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I ate three on my last cruise. I didn’t care for the fries.

Th-th-th-th-that’s all folks!

Thank you for the kind words and for sailing along for the review. Maybe next cruise we can see HMC again.

Awesome review and rip-roaring read. Thank you for sharing your story.

I’m not sure. He was talking about being ready for time off. I hope he’s there when you sail.

Friday, February 2, 2024 - Sea Day (#5 for us!) Groundhog Day 🎵🎶🎵🎵 Babe I got you, Babe I got you, Babe. 🎵🎶🎵🎵 Now that it’s officially Groundhog Day, we can change things up a bit. I headed to the Havana Bar for some good coffee to start the day right. This was a really great indoor area of the ship. Please don’t tell everyone, it would be too bad if it started getting really crowded! 😉 Havana Bar It was a pretty cold day, so most of our time was spent inside. We did have to visit the Lido deck for Lunch and The Blue Iguana Cantina, however, indoors was a more comfortable place to be. We also made additional trips to the Havana Bar, particularly right before dinner. Tonight is our inaugural visit to JiJi’s. I owe the folks on this board a huge thank you for reviewing the restaurant and speaking so highly of the food. As someone who has eaten in Chicago’s Chinatown a great deal, I will admit that I was a little skeptical. Now I’m a believer. Wow! We ordered chicken spring rolls and duck. Fortunately for me, he’s not a huge fan of duck so more for me. We also got Singapore shrimp and Kung Pao Chicken. Both were excellent. We were both blissing out. We opted for just two of four offered sides and tried the eggplant and fried rice. Both were really good. For dessert, he got the crème brûlée and I got the wonton. He loved his. I liked the wonton part of mine, but prefer my tapioca pearls in Boba. Please don’t go to JiJi’s. I don’t want them to keep raising the price. Overall, I really enjoyed our cruise where we had the ship as the only real destination. It wasn’t the plan, but it was really enjoyable. Our fellow cruisers were mostly a polite and happy group of people. The friendly and kind passengers mostly made this an enjoyable experience. The vibe onboard was upbeat and, you guessed it, FUN. No false advertising here. The rare exceptions to this were probably those who are unhappy no matter what. I don’t let them bring me down. If you go, enjoy the last season cruising out of Charleston. I’m disappointed that the port will no longer be available but I feel blessed to have been able to enjoy one cruise from there. If you have ever had James Love, CD on your cruise you will understand why I close with this simple phrase. Bye Y’all!

Sadly, yes, a noticeable drop in attentiveness was noted right before the entrees were delivered. They got slammed, and I am a slow eater and am pretty low maintenance, however, it’s my understanding that part of the experience is for them to serve the food and wine (think corkage with BYO). For that reason, I have to honestly report that they were overwhelmed. Thank you for the compliment. I will look forward to reading your live review. Those are great, and yet, probably not something I would attempt. I benefit from reflection.

Thursday, February 1, 2024 - Half Moon Cay turned Sea Day (Continued) Babe I got you, Babe I got you, Babe. 🎵🎶🎵🎵 Yes, this certainly is Groundhog Day. During the day at least. The evening, however, is an opportunity for new experiences and adventure. We dined in the Steakhouse this evening. It was a fairly decent meal with attentive service during the first half of the meal. The highlights were the mushrooms and the fruit bowl dessert (I know we are weird, but we really like fresh, tropical fruit). Afterwards, tonight is the 80’s party on the Lido. It was advertised as rock. I only heard two rock songs, but we had a blast anyway. Lots of fun dancing and singing. Let me just warn you, they did play Mony, Mony. Please don’t forget that if you intend to sing the alternative lyrics to use the term ice cream. 😉 Following the Lido deck party, we returned to our room. Here is where I’m going to share some photos of the stateroom. As background, I had read numerous reviews complaining about the salty windows. As luck would have it, they would finally be cleaned near the end of our voyage. Here’s how this went… We returned to a hang tag on our cabin door: “Windows cleaning tomorrow. Please Cover Up.” What I want to know, is how do we cover up the windows? Do we cover near the bed? Or do we cover the balcony door? The curtain was not sufficient to cover the entire window of the room. I guess we will hide in the bathroom or scare the cleaning crew. C’est La Vie. I actually found this puzzling and amusing in equal measure. We should probably get some sleep prior to the official Groundhog Day, Final Sea Day…..

