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

[TravelGirlinDallas]

8 hours ago, willdra said:

 I’m actually speed racing thru this review cuz we fly to Houston Thursday and we’re cruising on the Vista Saturday. My goal is to get this review done before we leave. Pray for me! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Great news, another Willdra review coming soon!! Hope you enjoy Galveston and the Vista! Galveston is our closest port and we sail there often. 

[kelkel2]

10 hours ago, willdra said:

 I’m actually speed racing thru this review cuz we fly to Houston Thursday and we’re cruising on the Vista Saturday. My goal is to get this review done before we leave. Pray for me! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Are you going to do a review for that one too? You are a true rockstar. Also, what kind of camera are you using for these pics? They are really good and seem very vivid and sharp. I’m just curious if you’re using a cell phone cam or a real cam. 

[hapytobehr]

Loving your review!  You are so adorable and witty!!

[willdra]

2 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Great news, another Willdra review coming soon!! Hope you enjoy Galveston and the Vista! Galveston is our closest port and we sail there often. 

I’m really looking forward to our first time sailing from TX. We have relatives in Houston so I’m sure we will do it again. 😃😃

[willdra]

1 hour ago, kelkel2 said:

Are you going to do a review for that one too? You are a true rockstar. Also, what kind of camera are you using for these pics? They are really good and seem very vivid and sharp. I’m just curious if you’re using a cell phone cam or a real cam. 

I use both my iPhone and Canon Rebel T6. We take a lot of the same shots with both cameras. When I go in afterwards I choose the ones that I like best. Both of them have their specialties tho. 

[willdra]

33 minutes ago, hapytobehr said:

Loving your review!  You are so adorable and witty!!

Thank you!! 😘😘 

[atxlady]

On 10/10/2022 at 8:54 PM, willdra said:

 

When W and I got back to Deck 6, there was a guy standing in his cabin doorway with only shorts on. Red Flag. I quickly assessed the situation and determined that whatever he was going thru had absolutely nothing to do with us. However, he volunteered to tell us that the noise from the Ocean Plaza Party downstairs was too loud and he couldn’t sleep. Okkkkkk. Here’s some free lifesaving wisdom. Minding your own business is about not inserting yourself into other people’s Koolaide. Don’t even ask. Try to avoid eye contact if at all possible. But. And I have a big but. If they volunteer the info, listen, and maybe nod a few times. Do that as long as it’s not uncomfortable or weird. As he was telling us his deal, we nodded, and kept it moving. We never paused. Here's another complimentary nugget of knowledge. There are different types of nods. There’s the “I hear you, but no” nod (this is more of a quick chin lift than a nod). There’s the “I hear you and I agree, so tell me more” nod (this is a more vigorous nod than the first one). Then there’s the “I hear you and I need more information to determine whether I’m in or not” nod (this one is more of a slow mo nod).

 

We hit him with the “I hear you but no” nod. We weren’t getting in that. When we got inside our cabin, we could hear him out there talking to other people, repeating his story.  A little while later, we saw him (thru the peephole) in the hall waiting for the escorts to his new cabin. I hope he found the peace that he was seeking. This is also reason number 5678 that packing earplugs are worth it. I can’t stress enough how blocking out sound will save you all of that trouble. If you’ve never worn them or if you’ve had some that were uncomfortable, get a few different types and try them out at home before your vacay. Don't let sounds assault your ears and keep you from sleeping like a newborn baby who pays no bills. Sleep is sacred.

 

We called it a night within the hour after the situation across the hall fizzled out.

 

Before I fell asleep I said a prayer thanking God for sandwiches. They’re perfect for any meal. There are breakfast sandwiches, dessert sandwiches, dinner, and lunch sandwiches. You gotta love multipurpose, versatile, portable food. God gives the best gifts.

 

 

 

A noise machine also helps. Have slept w/ one for over 20 years. It usually blocks out ALOT of nonsense coming from others.

[floridagal83]

I enjoy reading your reviews and witty writing style. Looking forward to hopefully a Vista review!

[willdra]

Nassau Day

 

The first time that I woke up was around 4:45 cuz heartburn. I used my Apple Watch flashlight to grab the Tums. I chewed a few of them until the fire in my throat was extinguished. Taking Tums is not my favorite because it leaves an icky taste in my mouth. It almost feels like there’s fur on my tongue. I do prefer it to heartburn tho, so I had to take one (or 3) for the team. 

 

I fell right back asleep after that and I was out until my alarm went off. I was sleeping so good, I didn’t know why my watch was buzzing. That’s the best sleep. When your alarm goes off and it becomes a part of your dream (my alarm is a song), or you’re like “what is that noise?”. One thing I can say about Carnival beds, for me they’re comfy. The pillows are just the right amount of fluffy and the mattress doesn’t hurt my back. Usually. 

