Sailing on Sunshine! Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk

Carnival Sunshine Oct 4-12

Southern Caribbean: Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk

Background:

We pick a cruise based on the date we need, the ports, the homeport, the price and lastly, the cruise line. This is our third Carnival cruise as they seem to have the perfect fit for our week. This was my 11th cruise and the others are right behind me. We booked this cruise way back in February. Our fall break is in October and we have found that is the best time of the year to cruise for us. There were 8 of us this year. 4 Adults (early 40's) and 4 kids (9-13). When we booked Early Saver, we chose 2 interior cabins. There were so many price drops we were able to upgrade to balcony cabins 6111 and 6112. We also had an onboard credit of $140.

Pre-Cruise:

We booked the Park and Cruise package with Best Western Cocoa Beach. Total for this was $117. Each room included 2 shuttle passes. We purchased additional passes for $6. The hotels that we have used in the past required us to book a shuttle time in advance. Shuttle worked great-it started at 10:30 and they just kept coming. There was a large group of us waiting about 10:20, so they called for a mini bus. We had cruisers for the Sunshine and the Liberty. We dropped off at the Liberty first, HUGE line! I was getting anxious as I like to be there by 11. I'm not sure what was going on but it took forever! It was probably 11:30 before we drove over to the Sunshine terminal. No wait here at all. Dropped our bags and started the check in process.

Embarkation:

No lines in security or at check in. Quickest, smoothest check in that we've ever had. We were walking onboard at noon. We stopped by to see if the TN game was on in the Sports Bar, it wasn't so we headed to the Havana Bar. Most of us had Guy's Burgers for lunch-as we would most days :) We left some at the table watching the game on phones while the rest of us explored the ship. Rooms were ready about 1:30.

Cabins:

We had originally chosen aft cabins on Deck 6. But when we moved to balcony cabins, Deck 6 forward was the only availability. I was a little concerned about being so far forward for two reasons. Reason One, it was over the Liquid Lounge. This was not an issue at all. No noise. I loved being close to the end, almost like living in a cul-de-sac! The only people there were the people that lived there! And we enjoyed being close to the "secret" deck. We watched every sail away from here. Reason Two, the movement. I think there was more movement but it wasn't bad. None of us are prone to sea sickness though. We did take Bonine one night when we had rough seas. If you choose this cabin area, I would choose from cabin 6117 and forward. We could hear the noise walking down the hallway at night and this seems to be where it would stop. Loved the bathroom size! The shower was the biggest one we've had! I do wish the bottom bunk was to the side more like bunk beds as it really limited floor space. Room Steward was great! When we arrived, we asked for extra pillows, extra softness on the bed and an ice bucket. Received all of these immediately. Ice was replenished twice a day. Lots of storage in the room. No mini bar and we did have a night stand. Didn't miss the mini bar as it never really kept items cold anyway. It was a walk from where we were to dinner-we were in the Sunrise-all the way aft. And we liked to hang out on Deck ten aft on sea days. Our original location would've been more convenient but was totally worth it for the balcony. I read for an hour or two every night on the balcony.

General thoughts regarding the ship:

Didn't see any water buckets. I did catch an unpleasant smell a time or two. Nothing bad and I don't remember the location. I've smelled worse driving down I-75! We didn't find the ship difficult to navigate once we figured out what decks went end to end. For dinner, we just walked Deck 6 to aft elevators and down to Deck 4. Same to go to the SportSquare-there are two aft elevators that will go to Decks 10 and 11. Serenity decks would've been easily accessed from our cabin area but we had 4 kids, so we weren't able to hang out there, although it was gorgeous! Overall, we loved the ship's decor. Very refreshing!

Comedy shows were great! We arrived 30 minutes early and were front or second row. We attended three family friendly shows. We usually attend an adults only show or two but we didn't on this cruise. There were several days when there was only one family friendly show and the 7:30 time didn't work with our dinner plans.

We watched a few of the Dive In movies. We also spent lots of time in the SportSquare area. Basketball, corn hole, ping pong, foosball, mini golf. Lots of fun! Never overly crowded. Another favorite spot was the Red Frog Bar on Deck 5. We enjoyed foosball and tabletop shuffleboard here on several occasions.

My husband spent lots of time in the casino playing Black Jack or Texas Hold'em. First time ever he had had so many drinks comped. He doesn't drink, so I was able to enjoy those for him! FYI-you don't earn points playing Hold'em, he was told that was why they were comping drinks. They also did this on the Black Jack tables, although you do earn point there towards the free drinks card. I believe on the tables you only need 100 points to receive this card but I'm not positive. Not really sure cause we didn't come close.

Jamie Dee was the cruise director and we enjoyed her! A CD does not make or break my cruise. We tend to do our own thing onboard. Everyone staff member that we encountered went out of their way to say Hello or Have a good day. Very friendly!