Thursday, February 1, 2024 - Half Moon Cay We awoke at a decent hour and noticed that we were anchored near half Moon Cay. Well, I didn’t expect that, it was really choppy last night. In fact, it was choppy enough that I could hear the creaking and groaning of the metal of the ship. I’ve experienced worse. Much worse. Because of that, when we when we got out of bed, I fully expected us to not be at the island. Maybe today will go better than I thought. We got a great table in the MDR with a wonderful view of the island. We have been here before and really enjoyed it. I could see quite a bit of chop and some whitecaps, so I wasn’t optimistic that we were staying, but I wanted to believe. As you might imagine, while we were eating breakfast, we were underway, watching the island recede in the distance. Honestly, I’m really glad they made that call. On our last cruise, we had gone to a private island of another cruise line and a storm blew in while we were there. It hadn’t quite reached us, however, the winds got there early. It was brutal getting off the tender and walking across the gangway back onto the ship. I’m not particularly tall, however, I had a rough time bending over, trying not to hit my head. In that instance, our balcony was right over the tender gangway and we sat on our balcony, and observed at least three code alphas to respond to injuries. Kudos to Captain Contario for making that call. I appreciate Carnival for doing the right thing even though it meant yet another Sea Day. Ironically, tomorrow is February 2 - Groundhog Day! This entire cruise feels like the movie. Every day is like a repeat of the previous one. Of course, I’m not complaining, I’m on a cruise!

Good call. While I was up there an attendant asked if I needed help because I was standing on a tower for an extended period of time. I gestured to the next tower and the “doozy” of an element just beyond. There wad a child most of the way across but frozen at the point where the ropes seemed to sag. The climb up to the tower was too much for even me. Poor child! They instructed someone to step on the other end to raise the ropes and increase the likelihood the child could climb up to the next tower. Not recommended.

You are correct. I might investigate the current situation. I hope all is well for them

Oh, no. This is not live. I like to reminisce rather than report. I hope the current voyage is going well and all are safe.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 - Nassau Wow, Nassau looks different. The last time we were here was the week after Dorian hit Abaco. I knew they were building a new port area, so I wasn’t shocked, but it has definitely changed. As you might imagine, we opted to stay on the ship. We’ve been here quite a few times and thought it might be nice to have a day to relax and enjoy what the ship had to offer without the crowds. Balcony View - Nassau: We had a pretty uneventful breakfast and walk on the jogging track. I was eyeballing the ropes course, since I am up for adventures. He was having none of that. Round two to me. We set a meeting time and place and I gave him my phone since I couldn’t take it with me. I have to tell you, this ropes course is unlike any other I have been on. Some of the ropes seemed a bit stretchy. I wonder how long it’s been since they have done an overhaul on the elements? Maybe I’m just getting old. OK no maybe about it, I’m old. I completed the closed loop, but I’ve got to tell you that three elements from the end there was one that was a doozy. I had seen a small child just beyond that point a few days ago crying hysterically. Now I know why. I was ready to go into the fetal position by this point. Good thing I will be done after two more elements. On the very last rope, there was something that surprised me a bit. If you ask me if I will try that again, I’ll just say “frayed knot.” Literally and figuratively. One and done. When I went to find AJ at our meeting spot. He wasn’t there. Seriously? I walked around for a while and then went upstairs and peeked in the library. Fortunately for him, I just happened to see him in there. He waved at me and smiled and said “I texted you”, and I said “well you have my phone remember?” Evidently he didn’t remember. Round three to me. No more beverages for him. The rest of the day and night was fairly uneventful. We spent some time in the serenity area and I highly recommend it. The waterfall is really nice and the clamshells are a great place to hang out if you want to stay out of the sun. There are plenty of comfy looking lounge chairs as well, and we really enjoyed spending time there. Serenity Waterfall: A little more wine on the balcony before dinner was a really nice touch to the day. We just had dinner in the MDR and it was fine. Suddenly, we’re getting wake view tables. Awesome! We wanted to get to sleep a little earlier tonight because tomorrow is Half Moon Cay and we really wanted to rent stand up paddle boards and enjoy the day on the island. Good night Sunshine and hello island time.