 

So I get up at 8, and start my daily process of taking forever to get ready. W was done in a flash so he looked at our food choices in the app, and Lido was our best bet. When I looked, I noticed that the app had the omelet stations listed, which meant that if I’d looked yesterday I would’ve saved myself the wild goose omelet bar chase. I told W he could go ahead to the Havana and I would meet him there. He said “what cabana?”. Sir. Clean out your ears. I said “Havana”. He understood the assignment then, and went ahead of me. Whew. Y’all already know I just bought myself some extra time and I was giddy with delight. What do I do with this few minutes of freedom from deep stares and heavy sighs??? One word. Moisturize. I needed coconut oil on every exposed spot of my body. I felt like my skin was dehydrated. I took my time doing this and that and when I ran out of things to thing, I went up to meet W. 

 

He was already out of the omelet line which meant I was down there a good minute. Worth it. I got coffee then went over to see my carb options. W got my omelet but this was French toast and bacon day too. As I was browsing I saw that Havana had some pastries setup. There’s fruit, meat, and cheese. If you want anything else you have to go over to the main buffet. It sounds far but it’s really only a few feet. I went over to get French toast and while I was doing that the server actually volunteered the bacon. He was like “do you want bacon?” And I was like “shut up and put it on my plate please!”What kinda question is that??? He needs to say “how much bacon do you want?”. LOL jk I would never look a bacon bearing gift horse in the mouth. I really said “Yes please, and thank you”. 

 

Happy with my bacon bounty I went back to join W in chewing. It’s really quiet back in Havana with lots of empty tables. I don’t know if people aren’t aware of it or if the ship isn’t that full. Either way it was a solid choice 2 days in a row. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We sat and fellowshiped until around 9:30 when we walked off of the ship. TJ made an announcement earlier saying some businesses in Nassau require masks and/vaccination cards. We had masks but not the cards so we went back to the cabin on the way out to get those. Down on deck 0 there were people walking around looking confused. They were looking for the box with the extra masks. It was at one of the checkpoints. When they finally found them, they got enough masks for their group, complained about having to locate them, then dinged off. I know the security agent wanted to say “if you’d brought your own, you wouldn’t have to look for some”, but he didn’t. He just thought it, like I did.

 

It’s been forever since we’ve been to Nassau and we were pleasantly surprised by some of the changes. One being that we didn’t have to walk through that tourist trap building to get out to the front. We also just walked right up and got a taxi. I reserved day passes for us at the new Margaritaville Resort. During my research, I liked what they offered and I liked being able to do a La carte purchasing. We would be in port until 4:30 so we would get our money's worth. It was a beautiful day out and I’m glad we didn’t have to get on a bus and drive a ways away to get to the water. I looked at Carnival excursions, and I didn’t book with them cuz they don’t always tell you which beach they are taking you to, which is kinda sketch. I need to know where you’re taking me. Why is it a secret? 
 

[willdra]

Anywho we jumped in the cab and our driver Mike took us to the resort. It was $15 and we probably only went about 2 miles total, and that was cuz we went around the traffic. Mike gave us his card and told us to call him if we needed a ride back later. The directions that they emailed me stated that it was only a 15 minute walk. There’s construction along the main road tho so I don’t know how dangerous that 15 minutes really is. 15 minutes is a long time to be in peril. 

 

We got to the resort and the bellman out front gave us directions on checking in for our day pass. There’s a little window on the right side of the building (if you are facing the building) to check in. I think it says “Reservations” I will double check when we leave. So first you check in, and pay your balance.
 

Then they give you wristbands and some basic instructions. You can sit on the beach or in the pool area. There’s lot of lounge chairs, umbrellas, and tables. You can get towels to use for the day as well.

 

W and I checked in, then went in to explore the park. It was empty when we got there so we had our choice of seats. There’s a lazy river, zero entry pool, slides, kiddy area, and cabanas for rent. We found a spot that we liked but after I went taking pictures we moved to a better spot. I need all day shade so our new spot practically guaranteed that. There are lots of chairs right in front of the building with all day shade so we could always move if it wasn’t too crowded over there. I was writing this at noon and still was not busy at all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

[pirate4me2]

This hotel looks REALLY familiar, like a place we stayed at thru Resort For A Day when we were in Nassau on a cruise several years back. I see it is advertised as new....do we know if a old hotel shut down and this one took its place? I'm trying to remember the name of the place....for some reason Breezes sounds familiar, maybe that was it?

[willdra]

W got in the water and I walked around taking more pictures. It really is a pretty resort. I love how it’s setup. The only weird thing, is that you have to cross the bridge to go from the interior to the exterior. Prolly cuz of the lazy river going around the outer ring. Other than that, it was all good. There’s a bar, quick food windows, a pizzeria, and other offerings. From what I can tell, they try to keep the “day pass peeps” outside of the hotel. Shady.  

 

 I made these quick notes, then checked on my Fantasy Football Team. My team won this week, now I’m 2-0. Purr.  This is huge for me cuz usually when we travel my team loses, since I forget to either set my lineup or check in on it.  

