GeorgiaMomof4

2 hours ago, dcwalker said:

Though I would have preferred you stay put and give us more of your review, you get a pass from me. Two of my sons were high school wrestlers. Good luck to your 14 year old and congratulations to him for doing so well so far.

Thanks for the pass lol!  He is actually still in middle school - 8th grade.  Will be in high school next year!  

Soon it was time for the dreaded muster drill.  However, ours turned out

to be not so bad.  Because of Glen's mobility issues we were able to

go to the Limelight Lounge and stay inside for our briefing.  They

demonstrated donning the life jackets as usual but also showed how to

put an infant's life jacket on this time as well.  Maybe I've just forgotten,

but I don't remember them doing that before.

It was over fairly fast and we headed up to Deck 10 to get a good seat for

sail away.  The DJ was spinning tunes and everyone on the Lido deck was

dancing and having fun and we were enjoying people watching.  We sailed

out into the open ocean and were on our way!

After spending a while outside and enjoying the sail away we decided to

check and see if our luggage had arrived.  I suppose I'm OCD but it just

doesn't feel like I'm on vacation until all the luggage is unpacked and put

away.  At this point, I don't remember if it was back yet or we had to

wait awhile but it did eventually come and I got it all put away and our

suitcases stowed under our bed.

I know I've just now got a good start on my review but I'm going to have

to stop for a while.  Our 14 year old son is wrestling for the first time this

year and actually won 2nd place in State and is going to the Nationals 

this weekend in Tennessee so we are headed up there this afternoon.  I'm

taking my laptop with me in hopes of being able to continue on with my

review.

Thanks for following along and I hope to post more soon.

February 14, 2019 - Finally time to leave for our cruise

We left north Georgia around 1:15 on Thursday afternoon and arrived

in Titusville, FL about 10:00.  Our hotel reservations were at the Best Western

Space Shuttle Inn.  This was the 2nd time we've stayed at this hotel and it is

fine for the short time we are there.  The rooms are ok - could stand a little

extra cleaning in my opinion.  It is very accessible to I-95 and they do have a

free hot breakfast with many options available.  There is a Walmart less than

5 minutes away for any last minute supplies you might need.  I have booked

through Priceline both times and gotten good rates.

Embarkation Day - Friday, February 15

We were up early because we are all used to being up early anyway and

got ready and had breakfast.  They have waffles (you make them yourself),

eggs, sausage, cereals, muffins, etc.  It is a decent breakfast and will

definitely get you by until you can board the ship and get a Guy's Burger.

We made the necessary Walmart run and then we headed on to the port.

We always use Park n Cruise for our parking when we sail out of Port

Canaveral.  We have always had excellent service and even though their

rates have gone up in the last few years, it is still much cheaper than

parking at the actual port.

We arrived at their facility about 9:30 and the gate was still locked.  We

just waited outside the gate and they let us into the parking lot about 9:45 or

so.  We were the 2nd car there so there was no waiting.  We checked in,

parked the car, and in just a few minutes boarded the shuttle to head for the

ship.

Embarkation was a breeze.  We dropped our  luggage with the porters and

headed to the priority line because Glen and I turned Platinum on this cruise!

Michael and Donna had to wait in the regular line but it wasn't too bad.

We did the passport, boarding pass check, security check and then went

straight to sit down and wait.  We didn't have to go to the other desk where

you do the credit card stuff and get your sail and sign cards because they

are now being put in the mail boxes at your cabin door.  Since we were

Platinum we had a special waiting area.  The only drawback to this that

I saw was that the photographers weren't set up to do the customary

embarkation picture.  I guess it was too early for them to be there so we

missed getting our embarkation picture for the first time in 13 cruises.

We were on the ship by around 11:00 or 11:15 if I remember correctly.  We

headed straight to our cabin because I could not wait to see what it would

look like.  I did some online searches before the cruise and it looked to be a lot

bigger than a regular balcony cabin and it was!  I couldn't believe the difference

in the size of the cabin and the bathroom - and the balcony was AWESOME!

If I can figure out how to post pictures I'll post some for all of you.

Michael and Donna came to our cabin to drop their carry ons since

their cabin wasn't ready.  We all headed to Lido to get our first

burger of the cruise for lunch.  As always, it was greasy but delicious

and did not disappoint.

We wandered around the ship for awhile and headed back to the cabin.

I was determined to spend some time on that huge balcony that we had

so I changed into my swimsuit, set the alarm on my phone so we wouldn't

miss muster and enjoyed the sunshine.  I will say that it was very warm

out there with the ship sitting idle.  It was so nice and peaceful though -

much quieter than lying on the Lido deck.

So sorry it's taken me so long to get this review started.

When we returned from our cruise my husband had surgery

(it was already scheduled), and we sold our truck and camper

and bought new ones so time has gotten away from me.

First a little about us.  I'm Angela (53) and my husband is

Glen (55).  Glen had a heart attack in 2013 and since

February, 2014 we have tried to do 1 cruise a year with

no kids - just myself and Glen.  We have 6 children ranging

in ages from 24 down to 4 and an infant foster daughter (4 months)

so time for just the two of us is basically non-existent

when we are home.  This was my 13th cruise and Glen's 11th cruise

with our first being in 2004 and our 2nd in 2011 - a long time in

between - I know!

