Willdra's Silent Carnival Sunshine Sept. 17-22 Review

willdra · October 10, 2022

Embarkation Day

On Embarkation Day I got up at around 7:16. My alarm was prolly set for 7. I jumped in the shower, and as I was drying off, I swiftly noticed that the towel was like a sheet of burlap covered with sandpaper. Dude. I actually had to wait for this? I would've been better off drying myself with some of W's old socks, or a doormat. Jeesh.

W got up right after me, saw that it was 7:30, then went back to sleep. I woke him up after my shower so that he could do his last minute whatevers. After we got presentable, W wanted breakfast at iHop. Luckily, there was one about 5 minutes from the hotel. It was still pretty early when we got there, and the parking lot wasn’t packed yet. Thank God. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too crazy, cuz I planned to fill my belly with coffee and carbs in case we had to wait to board the ship. #beprepared

We walked into the iHop and there were only a few people waiting. But there was no one at the desk. We could see the hostess serving people and going back and forth into the kitchen. It was immediately obvious that they were short staffed. Extremely. We waited a few more minutes and right as we were about to abandon ship, 2 more employees walked in. It looked like 1 of them had to go and pick up the other one. They walked in fast and got right to work. All in all we waited maybe 14 minutes so it wasn’t terrible.

Once we were seated, our orders were taken right away. We already knew what we wanted, so we didn’t waste any time looking at the menu. No need to even leave those with us, just get your pen out and start writing ma'am. This is not a drill.

While we were waiting for our food, I logged into Workday (my company’s HR app) to approve my team's timesheets. Please tell me why there were 2 incomplete. I don't know how many times I've told them that unless they decided to just donate their time and volunteer at this company, timesheets need to be complete before leaving work on Friday. Especially when I specifically reminded them that I would lose cell service on Saturday evening, so their time really needed to be done. As soon as I saw the incomplete time, I started fussing at the air like they could hear me in GA. I sent text messages to both employees reminding them to complete and submit, but I was still in disbelief. When I was done with it, W said “As soon as I saw you logging in, I knew you were gonna be mad at somebody”. Aww hush man, you don’t know my life. Or maybe you do. Either way, hush.

When the coffee came, I jumped in the carafe and drank my way out. I needed all of the caffeine. Stat. That liquid love poured thru my system and suddenly all was right with the world again. The universe was balanced, and I could hear birds singing. I even forgot about the incomplete timesheets!

Our food came fast. We always get the 2x2x2, and it's pretty much the plain Jane of breakfasts. It's really hard to mess up. Everything was perfect. We finished up fast, paid, then jumped in the car, and drove to the port. It took 20 minutes to get over there from where we were. We got in line to go into the port at around 10:26.

SenatorsFan · October 10, 2022

So happy to be here for another Willdra and W review! 🥰

willdra · October 10, 2022

That cruise port is a maze and it’s confusing. First you go through the gate. Then you pull up to a tent to pay. There are port staff out there who have a mobile card reader to process your payment. There aren't any kiosks. After you give up the dinero, you drive forward through rows of luggage carts. The port staff will direct you on where to pull up to unload your luggage. It’s helpful if you have your checked luggage already separated from carry-ons and ready to go. This will expedite the process. After they take your luggage, you drive over to the parking lot. There are staff out there showing you where to park. Their goal is to fill up every space in the row before moving to the next row. Once you are parked you walk about a .25 mile to the first check in. In this check in, you need your boarding pass, ID, Citizenship docs, and vaccination or testing status. Boarding passes are checked a couple of times in this building. There are staff along the way who tell you repeatedly to have everything in your hand or you can’t get in. As we were walking over, this lady by us was digging in her bag and sighing deeply. She kinda slowed up and was kinda confused looking. When we got up to the agents outside of the building, she went over to the side and started saying a lot of words, which I think were about the fact that she forgot or didn’t print out her boarding pass. “Not my circus, and not my monkeys” is our family motto, so W and I kept it pushing. Wise.

