Carnival Sunshine 5-Day Nassau Cruise Review - 10/9/23

[MistyRo76]

October 13, 2023 - Carnival Sunshine Fun Day & Sea

 

Overnight we heard a few rumbles of thunder and we woke up to grey skies and rain. I had planned to get up early and run on the track, but due to the weather I ended up just sleeping in. Drew went early for his coffee and pipe while Sawyer and I just slept (her) and relaxed (me!). I had made reservations for the Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast at 9:45 AM. This breakfast is held in the Sunset dining room (Deck 3 Forward). We arrived at the appointed time and were sat a large table with another family. The dining is transformed into a Dr. Seuss wonderland with ice sculptures, table decor, themed menu items and visits from several Dr. Seuss characters. A member of the Fun Squad helps entertain the kids with some fun games! I have done this breakfast a couple other times and it's always a fun treat! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sawyer ordered the Truffula Tree Pancakes w/ a Side of Sausage, I ordered the From There to Here, From Here to There, Funny Belgian Waffles are Everywhere and Drew got the Fox in Socks Steak & Eggs (sorry - no pic of this one). 

 

 

 

You can also get orange juice, apple juice, coffee, hot chocolate or bar service to drink. While everyone is waiting for their food, our first two special guests appear: Thing 1 & Thing 2! They went table to table takings pics with each family. 

 

 

Toward the end of the breakfast, Cat in the Hat and Sam I Am appeared and kids could take pics with them on their way out. The kids menu also has a place for autograph stamps from each character. 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the food was great but the service was very slow! I'm not sure what the change is between breakfast and dinners in the MDRs, but in our experience the breakfasts did not flow nearly as well as our dinners. But honestly, the whimsy of Dr. Seuss and all of his characters are the real stars of the show at this meal! And for the low cost, it was very worth it! 

 

After breakfast, it was still pretty overcast but the rain had subsided. We went up to Sports Square to see if the ropes course might be open, but it wasn't. Sawyer wanted to play chess with Dad, so I left them there and went down to Deck 5, got a mimosa and got in line for Bingo cards. I needed to cash in the free bingo entry I won at Deal or No Deal. Once they started selling the cards the line moved quickly. The free bingo entry gets you 3 cards ($25 value) for each of the 3 games they were playing that day. You can upgrade to one of the larger card packages by paying the difference in price. I upgraded to the $48 package which got me 9 cards for each game plus 6 bonus cards for the third game which was the Jackpot Bingo game. Using my free bingo winnings, I only had to $23 to upgrade. 

 

 

I caught up with Drew and Sawyer. Drew wanted to go have a pipe and Sawyer wanted to chill in the cabin for a while. I figured that would give me a chance to our bags packed up and ready to put out that night. She played on her iPad while I packed. We then went to Liquid Lounge for Jackpot Bingo. We also had our final towel animal of the cruise when we got to our cabin! 

 

 

Jasper was holding his Q&A in the lounge so it was already very full when we arrived 25 minutes before Bingo. I found seats on the upper level. It was fun listening to Jasper's Q&A. It's a great way to learn a lot about your CDs (favorite ship - the Horizon, how they handle crew sick days onboard, the career progression for a CD, etc.). Soon our Bingo Host Nicki was on stage giving us the instructions for the upcoming games. Game 1 would be traditional bingo, game 2 was all four corners and game 3 was Jackpot Bingo. For Jackpot Bingo, you win $5000 if you cover all the squares on a card within 49 numbers being called. After 49 numbers, the game continues but the Jackpot amount is off the table. No jackpots on this cruise! But the winner of game 3 took home $1400! I had one card that only needed one more number called on game 3 when the winner called Bingo! So close!!!! 😞 

 

After Bingo, we went to a kids Trick or Treat event at 4:00 being held by Camp Ocean. We had to check in at Camp Ocean where we received a bag for our candy and a map of where to go to get the candy. Our stops on our hunt for candy took us to the Carnival Adventures Desk, Fun Shops, Warehouse Arcade, Circle C, Club O2, Pizza Pirate and a few others. Once you get to Pizza Pirate, they will reveal the final mystery stop (Limelight Lounge). The kids all had to be at Limelight Lounge by 4:30 for a their last candy and a little party. Kae Lee and I were going to the Diamond & Platinum Reunion Party at 4:30, so we let her daughter take Sawyer to Limelight Lounge and told them they could run around together until they were to meet us at 5:15 back by Cherry on Top. 

