joeljohns

We just cruised on the Sunshine out of Charleston this past weekend (5/25/17-5/29/17). I will say parking was horrible. There was an extremely long wait to get in to the port and then it fanned out to three long lines to get through lines to check documents and pay (or check prepaid). Once you park, they make it look like you have to take the shuttle which is another line. The shuttle will take you literally a block and a half so you might as well walk it. We self carried our bags off the boat and walk back to our car with no issues. I was warned by a friend of mine ahead of time to not let the Port of Charleston ruin the trip because it is a horrible way to start. If you want on the boat early, plan to get there very early. Our boat was delayed leaving by over an hour because they couldn't get people through quick enough. FTTF is well worth it as you get to skip the huge cluster to get checked in at this small port.

We just got off the Sunshine yesterday and had a great time. I think performers change ships, but if you catch Eden Parker in the Piano Bar, you are in for a great night! We ended up in the Piano Bar every night because it was so much fun. Watched one of the comedians and he was decent. We would hit the serenity deck after lunch and found chairs every day. Our only complaint was I think each bar could use one more bartender and pay more attention to who is next to be served. But we really enjoyed our trip.

My wife and I just stayed in 5355. It was our first cruise, so we don't have anything to compare it to. Mentally we were prepared for staying in a closet. That said, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of floor space. There was plenty of storage as well. The location was great and the only time we ever heard noise was at the start of some party before we went to dinner. During normal sleeping hours it was completely quite. We would stay there again without thinking twice.