We booked this cruise not long after we had returned from our

February, 2018 family cruise on the Magic so we were almost at 1

year out.  This would be our first 8 day cruise, our first aft balcony

and our first Southern Caribbean itinerary. 

Glen has mobility issues due to CRPS which he got after having

his heart attack in 2013.  We had never booked a handicap cabin or

really even looked into one before this cruise.  Our PVP suggested

we look into it because he knows Glen has issues and thought it

might be helpful for him.  We had cruised on the Sunshine 2 times

before and stayed on Deck 5 both of those times so we knew

this was the location we wanted to be in when we sailed on this

8 day cruise.  After looking around at what was available we decided

to book Aft Balcony cabin 5344 which is a handicap cabin.  I believe

it is a fully accessible cabin even though on the booking I only

requested a modified cabin that would give him the extra bars, etc.

in the bathroom.

Our friends, Michael and Donna were cruising with us this time.  It's

always great to have friends along - the more the merrier - as long

as it's not kids on this trip lol!

Hello - 

We sailed on the Carnival Sunshine on February 15th for an 8 day Southern itinerary trip.  I am going to start a short review

in a few days because that's really all I have time for right now but wanted to check and see if I could answer any questions

for anyone in the mean time.

Hopefully I can get started tomorrow.

Our ports were Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk.

Thanks guys - I was just worried we might miss it but hopefully windy or not, we will still be able

to dock.

Sailing at the end of next week and just checked the weather.  Looks like it's going to be very windy

for our days in Aruba and Curacao.  Is this normal and does this mean there is a chance we

might not be able to dock in those places?  Weather shows - 20 mph or so winds.

I'll be very disappointed if we don't get to dock considering this is an 8 day cruise and we already

only have 3 ports.  I know we can't control Mother Nature and I'm not going to go kicking and

screaming to Guest Services demanding compensation if we can't - just keeping my fingers

crossed that this is normal for those ports.

Thanks in advance!

On 2/4/2019 at 10:08 AM, CJDepew said:

Looking forward to the remainder of your review. We board the Sunshine next week and I can't wait.

Us too!  Going on the 8 day Southern itinerary?

No one?

Want to book the steakhouse but I’d like to know what the menus are first so I know what evening to book.

Anyone have the menus from the 8 day Southern  cruises on the Sunshine?

Thanks!

On 1/22/2019 at 8:19 AM, supercanadian said:

As per John Heald's FB page, cakes will be coming to the Sunshine starting Feb 15th!

Yes I saw that and it's wonderful because that's the day we sail!

I had asked him over the weekend and he did a live talk Monday morning and told

when the other ships would be getting the new desserts.  I'm sooo excited - I hope they are as good

as everyone says!  

I’m not that concerned about the walk.  Lido dining and MDR are just a short walk down the stairs or a short ride up the elevator.  We’ve actually stayed in the newer rooms on deck 5 on the Sunshine before and loved the location.  That’s one reason we booked the aft balcony this cruise - so we could be on deck 5.

On 1/18/2019 at 5:54 PM, sailingwithfriends said:

I purchased it at Lowe's. We use it everytime we have a balcony and sail with friends. I only put it out side the door when we are going to be on our balcony.  Sorry, I don't remember the brand. I found it in the section with the normal wired door bells.

 

Thank you - my husband actually found us one today at Harbor Freight I believe.

10 minutes ago, CJDepew said:

Don't know about the cakes, but am on the Feb 15 cruise as well. And I am a cake fiend. Will be disappointed if they're the usual, old Styrofoam.

Yes me too!  I had rather them not be so pretty and have flavor lol!

2 hours ago, goofycruiser said:

We are on the Sunshine right now.  No cakes at lunch. I saw them on the Magic in October but none on the Sunshine.  Desserts were kind of Blah!

Oh no!  I'm so hoping they have them by mid February.  I wonder why some ships have them and some don't?

You would think it would be fleet wide by now.

18 hours ago, sailingwithfriends said:

I believe the Sunshine might be different than other ships with the aft balconies, not just the aft-wraps. My friends were in the cabin next to ours. They were on the very back next to the aft-wrap on Deck 6. We opened the divider between the two balconies. They had an overhang that was almost the entire length of the deck.  

I was enjoying your Sunshine review from a few years back and wanted to ask if you remember where you

purchased your battery operated doorbell or what brand it was?  That's an awesome idea and I wouldn't have

thought about it!

16 hours ago, Magic City Cruiser said:

Oh, My! We cruised for 5 years. Then, splurged on a Balcony. I'm not sure I'll ever go back to OV!!

That's funny - we are the exact opposite.  We booked our first cruise in 2004 in an OV guarantee cabin

and got upgraded to a balcony cabin (they did those things waaaay back then and it was free not an 

upgrade).  Anyway, that spoiled us to a balcony - which was good PR on Carnival's part I suppose.