 

 

The Diamond & Platinum Reunion party was held in the Liquid Lounge and as per usual waiters were circulating around with trays of free drinks including Rum Punch, Margaritas, white/red wines, beer, Whiskey Sour and a few more. You can order special request drinks and they will get them from the bar in the back of the lounge. 

 

This was one of the worst attended Diamond & Platinum parties I've ever attended. There couldn't have been more than 40-50 people there. I'm not sure if it was the timing of the event or if this sailing had a low number of Diamond and Platinum's on this sailing. But it was a little sad! They played the standard Carnival video and everyone cheered when a ship they've sailed was shown on the screen. Jasper then recognized the youngest and oldest D/P guests, youngest D/P member and the cruiser with the most days at sea. Most of those people didn't come to the party so their prizes would be sent to their cabin. The youngest D/P guest was only 8 years old and the gentlemen with the most days at sea on this sailing had 801 days sailed! I did the math and if he sailed only 7 days cruises that would equal over 114 total cruises! He had sailed more than a month straight on the Sunshine with Jasper during his time as CD there. 

 

Since many of the prize winners didn't attend, Jasper decided to recognize the oldest cruiser in the room. That went to a lady who (I believe was 78). As she was going up the stairs to the stage, the ship listed to the left which caused her to begin to fall backwards. Jasper quickly reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her forward helping her onto the stage. His quick reflexes and strength really prevented this women from taking what could have been a very nasty fall! We enjoyed a few drinks here and some music by the country duo on board then set off to meet up with the girls. 

 

Unbeknownst to Drew and Sawyer, I had arranged for our last party tray to be delivered this afternoon. It was a small mini dessert tray that consisted of little cheesecakes, chocolate covered strawberries, a chocolate cake, and a few other small treats. When we got back to the cabin, the dessert tray was waiting for us. We took it down to Deck 3 and found dad finishing up his pipe so we all enjoyed our dessert there enjoying our ocean views and the start of another beautiful sunset. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to check out the 7:30 The World Works Here show in the Liquid Lounge with Kae Lee and her family so I met them at 7:00 when seating opened for the show. We found seats on the upper level center stage. Great views here for the shows. Drew and Sawyer decided to hang out in the cabin and just meet me at dinner after the show. Since we had 30 minutes until the show started, I walked over to Alchemy and got a Purple Sunset. Due to the long wait time at Alchemy, I got back to Liquid Lounge just minutes before the show started.

 

 

The concept of this show is to honor the Carnival Sunshine crew who come from 60 different countries. The show started with Jasper introducing various crewmembers from different departments/jobs who came in carrying the flag from their home country. The parade of flags going out of the lounge was cool to see. 

 

Then they brought a some junior cruises from Camp Ocean and Circle C up to be a part of a couple songs by signing the words. I really enjoyed that part of the show as well and the kids all did amazing! After that, the show transitioned more into a typical Carnival stage production doing songs about love. The vocals were really good but I'm not a huge fan of these type of stage productions in general. But that's just me...the crowd seemed to enjoy it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids from Circle C! 

 

 

After the show, it was time for our last dinner of vacation. This time tomorrow we would be home! I failed to take pics of most of my dinner tonight. I had the Marinated Chicken Tenders (excellent), Steak Ale & Cheddar Soup, Penne Mariscos (delicious!) and the Braised Short Ribs (so good!) and for dessert another Melting Cake! Here's the one dish I got a picture of! 

