Pirate’s SUNSHINE-y Birthday Cruise! August 24-29, 2019 Review

[pirate4me2]

Hello, Cruise Critic family!

 

I returned last Thursday from a 5-day cruise aboard Carnival Sunshine to celebrate my birthday. Thank goodness I chose the cruise dates that I did with all this crazy weather we are having! I guess the good weather we had was Mother Nature’s birthday gift to me, hahaha. It all better calm down in time for my next cruise in a few short weeks…

 

Anyway, I am ready to do a review as I usually do to help cope with my post-cruise depression. This cruise was a bit different for me, as we sailed from Charleston which is just a 3.5-hour drive from my house. That meant we could drive down the day of the cruise, and I could sleep in my own bed the night before! I was traveling with my mom and a mutual friend, this would be her first cruise. We made plans to meet up at my mom’s house and leave out about 9, and that would get is to the port around 12:30.

 

However, when you factor in bathroom breaks/gas fillups, we ended up getting to Charleston port at 1:15. This was still plenty of time before sailing though, and after my mom crashed the computers at check in (seriously, she did!) we were finally aboard the Sunshine at 2:00. We headed right to our room to drop off our luggage (we all managed to pack into carry-ons!) and check out our awesome balcony. We were in room 8328, and this was my very first aft-wrap.

[Joe817]

Nice start! Now I want MORE! Keep going. Don't stop.

[pirate4me2]

Can I just say…I am absolutely spoiled now? I mean, that balcony! It was phenomenal, and we spent so much time out there. With the 3 of us it was perfect. Also, the room was a great size with enough storage for 3 ladies. Mom slept on the sofa bed and said that it was perfectly comfortable, although a tad short for her height (5’7”). With the 2 windows, the room was bright and cheerful. We all agreed it was a kick butt room. 

 

After ditching our rolling carry-ons we all opted for lunch from Blue Iguana. Yum! I love their taco salads, and I cannot believe this was my only one from this cruise! To finish it off we checked out the cake selection, and I got a slice of the sprinkle cake which Mom didn’t care for but I loved. 

 

 

Now…anyone who has read some of my recent reviews probably knows I am pre-cruise cursed, and unfortunately this cruise was no different! I have had sick animals, health scares in the family, and injuries, and for this cruise I decided to go big….I got trampled by my horse 5 days before our sail date. She got my foot, knee, butt and shoulder, and they all healed up Ok except for my knee, which I finally went to the doctor for today. It looked TERRIBLE and had a lot of pain, so I finally went to John Heald’s social media and asked if there was any way possible I could attend a muster drill where I could sit down. I really didn’t think I could stand for 20-30 minutes outside, and I was moving VERY slowly and was afraid that when muster was released I would get shoved around a lot. He had me email the special needs department in Miami, and I cannot say enough good things about them. Within 2 hours of my email they called, and they were so kind. They made notes and told me that once I got onboard to go to Guest Services to find out where to go for muster.

And that was where the good service ended as far as that was concerned.

 

We got onboard and asked Guest Services, and the agent told me she did not know where the muster would be held, that I needed to check in with my regular station and then I would be told where to go. Ok, that sounds good, but I can’t really walk well…we decided that when they called for muster we would ask one of the “helpers” where to go. Well, they called for muster and I asked a station leader, who looked right at my leg and cane and told me (and these are the exact words) “If you are really special needs they will come to your room and escort you to the correct muster station.” Um….that was rude! I told Mom and our friend “I give up, let’s just go to the regular station and maybe they will let me sit on something out there.” Luckily, another station leader saw me limping and pulled me aside. “Go to the library, they have chairs in there and you can sit down for the special muster,” he said.

 

Thank you, nice gentleman! We made our way to the library where I was able to take a seat, and we enjoyed the A/C for the quick drill. It was all over and done with about 25 minutes after I sat down.

 

We headed to the room and changed into our swim gear and went to the Serenity deck. The pool was packed, but we were able to slide in and cool off. The water was chilly, but nice. Once we had enough of the crazy party animals in the pool we went to check out the hot tub situation, I thought that might feel good on my leg. Here is one of my gripes with the Sunshine…there are not nearly enough hot tubs onboard. Serenity’s was packed full of people, and no way was I getting in the ones on Lido as they were overrun with kiddos. Mom and our friend decided that since they were already wet and in swim gear, why not check out the waterslides?

