Observations from the Sunshine Oct 10-15

[Bollycats]

I got back yesterday from a Bahamas cruise on the Sunshine and wanted to share my impressions and observations.

 

EMBARKATION

I asked others on this board for approximate timing for check-in because I didn’t want to lug around our bags while trying to get lunch. I chose a 12:30 arrival time and we sailed (pun intended!) through all the checkpoints. The longest line was probably 5 minutes, but it kept moving. We got up to the counter and she asked for our passports, covid cards, and boarding passes. Within 5 minutes we were on our way. We stopped to do the muster drill to kill some time. By then it was 1:20 so I figured we’d just camp out at the closed door leading to our hallway. When we got there a crew member was already opening it up so we got in a little early. Dropped our bags, ooh’d and aah’d at our extended aft balcony, then headed up to the lido deck.

 

FOOD

Food was overall pretty good. The buffet was smaller than I thought based on watching YouTube videos but I usually found something. (I’m a vegetarian) We LOVED the dining room dinners! Breakfast, both the Seaday Brunch and regular breakfast menu, were also good but we noticed service was very slow. Dinner was not slow, but I could tell they were busy because they were hustling between tables.

 

KIDS

We usually cruise in September or October because kids are back in school. I don’t know what changed, but there were LOTS OF KIDS on this cruise. School-age too. We didn’t have any problems with them, just noticed there were a lot of them.

 

AFTERNOON TEA

So glad it’s back. My last attempt on the Ecstasy in 2019 was a nightmare! (got hot water but no tea bag, scone but no cream, etc) This time was much better. VERY fast service. Only 2 sandwiches, but lots of sweets. I love sweets, but it was just too many. I wanted more sandwich choices. All the pastries/desserts were fabulous!

 

HAVANA BAR

My new favorite spot on the ship! I am not a big drinker, but we got the Cheers package for a really cheap price while booking so I wanted to make the most of it. I tried the Cuban Iced Tea and fell in love. Had 1-2 per day and they were STRONG! Also loved the Cuban coffees and pastries they had at breakfast.

 

JAVA BLUE COFFEE BAR

This place was always busy with a long line until about dinner time. They had 2 crew members working there but they definitely need more. The chocolate milkshake was delicious!

 

HUB APP

This worked great for us. I was hesitant to use it at first because I’m “old school”. but it worked really well. I was able to see all the activities and save the ones I wanted for quick access. It was great for Any Time dining. Every night was a less than 10 minute wait with one night being 10-20 minutes. It was easy to check the menus too. I don’t miss paper anything anymore.

 

UNEXPECTED ACTIVITY

Our last day, a seaday, there was an announcement around 3AM for medical personnel to go to a certain cabin. (not sure why we ALL had to hear that) Later in the morning the cruise director said there would be a helicopter evacuation around 10AM. While up on the Lido deck we saw the Coast Guard helicopter flying around the ship. They apparently dropped off medics and supplies and after a while we went back inside. A few minutes later there was an announcement that everyone needed to move indoors. I assume it was time to transport the passenger. We later found out from one of the comedians (not sure how he knew!) that it was a male passenger and he was going to be ok. I hear about these medical evacuations on here all the time,but can’t believe I actually experienced one.

 

THINGS THAT DIDN’T GO SO SMOOTHLY

The pizza place always had a long line. There were 3 guys making pizza, but they just couldn’t keep up. I finally got to the front with about 5 people in front of me and about 10 pizzas came out of the oven. Everyone took a whole pizza, sometimes more than 1, so when it was my turn they were all gone. I had to then wait another 10 minutes for the ones cooking. The pizza is good, but not good enough that I’d ever stand in line that long again. They need to fix it to make it go more smoothly-I’m just not sure how.

JiJi’s for lunch also had long lines. Again, not sure how to fix it unless they add more space and more crew. They had it split into 2 lines and some people tried to cut in from the sides. Luckily there was an attendant there to direct people and she caught all the line cutters. I had finished my lunch about ½ hour before my cruise buddy got through the line and sat down to eat. I understand from lots of people that the food is REALLY good so it’s a popular spot. Just takes too long.

 

Overall we had a great time, no real complaints at all. I loved the smaller size of the Sunshine and hope to sail her again before she leaves Charleston.

[mz-s]

I was on Sunshine a few weeks ago, also arrived at the terminal at  around that time and also sailed through the checkpoints. It was second only to our cruise in February (back before the ships were sailing full) as the easiest embarkation ever in Charleston!

