UsedtoBeKati

On 7/7/2023 at 7:49 AM, chisox021 said:

 

I was on this cruise and I hope to offer some insight on what went down and how the cruise was overall...  First, this will not be a long, drawn out review - but a good cliff's notes summary.  I also work for USCBP, so I can elaborate on a few things...  First, the bad...

 

• Yes... There were multiple fights.  I was 20 feet away from the one in the Theater before the "Love and Marriage" game...  To summarize, one older gentleman took offense to someone sitting in a handicapped spot, which he as saving for his "sometimes" handicapped wife.   I say "sometimes" handicapped wife because I saw her during disembarking, and she uttered those words verbatim that she is "sometimes" handicapped... to continue...  words exchanged and the older man punched the daughter directly in the face of the other older gentleman, who was sitting in his scooter directly behind the man and then pushing and shoving ensued.  Security took what seemed forever to get there.  Once they did, the incident was over and the gameshow started....  The man who punched the woman was fined and charges pressed against him for assaulting the woman.  
• Yes…  There was full-fledged brawl with dozens of people in the limelight lounge on the last night in the early morning hours.  Just google and I'm sure you'll find the video.  My wife found it on Instagram.  As I have been told over and over, nothing good ever happens after midnight.  You can watch and form your own opinions on what and why that happened...
• There was also a fight on the 6th deck on the last night as well...  Not much more info on that
• Domestic assaults happened...  They happen everywhere and anywhere.
• Casino was gross..  And by gross, I mean the smoke was everywhere!!!!  It reminded me of the smoking lounges on the Ships I was on in the Navy..  Small area with tons of smokers.  You didn't even need to be actively playing to smoke.  I guess that's the rule, but man..  It was nasty.  I love to gamble but I couldn't stand to be in there for more than 5 mins.  But.....  They have a smoke-free area of the casino, which is quite small and better - but you can still smell the smoke there.  And on that note, you can pretty much smell the smoke everywhere around the casino on the 4th deck and close areas.  They really need a better filtration system and the casino wasn't very enjoyable...
• Deck chairs..   Good luck finding one in the pool and popular areas unless you go in the early hours and "Reserve" them.  Chair hogs are everywhere!!!!  When you have 100's of chairs for 1000’s of cruisers - do the math... it doesn't add up. 
• Long lines at every place to eat...  Especially Guys Burger Joint, the Pizza Joint and the Mexican eatery.   The buffet lines weren't as bad, but you will be in lines.  Food at all places was very good I may add!  There is also "La Strada" on the 5th deck that serves lunch from 12-2pm - on only sea days I believe, but never a line and a hidden gem on the ship!
• Grand Turk…  Ehh…  I’ve been there before and it’s ok.   Once again, not enough this or that for 1000’s of cruisers.  There were also incidents of people stealing at the duty free shops..  Again, what is wrong with people????

So, when you have too many people on a cruise, tempers will flair and bad things happen..  This stuff happens everywhere.  But this cruise was overbooked to begin with, so it was going to be much more crowded than usual and in my humble opinion, there was not enough room, not enough chairs, not enough of everything to be comfortable.  Two VERY SMALL pools and VERY limited chairs for lounging make it impossible to enjoy and relax.  If you didn’t get to popular events ahead of time, and some 30+ minutes early, you weren’t going to get a good seat – or a seat at all if you arrived just before the shows…  Again, people save multiple seats and that just adds to the frustration.

 

The good!!!!

• The Cruise Director, MarQ, was awesome.  The best CD I have ever had in my multiple cruises…  He does his best to keep the action going.  The 80’s party on the Lido deck was awesome and lots of fun!!
• Plenty of bars to get your favorite cocktail.
• MDR was very good and we ate there for bfast, brunch on seadays and dinner every night.  Always had good, prompt service.  You need to check-in on the app if you have anytime dining, but you never waited longer than 10-12 mins for a table.  
• San Juan was awesome!!!
• St. Thomas was pretty good too!
•  

So, I heard and read the discussions about the chaos on the disembarking.  Again, because of the multiple incidents that happened during the cruise, it took much longer to find and “escort” off the alleged individuals who were involved in the incidents.  Not much more to say on this, but the local and federal authorities need to do their jobs first and foremost to clear the ship before everyone can get off.  It is what it is and yes, that’s frustrating when you don’t know why it’s taking so long, but just know it’s not done to inconvenience anyone.  You’d be surprised just how many people have a “second vacation” after a cruise – if you catch my drift….  Even if you do what you’re instructed to do, it may not work in an orderly fashion and may take longer than usual. 

 

Bottom line.  Even taking all into consideration, this was one of my favorite cruises.  In the end, you’re on vacation – with 1000’s of your closest friends.  You have to keep an open mind and just understand that everything you want may not happen the way you intend it to. 

Can you tell me more about your experience at Grand Turk? Was it overcrowded? I've heard overall good things but want to be prepared for everything.

Figmentlover78, enjoy your cruise! Let us know how your kid enjoys the Kids Club? And what activities they offer?  I have one similar age and hoping my kiddo will enjoy the club when we cruise on the Venezia in August.

