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Review summary

Review of the Carnival Sunshine Cruise Ship Sail Date 5-15 December 2022 (Charleston SC Roundtrip) I booked this cruise via the Carnival website on 12 January 2021 as a replacement cruise for a 2020 cruise. My wife and I have sailed out of Charleston SC seven times (Twice on the Ecstasy and 5 times on the Sunshine). We stayed in cabin #3102 (Inside AAC cabin). Embarkation from Charleston is a unique experience. They have a parking lot set up with K rails. You pay for parking ($21 per day, handicap is free), pull up to the checked luggage drop off and then are directed to park your car. You take a short walk to building #324 for check-in and then a short bus ride to the terminal. At the terminal you undergo security check (TSA) and board the ship. Our time from entry to boarding was 15 minutes. The Sunshine is a refurbished ship (Used to be the Destiny) and was built in 1996. She is a beautiful ship but is most definitely showing wear and tear from age. The crew is outstanding. They are 24/7 fixing and cleaning everywhere. By 1:30pm we had lunch on the Lido, completed muster and were in our room. Our room steward was I Ketut and he went by just “K”. He was nice, professional and very attentive to our needs. He made sure we had a clean room, full ice bucket and a different towel animal every day of our 10 day cruise. Days 1-3 were sea days. Carnival went all out on the extras for this cruise. We have had previous journeys cruises but this one felt and was very special. The ship was decorated from end to end in holiday flare. There were many celebrations aboard for the holidays. We have cruised in the past for Christmas with Carnival but this was the best cruise yet out of the 14 cruises we have had with Carnival. The atmosphere was unbelievably festive. I was super impressed with the amount of gratitude for my Marine Corps service from my fellow passengers and the crew! Day 4 was a long port call (12+ hours) at Aruba. Since no handicap tours were offered by Carnival we had done some research prior to the cruise. My wife and I found a company called Island Car Rentals online and booked a Hyundai Verna. We were met by Jessica at the Citco gas station just across from the cruise terminal. We paid her $65.00 for the rental that included no hassle, full coverage insurance and ¾ tank of gas. My wife’s scooter is the break down kind and we were able to fit it into the trunk and off we went. What an amazing day. In Aruba a US driver’s license is valid without anything extra. They drive on the right side of the road and the signage is easy to follow even though it is in Dutch. The island is just 19 miles long with one major road. We did fill the car up upon return and gas was $40 US for half a tank. Bottom line $105 for the day and we found that an excellent deal. (We went everywhere and did everything). Day 5 was a port call to Bonaire. We stayed near the port and did some shopping and sightseeing. It was another great day for this cruise. Day 6 Was another sea day with many onboard activities and shows. Day 7 was a port call to Grand Turk. A beautiful BWI Island with one of the best pools in the Caribbean. Just another day in paradise for us cruisers on the Sunshine. Day 8 was a port call to Princess Cay (Bahamas). This port requires a tender ship to shore. Carnival did a good just getting the people off the ship and then back on. The BBQ on island was fantastic and the water was 1,000 shades of blue and clear as a bell. Day 9 was another sea day Day 10 We arrived back at Charleston. Debarkation had some issues that slowed the process down. Not quite sure what went wrong this time as we usually have a smooth debarkation process there. The cold weather and rain sure did not help. What went well: This cruise was our best yet! Almost everything was fantastic. The passengers were older with not too many kids. They say we had 1,000 platinum/diamond cruisers on this voyage. The comedy club was stocked with 6 different comedians and we laughed a lot at each show. Definitely top notch there and Gabby helped entertain the crowd. Carnival contracted an artist by the name of Jodie Fleming to do free characters for the guests and she was fantastic! My wife and I really enjoyed her work and her personality was super! Carnival also contracted a Magician named Rankin and he provided us with top notch entertainment. Ocean Drive entertainment in the Atrium and Ocean Plaza were fantastic! Carnival did some throw back stuff like the pool aquafrog races, ship building contest and horse racing. It was all super fun. There were many dance classes by Tom & Jo. They were super instructors and tons of fun. The ugly sweater contest and spirit of the season caroling was great! The ships Captain (Captain Contarino) was the most entertaining Captain we have ever sailed with. He interacted with the passengers and had a Cocktail party for the entire ship. He also attended the Platinum/Diamond party and made an appearance at the final Christmas show (Just before Santa Clause) What did not go well: The main stage entertainment first show of the cruise was terrible. One of the performers kept grabbing his crotch and touching himself during the entire show. This was so bad and unprofessional that we never went to another playlist show the entire cruise. The main dining room was blah. The service was slow, food not so good and they gave us a table that was difficult at best to get to via mobility scooter. We only went 2 nights. Changes since our last cruise: Military Appreciation event was excellent (As always). They started to distribute the appreciation pins again and also take the group photo. Both were very much appreciated. Lido deck and deli food seemed to be much better. Overall impression; Carnival remains our go to vacation. The value is very good despite the small price increases. Many people complain but I am grateful that Carnival stayed afloat for 18 months with zero income. People that made it great: TJ (Cruise Director). Fantastic energy, positive attitude plus a smile and good word for everyone, everytime. IKutet (Housekeeping). He took superior care of my wife and myself. Laura (Guest Services) A true professional with a fantastic grip on how Carnival wants to be represented to the public. Always adds that personal touch to make you feel like her friend and not just a customer. Nitesh (Food Services) Another fantastic crew member that not only remembered us from previous cruises but also remembered exactly what we wanted in our breakfast omelets. Always energetic, smiling and happy. He definitely is a top notch member of your team and deserves recognition and/or a promotion. Nellie (From England) She went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable while we were waiting for the Punchliner to open. She is very personable and has an amazing gift to make you feel like you belong to the Carnival family. She also assisted us with our special needs during debarkation from the ship. I cannot say enough nice things about her. Carnival: Thank you for a safe voyage!

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Charleston, South Carolina

Oranjestad, Aruba

Bonaire, Netherlands Special Municipality

Grand Turk Island

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

Disembarkation

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