Carnival Sunshine - April 16th - Diary and Review

[kindatravelsavy19]

We traveled on the Sunshine in Feb. on this same itinerary. Our family had a great time and thankfully didn't have restroom problems. That it would have been almost impossible to accommodate us in another 5 berth room on our "sold out" cruise. I would say that St. Kitts was high on our favorite list also. We winged it and took a taxi to Carambola beach club. The sand was so soft water was great and had a snorkel pooling area near by. Next time we may look into checking out the Marriott it looked great! We docked at the cargo dock and didn't see the shops. I guess this just means we need to visit again. Oh the agony lol. Thx for this great review.:)

[keene state mom]

Catrin you have me sold on the Marriott, however I need to wait until I get there in order to reserve a spot ?

 

thanks

 

Gail

[13cheermom]

We traveled on the Sunshine in Feb. on this same itinerary. Our family had a great time and thankfully didn't have restroom problems. That it would have been almost impossible to accommodate us in another 5 berth room on our "sold out" cruise. I would say that St. Kitts was high on our favorite list also. We winged it and took a taxi to Carambola beach club. The sand was so soft water was great and had a snorkel pooling area near by. Next time we may look into checking out the Marriott it looked great! We docked at the cargo dock and didn't see the shops. I guess this just means we need to visit again. Oh the agony lol. Thx for this great review.:)

 

Curious at Carambola beach club, what were the prices for chair/umbrella rentals and etc? Trying to compare it to the Marriott. Thanks for any information!

[Virtopia]

I'm really enjoying this review. I've been looking at different cruise lines lately and Carnival has caught my interest so nice to see this!

[Catrin]

Tell your son that it is perfectly ok to sit in the hotel room and watch Better Call Saul. It was the last episode of the season. I did my best not to look at any spoilers while on the cruise & watched it when I got home.

 

I absolutely agree! He really appreciated the quiet time watching his favorite show, and he was in a great mood the rest of the day. Nothing wrong taking an hour of our his day. It's his vacation too!!

[Catrin]

Catrin you have me sold on the Marriott, however I need to wait until I get there in order to reserve a spot ?

 

thanks

 

Gail

 

Gail, they do not accept advance reservations. We went during a slower time of year from them. I did read, however, that someone went once and they were not allowing day guests, because the hotel was sold out. I am not sure when you are going, but maybe the week before, I would inquire about it.

 

We did see our friends from Facebook and a few others from the Sunshine there.

 

Hope that helps!

[Catrin]

Hi. My husband and I met you on the shuttle and were in line to board with you and your family. Being alone we spent a lot of our sea days in the serenity pool area which we absolutely love. Sorry about your plumbing. I did have a small leaky toilet issue which I got fixed and a balcony door handle that was stuck and needed to be replaced. I think that there were a lot of plumbing and leaking issues that needed to be taken care of and that the dry dock scheduled for early May was too late.

 

It was nice meeting you and your husband, and I hope you had a great cruise! I agree about the Dry Dock. There were issues throughout the ship .. saw buckets a few times and heard some folks complain. The ship really did need a dry dock and I hope they address all the issues.

 

We never did get to visit the specialty restaurants this cruise. I think when we cruise for our 25th anniversary, we will certainly at least go to JiJi's!

 

Thank you for reading!

Catrin

[cocacola86]

I have 20 Vifp points how does it work if you've got an 8 day cruise, do you get your gold card at the beginning?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Catrin]

I would like to thank everyone who is reading and who took the time to comment... it is nice to know someone is enjoying my story and perhaps getting something out of it for your next vacation!!

Thursday, April 19th - SAN JUAN

 

This was a strange adventure for us. Normally, we have been on ships that arrive in San Juan about Noon. We have always enjoyed sailing into this port, as it is beautiful as you approach ElMorro and the city.

 

But this year, our time was limited, as we had to be back to the ship by 1:30pm. This was our SIXTH time cruising San Juan - our last time in 2012. Been there / done that kind of thing. But, our last time, in 2012, it was just Steve and I. That day, we took the free trolley to El Morro and explored and loved it. I thought, since we were there for such a short time, we could do that again and let the kids experience the most awesome fort and scenery.

 

We were not in any rush to get off the ship, so we had breakfast in the Lido Deck. By now, we knew to find a table in the Havana Bar area, get our omelets. The kids fended for themselves and we enjoyed breakfast.

 

Getting off the ship was very easy, as those with tours were already off. We ventured outside where we were approached by dozens of taxi drivers offering us tours for $10 per person. But we had a mission and knew exactly where to go!

