Not so much sunshine on the Sunshine 1/13

No, the engine is not on the top of the ship. I think you mean the funnel which acts as a smoke stack. The engine is at the very bottom of the ship.

I would have been surprised if those snoring pills worked for your dad.

After 1/2 of a Guy's burger I found it way too greasy to finish. Didn't get the runs but my tummy was not too happy. Felt the same way about Johnny Rockets on Royal Caribbean. Just glad that I went before they started to charge a fee for it.

I see a lot of remarks about powdered eggs used in the buffet but I watched a cook cracking dozens of eggs for breakfast. So I am confused. Did they discover the secret of making fresh eggs look like powdered?

I'm enjoying your review so much!! We were on the Dream a month ago and my kids also loved the Jurassic Park game in the Arcade. We purchased some Carnival Gift Cards before the cruise for them to use for their personal spending while on board. They each had their money to use for Arcade, Drinks, Candy, etc.... It makes it fun for them to spend their own money.

I can't wait to read more of your cruise!! Thanks for sharing!

I am also enjoying your review. Thank you for taking the time to write it. I like that idea of giving my oldest a limit for the week and letting him spend it how he wants.

Nice review. Sorry about the stomach issues.

Hello there, fellow St Louisian! I remember Friday the 13th well! We actually just got back yesterday from a 4 night on the Triumph and we only had ONE day of sun and that was in port in Cozumel. I suppose that is the risk of traveling this time of year. Sadly I'm just as pale as I was a week ago ;)

Enjoying your review.

Thanks for your review! Just purchased a cruise on The Sunshine for April so cant wait to hear more about your experiences!

Loving your review, looking forward to reading more!

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Enjoying your review!

nice review.

Sad the weather didn't cooperate up to this point.:(

Also sad you get to stay in a suite and still can only get morning or night cabin service. I thought JH said this was not true?:(

Bill

nice review.

 

 

 

Sad the weather didn't cooperate up to this point.:(

 

 

 

Also sad you get to stay in a suite and still can only get morning or night cabin service. I thought JH said this was not true?:(

 

 

 

Bill

I did not even see that. Where was that post?

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nice review.

 

Sad the weather didn't cooperate up to this point.:(

 

Also sad you get to stay in a suite and still can only get morning or night cabin service. I thought JH said this was not true?:(

 

Bill

I was on this exact cruise and we received both morning and night cabin service.

I did not even see that. Where was that post?

 

 

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from post #20: We ended that night pretty early. Our early morning start and the stress of travelling and the on again off again rainy weather was enough to convince us to call it a night early. Our room steward had asked my dad if we wanted morning or evening service. He said morning but I flagged him down and said that while we didn't need turn down service, the kid NEEDED a towel animal. I wasn't sure if he caught it all but my family is big on going with the flow so we weren't too worried. When we got to our room, the beds were turned down, the animal was there and we slept soundly while the boat rocked us to sleep.

I was on this exact cruise and we received both morning and night cabin service.

So the stewards are still playing fast and loose with this trial program I guess. Very disappointing to hear.

Bill

from post #20: We ended that night pretty early. Our early morning start and the stress of travelling and the on again off again rainy weather was enough to convince us to call it a night early. Our room steward had asked my dad if we wanted morning or evening service. He said morning but I flagged him down and said that while we didn't need turn down service, the kid NEEDED a towel animal. I wasn't sure if he caught it all but my family is big on going with the flow so we weren't too worried. When we got to our room, the beds were turned down, the animal was there and we slept soundly while the boat rocked us to sleep.

 

 

 

So the stewards are still playing fast and loose with this trial program I guess. Very disappointing to hear.

 

 

Bill

Seems like it but this is the first I have heard of it for awhile.

Seems like it but this is the first I have heard of it for awhile.

Yep thought that subject had been put to bed.

Seems OP was happy with the cabin steward. I wouldn't have been pleased especially paying for a suite.

Bill

Yep thought that subject had been put to bed.

 

Seems OP was happy with the cabin steward. I wouldn't have been pleased especially paying for a suite.

 

Bill

When you do not know about how great the service used to be and than they tell you morning or night _______. And as I recall think that you pay a bit more in autotips for suite.

I was on this exact cruise and we received both morning and night cabin service.