 

I declined to participate (I didn’t need anymore bruises on my body!) so Mom and B (that’s what we shall call our friend from now on, OK?) hiked up the stairs while I lounged on a deck chair. It took them about 15 minutes to get thru the line for Twister, and they both said that slide was CRAZY fast. I think Sunshine has the best water slides in the fleet, I have done them all on previous cruises and they really are fast!

 

View in port from our balcony

 

My banged up leg

 

Charleston sailaway

 

Sail away party on Lido

 

Water slides!

Edited September 4, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

After they conquered the slides, Mom and B decided to try putt-putt...but all the balls were in use. They ended up playing pool, which is quite difficult on a moving ship! 

 

We went back to the room and I iced my leg before dinner. We used the Hub app to check in for Your Time Dining...and I loved it! 

 

I love the lions on the stairways

 

Mini golf 

 

 

Dinner menus 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

As usual, I got my Caesar salad as the app, and it was wonderful. B got the flat iron steak for her main and said it was yummy, and Mom and I both opted for the sweet and sour shrimp. That dish was delish! All the entrees came out nice and warm. For dessert, I got my chocolate melting cake. Yum! 

 

When dinner ended we walked around the ship a bit, then went back to the balcony. I went to the side part and looked over, and thought it was cool seeing alllllllll along the side of the ship! Haha I promise I wasn’t drinking, I just thought that was a cool view. We hung out there until about 10:30, when the travel of the day finally caught up with us. 

[pirate4me2]

I will post more tomorrow, I just saw how late it is and I have an early morning tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!

[Joe817]

Dang girl! you got stepped on hard! That wasn't no Shetland pony to be sure! Did you get thrown, or just walked on? Been there done that. Not fun. I admire your gumption for sticking it out. I hope you heal up soon. Loving your review. Thank you! 

[pirate4me2]

17 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Dang girl! you got stepped on hard! That wasn't no Shetland pony to be sure! Did you get thrown, or just walked on? Been there done that. Not fun. I admire your gumption for sticking it out. I hope you heal up soon. Loving your review. Thank you! 

 

My girl (15.2 hand American Saddlebred) spooked and I got thrown, and ended up UNDER her. She had a fence on one side, tractor on another (thank goodness I didn’t land on that!) so she had to go over me. Thank goodness she had the sense about her that when she stepped on me each time and felt that she stepped on me she didn’t put ALL her weight, she quickly moved off. I remember lying there under her knowing what was going to happen and just praying “please don’t step on the spine or the head, or land me in the hospital...my cruise is this weekend!” 😂 That pic was when the bruises weren’t even at their worst, it got real ugly and is just now going back to normal. 😳

[NCTribeFan]

Hi, Pirate!  I'm going on Sunshine on 10/26 for a solo to Bermuda (will be Diamond).  Just another inside cabin for me, though!  So, I'm suffering from cabin envy here!

 

In the meantime, I'm off for my 3rd consecutive MSC sailing on 9/16.  Sailed Divina in December (gorgeous ship but too big for me) then Armonia in May with DD to HAVANA!  Think there was only 1 sailing after us that called there and then they had to stop.  So glad I went!  Same sailing this time as a solo but we stop in Costa Maya and get another sea day.  No solo supplement so it's very cheap (<$400 for 7 nights!!)!  Yes, MSC is different but I rather like the differences.  I'm just rather tired of Carnival.

 

My back won't let me stand stationary so I always just ask the first crew member I see where I can go to sit and have been directed to a lounge, or library, or some venue that has plenty of seating.  I haven't written any reviews for my Carnival sailings lately, though but know I posted about that (but it's been a couple of years at least).

 

I sailed Sunshine shortly after she was launched on a 1-way Journeys sailing from Port C to San Juan and liked the ship much more than I expected, as a lot of the initial reviews were rather negative.  Plus, I did really well in the casino for a change.  That may have something to do with my positive impression of her. 😋 Unfortunately, we had rain on our sea days and I didn't get to spend time on the Serenity deck.  Hoping for better weather this time w/3 sea days.

 

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your review!  And hoping that knee improves quickly!

 

 

[Jamman54]

Great start to your review and looking forward to the rest! Hope all of your injuries have healed. 😎

[MEUB1112]

Great review, and will also be looking for the next installment!

[pirate4me2]

4 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Hi, Pirate!  I'm going on Sunshine on 10/26 for a solo to Bermuda (will be Diamond).  Just another inside cabin for me, though!  So, I'm suffering from cabin envy here!

