Nicole721 Takes on the SUNSHINE: A Full PICTORIAL Review

[goofygal531]

Need an update. :)

 

Wanting more!:D

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Enjoyed your review! Thank you!

 

I noticed you had steak in the MDR, a NY strip I believe. Was that a $20 up charge or on the menu?

 

How was the steak at the Italian restaurant. I love a good steak! We have reservations for the steakhouse but I'm considering the Italian restaurant as well, if they have good steak. It seems like I've read before that it compares to the steakhouse steak.

[Nicole721]

Great review

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks!

 

On page 8, LOVING it!!!!

 

Thank you!

[Nicole721]

Glad to see the continuation, Christmas on a cruise ship was my family's tradition for years, it's nice to see that much of that experience is still the same.

 

And I promise, you do get used to Christmas with palm trees. I haven't seen snow in about 5 years now, and I still don't really miss it. Out Christmas tradition looks much like yours because it isn't my holiday either (and my husband isn't religious), ours is just less cold :)

 

It isn't my favorite island either, it's nice, and a good beach day...but it's just a beach. However, it was the favorite stop for my husband and a couple friends on our last cruise because they are ocean people. They spent so much time snorkeling and looking at fish and loving that crystal clear water. And as a glasses wearer who can't see much without them, I can appreciate that because even I was able to see a lot of beautiful fish from the surface without having to take my glasses off and swap for my prescription dive mask.

 

I'm willing to keep spending Christmas away from Chicago to get used to it ;) We only saw snow a couple of times this winter (and it never stuck around for more than a day or two at that) and that was plenty for me!

 

What a difference a week can make...Grand Turk actually became my new fav Caribbean island even above Barbados on our visit there the week before you. The difference was that we were on a calm Princess ship, there were no other ships in port, the beach wasn't crowded at all, Margaritaville was the perfect balance of fun, liveliness, and relaxation, and the water was just plain perfect.

 

Above Barbados?! Wow!

 

We haven't been to Margaritaville in six or seven years for that reason -- if there's more than one ship in port, it's just out of control.

 

[Nicole721]

Really enjoying your review.

 

Here is a link to the actual downtown of GT. Some nice shops and eating places much cheaper than at the port and not too far away. Maybe you've been there before.

 

http://www.grandturkcc.com/island-information/historic-downtown-map.aspx

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Need an update. :)

 

Wanting more!:D

 

You got it :D

[Nicole721]

Enjoyed your review! Thank you!

 

I noticed you had steak in the MDR, a NY strip I believe. Was that a $20 up charge or on the menu?

 

How was the steak at the Italian restaurant. I love a good steak! We have reservations for the steakhouse but I'm considering the Italian restaurant as well, if they have good steak. It seems like I've read before that it compares to the steakhouse steak.

 

No up charge -- that was the steak on the menu!

 

The steak at the Italian restaurant was good. Not as good as the one in the steakhouse in my opinion, but better than the ones served in the MDR.

[Nicole721]

The last day of any trip is the worst, isn’t it?

 

Even when you’re ready to go home (and how often does THAT happen?), the last day always means packing. And when the sun is shining and a beautiful day beckons you out, how can you say no?

 

 

In typical fashion, I put off packing for as long as I could. I hate packing for travel. I hate packing to go home even more. Maybe it’s because packing is part of that anticipatory part of travel. Maybe it’s because packing always makes me second guess everything I’m putting in a suitcase. Half the time, I think I’ve brought too much and the other half, I hate everything I’m packing. I try to stick to a five minute rule when I’m at work: if the task can be completed in five minutes or less, I do it immediately. Packing shouldn’t have taken long – my stuff was contained to one drawer, one closet and one shelf in the room and I kept pretty tidy on this trip. I put it off anyways in favor of breakfast and lounging in the sun.

 

 

After a quick stop for arepas and a chat with my favorite arepa man at the Blue Iguana Cantina, we started looking for some deck chairs. Literally nothing. Lido deck? Not a single chair. Deck 10? Nothing. Serenity? Nada. And even worse than not being able to find an open chair is watching chairs sit claimed for literally hours on end before anyone shows up to claim them. We found some seats by the bar and watched as pool security at the Serenity deck put stickers on chairs that were claimed by those elusive chair hogs.

