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Thank you! I am booked for Magic's Chef's Table 11/9 cruise. Cannot wait!

 

 

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Thank you soooo much for posting the pics of the new Chef's Table grub!!! It looks amazing! We're going to try Chef's Table for the first time on our Nov 29th Sunshine trip :) Now I'm even more excited! Look at that beef! Ahhh!

You will not be disappointed! Make sure to come hungry!!!

You ladies look like a fun group! (that poor husband!) Thanks for the review, and the Nachi Cocum info. I've read good things about that, but, I also want to visit Chankanaab too? Guess I'll have to go to Cozumel twice, which means two different cruises - Yay!

What beach are you speaking of in Roatan? We had a HORRIBLE experience there, and my husband and I vowed never to get off the ship there again. So, I wondered what this beach is that you speak of?

Thanks again for the review!!

Matt loved every minute of it! He fits right into our group! They have built a little "resort" type place off to the right of the pier. It is accessible via footbridge or skytram. The beaches looked clean with soft sand and blue water. My friends Teresa and Matt did a zip lining excursion (that zipped them right to the beach) and she came back on the ship saying Roatan was now one of her favorite ports!

Looks like a fun trip. Love how you did the picture collage and the one taken from above. Thanks for posting!

I use Picasa. It's a free download.

Great review! Love the pic in your pirate gear! We booked our upcoming cruise on the Sunshine for the same reason you did. My hubby watched that documentary several times during our cruise on the Glory last year. It was the first time he took any interest in planning. Lol!

LOL! I hope you have a great time on the Sunshine!

We share the same birthday! Happy Birthday! I'll be sailing the Sunshine on our birthday. Thanks for a great review.

 

 

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Have a great cruising birthday!!

I just posted my review of our cruise on her last week. Definitely did not hate her.

Wednesday – Roatan. We had decided to stay on the ship here too. The port has changed so much since I was here last in 2008. Had I known about the beach area, I might have opted to go there, but as it was, I was happy to procure our seats in front of the waterfall pool on the first level of the Serenity Deck. The pool was fresh water, which was a nice surprise. The last time I went into a cruise pool, it was salt water. It was a hot day, so the proximity to the pool came in quite handy. It is a small pool itself, but it does have a “beach entry” surrounding it so you can sit/lay there with a bit of water on you to cool off.

Thursday – Costa Maya. This was a new port. We signed up to the Catamaran through Carnival. We had to be on the pier by 7:30 a.m. (ugh), but we made it by 7:45 and were still able to get on the bus. The catamaran was smaller than I had been on previously, but it was nice just the same. The bad news was that there wasn’t any wind this day, so we couldn’t sail. So after everyone had snorkeled (I didn’t but my friends said it was some of the best snorkeling they’d done), we had to motor it back to the pier. As such, we were back on the ship by 11:15 a.m. So we grabbed breakfast (it was being served until 12) and then found a couple of chairs to get some more sun. It was another hot day, so we didn’t last too long out there.

Friday – Sea Day. We took over two couch areas on the top level of the Serenity Deck this morning (there were five of us) and had a relaxing morning at sea! That area was under an air conditioning unit of some sort, because it had cool air blowing. So cool that I was actually cold and had to cover up with a towel! It was some of the best napping I did all cruise! LOL. We made reservations for the Steakhouse this night and while it was delicious as always, after our experience at Chef’s Table it was a bit of a letdown. That and their stupid corkage fee. The bottles were opened in our cabin and yet they were going to charge $10 to pour a $5 bottle of wine. We declined their service and just drank our wine after leaving the Steakhouse. (And I don’t want to get into an argument on the corkage fee…it was my understanding it was for “opening” the wine…) This day was also International Talk Like a Pirate Day and while the decorations were sparse and the activities limited, one of my friends had gone to her local Halloween store and procured several items for us to be pirates. We had a good laugh taking pictures with our pirate gear.

Saturday – Disembarkation. Why is it that even if you didn’t buy one souvenir, your luggage is always heavier on the way home? I’m convinced because all the fun you had is woven into your clothing! LOL We elected to do self-assist with our luggage. We met our friends for breakfast at 8 a.m. and by 9:00 a.m. we had our luggage with us in Ocean Plaza on Deck 5, waiting to be called. It was organized, but a slow process. We didn’t get off ship until a little before 10 a.m. We finally passed through customs at 10:14 a.m. (I know because I looked at the time and 10/14 is my birthday). No problems with customs, got the luggage to the car and away we were!

Overall, we had a great time and as with anything, it is what you make of it and who you were with. I was lucky to be traveling with two of my oldest friends since 6th grade and my two newest besties and one of their husbands.

