Mother/Daughters Sunshine Cruise to St. Martin, St. Kitts, San Juan, Grand Turk

[jigger]

Amazing !1

[Crazyrbbt]

We finally have plans in St. Thomas now thanks to your review and everyone is excited for it. Thank you so much for all of your time on this review. I have enjoyed reading it and sharing it with my family.

[tbo]

Very much enjoying your review, we are just off the Sunshine this past Sunday. We had such a great time that we booked her again for next February doing the same itinerary that you are reviewing. The hubby and I even booked an extra room to take our sons along for their first cruise. Looking forward to St. Kitts the most I think. You and your girls are all very lovely, thank you for sharing your memories :)

[blessedwith12]

Thanks for all of the kind comments! Sorry for the delay.

 

 

So, that night, Grace and I got ready for dinner first and decided to not wait around for the others. We told them we were going to go down by Coffee Shop and watch the ocean and then head down to the Liquid Lounge where "Pre-Show Fun" was scheduled before the Playlist Production - Studio VIP.

 

Well, we quickly realized, there was no pretty view since it was dark outside. Duh. So we started walking towards the Liquid Lounge and hit some of the shops and looked at the Photo Gallery. Hannah had caught up with us at this point. We found out that the Pre-Show Fun included the selection of people who wanted to be part of the show. You would go up on stage and dance with the dancers and get VIP seating. Grace and Hannah decided they wanted to do that but we still had a little time to kill. That night was the only time I noticed the sewage smell on the Sunshine. That entire area around the shops and the photos stunk bad!! We saw the Library Lounge, with it's closed doors, and decided to escape to that non-stinky sanctuary. We could keep our eyes open for Mercy and Abby while we sat there.

 

Some time went by and finally we saw them coming - and they did not look happy. Mercy has a certain way of walking fast and furious and she was in full march mode! They stormed past the Library Bar and I ran out the door. By this time they were almost all the ways up the steps. Mercy has a nickname from Lord of the Rings, so I shout, " Schmiegel!! Mercy!! Abby!!!" They don't hear me and proceed to fast march off the steps and onto the next level. "Oh, well, we'll watch for them and get them on their next pass by." I thought they would just circle that area and come back down. But unbeknownst to us, they went up to the Lido, the Sports area, the Serenity, back to our room and who knows where else. On their next pass by, we did catch them and they were not happy cruisers! They both had on heels and were not happy that we had not stayed around the Coffee Spot. We were trying to look like we were properly sorry for all their efforts to find us and held it together until Mercy said, "I bet you saw us walking by and didn't even stop us!" At that point we couldn't help but laugh - which of course did not help the mood at all! I know it shouldn't be funny - but it really was. Just watching Mercy do her mad walk makes me laugh! But the moral of sharing this story is: If you need a place to hide from members of your group - the Library Lounge is a perfect place! No one thinks to look for you there - and it doesn't stink!

 

So, back to the Liquid Lounge. Grace and Hannah were selected to be part of the show. They each had to sit and separate tables so they could be on the end and their dancer could come get them. Mercy and I sat with Grace and Abby sat with Hannah. We had great seats for the show! They have audience participation during several songs. The show, Studio VIP is "inspired by the sophistication of Studio 54 and the funky fashion of 'Soul Train'. Studio VIP is a dance party celebrating the magical revolution of NY's nightlife in the 70s."

 

They do YMCA and have several men in the audience on stage for that. The girls were part of The Hustle. Grace ended up carrying an Egyptian staff that she was trying to figure out how to dance with! And some middle aged women ended up around one of the dancers who was up on a raised stage doing his Chippendale impersonation. It was a fun show and at the end the dancers came and got a bunch of us out on the floor to dance with them!

 

So, on to dinner and it was another Cruise Elegant night. I may have my evenings confused, but I think this night I had the Cherry Soup, Chauteau Briand and Cheesecake. I think I may have split a Baked Alaska with...Mercy!

 

 

 

 

 

[Yuridog]

Loving the review, thanks for taking the time to post this. You and your girls look like you had a fabulous time.

[blessedwith12]

Loving the review, thanks for taking the time to post this. You and your girls look like you had a fabulous time.

 

Thanks! The girls are so much fun. I have fun with them wherever we go and they help keep me feeling young! I see you are from Cincinnati - my home town!

[blessedwith12]

After dinner we hung out at the Ocean Plaza and enjoyed Deja Vu. I enjoyed their talent, energy and music selections. There were some people dancing and it was nice to have an alternative for this kind of evening since the disco is 18+.

[blessedwith12]

On the morning we arrived in Grand Turk, I saw something I had never seen on my previous cruises - the invasion of the towel animals! They were everywhere on the Lido. Elephants, iguanas, frogs, you name it!! I had heard about it from Seany527's review. If you haven't read his review of the Sunshine by the way, you must!! It is the most complete with Fun Times, menus and tons of photos. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2263470&highlight=formal

 

Anyways, I don't know if this is something new they are doing or I just somehow missed it on my previous cruises. I have to admit I feel a little flaky for enjoying these towel animals so much. But they did just add a whimsical touch to the cruise. And yes, I have photos - way too many photos to post here!

 

 

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

We were walking around the Serenity Deck looking at some of the animals up there, and here are a few shots of the types of seating available on the Serenity.

 

 

 

And now it's time to arrive in Grand Turk!

 

 

 

 

Grand Turk is a relatively small island. About 1.5 miles at its widest and 8 miles long.

 

[blessedwith12]

Well, now it's time for our last port day - Grand Turk. I had not been there before but Hannah had. I had seen all the photos of the great beach area right by the pier so I knew that it was a beautiful island.

 

When Hannah had been there before on a girls' cruise, they had gone snorkeling with Blue Water Divers. They still had excellent reviews and were on of the top rated excursions so we booked with them. They handle their reservations very promptly and professionally. I was impressed that they asked for the ages and experience of snorkelers and answered all my questions.

 

So, we got off the ship and grabbed a taxi to the Osprey Hotel - which is next to their office. The taxi fare was $5/each and the driver gave us a great deal of information about the island on our way there.

 

We were met by Vicky who is very welcoming and energetic. We were given our fins by the owner Mitch and there were two young couples that were going out with us. Mitch explained that we would be leaving from a different location due to the waves and we would need to load into his pickup for the short ride to the beach. Vicky said there was room for 2 in the front of the truck and I thought, "Age has privilege!" I hopped in the front and Mitch and I exchanged corny jokes on our ride there.

 

Kingdry was our guide and he helped us all into the boat, pointed out safety information and had a charming, engaging personality. There was a dry box to put our belongings into and he had a cooler of water.

 

Our first snorkeling stop was in about 10 feet of water and had a lot of nice coral. I was impressed that Kingdry was in the water, checking in with every group to see how we were doing with our snorkeling. On a previous cruise I had been snorkeling in the Caymans and very quickly got further from the boat than I wanted to be. I was struggling to get back and the crew threw me out a rope and pulled me in. It was embarrassing and I didn't want to be in that position again. I shared that with Kingdry and he showed me which ways the current was going and where would be best to snorkel. We saw a lot of fish including baracuda. One was following Grace and was right against her fin. Kingdry had previously told us that baracuda are very curious but won't hurt us. It alarmed Grace just the same! We also saw stingray.

 

We never felt rushed and eventually everyone in the group had finished snorkeling there and we headed for the wall. The thing that amazed me about the wall is that it is closer to shore than I pictured. I imagined it way out in the ocean! At the wall, water depths go from about 20 feet to over 7,000 feet in areas. It was a little murky, but you could see how dark and deep that area was. A little creepy too if you have an active imagination picturing a shark rising out of the dark depths with its jaws wide open! So, we swam a little around the edge and over it but spent most of our time in shallower areas.

 

I should mention again that the weather was perfect. Even for a cold natured person like me, the water and air temperatures were wonderful - even in January!

 

Kingdry pulled the boat up close to the beach in the area by Jack's Shack. It was not a far walk back to the ship. We decided to head back to the ship, grab some food and change clothes before heading back out to the beach.

 

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

 

 

The snorkeling was closer to shore than our day in St. Martin.

 

 

 

We took some underwater photos but we haven't developed those yet. If we have any good shots, I'll post those later. Honestly, I'm not expecting too many good pictures. Hannah had the camera a great deal of the time and she was enjoying taking awkward photos of the rest of us snorkeling. You know how amazing you can look with a snorkel on!

[blessedwith12]

Grace, Mercy and Abby had seen a fellow offering pony rides on our walk back to the ship. They decided to do that. Meanwhile, Hannah and I hung out on the beach to the right of the ship (if you are on the ship.) This area seemed less crowded and had palm trees all around. I found a lounger in partial shade and it was perfect!! The girls enjoyed their ride and had some funny stories to tell. The summary of the stories was mostly that the guides seemed to cater to Mercy - guiding her horse, helping her mount and dismount with a stool, etc. while Grace and Abby (who were equally unfamiliar with horses) were left on their own. We all stayed in the shaded area for awhile and then did some shopping. They had one of the cutest areas I've seen in a port - more like a flea market where vendors could sell their handmade goods. I liked the variety - something different from the same T-shirts and beach bags you see in all of the stores.

 

We headed back on board about an hour before we had to. I don't know what we did until time to get ready for dinner. Got a shake at the coffee shop, maybe? And then laid in the sun? It's a mystery because we had quit taking notes at this point!

 

 

 

Some goodies from the buffet when we went on board for lunch!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

 

 

I found the evidence - we did go get a shake!! (or coffee for some!)

[gvlgolflady]

Forgive a proud mama for showing off her daughters!

 

From left to right: Mercy, Grace, Me, Hannah, Abby

 

 

 

 

Beautiful photos

[Jeafl]

Beautiful photos! I don't know how you manage to get pictures where everyone looks good. I only have three kids and it is nearly impossible to get a picture where everyone looks good and no one is making a stupid face!

[blessedwith12]

Ohhh, we have lots of photos where one of us isn't looking too good - my daughters would kill me if I posted those, though!

[blessedwith12]

I forgot to post our embarkation picture.

How many of you always purchase this one?

 

We usually do because it's such a happy reminder of how you feel when you are just getting ready to walk on board!!

[blessedwith12]

I forgot to ask - how many of you knew about the towel animal invasion? Is this something new they just started?

 

That night before dinner we went to see Hasbro:The Game Show. Jaime once again added enough personality to make this a fun event. The audience is asked trivia questions and contestants are selected to go on stage and compete in a game of skill. The contestants are a mix of adults and young children. The final round consists of picking a Monopoly game piece card to put in the ATM like machine to see who wins. The prize is a collections of Hasbro games. It was something different - but honestly, I probably would not go back to watch it on a future cruise.

 

Dinner that night I had Seafood Newburg. The only time I have ever become seasick was on the Holiday and this was the meal that I had that night. I have not been inclined to order it since. Well almost 8 years has gone by since that cruise, so I gave it a try again. It was okay, but probably not something I'd order again.

 

 

 

Braised Lamb Shank in Burgundy Sauce

 

 

Seafood Newburg:

 

 

 

I have no clue what this is. If you recognize it - please chime in!

 

We were having trouble deciding between the Tiramisu and the Bitter n Blanc - so our waiters brought us both!!! I really hate to waste food - but this night I could not finish dessert!

 

 

[blessedwith12]

After dinner was the RedFrog's Caribbean Beach Party. Of course the girls wanted to be in on that and I was along for the ride. Ready to, once again, be featured on the JumboTron with my pathetic middle aged moves! We ran into our friends again - the ones we met on our transport to the ship. They were having a great time dancing too and we made sure to get our picture made with them. The girls outlasted me; I headed to bed and they followed the party to the Havana Bar where the dancing continued.