We were on that cruise on deck 2 and we're asked morning or evening. We replied by asking for both and received both (and tipped cash on top of our prepaids for the excellent service). I was disappointed to see that they're asking though. She didn't make it sound like an option. It was "which would you like"

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We were on that cruise on deck 2 and we're asked morning or evening. We replied by asking for both and received both (and tipped cash on top of our prepaids for the excellent service). I was disappointed to see that they're asking though. She didn't make it sound like an option. It was "which would you like"

 

 

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They will continue to push it and have newbies accept it and than tell us that is the plan since most people are ok with one time service

Hi All!

To be honest, since I wasn't there I am not sure how he asked exactly. My dad thought it was one or the other. But despite my dad being in the military and spending a decade in other countries, he is hard of accent hearing. The steward could've asked him if he had a safe flight and my dad may have heard him ask if we wanted service in the morning or night. I told him we only needed morning but we NEEDED a towel animal and our rooms were completely done twice per day. Our auto-tips were the same. $111 per person.

I don't know how many rooms our steward had, but he was out in the hallway what seemed like 24/7. I probably only used my own roomkey 50% of the time because if I wasn't quick enough, he was opening my door for me. He addressed us every time by name. All 3 of us and he got our door every time that he wasn't already in another room working. We had ice every day. I assume several times a day because it was always ice and never a bucket of water. We have never asked for ice before so he did that on his own every time.

We brought our own Tervis cups and I brought a couple different flavors of the kool-aid squirt things. They were worth a small fortune for my picky drinking companions. The ice in the room and the bottles of water we got made for delicious late night kool-aid refreshments. I bought the bottomless bubbles for myself. My plan was to bring on a case or two of soda on but there wasn't anywhere near the port to grab one. I think it comes out to $6.50 per day, which is 3 sodas and I knew I could get my money's worth from it. The only reason why I hesitated this time is because I am very unimpressed with the warm open cans of soda poured onto ice that I get on the Dream. They are instantly watered down, there is a noticeable lack of bubbles, etc. On the Dream I would make a point to go down to the 3rd floor atrium bar in the hopes that since the soda was inside it would be marginally cooler and therefore less watered down. HOWEVER, great news for you bottomless bubblers out there. On the Sunshine, at the...Red Frog I think. When you are facing the pool it is on the left side. The smoking side. They have new fountain soda guns! So they would refill my Tervis cup with ice and use the triggers to refill my diet coke. It was delicious. Of course they want to pour it into their cups and make me transfer it over. WHich I did many times. But I found that if I just ask outright ask them to, they will refill my Tervis cup instead. Everywhere else that I found uses cans of soda. The Havana Bar, atrium bar, the other side of the Lido, the Casino. But that one side uses fountain sodas and I pray Dream gets at least one before my next cruise! **Note to self, research that before the next cruise because you can get cases of soda easily in NOLA before the cruise if they are going to give you warm opened cans anyway**

Well I cannot find my FunTimes besides the last two days even though I KNOW I saved them. They are probably with my driver's license wherever that is!

I did, however, find half a dozen statements so I know for sure now that it was RedFrogRum bar with the fountain soda and our tips were 111.60$ each.

So. First sea day. Still windy, still totally overcast. It was warm-ish but there was certainly no sunbathing going on. Kid's were in the pool but since it was so rocky they were just flying all over the place with the waves. My dad had the motion sickness patch that you wear behind an ear. I had Dramamine left over from last year but I wasn't sure when they expired and since kid's cant take them I also bought some Dramamine Ginger pills. Then the day before we left I was at Sam's Club and just for the fun of it went to go check out their prices and if they had Bonine. I couldn't find it so I asked at the pharmacy where they said it was behind the counter (but not prescription so I have no idea why) and it was 100 chewable pills for $3.68! That is right. Under FOUR DOLLARS for 100! So, even if you don't get seasick, I highly recommend asking at the sam's club pharmacy. I gave away probably 30 of them throughout the week to people who were about to spend $10 for 2 Dramamine pills in the store on the ship. I took Ginger pills the first seaday and I can't say if they worked but I know they didn't NOT work. I get super carsick but have always been pretty good on boats. But this one was really bad and it was nonstop.

