A(nother) SUNSHINE review from a review rookie 4-19-14 to 4-27-14

[cruisinbilly]

After about 45 minutes of snorkeling we were ready to go. The guide was very aware of other people in the water and had us be very careful about where we were driving. On the way out we passed some boats with the ladies going au natural. In the states you don’t see that but I know it is well accepted in other places around the world. We were just off the French side of the island and I didn’t mind a bit. No pictures as that would be rude.

 

When we were back on land and had tipped our guide we bought some cheap drinks and rested a few. We thought we might have to call a cab but I decided to stand on the side of the road to see if I could flag one down. Sure enough in about 5 minutes a van pulls over and is willing to take us to Maho Beach to see some airplane action. It turns out we stopped one of the buses that are cheaper than cabs and it cost us $1.50 a person for the ride. We had a feeling Sunset Beach Bar at Maho would be packed with a lot of ships in port today and we were right. A few of the group had never seen the planes so we stayed about 30 minutes to get some pictures and that was about it.

 

 

 

The four from Michigan wanted to head back to the ship but Gina and Alex wanted to shop. Of course Paul and I are part of the shopping team whether we like it or not so the cab dropped us off downtown and took the others back to the port. It was getting kind of late and we didn’t want a big meal so we looked for something quick. Wouldn’t you know we ended up at McDonald’s. I really couldn’t go any longer without eating something so it would have to do. We walked the streets and shops and took advantage of the dollar beers and cheap daiquiris they sell at almost every corner. Paul and Alex bought some rum and then we caught the water taxi for $5 each back to the pier.

 

 

Of course once back at the cruise pier area we had to do some more shopping. We finally headed back to the boat and went to clean up. We met the group for dinner about 6 again and boy was I hungry. I think I ate more this night than any other. The only thing it did was make me sleepy. We attempted trivia again but no go on the free drink. We were going to get the fish bowl for the girls but maybe tomorrow. We headed to bed and found this in our room.

 

 

Our ports are now all done and we will have our second fun day at sea tomorrow.

[cruisinbilly]

This day is what I love about an 8 day cruise. Normally this would be the day before you have to leave but with 2 sea days at the end of the cruise I can drink what I want today and use tomorrow to rest up and relax before heading home. We slept in today and settled for chairs on deck 14. I think everyone had enough sun so we were more about relaxing than sunning. The morning was spent snacking and relaxing (when the noise from the lido wasn’t blaring). The cruise critic roll call group was supposed to have an open bar meet and greet but for some reason it was pushed from the first sea day. The organizer Dan had it moved to this day at 12:30 and it was for 2 hours for $20 per person. I wasn’t sure how he was able to obtain the old party pricing but I wasn’t going to complain either. Knowing we would have to eat something first we packed up about 11:30 and hit the burrito bar. The party was in the piano bar and was a blast. There weren’t a lot of people there but everyone seemed to have a good time.

 

 

These were our rubber duckie cup holders. One of them was mortally wounded

 

 

After the party we caught the end of the Love and Marriage show and did some shopping. Then it was time for a nap and to get ready for dinner. We were a bit late for dinner and our normal section was full. They placed us on the other side of the dining room and the service was the total opposite of what we had the rest of the week. The food took forever to get there and the staff wasn’t on the friendly side. This goes to show how on the same ship in the same dining room you can get totally opposite experiences. Half the group was tired tonight so after trivia they called it a night. The rest of us decided to hit the comedy. The comic tonight was Mutzie and although he was funny at times it was hard to enjoy the show. Tonight was the first night we didn’t get in early enough to have a decent seat so we were seated at a table for 4 close to the entrance. Most of the people who came in after us had the standing room only and blocked our view of the comic. There was a TV beside us so we could see him but a group a few tables in front of us who were having a really good time with the drinks forgot the concept of keeping table talk to a minimum. We missed half the jokes because we couldn’t hear. Barely able to keep my eyes open we headed back to the room to find this.

 

 

Well tomorrow will be the last day of our cruise. Hopefully time to relax and be lazy.

