Willdra's Silent Carnival Sunshine Sept. 17-22 Review

[willdra]

Welcome to Willdra's Silent Carnival Sunshine Sept. 17-22 Review!

 

I know Victoria’s Secret. She’s an old man who lives in Ohio. Making money off of girls like me. Cashing in on body issues. Selling skin and bones on a big cruise. I know Victoria’s Secret. She was never made for me and you. ~Jax (and me)

 

 

Hola cruise cousins! Willdra is back with more review-ish writing. This time, W and I set our sights on the very silent Carnival Sunshine. It was super strange for lots of reasons, starting with the change in the testing requirements. I must've checked carnival.com 50 eleven times before we left to make sure that I wasn’t reading it wrong. I'm ecstatic to report that I can still read (yay!), and testing was really not required. I think my nostrils did a small happy dance, and literally breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Travel day showed up way too fast. One minute, I had a week to get ready, and the next I was throwing clothes in my suitcase, praying that I wouldn’t end up looking like I didn’t have the good sense that God gave a muskrat. Time will tell.

 

On Sept. 16, my alarm was set for 8. I got up at 8:40, and I'm already winning! Getting extra sleep is always the real goal. There is absolutely no shame in my lazy game.

 

When I rose up, I set about doing my last minute this and that. Next thing I knew, W (a guy who pays my bills, does my laundry, and married me decades ago) was back from dropping off our furry freeloader at the vet. Time’s up buttercup. I wrapped up my running around, and officially got in the car at 10:40. W got in right after me, and I glanced at him (cuz you can't assume that he remembered to wear pants), and his shirt had 2 little holes on the shoulder. I of course point that out, and then he had to go back in to change his shirt. Whoop whoop! Extra time. While he was getting another shirt, I setup the hotel address in Waze, cuz y’all already know he had no idea where we were going.

 

We were sailing out of Charleston this time, so we didn't have to drive thru the ATL, which was nice. We were on i85N by 10:55. Traffic was so light in that direction, it was almost unbelievable. About 10 minutes into the drive, I was hungry as a hostage. Regrettably, I only had water and some thoughts and prayers with me. Coffee usually fills me up, but since I didn't bring any, I helped myself to W's Yeti. That worked wonders. It should hold me for a while. 

 

This would be our first cruise out of Charleston which is easily the closest port to us. W wanted to sail on the Sunshine ever since she came to Charleston. We hadn’t done it up until now as it really hasn't been cost effective for us. This time as I was searching for our next move, the Sunshine popped up, and it was at a decent price, so I booked it. I’m glad that I did now that Charleston has decided not to renew their contract with Carnival. I don’t know how any of this works, but I am strongly hoping that Savannah will be a viable option for the Sunshine in the future. Closer cruises could mean more cruises which is always the favorable outcome.

 

We drove for about an hour and crossed the South Carolina border at 11:50. Yes it takes less time for us to drive to SC than it does to drive thru Atlanta. Sad.

 

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride carried us until my stomach was touching my back from hunger. Just as I was having hangry homicidal thoughts towards W, we stopped at a Chick Fil A outside of Columbia. I ordered on the app and it was waiting for us on the shelf when we arrived. More confirmation that God loves me! He canceled my crisis with chicken. Let the church say Amen.

 

Me taking selfies while W drives 

 

W driving and trying not to look at me 

 

 

 

 

[nwcruiselover]

I look forward to reading your review.  For some reason your pictures didn’t come through.  I’m using my iPad, which I have used to read your prior reviews, so not sure why the pix aren’t showing.

[willdra]

We weren’t that far from Charleston by then. When we got there, our first stop was an ATM. It was a walk up, but in one of the little rooms. W got out to go in, but there was a gentleman of advanced age in there sitting down on a bucket using the ATM. W said he didn’t know what transaction took so long that you had to sit down for it, but he did know that he didn’t want any parts of that. Mission aborted. We would get more cash later. Just a few minutes afterwards, we were pulling into the hotel. We were staying at Cambria Hotel Riverfront on Ripley Dr. I got a king room for $129/night by booking through our Corporate Concur site at work. When we pulled in, there was a bus blocking the driveway letting about 100 Meemaws and Pawpaws out. W almost hit a few of them because you couldn’t see them crossing the street the way the bus was parked. Mr. bus driver sir, please turn the bus around, and then let the seniors off on the sidewalk, so they don’t have to walk in front of the bus and traffic, like an elderly version of the video game Frogger.