 

FREE TROLLEY. This trolley, which makes a continuous loop through old San Juan is free for all visitors and residents. It makes stops at assigned posts. People can jump on and off as much as they want. Some residents use the trolley for their daily transportation and I am sure they hate when the cruise ships come in!! We knew from our last visit and research that the stop in front of the cruise ship is the busiest.. and to get a seat, the best thing to do is walk LEFT as you leave the cruise terminal and walk a block or two to stop #14, which is right across from CVS. That way, you can jump on the trolley and will be seating by the time it reaches the stop where most of the cruise passengers want to jump on.

 

For those who want info on the Free Trolley, here is the link to the very informative website.

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/free-trolley-old-san-juan/

 

We did just that, and we were glad we did! The trolley was packed and we were able to get seats. They really fit everyone in, by making sure that everyone was moved over as far as they could go... and we ventured to our self guided tour through Old San Juan with a stop at El Morro.

 

As we approached the fort, we enjoyed seeing the Government buildings, shopping areas, homes and beautiful coastline. Finally we arrived and it was a beautiful day for a visit.

[Catrin]

I have 20 Vifp points how does it work if you've got an 8 day cruise, do you get your gold card at the beginning?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

You do!!

Allison 75th day was our last day of the cruise, and she was Platinum for the entire cruise.

Congrats!!

[Catrin]

It was a beautiful day, yet windy. Not TOO hot at all, which we were so lucky. Because it was National Parks week, admission to the fort was FREE that day. FREE Trolley? Free Fort? FREE DAY!!

 

We explored on our own, reading about the history, enjoying the scenery, etc. Both kids thought it was pretty cool (for a historic place, that is).

 

 

There is quite a bit of walking here and some steep climbing, but everyone here seemed to be enjoying this marvel.

[Catrin]

 

Birds eye view of Allison....

 

Tough to tell on this last picture, but these stairs were steep and long!!

[Catrin]

 

Best thing about San Juan for a kid? At&T Normal Phone Service!! They took a rest in the shade for a few minutes to do their thing (As a mom I was shaking my head, but I was doing the same thing when they were not looking ;))

 

 

After we explored, we all agreed that we really enjoyed our time here, but it was time to go. We waited at the entrance for the trolley to arrive and as we approached we saw it making its way again. Great timing!!

 

We climbed onboard for the continuation of our tour and made our way back to Stop #14.

 

When we arrived, we had to go to am imperative stop in San Juan... CVS!!! Re-load on a few essentials, especially snacks for the kids for Grand Turk. I did get some Sparkling Water beverages and had no issues bringing those on the ship.

Our visit to San Juan was over.. and we made it back to the ship in time for lunch!!

 

[Catrin]

 

 

We made it back to the ship for lunch. Steve had Mongolian Wok, Mom had a salad and I had a tuna sandwich from the Deli (where are the chips!!) It was a relaxing lunch, as the crowds were minimal. After lunch, it was time for Steve and Allison to do the ROPES COURSE!!

 

The ropes course on the Sunshine is a lot different than the Magic. On the magic, there are two sides (hard and easy) and a very specific rope guide that you click every section. On the Sunshine, there are still two sides, but the easy side appears to be equal to the hard side on the Magic! I decided to skip this year (wimp!). It was Steve's first time on the course, and it was a goal of his to do it this year.

Allison was a pro. The part on the course that was only a rope to walk on was NOT easy. But she confidently took her time and got through!!! We cheered them on! That part of the ship was very active, as basketball, mini golf, and kids really enjoying themselves.

[Catrin]

 

As Steve and Allison were on the ropes, the ship started to pull away from San Juan, and we were able to have a very beautiful sailaway. Including a great view of ElMorro. It was amazing to see how large it was, and to know that only a few hours earlier, we were there exploring.

It may have been a very short visit to San Juan, but we are glad that we left the ship and enjoyed our morning here!!

[Catrin]

 

That afternoon was spent by the pool, shopping, checking out pictures and reading. The second elegant night was that evening (or Kind of Elegant Night). I was amazed how many people were not even dressed for dinner. I had gone up to the Lido deck right before dinner and could not get over how packed the area was. We like dinner, always have. But we would not be sad if Carnival changes Elegant Night to just one night per cruise.

[Catrin]

All I remember from dinner is KEY LIME MOUSSE. Sugar Free KEY LIME MOUSSE. This has now replaced Bitter N Blanc as my favorite dessert all week!! By this time, Matt was having plain pasta each night, and Allison was struggling with the menu. She is at the age between kids menu and adult. But was often times struggling with the selections. But I have to give her credit, she did try some new things this cruise!! We did enjoy having the table clothes on the table this night. Something about this night felt right. Now that I look at the menu in the picture, I remember having the Filet Mignon with Short Rib, and it was not that great.

