mtsnd1900

I have been to Roatan a few times - I highly recommend CHANNIN BODDEN TOURS. go on google, FB, etc. to find him. He will pick you up at the port, take you around the island to anywhere you want to go, and make recommendations you may not have thought of. Best stop this past trip - Daniels monkey and sloth habitat! Also spent a while on the water on his boat, snorkeling the great reef! Channin is rated #2 on trip advisor for Sandy Bay, Roatan and #1 on TA for other things. Channin is personable, honest and passionate about the island and its heritage.

Overall, this was an a great cruise. The ship is full of fun, spread out pretty well. Adults in one area, kids in another. Pool deck was happening, and the dining and drinking venues were great. Room was standard size, shower had a clothes line in it, no refrigerator in the room, ice was available. No issues with the Air Conditioner, balcony was nice size and opened up to the neighbors at our request.

Faster to the Fun is a must - line cutting at Customer Service, and the early boarding. didn't take advantage of the tender option.

Wife said she felt the boat move a lot, and didn't like the smaller ship. Smaller - when it was launched as the Destiny, it was the largest ship in the world and the first megaship! I guess that is what happens to a person when they cruise a lot on the RCCL and Carnival newer ships. I felt the motion only on the first day.

Food is subjective - i like it, especially the deserts - they do not use a lot of nuts! Room service is something to be desired. Breakfast is cold crap only, and the night time delivery of hot food often results in cold food being delivered.

Entertainment was good if you liked live music and stand up comedy. Shows were cruise line worthy, but a long way away from that of NCL and Royal, amongst others. You will not see CHICAGO, Blue Man Group, Rock of Ages, or similar here, but you might see Tison the juggler from NC, or VIP Lounge.

No dripping buckets, no phantom smells, wonderful staff, the layout is NOT hard to figure out, stay on the Lido deck, just inside the pool if you have the option. The casino smelled of smoke, but not as bad as on other ships. Strangely, the Library Bar and the small arcade next to Cherry on Top Both stunk of cigarette, and never figured out why.

Roatan is always our favorite port, see Channin Bodden Tours and let Channin take you around the island. Cozumel is a classic, and Belize we didn't really do much.

Able to bring our own wine on board, along with buying a bottle of whiskey ahead of time, cut down on spending.

Summary - we loved it, and I would definitely sail it again. They do have some sailings out of Charlestown on the agenda - who knows! To many ships, so little time......

Any questions, let me know, will do my best. Thank you for reading!

Day 7 - Fun Day At Sea

We slept in, getting up at 8am and relaxing in the room with breakfast brought back from the Lido buffet. having our room just off the pool deck made getting a good breakfast and bringing it back very easy. Carnival does NOT do a good breakfast by room service - I like RCCL for theirs. we sat on our balcony and talked to family and friends. Not sure if I mentioned this, but we had a bunch of rooms all together, so they opened the doors on our balconies, making all double balconies for us. can not go more then 2 together, but we really liked this. Somewhere, there is a website that told us which rooms had balconies that opened up to neighboring rooms balconies.

Had no intentions of sitting in the sun today - it was all about fun now. Waterslides, walked the pool deck with GoPro, hit the shops and got some jewelry with wife. The onboard whiskey selection was basic - they did have one Cruise Line only bottle, looked pretty nice, and a few gift sets of Walker where you get one of each bottle (though small). I opted to not even buy anything, as the savings were not worth the efforts for me this time around. Smokers were happy with $25+/- cartons. Here I will fill you in on something I saw coming a mile away, but people tried anyway. On day 1 or 2, there was a huge watch sale, giving them for $10 or so. Everyone in our group who got one had to return it by this day as they all were broken already. "waterproof" that were not, knobs and dials fell off, it was comical. People - the "sale" junk and "$10 today only" etc. sales are junk sales! Stay away from this crap.

After lunch, in the buffett, the Chocolate Delight was delivered! a few sections of the dessert area filled with tons and tons of chocolate options. i did not see any advertisement for this "delight", and only caught word of mouth that it was happening by a band member the night before. Next up, the Love and Marriage game show. Pretty funny stuff, standard shipboard entertainment with old couple, newlyweds, and middle aged couple.

Went down, paid off the sail and sign card. Note to self here - make sure to call the credit card company and tell them I am going away. I know to do this, but forgot on this trip (actually, i just said to heck with it.) My card got blocked, and I had to go down and iron that out. Note to self, call in the future. for some reason, my card company put a STOP on it at $200, and clearly I was over that by this point. So, paid that off, zeroed out my balance. Dinner was nice, said good by and thank you to the wait staff. on all my cruises, i think this may have been the best yet. One of the kids in our party is hard of hearing, and they payed a lot of attention to him and his needs - he laughed the entire week!

