Carnival Sunshine 2023--Debarkation Day

It's inevitable that Debarkation Day is every cruiser's least favorite day!  Who wants to leave paradise and go back to the real world? 😉  As long as you follow the instructions that were left in your cabin and the instructions being given over the loud speaker and from the crew members, everything will flow smoothly!

We were lucky enough to get to see Mama B one more time before we got off the ship, as she was in the lounge area we were directed to before getting off the ship.

We always have a great time on a cruise and are sorry to leave, but this time, we were ready to get off.  My husband didn't get to go with us this time, and we missed him TERRIBLY!

I hope these posts about the Sunshine have (or will) helped you, or I at least hope they've given you some information you've been looking for.  Happy cruising!

Carnival Sunshine 2023--Second Sea Day

The second Sea Day brought two of my favorite things--the Military Appreciation Gathering and Tea Time!  My husband is a retired Marine (having served 20 years), so I always make it a point to attend the gathering.  I don't always speak up to say anything, but I feel as if any and all military members on the ship should be recognized for their service.

Once that was over, we took a few more pictures we hadn't had the time to get around the ship

and we had one more good visit with our sweet friend Boonthip and her husband Lhito who are both bartenders for Carnival.

We met Boonthip on another cruise a few years ago, and we've stayed in touch ever since!  It's always nice to reconnect with crew members you've known for a few years.

About mid-afternoon, it was Tea Time!  I'm not sure why I enjoy this so much, but I really do.  You can find the time and location in the Fun Times, but it's in one of the dining rooms usually around 3 pm.  They have several selections of hot teas you can choose from, but I discovered my favorite on this cruise--White Coconut Creme.  

This tea has just a little hint of coconut, and it's not overpowering at all.  If you have the Cheers! drink package, there won't be an extra charge for certain selections of teas.  They also bring around a cart with several different small sandwiches, pastries, and desserts, and you can choose as many as you'd like!

The last night of the cruise also means saying goodbye to our incredible wait staff from the Main Dining Room.  The team Joseph & I had was wonderful this cruise!

We always give our wait staff, cabin steward, and favorite other crew members a handwritten thank-you note on the last day/evening with a cash tip and our contact information if they'd like to stay in touch with us in the future.

The worst part of the cruise is up next--Debarkation Day!

Carnival Sunshine 2023--Princess Cays, Bahamas

Our next stop was a first for us--Princess Cays, Bahamas.  This is one of Carnival's private islands, so we were looking forward to visiting it.  

Princess Cays is a tender port (meaning you have to take a small boat from the ship to the port and back), so we decided to get on one of the first ones since we had priority tender.  If you are Platinum or Diamond level, are staying in a Suite cabin, or have purchased Faster to the Fun, you will have priority embarkation, debarkation, and tendering, among other things.  It looked like it was going to be a nice day, so we headed down shortly after breakfast and were able to be some of the first people off the ship.

We found our spot on the beach but very quickly determined it was going to be WAAAAY too windy for us!  At the time we got off and hit the beach, it was a little cloudy which contributed to things being a little colder.  We stayed ashore long enough to get in the water for just a little bit and take some beautiful pictures, we walked through a couple of the souvenir shops that were there (didn't buy anything), then we headed to the tender and went back to the ship.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the Ocean Plaza lounge area where trivia and other games were going on all day.  One of the things we really love to do on cruises is play some of the different trivia games and get to know the crew members.  Since most people were headed ashore, we got the best of both worlds--we got to play trivia AND we got to spend time talking to Mama B!  Mama B was a member of the Carnival FUN Squad, and she was a blast!  

Mama B (real name Barbra) is from Zimbabwe, and in our visits with her, we learned that her brother was also on the ship, and Joseph had met him while on the Ropes Course.  Any time we saw Mama B, she always took care of us.

One of the prizes you can sometimes win on cruises is what has become affectionately known as a Ship on a Stick.  Our goal is to always come home with at least one.  On this cruise, Joseph & I came home with not one, not two, but THREE--count 'em THREE--Ships on a Stick!

That will probably never happen again, but we had a blast winning them!

Once trivia was over, we spent the rest of the day just hanging out and taking some GORGEOUS pictures before time to get ready for dinner.

Once dinner was over, I closed out the evening getting these beautiful shots of the sunset (and probably another trip to the heated loungers in the spa!), while Joseph found some of the kids he'd made friends with and hung out with them.

Next up--our second Sea Day on the way back to Charleston!

Carnival Sunshine 2023--Nassau, Bahamas

Our first port was Nassau, Bahamas, and Joseph & I decided to get off the ship and do our own thing!  We walked up to the Queen's Staircase, about a 10-15 minute walk from the port.

Once we made it to the top of the stairs, we popped over to Fort Fincastle which was just across the way.

The views from the top of the fort are INCREDIBLE, and they allow you to get some great pictures of the ships in port.

Once we were done at Fort Fincastle, we walked back down the hill and headed to the Straw Market, where we picked up some souvenirs.  By the time we finished at the Straw Market, it was starting to rain a little, so we headed back to the ship for lunch and some afternoon chill time.

Next stop--Princess Cays!