gail811

Just off the Venezia this past Friday. No real priority on embarkation or debarkation for our sailing; too many platinum and diamond members. We had 1100 boarding. We dropped our bags, went through security, and walked right on as they were calling our zone. Much better than when we sailed last November. It was a highly disorganized mess then!

Thanks for a great review! We are doing a B2B in June. Do you recall if you are allowed to carry on 2 bottles of wine on embarkation day in Dover as we are in the states?

First night is a little more relaxed on the dress code. I would suggest no shorts though, it really is a nice dining experience. And be sure to check out the Bonsai Sushi across the hall (if you like sushi!)They are both "out of the way" on the Sunshine, but well worth the time to visit!

We did NOT go to the Four Seasons beach on our tour. All in all we were pleased with our tour, but the four of us were put with a very large group split in 2 separate vans. At the end of the day the large group paid $65 pp, and we paid $85! I was NOT happy about that and wrote Mr. Grey as soon as we returned home. He offered to refund a portion, but ultimately I declined; I just wanted him to be aware that what he offers on his website and what we received were totally different. At the end of the tour our van was dropped at a small beach where the boats pick us up to take us back to Cockleshell beach. There was a small restaurant there and a few chairs on the beach, but nothing close to what was advertised. Our driver/guide, Hillarena, was wonderful! I would be very specific with your questions when communicating with him!

We booked with Liz last year and were extremely impressed! She is quick to respond to questions (I asked a lot) and provided our family with an amazing day! We had been to St. Kitts several times, but it was a first for our son and his family. She stayed with us all day, provided a safe, comfortable, clean vehicle with A/C and the driver was wonderful. DO NOT HESITATE to book! Check out her reviews on TripAdvisor.

For those looking to rent in the future, try Avis on Grafton St.! I rented ahead of time online, called as we're leaving the ship, and they picked us up at the ship within 5 minutes. A 3 minute drive to their location, and in less than 10 minutes we were on our way with maps, and marked locations of gas stations. We drove to Peggy's Cove, but when we arrived there were no fewer than 12 tour buses unloading so we continued to drive. Stopped at Peggy's Cove on our return and it was almost deserted. We were THRILLED with the customer service from Avis. Turned the car in and walked back to the ship; it took us less than 15 minutes, luckily all downhill!

Do you have any favorite drink reccomendations from Alchemy?

Absolutely! ❤️️ The Spicy Chipotle Martini, and the Caribbean Manhattan after dinner. Let them know what you like and they will make it 🍸!

it's here!! Leaving for NYC this morning and sailing on the Sunshine tomorrow!

 

Heading to Bermuda. Keep your fingers crossed we actually sail there. Almost a year in the planning and the weather is churning up.

 

At least we missed the hurricane last week!

 

Oh well, weather is as weather does. :p

Hope you have smooth sailing and that Matthew stays far away!

Just off the Sunshine last Saturday. NY embarkation was a breeze.

Please stop by the Alchemy bar and tell Parviz, Alexandru and Ramko that Butch and Gail said hello! Best bar on the ship hands down!

We really struggled with what to do in Tobago! I finally settled on a tour with Jason at Eureka Natural History Tours. The entire day was AMAZING! I chose for our group to go birdwatching, but he modifies tours based on what you want to do. And we saw more than a few beautiful birds! We had him take us to a local restaurant for lunch and he nailed that too! First and foremost Jason is a gentleman, he was prompt, had a safe vehicle and was a safe driver, but more importantly he was passionate about his home! I highly recommend you check him out and see if he offers something for you. The island is beautiful BTW!

tHank YOU!!!!!

You are welcome. She is moving pretty slow 😞 However, she is one of my favorite ships and I would not mind a few days at sea relaxing. I hope they resolve the issue soon and that you are able to enjoy your cruise. Likely I will see her as she sails by here again in the morning. It is usually midnight on her return to Baltimore, and close to the same on her way out.

I live on the Chesapeake Bay and we are watching her sail through the CBBT now.

Can you tell me what email address you use to contact Mr Grey..I assume it was Thenford?..I'm suppose to see him next week but have not heard from him in over a month..

thenang06@yahoo.com

Just back and we did the Nevis tour. We enjoyed our day, our guide Hillareana was great, but we definitely felt like we did not get what we paid for. Four of us were put in a van with 7 others. Van was comfortable and the guide was really personable and knowledgeable. However, when it came to beach time we were expecting a "stroll along the Four Seasons Resort where A-list celebrities stay and play. Relax on a palm-shaded beach or take a dip in the crystal-clear blue of Pinney's Beach--a retreat Fodor's hails as the island's "showcase."". Not even a close description to the small beach we landed on. Restaurant there was okay and not too pricey, but we did not get the experience as advertised. Took the speedboats from there back to Cockleshell beach and rode in a van with Mr. Grey back to port. We were charged $85 per person because we booked as 4, others in our van on Nevis paid $65 per person....not fair in my eyes! And yes, I have emailed Mr. Grey. Nice man, but he needs to rethink the way he charges his guests.