Off to karaoke with Run for Cover. The people who do karaoke on cruise ships are in a world all their own! all were great, and provided a lot of entertainment - thank you if you are reading. Off and running to a show now - EPIC ROCK - this was the highlight show of the week, and was really well done. live music and signing, and the video screens really were amazing. about 8 or 9 classic rock songs, stage performance well done, and back to the other lounge for more RFC Band! Late night food, around 1130, in the buffett, hot dog bar - chili dogs!

At midnight, the ship fell silent - everything closed up. bars, casino, etc. if you want something, get it by now. I had to run to Guest Services - thank you Faster to the Fun because the line was long - to get aspirin. They have it here, a few pills for a few dollars. much needed.

We do Self departure, so didn't put luggage out.

Next morning, we were up early, and in the dining room early. this was for self departure guests as well as diamond, VIP, etc. after we were cleared to get off the ship, we walked down, around, down the escalator, around a few corners, past the baggage corral warehouse (which, mind you, was the most organized i have seen), into the customs lines, and within minutes, we were curbside. I think i timed it at 14 minutes from dining room to curbside calling our hotel shuttle! I had full size suitcase, and a backpack. wife had similar. Highly recommend this process. Homeward Suits shuttle was there in 10 minutes, and we were back at the hotel within another 15 minutes (picked up Disney pax on the way).

Vacation over. 10 hour ride home starts.

Day 6 - Thursday - Costa Maya, Mexico.

When we booked this cruise, there was 20+ of us that immediately jumped at the opportunity to once again go back to Maya Chan while in Costa Maya. We booked it a year or so out, kept in touch with them, and looked forward to returning to this great beach resort. The one thing that was going to dampen this was that we (Sunshine) would be in port for crappy hours - ship sets sail way to early from here - be we opted for this all inclusive getaway regardless. To make the most of it, I was up early, 6am, and land could be seen in the darkness. I made my way across the lido to the buffet for some food, and something was amiss - there was no hot food out and it was after the hour they said hot food would be available (think they told us 630). As time lingered, it became evident we were not going to be on the pier at 0700 as we were scheduled to be. 0710, Captain came on the loud speaker and announced that "due to weather, and rough seas, we would not be able to dock." They would provide us with another "Fun day at sea" and continue back to Port Canaveral. So, no Maya Chan. If you can, look to go here, it really is pretty cool, low key, inexpensive, and often entertaining. CM is a port I actually enjoy because it is not over burdened with crap, but still holds a rustic feel.

Once they announced this, it was a mad dash to the pool decks for everyone that was awake. Lucky for us, our group was all standing there, on the pool deck, bags and towels in hand, when it was announced. we turned, and grabbed a bunch of chairs together in the serenity area. Within minutes, the masses came and started to claim their stake in the gold mines. Chairs were all full (many of towels) by 8am. Unfortunately, the pool in the serenity area was slated for repairs this day (ladder needed to be fixed), so they spent a good amount of time doing that, and then filling the pool - it opened at 10. this pool really does hold a heck of a lot more then the "17 cartons" the sign says is the limit - sure, you have to stand there, but it can hold a lot more! There were many times during the week where I was the only one in the pool, most notably the first sea day - was a nice setting for pics.

Hit up the Italian restaurant for dinner, Cucina. Was pretty good, though I think the Italian restaurant on RCCL is much better. We did get a little confused here though. It was the second formal night, and we really did not want to do a formal night again (we usually only do one); when we booked, we asked if we had to dress formal, or if the normal dress code would be allowed (on formal nights, you have to wear pants, no shorts). About an hour after we booked in person in the restaurant, we received a phone call telling us that we had to dress formally to go to this place tonight. So we did. Well, it clearly was not a necessity and when we asked about it, everyone seemed miffed and didn't know who called us. Also, I get sound-sensitive at times, and things drive me nuts. The music in here - I had to ask 2 or 3 times if they could turn it down. Honestly, it was very loud for a restaurant, especially on a formal night. As more and more people came in, someone did turn it down. It should be noted that we were the first people in here, and not many more came in after us - a reservation probably was not needed.