[cruisinbilly]

We were up pretty early today and were able to get our chairs next to the waterfall. I had no plans on being anywhere for most of the day so naps with the earphones took most of my time. We did take time to head down the water slides.

 

 

Everyone decided to head to the room mid afternoon to make sure we were on time for dinner and start the dreaded packing. We wanted to make sure we had our normal table to spend one last night with the amazing dining staff and leave them with an extra tip and a hug good bye. After dinner it was one more trivia and what do you know we won again. This time our Trivia host Alex said since it was the last night he was giving two drinks to the winners. The girls got a fish bowl of something delicious looking and the guys sucked down another tube of Red Frog.

 

 

Alex and the girls

 

Alex stayed and drank a few with us and filled us in on some more stories of crew craziness. He turned out to be a pretty good guy who just takes his job on a cruise ship way too serious. If you win at trivia in the evenings when he is getting off his shift offer Alex a drink and you will see what I mean. We stayed so long talking that we missed the comedy show but it was well worth it. Everyone went their separate ways to enjoy the evening. Gina and I decided to get some pictures of the ship at night and then get some pizza since we had forgot to eat it all week.

 

 

 

 

We were off to the room to pack the last of our things and found this.

 

 

I thought we were done for the night but Gina had to make a run to the Cherry on Top candy store before they closed. Finally it was bedtime on our last night with only our travel day home. Next up headed home and final thoughts.

[cruisinbilly]

We planned on doing self assist and leaving the ship about 9 to catch our shuttle to the airport so we didn’t meet for breakfast till about 8. The lines in the lobby to actually get dinged out were pretty slow but once you made it to the gangway it was smooth sailing. We were out waiting at our shuttle check in by 9:30 and headed to the airport about 10. Cocoa Beach was on time again and put us in a larger van that held 26 this time. One stop at a hotel was all we had before being dropped off at the airport. The security line was really long and this was the longest we waited for anything all week. Our flight back was at 12:50 so once in the terminal we didn’t have to sit around very long before we were on our way. It was another successful vacation of fun, sun, friends, and plenty of memories.

 

[cruisinbilly]

I do believe a vacation is what you make of it. My DW and I have never had a bad cruise and that’s because we have fun no matter what. With that said you can still have a bad opinion about things on your vacation. I have to say unless the Sunshine is going to a place I have to visit I wouldn’t book the ship again. Some of the things Carnival did were amazing and added to the enjoyment of the trip. The Serenity area was a gem and we took advantage of it most of the week. The fact that you hear the lido noise can really put a damper on the fun but I was able to ignore it with my headphones when I wanted to. The comedy club area is really a joke. I know they restructured the format for 3 shows in a night to try and move more people in and out but it just doesn’t work when you pack in the people for the standing room only and it crowds the people with seats. The lido buffet does seem to flow better but the narrow spaces down each side leading to the burrito bar and the Guy’s burger place is almost impassable at times. The Havana bar in the back where the pool used to be is a pretty cool spot to hang out but the aft adults only pool was our favorite hang out on a ship so I wasn’t thrilled with the change. I loved having a pool with a bar, ice cream station, pizza, and the lido a few steps away all with the great view off the back of the ship. The other part that I really missed was the seats next to the windows on deck 5 by the casino and down the hallway. They used to have a band that would play and lots of seating both close and far to listen to the music and gather and talk with friends. I can appreciate trying to open it up and clear some congestion but this change really takes away from the experience. Well I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a review and if you have any questions I will be happy to try and answer them. If I don’t know I will ask Gina and she will probably know. Like I said in the beginning she is addicted to cruising. :)

[bubbakirk43]

Great review ,loved the pictures ,and all the different sights where y'all went.

[cruisinbilly]

Great review ,loved the pictures ,and all the different sights where y'all went.

 

Thanks for following along. We really had a blast this trip!!