7 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

For all of the pickle ballers.

Wish it were tennis...:)

Hi, anyone on Carnival Venezia this week who can post a FunTimes? TIA!

Hi, everyone! My family and I are super excited about sailing on the Venezia! We were originally looking at Royal Caribbean, but the newness and novelty of this ship caught my eye. 

Great photos, HBC! Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the helpful feedback, everyone!

Hi - we'll be sailing on Carnival Sunshine in July, and hoping that our 4-year-old might enjoy Camp Carnival for an hour or two during our cruise. How are the activities for the 3-5 year olds? Is it more fun or educational based? Did your preschooler enjoy it?

Hi all - my family and I are planning to visit Horseshoe Bay for the afternoon, as part of our Carnival Sunshine cruise to Bermuda in July. If anyone has done similar, I'd love to hear your thoughts and if you have any tips.

For example, is Baby Beach fun/appropriate for a 4 year old? I know the food at the beach is expensive, but is it tasty and are there healthy choices? Is there a restaurant within walking distance of Horseshoe Bay? What was your favorite part of visiting Horseshoe Bay?

Lastly, it looks like there are a lot of things to do at the pier, when the Sunshine is in port. Is it more of a tourist trap, or did you like it?

We were on the June 4 sailing and they had a variety of movies all week. Will try to dig out our Fun Times and see what they were since we did not watch any; we just passed through the lido while they were playing. We did manage to grab some popcorn though :)

Thanks! Please let me know, if you can.

Bump

Hi, what Dive In movies have been shown recently on Carnival Sunshine? They differ from month to month, or at least they used to. Thanks in advance.

Thanks, Piper934. I'm pleasantly surprised as people on these boards rarely mention the Library Bar...glad to see it's not permanently closed.

Last summer when I went on the Carnival Sunshine, the Library Bar seemed like it was closed or used for a private event. Those of you who have cruised on the Sunshine over the last month or two, can you let me know if it's open? I'm heading back on the Sunshine in July.

The Seuss Character breakfast is well worth the $5 per person. Food is great, very entertaining. There's not a dull moment.

Thanks.

One more thing...the fridge was more like a mini-bar. I was able to fit a small carton of milk in there, but don't think it was cold enough to store milk long term.

Hi - can anyone tell me the difference between a Grand Suite and an Ocean suite on Carnival Sunshine? I know GS is slightly larger, but is opting for a Grand Suite really worth it? I've stayed in an OS, and from photos, it looks like the GS is almost the same.

Considerations:

• We are a family of three in our 30’s with a 3 year old

• We didn’t eat in the MDR (Main Dining Room)

• We didn’t go to any of the shows or comedy acts, so I can’t comment on the space or crowds

• We didn’t spend time by the pool with the exception of some time spent on the Serenity Deck (very nice!) and Dive in Movie nights (great!)

Pros:• Very welcoming staff - Carnival makes you feel at home right away when you step on the ship; we arrived at noon, it wasn’t crowded at all, and we took pictures with Lady Liberty

• Cabin service – our cabin steward on the 7th floor, Pedro, was outstanding! Very attentive, and cleaned our room twice a day (we actually told him evening service was fine with us, but he insisted on cleaning twice a day). Excellent service!

• A child friendly cruise line – staff must genuinely like kids or be trained in how to talk to kids. The wonderful staff in the lobby bar made our three year old kiddie drinks with umbrellas, cherries, etc. Seuss at Sea brunch was OUTSTANDING. Brunch host Melissa from Peru was terrific and engaging, as were the waiters. The food was delicious and all of the kids attending loved it.

• Specialty dining choices – Bonsai Sushi was excellent, as was Cucina Del Capitano for dinner. The food at both restaurants is comparable to NYC dining, and was the highlight of our cruise

• Quiet breakfast area on 5th floor (aft, I believe) – if you want to get away from the crowds on Lido, try the 5th floor area next to Java Blue/Shake Spot for breakfast. BTW, the shakes were amazing!!

• Dive In Movies – since we didn’t have dinner in the MDR, we were able to watch movies on the pool deck each night. Free popcorn and blankets.

• Room service – very tasty (we tried sandwiches, wings, quesadillas, plus my husband got Bonsai sushi delivered every night)

• Gym – my husband enjoyed the gym every morning.

• Small playground attached to Camp Carnival – my 3 year old really enjoyed it and it was rarely crowded. It had a slide, a big pirate ship to climb on and a few other smaller things to play on.

• No sewer smell – I had read reviews about sewage smells throughout the ship. We didn’t smell any of it.

Cons:

• Muster – too long, too hot and sweaty, and too many crowds. Our muster station was outside and lasted a very long half hour.

• Ship’s layout – made it almost unavoidable to walk through the casino each time to get to different areas on the 5th floor. Not great for parents, pregnant passengers and those allergic to cigarette smoke. Also…they had a Dr. Seuss photo opportunity set up in a corner of the CASINO. Bad, bad idea! Bad.