Thank you. I loved the cruise and am happy to have the opportunity to share my thoughts with others.

Thank you for the encouragement. Now I’m jealous. I want to go again.

Glad to have you sailing along.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 - Sea Day 1 Since we had not sailed on Carnival in a while, we were ready to try our first Sea Day Brunch. I found the menu to be breakfast-forward, which I preferred. It was such a treat to have somebody else cook and serve our food. I could get used to that. Brunch was pretty good. I liked the eggs Benedict. Not sure what he ate, but I remember a lot of plates arriving at our table in front of him vs. my single plate. I wish I could eat like that. We spent a lot of time exploring the ship. Since we had not been on the Sunshine before, we walked pretty much everywhere. I thought the sports court was decent, however, was disappointed that there was no promenade deck all the way around the ship. Not a huge big deal. It’s just small stuff. The atrium was pretty cool, however, it was pretty congested. I did like that all of the public areas of the ship really showed the benefit of the refurbishment. The passenger cabins, perhaps not so much. This wasn’t a big deal for us. The cabin was more than adequate, and our steward was amazing. Shout out to Arnold! He’s the man. Atrium: After some exploration, AJ decided to hit the casino. I was nervous. We went anyway. Round one to him. He loves roulette. There was only one other player, so we sat down and got some chips. The first spin was double zero so all the chips went away. The next spin, the other gentleman won straight up. He cashed his chips in, left a tip and walked away. Next spin, AJ won straight up! Oh my, the croupier just had two in a row. AJ cashed in his chips, provided a tip to Portia, and away we went. Not expecting the windfall, AJ decided that he would donate to the cause and take us to dinner at JiJi’s the final night. Tonight is elegant night. We enjoyed dinner and a glass of wine in the MDR. Prior to that, we had enjoyed our own wine on our balcony. Bonus points to Carnival for allowing one bottle per passenger. Cool phenomenon was observed. Did you know that when the sun is descending in the sky near the juicy Caribbean clouds, if it’s at just the right angle and you’re wearing sunglasses, you can see rainbows in the void spots in the clouds? I’ve never observed this before. If you haven’t done it already, make sure to book a cruise to see if you can replicate this phenomenon. So cool! We couldn’t get photos because it didn’t work without the sunglasses. Next time I’ll use them between the camera and the clouds to see if that works as a filter. We hit the Alchemy Bar and brought our beverages to the piano Bar. If Andy is playing while you’re aboard, make sure to request Sweet Caroline. Evidently he can’t stand the song. If you’re a single person, look out. He’s working it! Funny story, we were having a little wave action in the middle of the night and we heard a loud bang. I thought it was one of our more thoughtful neighbors, however, he thought I was up and about the cabin even though I was laying right beside him. Here’s how this went: Him: Can you get me a water? Me: No, I’m not getting up. Him: Oh, I thought you were in the fridge. Me: No, I don’t fit in there. Him: (Silence) Me: (Thinking - that went right over his head.) A pretty uneventful day, other than the casino hit and the slightly rough seas. Let’s see what kind of mischief we can create tomorrow when we get to Nassau.

I hope to do the voyage and experience justice.

That’s part of the charm.