The ship didn't seem crowded at all. Not a ton of kids on board. Kids used the waterworks area. The pool is small but we choose to hangout away from the pool. I like to enjoy the ocean and read. I'm not much on the pool games, etc. Deck 10 aft was perfect. We could hear the music but didn't have to be in the middle of everything and it was the perfect place for the kids to check in with us.

Temperature:

I am always cold on a ship. I usually take a light jacket for dinner and shows. Didn't need this at all. Our room temp seemed to vary. Some nights it would be warmer than others. We tried to keep the curtain closed when the sun was beating down so the room wouldn't get too hot. Although it was never unbearable. Just not as cool as other cabins that we have had. Deck 5 seemed to be the one place it was consistently cool. Our dining table location was really warm. Again, not unbearable just not as cool as I would've liked and our servers were sweating! I felt bad for them. Liquid Lounge was really hot on the night of the Epic Rock show but not on the other nights we were there.

Food:

Excellent! LOVED Guy's Burgers. Great tacos at Blue Iguana. I had JiJis for lunch on the Grand Turk day. Buffett was also good. One day the buffet had several varieties of mini cupcakes. I liked the way the stations were set up on the Lido. We usually took our food to the Havana Bar as there was always seating available. OMG-these were so good! In the main dining room we had Imade and his team at tables 620 and 622. They were amazing! There was one night we needed to be done quickly for a movie and they had us in and out on an hour or less. Pizza was excellent! As was the ice cream! We used Room Service several times and believe it or not-our order was correct every time. I don't know if I've ever had that happen on any cruise line! We ate at the Sea Day Brunch twice. We never received cold or raw food. There was cuban food available in the Havana Bar although I did not have any. Walked by the Taste Bar several times but we were usually on our way to dinner so didn't utilize this area either.

Shows:

We aren't really show people. We did see Epic Rock. It was ok. Music was great-some of the singing-not so much. Loved the Hasbro show. We also enjoyed the Magic Comedy show. We spent the after dinner hours in the SportSquare and the late night hours on our balcony.

Ports:

Aruba 1pm-10pm

We took a taxi to Reflextions at Nikky Beach. I had sent them an e-mail and the bartender, Ashley, responded with the price of $40 for 4 chairs, two umbrellas and 4 welcome drinks. I was glad I printed the e-mail because she wasn't there and they didn't know about the deal but they didn't have an issue honoring the price. Taxi was $9 per cab. We had one driver that quoted $5 pp and based on research, I knew this was not right. There was a gentleman there assisting with taxis and he quickly found us two taxis at the correct price. We weren't able to enjoy the beach for very long. We were there from about 2 till almost 6. Very comfy lounge chairs and the kids enjoyed the pool. We also had some appetizers-food was yummy and well priced. I'm just not sure we would go there again. I didn't really like the beach area. Next time we will go to Eagle or Palm Beach. They called a taxi when we were ready to leave. Very nice people! We missed dinner this night and enjoyed the buffet.

Curacao 8-4

This is my new favorite place! We rented a car from Avis. You must arrange ahead of time as they had no cars available the day of. We had rented a 12 passenger van for $113. This included insurance. The van was interesting! It was a manual-thank goodness hubby knew how to drive one. It had seen better days but it got us where we needed to go. One note: when we arrived back, the office was closed. We just followed what the other renters had done and left the van there with the keys. Really wish they would've told us the proper procedure when we rented the van that morning. I didn't ask because I have never had a rental office close before the ship's all aboard time. We went to Playa Porto Mari. A very kind cruise critic gentleman had provided me with written directions that were spot on. Roads were well marked and we had no issue reaching our destination. Playa Porto Mari was AMAZING!! Can't wait to go back. The husband dove here-$102 for both of them for two dives. One guided and one on their own. cheapest dives ever! They enjoyed the dives tremendously! We enjoyed the beach and the bar. I can't remember the fee breakdown. Umbrellas are free we did have to pay for chairs and the entrance fee. I think I paid around $15 for the three of us and two chairs. There is a lady that will walk the beach and collect the $$ and give you tickets. We had a pitcher of sangria-$18. Also had chicken nuggets and fries. Very yummy and not too pricey. Great snorkeling! I would recommend water shoes as it is rocky going into the water. The water is some of the prettiest water that I have seen in the Caribbean! So peaceful! This is my new favorite spot! Worth the 30 minute drive. We did need to refill the van on the way back, we stopped at a gas station on the left right before the port, you need to stop at the building first, pay for your gas, then proceed to the pump. Took us a bit to figure out this process! A very friendly local gave us step by step instructions!

Grand Turk 8-4

Husbands dove with Grand Turk Diving Co. Excellent as always. We enjoyed the beach and pool at Margaritaville. We went back on board for lunch and then back out to enjoy the rest of our day. We visited Froots frozen yogurt and were able to use their wifi for a few minutes. Water was so nice, I didn't want to waste time on my phone! I will note that this beach had changed since last year's visit. There were vendors with tents everywhere and they were set up close to the water line. This really bothered me. Almost felt like the Bahamas. I wish they would limit the number of tents and have them set up behind the chairs. I felt like they were blocking my view. But I do love the water here. Temp was just right and I spent most of the day in the water.