 

Allison was going to once again go to Owl Jams in Camp Carnival for the party until 1am. Steve and Matt had "Date Night :)) as they planned on watching the Martian on the Movie Screen on the Lido Deck. Mom and I went to the Motor City Show - all Motown Music and Dancing. Once again, the show was very GOOD. Not spectacular, but entertaining nonetheless. I was glad that the shows were short - about 45 minutes. After the show, they had a real fun after party full of singing and dancing in the Atrium. I thought it was weird there was Motown Music two nights in a row, but everyone seemed to love it!!!

 

Mom and I had a nice night together, while the boys enjoyed the movie. Steve said it was cool to do, but hard to hear, as kids were splashing in the pool and yelling, but they enjoyed their popcorn, blankets and movie under the stars.

The watched the Martian and the first hour of the Revenant. But as soon as Steve could, he picked up a very happy Allison from Camp Carnival and called it a night.

 

Next Up.. Grand Turk, and FlowRider Crash!

[CruiseCrazyCouple0611]

Thanks so much for doing this review. I am really enjoying following you along on your cruise experience. The pictures are awesome. Your daughter is adorable! What a wonderful family you seem to be. We will be sailing the Sunshine in just a few short weeks. Fortunately for us, it's the first sailing after her two weeks dry dock. Hopefully, we won't encounter any plumbing or other mechanical problems like you did. Good on you for maintaining a great attitude even when it would have been easy to allow your misfortunes to define your entire vacation. I can't wait to read the rest. Keep it coming please!:D

Edited May 2, 2016 by CruiseCrazyCouple0611

[CruiseHealing]

We were on that cruise

[RNsoon2beNP]

Loving your review and your smiling faces. Our next cruise id on the Vista, but we are looking at this ship becsuse of the itinerary.

[crusinpsychRN]

I was on the cruise just before your trip. Agree about Donkey's Motown singalong! Fabulous. Cucina was best food on the ship.

 

A bunch of us got sick on the trip. I was in a large facebook group--one with over 180 signed up for meed and greet and 15 showed. Many ended up in the hospital. Flu, pneumonia etc. I have had no energy at all for 2 weeks and 2 days and no appetite. Lost 14 lbs so far.

[maynovmom]

That's really awful that you and so many became ill the week before I sailed. That was the flu? I didn't hear of anyone on this cruise feeling sick and am glad that they cleaned the ship well following your trip. I've been fortunate on 15 cruises to have stayed healthy. I stay away from the public restrooms and handrails as much as possible. I'm also a teacher and hope my immune system is pretty tough. The hand washing stations were great. Hope you're feeling better now. I really enjoyed the ports and the ship minus the ceiling leaks I saw as I walked in some of the hallways. Very unusual I have to say, for all my Carnival vacations. It didn't deter me from future cruises but I was surprised. My favorite port is always Grand Turk but next year we are trying a land vacation in St Marteen. It's another port we enjoy on our stops and want to stay and enjoy the island.

[Catrin]

I was on the cruise just before your trip. Agree about Donkey's Motown singalong! Fabulous. Cucina was best food on the ship.

 

A bunch of us got sick on the trip. I was in a large facebook group--one with over 180 signed up for meed and greet and 15 showed. Many ended up in the hospital. Flu, pneumonia etc. I have had no energy at all for 2 weeks and 2 days and no appetite. Lost 14 lbs so far.

 

 

I am so sorry you got sick! Luckily, we did not get sick at all this cruise. Constant hand washing and vitamins!! We did not go to Cucina or any specialty restaurants this cruise... maybe next time. FEEL BETTER!!!

[Catrin]

Thanks so much for doing this review. I am really enjoying following you along on your cruise experience. The pictures are awesome. Your daughter is adorable! What a wonderful family you seem to be. We will be sailing the Sunshine in just a few short weeks. Fortunately for us, it's the first sailing after her two weeks dry dock. Hopefully, we won't encounter any plumbing or other mechanical problems like you did. Good on you for maintaining a great attitude even when it would have been easy to allow your misfortunes to define your entire vacation. I can't wait to read the rest. Keep it coming please!:D

 

Thanks for the nice words!

I hope they fix the issues during dry dock. I did not see many of the buckets, but I heard they were there. We only know what we experienced. From the plumber and the housekeeping supervisor, it seemed like a daily occurrence. When it happens, it is easy to get upset, and we did. But when you also see that they try to do everything they can to fix the situation, you soon forget and go back to enjoying the week.

 

Long day at work today and car issues.. just getting home.. will be back tomorrow with Grand Turk day and final day at Sea!!

 

Thanks for reading all.

Catrin

[NYGirl1002]

Really enjoying your review. You have a beautiful family. I love your pictures.