• Loudspeaker announcements late at night – this happened during two nights which was really frustrating. Twice I heard the announcements coming from the hall loudspeakers, and once through the speakers in our room. While I understand a lot of people are out and about at 10 pm, there are kids sleeping and Carnival is the only ship I’ve been on that makes announcements late at night.

• It looked like the Library Bar no longer had wine dispensers. We were looking forward to that.

Overall, it was one of our best vacations ever because we relaxed, didn’t go crazy trying to schedule stuff, and enjoyed the atmosphere (we loved the lobby bar and sitting on our balcony). Feel free to ask me questions and I’ll respond!

Thanks for the review. Did you use the chat function on the Carnival Hub app? If yes, how was it?

 

What kind of cabin did you have? Room #? Did it have a refrigerator?

I had the Carnival Hub app but only used it to keep track of activities on the ship (which is funny, since I didn't participate in many aside from Seuss at Sea brunch, and Dive In Movies). We had an ocean suite, room 7214. Yes, it had a fridge stocked with soft drinks, juice, wine, beer, etc.

Considerations:

-We are a family of three in our 30’s with a 3 year old

-We didn’t eat in the MDR

-We didn’t go to any of the shows or comedy acts, so I can’t comment on the space or crowds

-We didn’t spend time by the pool with the exception of some time spent on the Serenity Deck (very nice!) and Dive in Movie nights (great!)

-We didn't tour St. John because when we arrived it was rainy, cold and our son had come down with a cough

Pros:

• Very welcoming staff - Carnival makes you feel at home right away when you step on the ship; we arrived at noon, it wasn’t crowded at all, and we took pictures with Lady Liberty

• Cabin service – our cabin steward on the 7th floor, Pedro, was outstanding! Very attentive, and cleaned our room twice a day (we actually told him evening service was fine with us, but he insisted on cleaning twice a day). Excellent service!

• A child friendly cruise line – staff must genuinely like kids or be trained in how to talk to kids. The wonderful staff in the lobby bar made our three year old kiddie drinks with umbrellas, cherries, etc. Seuss at Sea brunch was OUTSTANDING. Brunch host Melissa from Peru was terrific and engaging, as were the waiters. The food was delicious and all of the kids attending loved it.

• Specialty dining choices – Bonsai Sushi was excellent, as was Cucina Del Capitano for dinner. The food at both restaurants is comparable to NYC dining, and was the highlight of our cruise

• Quiet breakfast area on 5th floor (aft, I believe) – if you want to get away from the crowds on Lido, try the 5th floor area next to Java Blue/Shake Spot for breakfast. BTW, the shakes were amazing!!

• Dive In Movies – since we didn’t have dinner in the MDR, we were able to watch movies on the pool deck each night. Free popcorn and blankets.

• Room service – very tasty (we tried sandwiches, wings, quesadillas, plus my husband got Bonsai sushi delivered every night)

• Gym – my husband enjoyed the gym every morning

• No sewer smell – I had read reviews about sewage smells throughout the ship. We didn’t smell any of it.

Cons:

• Muster – too long, too hot and sweaty, and too many crowds. Our muster station was outside and lasted a very long half hour.

• Ship’s layout – made it almost unavoidable to walk through the casino each time to get to different areas on the 5th floor. Not great for parents, pregnant passengers and those allergic to cigarette smoke. Also…they had a Dr. Seuss photo opportunity set up in a corner of the CASINO. Bad, bad idea! Bad.

• Loudspeaker announcements late at night – this happened during two nights which was really frustrating. Twice I heard the announcements coming from the hall loudspeakers, and once through the speakers in our room. While I understand a lot of people are out and about at 10 pm, there are kids sleeping and Carnival is the only ship I’ve been on that makes announcements late at night.

• It looked like the Library Bar no longer had wine dispensers. We were looking forward to that.

Overall, it was one of our best vacations ever because we relaxed, didn’t go crazy trying to schedule stuff, and enjoyed the atmosphere (we loved the lobby bar and sitting on our balcony).

Feel free to ask me questions and I’ll respond!

Try the Steakhouse/Steakhouse supper club and the rest of the "premium" restaurants. You might like the food and ambience better than in the main dining room. Do you have a balcony? Nothing beats drinking wine and grabbing snacks/cheese from the lido deck, and hanging out on the balcony to avoid crowds. I don't think smoking is allowed anywhere on board including the casino.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, KatieCharlotte! I'm hoping we can bring our toddler to JiJi, and the Dr. Seuss Parade sounds like something he'll really enjoy. Thanks for responding!

Thanks, Jimbo! Pleasantly surprised to hear about the Steakhouse. Good to know.

My husband and I are sailing on a Carnival Sunshine cruise to St. John in late June 2016. A few questions for those of you who have traveled with toddlers/a three year old on Sunshine:

1 - how long does embarkation take/were there any issues boarding? We plan on arriving later rather than earlier.

2-How was Club Carnival/Camp Ocean for your three year old? Do they have an orientation for parents/toddlers the first day?

3-What did you and your toddler enjoy the most about the cruise? The least?

4 - Did you take your toddler to one of the "premium" restaurants like JiJi or the Italian restaurant?

Thanks in advance!