Any suggestions for alternative companies to snorkel with?

Not sure when you are trying to book, but DO put yourself on the waiting list! Each time I have gone they have had a "no show" or cancellation. And last trip one guy had received a message while on the ship that they had room. Hope it works out for you!

WOW! How beautiful!

Thank you for sharing!

Just back from the two week Pride repositioning cruise and we did the morning tour with Woodwind. The entire excursion was one of the most professionally and well organized I have ever been on in over 20 cruises! Dee is amazing! She is concerned first and foremost with everyone's safety. She personally fits your mask and snorkel and inquires about your level of experience and takes the least experienced with her personally. She also has prescription masks which was amazing for me to be able to see everything clearly for the first time! She also takes along a professional photographer and his pictures are stunning! You have the option to buy them on a disk or a thumb drive. Book early! I booked almost one year in advance and they sold out a few weeks later.

I ordered 20 cards and they did charge me $0.59 a card.....still a deal! With 3 cruises booked I hope they keep them as an option on the Verizon rewards!

I used the e certificates through Verizon rewards a few months ago to pay off our cruise. Just went back to get more and see they only offer the gift cards. Does anyone have first hand knowledge as to whether they can be applied to our sail and sign account and used towards anything....even gratuities?

Maya Chan! Owners are amazing hosts, the property is kept spotless, the service is SUPERB and the food/drinks are delicious and served non-stop. I will book the western itinerary just to go back!

Just back from our cruise on the Sunshine. We rented 2 cabanas for our group and were able to add more at $49 per person once there. Carnival had a golf cart waiting for me as I got off the ship and they drove me to the cabana. We had #4 and #5 because they are handicap accessible. The walkway from the restrooms runs between the cabanas, but we did not have much foot traffic so nothing to complain about. The service from Fat Tuesday's was remarkably fast and the food delicious. Although the security guards did a great job keeping people off the beach, they cannot enforce people floating in the water; again not an issue, just an observation. More worrisome was the fact that they (security, which are not Carnival employees) enforced the extra wristbands for additional family members at only "selected" cabanas, others were allowed to stay free of charge. I started to let it ruin my day, but then looked around at my family and friends and realized how lucky I was to have them all there with me, and dropped it. All in all it was worth it alone just to have a place to cool off and relax on the loungers!

As an earlier poster stated, once you go aft you will never settle for anything else. That is the only "negative" I have on aft balconies. We try and get one every time we sail; by far our favorite cabins!

I sent a short email to Carnival's special needs department to ask about having a shower seat in my cabin and inquiring about transportation to the cabana. I was overwhelmed with their quick responses, both by email and phone. I must say I was very impressed! They do not have sand wheelchairs in Mahogany Bay, but after a few calls the ship arranged with a vendor in port to have a golf cart available for me! The special needs department gave me the point of contact once I board the ship, and instructions on where to meet the golf cart. I am now confident that my journey to the cabana will be much easier!

Thank you for the review! We have two booked for our cruise in July and I got them mainly for the grandchildren and the A/C! Good to know that we will have to monitor the guards!

I do have a question. I broke my foot and ankle Monday and will be casted by the time we sail. We are trying to decide what to bring to help me with mobility. I will be on crutches but likely will also have a knee scooter. Do you recall how deep the sand was as you walked to the cabana? I will get there one way or another....even if my DH and DS have to carry me, but the more planning I do ahead of time the better! And ironically, I broke my foot and ankle at our beach cottage while walking across the dune back to cottage!

Another cruiser singing Natasja's praises! We are booked with her again in a few weeks. She is quick to answer emails, and make suggestions based on your time in port. We did the Hato Caves and Boca Tabla last time with some beach time. This trip we have the 2-11 port time and plan to head straight to the beach. Her free wi-fi in her van was also a nice perk! Our granddaughter had surgery the day we were in port and being on wi-fi allowed for updates between phone calls.

I use cruise deck plans too....love that website! And you can also go to the Carnival site, bottom of the page, CUSTOMER SERVICE, then Guest with Disabilities. Then click on your ship and it will pull up the deck plans that show accommodations for those with disabilities. I found it when trying to find an accessible cabin for my sister.