Onboard Sunshine right now ... Any questions?

[ufyellowfin]

I'm on board sunshine headed south to Curaçao. I don't want to do a detailed post but thought if anyone had ?s I could do my best to answer while I'm on the ship. I will say the muster drill yesterday was AWFUL but the view from our balcony makes up for it. Will never cruise without balcony ever again. On that note fire away...

 

Live look 9:39am

 

Edited April 9, 2016 by ufyellowfin

[broncoboxer]

I'll be going on the Sunshine in June with the dear wife and two kids (8 year-old boy and 6 year-old girl), so I'm curious as to your first impressions. So far, so good? Or are you feeling some buyer's remorse?

[13cheermom]

We will be boarding Sunshine next weekend when you return, can't wait we loved the ship the last 2 times on her. But would love to hear about what you did on the Southern itinerary ports, we will be doing that in November on the Magic. Still looking for ideas for that itinerary. Thanks and hope you have great cruise!

[ufyellowfin]

We were on the ship last May for exotic western Caribbean so we knew what the ship offered. I'm 33, wife is 27 and two kids are 6 and 3. I had a Bermuda cruise booked on MSC Divina that is leaving today but after some research on both the port and the ship decided that it wasn't a great combo for my 6 and 3 year old.

 

So I called my PVP and he said if the kids liked the sunshine last year it's heading to Curaçao , Aruba , and Grand Turk. I told him I would like to be on the 5th floor, last cruise we had a ocean view on it and liked the new room with the small refrigerator in it. Also the fact that our dining is one floor down, kids club is 5 floors up, the little slides and splash park is outside on deck 10 right by kids club and elevators are close but not too close makes it a great spot in our opinion. He booked me this aft balcony room 5346 and I couldn't be more pleased.

 

This cruise is at capacity I was told unlike the last one but I haven't noticed too much crowding yet. The kids love the camp and sometimes it's hard to get them away from it. I haven't smelled any smells anywhere yet except for the casino smoke but it is pretty quarantined to that area.

 

I know the comedy lounge gets crowded and some shows get crowded but the vacation is what you make of it. I'm fine lounging on my balcony or taking the kids up to the water park area and if I get the urge I'll go check and see if the shows are gonna be packed and if not I'll stay and watch. I don't go to the pool area because I know it's overpacked with chair hogs, kids running around and loud music, so I avoid it unless I want a burger or burrito.

 

The only thing I've gotten irritated with so far on this cruise are the couple of rude people that walk right in front of me to get on an elevator I've been waiting on for a few minutes, then have the balls to say "when it opens you gotta be quick!"

 

As for our itinerary I think we are gonna do the seaquarium and floating market in Curaçao , not exactly sure yet in Aruba and I've rented a golf cart in Grand Turk to ride around and then go to the beach with the kids.

 

 

I will keep you guys updated throughout and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

[youagain]

I booked almost same itinerary for 2018.We got a aft extended for 1 st time 7333. Are the balcony's hot or shaded? Is there a lot of vibration/movement? How about privacy? Looks like your neighbor can look onto your balcony. We were on Sunshine 2015-2016 New Years cruise and loved her then.Thanks !

[cruizinisthebest]

What was awful about the muster drill? We were on the Sunshine last year. Same itinerary. Everything was fantastic OTHER than our stop in Aruba. Talk about awful.

 

Have a good time! Love that ship.

[phred119s]

Ufyellowfin,

 

we went on that exact trip last year with our 3 year old. Glad to read that the smoke from the casino is staying pretty contained. It was not last year, we were on deck 6 and would go out of our way to avoid going forward to aft on that deck because of the smoke.

 

With that being said, I'd still sail on Sunshine again in a heartbeat. :)

 

In Aruba we took the public bus to Eagle Beach and it was pretty cheap for the trip. I think around $12 for the 3 of us round trip.

[emcelh]

What was awful about the muster drill? We were on the Sunshine last year. Same itinerary. Everything was fantastic OTHER than our stop in Aruba. Talk about awful.

 

Have a good time! Love that ship.

 

We were on the Sunshine last month and thought the muster drill could have been handled better too. We stood on deck for at least 45 minutes packed like sardines before they even got started with emergency instructions. There's no way the could have known if people were missing either. Something was said about a headcount but, even if they came up short how would they know who was missing. Other lines do it better in my experience but this was the worst compared to our other Carnival cruises. Other than that, we had a great time and we really liked the ship.