 

When I made it inside, check in was quick. We were given Room 409. It was a nice room, and I liked the way the bed was in the middle of the floor. We usually opt for a 1 bedroom suite, but it wasn’t worth the extra $150 for 1 night. When we entered the room, I noticed a smell. It wasn’t like sewage or anything, it was just a weird, I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really like it, kinda smell. It sorta smelled like a bag of old wet pennies(don't ask me how I know what a bag of old wet pennies smells like, just trust me). I quickly whipped out my spray and chased that smell away. I make my own room refresher spray, and I always keep a little travel spray bottle in my luggage. It’s basically just water, witch hazel, and essential oils. My go to is lemon, because it makes everything smell clean. After the room was funk free, I took pictures, then we sat and stared into space for about an hour. We had dinner reservations, but not until 8:30. We had tons of time to kill. Admittedly, I hadn't done my homework on things to do in Charleston beforehand. I performed a quick innanet search, and I determined that the Waterfront Park and Battery area was where all the cool kids go. So we went too. Cuz we are cool too. Sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

2 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:

I look forward to reading your review.  For some reason your pictures didn’t come through.  I’m using my iPad, which I have used to read your prior reviews, so not sure why the pix aren’t showing.

 

Thanks! I will check the site to see if there is an issue. 😄 

[willdra]

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by willdra

[nwcruiselover]

5 minutes ago, willdra said:

 

This picture came up just fine.  The other ones haven’t though.

[willdra]

The site won't let me edit the posts above, so here are the missing pictures:

 

[nwcruiselover]

Great pictures—you’re well on your way to a great cruise.  I always enjoy your reviews.

[pirate4me2]

I’m following along! I’m needing reviews to get me thru until it’s my turn in a month. 

[willdra]

4 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:

Great pictures—you’re well on your way to a great cruise.  I always enjoy your reviews.

 

Thank you so much, especially for letting me know that the pictures weren't working. It would've really sucked to learn that later on! 😱

[willdra]

More hotel pictures

[willdra]

It took maybe 15 minutes to get to Waterfront Park from our hotel. It was very nice out and there was a cool breeze on the water. There were lots of people out and about, but it wasn’t overcrowded. We walked to the pier, then we walked down to The Battery. As we were walking, we ended up behind this lady who was about to fall face first on those brick skreets, because she wasn’t paying attention to her feet. Ma’am when walking on uneven terrain, stop the yap yap and watch where you are going. Unless of course you want brick soup for dinner. If that’s the case, carry on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Joe817]

Love, love love your writing style! Thanks for sharing! 👍

[willdra]

After we got down to The Battery, W wanted to walk back down Meeting Street to look at the houses. Some of them were spectacular looking, and some of them looked haunted. I noticed these Carolopolis Plaques on  some of the buildings which was interesting. Of course I looked it up while we were walking. W walks turtle slow so I had time. It turns out that the signs are placed there by a Preservation Society in Charleston. Boring. I was really hoping that the signs meant something interesting like just touching the plaques would bring you good luck and a million dollars in a month. But unfortunately, that was not the case. Someone really needs to look into that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

In addition to not bringing me luck or fortune, walking back that way was longer than the route along the water. When we finally made it down to Queen Street, we turned right to get back to the parking garage. However, when we got to E Bay Street we wanted to explore it a little more. There are lots of restaurants on that street. Many of the ones that I was considering when I was researching the area were right there. Of course the one I reserved couldn’t possibly be that convenient. Good thing I enjoyed strolling up that street. It was a trendy vibe, and it took my mind off of the fact that instead of just walking into our restaurant, we would have to drive and park again. While we were sightseeing, we found another one of our bank's ATMs, so W stopped there and loaded up on tip money. I actually already had tip money, but I wasn’t about to deter him from getting his own. Protect your purse ladies.

 

We left there, jumped in the whip, and set Waze for Walgreens. I ran out of probiotics, and I forget to reorder them on Amazon, so I was going to have to get some from Walgreens and pay twice as much (yippee!). At all costs, I gotta keep these PH’s balanced. The route took us down and across the bridge towards Mt Pleasant. We passed the Carnival Cruise “Terminal” and parking lot on the way, and I instantly understood what everyone was talking about when they said it was tiny and confusing. Y’all didn’t lie. A couple of weeks before we left, we printed out the 389 pages of directions from the Port of Charleston's website. That was even more confounding than just winging it. Driving by it made me happy that we saw it the day before, so maybe we would understand it better by and by.

 

I spent $50 in Walgreens on everything and nothing. Sorry Walmart, I know that I usually hit you up, but you weren’t convenient this time, so Walgreens got my cheese.

 

Charleston was so close to home that we didn’t have to stop for gas. Until now. Waze told us the nearest Kroger was 63 miles away, so we opted for Circle K, which were everywhere. W groaned out loud when he saw the gas price, but what were the alternatives? I was certainly not walking or pushing. That is an awful look. Especially right before a cruise.

 

Our 8:30 dinner reservations were at Coast Bar and Grill.  After we got gas, it was 8 o’clock and we were only about 13 minutes away, so we just went straight there. It took us a little while to find parking. By the time we parked and found the restaurant (it’s in an alley that looks like they literally just threw a roof over the space between two buildings), it was 8:24. We checked in with the hostess and were seated right away.