Because of the early arrival time in Grand Turk and Curacao, the disembarkation is silent. this worked really well for us and the gangway was not crowded at all. However, Aruba was a nightmare! I guess cause everyone was awake and ready to go by the time we arrived. Carnival handled it well and got us through as quickly as they could.

We had a great time on the Sunshine and would cruise her again in a heartbeat! I think our research helped us to enjoy this ship and cruise with an open mind. We knew what problems we might encounter and we had a plan!

After reading all the negative reviews, we were pleasantly surprised! This was a review of our experience, I'm sure others on our cruise may have had a different experience. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the review.......... doing the same ports Dec 3 on the Sunshine.

Thanks for the Review! Did you find the Theater and the "Comedy Lounge" to be smaller, less capacity, crowded as some reviews indicate? Looks like aft dining room with two levels and "fwd" dining room with one level? Thanks, Ken

Thank you for your detailed review! We went to Port Mari last year and loved it! It's almost like a secret gem: very few cruise passengers and mostly European vacationers.

We will be sailing on the Sunshine in January and I booked Early Saver for the first time, but have not seen a single price drop yet. Did yours occur before or after final payment?

Thanks for the review, very nice. We are doing the Sunshine with the same itinerary next summer.

Price drops were after final payment. So hopefully you will see one. The Sunrise dining room is aft-2 levels. I would request first floor, hopefully it would be cooler. Sunset is the midship dining room. The Limelight Lounge would b crowded. It was smaller than the liberty and the freedom. We had dinner @6 and then went right there for the 8:30 show and we never had a problem. The Liquid Lounge was smaller. We didn't go to any of playlist shows. We walked in after epic rock started and there were no seats. But we were late so that was expected. There were seats available after the other events like Hasbro and the comedy/magic show.

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Thanks for the nice review! I enjoyed reading it. Glad you had a good time.

Thank you so much for this review. Our turn on the Sunshine will be in February of next year, exact same itinerary. It is good to know you didn't have any issues. Happy sailing!!

WE also will be on her in Feb.- same IT. You don't by chance have the funtimes that you could email to me?

Thanks for your review. These are ports I'd like to visit.

mommiemudd, could you please tell me what time self assist were able to debark, upon returning to Port Canaveral? Some friends need to book return flights, and this information will be appreciated. Thank you!

I do not have the fun times. Self assist started early. Maybe around 8 or 8:30? We had to be out of our rooms by 8:30. Then they started with the self assist. They did call these by deck level. It seemed like it took forever, Maybe an hour or so to do all self assist, FTF, early flight and Platinum.

I will add one more thought. Our friends were in 6112. Their room steward started off rocky. She had to call guest services with several issues, no mattress on bed, wrong configuration and some other things. Guest services came right up to their room to see what needed to b done and the issues were taken care of immediately. And with a big apology. My rule is to always ask for a problem to be corrected and judge on how it is corrected. Not to judge the problem.

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Thanks for the review. We're going on Sunshine, different itinerary, next summer.

My husband and I were also on this cruise. It was a blast. Had a great time and great service. My only note, if you are sensitive to smoke, the casino was very smoky on both sides. Other than that, we will certainly book again on the Sunshine.

Lois

Agree on the smoke! Everyone went there to smoke! But typical for a ship.

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Nice review, good info, we will be going on same ports in August

Which dining room is considered the main dining room on this ship?

I assume having no mattress was maybe because they got rid of the old one that a new one was needed??

In Grand Turk, you mentioned there were many venders, did you see anybody renting kayaks or any watersports equipment?

Thank you for the review!!

Great reviw. I printed it out to read over. We will be on the Sunshine in August with the same ports. Thanks!!!!

Thanks for the review. We're doing this same trip in August. Can't wait!

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Not sure about the kayaks. The vendors directly in front did not rent kayaks. They mainly just had drinks and snorkel equipment. Maybe that was the deal on the mattress. Who knows?!

Loved this ship and the itinerary. We would just choose something different to do in Aruba.

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How is the snorkeling there did you do that or do you know anybody who has and whether it was worth doing there?

We are doing this same itinerary in 8/2015. Nice to see the review. We are booked on a deck 6 premium vista balcony aft cabin, so psyched for the large balcony. Anyone ever booked one of the corner aft balconies? or any aft balcony? Wondering what it's like. We are always mid balcony. Looking forward to something new and all the ports are new to us too. Woo Hoo!!

Didn't snorkel or dive on Aruba. That was our beach day. Husbands dove in Curacao and Grand Turk-excellent! Kids snorkeled in Curacao and Grand Turk. Excellent in Curacao, we stayed at the Margaritaville beach in Grand Turk so snorkeling wasn't amazing but you can go to other beaches and I think it's pretty decent.