Monday - January 29, 2024 Today is the anxiously awaited embarkation day. From the time we reached the port until we stepped on board was about 1.5 hours. No status nor FTF for us on this voyage. Oh well. First order of business is to add our $500 gift card to the S&S since we scored one for $450 just days prior to sailing. Next up, the “mustard” drill. Business behind us, we both wanted to try a Guy’s Burger. That didn’t exist on our last CCL cruise, so we were excited to try it. YUM! I’m not a food photographer, just suffice it to say, I didn’t plan on having this more than once, but we both found it to be one of the best lunch offerings so why not go for it? In no time, we were offered an adult beverage and vacation officially has begun. As we were finishing up our burger bliss-fest, the staff came by and whispered to us that our rooms were ready (before the announcement). We decided to pop down and check it out. We were not disappointed with the room, but I will save photos of it to tell you a tale that happened near the end of our journey. You can’t make this stuff up. Stay tuned……. What I can say is what do the stateroom beds and Chevy Trucks have in common? They’re both LIKE A ROCK! An oddity of Charleston is the noise ordinance. We noticed that the sail away party was 45 minutes after leaving port. With that in mind, we headed back to the Havana Bar to watch the wake while we awaited the opportunity to Wobble and do the Cupid Shuffle. I enjoyed the Havana Bar a great deal as far as areas inside the ship. We sat and looked out the window and observed a pod of dolphins and the Ravenel Bridge as we sailed away from beautiful Charleston. While there, some news popped up on my phone that the US had issued a level 2 travel alert for the Bahamas due to the number of murders and associated gang violence. Whelp, I was really only looking to either check out the rum distillery (still haven’t been there) or find a place to enjoy some Kalik (it’s a tradition for us). Big sigh. Not sure we will leave the ship. With fewer on board, we can enjoy the ship in relative peace. Pod of Dolphins Ravenel Bridge The deck party was mandatory after our view of the wake during sail away. James Love, our amazing cruise director, hosted a really great deck party. Best Ever! I don’t say that lightly. Up next, the evening festivities. Oh, boy….. The basic part of the evening was dinner in the MDR. He really liked his shrimp cocktail and BBQ salmon a’la Emeril. I liked the short ribs and thought Emeril’s crawfish appetizer was okay. The remolaude was the star. After dinner, we were able to sneak into the early comedy show. It was SRO and we were fortunate to find a place to stand in the back. The comedian, as well as the host, warned everyone multiple times that the door was available to those who were easily offended. Literally, they said it at least three times, and with emphasis. He came out and had a pretty funny set. We laughed….a lot. Near the end of the set, he was talking about the “famous” blue pill when someone from the audience yelled out “that’s why I take it 8 hours early “. The comedian just went with it, but I was wondering why the audience member wanted to advertise. I hope he planned ahead to avoid her saying “whadaya mean we have to wait 8 hours?” Some people…TMI. Shortly after, a woman came up on stage, grabbed the comedian’s bottle of water, took a drink from it, put it down and yelled “Good Night” before fleeing the room. I thought she was a plant, but he seemed truly stunned. They didn’t kick her off the ship, because she was at the piano bar with us the next night. Oh, the company we keep! The rest of the night was comparatively uneventful so I’m going to try to remember what happened the next day…our “official” first sea day.

Thank you to all who have opted in to come along for the ride. I hope it’s entertaining for you. I realized fairly quickly that writing a cruise review is not for the faint hearted. Much respect to those who write reviews. I’m working on my next installment. Please hang in there while I try to paint the picture.

Just a short week ago, on a blustery day in the beautiful Carolinas, we embarked upon a journey like no other in our experience. We have been cruising for over 20 years and found an option on Carnival where we could easily drive to the port. Can you give me a Heck ya? This entire trip turned out to be a twisted tale of the unexpected. It was really enjoyable, but not exactly what I had envisioned when I hit the final payment button. Jump aboard if you’re up for a tale of vacation irony sprinkled with minor frustrations and the occasional glimpse at my unusual sense of humor. We arrived in Charleston the day prior to embarkation and stayed at the Charleston Marriott. It was a blustery day, and we were tired and craving our Sunday football fix so we stayed in for the night. The most noteworthy part of this experience was our room. The hotel did right by us and we landed an upgrade to a two room, two bath suite. The trouble is, try going from this to your standard balcony cruise ship cabin. I must say, the universe has quite the sense of humor. Here are a few quick shots from our suite. Bedroom: Bath ( One of two identical) Living Room: Up next, embarkation day. I’ll be working on that while you decide if you will join us for “Mr. And Mrs. Toad’s Wild Ride.”

Thank you so much! This is so helpful!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I hope to find your uncensored musings in the future. Loved your dream interpretation with the granite. Sometimes you have to break it down before you can move it forward. I sense you'll be up to the task......

"those aren't pillows!" 😉