We have passports and we used VeriFLY again so it took 2 seconds for us to be cleared. I was so proud of W, he didn’t need any assistance from me (once we got here) with his VeriFLY pass. The agent checking us in tried to tell me that I could add his pass to my phone, but I shut her down with the quickness. Uh ma’am ain't nobody got time for any of that. He can sort out his own life. I brought paper copies of the vaccination records just in case he had issues, but they were not needed. Once you get the green light here, they send you out the back of the building where you board a shuttle. The shuttle takes you to the Customs Building where you go through the scanners and your carryon is checked. Your Boarding Pass is the only thing that has to remain out after this. I thought Security was lacking here, but W said that a couple of front of him was told that they couldn’t bring on their wine because the cork looked like it had been “resealed”. I guess the agents felt like that bottle “used to be wine”, but now it’s prolly something else. Which incidentally is a creative way to smuggle “something else” in your wine bottle, unless the port staff are up on game. I’m sure they’ve seen some of every trick in the book. It’s on to the ramp and a long walk up to the ship after (if) you make it thru security. Again Boarding Passes were repeatedly checked along the way.

Our first view of the Sunshine's whale tail

willdra · October 10, 2022

We walked into the ship at 10:59 according to the time stamp on the picture that I took. We entered on Deck 4 in the Main Atrium. It felt nostalgic. We went to our Muster Station first, so that we could get that necessary business out of the way. We were assigned Muster Station C, which was (gasp) outside. I can’t remember the last time I attended a Muster Drill outside. I felt like I was hurled back in time to the dark ages. Say it ain’t so. I’m sorry y’all but mustering outside is now the ghetto. We walked out there and I was so happy that it only took a few minutes. We got there right as they were starting a safety briefing. It took 3 minutes. We were free to leave the ghetto after that.

willdra · October 10, 2022

We popped up to our cabin which was 6317 to drop off our carry-on crap. Our room was still dirty, so there was no need to linger. We went out to do some exploring. One of the first things I noticed about Sunshine is that she is really showing her age. There are spots that are in dire need of repairing. Do better Carnival. Especially if it’s a hazard and an eyesore. I was prepared for the vastly different aesthetic of the Sunshine especially after getting off of Mardi Gras but I was a little shocked at a few things. There is absolutely no reason to have my girl Sunshine outchea looking like a '76 AMC Pacer. Now don’t put the paws on me cousins. Y'all know I’m Team Carnival 10 toes down, all day every day. Carnival is still my side Boo (as much as a whole cruise line can be), but Carnival, just like W, is not perfect. Mic drop.

EllaDuChien · October 10, 2022

1 minute ago, willdra said:

One of the first things I noticed about Sunshine is that she is really showing her age. There are spots that are in dire need of repairing. Do better Carnival. Especially if it’s a hazard and an eyesore. I was prepared for the vastly different aesthetic of the Sunshine especially after getting off of Mardi Gras but I was a little shocked at a few things.

I boarded the Sunshine the day you got off and thought the exact same thing! It had even changed since I was on her in July. Still I love her and I will be back in December.

Going to be super sad when she leaves Charleston though...Its my closest port too.

willdra · October 10, 2022

We went up to the Sports Deck and looked around, then we took a few pictures. I soon realized that I'd left my sunglasses in the cabin cuz I was squinting from the sun in all of the pictures. I went back to get them, and W was gonna meet me in Serenity. I found the cabin just fine, but I got big lost on Deck 12. Since all of the doors were still closed, I couldn’t tell how to get back outside. I walked through the spa, but it just led to the gym. I walked back around, but all of the exit signs pointed back to the spa cabins. I walked up and down a couple of halls but still couldn’t find the door. I was gone so long W called me to see where I was. I told him I was lost. He laughed and said he would be in the bar. Huh. Guess who’s about to be in the friend zone! After a long eternity, I finally fought my way back outside. Embarrassing.

willdra · October 10, 2022

ninjacat123 · October 10, 2022

Yeah, what's up with the chewed up sport track? We saw that Sept 3. Why is it still there? Hmmmm....

momof3cruisers · October 10, 2022

I am loving this review. Sunshine is on the list of options for the cruise I am taking my youngest on for his 21st birthday. (I’m a thankful mom that my 21 yo boy actually wants to hang out with mom.)