 

 

After dinner, Sawyer & I went to look at all of the portraits we took throughout the week. We hadn't looked at them at all up until now so we had a lot to find! And of course, she wanted to buy them all. But we narrowed it down to four. Here's the only one I haven't posted so far. 

 

 

As we were looking at photos, Jasper and the Fun Squad were in the Atrium doing a 90's celebration. Since this was Jasper's last night on the Sunshine, they were having a little good-bye celebration in his honor. The rest of the Fun Squad presented Jasper with a gift and they all serenaded him with "I Will Always Love You". It was a really sweet moment! Jasper wasn't on the Sunshine for very long, but he clearly made an impact on the rest of the team! For those going on the Valor soon - enjoy your time with Jasper. He's a good one! 

 

He was dressed as L.L. Cool J LOL 

 

 

 

We found dad outside on Deck 3 having a pipe. I snapped a few cool pics in the glow of the blue lighting. 

 

 

 

 

I took Sawyer back to the cabin to get her settled in for the night. When Drew got back, I headed for the casino to play blackjack one last time and cash in my chips. I walked away a winner again and made $325 for the week! Just about paid off my entire S&S bill! I honestly haven't had a week like that playing blackjack on a cruise ever. Not one time, did I walk away at the end of day down for that day. Hope that luck carries on to my next cruise! 

 

We called it a night early knowing tomorrow would be a long day driving back to Kentucky! 

 

 

[MistyRo76]

October 14, 2023 - Carnival Sunshine Debarkation & Travel Home

 

Well, folk...we've just about come to the end of our journey! Today we would leave the Carnival Sunshine. Now, normally when I cruise, I'm hauling butt off the ship as early a possible to catch a flight home. But since we drove to this cruise, we decided to take our time getting off the ship and hopefully beat some of the early rush. We had set our larger luggage out the night before just leaving our backpacks and one small rolling bag to take off with us. 

 

I set an alarm for 6:45 AM so we would have time to get ready and grab a bite to eat. Initially, we thought we would just go to the main dining room for breakfast, but Drew opted for coffee and a pipe over food, so Sawyer and I just hit the buffet. We ran into Kae Lee and sat near the Blue Iguana. We found Drew in the Deck 10 smoking area and told him, we would meet him back at the cabin. Everyone was supposed to be out of their cabins by 8:30 AM. Sawyer and I went back to the cabin and hung out on our balcony. It was a beautiful morning in Charleston and the dolphins were right were we left them, welcoming us back! At 8:30 Drew was not back. I noticed he had taken his phone, so I turned my phone off airplane mode to try to text him. I had several messages from him asking where we were and saying he was knocking at the door trying to get in. We didn't hear the knocking from the balcony - those balcony doors are pretty sound proof. Sometime between buying his coffee and coming back to the cabin, Drew misplaced his S&S card. He finally showed back up to the cabin and we grabbed our stuff, did one final check of the room and left. We found our cabin attendant and gave her an extra tip. On our way down to the Lobby on Deck 3, Drew decided to swing back by Java Blue to see if he card was there but it wasn't. We asked one of the crew directing people off the ship what he needed to do and were told they would be able to show him off the ship manually by pulling my profile up. So we got in and line and soon we were off the ship. 

 

Once off the ship, we followed the line to the baggage claim area. We had priority bag tags #3 and found them easily in the area for #3 tags. We then got in a line for a shuttle bus to the parking lot. They were using large coach buses to move people to the lot. Baggage was able to be stored under the bus and it was just a short ride. Once we collected our bags again, we walked a short distance to get away from the shuttle bus traffic. We dropped our bags there and Drew took off to get the car and drive it around to us. Within minutes, we were all packed up and on the road. 

 

It was a mostly uneventful drive home. I-26 still sucked! The mountains were still beautiful. And it rained on and off the last hour of our drive. Pretty much our drive down, just in reverse! We pulled in our driveway just before 7:15PM and came home to one happy puppy! 

