cruzeluver

Just realized today that we will be on Summit over St Patrick's Day. Anyone experienced this day on Celebrity and can share what events took place? Thank you in advance.

I too am very sensitive to hand sanitizers. Never use them. They cause my skin to become very dry and itchy. If others are judging me because I refuse the squirt of that stuff when entering the buffet that is simply their problem, not mine. I practice regular, thorough hand washing and have a very healthy immune system and have not become ill in 30 or so cruises. 

We have booked Fortaleza Suites for March 2020 and its right in the heart of Old San Juan. We are paying $179 for the night. 

I applaud X for trying something new. We have not been on Edge but would like to. Cruise ship entertainment could use a little shake up. How many tributes to the 50s, 60's and 70's do we need? Been done to death.

Happily and eagerly following along. We will be on Summit in March out of San Juan to the ABC's. Hope you have a great cruise!!

Regarding the medical emergency : on Thursday (the day we left Bermuda), we had been sailing for approximately 6 hours when we were informed that we were returning to Bermuda so a passenger could receive urgent medical care. Our CD Mikey stated we would be told the next morning of the impact to our arrival in Charleston. At around 9:30 Friday morning we were told that we expected to be in port Saturday at approximately 4:00PM which did turn out to be the case. A new Fun Times with several activities (mostly trivia and passenger-participation games) were added and food service was provided until just before we docked.

Disembarkation was long and slow. We were one of the first groups to be called after "express disembarkation" and were not called till after 6:30. At the port of Charleston, those arriving cannot be allowed in to park until the previous passengers have left, so traffic was gridlocked. Fortunately, we live only about 20 minutes from the port so we were luckier than most.

I thought Carnival handled the situation as best they could. Mikey must have made 20 announcements about not waiting on deck three yet the entitled folks continued to ignore him which slowed things down.

MJSailors - I won't quibble with any of your comments and we knew what we were buying into when we selected this particular cruise.

We very much enjoy Celebrity and Royal Caribbean where we are Elite and Diamond respectively. We also have one cruise with MSC which we found surprisingly enjoyable. I believe this was our sixth or seventh cruise with Carnival so we were already familiar with the product and actually like Sunshine quite a bit (Magic was also pretty good). Carnival certainly fills a nitch and does many things quite well.

Crowding was not bad. Now there were a couple of things on this sailing that contributed to that. Due to time of year there were very few children. Also it was an Ultra cruise so the casino was packed night and day, but the pool decks and other venues were easy to get seating. We don't go to the comedy club but in general the recommendation is to get there 30 minutes early if you want a decent seat.

This will just a a brief recap of highs and lows.

So you know where we are coming from, this was our third time on Sunshine. We are not loyal to any line and all else being equal Carnival would normally be our third or fourth choice but this was an opportunity to go to Bermuda from our home port of Charleston so it was too good to pass up.

The Good

Our last time on Sunshine was in 2016 and she is still in very good shape. Outside of the expected wear and tear we thought she looked lovely. Dining at Fahrenheit 555 was excellent as was Jiji's Asian Kitchen which I maintain is still the best dining bargain at sea. Absolutely wonderful service, presentation and the food was fantastic. Bonzai Sushi was also very good. Our first port was Princess Cays and we enjoyed it far more than we expected. The beach had more than enough places for everyone. We had booked a bungalow and would do it again. Very comfortable. It included soda, bottled water, fruit and veggie trays, chips, salsa and guac. They also provided us with snorkel gear and floating mats all for $199 total. Not bad! But the highlight of the trip was of course Bermuda, We plan to return and stay longer. We took the first ferry to St George's where we did a self-guided walking tour and had a light lunch. Then took a bus (clean, easy and cheap!) to Hamilton for more touring. Then we had dinner at The Hogpenny. Fantastic! Then caught the last ferry back to Royal Naval Dockyard. Only had a few hours in Bermuda the next day so just strolled around the dockyard. All in all a great time in Bermuda! The Halloween deck party was a lot of fun and there was a lot of participation.