Went and checked out the spa and gym. Since there is always 3 or 4 of us in one room, my dad and I usually shower in the gym and leave the room shower to the kid and my sister when she joins us. Did a mini tour of the spa. They had no thalasamy pool (I know that isn't how you spell it but even Google isn't offering me any tips here) but because of that it was cheaper for a day pass. $50 per couple. I bought the passes for me and my dad for Thursday, our first of 2 seadays at the end of the cruise. He always enjoys it and it is like my tradition now to get him a day pass whenever we cruise. We would stay in the rooms up there but the kid isn't allowed to room with us and she has this whole thing about not wanting to be in a room all to herself in some random location on the ship so we all have to suffer.

No, the engine is not on the top of the ship. I think you mean the funnel which acts as a smoke stack. The engine is at the very bottom of the ship.

 

I would have been surprised if those snoring pills worked for your dad.

 

After 1/2 of a Guy's burger I found it way too greasy to finish. Didn't get the runs but my tummy was not too happy. Felt the same way about Johnny Rockets on Royal Caribbean. Just glad that I went before they started to charge a fee for it.

 

I see a lot of remarks about powdered eggs used in the buffet but I watched a cook cracking dozens of eggs for breakfast. So I am confused. Did they discover the secret of making fresh eggs look like powdered?

My dad is the opposite of a person you would want in a blind study. If he thinks he is getting sick, he will get sick. If he thinks the snoring pills will work, he thinks he won't snore. I probably could've stuck a Dora the Explorer sticker behind his ear and he would've not been seasick.

I think I knew the engine was in the bottom. That makes the most sense. But would the smokestack be THAT LOUD? I have never sat up against the 10th floor wall on another ship so maybe I just haven't noticed but you really had to shout to hear the person sitting next to you. Of course, it was incredibly windy the entire time so they didn't help the voices carry either.

Our closed down breakfast buffet here used to use powered eggs that everyone complained about but I liked. I figured they were the same. If they WERE real eggs than that is kindof even sadder to me because they were really not good. Very runny and kind of like a spoonful of yellow mush. And I LOVE eggs. I love eggs in a boat, with a goat, in the air, under a stair, boiled, broiled, chopped, on bread, in omelets, scrambled, etc. But these were simply not good at all. Eggs won't make or break a cruise for me though. I ate enough bacon to make up for it for sure!

I see a lot of remarks about powdered eggs used in the buffet but I watched a cook cracking dozens of eggs for breakfast. So I am confused. Did they discover the secret of making fresh eggs look like powdered?

Where did you see a cook cracking eggs? Maybe those eggs being cracked where going to be used to make poached eggs for the eggs benedict. I believe the scrambles eggs on the buffet are made from powder.

To spare you the boring details of every minute of our cruise, I will attempt to break down the rest of the meals here at once. The buffet was good. I ate bacon and banana bread stuff every day. The kid ate her cereal every day. Those hard rolls that they have out at dinner time are the bees knees. I just about made my money back for that suite in the amount of bacon and bread I ate.

Also the fruit. The apples weren't the best...but I live in apple country so my standards are pretty high. But their mixed fresh fruit salad. WIth honeydew, watermelon (water mel-OWN as my kid loves to pronounce it. Extra emphasis on the OWN), pineapple, and cantaloupe. Oh my gravy it was heaven. We had decided that Carnival had started phoning it in with their fresh fruit since we never had fruit to "write home about" on the Dream like we did in prior cruises. But this was great. Is it because it is out of Florida? Do Florida cruises get better fruit? Or is it strictly the time of year? Our last 2 cruises were in September and early December. Or did they phone it in and then have a change of heart? Maybe there was a shortage the past two years of the fruits in the countries that grow them?

At dinner they had the meat that was in the dining room out on the buffet like we usually see. I had the BEST meat on this cruise. The pork tenderloid roast, the roasted turkey, the beef something, the pork something, the beef something. Every day I went to the "carvery" and got a slice of meat and a little bit of gravy and a bread roll (just kidding I got like 3) and went and just devoured it. I got seconds I think every single night (including the bread :/). I regret not getting more of the turkey. The gravy was so good. I had some chicken dishes from the buffet that came in some gravy sauce that was also great. Really, the best meat I have ever had on any cruise was at dinner on this cruise. I hope that it is the same fleetwide and not just a lucky cruise. Between the meat, bread, and fruit I was afraid I was going to gain 238 pounds. Or maybe it was the gravy. I could've drank the gravy. Ugh. I am re-jealous of cruise Erika. Here I am drinking my super cold bubbly fountain soda at work and I can almost taste the pork something with the gravy.