Your comment about W not knowing where you are going cracked me up. My husband and I are going on a B2B starting the 22nd f this month. Last night he asked me for AT LEAST the third time what time our flight was leaving. I told him to stop asking me and just do what I tell him to do when I tell him to do it.

WhiteOptima · October 10, 2022

1) I am a Corporate Director of Payroll over seeing a team of 6. See the timecard issues all the time. You can't get your timecard right but you sure in hell want to be paid correctly and on time! Hello are you not an adult! And no I am not part of HR because I would be an HR nightmare.

2) Your parking to ship was better than ours-just got off on the 6th. We followed the cars to where you parked and a parking attendant yelled at us and we had to park almost to the street which made for a long walk on debarkation day.

3) I loved the Havana bar area but the room😱. I was in 6207 and had to sit on the toilet sideways because the door opened in and was always in the way. I don’t remember any ship having bathroom doors that opened in before. And FYI I am 5’3” 120 lbs. Still enjoyed myself and the Sunshine Rock Band was great.

CeleBrat · October 10, 2022

Sailed the Sunshine several years ago, and had fun. But oh boy those racer slides...so fast that they actually scared me!!!

willdra · October 11, 2022

When I made it out there W was actually stretched out in one of the clamshell loungers. I provided him with some words that I can’t write here (they were ugly), then we smiled and took happy, we weren't just fussing, pictures to post on social media.

Cruisesfun65 · October 11, 2022

Willdra, I can't tell you how much I enjoy your writing style. You are the only reviewer that makes me laugh OUT LOUD at every single post!

You're sure you don't want to review more events in your life? Like Thanksgiving and family reunions? 😉

willdra · October 11, 2022

Serenity Area

willdra · October 11, 2022

willdra · October 11, 2022

We kept exploring after that and we wound up in the Havana Bar area. I loved this space! The JiJi Asian Kitchen is back there along with the Cucina Del Capitano. They were doing Mongolian Wok in JiJi and even though we were far from hungry, we stopped and got some. W stood in line to get it, and I pointed out to him where I would be sitting because I already knew he wouldn’t see me. Yep. Even with this purple and blue hair. Some kinda way I manage to blend in.

The stir fry was magnificent. It was everything that I didn’t know I needed right then.

willdra · October 11, 2022

W wanted to check on the cabin, which we did after lunch, but it still wasn’t ready. We went midship next. It felt familiar. I liked the décor. It was giving “Carnival spent time and money fixing this part up”. I also liked the old school gift shop setup. With all of the merchandise everywhere. I always appreciate a good gift shop. We stayed out until 1:40 ish. Our cabin had been cleaned when we got back this time. We saw one of my suitcases in the suitcase pile on our way back to our cabin, so we grabbed it.

willdra · October 11, 2022

I took pictures in the cabin then unpacked. W took a long nap (for him) for about an hour. His suitcase arrived next. Now we were just waiting for my small suitcase. I must admit I still have PTSD when it comes to that because years ago (2007) we sailed out of Tampa and W forgot to give the porter my small suitcase. It was under the 3rd throw in our car, and he didn’t see it, so he forgot it was there. I don’t want to tell y’all how horrific it was to not have any toiletries on a 7 day cruise! Ever since then, I separate my toiletries and put some of them in each suitcase. That way if one goes missing I won’t be without everything. So as of right now I have enough to function for the week, but there were absolutely no frills. While we were waiting, our cabin steward came by to introduce himself and ask about our cabin cleaning preference. I chose late again, so we will see how this goes. The safety briefing happened around 3:42 on the TV. At 3:50, I checked the hall, and my last bag was there. Hallelujah. I could at least stay clean and moisturized on this cruise. My skin rejoiced.