 

In the meantime, I'm off for my 3rd consecutive MSC sailing on 9/16.  Sailed Divina in December (gorgeous ship but too big for me) then Armonia in May with DD to HAVANA!  Think there was only 1 sailing after us that called there and then they had to stop.  So glad I went!  Same sailing this time as a solo but we stop in Costa Maya and get another sea day.  No solo supplement so it's very cheap (<$400 for 7 nights!!)!  Yes, MSC is different but I rather like the differences.  I'm just rather tired of Carnival.

 

My back won't let me stand stationary so I always just ask the first crew member I see where I can go to sit and have been directed to a lounge, or library, or some venue that has plenty of seating.  I haven't written any reviews for my Carnival sailings lately, though but know I posted about that (but it's been a couple of years at least).

 

I sailed Sunshine shortly after she was launched on a 1-way Journeys sailing from Port C to San Juan and liked the ship much more than I expected, as a lot of the initial reviews were rather negative.  Plus, I did really well in the casino for a change.  That may have something to do with my positive impression of her. 😋 Unfortunately, we had rain on our sea days and I didn't get to spend time on the Serenity deck.  Hoping for better weather this time w/3 sea days.

 

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your review!  And hoping that knee improves quickly!

 

 

 

Hey hey! I will do a review of our Sunshine sailing to Bermuda to give you an idea of how things go with that. I am so excited to go back to Bermuda, weather permitting!

 

I am so glad you mentioned MSC! I haven't said anything on here, buttttttt....I finally pulled the trigger and booked a non-Carnival sailing, for next year! We are sailing on MSC Seaside in the Yacht Club next September, and I am SO excited. I love Carnival, but like you I feel just a bit bored with them the past few cruises. DH didn't want to branch out, he said he will miss his Platinum perks too much and he likes Carnival. I told him that I wanted to do this before we just got completely burnt out on Carnival, and I like the status match that MSC does. If we like MSC I figure we can do 1 Carnival and 1 MSC sailing each year to keep things fresh. I have been eyeing Divina as a possibility.

 

4 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Great start to your review and looking forward to the rest! Hope all of your injuries have healed. 😎

Hey Jeff! The leg is still healing. Most of the bruising is gone, but I did finally go to the doctor about the pain and a large knot yesterday. He said I have a big old hematoma that will take a bit to heal up. I guess that is better news than what it could have been!

2 hours ago, MEUB1112 said:

Great review, and will also be looking for the next installment!

More to come when I get home tonight, I have 2 days written up!

[NCTribeFan]

Seaside would be too large for me.  Was on Divina for 11 nights and was still discovering places on the last sea day.  I'm just not a huge fan of huge ships.  Armonia is smaller than Fantasy-class and I really enjoyed her.  For me, the smaller ships just have more personality and a more personal feeling.  You see the same pax and crew all the time.  If you read on the MSC board, there are plenty of reviews talking about how rude the pax are and how tired they get of listening to announcements in 5 languages.  Personally, I really enjoyed just walking up to what I wanted in the buffet line rather than creep along while everyone takes some of every single thing available when all I want is at the end of the line!

 

It is a different experience.  It's not to everyone's liking but one of the main reasons I travel is to have different experiences!  If I wanted everything to be the same as it is at home, or as it's been on 30+ Carnival cruises, I wouldn't branch out.  For me, the Plat/Dia perks aren't enough to keep me on Carnival.  Same shows, bingo, music, comedy, food on every ship from Fantasy to Panorama just with more places to do the same things on the big ships.

 

I'm sure staying in Yacht Club will be a slightly different experience than I had on a small ship in an inside cabin.  

 

OK.  Promise I won't hijack your review thread again! 😉

[pirate4me2]

1 hour ago, NCTribeFan said:

Seaside would be too large for me.  Was on Divina for 11 nights and was still discovering places on the last sea day.  I'm just not a huge fan of huge ships.  Armonia is smaller than Fantasy-class and I really enjoyed her.  For me, the smaller ships just have more personality and a more personal feeling.  You see the same pax and crew all the time.  If you read on the MSC board, there are plenty of reviews talking about how rude the pax are and how tired they get of listening to announcements in 5 languages.  Personally, I really enjoyed just walking up to what I wanted in the buffet line rather than creep along while everyone takes some of every single thing available when all I want is at the end of the line!

 

It is a different experience.  It's not to everyone's liking but one of the main reasons I travel is to have different experiences!  If I wanted everything to be the same as it is at home, or as it's been on 30+ Carnival cruises, I wouldn't branch out.  For me, the Plat/Dia perks aren't enough to keep me on Carnival.  Same shows, bingo, music, comedy, food on every ship from Fantasy to Panorama just with more places to do the same things on the big ships.

