I had been promising my wife for over 10 years we would go on a cruise, I know why did it take me ten years? If I knew then what I know now we would probably be at the top of the rewards system for having gone on so many cruises. The timing just happened to be right for us to take our first cruise and being a travel agent I was able to use those perks and get a great deal. We booked a 5-day cruise out of Charleston, SC on the Carnival Sunshine. Outside of the initial balcony room booking which we got using one of my perks we did spend a little more money than we probably should have but we were on vacation, it was our first cruise and I intended on spending money but we didn’t spend what I thought we would as we did put some vacation money back in our vacation account for our next cruise in February.
Leading up to our cruise we purchased items that we thought we should have with us to make our cruising experience more enjoyable. I will post again about some tips and tricks for the first time cruiser and even the experienced ones. Some of the items we purchased we won’t take with us again and some we were glad we had.
We live about 5 hours away from the port so we just drove down that Saturday morning but if you live further than that I would suggest driving in or flying in the day before. We had a 1030 am boarding appointment time and we arrived to the port around 930 am. The parking lot had just opened up and as you get to the first checkpoint this is where you would pay for your parking. Parking at the Charleston port is $21 per day unless you have your handicap placard for your vehicle then it is free. Using my handicap parking I saved $105 on parking. The next checkpoint is where you drop off any bags you want to check. You should have already printed out your luggage tags and have them affixed to your bags to drop them off at this point. We dropped our two bags off and proceeded to the parking lot. Having my handicap placard I was able to go around the parking lot and literally park across from the entrance to the terminal in the second row.
It is now 945 am and we are just walking into the terminal to check in. This process was very smooth, and we went through a couple of stations and were assigned our boarding zone according to our appointment time. It is now 1010 am and our zone is called up to proceed through the TSA checkpoint. We proceeded through this line and were on the ship eating lunch and having a drink at 1045 am. The key to having a smooth boarding is to do everything required prior to sailing day and having your paperwork in order prior to your arrival at the terminal. I would suggest checking your bags because whatever you carry on the ship with you at boarding your will need to keep with you until you have access to your room which is usually around 130 pm.
Once on board we were able to proceed to the Lido deck and have lunch. We had a burger from Guy Fury’s burgers and a Funship alcohol drink. This drink became my go to drink for the entire cruise. One thing to note that from the time we interacted with Carnival Cruise employees at the initial embarkation through to the disembarkation we were not disappointed in the service we received. We were recognized and called by our names from our room steward to the wait staff at the restaurants. I am still not sure how they can remember your name so easily but if we introduced ourself and interacted with a team members they remembered us and greeted from there on out on the cruise. They always asked us how our day was going and if we needed anything. They remember what we ordered for previous drinks and asked us if we wanted one of them. Have no idea how they did that but would literally ask us if my wife is she wanted a strawberry daiquiri again or if I wanted a Funship or Blue Hawaiian. The staff was on point and this made our first cruise even more special. We did tip well so that may have helped with them remembering our name so easy who knows but I’m going to say they just are a great team to sail with.
When we arrived at our room at 130pm our luggage was waiting for us at the door so we moved that in our room and got settled in. they did put the dozen red roses I requested in the room for my wife to celebrate our first cruise. We were headed back out to walk the ship and get another drink when we ran into Mark our room steward down the hall. We told him who we were and what room we were in and that we left him something in the room on the bed. It was a simple note thanking him for all his work that he does on the ship and for what he will be doing taking care of our room for the week. We left a nice little tip with the note as a thank you as well. Our room was spot on for the entire week and he kept extra towels in there for us. It does not matter what time of day or where he seen us he always greeted us by our names and asked what we have done for the day if we got off the ship or not and if we needed anything. Marks conversation with us was a genuine conversation and a two way interactive one not just an emotion through the day based on a script that he learned. Again contributed to the great first cruise experience.
As we departed the port in Charleston at 4 pm we were not on the balcony or on a deck to witness our first cruise departure because I had us a couples stone therapy massage booked on the ship for us to get in full relax mode for our vacation. This 75 minute massage was one of the best I have ever had and to be laying next to my wife while we were both experiencing it made it even more special. They had me so relaxed I fell asleep in there. From our massage we went back to our room to shower and get ready for dinner. We did not go to our regular dinner that night because again I wanted our first night special so I had booked us reservations at the steak house. I personally enjoyed the steak and lobster but it was not a favorite of my wife’s. We did find out on night number two when we went to our regular dinner time at the main dining room we could have ordered the same thing with our meal that night for half the price. We won’t bother with the steak house on the next cruise knowing we could have gotten the same thing for half the cost at the main dining room.