This evening, one of the two bigger shows for the week was going to be shown - VIP Lounge Show - cruise ship style show, a few audience members become part of the show. Due to technical difficulties, the first show was pushed back. It was pretty good, dancing, singing, played on the premise of a night club VIP thing. I liked this theater a lot - it is not big, and a seat was easy to come by. The entertainment venues all over this ship are set up pretty well -in small atmospheres. For entertainment, it is best if you like music and comedy. After the show, joined the family back at the other end to watch Run for Cover again - we really enjoyed this band! Late night - Pizza and desserts! Out on the pool deck, Mockingjay pt1 was playing on the big screen. Not sure if I mentioned this, but the movies were a big hit - the popcorn was kind of bland though.

Another day down.. only one more - Fun day at sea!

Belize - Wednesday - We had faster to the fun, but did not take advantage of this for the tender. We slept a bit, and were even contemplating not going ashore. The F2TF tender leaves at 0815, and if you are not on it, the F2TF is gone and you join the crowd. You go to deck 5, get a numbered sticker (can get a few of them), and then wait for your number to be called. Most waited in the lounge outside the Red Frog, or in the RF. Once your number range was called, you were ushered down the stairs to the Comedy Club, and corralled in there for a few minutes. Then, down to the tender.

Tender process was easy, larger tenders on this cruise then we have used in the past, which made the short ride in nice. Once in port, there were the typical junk stores, a few bars, and amazingly they DID have a Diamonds International (sarcasm). We went to the cocoa store and bought a bunch of stuff in there, resulting in a free chocolate milk shake for the amount of money we spent (bough hot cocoa mix, baking cocoa, some soaps, candy bars). Then hit up the Piranha Joe store, which is another staple in cruise ports. Seems like the quality of their shirts is a little thin this year, and the designs are getting more colorful and detailed. The NCL Sun and Dawn were in port with us. All over, people were holding signs and trying to get you to do excursions. Grabbed a beer, and headed back to the ship. Others in our group did the cave tubing, zip lining, and other adventurous excursions - we thought of doing some ruins but figured they would be there the next time we come to this port and called it an early day.

Back on the ship, the decks were slowly starting to build a crowd, but easy to find a place to sit, hit the slides, ropes, etc. Took a nap, got ready for dinner. It was here where i decided to jot down the TV agenda, so here is my attempt at relaying that:

7/8 ESPN, never worked all week

11 OBM Shopping

13 CD Show (Wee Jimmy, who, may be my favorite)

14 Carnival Guide

15 Discovery Channel

16 Fun on Board

17 Shore Excursions

18 Ship locator map

19/20 Cameras

21 Fun Times

22 CBS

?????

NBC

ABC

FOX

CNN

CNN International

CNN Spanish

Boomerang

Cartoon Network

TNT

TCN

Fun for All

Information

Complimentary Movie Channel - had nothing but movie trailors!

There may have been another channel in there, but the one that is missing on this ship is CHECK MY ONBOARD SPENDING!!! yeah, 2 kiosks on the ship to do that, but not in your room.

Dinner, the waiters entertained us (Xy and company were great), some waiter sang really well, and the matra de was amazing as always ("Showtime!")

Sums up a relaxing day in Belize. Been here a few times, have yet to really explore the country. Next up, Costa Maya! well, that is what was scheduled.....

County inn and suites

and

Marriott Residence Inn

Both are in the same parking lot, and there is a Hertz rental car agency in the parking lot as well. Get a Hertz car if you are flying in, use it for the night, go there in the AM, drop it off, and get a free shuttle ride to the ships.

The Sunshine is a great ship - just got off it last week. The adults only area is one of the best I have been to (Allure of the Seas only downfall was it is under glass). I would not hesitate to book it again, and found it great in almost all ways. Shows were slightly lacking compared to many of the newer ships - there were two production shows, decent quality. Comedy, bars, piano, movies, kids area, slides, all excellent. Ropes course was great for the space provided.

Great review so far! We will be on the Sunshine in August. I was noticing you used a go pro camera on the waterslides. What kids of strap/harness did you use for the camera or did you just hold it? We have a chesty for the go pro would this work?

I just held it. I contemplated the stick to get one from the opposite view, but feared eating it. Others have done it, but not this guy. Holding it worked great, and the footage was incredible (my first time using it). Needed a head or chest harness to take on the ropes course.