 

I will share some final overall thoughts on the cruise, ship and trip overall in the next post! 

[MistyRo76]

Wrap up & Final Thoughts

 

Overall, we had a GREAT vacation with many wonderful memories made together! Here are just a few final thoughts on our trip: 

 

Carnival Sunshine - 

I thought she was a great ship! She is showing her age a bit, but it was nothing that prevented us from having an amazing time. And crew were constantly cleaning and maintaining the ship while we were on it and in port. The layout took a day or so to get used to as it's not quite like similar ships such as the Valor. Just some minor differences that threw me at first. 

 

Lines were long at popular venues like Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana. Even mid-day, you can expect a wait. But they move fast. The ship didn't seem overly congested to me. I had read of bottlenecks of people in certain areas, but didn't find it to be a problem. 

 

There were a lot of kids on this sailing due to fall breaks going on. So kids areas were very busy. Lines at Camp Ocean were often long and very slow. This area is also one of the most congested areas so when it's busy, the area becomes full. The line for the trick or treat event, spilled out the door onto Deck 10 and down toward the smoking area. This area just doesn't flow well. I think they can also do some things to streamline the pick-up/drop off process. Maybe have kiosks to check your kid in and then the staff verifies the info and takes the kid back. Also pick up and drop off should have separate lines or be in different areas. As I mentioned, my kid didn't love camp. But she's in that weird "tween" age group. Maybe they need to re-evaluate the programs for this age and offer more independent play for those who don't want to do group activities. 

 

Wi-Fi/Hub Chat - I purchased the premium wi-fi plan prior to my cruise. Once on the ship, my cell service was spotty so I switched over to Airplane mode and got on the Carnival Wi-Fi. I paid the $5 fee to activate the chat but when I tried to use it, it kept acting like I hadn't paid. I couldn't get the chat to work all day. I was able to send FB Messenger message to Kae Lee but because she didn't pay for the wi-fi, she could only read the messages not respond. Finally on day 2, the chat feature just started working. We would have periods of time during the cruise where the chat wouldn't connect. The wi-fi could be a bit spotty depending where you were on the ship, but over all seemed to work fairly well. 

 

We didn't have too many issues with rowdy behavior on the ship. A couple of nights, there were kids running up and down our hallway being loud late at night. But those were isolated events and not the norm. I didn't see any kids congregated in the stairwells. There were a couple riding elevators up and down one day, but didn't seem to be causing trouble or getting in the way of other guests. The pool was busy most days, but not overly so in my opinion. The lifeguard kept close watch and would intervene if anyone was getting too rowdy. 

 

A large majority of the passengers on this sailing (and I'm guessing most sailings out of Charleston) were from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Now that I've sailed out of a couple non-Florida ports, it's interested how much more regionally based the guests are when going from NOLA or Charleston as compared to Miami or Port Canaveral. Most of the guests are this cruise were very friendly - lots of Southern Hospitality on display! 

 

Port of Charleston - 

I would definitely sail from Charleston again if the opportunity presented itself before the port closes to cruises. But it would have to be a better itinerary or a great price. I'm not eager to return to Nassau again any time soon. Wish they would offer some longer itineraries from there with more varied ports. 

 

Getting on the ship in Charleston was super easy! One of the easiest I've had in 20 cruises. But debarkation too a little longer. It wasn't hard just a bit of a wonkier set up. I'm glad we waited until later to get off as the parking lot was mostly empty and it was easy to get out and on the road. 

 

The DOLPHINS! All the dolphins! 

 

If you sail from Charleston, go there a day or two early. It's such a lovely city with so much to do and something to offer everyone! I can't wait to go back! 

 

That's all I can think of for now. But happy to answer questions if anyone has one! If I think of anything I forgot, I'll come back and post it! 

