Surprising Experience on Carnival Sunshine - brilliantseas August 2022 Bahamas Review / Photos

[brilliantseas]

Dinner in the MDR was enjoyable. This is elegant night on the five-night sailings, although as most are aware, Carnival no longer offers lobster on short sailings. 

 

I've gotten so used to sailing in the winter and dining after dark that I've forgotten what an amazing view you can have when dining before sunset!

 

 

Appetizers consisted of the pork tart and spinach salad with bleu cheese dressing. 

 

 

 

We both ordered the grilled shrimp entree. I requested mine without the cream sauce and they were able to accommodate. I found this dish is better without the sauce, although I miss the old version with the mustard potatoes rather than the mixed vegetables. 

 

 

I had the creme brulee for dessert, while GF had the warm chocolate melting cake "Mickey style," as our waiter called it. The ice cream scoops are tiny, and GF highly recommends ordering Mickey style in the future. 

 

 

 

This waiter really got into "Showtime"! 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Tonight's show was Studio VIP, a show I've seen on other ships in the past. The costumes and set pieces are slightly different, but the music and choreography are generally the same. It was entertaining, and I'd rank it #2 of 3 of the Playlist Productions shows on our 5-night cruise. 

 

 

After the Playlist show, we attended the last Punchliner Comedy show of the night, which I believe started at 9:00? It was somewhat disappointing to have the "late night" comedy shows starting at 8:00 and 9:00, but I understand crew shortages have many of the bartenders pulling double duty on deck and it isn't feasible to run all of the entertainment venues until midnight or later each night. 

 

 

We arrived just in time to get a pair of seats in the back right corner of the lounge. Those who arrived only a minute or two later ended up in one of the dreaded "side stage" seats that have to watch the show on a TV screen as they have no view of the stage. I'm thankful Carnival fixed this design flaw on the Sunrise and Radiance by positioning the stage along the port side of the lounge rather than the aft wall, eliminating most of the seats that have no view of the stage. 

 

One of the comedians actually made a joke of the people in the "side lounge" by peaking around the corner of the stage to waive to them at the start of the show. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Day #3 was the highlight of the cruise, Half Moon Cay!

 

We started the day with breakfast in the Lido Marketplace. I enjoyed a waffle with blueberry compote, ham and cheese omelet, seasoned potatoes, and melon. GF had pancakes, potatoes, and ham. 

 

It is nothing new, but Carnival utilizes pre-made / frozen pancakes and waffles thar are re-heated for service. The waffles are decent if you load them up with strawberry or blueberry compote, but I don't personally care for the pancakes. 

 

The waffles and skillet cake in the MDR are of better quality. 

 

 

 

We dined with a nice view of HMC!

 

[brilliantseas]

As we boarded the tender for the quick ride to Half Moon Cay, we noticed rain in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

Just off the pier is a small pirate-themed water spray park for younger guests. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

The brach area closest to the marina and tender pier can be quite crowded, but HMC has such an extensive stretch of beach, a more relaxed experience can be had just a few hundred yards down the beach. 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Getting a little less crowded...

 

 

Our "secret spot" is down near the last of the two-story cabanas. It is far less crowded; there is a restroom right behind the cabanas; and it is only a short walk to the pirate ship bar. 

 

 

We had two relaxing hours in the water and on the beach before a thunderstorm rolled in. It scared many people off of the beach and cut our visit short by around 90 minutes. 

 

[brilliantseas]

The beach cleared out very quickly once the lightning and rain rolled in, which provided an excellent opportunity to get some photos of a less crowded beach. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by brilliantseas
Remove extra photo

[brilliantseas]

With the rain rolling in, the line for the tenders was quite long. We opted to wait it out at the bar in the center of the shopping area. 

 

 

 

As the rain cleared out, so did the crowds. We were able to board the next tender with no wait. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Boarding the tender. 

 

 

A final look at Half Moon Cay from the tender before we get back to the Sunshine. 

 

 

 

 

Back to the Carnival Sunshine. 

 

 

 

Half Moon Clipper returns to the island after delivering crew and cargo back to the ship. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Back on boars, we stopped by Guy's for a snack. Sadly, they still haven't brought back the fresh cut fries. The chipotle mayo and BBQ sauce make great alternatives to ketchup. 

 

 

The skies cleared as we sailed away from Half Moon Cay. 

 

[brilliantseas]

Dinner on our third night was at JiJi Asian Kitchen, and was the highlight meal of the cruise. I've had JiJi twice onboard Carnival Horizon, and although the JiJi restaurant onboard Sunshine is little more than a corner of the Lido Marketplace separated by some curtains, it did not disappoint! 