The Fair

Dinner at Cucina del Captano was a bit hit and miss. The food overall was good but the service was just odd. We waited nearly fifteen minutes after being sat before someone came to take our order. Then salads and apps were served together followed by a long stretch before the entrees showed up. We had requested a large table in the main dining room (late seating) which we got (a ten top) but only one other person showed up which was one man which mad it really awkward (hence why we ended up hitting all the specialty dining restaurants). The one dinner we had in the buffet was  ok, but not anything to get excited about. Our second dining room breakfast was a fiasco. I asked three times for extra cream cheese and never got it. I was brought the wrong omelette and when the correct one finally arrived it had two pieces of ham diced so small they were nearly invisible. Bacon arrived 10 minutes after the rest of the food. Overall service was what we have come to expect from Carnival, very friendly but inconsistent and not very polished. The shows were just fair. The performers did there best but between the pre-recorded music, amateur staging and very dated style of the shows they could only do so much.

The Ugly

As seems to be the norm now, the worst thing I can say about this cruise was the behavior of some of our fellow cruisers. We met some truly lovely, fun people and enjoy that aspect. But too we had run ins with some notorious IDGOM's ("I Don't Get Out Much) who haven't a clue how to behave in public. For example, one gentleman (and I use that term loosely) chose to wear clothing that announced his religious and political beliefs throughout the cruise. We had the unfortunate experience of sitting next to him and his equally trashy wife at one breakfast where we were treated to a loud, inappropriate political discussion that included a list of all the people who will be going to jail once our leader gets enough prisons built, including apparently my husband and I (we are a gay couple and one of the groups this person was going off about). At another meal I heard a man repeatedly being disrespectful to the wait staff, calling the waiter "boy" and instead of asking fro things would just bark "bring me a coca cola" or " bring some more of that there bread". Some people should really just stay home. A couple was sat next to us at Cucina who were not dressed even remotely appropriately. She had on a swimsuit coverup and he was in a shirtless t-shirt and swimsuit, both in rubber flip-flops.

The Incident

Six hours after leaving Bermuda we felt the ship make a sharp turn. We were at the Atrium Bar at the time and some glassware did slide around. A short time later an announcement was made that we were returning to Bermuda as a guest needed urgent medical care. They did a great job of keeping us informed. The next morning we were told our arrival back to Charleston would not be until about 4:00PM. They scheduled additional activities and kept food service open the entire time. But because of the late arrival, the nature of the port of Charleston and again the crappy behavior of some, disembarkation took a very long time. We had group 7 tags and were not called to the gangway until nearly 7:00. Despite repeated announcements from the CD, those who thought the rules we for others continued to crowd deck three. He must have asked at least 20 times that people not proceed there till called but some would not listen. I think Carnival handled the situation as best they could.

Any questions/ Feel free to ask!

Loving your review so far. Thanks for sharing!

A co-worker of mine was on your sailing (we are Charleston-area folks) and they had a wonderful time. Her niece got married on board prior to sail away and said Carnival did a terrific job. Bummer about missing Bermuda but it sounds like you had the right attitude.

We will be on the October 26th Sunshine cruise going (hopefully!) to Bermuda and Princess Cay. Looking forward to reading more.

I have been on both ships and have no cruise line loyalty with an almost equal number of cruises between Royal and Carnival plus several on Celebrity, NCL and one MSC.

Freedom is still one of our favorites and would choose it over Glory any day. While there was nothing horrible about Glory, we were just a bit underwhelmed and count us among those who really do not care for the Farcus ship decor. Just very cheap looking. Freedom is brighter, entertainment will be miles ahead as will be specialty dining. A lot more on board amenities as well. The one area we find Carnival consistently bests Royal is in main dining room food in terms of taste and consistency.

No Fantasy class for us. While we enjoy all different kinds of ships (we sail  multiple lines) those just have no appeal. If we want a smaller ship there are lot of great options out there that are not going on 30 years old and look it. Sailed Fantasy a few years ago when she was still based out of Charleston and it was our least memorable cruise by a mile. Everything about it screamed "cheap".

Pick any ship from any cruise line and you will find bad reviews,plenty of them. If I trusted reviews I would never step foot on a cruise ship. And if Miracle is "too old" then so is an awful lot of the Carnival fleet. They have many ships older than Miracle.