 

I'm not sure what's on the agenda for our next sailing! Cruises aren't hubby's favorite vacation. But he's interested in possibly doing an Alaska cruise soon. We may look at those for 2025. I've already started the research and I think it's very possible we may go with another cruiseline for that trip. I may also sneak in another short cruise over our fall break next year as well. This could be just a Sawyer-mom girls trip as dad may not be ready to get back onboard just yet. I'm just waiting for next school year's calendar to come out so I can start narrowing down options! 

 

Thank you all for following along! It's been fun to re-live our vacation again here! 

[sunshower9]

Thank you for your review!  I'm strongly considering doing a cruise on Sunshine next year.  We were scheduled to go on Sunshine for the first time in 2021, but that got cancelled and we've been sailing other ships since.  I need 5 more days to get to platinum by the end of next year so I'm thinking of squeezing in a 5 day cruise on the Sunshine.  We're in GA so we usually drive to FL for cruises, but I'd like to sail from Charleston before they shut down the port.  It's only about 5.5 hours away so I figure we can leave really early the day of embarkation and save on hotel costs, which would be GREAT lol.  We're used to bigger, newer ships, and I know Sunshine is old and showing signs of wear, so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. 

[MistyRo76]

39 minutes ago, sunshower9 said:

Thank you for your review!  I'm strongly considering doing a cruise on Sunshine next year.  We were scheduled to go on Sunshine for the first time in 2021, but that got cancelled and we've been sailing other ships since.  I need 5 more days to get to platinum by the end of next year so I'm thinking of squeezing in a 5 day cruise on the Sunshine.  We're in GA so we usually drive to FL for cruises, but I'd like to sail from Charleston before they shut down the port.  It's only about 5.5 hours away so I figure we can leave really early the day of embarkation and save on hotel costs, which would be GREAT lol.  We're used to bigger, newer ships, and I know Sunshine is old and showing signs of wear, so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. 

 

I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on the Sunshine again for the right itinerary! It's great that she has so many of the upgrades some of the newer ships have with the Waterworks and Sports Square areas and ropes course and the added food options like Ji Ji's and Cucina! It felt like there was a ton to do and even more to eat! We didn't get to do/see/eat everything we wanted to in our five days on her! I never did get my Guy's Burger! 😞 

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for the updated information on the Sunshine's condition.  That other thread has me scared.  I plan to board with a good attitude and ignore any wear around the ship. 😀

 

BTW- We are driving down from TN and will spend only one night pre-cruise.  I had looked at the Cambria for the same reason that you booked there - the parking.  I also came to conclusion that it would be easier to just park at the port.  On recommendation, we have picked the HI Express on Mount Pleasant.  We had wanted to stay at Hotel Indigo across the street (both close to the Ravenel Bridge), but they did not have a room for 5 persons.  I initially made a reservation closer to the IOPs causeway bridge so that we could hop over, take a walk on the beach, and then go to ACME for dinner.  May still do that and go through Sullivan's Island to get there.  Love the sunset from there!  Otherwise, we will take a dinner recommendation from my daughter that lived on Mt. Pleasant before recently moving to Georgia.  She knows all the good places to eat.  

 

Hope you get to take that mother/daughter cruise.  They are the best!!!

[tradewinds traveler]

Thank you so much for your excellent review. I looked forward to reading your review every evening. You & your family are a delightful. Hope to see another review soon.

[MistyRo76]

3 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Thank you for the updated information on the Sunshine's condition.  That other thread has me scared.  I plan to board with a good attitude and ignore any wear around the ship. 😀

 

BTW- We are driving down from TN and will spend only one night pre-cruise.  I had looked at the Cambria for the same reason that you booked there - the parking.  I also came to conclusion that it would be easier to just park at the port.  On recommendation, we have picked the HI Express on Mount Pleasant.  We had wanted to stay at Hotel Indigo across the street (both close to the Ravenel Bridge), but they did not have a room for 5 persons.  I initially made a reservation closer to the IOPs causeway bridge so that we could hop over, take a walk on the beach, and then go to ACME for dinner.  May still do that and go through Sullivan's Island to get there.  Love the sunset from there!  Otherwise, we will take a dinner recommendation from my daughter that lived on Mt. Pleasant before recently moving to Georgia.  She knows all the good places to eat.  