[Tutontow]

I do believe a vacation is what you make of it. My DW and I have never had a bad cruise and that’s because we have fun no matter what. With that said you can still have a bad opinion about things on your vacation. I have to say unless the Sunshine is going to a place I have to visit I wouldn’t book the ship again. Some of the things Carnival did were amazing and added to the enjoyment of the trip. The Serenity area was a gem and we took advantage of it most of the week. The fact that you hear the lido noise can really put a damper on the fun but I was able to ignore it with my headphones when I wanted to. The comedy club area is really a joke. I know they restructured the format for 3 shows in a night to try and move more people in and out but it just doesn’t work when you pack in the people for the standing room only and it crowds the people with seats. The lido buffet does seem to flow better but the narrow spaces down each side leading to the burrito bar and the Guy’s burger place is almost impassable at times. The Havana bar in the back where the pool used to be is a pretty cool spot to hang out but the aft adults only pool was our favorite hang out on a ship so I wasn’t thrilled with the change. I loved having a pool with a bar, ice cream station, pizza, and the lido a few steps away all with the great view off the back of the ship. The other part that I really missed was the seats next to the windows on deck 5 by the casino and down the hallway. They used to have a band that would play and lots of seating both close and far to listen to the music and gather and talk with friends. I can appreciate trying to open it up and clear some congestion but this change really takes away from the experience. Well I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a review and if you have any questions I will be happy to try and answer them. If I don’t know I will ask Gina and she will probably know. Like I said in the beginning she is addicted to cruising. :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us. You are so correct, a vacation as with most things in life is what you make of it. I often scratch my head at some of the comments I read hear. A cruise and cruise ships have to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. I tell the story of talking to a someone who helped write WordPerfect in the good old days. He explained that they know no one will use every feature of the program but you have to make appeal to a lot of different users. To me that sounds like cruise ships.

 

What really gets me is when somebody goes on a week long cruise and they let 4 or 5 things ruin their cruise. If it is something major I would have to deal with and get it fixed, otherwise I would just have to work around it. Much like you if it is too noisy or too busy some place I would find a work around. As far as the dining room goes if I am getting slow or poor service I would have to move and keep moving until I was happy. This isn't like going to a local restaurant where if it is bad you don't go back, you are stuck there for a week

 

The other thing is we are not afraid to comment, complain or generally ask questions. Rather than sit there and fume find out why they do things the way they do. You never know they might accommodate you or give you an acceptable answer. Or you just might have to deal with it.

 

Once again I enjoyed your report and we will be on the Sunshine in three weeks and I guarantee you no matter what we will have a good time.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Tutontow

[wrigley80]

Awesome Review. We were on the Sunshine in December and we met Alex as well....he is a little stiff at first ;)

[nunuc2000]

Great review Billy! Sure wish y'all were joining us in October, but since you can't we'll have to keep an eye on each other's cruises and cruise together again some time - we all had so much fun with your group!! :D

 

Celine

[cruisinbilly]

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us. You are so correct, a vacation as with most things in life is what you make of it. I often scratch my head at some of the comments I read hear. A cruise and cruise ships have to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. I tell the story of talking to a someone who helped write WordPerfect in the good old days. He explained that they know no one will use every feature of the program but you have to make appeal to a lot of different users. To me that sounds like cruise ships.

 

What really gets me is when somebody goes on a week long cruise and they let 4 or 5 things ruin their cruise. If it is something major I would have to deal with and get it fixed, otherwise I would just have to work around it. Much like you if it is too noisy or too busy some place I would find a work around. As far as the dining room goes if I am getting slow or poor service I would have to move and keep moving until I was happy. This isn't like going to a local restaurant where if it is bad you don't go back, you are stuck there for a week

 

The other thing is we are not afraid to comment, complain or generally ask questions. Rather than sit there and fume find out why they do things the way they do. You never know they might accommodate you or give you an acceptable answer. Or you just might have to deal with it.

 

Once again I enjoyed your report and we will be on the Sunshine in three weeks and I guarantee you no matter what we will have a good time.

 

You sound like we have the same attitude, live happy and you will be happy. Thanks for reading and I KNOW you will have a great cruise on the Sunshine!