 

I'm sure staying in Yacht Club will be a slightly different experience than I had on a small ship in an inside cabin.  

 

OK.  Promise I won't hijack your review thread again! 😉

 

No, I am glad to get the feedback! We chose the Yacht Club experience as my Dad is going with us, and he was overwhelmed on the Dream. I figure this way, he can try another line and have a smaller area with a personal pool, even tho it is a big ship. I hope he likes it.

 

I believe it was you that I saw post about how much you like the Fantasy class ships on another thread, and I am excited to try one in January. So far I really like the Spirit class ships as they are smaller. We will see how I like the Paradise in a few months!

 

Ok everyone....I promise I will get back to the review once I am home tonight and can access my pics!

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

pirate ~ glad to find your review & hear you had a good time so far.

Looking forward to more. I had booked Sunshine from Charleston for Dec 3 on a Journey cruise for my birthday but changed to another line for a Med. cruise next month instead.

 

I'm trying MSC next year too on a  Meraviglia TA but just in an inside cabin.

 

Jamman 54 ~ when is your next cruise please? I want to find the review near the start!

 

~ Jo ~ 😊

 

[pirate4me2]

Today I did something that I have wanted to do on all my previous cruises, but never done. I got up to watch the sunrise.

 

Now, I am a firm believer that getting up before your body naturally tells you to wake up is equivalent to commiting a major sin. Every morning back home when my alarm clock blares at 7 a.m. I viciously beat it. On my cruises, I blissfully sleep in until 9 or 9:30, even though I have always said that watching the sunrise over the ocean is probably beautiful and I should do it.

 

So, when I couldn’t sleep well (both of my cabin mates were “purring” like giant cats…that’s the only nice way I can think to put it) I finally gave in at 6:30and got dressed as quietly as I could. I managed to sneak out of our cabin like a ninja, leaving them a note that I had gone to Serenity to watch the sun come up. However, there was no glorious sunrise today as there were a lot of clouds on the horizon. So, despite my efforts, I have yet to see that amazing sunrise over the water. Oh well, I tried, and at least I snagged myself a poolside lounger to fall back asleep in for a short time!

 

empty Lido deck 

 

No sunrise, but it’s still pretty!

 

 

Empty Serenity deck 

 

 

The waterfall lights up!

 

Different color

 

I thought about hanging here here in a clamshell...

 

But settled here instead 😊

Edited September 5, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Finally about 8:15 I headed back to the room and found my cabinmates were just waking up. “Where have you been already? You’re up and dressed!” Mom said. I told her that I had dragged my lazy butt out of bed to watch the sun come up, and her and B both glared at me. “You didn’t get us up? Why not?” Well, because you are both bears first thing in the morning, and I didn’t want to risk my life while on vacation! They told me no matter what, if I managed to wake up again in time to watch the sun rise during this cruise, drag them out of bed as well.

 

Mom and I gave B the choice of where to eat breakfast since this was her first cruise. When we told her about Sea Day Brunch, her eyes lit up and she declared that to be the place to eat today. We went to the Sunrise dining room, deck 3 aft, and were sat in Wezah’s section. SHE IS AWESOME!!! This was our only time having her as our server, but on the last sea day morning as we exited the MDR she came up to me. “Stephanie, remember me? I served you the first day.” Yes, I do remember you, how do YOU remember ME? I told her that my husband and I would be cruising again in 3 weeks, and she asked what his name was. I told her, and she nodded. “Stephanie and Chris, I will see you in three weeks when we sail to Bermuda!” I am very curious to see if she remembers me when we sail this month. If she does, she has a good tip waiting for her!

 

Anyway, I digress….brunch was fantastic. Wezah and her team were ON IT, our food arrived very quickly and was always the perfect temperature. I started off with a Mocha Chocolate Getaway (I stole my uncle’s line from our previous family cruise….”you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!”) and it was delicious. I got my beloved eggs benedict with no meat (after all these reviews I did not bother to take a pic of them…if you must see them, find one of my previous reviews and there are photos), hashbrowns, and pork sausage. It was all yummylicious. Mom got the fried chicken, which she said was OK, and B got the French Toast…..HOLY COW! I swear they used half a loaf of bread on that thing, it was enormous! We all tried the French Toast and agreed it was AMAZING.

[Jamman54]

59 minutes ago, retiring soon said:

 

 

Jamman 54 ~ when is your next cruise please? I want to find the review near the start!