Day 4 - Roatan! My favorite port. typically, I just dive here, and some sight seeing, but this time, opted to just sightsee and snorkel, and what a trip it was! I contacted Channin Bodden (google Channin Bodden Tours Roatan, #1 rated in Sandy Bay, Honduras on Trip Advisor), who I have met and toured with in the past. Channin is an island native who was educated in the US, runs a great operation, and will escort you all over the island and on the water, at an incredible price. I highly highly recommend that you contact him and let him take you all over this beautiful island from a natives perspective!

Okay, off the ship, through the shopping area, and up and over the hill that the vehicles come/go by. Non-cruise guides can not come in the port in the AM, only in the afternoon to drop people off after a days trip. Channin was there, with his sign in hand, and a warm welcome. We went off to his awaiting and comfortable van, complete with refreshments (banana soda amongst them!). We had told him in advance a little of what we wanted to do on this trip, and off we went!

A drive by tour of some of the industry, villages, and other information about the island as we drove to Daniels Monkey and Sloth Sanctuary - this place is far and away the best place to see and play with monkeys while in Roatan, as well as sloths! This was a must-do on our trip, as everyone has seen past pictures of mine playing with monkeys and wanted to do it. our group of 10 was one of three small groups at this house on the water. Personal tour guide, $10pp fee, and very informative. The setting is great, makes for awesome backdrop photos. I have been to other monkey farms on the island, many commercialized - if you want to do it right, and hold sloths, go here with Channin! A few different animals, birds, monkeys, sloths, photos, laughs and we were off. we could have stayed all day, but wanted to do other things.

Next, a ride up the mountains to some sight seeing posts, and looked at some other sights he thought we may want to see. Along the way, stories from his childhood to coincide with where we were, and the history of the island. The first hand knowledge and personal experience is not accomplished if you go with some big cruise ship group. He told us when he gets big groups, he will take half and a relative will take the other half if needed - and they can all travel in one pack.

Lunch time! We asked him to take us somewhere that the tourists would not be, with island food. We went to a restaurant that was attached to a ladies house, that has been running the place for a long time - fish, shrimp, chicken, fresh plantain chips, beans, rice, and a few other things along with fresh juices - price ranged from $6-$9 per person and was fantastic.

Back on the road, down to the beach and boarded his boat for a snorkel trip! most of us had our own gear, but he had fillers for those lacking (he had full sets if needed). His cousin was his mate and we set off to the reef. Along the way, we passed some sights he pointed out from the land, but saw them from the sea this time. Once in the water, he pointed out lots of sights, to include a huge ray, turtles, and tons of fish. He also provided some insights onto the reef and the fish.

The day came to a close, we went back to the ship, parted ways and I already look forward to returning in 2017. Guys Burger joint for another bite to eat, hit the jacuzzi, then changed up and got ready for a show. I went down to the Liquid Lounge, thinking the show was starting and bingo was getting ready to play - three games. I bought the $40 packet as something to do while I waited, and good thing - I won the first two games! $100 and $150. Not so funny thing, I was only 2 numbers away from the final game too! The final game was for an envelope pick, ranging from $200 to a few thousand. It is the marker style, where you actually have to do the work - I love it! $2 for the dabber. I despise the computer one that does everything for you.

The juggler (something Tison, from Charollete, NC) , was comic and entertaining. Good job. kids liked it, so did adults. it was a juggling show, no more description needed. Night cap was a Marti Gras in the Atrium - Wee Jimmy did an awesome job with this, and the ship was very lively. Off to bed shortly there after some more live music.

Tomorrow, Belize!

ADDITION: Pirate4me2 is the person who also sailed this sailing and is reviewing as well and has the nice review with pics and copies of the Fun Times - go read it for great insight and information!

Will probably take me 300 days to finish this review - i like details and can only type when the kids go down. Okay, on to day 3! Cozumel. This is a long standing port, taxis are easy to come by, with fixed prices. REMINDER TO SELF! Take your Photo ID with you off the ship! Veteran cruiser here and I made it from deck 9 all the way down and remembered that they were still in the room safe. The room safe, by the way, is small, and electronic coded. it is in our closet. It did fit the netbook I brought, and never used, probably fit an iPad.

I woke up this morning to find out that my underwater Fuji XP20 camera broke sometime yesterday. Somehow, waster got into the lens area, fogged it all up. Not a good start to the day, but made taking photos for the rest of the trip easy by not having to do it!