 

The symbol on the table is the Chinese character for "lucky". JiJi means "lucky, lucky". 

 

 

 

Your order is placed by marking a black chalkboard with a paint marker. The waitress tells you how many items you can order from each section of the menu based upon the number or people dining. For the two of us, we were able to choose two appetizers, two entrees, two sides, and two desserts. All except the desserts are served family style, which makes it a fun meal for larger groups who want to share and sample a bit of everything. 

 

 

We started off the meal with a pair of saki sangria cocktails, which are also available at Bonsai Sushi on every Carnival ship. It is a mix of saki, pineapple, and citrus. We both enjoyed them, although I came to the realization on a previous cruise that this cocktail smells exactly like the restroom air freshener on Carnival ships and now I can't get the thought out of my head. 

 

 

Every table receives an amuse-bouche, compliments of the chef. This is a panko-breaded ball of potato and cheese, served with sweet and sour sauce and another sauce that escapes my memory. 

 

 

For appetizers, we ordered the duck and the jade shrimp dumplings. The duck was perhaps my favorite dish of the entire meal, with a crispy skin and sweet glaze. The dumplings were served with three different sauces to try. 

 

 

 

Our entrees consisted of sweet and sour shrimp and kung pao chicken, along with sides of fried rice with chicken and hakka noodle. The chef even prepared the kung pao chicken as "not spicy," per GFs request. I've never had kung pao chicken without the chilies before, but it was still quite flavorful. GF enjoyed the sweet and sour shrimp, while my preference was the kung pao chicken combined with the hakka noodle. 

 

 

 

 

 

The portions are larger than they appear; they were just served with very large serving spoons. 

 

For dessert, I had the lycee-filled wonton in a coconut milk and tapioca cream. GF had the caramel crepes. Both were delicious. 

 

 

For $18 per person, I consider JiJi Asian Kitchen to be one of the best value premium restaurants onboard any cruise line. The food and service were superb. 

[brilliantseas]

After dinner, we were able to grab seats for the Love & Marriage Show. For those who have not sailed on a ship with the Liquid Lounge set-up, be aware of the reduced capacity and how fast this venue can fill up, especially for the special programming such as Love & Marriage or Comedy Showcase. I would recommend arriving at least 15-20 min early to get a seat, earlier if you want the best sight lines. 

 

 

After the show, we grabbed a glass of wine and a bourbon and coke ahead of the Punchliner Comedy Showcase. 

 

 

The Comedy Showcase is a special "main stage" adults-only comedy show, featuring both of the Punchliner headliners on stage, each performing a shorter, 20-minute set. It is an opportunity to see them in a larger venue, which is a nice change vs. fighting for a seat in the Limelight Lounge. 

 

[brilliantseas]

Day four started as we pulled alongside the pier in Nassau, which is still under construction, but making quick progress. The covered walkway canopies are now going up and they are currently working on the new duty free store and security terminal building. 

 

 

 

We grabbed a quick breakfast in the Lido Marketplace before going out to explore. I had an omelet, a waffle with blueberry compote, some banana bread, and a slice of melon. 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by brilliantseas

[brilliantseas]

After breakfast, we headed ashore to visit Fort Fincastle and the Queens Staircase. 

 

I was able to capture this photo of the newly painted Carnival Sunshine as we walked down the pier. 

 

 

Just across the street is this small plaza with pink government buildings. 

 

 

From the port, Fort Fincastle is around 15 minutes on foot. Be aware that only a portion of this path has sidewalks. We found ourselves walking on a busy street and along broken curbs as we got closer to the Fort. 

 

 

If you have an internet package, I recommend loading Google Maps before you exit the ship. It will load all of the local streets and you can use the navigation features even without an internet connection while ashore. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Nassau will partially block the view of the port from Fort Fincastle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

The Queen's Staircase is literally right next to Fort Fincastle, and is free to visit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

After Queen's Staircase, we made our way back to the waterfront. 

 

 

We noticed that the British Colonial Hilton has dropped the Hilton affiliation and is now just the British Colonial. 

 

 

We decided to make our way to the new Margaritaville Resort for some drinks and to get a first-hand view of the water park. We had originally made reservations for the water park, but decided to cancel as we were not sure it offered enough value for the $80 price tag.

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Check-in for the water park is at the yellow ticketing building. You then proceed under the "Fins Up" sign and through the gates. 