 

Hope you get to take that mother/daughter cruise.  They are the best!!!

I think some people see what they want to see. It’s a 20+ year old ship…there’s going to be wear and tear. But for me, that kind of stuff just doesn’t impact my cruise. It was a clean ship and we had a wonderful time! 
 

I’m glad now that we didn’t have to mess with taking an Uber to the port. Having our car there and being able to get right on the road was great! And we almost got back home before dark! 
 

Enjoy your trip! I can’t wait to go back to Charleston! 

[MistyRo76]

1 hour ago, tradewinds traveler said:

Thank you so much for your excellent review. I looked forward to reading your review every evening. You & your family are a delightful. Hope to see another review soon.

Aww…thank you so much! It’s so fun reliving our trip and remembering all the fun we had! 
 

unfortunately with a kiddo in school and a full time job, it’ll probably be next fall at the earliest before we get to cruise again. But I’ll definitely do another review! 
 

thanks for reading along! 

[jmoore2718]

Loved your review. I have been cruising on the Sunshine a long time and she has definitely deteriorated quite a bit. I know there is a massive 43 day long dry dock planned at the very beginning of 2025 and she desperately needs it. I am surprised to hear the track is still damaged. It was in the beginning of July as well. We board on the 28th and are so excited. I am going to plan another cruise on the Elation out of Jacksonville soon. We went on her in February right out of dry docked, and was pleasantly surprised of her condition. She truly seemed brand new. Those new deck 9 cabins on Elation are a hidden gem!!! Even the interior cabins have couches. Let me quit getting off topic LOL. You guys seem like you had an incredible trip. I do get the age thing in Camp Ocean as I am only 22 and experienced the same thing. Things get MUCH better in Circle C and Club 02. I would go back today if I was 17!!!

[MistyRo76]

10 hours ago, jmoore2718 said:

Loved your review. I have been cruising on the Sunshine a long time and she has definitely deteriorated quite a bit. I know there is a massive 43 day long dry dock planned at the very beginning of 2025 and she desperately needs it. I am surprised to hear the track is still damaged. It was in the beginning of July as well. We board on the 28th and are so excited. I am going to plan another cruise on the Elation out of Jacksonville soon. We went on her in February right out of dry docked, and was pleasantly surprised of her condition. She truly seemed brand new. Those new deck 9 cabins on Elation are a hidden gem!!! Even the interior cabins have couches. Let me quit getting off topic LOL. You guys seem like you had an incredible trip. I do get the age thing in Camp Ocean as I am only 22 and experienced the same thing. Things get MUCH better in Circle C and Club 02. I would go back today if I was 17!!!

I had remembered seeing that track damage in another Sunshine review I read a while back. Would be nice to see that fixed soon. But it didn’t stop me from running on the track! I didn’t know she was due for another long dry dock in 25. Will be interested to see what they do to her this time! 
 

I enjoy the Fantasy class ships quite a bit. We sailed on the Paradise in 2019 to Cuba.  I hadn’t been on a Fantasy class ships in quite some time but we enjoyed her. She had enough upgrades that we didn’t feel like we were missing out in much. And there were way less crowds and lines. She never felt over crowded at all! Enjoy your next trip on Elation. That’s one I haven’t sailed yet! 
 

My friend’s daughter is 12 but she didn’t do Circle C at all. She is very shy and introverted. It even took her several days to warm up to my kiddo who’s very outgoing! Just different strokes for different folks. There’s no one size fits all solution 

 

Thanks for reading along and your sweet comments! 

[MommyCrankyPants]

Beautiful pictures & review, I enjoyed reading. Thank you! 🙂 I'm from SE Kentucky and I'm planning a girls cruise with my mom (will be 70) spring of 2024. Charleston is our closest port, but have never sailed from there or on the Sunshine, but I'm seriously thinking about it. Your review helped tremendously!