I found out the hard way that the bathroom had a few issues. First, the door opens inward, so I had to walk all the way in, turn around, suck in my gut, turn to the side, say 2 Hail Marys, then close the door. The other thing was that we had to punch in the button really hard to flush the toilet. I almost had to take the walk of shame to go find our steward when I couldn't get it to flush the first time. Thank God I heard a heavenly whisper saying, "push it harder", cuz that worked! How embarrassing that would've been!! Especially for W, cuz I would've absolutely blamed everything on him.

willdra · October 11, 2022

The sail away party was supposed to start at 4:45. We started moving at around 4:15 tho. I instantly thought "maybe they can’t make noise in Charleston?" Hmmm. I've never experienced a silent sail away. It was totes low key. Zero fanfare. You know how the ship's horn usually blasts, which tells you that the ship is about to shove off? This a'int that. This was the enemy of that. We were so thrown off, we thought perhaps we got the times wrong, so we went up to the Lido for the party. There was absolutely no need to rush. We were well out in the water before it began. TJ was our Cruise Director. This is my first time sailing with him, and I instantly loved him! He’s so precious. He is a natural at this, and I was looking forward to the other activities that he would host.

At the party they did a line dance that I've never seen. It was called the Biker Shuffle. Why didn’t y'all tell me about this fam? I thought we were folks. Alright I forgive you. This time. Once the party kicked off, we danced and had a good time. There were 2 dancers on deck who killed the game tho. Wow they had the crowd going nuts! They were so good. Anytime a fellow passenger jumps up, lands, twerks, then drops into a split, the crowd will give them their flowers. Whew, but it made my knees, thighs, and spleen hurt just watching it.

willdra · October 11, 2022

When the party died down we walked back thru Lido to get back to our cabin. Tell me why in the world did we do that? This route took us right by the deli which had some new interesting sandwiches on the menu. The Cuban Mixto caught my eye, and wouldn’t let it go. I heard it saying that I could have my eye back only if I ordered the sandwich. I'm not a sandwich hater, and I need my eye for things, so I complied. W latched on to the Ham and Cheese. We ordered both with absolutely no shame. Dinner wasn’t until 8:30 so naturally we needed to eat something to hold us over. OMG we made great choices. The sandwiches were bangers. The cheese gods themselves bestowed this meal upon us. Cheese is considered a staple in Jesus’ cookbook. Now you know.

willdra · October 11, 2022

After we ate, and I retrieved my eye, we went back to the cabin to chillax before dinner. We still had a faint signal at that time so I did some last minute internetting before turning my phone to airplane mode. We had reservations at the steakhouse for dinner. I'd booked it weeks before. I never received anything confirming it after we boarded, so I called them to confirm and they said they had me. W and I showered and went down around 8:20. We were seated right away, and we got our free bottle of wine. The steakhouse was kinda empty. I wonder if peeps don’t know that you get a free bottle of wine on the first night. Welp, I'm not telling. More for me. We sat in the back and we enjoyed that. W ordered the iced and smoked fresh oysters for his starter. When it came it looked like somebody already had it in their mouth, spit it out, then covered it up with foam so no one would know. Ew. Not a fan. I ordered the Maine lobster bisque as my starter. We were not very hungry but we shot our best shot. Everything was wonderful. I nibbled on the bread and soup to save what little room I had in my belly for the filet mignon and the chocolate sphere. I knew the deal. Don't fall for the okey doke.

willdra · October 11, 2022

Iced and Smoked Fresh(?) Oysters

Lobster Bisque

willdra · October 11, 2022

willdra · October 11, 2022

After we bit the last bite, we were too full to just go back to the cabin afterwards. We needed to burn off some of those calories. There was a “Rock the promenade” dance party in the atrium at 10. Perfect. We got there kinda early and got a good seat. It started around 10:09. It was hyped. The crowd loves TJ's energy. It's contagious. When the bacchanal died down, we went to the Lido to get my hot water for tea and W’s soda. I got ice cream to go with the Oreos that I brought, too. Don’t judge me.