We went to a hot breakfast, I really liked it - the bacon is not rationed as others mentioned somewhere on these boards, but they did put it at a choke point, so people were digging in from the left and right sides to get some. Little to no crispy! ugh.. Cozumel is pretty much on every itinerary, so everyone knows the deal. Run through the port, get out of the shopping area as fast as you can. We took a taxi to MR Sanchos all inclusive. I booked online with a $5 deposit, and got the all inclusive along with the water park bracelet. We have been here a few times, and enjoy it - plenty of food and drinks, and 12 in our party so it was a good time. Rained for a few minutes, didn't mind. Swim up bar, nice beach, water park - they were telling people to get out of the waterpark area if they did not have the bracelet. Note about MR Sanchos - 2 members of our party did not pre-pay as the rest of us did. When they arrived, the guy at the entrance area told them that they were sold out of all-inclusive for the day, they would have to pay $65 to enter and pay al a carte! They began to walk away, felt it was a sham, talked to the lady where everyone else way paying and she sold them the all inclusive for the going rate. I was taken back that this place would try to sham people like that! $17 taxi ride there, shops that we negotiated with to get souvenirs (never paid more than half of asking), and a few people got these fish pedicures where the fish eat the dead skin off your feet for $20. Not for me! Tipped the waiters, cab ride back in a van for $35 or so, and made our way to the ship - as always, the port is interesting with alcohol flying off the bars at this stop. Wee Jimmy made note to watch the pier from balconies for the best show of the week - he was right, lol.

Dinner in the dining room was French Onion Soup, Jerk Pork, cheese cake for dessert. off to the Movies under the stars for Guardians of the Galaxy, then to the comedy club, then back up to the Lido for a deck party.

MIL checked her Sail and Sign to see $45 worth of alcohol purchased that was definitely not hers - There are 2 kiosks you can check, monitor, pay, etc at. Lines were never more then 1 or 2 people. She went to the Guest Services (again, the F2TF line here is well worth the $50 per cabin fee!), they took it off. DW did room service as she was a little under the weather with "Openbar Cozumelitus" during dinner and missed the dining room. Think she ordered 3 different things and nibbled at all of them, to include hot cocoa (which was disappointing in room service to be no more then hot water and an unopened packet of instant mix. The stuff on the pool deck was really good - remember to push the button just one time on the machine, unlike the coffee, which you had to hold in.)

We ended the night at the Red Frog Pub, listening to some live acoustic. I forget if it was Brian or the female, but have in my notes that it was good - and they were both good! Still, our favorite by far was Run for Cover, the band that played nightly. Sadly for those sailing later in the year, the lead singer and the guitar player will not be there (maybe the whole band); the 6 month contract on board is up, and the two of them are getting married.

That sums up day 3. Next up, Roatan! This is my favorite port! Oh, if you want pictures of this ship, look elsewhere. I didn't take to many, and others have some great ones! I do have all the Fun Times, but someone else on my sailing already posted them in her review, to check out her review for some great input and scans of the Fun Times.. By the time i get around to putting them up, the ship will be decommissioned.

Just off the Sunshine.. Elevator or excalalator upstairs, then a long gangway onto the ship, twists and turns.. light incline, wheelchairs and pushers available. Buy the Faster to the Fun (under Carnival webpage, log in, go to your ships excursions pre-crosse. Best $50 per cabin you can spend.)

Great review! i keep looking for myself in the background of the pictures! Our group all thought is was a great ship, and would do it again.

DAY 2 - FUN DAY AT SEA - Up at 645, we had a continental breakfast delivered to the room - coffee was good, but i like hot food... We got the NEW TABLE card under the door overnight, so we will all be sitting in the Sunset dining room - this, in my opinion, is better. Right off the atrium, easy access, and our own little area. Again, the walking areas are tight - if you are in a scooter, better to be right near the door, or way in the back where you can come in the back entrance. Now, wish, off to the Lido buffet. To my surprise, no hot food until 730. Some people were already at the pool, but not to many. We ate a great breakfast, sat in the Havana area - this is a GREAT TIP - EAT IN HERE WHEN YOU GO TO THE BUFFET AREA !!! this is also where the omelet stations are. line on them moved fast. After eating, we went up to the serenity area, we arrived at 8am. pleasantly, only a few people were there - we had virtual choice of chairs - this was where things got comically interesting. The deck around the pool started to fill up. At 1000 some guy comes up there, yelling and ranting at the people next to us, screaming that they stole his chair, and all his stuff! These people were there before us, and none of us left the chairs/pool in over two hours. He started screaming, security was alerted. He started saying this person was in his chair, that he was a thief, etc. Everyone poolside stood by the person in the chair - they had been there, reading, for hours. The pool towel guy told them he had their towels - and that saving chairs was not allowed. The guy rambled on for a few more minutes, and walked away - put his stuff down on two more chairs, and then left again! Everyone laughed, and watched - he was gone for over 90 minutes before returning again! They were lax on getting the chair hogs crap off chairs, but in the serenity area, it really was not that bad - the area is HUGE. Sure, some hogged, but for the most part, at least some of the group would be with the chairs. Did not see any "stickers" that they talked about though. Crowd built around 1030/1100. The main pool deck got crowded quickly, and filled up. There were chairs to be had, but you would need to work for them by 1100. After lunch, they started to open up again.