[ufyellowfin]

What was awful about the muster drill? We were on the Sunshine last year. Same itinerary. Everything was fantastic OTHER than our stop in Aruba. Talk about awful.

 

 

 

Have a good time! Love that ship.

 

 

Took about an hour , they were trying to get exact count and some people weren't there. Couple that with a baby about 6 people over screaming for 25 minutes and it just wasn't fun.

Edited April 9, 2016 by ufyellowfin

[ufyellowfin]

Ufyellowfin,

 

 

 

we went on that exact trip last year with our 3 year old. Glad to read that the smoke from the casino is staying pretty contained. It was not last year, we were on deck 6 and would go out of our way to avoid going forward to aft on that deck because of the smoke.

 

 

 

With that being said, I'd still sail on Sunshine again in a heartbeat. :)

 

 

 

In Aruba we took the public bus to Eagle Beach and it was pretty cheap for the trip. I think around $12 for the 3 of us round trip.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion I'll definitely check into that.

[nicole9s]

I'd love to know more details about the kids club and other activities that your kids are enjoying. DS will be 4 when we sail on the Sunshine next year.

 

Also, do you know how they have the MDRs set up for assigned vs anytime dining with regard to the dining rooms used? Which do you have, and are you sharing a table?

 

Hope you have a good time!

 

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[cruizinisthebest]

Took about an hour , they were trying to get exact count and some people weren't there. Couple that with a baby about 6 people over screaming for 25 minutes and it just wasn't fun.

Ugh. Terrible!

 

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[ufyellowfin]

I'd love to know more details about the kids club and other activities that your kids are enjoying. DS will be 4 when we sail on the Sunshine next year.

 

Also, do you know how they have the MDRs set up for assigned vs anytime dining with regard to the dining rooms used? Which do you have, and are you sharing a table?

 

Hope you have a good time!

 

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I have never done anytime dining. We had 6 pm last year and it worked great for us. This year we did 6 pm and I asked for a booth though I knew I may not get one. Luckily they honored my request and it's just us 4 in the sunrise upper. The booth makes it easier for us to keep our kids in their seats. I'm not familiar with anytime dining although I know the check in is on our floor between the casino and the martini bar.

 

I tried to post pictures but they're to blurry to zoom in and read. When I get back home I'll try to get them clearer and message you them.

 

We usually do breakfast together, get cleaned up, then take them to the camp until about 12:15-1230. After that we eat lunch and then let them nap for an hour or so. After that we either take them to the water park or to camp if they want. Then we clean up head to dinner and it's their choice if they want to go back to camp. We have each 30 dollars they could spend at the arcade and 10 dollars each at the candy store for the hole cruise. We also pay for the night owls 2 or 3 times so we can go see a show or let them participate in their night parties.

Edited April 9, 2016 by ufyellowfin

[nicole9s]

I have never done anytime dining. We had 6 pm last year and it worked great for us. This year we did 6 pm and I asked for a booth though I knew I may not get one. Luckily they honored my request and it's just us 4 in the sunrise upper. The booth makes it easier for us to keep our kids in their seats. I'm not familiar with anytime dining although I know the check in is on our floor between the casino and the martini bar.

 

Here is the 2-5 kids club schedule below

 

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We usually do breakfast together, get cleaned up, then take them to the camp until about 12:15-1230. After that we eat lunch and then let them nap for an hour or so. After that we either take them to the water park or to camp if they want. Then we clean up head to dinner and it's their choice if they want to go back to camp. We have each 30 dollars they could spend at the arcade and 10 dollars each at the candy store for the hole cruise. We also pay for the night owls 2 or 3 times so we can go see a show or let them participate in their night parties.

 

That all sounds great, your table and time are exactly what I requested (we are doing 6 pm dining too, and I asked for a booth on the upper level).

 

Thanks for the camp schedule, but the link isn't working. If you get a chance in the future, I'd love to see it.

 

Have you, or do you plan to go to any shows with the kids?

 

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Edited April 9, 2016 by nicole9s

[ufyellowfin]

That all sounds great, your table and time are exactly what I requested (we are doing 6 pm dining too, and I asked for a booth on the upper level).

