AnnaBeth

Two weeks is a long time for replacing carpets and routine maintenance. I was wondering if they're adding or refitting something.

When we were on the Sunshine at the end of March one of our waiters told us they were also adding crew cabins because they are short staffed and don't have enough room for more crew. No clue where they're putting them though!

Muster drill: Depends on your station. In my station, yes that was the case. But some people had their muster station inside in various places, so they got to sit in regular seats.

 

 

 

 

 

Red Frog Pub: I recall for sure seeing tabletop shuffleboard and darts. I know I saw foosball somewhere on the ship... can't recall where. Might have been red frog, might have been up on the sports deck.

Red Frog does have a foosball table too. I think there was a dominos table as well as the shuffleboard and darts. We were on the Sunshine the last week in March.

We were in a 4J cabin on deck 3 (interior w/obstructed view- loved it!) and our muster station was inside the theater/Liquid Lounge.

I officially booked that room! Excited about it! Our friends are in the 4J on the port side, room 3128.

We were in 3131 last week and it was great! Occasionally heard stomping noises, I assume people were running or jumping above us (I think it was Quest night so who knows what was going on above us! [emoji23]) But we never heard music or anything, not even on the nights they had big parties out around the lobby bar!

I was on the Sunshine in October and assigned dining was deck 3. Anytime was deck 4. Has that changed?

 

 

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We were on the Sunshine last week and anytime was deck 3.

Please verify the time of your ship arrival and the Jolly Pirates tour departure! I had an issue in December. The ship was arriving at 1pm SHIP time and the Jolly Pirate tour was leaving at 2pm ISLAND time. During Daylight Savings time (mid March - early Nov), Aruba is 1 hr ahead of ship time. SO when the ship arrives at 8am ship time, that is 9am Aruba time. Depending on what dates you are traveling, this could be an issue.

 

 

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I thought it was the other way around, right now Aruba is one hour ahead of us, when clocks change in March we will be on the same time.

My southern itinerary has us with Aruba as our first port 1-10 pm, with Curaçao the next day 8-4. I just assumed it was because Aruba was the first port and it took that long to get there? But if you have one of those places 8-4 first then the other 1-10 it really doesn't seem to make sense because they're so close.

thank you both we have booked with Irie tours :)

I also have Irie booked, and I think we are on the same cruise! [emoji3]

If this doesn't work out, try Black Pearl or Mi dushi. If you are traveling without kids, I highly recommend Black Pearl. It is very laid back and relaxing.

Thank you for the suggestion! I just received confirmation that we are booked with Jolly Pirates today. So to the OP, I just booked one month out during Spring Break and they still had availability. But this is just for the Sunset cruise, not one of the snorkeling ones so I don't know if that will make a difference.

I will have my two daughters with me, when I first mentioned going on a pirate ship my 11 y/o said no way, the only one she was imagining was the black pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean! So I don't think she would have wanted to go on a ship called the Black Pearl! Lol!

I just booked their sunset tour for March, waiting for an email to see if they had availability. Fingers crossed, hoping it isn't already full because we are traveling during spring break! Their site does say that there are no refunds unless the ship doesn't dock or is delayed, or the tour is cancelled due to weather. (Look at refund question in the FAQ section).

We will be in an interior with obstructed view on the sunshine, category 4J. Deck 3, price of an inside but has a window! I've read great reviews, hoping we love it too! I've also read that these cabins are slightly larger and have a fridge because they are the newer ones added when the Destiny was changed to the Sunshine.

Some parents don't want their kids at the main pool. I heard lots of people complaining on our last cruise on the breeze because young girls in thongs were "twerking" by the pool. Our hairy chest contest got raunchy too.

 

My kids never really go in the pool so it doesn't affect me. But the main pool is not always kid friendly.

This 100%!!! Our last cruise was on the Conquest, that only had the adult only aft pool and the lido pool. And a slide (NOT waterworks, just a slide!) my girls did the slide a couple of times and got bored with it, they were not allowed in the aft pool and the lido pool was insane with out of control "adults" so it wasn't feasible for them to use it. How about a kids only pool? They sure would like the opportunity to use the pool without all of the crazy adults in it just as much as many of you claim to want a kid free pool!

I have done park and cruise packages at country inn and suites and comfort inn and suites; we had good experiences with both.

Yes, inexpensive power strips won't have things like "so many joules of protection" or "so much clamping voltage" noted on the packaging. If you want to go online, monster brand power strips have some that are not surge suppressors. If you want USB ports, or combination outlet and USB, "powercube-usa.com" has an entire line that are not surge suppressors.

 

And, yes, virtually every Belkin "wall wart" is a surge suppressor, and should not be used, whether it has gotten by security or not. It is not safe.

Thank you for posting this, I have a belkin one and had no idea that it had a surge suppressor! Time to find something else!

Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! You have a beautiful family!

I will be on the Sunshine in March visiting Aruba, Curaçao and Grand Turk. If you don't mind my asking what was the cost of the horseback ride in Grand Turk? It looked close to the ship, is it easy to find? I will be traveling with my husband and two daughters age 11 and 13 and we really wanted to find a place to go horseback riding. We considered Aruba but if it is close and doesn't require booking in advance we may do this in Grand Turk instead! Was it difficult at all? None of us have experience riding! And about how long did it last?

Sorry for so many questions! And again thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!

Several people have mentioned Jaime Dee as the CD, unfortunately she is no longer on the Sunshine. Matt Mitchum is there now and Donkey Salazaar is taking over on 3/5.

If you purchase booze off the ship, be prepared for a wait on debark morning - still hoping they change this method, husband waited 45 minutes after getting there at 6:15am. Apparently if you purchase booze on the ship there is a different line and it went much faster he said.

Thanks for the great review!

So if you purchased booze both on and off the ship does that mean that you have to go through two lines? Or do they combine it? If it is two lines I definitely don't think I will be buying anything at all!!

There is a review by mpcaruth that has good pics of the 4j cabins on deck 3. I'd post the link but I'm on my phone and can't get it now. I just did a search for "sunshine 4j" and scrolled down a bit, the title says something about western ports.

I know I also saw something that John responded to where someone was asking about a certain type of soda, saying they run out of what they bring, and John advised them to restock in port. So they should not have taken your soda!

This sounds like an interior room with a window (not technically called an OV because its obstructed). The reason I say this is because we are on the opposite side of theship in room 3131 and ours is an interior room with a window buts its view is obstructed. Have you heard anything about these type rooms? I have read these rooms are awesome to have. We sail Halloween Day!:D

I'm booked in 3131 in March! I've read great reviews about the 4J rooms and can't wait to stay in one!

I haven't gotten them through Barclay but I was recently able to use credit card points through Chase, it said on the website that it was going to be a "gift certificate", which shows more restrictions than a gift card. We ordered and it was actually a gift card that was sent. You may want to call to see what they actually send, their site just may not have been updated to show gift card vs gift certificate. We were able to use ours to make payment on our cruise, we booked through a PVP though.

Unless your cruise is before the new policy goes into effect (sometime in July), you cannot take them at all, no bottles, period. Look for the drops or flavor packets for your water, you can add it to the ship water or buy bottles in advance from the fun shops.

Try a different browser. My booking never will open in Chrome, I have to use explorer to see it!

Not sure about all the ports but I know this was not true for St. Martin as my friends on the cruise did not have passports and got off the ship in St. Martin.

John Heald just posted on his FB page that this is due to the way ships are cleared into the U.S. And that they will no longer be able to offer cruises to nowhere. This will be for all cruise lines, not just carnival.

Thank you for the great pics of the ship and the 4J cabin, it is what convinced me to change to the same category!