On day two it was full day at sea, so we got to experience the ship. There is always something going on for shows or events and it seems like it’s every 30 minutes somewhere on the ship. You can keep up with events on your Carnival HUB app which I strongly encourage you to download and put on your phone prior to going on a cruise. This is your go to for what is happening each day on the ship, and you are able to heart your favorites, so you get reminders that a particular event is about to happen. We did so much walking around on the ship and because we had the Cheers package, we were able to go anywhere on the ship and get a drink just by showing our Fun Card. Whether we wanted a soda, a milkshake or an alcoholic drink we were able to order and go. While walking around we were also able to stop and get something to eat anytime you wanted something whether it was from Guy Fury’s, the salsa bar, the deli, the pizza place or the marketplace you just walked up and got whatever you were in the mood for. I highly recommend Guy Fury’s as we ate there often, and it was delicious. You can always go to the marketplace to eat from the buffet during meals and they also generally have for dinner what is at the main dining room and more should not want to dress for a formal dinner.
If you enjoy just sitting and talking or just pondering your thoughts a balcony room is definitely the way to go. We enjoyed the entire ship but when we were ready for a retreat from the general public it was nice to be able to come back to our room but not be stuck in our room. We came back with a drink in hand and sat on the balcony and with a view like this why would you not want to sit out here a lot more. The morning sunrises and the evening sunsets were spectacular. I used this area to keep my anxiety battle under control and to talk about the peacefulness and calmness the view brings me. I could definitely live on a boat with this as the first view I see in the morning and the last view I see when I close my eyes at night. Of course between balcony sitting we enjoyed the ship. Whether we were in the casino having fun or we were sitting in the hot tub on the pool deck, this cruise was exactly what we needed to both relax and have fun but forget about the rest of the world and all the problems.
Now we didn’t completely forget about the rest of the world because we still needed contact with family and by purchasing the premier internet package that made it smooth for us. We never had internet issues on our phone. Once we boarded the ship in Charleston we put our phones in airplane mode and connected to the ships internet through the Carnival Hub app. It automatically recognized us as having the package and we were able to surf the internet and post pictures online through the entire cruise. While video calls via facebook messenger were choppy on the video, I was able to Facetime with other iPhone users without any problems. We definitely recommend the internet package if you need to have any contact with family or friends back in the states.
Three highlight events of the ship for me was Bingo, Casino, and the Military Appreciation Gathering. Bingo on the Carnival Sunshine was definitely a bingo game that I have never been a part of before. It was so much fun and the caller seemed to have a blast calling the game. He constantly joked around and interacted with everybody playing. It wasn’t drawn out but it wasn’t boring and sitting waiting on the dry calling of the next number. He kept it lively and I’ve never laughed so much during a game of bingo. It definitely was nice to not be shhhhhh’d every time you said something during a game at some of the local bingo halls that I have visited the last several years. While we didn’t win any big money we did have fun and that was the whole point of us going so the money to play bingo was worth it. I think the one that we went to had a $5,000 payout but we didn’t make it back to the one that was giving away a cruise or the other $5,000 payout game. We did spend quite a bit in the casino and quickly found the games that we enjoyed with the penny slots. To play the games in here you simply insert your sign and sail card and add the amount of money that you want from it. All in all we didn’t spend a whole lot of money in there as we only pulled over $20 at a time throughout the cruise. When we cashed out at the end of the cruise we deposited a couple hundred dollars of winnings back into our account. The military appreciation gathering was a special event in which they had a performer sing the national anthem, we said the pledge of allegiance and they played taps after a moment of silence to honor those that have passed. They honored each branch of the service including the Space Force and then they honored each war and asked that any veteran in the room that was part of that war would stand to be honored. I think the oldest that we had in the room was part of the Korean war and we also did have a lady from the Space Force there as well. They then asked all the family members of the veterans to stand to be recognized for being our support system. Several veterans spoke of their times in the service and thanked the support systems in place that have helped them. I thought one of the best parts during this was the fact that two marine corps veteran drill instructors from Paris Island were there and they hadn’t seen each other in 27 years and they were both on the same ship and they ran into each other. Both were at the gathering and it was something special.