I jumped in the water after that with W. We went around the lazy river then got in the pool. They have these neat little sections in the pool where you can sit in the shade. I sat on a float there for a couple of hours. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

W went to check out the $5 drinks and he bought me a mango margarita. It was good but small. He walked down to the public beach where he said there was $4 beer. When my drink was done I wanted another one so I went to the bar. They don’t take cash. I paid $17 for this Long Island Beacher. Gratuity was included. Needless to say I didn’t get another drink. That was expensive for this itty bitty drinky drink. 

 

Man 2:30 arrived fast! That was our “go time”. W was still in the pool so I had to call him to let him know it was time to go. I turned in our towels, tinkled, then we walked out front. All in all it was a great day, I highly recommend it, and the next time we go to Nassau, I would go back. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to the reviewers who said there would be too many kids running around. There really wasn’t that many kids or adults for that matter. I guess it all depends on when you go. 
 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We walked back up to the entrance and just as I was asking W what he wanted to do, a taxi pulled up and offered to take us back. He was charging $12 total so we took it. Another couple rode with us also since he had a van. 

 

When we got back to board the ship, there was a security agent at the gangway. She stopped the line and said we had to wait for a wheelchair to come off. We waited a good while but no wheelchair came. People kept walking up trying to get on (like they didn’t see this mile long line of people waiting), and she would send them to the back. Time triples in the hot sun, so what may have been 5 minutes, felt like 15. 

 

So after waiting 30 minutes (heat index time)  another gangway opened up. Right after we scanned in, they were told to hold the line so someone could exit the ship. Meanwhile the other gangway was still waiting for the wheelchair that never came. Make.Better.Choices.Carnival. The line was already crazy long because of the ghost  wheelchair, now you want to make it even longer by stopping to let someone off. Wouldn’t using those double ramps maybe work better? No chance, that was too much like right. 

 

Once we finally got back on the ship, we went to find food. We weren’t really that hungry while we were in port, and why spend $30 or $40 (after the mandatory gratuity) for finger food that we can get on the ship? We already paid for the food on the ship so we will eat it as much as possible. The only venues open at that time were deli, Guys Burger Joint, Pizzaria, and a small part of the Lido buffet. I decided on deli. W had the same with a salad from the salad bar. I got the grilled ham and cheese and it was delish, but the bread was extra crunchy this time. Extra crunchy bread is in the hades cookbook. 
 

 

 

[willdra]

The Lido was on and popping. There were lots of peeps doing the same as us. Just getting back from port, looking at options. I was tired from just sitting there. I really wanted to see sail away from Nassau, as it’s one of my favorites. I love seeing the lighthouse and Atlantis and all of the other iconic Nassau sites as the ship bids farewell to the Bahamas. I also wanted a nap too. This was my last opportunity for a post-port day nap. So I took it. I will have to catch that Nassau sail away another day.

 

 

I set my “mental alarm” for 7. I woke up at 6:51. W took a short nap too, but just like W, he was already up wandering around an hour and a half later. He actually got decent pictures of the ship leaving Nassau cuz he likes me. Sometimes. 

 

He got back to the cabin around 7, and we got ready for dinner. Sometime during the day, we got invites for the VIFP Party which would be the next day. We also got debarkation instructions.
 

Say what??? We just got here! I’m not going to say I’ll never do a short cruise again, but I can say that it will have to be a very special circumstance. Like if it was free or if we went with friends/family. While I was getting ready, I was also putting stuff away and tidying up. I never want the steward to come in to a huge mess so I try to keep the cabin as clean as possible. This ain’t easy, living with Oscar the Grouch. Oops, I mean, W. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[karmamule]

I don't think we could ever do fewer than 7 days. You look forward to something for hundreds of days and then it just feels beyond cruel it ends so soon. I always try to put on a brave face that last night before disembarkation "Oh I can't wait to see the kitties again" but, no, if I had a choice they could wait a bit more.

 

At least you have your next cruise coming right up. It looks like the Vista and Mardi Gras won't overlap in any ports but we'll be scooting around the Caribbean at the same time.

[Jamman54]

Next time we are in Nassau we will have to check out Magaritaville. The lazy river is a deal maker for me! 

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

Next time we are in Nassau we will have to check out Magaritaville. The lazy river is a deal maker for me! 

 

I was thinking the same thing. I loved the one at Planet Hollywood in Cancun.

[willdra]

As soon as W checked us in, we got a table on the app. We got to dinner right at 8. It was “Showtime” so we had to wait to be seated until it was over. 

 

W said he wanted to try new stuff (why, I don’t know), so he got Steamed Mussels, Shrimp Creole, and Supreme of Poulet Farcie. I was sticking with the regular shmegular Shrimp Cocktail, Lasagna Bolognese, and Apple Pie for dessert. I also ordered a Rum Punch. I was behind on my drinking today, so I needed to catch up. Negligent. 

 

The food came fast. We ate and talked about this cruise thus far. For entertainment that night, the only things going on half way interesting, was the Latin Nights Show, followed by the Pirate Deck Party. 

 

Normally, they have new comedians on for the second half of the cruise, but not this time. It looks like the one comedian is who we get for the whole cruise. Yay us!