Maiden Voyage Aboard Carnival Sunshine Needs Improvements
Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
12 Night Adriatic & Western Mediterranean (Venice To Barcelona)
Sail date: May 05, 2013
Ship: Carnival Sunshine
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 7293
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 11 years ago
Review summary
We have just returned from the maiden voyage of Carnival Sunshine 5/5-5/17, and the itinerary of the cruise is very good with lots of major ports/cities to see. Unfortunately, the cruise ship did not complete it's transformation from the former Carnival Destiny, and some guests experienced some issues with overflowing toilets, lack of shower heads, missing lights, and other minor problems. We had a lovely balcony room, but our bathroom had a bad urine odor for the duration of the cruise until the maintenance department finally fixed the issue around the the 2nd to last day of the 12 days Mediterranean cruise. The issue was fixed after many hours spent waiting in the long line at customer service for multiple times. There is also the unpleasant smell of paint and construction in some parts of the ship, such as on the 4th Floor near the unimpressive fine dining Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse that has so-so food for $35 extra charge per person; the service staff is excellent though. The WaterWorks deck was closed until the 2nd Day at Sea on 5/15 towards the end of the cruise, but the main pool on Lido Deck remained closed for the duration of the cruise. Carnival refunded $75 per person for the late opening and closure. Even though the cruise ship supposedly went through $155 million renovation, not all the rooms have been remodeled and some rooms may appear worn even balcony rooms. The decoration throughout the ship is not as beautiful as other ships such as the Carnival Splendor. One may wonder where the money all went for the remodeling, and we speculate that a lot of it went to the mind-blowing stage lights/screens for the two must-see shows debuted on the two "At-Sea" nights. Unfortunately, most of the remaining other performances on stage may make you wish you had not wasted time attending. The food on board was good, and we were pleased with the dining room food, afternoon tea, and kind staff. The 24-hour pizza provided on Lido Deck is also delicious, especially if you get a hot one fresh out of the oven. Overall, Carnival Sunshine still has some quirks and hiccups, and even though I am not quite certain that I would have picked this ship knowing what I know now, we had an enjoyable time seeing the wonderful cities around the Mediterranean.Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
The dining room has good food for breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Just note if you have a time limit such as an excursion, you may want to go to the 5th floor or Lido Deck for faster service. Get balcony suite if you can afford it. There is a jacuzzi tub and remodeled cabin.
Ports of call
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands