Sunshine (revisited) 02/13/16 Exotic Carib review

[jimbo5544]

Hello everyone, I post here quite a bit and more so lately than in earlier years try to do a review of our sailings. We recently returned from a sailing on the Sunshine's 2/13/16 exotic eastern Caribbean sailing. Since I did a review of our last cruise, which was also on the Sunshine, I thought I would skip some of the more general stuff as I meander through my review. Feel free to ask questions along the way.....

[jimbo5544]

Although we cruise fairly frequently, it is pretty unusual for us to repeat on the same ship and in a fairly close period of time. We plan our cruises out a fair amount of time, normally a year out. Sometimes we pick a cruise inside of another already scheduled for a variety of reasons. This is how we came about booking a repeat of the Sunshine after having sailed on her in August with a fund raising group.

 

I am jumping ahead some, I am Jim and with my wife Mary, this was to be our 32nd Carnival Cruise. We are Diamond on Carnival and have sailed on several other lines as well. We have sailed from New York, Rome, Baltimore, Long Beach, Galveston, Tampa, Miami, Ft Lauderdale and Port Canaveral. Most of our sailings have originated from Florida homeports.

[reerun25]

Looking forward to reading!

[jimbo5544]

We have five grown children, all married and have children of their own. It is a treat when some of them travel with us. We usually travel in groups or family and friends and occasionally travel solo or with another cabin or two. Our eldest daughter had gotten the cruise bug (the one where you want to cruise after hearing about someone else's cruise) and came back to us with the idea of doing a cruise with us, and we began to search for something to fit their schedule. They wanted to cruise in the winter months and it had to coincide with school vacations for up here in the northeast.

 

The good news of cruising during that time is the weather pretty much stinks in the NY/CT area in February and the bad news is cruising during school break costs a bundle.......

[jimbo5544]

Looking forward to reading!

 

Thanks! I am not as talented a writer as some who write wonderful reviews here, I will do my best and have a bunch of pics to add along the way. I started to write reviews well into our cruising life. Before I started I thought it would be a chore and take away from the enjoyment. Just the opposite is true, it helps keep the experience of a cruise alive and kicking well after the tan has faded....

[reerun25]

Good deal.. Never have sailed the Sunshine, but will be on her at the end of May. I read everything I can about the ship, pros and cons, and I am really looking forward to cruising on her!

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your posts.

 

Keith

[cruisin blue]

We'll be back on the Sunshine for the 3rd time in April! We'll be bringing along two new cruisers this time and can't wait to introduce them to the fun! Thanks for once again taking time to share your vacation with us.

[Clarea]

Looking forward to the review.

[Podna's]

Looking forward to review Jimbo. Love some Sunshine!

[summersigh]

Good deal.. Never have sailed the Sunshine, but will be on her at the end of May. I read everything I can about the ship, pros and cons, and I am really looking forward to cruising on her!

 

She goes into Dry Dock around May 8th for 2 weeks ... she'll be looking lovely when you see her :D

[jimbo5544]

Enjoying your posts.

 

Keith

 

Thanks, will be working on it in front of a fire tonight. Nowhere near as nice as sitting in serenity writing notes during the cruise. Hopefully I will keep your interest.

[jimbo5544]

We'll be back on the Sunshine for the 3rd time in April! We'll be bringing along two new cruisers this time and can't wait to introduce them to the fun! Thanks for once again taking time to share your vacation with us.

 

Believe me, it's my pleasure. We love bringing new cruisers with us as well and watch them as they explore and gather new found love for cruising.

[jimbo5544]

Looking forward to the review.

 

I will enjoy bringing it to you, hopefully it will keep your interest along the way.

[jimbo5544]

Looking forward to review Jimbo. Love some Sunshine!

 

Thanks' date=' and Sunshine you shall get.[/color']

[Jamman54]

Hey Jimbo!! Hope all is well with you and your family. Looking forward to another one of your GREAT reviews! We will be on the Sunshine for the first time in September. Hope we get to cruise together again sometime in the near future.:)

[jimbo5544]

This cruise was special (aren't they all) in that our daughter and her family had a cruise interrupted when they had sailed with us from New York two years ago due to a family emergency. They wanted to do it again and we wanted to do it with them. Once we had picked the time of year, we went through the ships sailing the week they needed. After hearing about the fun we had in August, we quickly settled on the Sunshine.

 

That was pretty easy, not quite so easy was looking at airfare. Actually, looking was not so bad, finding something with an acceptable airfare was the challenge. We finally did that, we decided to fly down the day before as we normally do. This cruise was an 8 day, Saturday to Sunday cruise, which meant we would fly down on a Friday night. Sailing out of Port Canaveral means for us (there are other options) flying into Orlando. Flying down the day before worked out to us to be leaving New York around 6. That eliminated going over to the port area.

Edited February 26, 2016 by jimbo5544

[jimbo5544]

Hey Jimbo!! Hope all is well with you and your family. Looking forward to another one of your GREAT reviews! We will be on the Sunshine for the first time in September. Hope we get to cruise together again sometime in the near future.:)

 

Hey Jeff! Everyone doing well here, hope the same for you. I happened to see that your bride was retiring and that caused you changes in plan for future cruises. I am sure we will get to sail again together, hopefully not so far down the line. You will most certainly enjoy the Sunshine!

[jimbo5544]

Getting in late (9:30) meant we would stay in the Orlando area on Friday night and then go over to the port in the morning. About 2 months before the cruise our daughter called and said that her mother in law who lives in Delaware would like to join us on the cruise. So our two cabins became 3 cabins. She would be flying in the day of the cruise (into Orlando also) and would get to the port around the same time that we would.

 

We ended up picking Staybridge Suites and a deal that was the hotel rooms, transfer to the ship and then again at the end of the cruise back to the airport. Later, as we got closer to the cruise, our flight back to New York time changed (to 11 am) so we had to arrange private transfers back to the airport to ensure we would not have an issue at the airport. The transfers to the ship would be shared.

Edited February 27, 2016 by jimbo5544

[jimbo5544]

We had up to that point a fairly uneventful winter here in the Northeast. Two big storms but the weather had been fairly mild. As the week of the cruise approached, I became more aware of the 8 day forecast on the news much more so tun I might at other times. With a sigh of relief, I found here would be no storms that would endanger us from getting down to Florida for our cruise. What we would have would be bitter cold. So cold, that the day we would fly would be in the teens with wind chills below zero and sail away day and after actual temps of below zero with wind chills 20 below. For us, that is near record numbers.

[kindatravelsavy19]

Interested on your 2nd experience on the SH. Sorry didn't make the m&g. I am a bit hesitant to post a review especially being a blue card holder.

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your review! Looking forward to reading more. I love the way the Serenity deck looks on Sunshine. And there are so many different dining options. I would certainly consider her for a cruise some day, given the right departure port, price and itin. Thanks again.

 

BTW, your winter sounds about similar to ours, not the worse, but not the best either.

Edited February 27, 2016 by SMSACE6

[jimbo5544]

Interested on your 2nd experience on the SH. Sorry didn't make the m&g. I am a bit hesitant to post a review especially being a blue card holder.

And here I was going to rail on you for missing the M & G, now that I find out your a BLUE card holder:eek::confused:

[jimbo5544]

Interested on your 2nd experience on the SH. Sorry didn't make the m&g. I am a bit hesitant to post a review especially being a blue card holder.

 

Seriously, post a review, you might like it. ;) Sorry we missed each other, I would be interested in your thoughts on the cruise as well. If you want, feel free to jump in here anytime.

[johnnyf0614]

Jimbo, have you heard any details in regards to the upcoming drydock? I read that they may move the sushi place, make the piano bar larger, and make the comedy club larger. Just wondering if you heard anything specific while on the ship.