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We sat out through the viewing of Jaime’s morning show and then headed inside so Mom and Stephanie could begin their packing. I was inside for a few minutes before I just had to be outside and went back to Serenity. It was still far too early for me to pack and the warm ocean air was too tempting.

 

 

 

And when my skin was threatening a sunburn and tried to push me inside towards my packing, we found a new distraction: brunch. We still had free drink vouchers burning a hole in our pockets, and since the Marketplace lunch was going to be featuring the Chocolate Extravaganza, sea day brunch was the perfect excuse not to pack.

 

[Nicole721]

It wasn’t too crowded in the Sunrise dining room. We were seated right away and were attended to by a team of servers and a bar waitress who provided excellent service to match the great brunch fare we were dining on.

 

Popovers

 

Fresh Fruit Platter

 

Flamin’ Tomatoes Soup

 

Eggs Benedict

 

Bagel Breakfast

 

Cheddar Grits and Chicken Sausage

[Nicole721]

Steak-n-Eggs

 

The full spread

 

Double Chocolate Brownie

 

Banana Cream Pie

 

Caramelized Cheesecake

[Nicole721]

After brunch, we sat out on the promenade on deck 3 for a little while, just watching the water, listening to the sound of the waves as they lapped up against the ship we’d only call home for one more day.

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, we tore ourselves away from our loungers to go back to Jaime’s Q&Awesome, where Jaime was answering questions about the ship, life onboard and the crew. Darnell stole the show when describing Jaime’s cabin versus his cabin. Long hallways, big screen TV’s, grandiose fixtures…I’m very sure he was taking some liberties and exaggerating some, but it made for quite the entertaining show.

 

 

[Nicole721]

After the Q&Awesome, I couldn’t put off packing for too much longer, so we headed back to the room so I could get a start before the Past Guest Party. Our room was so functional with a lot of deceptive space, and my stuff was contained to my shelf/drawer/closet, so packing literally took minutes, giving us extra time to…spend outside. We walked a lap around deck 10, and the waterworks looked AWESOME. Not a space that quite appeals now, but I’d have loved that when I was younger!

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

When we made our way to deck 4 to the Liquid Lounge for the party, there was already a line formed 15 minutes before the start time. Thankfully, they opened the floodgates a few minutes early.

 

 

The party is no longer called the Past Guest Party and is now the Diamond and Platinum Reunion. They mimicked a picnic, with checkerboard tablecloths lining tables, trays of colorful drinks, and games set up around the lounge. At the risk of offending the Reds and Golds who got cut out of this party, this was SUCH a better experience than the previous Past Guest Party. Appetizers are better. Drink service was better. There was space and the space was lit up instead of held in dim lighting and everyone was in a better mood as a result of it. The previous iteration of the Past Guest Party was too crowded for anyone to really have a good time.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We gravitated out to the deck again after the party. Anytime we had free time today, we just naturally gravitated outside. It’s our happy place. Being on the ocean, seeing it, feeling it…it’s the best. There’s nothing like it.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We wanted to see the sunset because we’d been in dinner just about every night during sunset, but it was just too cloudy. We went back to the room to finish up packing and weighing our checked bags and then headed to Ji Ji’s for dinner.

 

 

I’d read good things about Ji Ji’s before we boarded, but let me tell you, this was probably one of the best dining experiences we’ve had onboard a cruise ship period. The attention to the most minute of details, from the plating to the presentation to the service is unlike anything else.

 

 

 

We walked in and were greeted by the chefs, who were working in front of see through glass paneling, were quickly given menus and a brief explanation of how things work. Everything is served family style, so for us, they recommended three apps, three entrees, three sides and three desserts.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We loved everything. Seriously. Not one thing we didn’t like. Service was slow to start due to a large party but they quickly apologized for it and it didn’t bother us in the least as we sampled an amuse bouche of crisps with dipping sauces.

