Just returned from the Sunshine

[NPCIN]

I just returned from the Sunshine.

My girlfriend and I flew into Orlando and we stayed at the Hyatt Regency inside the airport. I've always wanted to stay there prior to the cruise but it's always been too expensive for me. I booked a room at a nearby hotel, but I'd check the rates periodically for the Hyatt. Eventually the price dropped to half of what it was originally so I booked a room there and canceled the other hotel. The hotel was very nice and the convenience of staying there was great.

 

The morning of the cruise we checked out, grabbed our bags, and walked to the shuttle area to catch our shuttle to the port. I researched the boards and decided to use Cortrans to get to and from the ship. I can't say enough about the company as well as the price they charge compared to the cruise lines.

 

We got to the port about 10AM. We went to the priority room and got checked in. We were probably on the ship by 11AM.

 

This was my first time on the Sunshine, but I had read all the reviews prior to going. As many have mentioned in the past in reviews...the main lounge is the smallest by far of all the ships I've sailed, getting a seat to the comedy club is hard even getting there early, and in some spots...you can smell a sewage smell in some areas of the ship. My girlfriend mentioned the smell to me before I had smelled it and I'd never said anything to her about the reviews. The lines weren't really that bad during the cruise even though it was a full sailing. The main lounge was never full for any of the shows except the newlywed game show. We had a table for two in the MDR and ate in there the first night, but it took a very long time to finish our meal. The second night we ate the buffet for dinner. The third night we ate in the MDR again for dinner. I believe we were in there for 1 1/2 hrs as it took a long time to get our food. After that night we decided to just eat in the other areas for dinner. The food was always good, but nothing spectacular.

 

For ports of call we did the ships off-road UTV excursion in Aruba. This was probably the best excursion that I've done in 21 cruises as we had a blast. In Bonaire we took a water taxi (not through the ship at a much cheaper rate with more options for departure times than ships provided excursion) to No Name Beach at Klein, Bonaire. We had a great time and spent about three hours there. In Grand Turk we decided to head to Conch Graveyard so we walked the trails to get to it. It maybe took 10 minutes of so by foot. I found it to be a prettier view than the port side of the island other than there is more sea weed. It was more private as we ran into maybe 10 people over on that side of the island. It was pretty cool to see all the conch shells washed up on the beach.

 

That's about all I have time to post right now. I just wanted to write a brief review.

[cruise pup]

I just recommended Cortrans to someone on this board. Jaime and family are the best. I did a private ATV excursion in Aruba. I agree with you. Had a great time and the tour was capped off with a stop at Baby Beach which has terrific snorkeling. I was supposed to snorkel at Klein Bonaire but had to cancel. I hear that the snorkeling there is amazing. Pity. :(

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

[mishka422]

That was an 8 day sailing, right? Do you happen to have any pics of the nightly MDR menus? I know you said you didn't eat in there most nights but thought I'd ask just in case.

 

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[Luke Saint Joe]

NPCIN, glad you enjoyed your cruise on Sunshine. We really enjoyed it in August as well. Can you please tell me how to get to the Conch Graveyard in Grand Turk, as I was told by a security guard in Grand Turk that it had recently been closed/no longer exists. I was disappointed, but accepted that & moved on. Thank you in advance.

[NPCIN]

Cruise pup: You are right...Cortrans is great. I'll definitely use them again if I sail out of Port Canaveral as it's a no brainer with cost and ease of use.

 

Mishka: Yes it was an 8 day cruise. Sorry I don't have the dining menus. If you've sailed recently...they've not really changed much.

[NPCIN]

Luke I'm not sure if there's an easier or more correct way, but we walked to the far right of the beach area where the whale sculpture is at. We walked along the waterline until we got to a large amount of rocks at the water line and the beach seemed to run out. We then stepped up a embankment (probably three feet) and followed a sandy road to the other side of the island where I heard it was. I'm trying to attach some pictures but it wont let me.

[keishashadow]

We have always driven over to the port, friends looking for a shuttle. Do you recall the fee? Did you have to wait for a big bus to fill up to/from?

 

In the past we learned to line up an hour early for comedy club, does that still sound about right?