 

 

 

The hotel itself is a beautiful tower on Nassau Harbor. 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the waterfront is Junkanoo Beach. The yellow umbrellas are "private," for Margaritaville guests and those with water park wristbands only. The public beach is just beyond the yellow umbrellas. The water park itself is built on a raised deck between the hotel and the beach. It has a secondary gate with a staircase down to the beach. 

 

At the far end of the water park is a beachfront bar that does not require a wristband to access. We stopped for a few drinks and some great views. 

 

 

 

The Kalik Radler is only 2% alcohol and contains 195 calories. You might as well drink a guava soda. It was way too sweet for my liking. 

 

GF had a frozen margarita, made with blue curacao. I don't recall the name, but she enjoyed it. 

 

The second round of drinks consisted of a mango daiquiri and a Sands Lager. The Sands was much more drinkable than the Kalik Radler. 

 

Views from the bar

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

While we couldn't go into the water park, we did walk around the exterior. From what we could see, it looked uncrowded and very well kept. Highlights are the lazy river and the surfing machine. They have a few small body slides, but not quite enough for me to call it a full size water park. Would we pay $80 for it? Time will tell, but it did look like a very well equipped pool and lazy river area to relax for the afternoon. Those looking for a variety of thrill rides and water slides may be disappointed. 

[brilliantseas]

Photos from the walk back to the ship and departure from Nassau Harbor. 

 

 

 

 

 

View of Margaritaville from the Harbor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ralphinsc]

Loving this review! We are on this same itinerary in three weeks. Might have to swap our Cucina dinner reservations around for JiJi's or just hit that up as well from your review of it. 

[momof3cruisers]

Great review so far! I appreciate all the pictures. Did you happen to take any of the water park?

[brilliantseas]

On 9/23/2022 at 10:52 AM, Ralphinsc said:

Loving this review! We are on this same itinerary in three weeks. Might have to swap our Cucina dinner reservations around for JiJi's or just hit that up as well from your review of it. 

 

If you like Chinese food, don't miss JiJi's. I almost always skip the MDR on days 3 and 4 because we don't care for the menu. Unfortunately, I didn't take screen shots of the menus from this sailing, but it may be worth doing some research to determine which nights are best to book specialty restaurants. We did JiJi on day 3 and Bonsai Sushi on day 4 on this sailing. 

[brilliantseas]

10 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

Great review so far! I appreciate all the pictures. Did you happen to take any of the water park?

 

Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of the water park itself. Check YouTube as there are a few good video tours on there. Here are two that I'd recommend watching. 

 

 

 

[Thenagers]

On 9/4/2022 at 3:30 PM, brilliantseas said:

As a Platinum VIFP cruiser with Carnival, I had access to early online check-in, and had a wide variety of check-in times to choose from. Not wanting to arrive too early and being stuck waiting in the terminal for boarding to begin, I opted for the 11:00 to 11:30 check-in window. I believe the earliest window as 10:00 to 10:30. 

 

We slept in, loaded up the car, and headed over to the port around 10:30, with the plan to be parked and in the terminal by 11:00. 

 

This was our first time sailing out of Charleston, and although I had heard about the odd and less-than-efficient check-in and boarding process in this port, I was still surprised at just how inefficient it was. 

 

Entry into the parking lot involves showing your boarding pass at the parking lot gate, and then proceeding to a row of tents with a few lanes for luggage drop-off. This actually went quite quickly, and it didn't take more than a few minutes to be waived into a drop-off position, where a porter quickly unloaded both of our bags without a need for us to get out of the car. From there, we proceeded to another area to pay for parking. Parking at the Port of Charleston is $21 per day, or $105 for our 5-night sailing. While not as expensive as Miami or New York, this was more expensive than most of the other ports I have sailed out of recently, especially for a deteriorating surface lot. For comparison, the Port of Baltimore was only $15 per day, or the same $105 for a 7-night cruise. 

 

After paying for parking, we were directed to follow a winding path with several employees providing direction. Those in need of handicap parking are directed to a small area near the front of the lot, where they have access to what appear to be 8-passenger golf cart shuttles. All others arriving early are waived into specific spots, beginning at the very back of the lot, around 300 yards from the "terminal." 