Did the waterslides, they were fun, line moved quickly. GoProed each of them. They closed from time to time, and I will say this, it was only when it was VERY windy (over 40). They had a wind meter guy up there, and it really did get windy up top! For lunch, we did the Italian place where you mark off the pastas you wanted. Coupled this with dessert from the buffett and a few ice creams. Chocolate, vanilla on one side, chocolate and vanilla ice cream along with strawberry and chocolate frozen yogurt on the other side. cones and cups. 24/7... kids loved it. so did adults.

Went to the poker tournament at noon. sham. $150 per person for a $750 first place prize - along with an entrance to an April tournament that you had to buy a cruise to participate in! 2nd place was also a tournament entrance. 20 players, 1 payout - scam in the works. touch screen style, with overhead television so everyone can see. Roulette - $2 chips minimum! They told me this is new, fleet wide. money goes faster this way. we gambled minimally on this cruise, as it no longer really entertains us.

1230 - Family Feud game show, men vs woman. woman won. was slightly entertaining and good way to kill a half hour. Followed that up with a pub crawl going to the Red Frog for a pint, along with the pool side bars. A little football and table hockey in the RF. Next, off to the ropes course - you have to be bone dry in order to do it. Lockers right there for you to lock up stuff that you can not take with you. Close toed shoes are a must. one half was closed, and the zip line portion is gone - worker said everyone kept hitting their shins, so it needs revamping. Kids could do it, but was a challenge for the short kids - guide had to come rescue a few of them. Would get closed for high wind, and believe me, it is a good thing because it is windy up there! You can wear a GoPro on head or body harness. Minimal height unaccompanied was like 42in. you need to be this tall, or a little taller, just to reach the guide ropes.

DJ was playing pool side during the day, at times, it was a little to loud at times. Not all the time, but once or twice during the week. It cut into the music in the serenity area at times during the first day. later in the week, it did not seem to be as bad. Overall, the deck experiences were great! the back of the ship is where the kids are, and provided entertainment to adults as well. Serenity area was HUGE and only saw one kid up there all week, with his dad and only walking through, never stopping. Like all Carnival ships, the deck is a lively area, chairs full, entertainment round the clock. Guys Burger was a huge hit, visited all the time, and the taco/burrito place is great too - breakfast and mid day! At night, movies under the stars was a huge hit - 2 movies a night, good ones, and a big variety. Sound was clear, screen was perfect, popcorn machines, blanket hand outs, etc. I did watch Guardians of the Galaxy, provided some entertainment.

This was the first formal night - most were semi formal, few tuxedos, a bunch of suits. we were in the new dining room tonight - Ahmad was the Matradee, and to say the least, he is the best I have seen in all my years of cruising. ITS SHOWTIME! Over the week, the waiters were awesome (XY, Imade), performed some magic, joked, etc. One waiter in the dining room is a wonderful singer and performed on a few occasions, everyone liked it. Overall feeling of the DR is that the waiters work quick, smile, and hustle. Food was excellent and they catered to our allergy needs (Nuts, diabetics). Always have sugar free deserts, and always indicate foods with nuts. I like Carnivals food better then Royal (multiple cruises), though sub par to say, Princess. Food was great, and I especially like that they do not put nuts on EVERYTHING (READ: Royal Caribbean does). The dining room, like I said, is tight.

830 Comedy show - arrived at 815, easy to get a seat, but filled up in 5 minutes. The labeling of the show names makes seeing shows easier as you can schedule to see it later on if you miss it. 830, 930, 1030, 1115 shows. All lasted about 45 minutes. They empty the lounge between each show. Exiting through the rear, you have to go up and over, through the casino, to get back to the entrance.

Later in the evening, we did some bands, and music between the many places to catch a drink / song. This ship is broken down into many small venues, tonight we did the one outside the Red Frog, listened to some Motown, then Acoustic, and off to Liquid Lounge for 60s and 70s music. Lat night, went up to the pool deck, lots of people watching Divergent on the big screen. Pools were all opened late, jacuzzis as well. Ended up back in the room, midnight room service from a pretty decent menu, 20 minutes to arrive, a few dollar tip.