 

It's a shame that just as they've really figured out how to make the most of their facilities, the city is pulling the rug out from under them and making them close the port. It's been a long time coming but still sad.

[Guest BasicSailor]

1 hour ago, Bollycats said:

I got back yesterday from a Bahamas cruise on the Sunshine and wanted to share my impressions and observations.

 

EMBARKATION

I asked others on this board for approximate timing for check-in because I didn’t want to lug around our bags while trying to get lunch. I chose a 12:30 arrival time and we sailed (pun intended!) through all the checkpoints. The longest line was probably 5 minutes, but it kept moving. We got up to the counter and she asked for our passports, covid cards, and boarding passes. Within 5 minutes we were on our way. We stopped to do the muster drill to kill some time. By then it was 1:20 so I figured we’d just camp out at the closed door leading to our hallway. When we got there a crew member was already opening it up so we got in a little early. Dropped our bags, ooh’d and aah’d at our extended aft balcony, then headed up to the lido deck.

 

FOOD

Food was overall pretty good. The buffet was smaller than I thought based on watching YouTube videos but I usually found something. (I’m a vegetarian) We LOVED the dining room dinners! Breakfast, both the Seaday Brunch and regular breakfast menu, were also good but we noticed service was very slow. Dinner was not slow, but I could tell they were busy because they were hustling between tables.

 

KIDS

We usually cruise in September or October because kids are back in school. I don’t know what changed, but there were LOTS OF KIDS on this cruise. School-age too. We didn’t have any problems with them, just noticed there were a lot of them.

 

AFTERNOON TEA

So glad it’s back. My last attempt on the Ecstasy in 2019 was a nightmare! (got hot water but no tea bag, scone but no cream, etc) This time was much better. VERY fast service. Only 2 sandwiches, but lots of sweets. I love sweets, but it was just too many. I wanted more sandwich choices. All the pastries/desserts were fabulous!

 

HAVANA BAR

My new favorite spot on the ship! I am not a big drinker, but we got the Cheers package for a really cheap price while booking so I wanted to make the most of it. I tried the Cuban Iced Tea and fell in love. Had 1-2 per day and they were STRONG! Also loved the Cuban coffees and pastries they had at breakfast.

 

JAVA BLUE COFFEE BAR

This place was always busy with a long line until about dinner time. They had 2 crew members working there but they definitely need more. The chocolate milkshake was delicious!

 

HUB APP

This worked great for us. I was hesitant to use it at first because I’m “old school”. but it worked really well. I was able to see all the activities and save the ones I wanted for quick access. It was great for Any Time dining. Every night was a less than 10 minute wait with one night being 10-20 minutes. It was easy to check the menus too. I don’t miss paper anything anymore.

 

UNEXPECTED ACTIVITY

Our last day, a seaday, there was an announcement around 3AM for medical personnel to go to a certain cabin. (not sure why we ALL had to hear that) Later in the morning the cruise director said there would be a helicopter evacuation around 10AM. While up on the Lido deck we saw the Coast Guard helicopter flying around the ship. They apparently dropped off medics and supplies and after a while we went back inside. A few minutes later there was an announcement that everyone needed to move indoors. I assume it was time to transport the passenger. We later found out from one of the comedians (not sure how he knew!) that it was a male passenger and he was going to be ok. I hear about these medical evacuations on here all the time,but can’t believe I actually experienced one.

 

THINGS THAT DIDN’T GO SO SMOOTHLY

The pizza place always had a long line. There were 3 guys making pizza, but they just couldn’t keep up. I finally got to the front with about 5 people in front of me and about 10 pizzas came out of the oven. Everyone took a whole pizza, sometimes more than 1, so when it was my turn they were all gone. I had to then wait another 10 minutes for the ones cooking. The pizza is good, but not good enough that I’d ever stand in line that long again. They need to fix it to make it go more smoothly-I’m just not sure how.

JiJi’s for lunch also had long lines. Again, not sure how to fix it unless they add more space and more crew. They had it split into 2 lines and some people tried to cut in from the sides. Luckily there was an attendant there to direct people and she caught all the line cutters. I had finished my lunch about ½ hour before my cruise buddy got through the line and sat down to eat. I understand from lots of people that the food is REALLY good so it’s a popular spot. Just takes too long.

 

Overall we had a great time, no real complaints at all. I loved the smaller size of the Sunshine and hope to sail her again before she leaves Charleston.

Yup, That's Sunshine alright 😉