 

~ Jo ~ 😊

 

 

We'll be doing a B2B on the Sunrise starting September 16th. Review to follow. Sorry for the hijack. 😎

[pirate4me2]

Once breakfast was done we decided to check out the hot tub situation, and we found that the hot tub on Serenity was not crowded at all! We raced back to the room (ok, I gimped as fast as I could) and changed into our swimsuits. It was about 10:30, and the warm water felt WONDERFUL on my leg! We hung out in this area until about 1. I tried a Skinny Fizz from the Serenity bar, and OMG y’all…it was delish. That may be one of my new favorite cruise drinks!

 

Our social media group had a meet & greet planned in the Red Frog Pub at 1, so we headed down there. Mom and B had a few rounds of very competitive Fooseball, and we played a round of shuffleboard. Once more people arrived we became more social. John Heald had sent some goodies for us to raffle off….and Mom and I both won! She got a bottle of bubbly, and I got a 24k gold plastic ship on a stick. Score!

 

I told the bartender my leg was hurting and I needed a Red’s Painkiller, so she whipped me up one. It was strong, and after a bit it worked and dulled the pain. Hahaha. We headed to Lido for some lunch, it was about 2:30, and we all opted for deli sandwiches and salads from the salad bar. The salad was delicious, and I got my tomato and mozzarella sandwich, add bacon. Usually they offer me the choice of cold or toasted, but the guy working today did not, he just handed it to me cold. I have to say, it is better toasted, so in the future I will make sure it is. I still ate every bite though.

 

 

Skinny Fizz

 

 

 

I love NOLA!!

 

 

 

Painkiller

 

Prizes! The champagne was pretty nasty tho

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

9 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

 

We'll be doing a B2B on the Sunrise starting September 16th. Review to follow. Sorry for the hijack. 😎

 

I’m so sad we won’t be on that sailing with you! I was looking forward to meeting the legendary review writer. 😜 But, I am looking forward to sailing from my closest homeport again, and sleeping in my own bed the night before the cruise! 

[pirate4me2]

We decided to walk off some calories, and B wanted to check out the shops for trinkets to take back to her nieces. After that we headed to the library to find Mom a book to read, and we all played a few games of Connect 4. I am really good at that game it turns out! I had never played before, and B is very competitive, and I kept beating her…oops. When she got frustrated at loosing we headed to the coffee shop, back to the room to enjoy that wonderful balcony. We stayed out there reading, playing scrabble on our phones, and just relaxing for the rest of the afternoon.

 

 

Comedy Club

 

 

Coffee & Shake menus

 

 

Iced moccachino, yum!

 

Ahhhh, that view!

 

Mom’ coffee

Edited September 5, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Tonight was elegant night, and after our late lunch we were not really hungry until about 8. We all got dolled up, and I used the Hub app to check us in. Our table would be ready in less than 10 minutes, hooray! We headed down to deck 3 aft and my phone buzzed to let me know it was ready. We all got the crab cake as our app, which was really good. Mom and I also got some stuffed mushrooms, which were amazing, and B got the shrimp cocktail. For my main I chose the terraiki salmon, which was super yummy, and Mom got the mushroom pasta, which I had a bite of. I love that dang pasta! I forget what desserts Mom and B got, but I chose the chocolate hazelnut cake, which was really good. 

 

With our bellies full we were all lulled into a food coma, so after returning to our room we decided to call it a night at about 10:30. I had planned to check out the comedy club, but that would have to wait for another day.

 

’shrooms

 

Crabcake

 

Delicious salmon

 

Mushroom pasta

 

Tonight’s menus

 

 

Chocolate hazelnut cake

 

Tonight’s towel animal

 

Serenity pool tonight 

 

Looking down on the atrium party from deck 8

 

Its a loooooooong way to our room! 

Edited September 5, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!

 

As a birthday gift, Mother Nature presented us with an AWESOME lightning show in the wee hours (like, 3 a.m.) of the morning. We had forgot to shut the blinds on our windows, so we were all woke up by the brilliant flashes of light. The ship was also rocking pretty good. Mom, B and I stepped out onto the balcony and enjoyed watching the storms in the distance for a good 30 minutes or so. We heard some thunder, but the ship never sailed thru rain. I tried to get pics, but unfortunately I wasn’t successful. Sorry.

 

We all went back to bed and woke back up about 8:15. Today we were in a port that was new to me: Half Moon Cay! I have heard so many wonderful things about this place, and when I saw the ship was going to be calling on this port on my birthday that was what sealed the deal for me booking this cruise. What better way to spend my big day than relaxing on a white sandy beach?

