NYHartChapp

Greg, I'll bet the captain saw your post above on the first leg of the B2B 😉.

34 to the Sunshine!

On 8/20/2019 at 8:32 AM, NCTribeFan said:

I love Charleston and have sailed from there several times, all on Fantasy and Ecstasy.  Will be on Sunshine at the end of October.  Sailed her once before (Port Canaveral to San Juan) and liked the ship much more than I expected I would.  This was not long after she was "Sunshined" and the reviews weren't good, but I had absolutely no issues on her.  Sadly, it rained on our sea days and I didn't get to enjoy that beautiful Serenity area.  Hopefully, the weather will cooperate next time!

 

Have also read that they changed the embarkation process in Charleston.  People don't seem to realize just how limited they are there with their small, old port building.  I think they do a terrific job considering those limitations.  If people would spend a little time reading beforehand, they would know that this terminal is quite different from others and have an idea of what to expect.

 

Had some not-great dinners on that sailing, but that seems to be the case on every cruise ship.  But I certainly never go hungry! 

 

HMC is really wonderful.  I'm not even a beach person but after my first time there, I got home and immediately booked the same cruise for 6 months later and had 3 people join me!  Have been there multiple times (a good reason to sail HAL; every Caribbean itinerary calls there).  Sadly, we're calling at Princess Cays in October.  It's OK but can't compare to HMC.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I love Charleston, too...hey I live there!  Have sailed on Ecstasy several times and Sunshine once with another coming up in November.  It's nice to have a ship home-ported an Uber drive away.  The embarkation process is not so much changed, it's more a change to the ingress to the port.  it's a little bit more complicated, as you have to park/drop off at a "way-station" and then take a bus to the terminal.

On 8/19/2019 at 12:10 PM, simkoreb said:

Hello!  Just got home a few days ago from the Sunshine.  I went in with very open expectations, since some reviews were pretty bad.  

 

Charleston....super easy embarkation!  We had FTTF but it didn't matter.  Arrived around 11:15 and were on the ship before noon.  SOOOO glad we were able to have access to our cabin early with the FTTF.  Once on the ship, we should have eaten right away, but we weren't hungry....big mistake.  A bit later and everyone was in the buffet area with their stuff waiting for cabins to open.  We were Hangry, and couldn't find anywhere to sit with lunch.  Ended up standing up by a counter and eating.  It was super hot, which I think was part of the problem.  If I was smart I would have taken our plates back to our room.  Oh well. Waterslides according to the brochure thing were supposed to be open at 11:00....they didn't open until 5 or 5:30.  My kids were very bummed, and got a little bored waiting.  And when they finally opened the lines were huge!

 

Our room was a balcony on Lido, and there were 4 of us.  It was a great configuration, and we love being on Lido.  Close to everything!  

 

The serenity deck is awesome on this ship!!!  3 floors of heaven with a waterfall!!  

 

No issues finding deck chairs for us, but we don't like being by the main pool.  I really had no issues with crowds, but we tend to avoid them when we know things will get congested.  Research research!

 

Everyone was super nice!!!  Our waitstaff was so overworked I felt bad for them.  But everyone around the ship went out of their way, especially making conversation with my 2 boys (8 and 9 years old).  The dining room food was hit or miss, few items were very good, some were just ok. 

 

The next day was a fun day at sea.  I didn't have any issues with crowds.  We did the brunch, and arrived around noon.  Almost no one was there.  It did take a while to get our food though...

 

Half Moon Cay-Love love love this place.  We got the note saying where to meet for FTTF, and were on the first tender off.  We stayed until 1:00, and ate lunch on the ship.  I heard the line was super long for food on the island.

 

Bahamas-did a Carnival 2 stop snorkel....it was ok.  Rough waters, but saw some cool fish.  Again, ate lunch back on the ship.

 

Day at sea...lots of fun.  The 80s show and party was great, and the had a lot of trivia all day too.  Dr. Seuss brunch was fun!!  Loved the atmosphere and everything about it.

 

Camp Ocean was great for my kids.  They did the waterslides everyday and the rope course, basketball, etc.  They loved all the fun stuff this ship had for kids.  Other than embarkation day, the lines were almost nonexistent for the slides.  Port days we always came back by 1:00 to eat and let them enjoy the ship without a lot of people on board. 

 

I'll try and check back if anyone has specific questions.  Overall we had a very fun time!!

Thanks!!!

Sounds like you had a very nice cruise!

44 minutes ago, Cruisin Trkrs said:

Hey all, 

I apologize if this has already been asked/answered, but I've been scrolling awhile and haven't found it as of yet... 

Anyway, we're on the much loved by us: Sunshine- 8/5/19. I cannot find the Aug movie list anywhere. I've tried. I don't do fb, so I thought I'd try here. TYIA😀

Wait.  What?  You're on a cruise.  Enjoy it, you can watch TV when you get back,  BTW, love the Sunshine.

On 7/31/2019 at 10:13 AM, jessencaitly said:

This is a routine maintenance dry dock. They will probably do a deep clean, fix minor but noticeable issues, refresh the bedding and curtains maybe, things of that nature.

 

If you are expecting a fully renovated ship after dry dock, you will be disappointed.