 

That's a long time to wait for dinner service.:eek: Were u traditional or anytime

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[mimxmom]

I was on this cruise as well. Just wanted to add that Chris The Flying Scotsman was the BEST cruise director ever!!

[Cr2zCr8zy]

Thanks for sharing! Was on the sunshine in September and loved her.

 

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[easyboy]

Thanks for your feedback

[NPCIN]

We have always driven over to the port, friends looking for a shuttle. Do you recall the fee? Did you have to wait for a big bus to fill up to/from?

 

In the past we learned to line up an hour early for comedy club, does that still sound about right?

 

That's a long time to wait for dinner service.:eek: Were u traditional or anytime

 

Yes, they charged $40 roundtrip per person either paid in cash or credit card when you board the shuttle. I booked with them back in May and the email communication from them is excellent. They use the midsize vans that hold like 14-20 people. I did my research before I booked with them as the last thing I needed was to miss the ship on the day of debarkation or be late for my flight back home. All the reviews I had seen were all excellent reviews and they've been in business for several years. I'm a fan now and will definitely use them again.

 

An hour prior is more than enough time for the comedy club. I'd say 1/2 hr for the first show and longer for second one. I just hate standing in a line for so long on vacation to see a comedy show...especially when they could hold it in a larger room to accommodate everyone that wants to watch it as they have done this on a few other cruises I've been on in the past. Its not fair that some have to watch or they weren't able to see it due to they got there just before it started when they paid for the same cruise/experience just like everyone else.

 

Keisha, I had traditional dining. Usually with the table for two you tend to get done at diner a lot sooner than the larger tables as your not waiting on everyone to eat their food before they bring out the next thing to eat. This time on the ship...it was not the case. It did give my girlfriend time to sit and talk (we turn our phones off and put them in the safe and don't turn them back on until the end of the cruise so its "our time"), but I guess I got impatient waiting so long on our food. As people are mentioning on the boards...its probably due to cutbacks as they don't have as many employees taking care of the same amount of passengers and its slowing things down. We found it easier to go to the buffet as some of the items served there are whats served in the dining room. Then you have pizza, deli, Ji Ji, sushi, etc. to chose from also.

 

If anyone else has any questions...just ask.

Edited December 22, 2016 by NPCIN
spelling

[cruiseonthebrain]

I just returned from the Sunshine.

My girlfriend and I flew into Orlando and we stayed at the Hyatt Regency inside the airport. I've always wanted to stay there prior to the cruise but it's always been too expensive for me. I booked a room at a nearby hotel, but I'd check the rates periodically for the Hyatt. Eventually the price dropped to half of what it was originally so I booked a room there and canceled the other hotel. The hotel was very nice and the convenience of staying there was great.

 

The morning of the cruise we checked out, grabbed our bags, and walked to the shuttle area to catch our shuttle to the port. I researched the boards and decided to use Cortrans to get to and from the ship. I can't say enough about the company as well as the price they charge compared to the cruise lines.

 

We got to the port about 10AM. We went to the priority room and got checked in. We were probably on the ship by 11AM.

 

This was my first time on the Sunshine, but I had read all the reviews prior to going. As many have mentioned in the past in reviews...the main lounge is the smallest by far of all the ships I've sailed, getting a seat to the comedy club is hard even getting there early, and in some spots...you can smell a sewage smell in some areas of the ship. My girlfriend mentioned the smell to me before I had smelled it and I'd never said anything to her about the reviews. The lines weren't really that bad during the cruise even though it was a full sailing. The main lounge was never full for any of the shows except the newlywed game show. We had a table for two in the MDR and ate in there the first night, but it took a very long time to finish our meal. The second night we ate the buffet for dinner. The third night we ate in the MDR again for dinner. I believe we were in there for 1 1/2 hrs as it took a long time to get our food. After that night we decided to just eat in the other areas for dinner. The food was always good, but nothing spectacular.

 

For ports of call we did the ships off-road UTV excursion in Aruba. This was probably the best excursion that I've done in 21 cruises as we had a blast. In Bonaire we took a water taxi (not through the ship at a much cheaper rate with more options for departure times than ships provided excursion) to No Name Beach at Klein, Bonaire. We had a great time and spent about three hours there. In Grand Turk we decided to head to Conch Graveyard so we walked the trails to get to it. It maybe took 10 minutes of so by foot. I found it to be a prettier view than the port side of the island other than there is more sea weed. It was more private as we ran into maybe 10 people over on that side of the island. It was pretty cool to see all the conch shells washed up on the beach.

