cruisinlover1414

Galveston is our home port- we have driven to Florida quite a bit too, but enjoy the quick drive to Galveston. 

We just got back off the Vista in early May and visited Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel (1st time with this itinerary) and LOVED it! Loved Mahogany Bay as it reminded us of Grand Turk with snorkeling & a nice beach right in the port. You MUST do an excursion in Belize because otherwise there is nothing to do (we did cave tubing and loved it!). 

We have also done the Grand Cayman & Jamaica itinerary and loved Grand Cayman and was not a fan of Jamaica. I think in the future we will do the Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel itinerary again. 

Happy planning! Prior to cruising on the Vista I read many complaints, but we absolutely had a blast and it was our favorite Carnival cruise thus far. 

17 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

This is next to the coffee shop deck 5. You can start checking in here at 5pm. You can also use the app or go to the dining room. At the dining room you have to wait until 5:30. If you want a specific table or server you can request that here or at the dining room but not on the app.

 

If we want to specify for a table just for 4, can we do that on the app? Or do we have to go to the dining room or check-in table? 

Loving your review! Going on the Vista in May, so your review is building up some excitement for my trip! 

I'm traveling RC (Allure of the Seas) soon and wondering if there's USB ports in the cabins for a YL USB diffuser? Anyone know by chance?

When I was on the Allure a few years ago, I don’t believe there is a USB port. What I do is take one of the iPhone charger ports (plug in with no cord) and plug my USB diffuser in there and it works perfect! I also have a YL travel orb diffuser I bring if I don’t bring my full size diffuser.

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I have brought my YL diffuser on every cruise I have been on with no issues. I just pack it in my checked back (packed carefully) and never have a problem. I love bringing it! It definitely helped me on our cruise on the Magic a few weeks ago when we hit major waves and got seasick.

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We just got off the Dawn today! Have a fantastic cruise! We absolutely loved our cruise!

That is a great suggestion- we stayed at the Hyatt Place across from the port and it was an easy 5 minute walk. Last week when we boarded we got there at 11:00 and waited for a long time to board.

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We have not been on Liberty in particular, but are planning on it in the next few years while it is in Galveston. We went on Sunshine this summer and have been out of Galveston multiple times. I was disappointed with Sunshine, but the ports are excellent. I would still choose Liberty, however, as we prefer RCCL over Carnival. Sunshine was crowded and was disappointing overall (food, entertainment, rooms...). We live in Texas as well and drove all the way to Florida, only to be disappointed. We had a good time and made the best of it, but it wasn't as good as our RCCL cruises in the past, even if they were just out of Galveston with the same ports over and over again. I would recommend doing Liberty this year and possibly waiting and doing a bigger Carnival ship, such as the Breeze or Vista in the next few years. Breeze is coming to Galveston this upcoming year. Also, Liberty is to be renovated, which will make it an even better ship here in Galveston.

Thanks for the honest review! We are also in education and will be sailing on the sunshine over Christmas break... Can't wait. We are booked in an inside on the Lido deck [emoji41]

Yes, we have done a cruise over thanksgiving break and Christmas break as well; however, we are not this year. I LOVE sailing over holidays! It's a wonderful way to forget the stress of work halfway through the school year!

Have fun!! The rooms on the Lido are very convenient..you can go grab a deck chair early in the morning! :) enjoy!

I have been planning on doing this review for a few weeks now; however, reality has hit and I have been so busy! I just wanted to put in a little bit about our trip on the Sunshine. After reading so many reviews, I have to be honest...I was a bit nervous. However, we had a GREAT time!

Here is just a little bit about our trip:

We sailed on the Carnival Sunshine in July and this cruise was just our family of 4 (two adults, two teenagers). This was our 6th cruise, 2nd on Carnival. We picked the cruise mainly because of the itinerary, and the timing. We sailed on the 8 night itinerary, going to Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk. Since we are teachers, we can really only cruise in the summer, so our ships/itineraries are limited. We have sailed out of Galveston (we live in San Antonio, TX), but drive to florida most summers to get on a bigger ship and to go to more islands than just the Western Caribbean.