 

I use the word terminal loosely in Charleston as the first part of the check-in process doesn't actually take place in a terminal, but rather in a large industrial warehouse with a screening tent and several connected trailers placed inside. Outside the warehouse, they have three rows of queues set up, one for the current arrival appointment window, one for the next arrival appointment window, and a third for those who are more than 30-minutes early. Those who are within their window are allowed immediately inside the warehouse, with those in the next arrival window allowed in periodically if there is a break in the line for those who are "on time". Once you've made it through the exterior queue and an employee has verified your arrival appointment time on your boarding pass, you enter a large tent, just inside the warehouse. This was the longest wait of the entire check-in process, as there are a series of switchback queues with no separate queue for suite guests or platinum/diamond VIFP. The line moves quickly, but with hundreds of people ahead of us, it still took around 20 minutes to make our way to the end of the line. At this point, you're directed to an employee who verifies that your health questionnaires have been completed online, and also checks your vaccination card. 

 

Note that despite completing the pre-arrival vaccination record verification electronically using the VeriFLY app, the employees at Charleston were not accepting a "green / ready to travel" status on VeriFLY, and had to see each of our original vaccination cards before giving us a clearance stamp. The employee who was checking our records was not well trained, and had to ask for a supervisor as he couldn't remember whether it was Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J that was the single-dose vaccine. Keep in mind that we traveled after Carnival dropped the vaccine mandate and the only question should have been whether or not a test was required. After a very brief delay and a quick thumbs-up from the supervisor, we exited the tent and were directed across the interior of the warehouse and up a switchback ramp, into a series of connected temporary trailers that appear to have been the original "terminal" setup before COVID required additional health screenings. 

 

Inside the trailers, we encountered another long series of switchback queues, however this area had separate queues for suites guests and platinum/diamond VIFP. There was a crowd control employee stationed at the entrance and quickly waived us into the platinum/diamond queue, bypassing nearly the entire line. Within minutes, we were directed to a check-in station, where our passports were scanned and we were directed to a waiting area and instructed to wait until our boarding number was called. Fortunately, these boarding group numbers are pre-assigned based upon your check-in appointment time rather than when you get to the waiting room, and by the time we were through the process, they were already calling our boarding group. 

 

We exited a door on the side of the trailers and made our way down a ramp to the parking area outside of the warehouse. From here, we were directed to one of several busses that would take us to the ship, which is docked around 1/4 mile from the check-in terminal. The busses ranged from mini shuttle busses to full size motor coaches. We were directed to one of the smaller shuttles for a quick drive over to the "Charleston Passenger Terminal". There is space for approximately four shuttles to unload at a time, and we encountered a brief wait while other shuttles unloaded. When it was our turn to pull up in front of the terminal, we quickly unloaded and were directed inside. 

 

The passenger terminal appears to be a relic of the past, and may have served smaller ferries or other vessels. It isn't built for a major cruise ship, which is why most of the actual check-in process takes place in a large industrial warehouse down the street. Inside, we queued for security (metal detection and carry-on x-ray) before being directed up a set of stairs and finally into the boarding bridge. 

I was able to use VeriFLY to easily breeze through the line in Charleston? I think you are right that you  might have just got unlucky with a new/poorly trained associate? Definitely sounds like they were clueless! I had a 10 am appointment and was onboard just after 11? I am not platinum or diamond. The longest waits I had were sitting in the waiting area for our boarding zone(:30 minutes?) it got crowded and there weren’t enough chairs after a while? It was also a long line at the security lines once we were dropped off near the ship. I actually thought it went pretty well for a makeshift terminal. As far as parking, I thought $21 per day reasonable? The local hotels downtown charge up to $50 per night and the parking lot in city market is $30 per day. It is kinda ridiculous for a Southern town but obviously they get away with it. 

[Ralphinsc]

5 hours ago, Thenagers said:

I was able to use VeriFLY to easily breeze through the line in Charleston? I think you are right that you  might have just got unlucky with a new/poorly trained associate? Definitely sounds like they were clueless! I had a 10 am appointment and was onboard just after 11? I am not platinum or diamond. The longest waits I had were sitting in the waiting area for our boarding zone(:30 minutes?) it got crowded and there weren’t enough chairs after a while? It was also a long line at the security lines once we were dropped off near the ship. I actually thought it went pretty well for a makeshift terminal. As far as parking, I thought $21 per day reasonable? The local hotels downtown charge up to $50 per night and the parking lot in city market is $30 per day. It is kinda ridiculous for a Southern town but obviously they get away with it. 

 

The thing that is so tough for Charleston is that the terminal is right in the middle of one of the priciest historic districts in the country. That is part of the reason why that terminal space is going away. The real estate is just so valuable that the city would rather sell it. It's almost impossible to find a hotel down there within any kind of distance from the terminal for a good price.