Sea Raven

Years ago, we booked one of the aft corner suites on deck 5 of the Sunshine. It was very nice and super quiet.One of the quietest cabins I have ever booked on any ship as a matter of fact. I remember no smell of smoke at all. The casino is further away than it looks on the deck p!ans. It was nice to be so convenient to the coffee shop and at the time they served a small breakfast buffet in the ocean plaza area. Would book back there again.

The old vinyl is perfectly fine with me. It has served Carnival well for many years. I was just surprised by the wear and tear already evident on the Mardi Gras sofa since it was so new. I feel like it may be an ongoing battle to keep them fresh and clean looking. Maybe they could go with a gray or blue vinyl instead of fabric.

My cabin on the Mardi Gras in May had a smaller, but still noticeable, stain right up front and center. At the time I thought it was a bit tacky for them to leave the sofa in that condition, but maybe they do?? I suspect the old "orange" vinyl furniture was easier to keep clean than the cheap looking upholstery used on the Excel ships.

They could have cancelled the current occupants to book the suite themselves or for another interested party who seized an opportunity when all the pertinent required information was right in front of them. There is only one presidential suite to book, and possibly someone willing to get it this way.

And, just as I suspected, she is now combining her posts about Carnival with information about her Reiki and crystal healing services.

I just watched an interview with her and she says she is looking for monetary compensation to include all her related expenses for the trip and a public apology from Carnival. She expressed that she no longer wanted to book a cruise vacation with any cruise line at all right now, citing trust issues. Was this their first ever cruise? Also, I have a suspicion that, if indeed the cancelling party did get her booking number from Facebook, they are either the people who turned around and booked the cabin,, or they know who did.

On my last several cruises on the Magic, the cabin temperature ranged from comfortable to downright chilly if you didn't watch it. Public areas were all comfortable except the theater, which was actually cold. I worked for a mechanical contractor for 43 years, so I am always somewhat interested in the HVAC workings on the ships. I am looking forward to my first Excel ship experience with my b2b on Mardi Gras in a couple of weeks.

Yay!! Following this since I will sail my first ever b2b on the Mardi Gras in May.

I actually have never ordered an omelette on Carnival, but I have eaten my fair share of Eggs Benedict. In the MDR, I order them without meat and get a side of bacon. Their hollandaise is always fresh and surprisingly pretty darn tasty. Next time I may order a cheese omelette just to try one.

Last couple of cruises, we simply walked right to the muster station upon boarding, chatted with the crew member for a moment, watched her don a life jacket and she told us to meet there if called to do so in an emergency, and we were on our way. Easy peasy. After we got to our cabin, we watched the video that was playing on repeat on the television.

Thanks so much for this review and all the pics. You have helped me make the decision to book the Venezia Journeys cruise I had my eyes on for 2026. Plus, I couldn't resist the chance to go back to Tortola.

Afternoon tea is alive and well. This past May aboard the Magic, tea time was very well attended.

This is a valid question, and I believe that sometimes new cruisers can have unrealistic expectations for their first time. If every bite of food is not life-changing, and every show or excursion not awe-inspiring, they can feel let down. Research and reading everything you can about any new experience is very helpful. Having said that, I have sailed on the Magic three times and enjoyed each one immensely. In my opinion, she has one of the most organized dining staffs I have encountered and told them that on my last sailing.

They did this on my 10 day Journeys cruise on the Magic back in June out of Norfolk. It was listed as a Throwback to 1987 Captain's Gala. The Cruise Director, Captain, and other officers attended and made speeches. Drinks and canapes were served. It was held in the main theater and after the presentation, everyone was encouraged to come up and dance on the main stage to live swing and jazz style music.

The first cruise is an Eastern Caribbean with the ports of Nassau, Grand Turk, and Amber Cove. The second one is a Western one with Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Mahogany Bay as the ports. It will be my first time on the Mardi Gras!!

Just simply book two adjacent cruises on the same ship and you are doing a back to back. I have two consecutive trips booked on the Mardi Gras next May. The first leg is in a balcony cabin and the second leg is in the Ocean Suite next door. They are booked as two separate cruises.

The outside deck area of the Red Frog Pub has a couple of wooden swing type seating areas and they tend to be pretty quiet and centrally located on Deck 5.

There was a post 8 hours ago on Carnival social media that showed a young couple enjoying their cruise on the Sunshine and participating in activities around the ship. They made mention of the fact that despite the crew having to brave previous rough weather,they were able to board and have a great time. They made no comments that would lead one to believe that the ship had in any manner been "destroyed" as some news accounts quoted.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way, especially when you see the pictures from the ships that had the beige or slightly pink tinted ones. I feel like they are in the same category as lace doilies under Grandma's lamps.

On my last two cruises (May and October) I was in a suite and not only had access immediately upon boarding (priority), but the sign and sail cards were ready and waiting. We were in and set for the day.

The port terminal is located in a busy downtown area, and can require patience. If you park and take the shuttle bus, it can go faster than being dropped off. My last two cruises (May and October) out of Norfolk went pretty smoothly. If everyone waited for their designated arrival time, it would be even better. Luggage is handled straight through on the shuttle buses or by curbside porters at the terminal for those arriving on their own. It can look chaotic and confusing, and people are milling about, but once inside they are pretty organized.

Yes, this is the case. Both of my cruises since the restart have been in suites, and in both cases the cabin is ready to be occupied and the sign and sail cards have been delivered. It actually makes sense to keep this procedure because on any given sailing, there is a finite number of suites. They can easily be guaranteed to be ready as opposed to a random and changing number of platinum and diamond cabins.

This. I pretty much exclusively book suites these days and I hope it sticks around. In the way back time, about 2008 or 2009, when you booked a suite you got cabin ready at boarding and priority luggage. Even though it was never officially stated anywhere. Back then my boarding pass and luggage tags said VIP. Fast forward to the introduction of FTTF and this suite perk quietly disappeared. Then, at about the same time, equal treatment of cabin ready was given to D and P passengers. It would be nice if this new policy is their way of reinstating a valuable suite benefit.

Interesting. Once I retire, I plan on trips with different cruise lines. I'm looking forward to experiencing all the options and differences.

Well, then I will try a little harder to get to Ruth Chris since I have one about 15 mins away from my home. Been a while since my crumbs were swept 😁