Cabin review -

This is where the renovation failed. We were four adult women in a balcony cabin. The upper bed was a full sized bed that lowered from the ceiling, but the third bed was a "fold out" from the couch and it was not full length. The balcony cabins that fit four are made for travelers with small children, not anyone over 5'2.

The shower, however was an A+. It was a larger shower than the standard corner. I could have sat down and extended my legs fully on the floor. It was nice night hitting the sides of the wall at every turn.

Made was our room steward and he was awesome!

I probably won't cruise the Sunshine again, unless it has an itinerary that isn't available on another ship. But it was a great cruise!

This is my first review and I tried to include a few pictures too!

We booked this cruise because we saw the "documentary" on the Destiny's transformation into the Sunshine last year while on the Carnival Valor. We were intrigued by the Sports Deck (and we never even ended up going back there once) and the Serenity Deck (loved, loved, loved it!).

Embarkation - We flew down to Miami from Ohio because two of our cabin mates live in South Florida. We arrived Friday evening and then drove to the port Saturday morning. From Weston, FL, it took us about three hours. There was a bit of traffic when we arrived at the port around Noon. We unloaded our bags at bag drop-off and then parked the car. We had to wait for two friends who were arriving on a shuttle from Orlando. Once everyone was at the port, we proceeded through the line around 12:45 p.m. We were on the ship no later than 1:15p.m. We carried on an entire carry-on size suitcase of mixers and 24 bottles of water. Security didn't say a peep about our luggage or the water. Easy peasy. We were told the rooms would be ready at 1:30 p.m. We went straight to our cabin to drop off half the mixers and then went to the other room to drop off the rest. Both cabins had pre-ordered liquor through Bon Voyage and bottles were waiting for us when we opened the cabin doors. We opted to indulge in a couple adult beverages before heading to lunch on Lido.

Lido - I did notice a sewer smell on the starboard side heading into the Lido Marketplace as you passed Guy's Burgers and the drink station into the air conditioned part. It wasn't so powerful I felt nauseated, but I did smell it rather consistently throughout the cruise. So I either walked through the port side or I walked very fast. LOL. The space to walk in that area is narrower than on other ships. The sewer smell was occasionally present on Deck 5 as you walked past the Shake Shack/Java Blue Café. Speaking of the Shake Shack – I had the Vanilla Caramel Bourbon one…delish!

A few opted for Guy's Burgers, a couple went to the Deli with the others finding something on the buffet. We sat in the back of the ship by the Havana Bar/Ji Ji's/Cucina del Capitano. There was a lot of extra space available back there in the mornings and lunch. At night, only the center section and extreme back area are available for public seating as the sides are reserved for Ji Ji's and Cucina del Capitano.

Went back to the cabin and waited for muster drill. Because we were hanging out in our friend's spa cabin, we did muster drill in the comfort of the Liquid Lounge. :)

After muster, back to our cabin to continue our sail away celebrations.

We opted for the Lido buffet for dinner the first night. There were plenty of choices to choose from. We called it an early night as we were all exhausted from traveling.

Sunday - First Sea Day - We slept in and woke up about 8:30. Ordered coffee through room service. Grabbed breakfast on Lido and then tried to find seating on the Serenity Deck. Most of the chairs were occupied by the time we got up there, there certainly wasn't five chairs together. We did manage to find two together and then three adjacent, so that worked out on the top deck. It was a bit overcast, so it wasn't so much a sun day. Dinner was our first elegant night. We did our tour of various photo backdrops and then headed to the Late Seating for dinner in the MDR.

We had Michael in the Upper Sunrise Dining Room who was great! Every time we saw him working his tail off on the Lido deck during the day, he always had a smile on his face and addressed us by name.

Monday - Cozumel. We made recommendations at Nachi Cocum on the basis of a couple of friends' reviews. It did not disappoint! It was a quick cab ride there. For six people it is $32/one way plus tip. Cab fares are well advertised. The resort was small, clean and the drinks were free flowing! The Carnival Glory was in port as well as a Disney vessel. There were a few people already at the resort when we arrived. We grabbed our chairs by the pool and let the day start. We opted to do the Banana Boat. What fun! It was $15/pp and our jet ski driver tried to pitch us off the banana, but we four ladies held on! Victory! When we wanted to leave, we told our attendant and he called a cab. It was there within 10 minutes. Highly recommend Nachi Cocum!