 

That's about all I have time to post right now. I just wanted to write a brief review.

 

Thank you for posting! We are sailing the Sunshine in May for the first time and I have been a bit nervous about the reviews.

 

I love staying at the Hyatt in the Orlando airport- especially the night before flying out. It is just so easy!

[cruisingangel]

Thanks for the review and advice going on Sunshine in April. I appreciate all info have not been on a cruise in a while and was a little nervous about this ship. Not concerned now. Thanks again

[NPCIN]

Thanks for the review and advice going on Sunshine in April. I appreciate all info have not been on a cruise in a while and was a little nervous about this ship. Not concerned now. Thanks again

 

I always sail with the saying "a cruise is better than no cruise at all" in mind while on vacation. Don't sweat the small stuff. There will always be negatives and positives when cruising. With the reviews posted on the boards...you will at times see that someone had a horrible time on the cruise and had many negative things/comments about their cruise and someone else on the same cruise had a great time.

 

Here are some negatives I found.

I did encounter the sewer smell on the ship in certain areas during the cruise. Oddly one place was in while I was sitting near the stairs in the bar arear in the atrium one night while something was going on there at the time with the CD. Lines would form outside the auditoriums until they would open the doors to the venues and it would congest/clog the areas. The main venue seating area is very small and depending on what is going on...you might not get a seat. Comedy club seating- enough said on the boards time and time again. I think they need to move them to the main room to accommodate everyone who wants to see the show. They have did this on some of the past cruises I've been on. The MDR was very slow for early dining. They have to find a better way to remove the smoke in the casino as the last few cruises I've been on has been horrible. This was the first cruise I didn't gamble as it was just too much for me. If the ship was moving forward...water from the hot tubs would make the mist float in the lido area while trying to watch the dive in movies and make the deck wet too. They always had an employee use a squeegee to remove the water at night where people were walking though.

 

Positives I found...

Even though the ship was full...it never really seemed that bad except getting off the ship and the comedy club. Never really had to wait but a few minutes for the buffet line. Mongolian was typically 5-20 minutes. Pizza was maybe 10 minutes if they made your own. they did a great job of stocking up on ice cream cones at the machines. Lord knows I ate my fare share of them. For breakfast and lunch we always sat in the Havana area in the rear of the ship as seats were always open. Never really had a hard time finding a deck chair even though chair hogs were present. :) There's so many more to list....

 

Actually, my biggest gripe with my whole cruise is with the past guest perks with Carnival as I've been Platinum for years now. Also with how things were handled by the staff with this group getting off the ship, pursers desk, etc. I'm also amazed at how some people acted due to they're Platinum or Diamond. This topic is a whole other thread though.

 

All in all...I'd sail on the Sunshine again with no hesitation. Enjoy your cruise

Edited December 27, 2016 by NPCIN
spelling

[keishashadow]

OP thanks for the update, raring to go here. Leave on Thursday woohoo

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

They must be changing the itinerary soon. I cruise on this ship for my first time on this ship February 19th and it is a 5 day Bahama's cruise. Would love to go to Aruba someday.

[crismarsh67]

We went to the conch graveyard last week. Go right when you get through the duty free store. Husband wanted to check out the NASA display so we did that then headed towards the whale. Keep walking down the beach, it's is very rocky so make sure you wear appropriate shoes. You will know when you are there because there are conch shells everywhere.

[ToplessPony]

Cruise pup: You are right...Cortrans is great. I'll definitely use them again if I sail out of Port Canaveral as it's a no brainer with cost and ease of use.

 

Mishka: Yes it was an 8 day cruise. Sorry I don't have the dining menus. If you've sailed recently...they've not really changed much.

 

Thanks for the review! Sailing on the Sunshine soon and love reading anything I can find. :)

 

Do you remember what the 8 night packages cost for the internet? I can find the daily price and an older 7 night price but Google and Bing are failing me when it comes to finding the 8 night cost.

 

Thanks!