[cruisinbilly]

Awesome Review. We were on the Sunshine in December and we met Alex as well....he is a little stiff at first ;)

 

Thank you for reading Wrigley80 and I have loved reading all your reviews! I hope your dad is doing well!!

[xplor97]

Did you have a chance to make it into the nightclub or to see it in action?

Thanaks for the review and all the pictures...I'm really jealous of your Tortola day...Soggy Dollar Bar is on my bucket list.

[cruisinbilly]

Great review Billy! Sure wish y'all were joining us in October, but since you can't we'll have to keep an eye on each other's cruises and cruise together again some time - we all had so much fun with your group!! :D

 

Celine

 

I'm sure we will meet on the high seas again someday!! I predict many more years of cruising with Gina's addiction.

[cruisinbilly]

Did you have a chance to make it into the nightclub or to see it in action?

 

Thanaks for the review and all the pictures...I'm really jealous of your Tortola day...Soggy Dollar Bar is on my bucket list.

 

We did not go to the night club and the only time we were in the lounge was for the VIFP party (or whatever they are calling it now). It feels really cramped being only 2 levels and they split the party into 2 time slots. I think from looking at the configuration that it would be pretty open for the dancing part but probably not as intimate as the old club was. I guess depending on your taste that could be good or bad.

[apey9995]

What a great review- you all look like you'd be alot of fun to cruise with! :) Makes me want to visit Tortola-- doesn't look like that's going to be a very popular spot for the 2015 itineraries though.

[cruisinbilly]

What a great review- you all look like you'd be alot of fun to cruise with! :) Makes me want to visit Tortola-- doesn't look like that's going to be a very popular spot for the 2015 itineraries though.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read it!! I was a little disappointed to see they have cut Tortola but the One Love Charters we used is based in St. Thomas and will take you on day trips all around the Virgin Islands. We will be using them again for sure!

[cruisinbilly]

I have to say enjoying the review will be on Sunchine May 30th was on Legend while you guys were on Sunshine all that said my brother is Paul and sister in law is Alex and video of street is pure Alex gotta love her maybe one day we will cruise together glad you had fun but I understand you guys always find the fun. Bob;)

 

HEY BOB!!!

 

I didn't read this close enough so sorry about that. We would love to cruise with you guys and I have to say how sorry I am that Paul is your brother. I wouldn't wish that beer stealing guy on anyone!! I guess Alex is that way at home too then.

[Jenny in TX]

After reading your review I want to go to Tortola! The pictures are beautiful! Thanks for taking the time to write this review.

[Chef P]

Just curious but how did you get a 2 hour party for $20 ?

[cruisinbilly]

After reading your review I want to go to Tortola! The pictures are beautiful! Thanks for taking the time to write this review.

 

Thank you for reading and Tortola is now one of my favorite ports. Actually Jost Van Dyke and the pictures just can't do it justice!!! It's beautiful!! :)

[cruisinbilly]

Just curious but how did you get a 2 hour party for $20 ?

 

I forgot to mention that part in the review. The guy who set it up was on the repo cruise from New Orleans, the 2 day cruise before ours and this sailing. He told me they had set up the party on the repo cruise before the price change. While attending the party he asked the Carnival rep if he could hold one of these on our 8 day sailing as well and they obliged at the same price. Pretty lucky for us as our group would not have paid the new prices. They are a bit much for my taste!! :eek:

[Chef P]

Thanks for responding

[tdnosnhoj11]

 

 

My husband and I have these little guys too, as well as the flamingos. I've seen seahorses out now that we MUST get! We hadn't even thought about how much attention they would draw on a cruise because we take them out on our boat with us all the time and people are used to seeing us with them. But oh my goodness! At least 20 people must have asked about them. You may know this, but if your order a drink in the regular sized plastic cups on board, they actually float. Any bigger and they topple over and there's some serious alcohol abuse going on in the pool. They need to make these able to float 16 ounces!

[tandemcruzr]

Thanks for the review and the time it took. Tortola has been added to our list of 'to do's.

 

Will be on the SS in Nov on a B2B. Will look into One Love while in St Thomas.