 

[blessedwith12]

Our Fun Times had arrived in our room the night before and do you know what Carnival had the nerve to do??? The greeting on the front page was "Enjoy Your Fun Farewell Day at Sea!" No chance of living in denial when they are rubbing your face in it! :) I have to admit, it is much easier accepting the reality that your cruise has come to an end when it has been 8 days instead of 5. Those 5 day cruises just go too fast. So, I'll tell you what I remember about our last day on the cruise and I will also summarize different aspects of the Sunshine and anything else I may have forgotten to include.

 

I know I spent much of the day laying around in the sun, enjoying the warmth before heading back to frigid Ohio! The girls played some more on the Skywalk and got to where they could quickly progress through the course. The Hairy Chest Contest was after lunch and I was a little bit disappointed. After seeing some previous ones that included pole dancing and Tarzan yells, this one was a little bit boring.

 

That afternoon, Hannah and I finally made it into the Serenity Hot Tub. A seat in there is pretty hard to come by!

 

We usually pretty much hung out together, but that afternoon I decided I wanted to go do some packing while the room wasn't crowded :) and then check out Think You Can Dance? in the Ocean Plaza. I thought it was a dance contest but it was a dance class. I decided to just watch.

As I was sitting there, a gentleman asked if he could sit at the table with me. I said, "Sure" and we continued watching the class. It was not an attempted pick up, but I couldn't help but think how funny it would look if my daughters strolled through the Ocean Plaza and there I was with a man. Especially since I had slipped away from them to do my own thing - it looked like a clandestine meeting. Anyways, the class finished and I headed out to the Lido to look for the girls. There they were in the hot tub with 4 guys! They were thinking how funny it would look if I showed up then and I was thinking how funny it looked like we were trying to ditch each other to have these secret rendezvous. Well, some last day humor!

 

That night before dinner, we went to see the Playlist Production: Epic Rock. If you only go to one show - this is the one to see. I can't say enough good things about it. It features music from the 70s and 80s like I Love Rock and Roll, We Will Rock You, Don't Stop Believing, Bohemian Rhapsody, Total Eclipse of the Heart and one of the best songs, in my opinion, was Dream On. It featured Ben who I think was one of the best singers. There was a video playing on the screen behind him and his movements had to be timed perfectly for him to "break" the screen, spin a ball or have wings on his back. His timing was perfect and he nailed the "wail" in the song. He was also featured on Bohemian Rhapsody which is one of my favorites and the whole group really did well on that, too. On Total Eclipse of the Heart, Morgan did a fantastic job dancing. She is extremely flexible and fearless - they do a great lift on that song.

 

This was by far my favorite show I have seen on any of my cruises. If this wasn't our last night and we really wanted to see our wait staff again, I would have eaten on the Lido so I could go see the show again.

 

As a side note, for participating in the 70s show, Hannah and Grace were invited to a reception where they and the other participants could meet all the dancers and singers. They didn't attend - but it sounded like it would be fun. We spoke to others who did go and they really enjoyed meeting the cast. The cast was also available after their late show to meet people in the atrium.

[RiotAct]

they've been doing the "towel animal invasion" for several years now, I believe.

[blessedwith12]

It had been a couple of years since I cruised - if they were doing it then, I missed it.

[blessedwith12]

Dinner that night had several of my favorites. New England Crab Cake, Mango Cream Soup, Prime Rib, and Grand Marnier Souffle. Norica kept us stocked with bread as she and Satiade did every night.

 

 

I think this was the Grilled Portabello Mushroom and Mesclun Lettuce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prime Rib just like I like it: Medium Rare

 

Crab Cake:

 

Mango Soup - one of the best!!!

[blessedwith12]

 

 

The girls - being coffee lovers - loved the Cappuccino Pie!

 

 

Our great wait staff:

 

Abby is our tender hearted daughter and she was practically in tears at the thought of leaving our team. They made our dinner each night very special!!