However, we started fostering in 2005 and did not cruise again until 2011 but our cruises in 2011

and in 2012 were balcony cabins as well.  Starting in 2014 we went to OV cabins but we have

cruised at least 2 times a year give or take since then instead of just 1 time a year.  We've had a

balcony cabin or 2 mixed in - 1 on the Magic on the Lido deck forward which was awesome

and last May I received a call to upgrade from an OV on the Fantasty to a Grand 

Suite and did it because it was for my daughter's college graduation.  I'm really looking forward to

this aft balcony cabin.  If money were no object - I'd definitely have a balcony cabin every time...

Maybe one day!!

We always prefer mid ship to aft and really more toward aft.  Deck wise I'd rather not be down really

low but we have been before when we were cruising on a budget and then last February when we

stayed in a family oceanview cabin for 5 on the Magic.  It wasn't too bad though - but my husband can't do 

stairs so it's a pain to have to catch the elevator all the time.

2 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

You are allowed to bring on extension cords (as long as they don't have surge protectors built in) - folks need them for CPAP machines, etc.  However, usually you only need a 10 ft cord for use in the room - to get out to the balcony would probably be at least 15 to 20 ft - the plug is closer to the hallway door than the balcony door.  Not sure whether Carnival would have an issue with such a long cord.

That's what I was worried about too - wondering if it would be a flag to bring a longer one.  Thanks!

14 hours ago, audcc77 said:

 

^^^^ This is what we did and it was BEAUTIFUL.   

 

OP - There is a video on You Tube about an aft cabin near yours.  Those are very nice aft cabins.   We had something similar on the Valor and Breeze.

 

At the end of this month, we had booked an aft cabin on the Fascination.  After I saw the youtube video of aft cabins on the Fascination, I see that they were nothing more than interior rooms (no couch) with a marginally larger balcony.  I was able to get a grand suite for a few dollars more so I went for it.  

 

After my last cruise, I'll never book another cabin without looking for a youtube video which shows something similar.

 

Those Sunshine aft balconies have a nice overhang, so that's the part I'd like b/c I like shade.

 

Hope you have a great time on your cruise.

 

 

I'll definitely check for that you-tube video.  Thanks

17 hours ago, jayscore said:

Being an "aft rat", I wouldn't trade this location for anything. Yes, it can get HOT back there during the day, but that view can't be beat! Talk of soot, vibration, and privacy are a very minor experience.

Our first two cruises were inside cabins, the rest one form of aft, aft wrap, or Vista Suite. Does that give you a clue how much we like this location? 😺

Yes it does!  I'm just hoping we don't like it that much because of the $!  Thank you!

17 hours ago, sailingwithfriends said:

We have been on Deck 6 Aft on the Sunshine and will be in the same cabin in February.  The Aft Cabins on the Sunshine are different than any other ship. They were added during the major overhaul.  We had some friends in one of those cabins and they loved it.  It does have an overhang so you will not always be in the sun. On some aft cabins, there is no overhang so it is too hot to be out there during the day. Not on Deck 5 & 6 of Sunshine.

This is great to hear - I was hoping there would be somewhat of an overhang for my husband at least.  Thank you!

Thank you all for your responses - we are looking forward to having our first one.

I'm kind of hoping we don't like it too much because we've been doing OV in order

to cruise more and save money but since this was a couples only cruise we decided

we would splurge this time.

Probably a crazy question but ... How long of an extension cord do you think you would

need to have a fan on the balcony and would Carnival let you bring one on?  We sometimes request 

a fan for our cabin anyway because we are used to having one for white noise at home and  I thought it might 

could do double duty and help keep us cooler on the balcony as well.  

So excited!  This will be our first aft balcony and my Platinum cruise.

We will be on the Sunshine on deck 5 and it is an ambulatory accessible cabin (5344) since my husband has

mobility issues.  

Can any of you tell me what I should expect and what will be different from a regular balcony and this

aft balcony cabin?  I'm really hoping that we will spend lots of time out here but I'm concerned about the 

heat and lack of wind/air since we will be aft.  I love the sun - not so much the heat, but my husband

isn't a big fan of the sun.  Just wondering if we will be able to both hang out there and maybe me be

in the sun and him in the shade.

Any info you guys have will be appreciated.  This is a Mom and Dad cruise only - leaving all 7 kids at

home for some much needed R & R and that's exactly what we plan on doing!

Also, any added tips for Aruba would be appreciated as well.  Our first time to Aruba and Curacao.

Lots of firsts for this cruise.

2 hours ago, K&RCurt said:

 

We did the ABCs on the Victory last year.  How long are you in Curacao?  We did a Carnival "sunset cruise" excursion and it was awesome!  The boat left from just inward of the swinging bridge, past the inner cruise ship berth, did a tour of the harbor area, then we went through the swinging bridge and out into the sea, went South East down the coast then turned around in time for the sunset, which was stunning.  We then went North West, past and very close to the ship and they let us off at the second cruise pier which was not in use, so we had a short walk back to the ship.  If you are in port long enough and this is offered I would highly recommend it.

We already  have a tour lined up for Curacao and I think we leave before sunset anyway.  I'm really looking for something in

Aruba.  I'm hoping to find us a driver for the day so we can do a sightseeing tour and then spend some time at the beach.