 

 

The meal was a feast in every sense of the word. Pure gluttony. Highlights? The Kung Pao Chicken (which they can do to any level of spicy – we chose medium) and the soup that comes in a big pot that you serve out family style. And the pork belly, too – it literally melted in our mouths.

 

Chicken & Cilantro Root Soup

 

Chicken Spring Rolls

 

Slow-Braised Pork Belly

 

Slow-Braised Wagyu Beef Short Rib

 

Kung Pao Chicken

[Nicole721]

Peppered Beef

 

Himalayan Basmati Fried Rice

 

Hakka Style Noodles

 

Blistered Beans

[TC Cruiser]

Great photos! Love the food pics.

[Nicole721]

Fried Wonton

 

Rose Crème Brulee

 

Caramelized Crepes

 

A sweet ending: housemade fortune cookies and fruit leathers

 

[Nicole721]

We rolled ourselves out of dinner to head to the Liquid Lounge for Epic Rock, which is, by far and away, the best of the Playlist Production shows we’ve seen. There’s a lesser reliance on the animatronic scenes and just a really solid set list to go with some phenomenal performances. I’ve been critical of the 2.0 shows, but I’ll give credit where it’s due, and this show is really, really great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

After the show, we headed back to the room to put our bags out and then Stephanie and I went up to the promenade deck and then Serenity to star gaze.

 

 

 

 

We grabbed some cookies and ice cream to finish off our day and then headed to the room, not ready to go to bed and end our final day on the ship.

[Nicole721]

Great photos! Love the food pics.

 

 

Thanks!

[SFplusP]

Can you tell me about JiJis? I know you said family style, but all those dishes look pretty individual to me. Not like they are really meant for sharing, except the sides maybe. Can you tell me if any of the dishes you had (besides the one you said was medium) were spicy?

[Nicole721]

Can you tell me about JiJis? I know you said family style, but all those dishes look pretty individual to me. Not like they are really meant for sharing, except the sides maybe. Can you tell me if any of the dishes you had (besides the one you said was medium) were spicy?

 

Your mileage may vary, but we were stuffed by the time we left! The serving sizes varied (the pot of soup, for instance, yielded each of us two cups each and we didn't even come close to finishing it while the pork belly allowed each of us only a few bites), but there was so much food on the table and our plates that we had more than enough.

 

Nothing was spicy and even the medium kung pao was a little mild. But they were all super tasty.

 

My sister and I both agreed it was the best dining experience we'd had on any of Carnival's ships :) I'm hungry remembering it!

[Nicole721]

I have this…sense…when we pull back into domestic waters and my cellular service is restored. Something that wakes me up and tells me I’m reconnected to the world.

 

But connection is a bittersweet pill to swallow. After 8 days with Mom and Stephanie, I was ready to reconnect to my world. With that, though, it also meant reconnecting with work (a large component of my world). And it meant I was about to trade in drinks with paper umbrellas and days of endless sun for campaign management, drip coffee and Excel grids.

 

((Well, maybe not drip coffee. We do have a pretty fancy espresso machine that makes some decent lattes and cappuccinos.))

 

My spidey senses failed me on this one. I had internet service the entire trip so reconnection for me meant I could access my texts and voicemails, and I slept right through that. My service was restored by the time I woke up at 6:30 in the morning. Bright and early, nice and rested. The sunrise was beautiful and there wasn’t a hint of sleep left in my eyes, but there was a sting in looking out the window as we docked in Port Canaveral. As quickly as this trip came on, it ended.

 

 

We’ve cruised enough to know that laying out our outfits and gathering our things the night before makes debarkation slightly smoother, so we quickly put ourselves together, rounded up our carry luggage and said farewell to our room steward Fauzi (who was seriously dream team material – we left him a bottle of champagne and an extra tip for his wonderful service). And then we headed upstairs to roll the farewell tour onto my amigos at the Blue Iguana, who asked me to come say goodbye before we left. They started plating my breakfast before I even reached the counter. Good dudes.