I ate at the Italian place every day for lunch. I like their penne and meatsauce. I had it with sausage once but I really just felt like it got in the way of the pasta for me so I went with just noodles and sauce every day. They also had bread. Do you think I ate the bread? Sure did. I even wrote in on the little slip of paper (x2) so I could get 2 breads. For those that don't know, the Cucino Del Capitano is free at lunchtime and an extra fee for dinner. It is back in the Havana bar to the right (walking into the bar...maybe some day I will learn port from starboard and be able to use directions like someone who has been on half a dozen ships). They have lasagna, 5 different pastas, 4 different sauces I think, and probably a dozen toppings. Sausage, broccoli, chicken, shrimp, spinach, etc. They all looked good. But the meat sauce stood out on it's own for me and this way I could sop up the extra with the extra bread. Every day I said I would get the fettuccine the next day to try it out but then every day the meatsauce called my name.

The ice cream/froyo is on both sides of the pool area on lido. chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry were available. We ate probably 50 between the three of us. Cups and cones. One day I saw someone with sprinkles on his but I don't know if I just never found the secret sprinkle compartment or if he had smuggled them in in a tictac container because I surely never found any or saw anyone else with any.

Our closed down breakfast buffet here used to use powered eggs that everyone complained about but I liked. I figured they were the same. If they WERE real eggs than that is kindof even sadder to me because they were really not good. Very runny and kind of like a spoonful of yellow mush. And I LOVE eggs. I love eggs in a boat, with a goat, in the air, under a stair, boiled, broiled, chopped, on bread, in omelets, scrambled, etc. But these were simply not good at all. Eggs won't make or break a cruise for me though. I ate enough bacon to make up for it for sure!

You are right, if they aren't powdered that is just sad because that's what they taste like and I normally love scrambled eggs. I know they didn't taste the same in the dining room when we went. Those were definitely real.

I really enjoy reading about the food :) We are seriously thinking about the Sunshine (literally and figuratively).....I have heard great things about the Sunshine since it's been re-done. Is there a serenity deck?

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The kid ate pizza every day. My dad decided that one particular guy at the omelet station was the best omelet maker everywhere and if the guy was taking a 2 minute break when my dad walked back there he would skip it entirely. On the flip side, if we ate breakfast and THEN he saw the guy back there he would go get in line. He really liked this guys omelets. I wish they would put toasters on the buffet. I guess the lines would be outrageous waiting for thousands of people to toast their toast but there is a huge difference between fresh warm toasty toast and tannish colored bread. However, bacon and banana bread don't require toast so I was good.

The deli was delicious. Their turkey sandwich was so good. Get it grilled. The hotdogs were better on this ship than others because they grill them on the panini press there at the deli. Chili dogs were good. The pizza place had little breakfast pizzas but we never ate them. They looked good though. The Havana bar had "Cuban Bites" for breakfast and lunch every day. They were good.

Speaking of the Havana bar. They were the only place that could serve drinks before at least 9am. Maybe even 10. The first day, since my dad decided that sleeping in was a vacation pastime we were going to forego this time around, I walked around the whole ship trying to find a soda. Havana bar is it and they don't start till 8am.

Of course they had the regular drinks available. Strong iced tea, strong lemonaid 24/7. Hot chocolate which the kid and my dad loved. Hot teas, the boring flavors and coffee. At breakfast it was some mango passionfruit juice, apple, and orange. The kid grabbed a couple extra milks and put them in our fridge to have after dinner and like I said, we had kool-aid with us at all times.

They had a midnight buffet which I spent the first four nights sleeping through despite my best intentions. I had it once and it was the chicken fingers (which I saw everyone eating at every lunch but never got until that night and they WERE good), hot/chili dogs and fries. Maybe 1 or 2 more options but those are what I got. They were good. Not as good as that carvery option at dinner but good enough.

THey had popcorn at the Lido movie every night. For those that don't know, you can check out blankets from the towel place at night. DUring the day you can check out towels and/or exchange yours for dry ones. They had some kind of oil/butter with the popcorn which was a nice addition to other ship popcorns which are always dry.