 

Thanks for the camp schedule.

 

Have you, or do you plan to go to any shows with the kids?

 

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We took my daughter to two last year and they both did the Seuss parade last year. This time we are going to try and take both to epic rock for sure.

[ufyellowfin]

I booked almost same itinerary for 2018.We got a aft extended for 1 st time 7333. Are the balcony's hot or shaded? Is there a lot of vibration/movement? How about privacy? Looks like your neighbor can look onto your balcony. We were on Sunshine 2015-2016 New Years cruise and loved her then.Thanks !

 

 

Hardly any movement but there is some vibration. I ran some big sport fishers for a while before I settled down and I notice the vibration more than my wife. Balconys have had shade until about 2:30 both days so far. After that the sun is getting behind the ship so it can be hot. I've been using our little metal trash can from our room and filling it with water about every two hours and pouring it on the deck to keep it cooler.

 

As far as privacy, I'm not gonna be making love out there, if that's what you mean. It's private enough to lay out, read and write on cruise critic but if your neighbors wanna be nosy they can stick their head around the barrier and say hello pretty easy.

Edited April 9, 2016 by ufyellowfin

[Cruisegirl6]

One question, heard many people talk about that ship and having that crowded feeling on her, do you find that also?

 

Bon Voyage!!

[ufyellowfin]

One question, heard many people talk about that ship and having that crowded feeling on her, do you find that also?

 

 

 

Bon Voyage!!

 

 

No because I don't go looking for the crowds. I paid for a balcony so I don't need to go worry about finding a seat. I chose an aft room because I've noticed it tends to not be nearly as crowded as midship or serenity. Taste bar at breakfast has a smaller continental breakfast than what's offered at Lido but it's enough for us. If we do go to Lido we get our food and take it back to the Havana bar to eat. Only place I've noticed it is at dinner time near the taste bar because of all the people waiting for anytime dining.

 

This is how I deal with crowds, been an annual pass holder at the Disney world for the past 3 years. Went 91 times this past year and only twice did I go when it was crowded. Do your homework before you go and you'll be ok. The only thing I wish they had was a small pool near where the waterworks area is but my kids love playing back there so it's not that big a deal.

[momin05]

Glad to hear you like the cabin...we have the cabin next to you next month. I would like to request the Sunrise upper dining room for our 6pm seating because we have a large crowd all staying in the same location so it would be convenient. If you can, please take a look this evening and see if there are several large tables close together where 30 plus people could be seated. I don't want to request it and then not have large tables together. I know Sunset could accommodate us in that regard. Thanks so much and enjoy your cruise!

[ufyellowfin]

Glad to hear you like the cabin...we have the cabin next to you next month. I would like to request the Sunrise upper dining room for our 6pm seating because we have a large crowd all staying in the same location so it would be convenient. If you can, please take a look this evening and see if there are several large tables close together where 30 plus people could be seated. I don't want to request it and then not have large tables together. I know Sunset could accommodate us in that regard. Thanks so much and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

I'll do my best and report back here shortly

[MooNGaTe27]

Have never been to Grand Turk and I see your getting a golf cart.How did you go about getting it & please tell me where you went & what you did please

[TC Cruiser]

Any chance you could ask Dario or any of the other bartenders in the Alchemy Bar what proportions they use in the Alchemist's Sidecar (cognac : patron citronage : lime : simple syrup)?

[summersigh]

I'll be going on the Sunshine in June with the dear wife and two kids (8 year-old boy and 6 year-old girl), so I'm curious as to your first impressions. So far, so good? Or are you feeling some buyer's remorse?

 

The Sunshine goes into a 2 week Dry Dock this May resuming her cruises on May 21 so keep that in mind when reading reviews :D

 

We sailed her in Jan and really enjoyed her. Your kids are the perfect ages for enjoying the ropes course and water park.

[indychristine]

We loved Sunshine! Have fun!

 

 

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[cruisingautiger]

Thanks for the thread! We are sailing on her for Christmas this year. Couple of questions:

 

The muster drill - they use the process where everyone stands in rows on the outside deck?

 

Red Frog Pub - Do they have tabletop shuffleboard and/or Foosball?