Before the cruise, we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Titusville, as it offers a great cruise parking deal. By booking a specific package on their website, you are able to save 40% off of parking at the cruise parking lot, just by staying at the hotel. It was in a great location and had different restaurants around it to eat. The hotel was very nice- rooms were large and the price was great. Overall, I would definitely recommend looking into this parking package.

Next, we boarded the cruise on Saturday at about 10:30 am. When we first got to the port, we waited in the terminal for about an hour, after then boarding around noon. It was CRAZY in the terminal, but we made it through and eventually got on the ship. We headed up to the Lido Marketplace, sat down back in the Havana Bar, and went and got a variety of food at the buffet, Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana. Our rooms were then ready at 1:30 (we did not do the FTTF package) and our cruise was off to a good start!

Cabins: We stayed in 2 interior rooms, which were very nice. They were on deck 7 aft, which was a wonderful location. We were only 2 decks below the buffet, so we could go and grab a bite to eat throughout the day, but we did not hear any of the noise because there was a deck buffer (deck 8). I was very impressed with the closet space, with multiple drawers and cabinets. The steward was very friendly (probably the best we have ever had) and he always kept ice in our room, fresh towels and lovely towel animals. These cabins were some of the nicest interior cabins we have stayed in. I was very impressed!

Dining: Let me start off by saying that Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers are fantastic! It is great to have variety for lunch when you do not want to go and eat in the dining room. Similarly, my favorite restaurant to go to for lunch was the pasta bar at Cucina del Capitano! The concept is brilliant and the area is gorgeous. In the same way, my favorite area on the ship was the Havana Bar area. The tables in the back of the area have some of the best views on the whole ship! It is a great, QUIET place to enjoy lunch, breakfast or an afternoon snack! We also played a lot of board games up there. My only complaint on the dining was our dining room experience. Our waiter was just too busy..he had 2 16+ person tables, 2 tables for four and then us! It was just too much, and he could not focus on serving people. I got frustrated and many people around us complained multiple times. By night 6 or so they added another waiter to help out, but it still was disappointing. The food itself was good, some nights were a bit disappointing, but overall it was delicious!

Ports: As I said before, we chose the cruise mainly because of the ports. Curacao was my favorite island, and was so colorful and clean! We did an island tour, which was very nice. We visited the Hato Caves, a museum and then a distillery. We did book through Carnival (only because we had a lot of OBC to use) and I was very impressed with the tour overall. Aruba was a bit disappointing! I liked it, but the island was not as "luxurious" as I imagined it to be. We did an excursion here too, the Best of Aruba Island Tour. It was not the best tour. It was boring and the stops were not anything special in my opinion. However, we made the best of it and shopped a bit downtown before heading back on the ship.

Lastly, Grand Turk was fabulous!! We just spent the day on the beach right by the ship. We debated taking a taxi to another beach, but we just got beach chairs and sat there while taking turns snorkeling and swimming. One thing I am so thankful for- before we left, I looked up the ship schedule in the ports. I noticed that the Breeze was there the same day as us...talk about a lot of people! Luckily, the Sunshine docked one hour before the Breeze arrived, so we got off right when we docked and got beach chairs!! It was CROWDED!!!!

Lastly, I wanted to just touch on the ship overall. I was impressed with most of the renovations on the Sunshine. The public spaces looked almost like new. You really had to look closely to see its age, and the staterooms were clean and gorgeous. Now, my opinion on the crowds....The ship is crowded, but honestly not anymore crowded than we have experienced on previous cruises. The worst crowds are on the pool deck and in the buffet around lunch time. I just kept a good attitude and enjoyed talking to all the people on the ship. If you go on the ship expecting a problem, you will probably find one.

Anyways, I would sail on the Sunshine again if the itinerary and price was right. I was impressed overall with the renovations and the ports.