 

It was Restaurant Week in Charleston, which meant that participating restaurants had special Restaurant Week menus. W liked what Coast Bar and Grill offered, so he went with their special. I started with a Southern Peach Mule which was pure fire! I was concerned about the ginger beer in it, but trust and believe it works. I got the Coast Crab Soup and Shrimp and Grits. W had the Calamari, Surf and Turf, and he got the Malbec instead of the cheesecake. Everything was magnificent and W actually told me that I did a good job choosing restaurants. I think I will keep him around. Especially if he keeps inflating my ego.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by willdra
Missing text

[purpleally]

💃💃💃💃💃💃💃

I just saw this!  I’m so excited!  Now to go read!💃💃💃💃💃💃

[HolySpearit]

Love your reviews, and love your hair too! That blue/purple combo is 🔥

[willdra]

 

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by willdra

[willdra]

We ate our fill then rolled out of there. All of the errands were done, so there was nothing left to do but go back to the hotel. That hotel was in a great location. It only took a few minutes to get to and from downtown. We liked that. When we got there, we had to stop at the front desk to get towels. I think they ran out earlier cuz there were several people down there asking for them.

 

In the room, there was nothing to watch but Diners Drive Ins and Dives. This is a kid tested mother approved pre-cruise show, since it makes us look forward to hitting Guy’s Burger Joint when we get on the ship. Watching Guy beforehand sets up the mood. I low key think it's a conspiracy.

 

Keeping with our regularly scheduled program, W and I dug in our suitcases, rearranged stuff, looked for stuff, said a cuss word (or 3) when we couldn’t find the thing, then we got ready for our last night night before cruise day.

 

Before I fell asleep I said a prayer thanking God for the life of whoever it was that decided that even tho shrimp look like little sea alien babies, they might taste good.  I prayed for the entire lineage of that genius who pulled off the disgusting parts of those unattractive little critters, dropped them in some batter, deep fried 'em, and gave us one of the best tasting foods ever.  Shrimp definitely has its own chapter in Jesus' cookbook.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Jamman54]

Hey Willdra! You know that we'll be following along. Patti  and I love Charleston, so your pictures are bringing back great memories! 😎

[jbhcw]

Following....Great pictures..and the hotel looks good!   Have sailed out of Charleston a few times...even on an NCL ship years and years ago!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[pcvtmom]

WooHoo!  Another Willdra review!  I've been happily following Jamman and Megan, and now you come along! Y'all know how to make a girl happy waiting for her next cruise.

[karmamule]

Our next cruise is ...almost... ...here...  (we fly from Boston to Orlando on Friday) so reading your review will be a wonderful appetizer. Looking forward to more!  🙂

[rs45thompson]

12 hours ago, willdra said:

We weren’t that far from Charleston by then. When we got there, our first stop was an ATM. It was a walk up, but in one of the little rooms. W got out to go in, but there was a gentleman of advanced age in there sitting down on a bucket using the ATM. W said he didn’t know what transaction took so long that you had to sit down for it, but he did know that he didn’t want any parts of that. Mission aborted. We would get more cash later. Just a few minutes afterwards, we were pulling into the hotel. We were staying at Cambria Hotel Riverfront on Ripley Dr. I got a king room for $129/night by booking through our Corporate Concur site at work. When we pulled in, there was a bus blocking the driveway letting about 100 Meemaws and Pawpaws out. W almost hit a few of them because you couldn’t see them crossing the street the way the bus was parked. Mr. bus driver sir, please turn the bus around, and then let the seniors off on the sidewalk, so they don’t have to walk in front of the bus and traffic, like an elderly version of the video game Frogger.

 

When I made it inside, check in was quick. We were given Room 409. It was a nice room, and I liked the way the bed was in the middle of the floor. We usually opt for a 1 bedroom suite, but it wasn’t worth the extra $150 for 1 night. When we entered the room, I noticed a smell. It wasn’t like sewage or anything, it was just a weird, I don’t know what it is, but I don’t really like it, kinda smell. It sorta smelled like a bag of old wet pennies(don't ask me how I know what a bag of old wet pennies smells like, just trust me). I quickly whipped out my spray and chased that smell away. I make my own room refresher spray, and I always keep a little travel spray bottle in my luggage. It’s basically just water, witch hazel, and essential oils. My go to is lemon, because it makes everything smell clean. After the room was funk free, I took pictures, then we sat and stared into space for about an hour. We had dinner reservations, but not until 8:30. We had tons of time to kill. Admittedly, I hadn't done my homework on things to do in Charleston beforehand. I performed a quick innanet search, and I determined that the Waterfront Park and Battery area was where all the cool kids go. So we went too. Cuz we are cool too. Sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey!  I am so excited for another one of your reviews.  We just went on the Sunshine in June and loved the port being an hour and a half away.  She is an older ship but we had fun.  I hope y'all enjoyed your cruise. 

Edited October 10, 2022 by rs45thompson

[TravelGirlinDallas]

YAY!!! I'm here for this! Looking forward to following along another Willdra review!