard the Sun was virtually identical to our stateroom aboard Voyager, though we enjoyed a porthole aboard the Sun. Lavatory amenities were also similar between the two ships.

I took this photo through glass as Becky and I stood in line to board the Sun. Passengers look over the Sun’s stern on Deck Six. At the very top of the ship, you get a glimpse of the canopy that provides shade for the Outdoor Café.

This is the Outdoor Café, which is partially pictured in the previous photo. The temperature was about eighty-five degrees (Fahrenheit) and the humidity was about eighty percent. I don’t understand why these fellow cruisers chose to sit in the heat with the cool, air-conditioned Garden Café situated just fifty feet away.

Shaded by a canopy, four small hot tubs separate the two main pools. Becky and I used the forward pool only once and spent most of our water time in the hot tubs. Compare this hot tub area with Voyager’s adult-only hot tubs.

Here are two photos that have been blended into each other showing the Sun’s Body Waves Fitness Center. Sadly, the time I spent snapping these two photos was the only time I spent in the Fitness Center. It would’ve been nice to walk on one of the treadmills while watching the sun rise.