Hopefully this can help some readers. I am already counting down the days til the next cruise....have to get through another school year first!

I agree with all that stated that the Havana Bar area was absolutely wonderful. By far my favorite part of the ship. Grab all your food from restaurants, gather and eat there with awesome views and a quiet place on the ship (which is sometimes rare to find!). I loved Seaday Brunch, Pasta Bar at lunch and the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast on the last day.

Have a great cruise! :) We had a great time on the Sunshine!

Does anyone know if they have a waffle station on the Sunshine? Or BBQ days?

We did not have a waffle station and no BBQ days on the Sunshine when we cruised about a month ago. Omelet Stations in the Havana bar, buffet with pre-made waffles, pancakes, etc. and Blue Iguana with burritos.

We just cancelled our Fascination cruise and booked a 8 day southern Sunshine cruise for next month. Just curious if anyone knows what shows are onboard? We don't mind playlist but the Legend and the Glory had the same ones and we'd love something different.

 

Thanks all

We just got off the Sunshine about a month ago. I actually really do enjoy playlist, and we had Motor City, Latin Night, Epic Rock, and Studio VIP. The comedy shows were good, but get there very, very early as the Punchliner Comedy club is just way to small for the amount of people they have on the ship. We did try few movies out on the deck, most nights they have 2 different movies a night. We were pleased with the entertainment.

Have a good cruise!

We always go for 10:30- sometimes we have to wait a bit in the terminal until they start boarding, but then you are the first ones on the ship so it all works out.

I would recommend the Havanna Bar. Most people do not realize that you can eat in the area on the first day. We brought our buffet food in the area and it was much quieter. As the cruise went on, the area became much more popular. Throughout the cruise, I would meet at an off time (NOT AT LUNCH!). It is very, very busy in that area during lunch due to Cucina del Capitano and the Mongolian Wok, along with the buffet adjacent to the area. I love the area and it is very nice! On sea days, we would sit back there in the afternoons and play board games. We stayed on Deck 7 Mid Ship as well, just head to the aft stairwell/elevators and head up only 2 decks, and you are in the Havanna Bar area.

Both of the cruises we have been on out of Galveston have changed times- one hour ahead on a Sea Day to the ports and then we switch the hour back on the last sea day back to the ship. Particularly, on our Navigator cruise this past Christmas we did the same itinerary and had to change times. :)

Whatever the captain decides to do- the tour guides will know! Trust me, they will be there waiting for you!

We just got off the sunshine a week ago. We did sail on the Triumph a few years ago, which I'm assuming was very similar to the Destiny. We thought that the Sunshine really did look new! The renovations were very nice, including the staterooms and all the main guest areas. The atrium to me was the only part that did not feel completely "new", but it was still a very nice ship. I would not hesitate to book her again!

Are the crowds on Sunshine that bad?

We just got off the Sunshine a week ago. Compared to other cruises and ships, it was more crowded. The worst was at lunch time, trying to find a table in the Havana Bar area or the Lido Marketplace. The rest of the cruise, the crowds weren't a big issue. Saying this, I would not hesitate to sail on the Sunshine again. Despite the lunch time crowds, the ship is wonderful and has so much to offer!

Your boarding pass should have a time for you to board. Carnival is trying to avoid long lines and having people upset when they have to wait. The problem is that it is sent to all passengers including FTTF and Diamond/Platinum who are the first ones onboard.

 

There are many who say to ignore the time and just show up. That's fine unless there is a real reason to delay boarding. If you show up early and have to wait, you just can't complain about it.

 

If you are one of those to board first, and your email doesn't state a reason for not showing up early go for it. My son and daughter-in-law have FTTF and we are Platinum, so we will disregard our boarding time off 1:30-3:00 because there is no reason attached.

 

Do what you think is best for you, but if you are delayed, it's on you, just as it is on me. Have a great cruise.

