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I'm on the Sunshine !


campdaan
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Embarked on the Sunshine yesterday, March 3, 2018.

 

Flew out of Boston Friday morning before Armageddon hit, with heavy rains, wind, and flight cancellations.

 

The itinerary has been reversed, so rather than head for Grand Turk, we are headed to St. Maarten.

 

This is my 15th Carnival Cruise, and this is the oldest and smallest ship I've sailed on. So far, the Sunshine has been awesome.

 

We are on Lido deck and lo and behold, we have a fridge in our room. Which was unexpected by all reports here. The shower is huge compared to every othe ship we have been on. And Emma, the Cruise director is awesome.

 

The Ship is rockin and rollin, but it's all good.

 

I'll check stuff out for people, if you like, but don't expect me to post fun times, camp carnival stuff, etc.

 

Just want to add. I pre-purchased the middle Internet plan, and it has been awesome. I'm able to play YouTube stuff and surf my favorite sites at a reasonable speed.

 

More later.

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I'm sitting on my double balcony as we surf along.

 

The Captain gave his noontime update by saying we were sailing South in 12-15 foot swells that are coming from the North, so we are basically surfing.

 

When I look at the horizon and line it up with a fixed item, like a railing, I can gauge our motion and it's pretty cool.

Side to side is minimal, but looking towards the back of the ship, it's obvious we are going up and down.

 

I used this motion as an excuse for my 6-7 putts on the par 2 mini golf... Not that I'm that good anyways.

 

We did the steakhouse last night which was great as always, but they were really slow and dragged out the time between courses. Total time was almost 2 1/2 hours.

Which was actually great quality time with the family.

 

I had the flamin' tomato soup and salmon eggs Benedict at brunch this morning, which was as great as I remembered.

 

Just had a Guy's burger. The ringer. Which was just fine.

 

I'm a little disappointed that the only news on TV is the fake news channel, and its fake sub-channels, but the good internet has made up for it.

 

Speaking of the TV, I noticed there was a double outlet behind it, and I plugged in a multiple outlet tap for all my chargers. There is also a double outlet by the phone. Which I plugged in a small LED nightlight, and it throws the perfect amount of light to navigate that trip to the bathroom.

 

The roulette tables are only $5 minimum, compared to $10 minimum on the Magic last year, and the Glory the year before. And I'm even at the table, and have had some quality time there playing, and teasing the drinkers and smokers.

 

Music on the Lido has been great. Glad they turned down the volume from previous cruises. Nothing worse than shouting to people right next to you as your ears bleed.

 

More later.

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:cool: We went to St. Maarten in Jan. on the Sunshine. There is a new excursion that will take you to the highest mountain on the island. There is a small old farm house and the sky ride. There is also a sip line there if your into that sort of thing. $50. extra I thought it a bit high but people were enjoying it. It's not far from the port and a great time. 54 days before I board the Sunshine for an 8 day. Your post got me all excited about our next cruise . Thanks (LOL)

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One question I have for you is: How easy is it to book non-Carnival excursions? I'm hoping I can just walk off the ship and find some vendors selling excursions as I am hoping to save money by booking on land.

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One question I have for you is: How easy is it to book non-Carnival excursions? I'm hoping I can just walk off the ship and find some vendors selling excursions as I am hoping to save money by booking on land.

 

Easiest way I've found is to do your homework and look at the ports of call boards here on Cruisecritic.

 

Not only will you get firsthand reviews, you will also find who is the most reputable.

 

I've walked off the ship and found excursions, but it's usually a taxi tour, or transportation to a specific site.

 

The WOW excursions, like catamarans or speedboats usually sell out in advance, so booking them ahead of time is the key.

 

Anytime you are in a foreign place, you should be very careful whom you choose.

 

Don't be the guy who saved a few bucks and becomes the next YouTube sensation doing the wave to the ship as it leaves his ass on the dock.

Or worse.

 

Just my opinion.

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We were on the Sunshine the week before...high winds the whole time - get used to the rockin' 'n rollin'. I was sick the night before St Martin and had been collecting some coin charms offered at by a jeweler at each port but didn't feel well enough to take the water taxi. Hoping someone on this sailing might help me out and mail me one?

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My family and I sail on the Sunshine in June. We are big soccer fans and the World Cup will be playing at that time. Can you go by the sports bar and ask them if they have Telemundo? (The Spanish broadcast rights are with Telemundo. English is on FS1, which I know the ship doesn’t carry.)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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There is a big advantage to some of the older smaller ships! They tend to have larger bathrooms and esp showers. Esp HAL with the combo shower & tub. The ships

Are Getting way to big and not Enjoyable at times.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

On the Sunshine...balcony bathrooms are strange. Toilet sits at an angle and my husband said he had to stand (or sit) with one of his size 15's in the shower.

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Did the Steakhouse have the new menu? What did you order and do you recommend? We will be on the Sunshine in 11 days and are booked for the Steakhouse the first night!!! CANNOT WAIT!

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Did the Steakhouse have the new menu? What did you order and do you recommend?

 

Hi Peggy.

 

The Steakhouse still has the old menu.

 

I had the jumbo shrimp appetizer, Surf and Turf, and the fruit plate for dessert.

 

I chose those just because I didn't want a HUGE meal.

 

Everything there is nothing less than wonderful.

 

Have a great Cruise.

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:cool: We went to St. Maarten in Jan. on the Sunshine. There is a new excursion that will take you to the highest mountain on the island. There is a small old farm house and the sky ride. There is also a zip line there if your into that sort of thing. $50. extra...

 

 

Thanks for the tip.

 

 

I booked the Golden Eagle catamaran and snorkel excursion online through Carnival a few weeks ago because our usual go to is Orient Beach, which still looks devastated from the hurricane.

 

 

I'm glad I did this one through Carnival because of our itinerary change.

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Consider going to JiJi's Asian. It is amazing. I had food I never would have tried (I am picky) like pork belly and duck that were very good. The price is very reasonable. My husband only wants to sail on JiJi ships now, but that limits us too much. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

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Well... it looks like we are in for some more adventure !

 

The Captain announced that the conditions in St. Maarten were windy and rough. So we are going to skip that port and go to St. Thomas instead.

 

Our excursion has already been refunded.

 

Aside from that, it's been a nice sea day, Sunny and warm, with a Little Rock and roll.

 

More later.

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