See if you can get replies specifically from folks that have sailed recently from Mobile. I say that because enforcement of the check-in policy varies from port to port. We will be cruising out of Charleston next month and the overwhelming consensus is there is no enforcement whatsoever. 

Good choice. We sail on several different lines (no loyalty here) and Sunshine is the only Carnival ship we have selected multiple times (going back again in October). Just not a fan of the Fantasy class ships (of which Ecstasy is part). Very dated looking and tired looking.

"So their boarding time is 12?"

There is no such thing as an assigned boarding time. Check-in time is what is assigned. You may have a 12:00 check-in but based on zones, crowds etc. its possible you may not board till 1:00 or if things are moving smoothly be on by 12:20.

Two of my favorites on the western routes. For both we get away from the immediate port areas which are touristy in the extreme.

Yeah, nothing right at the port. I would say just get it at the airport even though it will cost you more.

Not sure if you are on our same sailing (we are on Sunshine leaving October 26th) but Carnival's Bermuda excursions are ridiculously overpriced. Use public transportation or a cab to go to a beach for far less than a ship excursion. Island  tours are far cheaper if you go independently as well.

No Haven-equivalent on Carnival. As someone else mentioned, suite perks are almost nothing. The priority boarding does not always mean much. Our first time on Sunshine seemed half the passengers had "priority". As a result, those lines were long and moved slow. Those without priority had short lines  that moved quickly. 

We will be on the October 26 Sunshine cruise to Bermuda from Charleston and are really looking forward to it. We are not loyal to any line, but of the Carnival ships we have cruise on, Sunshine is our favorite. This will be our third time on it. Love the huge variety of food options and the large Serenity with its own pool.

We have a nearly equal number of cruises between the two lines.

Celebrity ships tend to be far quieter without the family-friendly features found on Carnival (no water slides, mini golf, sky courses etc.) and no loud music or pool-side games. One announcement per day which comes from the captain who provides weather and how far to the next port of call. Food on Celebrity is generally of a higher quality (and we like Carnival's food just fine) and service is more polished, without dancing waiters in the main dining room. 

Jack's Shack, for sure. Far less crowded, and you  are spending your money locally, not with a US corporation.

Hope X does not get any ideas about elimination of table cloths for dinner.

.In the buffet, whatever they clean the tables with often leaves that wet  dog smell!

Off topic:   we'll be cruising to Charleston (1st visit)  with an over night, what is the table cloth restaurant you mentioned, and do you have a lunch rec near the cruise port? Thnks

Grill 222 has table cloths but I can think of a lot of places with better food, better service and atmosphere. For lunch near the port a good choice would be Hank's for seafood, Hall''s Chop House for steak, Poogan's Porch for local cuisine or Poogan's Smokehouse for bbq.

With an almost equal number of cruises on both Celebrity and Carnival I think I can weigh in. Have Carnival Sunshine booked for October and Celebrity Summit next Spring.

Entertainment in their theaters is not where Carnival shines. The music for production shows is pre-recorded and tends to be of the cheesey variety-show type. Found many of the singers very talented but hemmed in by poor production values. Celebrity still uses live musicians in their theaters.Royal Caribbean blows both lines away in terms of live entertainment.

We have found the quality of food in the main dining rooms and buffets to be pretty close to equal between X and Carnival with service being a bit more polished on X.

Believe it or not, its entirely possible to like both lines. We do.

I am still trying to figure out why some are so hung up on tablecloths. Very few upscale restaurants on land use them anymore. We live in a "foodie" city (Charleston, SC) and I can only think of one high-end restaurant here with tablecloths.They are not indicative of quality of decor, service or food. They create a huge amount of unnecessary laundry.

Sounds like the same list of complaints as when Sunshine debuted. Swore we would never sail that ship until a great deal on a Journeys cruise fell into our laps. We are not Carnival loyalists, we sail multiple lines. And to date Sunshine is by far our favorite Carnival ship. The only one we have sailed twice and now have a third booked for October. Always managed to find somewhere to sit at Serenity. Arrived to shows maybe 15-20 minutes early and manages to get good seats. Love all of the dining venues with Jijis being our favorite. Also prefer the more muted decor over the tacky, ode-to-the-80's designs found on the older ships.