We won't complain, I'd much rather go with hope to get on early and wait at the pier than wait in our hotel room until 1 to go and board :)

Does anyone know in port canaveral if there is a separate line for FTTF or do they only let FTTF go on at first?

We just got the same email for our Sunshine cruise leaving next Saturday. It said they had to do "routine checks". They told us this last year too before our RCCL cruise and we came at 10:30 and got right on.

We haven't decided what time we are actually going to board yet, but hopefully we do not have to wait until our assigned time of 1-2. Hopefully we will be able to get on before that!

We have some on board credit on every Carnival cruise and they always use the nonrefundable credit to pay for gratuities regardless what is listed on their official policy sheets. One difference from RCCL is that the total cruise tips will show up one time mid cruise instead of them posting day by day.

Sounds good! Thank you! We always have onboard credit too, usually more than this time but it's alright. :)

Hello,

Quick Question. We are sailing on the Sunshine in a few weeks (17 days!!!). On RCCL, we have used our OBC towards the gratuities ($12 a day per person) and pretty much have gotten them paid for by doing this. We have only a $50 OBC this time that we got when we originally booked through a promotion. Can we use this $50 OBC towards gratuities? I know on RCCL, they just apply like $24 a day (we have 2 people in our stateroom) to our Sail & Sign Account and then the OBC is used up first before any is charged to our credit card. Does Carnival work the same way? I assume it is but I was just making sure.

We have one excursion booked in Curacao, but want to book another in Aruba before we board if we can apply the $50 to tips. Otherwise, we will wait and book the excursion onboard so we can apply the OBC to that.

Thanks!

The Holiday Inn is great. We stayed there in April with four in the room and were never crowded, I actually told them that I couldn't believe how big the rooms are. You won't be disappointed.

Sounds great! We will have 4 in the room as well. I appreciate it! For the price and voucher, you couldn't really beat the rate. I checked other discount sites but this was still a better deal. We are excited! We usually cruise out of Galveston or Fort Lauderdale, but are trying the Carnival Sunshine in July.

Being a fellow San Antonion who grew up in Titusville, I would recommend that you go to Dixie Crossroads for lunch or dinner and get the rock shrimp. They are expensive, but taste more like lobster than shrimp. BTW, which hotel did you choose in Titusville?

Sounds good, thank you for the recommendation! We have stayed in Port Canaveral before and parked at one of those places near the port where you take the shuttle, and we did not care for it too much. So, I was glad when we found the voucher program. We booked a room at the Holiday Inn, since the rate was very reasonable and that includes the $54 off the parking at the port. Hopefully it'll be an ok hotel.

Staying in Titusville, might get you a cheaper hotel rate, but you're still looking at high parking costs if you park at the terminal ($120 for a 7 day cruise). There are a couple of park n cruise lots nearby with shuttles to the port. One is at www.parkcruise.com the other is at www.go-portcanveral.com/cruise-parking.

 

Driving 30 minutes further south to Melbourne and having to drive 30 minutes back the next morning is probably a waste of gas and time if you're coming from Alabama. But could make sense for South Florida folks driving up.

I was answering the question in regards to the Port Canaveral Parking voucher program, that gives you 40% at the port when you stay at a neighborhood hotel. We looked into other parking lots and the voucher program and hotel deal worked best for our family, as we are not big fans of taking the shuttle for parking and the voucher makes the parking $81 for a nine day cruise right at the port. We are staying in Titusville, coming from Texas and the hotel was very reasonable.

We are doing this program when we cruise in July. We called most of the hotels on the list, and they all said we had to book through the hotel and pay the "Park and Cruise Rate". Really, the park and cruise rate wasn't that much more expensive and the 40% voucher saves about $54 off our 8-nights of parking, so it was worth doing. I would've rather booked on discount sites, but according to who we talked to at hotels, they said we had to book that specific rate through them. Staying in Titusville or Melbourne will get you a cheaper rate.

When we went on the Navigator during Christmas, we could not eat in the Dining Room on embarkation day. They directed everyone straight up to the Windjammer.