 

Since we didn’t have any excursions booked we decided to let the masses exit the ship, then we would go ashore. We settled on breakfast in the MDR, and I got the cheddar broccoli scramble, hash browns, and pork sausage. The sausage and hashbrowns were good, but my eggs tasted burnt. They didn’t look it though…..hmmm. Weird.

 

The priority tenders for Diamond, Platinum and FTTF met from 8:30 to 10:30 in the Sunset MDR (deck 3 forward). We got there at 10:06 and were told the next tender was in 5 minutes. Sweet! We sat down and waited.

 

And waited.

 

And waited some more.

 

Other people arrived, and we were all getting antsy. Finally, after about 25 minutes, we were told the tender had arrived. We were taken down to board it, and then we waited some more for them to fill it up. We FINALLY made it onto Half Moon Cay at 11:15.

 

From there the day got so much better. That sand really is like baby powder, and the water so crystal clear and perfect temperature! You can walk out forever it seems like before the water gets deep! We managed to snag some front row beach chairs (score! Another magical birthday wish granted!) and made our way into the water. We spent a bit of time there, then relaxed on our loungers reading books and napping.

 

There were various activities throughout the day, such as volleyball, a sand castle competition, a lifeguard run competition, and more. We meant to take part in some of them but didn’t. Oops!

 

About 1 we decided we were hungry and made our way to the BBQ buffet set up under a big pavilion. I knew they were going to be shutting it down soon, and we were some of the last few to go through. They had hot dogs, burgers, and jerk chicken, along with couscous, tortilla chips, salsa, assorted fruit, some veggie salads…it was a pretty good offering! I got a burger, which was OK, some sort of veggie salad that was pretty dang yummy, and some couscous which was great! 

 

We finished our lunch and decided to check out the pirate ship bar, which was pretty cool inside! We climbed up top and admired the view, and then Mom and I decided to take the nature walk trail to walk off some calories. B went back to her lounger. We headed back to check on B, who was asleep, so Mom and I opted to spend more time in that wonderful water.

 

 

 

Bye Sunshine!

 

LOOK AT THAT WATER!

 

Its a pirate ship!

 

Ohhhh, a cannon!

 

Again...look at that water!

 

Inside the pirate ship bar

 

On the deck of the bar 

 

 

 

I like this cabana

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by pirate4me2

[pirate4me2]

Finally about 3 we decided it was time to head back to the ship. The line to get back on a tender boat was pretty long, but we waited probably no more than 15 minutes. The zipped us back to the Sunshine, and when we got back aboard we were all worn out from our fun in the sun and crashed for naps. I awoke before the other 2 and had time to finish the book I had brought along to read (dang book made me cry!) and when they woke up they were thirsty...but not for water. Hehehe. We decided to go check out what the Alchemy Bar had going on, and I ordered the Quick Fix. It was Ok, but Mom’s Deal Closer was way better. We sat and listened to karokee for a bit, then decided it was time for some grub. None of us felt like the MDR menu was all that appealing, so we decided to just grab sandwiches and salads for dinner. I opted tonight for just the regular tomato and mozzarella, and it was fantastic.

 

I decided the birthday drinking needed to continue, and we headed to the atrium to check out what was going on there. Inna the bartender was nice, and I got a Pirate Punch to start. OH MY. She poured that drink strong, Mom tried it and said no way could she drink that, it tasted like all alcohol! I downed it and asked for a Funship Special, which was yummy. The duo that was playing started in on some Journey, and I was ALMOST to the point of a repeat of what happened in Cozumel on the Family Vacation. Bahahahaha. How can you hear “Don’t Stop Believin’” and NOT get up to sing along at the top of your lungs???

 

I wasn’t ready to call it a night yet, so we headed up to Serenity and grabbed some chairs to watch the movie that was playing. I don’t remember what it was, but I DO remember being disappointed that the Serenity bar closes at 5:30 each day. I really wanted another Skinny Fizz!

 

It was about 11:00 when I finally decided to turn in for the night. All in all, I would say I had a successful, fun-filled birthday!

 

Quick Fix

 

Spicy Chipotle martini and Deal Closer

 

 

Funship Special

 

Pirate Punch

 

 

Looking down at Lido from Serenity 

 

Serenity pool

 

Goodnight!

Edited September 5, 2019 by pirate4me2

[vacationlover16]

Awesome review so far! Thanks for taking time to do it.