The sea day was a complete success - accomplished everything I wanted to do today - serenity deck, ropes course, water slides, and some live entertainment. At this point, still have not seen any of the buckets people talked about, the ship is clean everywhere, hand wash stations are great (put hands inside spinning jets - the kids get a kick out of it and it washes well!), they also caught on and put handy wipes on all the bathroom doors and buckets outside of the doors so that you can use them to open the door and throw them away right there! pretty good! Serenity pool and waterfall fill up quickly during the heat - the capacity is 17 but I counted well over that in the pool at any given time. Once, a pool guy told me to get my plastic beer bottle out of the pool, but said nothing to the 5 or so others standing right next to me drinking the same type of beer. Go figure. Sign says NO GLASS. No worries, it is just as tasty on the outside.

Day Three coming up...

We are fresh off the Carnival Sunshine and had an amazing time aboard this fun ship! Will get my review up here in pieces. Our group of 24 range in age from 9-72. experienced cruisers to rookies, and everything in between. Everyone in the group thought the ship was great, and can point out both things they liked and disliked. Planned 18 months ago, we all got faster to the fun, had balconies on deck 9 next to one another and right near the pool, and were coming from New England and NC. Destination - Cozumel, Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya (cancelled due to weather)…

Precruise – we picked this ship for price, desire to go to Western Caribbean, and wanting a ship with some fun things to do. We managed a pretty good booking discount for the 10 rooms. I read many reviews on the Sunshine, never had a worry, ,and noticed that most of the negative ones were petty. We chose the Country Inn and Suites with a stay and cruise package. Those who flew in chose Hert Rental car, which has an agent right in the parking lot of this hotel (shared with Residence Inn). They assigned us the 1200 noon shuttle because we didn’t call the day before to schedule it – they then changed this to be 1000 at our request in the AM. hotel and car agency both have freee shuttles. we kept the car at the hotel and off we go! We met up at 0945, were on the bus shortly after 1000, at the port at 1015, 1025 bags were gone with the porters and we were through security. By 1040, we were through the Faster to the Fun check in line and seated awaiting the boarding call. About 30 or so people were ahead of us in our area. The normal boarding area had about 100 or so people in it by this time. 1100, they opened up to the wedding party, then diamond and platinum boarded. By 1115, we were on the ship, and mad ea beeline to the Red Frog Pub. In the words of Ricky Bobby- if you aint first, your last.. we were second.. One beer, and off to our room – the fire doors were closed, but the Carnival person in the red ASK ME shirt told us that we can just go through them since we were F2TF – rooms were all ready. 2 of 3 bags came at 130, last bag came an hour later. Our pre-purchased bottle of whiskey was there, and the room stewert brought some ice.

Off to muster, 40 minute process. This was the one and only time during the trip I smelled any phantom smell that people post about. It lasted less then 5 seconds, right in front of lifeboat 9. again, it was outside in the muster area, for a brief second, and only one time. Dinner the first night was all over the place. We started off in the Sunrise dining room – this place was nice looking but way to tight. Our group was spread out in multiple dining rooms when we all had asked to be together for the 6pm seating. They made it happen for day two! Beware, there are some / many tables that are in the middle of where everyone walks, and are small. Not ideal, and you could see people over the course of the week asking to get removed from them. Wee Jimmy is the new cruise director, and we met him at the Welcome Aboard show after dinner. Intro to all the entertainment that is available for the week ahead. The design of this remodel ship is one of multiple venues, all small, but always active. Far and away, there was more live music and interaction on this ship then any I have previously sailed, and platinum sailors said the thing.

The comedy shows were titled, so you would know if you saw it before. They played three or four a night, including a family show early. There were at least 4 or 5 different comedians throughout the week, line up around 15 minutes early and you can get a seat. If not, wait until the next show and will be all set. Wee Jimmy did an excellent job, and most people were really enjoyed him and his accent, he had a lot of funny moments and was always entertaining. Next stop was the piano bar with Piano Bob. Though entertaining, I found it strange that he kept referencing the TIP jar, telling people to put money it it, and making jokes at those who would put a few dollars in, calling them out for larger bills. Hay Bob, you are on a cruise ship where people do not carry cash. You were also the only person on the ship to ask for tips. We lasted an hour or so, sang some songs, and moved on – we popped in later during the week, but pretty much the same fanfare.