By now you are asking what about the ports and where did you go and what did you do. Our first port of call was Half Moon Cay, and I will tell you I have never seen such a beautiful place and clear water. This is a private island owned by Carnival Cruise Lines and when you arrive you anchor just off the island and use water boat shuttle to go ashore. It was really hot, so we got a little warm waiting on the water shuttle while going ashore and returning to the ship later that day. Once we were ashore you enter through a little archway where there are a few shops and then you can proceed to the beach.
We had brought our dry bags with towels, our floats, and goggles but this is definitely something we won’t do next time we go there. We will probably take our dry bags just for our towels and for anything should we purchase something but the other items were cumbersome once we inflated the floats and difficult to manage to bring back to the ship. The swimming was fantastic with crystal clear water. The salt in the water made it difficult to stay under water as every time my wife tried to go to the bottom it would push her straight back up to the surface. Even when we were out over our heads floating around we could see the bottom as if we were in shallow. While on the island the cruise ship staff went ashore and prepared a lunch for us via buffet lines. It was a nice barbeque with a good variety of foods to choose from as well as water, lemonade, and tea. If you wanted soda or alcohol that was an extra cost and your drink package that you had on ship does not work on the island. After lunch we walked around and walked the shops again and made a purchase for gifts and we then caught the water shuttle back to the ship. The people at the shops were very nice and willing to help you if you needed something. You can come and go as you please and the water shuttles run every 30 minutes but don’t miss the last one. We spent the remainder of that day relaxing on the ship. I can’t wait to go back here and spend some time in the water taking in the scenery.
Our next port was in Nassau and unfortunately this was the only disappointment that we had on our first cruise. You hear a lot about Nassau, and I hope to experience that on our next trip here in February but for our first trip here very much disappointed. We didn’t book any excursions, and we wanted to walk the shops and especially wanted to go to the straw market. To say the people in Nassau are extremely aggressive in sales is probably an understatement. From a $30 purchase to a $12,000 purchase, they are overly aggressive to try and get you to buy something from them and always want you to buy something else at a higher cost. One of our first stops was a diamond store as I had thought about buying Marsha a new wedding ring. She currently uses her grandmothers ring as that is what she wanted when got married 11 years ago. I thought this would be a great time to put even a better cap on our first cruise to buy her a ring while we are here so she can put her grandmothers up and pass it down. We found a beautiful band with diamonds on the side and the layout of the diamonds formed a cancer ribbon. Now that we had the band, we found the perfect diamond for it and one that was in the clarity and shape she wanted. We did the paperwork up and I was ready to drop $12,000 on her new ring but the manager there continued to push for us to buy a bigger diamond. He continued to push even as the paperwork was ready to be signed to the point, he was stressing us both out, so we cancelled the purchase and had them tear up the paperwork and we walked out the door. Not sure why you would push so hard when you the amount of a sale that was already guaranteed. We then went to the straw market which we were looking forward to. This has to be the worst place to go if you have anxiety and/or do not like pushy people. At this location you could not walk 5 ft without somebody approaching you trying to get you to buy their products. Granted you can negotiate pricing that does not negate the fact that they are in your face aggressively begging for sales. It was so bad I had to go back to the ship because of my anxiety. We have another cruise booked in February and it goes to Nassau again so we will definitely do some research and find another place to explore and stay away from the markets.
As our first cruise came to an end we made a few do’s and don’ts that would make our next cruise a little better.
– Room 8102 on Carnival Sunshine is great and will be booking that room for future cruises. A/C worked great.
– You really can’t go wrong with any place to eat on the ship.
– Cheers package is a must. Very easy to pay for itself with a combination of alcohol, soda, milkshakes. The Funship drink is a great drink of choice.
– Top internet package is a must to maintain contact with family.
– Best time for hot tub is late at night and you can sit and watch a movie on the big screen on the pool deck while in it.
– Stone therapy massage was amazing.
– Bring small round fan to keep air circulating in the room.
– Don’t go to steak house you can get same thing at the main dining room at half the price.
– When getting off the ship at the ports better to sleep in and get off after initial lines are very long.
Overall, our first cruise was a great success, and we have one booked in February, and one booked in April. If you would like to join us on those cruises to make lasting memories, feel free to reach out to me and we can get you some quotes. While we will be on the water our fun will not be watered down. Thanks for reading and if you are looking to make travel arrangements in the future for work or leisure, please feel free to reach out to me for assistance.