Tuesday - Belize. We opted to do our own thing this day. Some tendered into port, others stayed on the ship. This was the Chef's Table night. If you have the chance, you should do it! The ability to see the galley in action. To have a reception with the chef, with various appetizers was truly wonderful! I still remember every bite. While I may not have been crazy about every dish, I tried everything! The wine is free flowing so if you like a basic white and a basic red, you are in luck! It was four different appetizers in the galley and then we went to see the Pastry Chef and learned how to make the famous Chocolate Melting Cake. Very cool. After that, they escorted us out of the galley. Many of my friends thought that was it and we were done. I knew we were still in store for deliciousness! A seven course meal waited for us in a reserved room in the Steakhouse. If you are a foodie, the Chef’s Table is a must! We were beyond full by the time the sixth course came…never mind we still had the dessert course! It was a highlight of the trip!

To be continued...

Sunday, 8/17 -Day 2 - Sea Day

 

Because afternoon naps are a requirement when cruising, aren't they? Just me? Hmm.

Naps on our daily schedule of activities (if on the boat...) They are a necessity! :)

I was on the Sunshine for the cruise leaving August 16th. This was a cruise to celebrate my moms 65th birthday, but also a rest and relaxation cruise. We had been to Roatan before, and were going to stay on the ship, but decided to make it a beach day. All of the ports seems to be a tourist trap these days, with cruise line "preferred" shops as soon as you hit the end of the pier, or close by. I didn't use the ski lift, but thought $12.00 was a bit high for the length. I wouldn't have paid anything for the lift, no matter what the price, as the walk wasn't that long to get to the beach, but I understand that it may be useful for those with mobility issues or just want to take in the scene from higher up, or just to take it from a nostalgic point. When we got to the beach, most of the chairs in the front row were taken, and we were going to pay $23.00 for a clamshell, but one of the tour/beach attendants hanging around told us he'd find us chairs for everyone in our party (6 people), and when we mentioned that we preferred out of the sun, he said no problem. The cost? Just a tip for his finding a spot, and getting the chairs. He found 6 loungers, and placed us under tree, with a clear view and path to the water. Considering we would have paid $69.00 bucks for the clamshells, which some stated were still hot, we gave him a tip of $30.00, or $5.00pp which I felt was fair for his services. The location was perfect as we had a waiter come up to us as soon as we sat down to take our drink/food orders. Since I spend a good 4 hours in the water, my lounger remained empty the entire time. I thing the beach size was pretty good, and didn't have any problems getting in or out of the water, and it looked like the beach extended for a good length from what I could see from being out in the water by the bouts with the logs. I could see pass the dock, but again the beach looked like a good size lengthwise, and was good for me in size going from the path/bars/restaurants/showers to the waterline. Most of the ports today that are not major destinations are built by, and geared towards the cruise line making money, or their affiliates. I think research is key in assuring that they you get most for your money in any post. As a note, I'm the one in the family that usually goes to all the port or shop talks, but skipped all of them this time. I did do some research on ports and on here before I left, but decided not to do anything, except a city tour in Cozumel, and the rest of the time was spent perusing in the shops and hanging out at the restaurants/bars which is a first for me.

I see you sailed the Sunshine and are scheduled to sail her again. I've read many mixed reviews of the ship. What was your overall experience? Thanks!

None are posted that I have found, and there's several threads of members looking for them also. I leave this weekend, and will post them soon after I get back.

Thank you so much! That would be awesome!

Is this the trip you are looking for? Not sure what ports you need.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2084024&highlight=sunshine+funtimes

Thank you. I saw that thread but those Funtimes are for the Eastern itinerary and I'm looking for the Western.

Does anyone have a recent copy? Please and thank you in advance.

We are doing it for the first time upcoming on the Sunshine. I emailed Carnival at groupeventplanning@carnival.com on July 20 and I received a confirmation from the Steakhouse manager two days later. The Sunshine's email is SHSTEAKHOUSE@carnival.com.

I have a question regarding the information given when I requested the reservation. I included our cabin number and since then, we were upgraded to a different cabin. Should I let the Manager know or will the info transfer with the booking #?

We heard about Nachi from friends that have been several times and reading this thread has just reinforced our decision to book this resort. Cannot wait!!!! 59 days!!! :D

Yes' date=' wait for no one. LOL But seriously, traveling solo is fun. I'm glad I didn't let fear keep me from doing this solo cruise.

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Did you find it hard to blend with existing groups or did you hang by yourself?

Just got the Hilton Long Beach for 2/5/12 for $87 + taxes ($107 total)

Up to page 19 :)

And now I'm up to page 15. :)

We're sailing on the Splendor February 5, 2012, so I'm happy to have found this thread! I'm sure I'll have questions and am looking forward to reading more of the thread, but I need to mark my place (page 8) so I can come back and finish reading it. ;)

Here you go:

Oooh, thanks!

And those are rented directly on the beach???