Late night we hit the pizza place for some munchies, and the ice cream (24hrs). Other first impressions – I liked the flow of the ship – aside from the one dining room you had to go up and over, the flow was easy to figure out and simple in design. Keep kids to the back, a huge adults area, and the standard Carnival atrium. 10 elevators outside our room made up/down easy if you opted. Laundry was right there on our floor as well, so the one time we needed it, we had access to it. The casino allowed smoking, but was actually somewhat bearable and didn’t overpower outside the casino area. The $6 ATM fee was the vig to take out cash. They also no longer allow people to play with $1 chips on roulleete, instead they make the lowest chips $2 – this is fleet wide I was told. No refrigerators in the room kind of sucked, but the extra closets, and constant ice helped off set that irk. Our room locations were ideal – easy walk to elevators, just off the pool deck. Carnival breakfast cards were in the room – standard continental stuff, but the dinner menu / 24HR menue was decent, not to mention the deli and the pizza place. A few nights, snacks were also out there around 1130..

AS our first day came to a close, the overall first impression of the ship was favorable. Oh yeah, we also did the spa tour while we familiarize ourselves with the ship today – not worth the price for the spa package, in my opinion. Coming from the Dream last year, this was ½ the amenities, and the same cost. We could have upgraded to a spa balcony about 2 weeks before sailing, and saved money. It seems a lot of people are not fond of the spa balcony rooms and they go way down in price if you wait. We chose to stay next to all our friends, open the balcony doors, and be right there at the pool instead/ ... No spa package this trip...

More to follow, but this is day one and initial thoughts of what turned out to be an awesome trip, as expected. Oh yeah, and by far, this was the oldest crowd of any sailing I have ever been on, with many veteran sailors, and a lot of senior citizens. Thin crowds everywhere in my opinion, and plenty of seating when ever we needed it. More to follow! Any questions, I will try to address – fire away. Day 1 – great! Typing up day 2 now.

MSC is introducing their line to the US market with the low prices on Divinia. These low prices will not last as they build their fan base. If you want to sail them at these prices, do so in the next year or so. prices will go up, or, at a minimum, more up sells on-board.

The new ships are designed for warm weather - expect to see one in Miami.

We are doing this sailing on 28FEB, Western on the Sunshine!

Any chance you can get copies of the FUN TIMES and upload them/ take pictures of them / share them somehow? I am a group leader of more than 22, and a few have questions. Thank you!

go to INSUREMYTRIP.COM and call them up. they are great, and if you read through this boards, you will see time and time again people recommending buying through them (they sell third party.)

Cove on Dream was the best ocean view balcony we have had, bar none. Loved being down low, the seclusion of the balcony was great. Other favorite, the last room over the Aqua Theater on the Allure of the Seas. If offered, I would take a cove on any ship over all others - and the fact that it is the cheapest is great - I would pay more for a cove!

I am organizing a large group, setting sail on the 28th of Feb. A few oddball questions that you may be able to provide insight into. Most of us have cruised Carnival before.

1. Any chance you can post the Fun Times? Trying to find recent copies for the Sunshine / Western.

2. The self-service ice cream machines. Any on the lido deck near the pool?

3. Please tell me they are enforcing the no chair- hog rule with the stickers on this ship.

4. Poker tournaments?

5. Do they do the chocolate matin cake nightly?

On behalf of our group, I thank you in advance!

Any chance you can post the Fun Times? Trying to find recent copies for the Sunshine / Western. Thank you!

I always use INSUREMYTRIP.COM to purchase my insurance - great customer service, not working on commissions, and are open and honest. They are just a reseller. Call them up, and talk to a live person while you are online - they will walk you through, and came up with a package that I was not able to pull up online using the criteria I had put in. now, I just call them up and tell them I want the same coverage as last time, here are the new numbers / dates / etc. they are great!

A few years ago, on the TV Show SharkTank, SkyRide inventor ScottyOlson pitched the idea and none of the Sharks took a bite at it. Mind you, Scotty is also the inventor of ROLLERBLADES! Season 3, Episode 313. Here is a story on it from a few years back. http://sharktanksuccess.blogspot.com/2013/02/sky-ride.html

anyone have an updated link to see the video? removed from Youtube and also the Vista360 was redirected... they are on to us, lol.

they are now redirecting the website. anyone have a link to the video still?

Searching for recent copies of the Fun Times for the Western - we sail 28FEB and have not found recent copies online. Anyone??