 

You mentioned that if the Ecstasy is bad, your other half will want to cancel the Mardi Gras. 

Comparing the Ecstasy to the Mardi Gras is unfair. Ecstasy is an old girl who has served her time, millions of passengers and, in all actuality, will be nothing compared to what the Mardi Gras will be.

 

Does that mean we won't be on the Ecstasy for Christmas this year? Nope, we'll be on her, and we'll have a great time with our friends. Next year, we will be on the Mardi Gras and will have a great time as well, and probably ooh and ahh over how wonderful she is.

 

Not trying to offend you, just trying to say you can't compare these two ships and hope for an equal outcome. 

 

It's like comparing Grandma's comfy old 70's Buick to a new BMW. 

 

Loved the Ecstasy!  We sailed her many times when she was home-ported in Charleston.  Loved the Fantasy class Carnival ships.

Oh, and by the way, MSC does a really nice job hosting the Meet 'n Mingle.  Chat with the Captain and Officers, drinks and snacks, a big cake and a picture of all the CC members and Captain/Officers.

On 7/15/2019 at 12:53 PM, healsea said:

 

1) when is the meet/mingle party typically held, is it the first night of the cruise? 

JAGR is right: first sea day, late morning.  But you have to sign up for it...just click on Meet 'n Mingle tab at the top of this page and provide requested info.  You'll receive an invitation in your cabin.

Loved your review.  Thanks for posting.

On 6/14/2019 at 4:55 PM, willdra said:

 

Thanks neighbor! 😄

Appolgies...have jumped in mid-cruise report, but I've got to say, I'm loving it...just had to tell you.  Looking forward to the rest of the cruise!

5 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

Nice geography lesson but what did it have to do with the OP's question?

Probably nothing 😉.  Nice review of the Splendor.  Patti sure takes a lot of pics.  Thanks for the review.

5 hours ago, AAAAmerican said:

Dear NYHartChapp,

 

Guess I gave you knowledge .

 

The North River as on all Martine Maps ends where the small aircraft carrier is moored .

The Hudson River begins at Pier88.

 

In Charelston, S.C. many do not know of our Citadel.

Thanks for the gift...I guess 🙄

And here I thought the Hudson began at the outlet of Lake Henderson in the Adirondacks (although some would say the source is Lake Tear of the Clouds).  Not sure what Martine Maps (sic) are...maybe you meant Maritime maps?  But I believe that most people would say that the Hudson River ends at Upper New York Bay, just off the Battery.  And The North River??  C'mon, that's like telling a cabbie to drop you off at 50th and Avenue of the Americas...he says, "huh? oh you mean Sixth Ave."

Not exactly sure where Charelston, S.C. is (did a search and came up with nada), but you're right, I would bet dollars to donuts that no one in Charleston knows of the Bergen County Citadel.  

On 6/18/2019 at 12:37 AM, AAAAmerican said:

The Pier is up near where the Hudson River actually begins.

???

Escargot.

3!!  😀

17 hours ago, dwyrick68w said:

but also like good food and drinks.  thanks for any suggestions in advance!

Marmalade:  https://www.marmaladepr.com/

Pricy, but worth it.  We had a fantastic dinner there when Seaside was in port in March.

19 😀

Great review...thanks for posting.   Yes, Alex is a superstar!

Loving your review and pics!

3 hours ago, JAGR said:

For restaurants, top choice is Marmalade (small courses, pre fixe), but reservations are hard to get.  Could try Oceano or Mario Pagan.

 

For bars, the obvious one is Barrachina (for the Pina Colada!), but becoming too touristy to many.  Others would be Nuyorican Cafe, lvely after 10:00 p.m.  $5.00 cover many nights, but free Salsa lessons, and good drink prices ($7 or under for most cocktails), El Batey (dive bar with lots of graffiti and a juke box as the musical entertainment.  Still, a fun place), Bodega Chic is a sports bar near El Morro, and our favorite in Old San Juan is La Factoria. Named on of the 50 best bars in the world twice, it is really four bars:  the main one and three more small ones in the back:  VINO, Shing a Ling and El Final.  Great drinks and great service.

 

 

Definitely agree with John on Marmalade!  We had a wonderful dinner there in March.

62!

On 3/22/2019 at 7:43 PM, hrmkr said:

Hello,

 

We are trying to decide which itinerary to choose for our next cruise.

 

Do not take into account the prices, which ship or if we have been to any of the ports before.  Only the itinerary.  

 

Option 1:

Grand Cayman

Mahogany Bay

Belize

Cozumel

 

Option 2: 

Amber Cove

St. Thomas

San Juan

Grand Turk

 

Option 3:

Grand Turk

La Romana

Curacao

Aruba

 

We can't go wrong on any of them.

3, 2, 1

Thanks for the review.  Agree with you.  We've always loved the Fantasy class ships.  Sunshine will be coming to Charleston in a couple of months.

Glad you enjoyed the Ecstasy!  We have always liked the Fascination class.  We also like that she is home-ported here in Charleston (until May, anyway, when the Sunshine will replace Ecstasy in Charleston) so if available, we can just hop over to the port for a long weekend cruise.