This was the 2nd time my husband and I have been on the Carnival Sunshine and we loved it even more. The food was great, service was great and the Sunshine has the best Serenity adults only decks! The only thing I would change is making the spa the same size as the Magic and add the Thalasso Therapy Pool.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation at Port Canaveral is always great and this time was no different. We were given our check in time and everything went smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate in the MDR, Sunset for five dinners. We had chosen the 8:15 dining time. Our wait staff was very friendly and helpful and did not mind when we ordered two appetizers or two entrees when we could not decide what we wanted. It was obvious they were very busy with many full tables but they did the absolute best they could!
We also ate in Ji Jis, the asian inspired specialty dining room and Bonsai Sushi Bar-both were fantastic and well worth the extra money.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
My husband used the fitness center every day. He is a strength and conditioning coach and he had no problem with the equipment that was available. Overall, he enjoyed the fitness center and it has everything that the average person would need. It was kept very well organized and clean and there were always staff available for assistance.
We both also used the spa amenities twice a day. We LOVE the spa. While it is not as large as the spa on the Magic we still thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the heated lounge chairs!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Overall, the musicians were very good and we were really impressed with Keith, the piano bar singer. He was the best we have had on any Carnival ship. While the show performances were entertaining and the dancing was good, some of the show singers were not very good. However, it did not really take away from our enjoyment. We are not going on Carnival ships and expecting Broadway quality shows.
Children's Programs
We did not have any children on the boat
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I could not be more impressed with the service we received from our cabin steward or wait staff in the MDR. I did feel that the servers on deck were a little slow but probably because we were not ordering alcohol, only sodas. They were still very friendly and helpful, just not that quick.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Sunshine was very clean, everywhere. There are signs of wear and tear but they do a very good job of maintaining the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We LOVED our Cloud 9 Spa Balcony! Such a pretty room with a larger balcony and so close to the spa. Love being able to walk back and forth to the spa and the lovely robes they provide.
Ship tip
Take the time to explore the ship and learn your way around. There are plenty of really great places on the ship to rest and relax.
The port itself is nice but the island is very small with not much to do other than to see the light house. The water was very calm and clear and the beach was clean, we enjoyed swimming and relaxing but no need to go back.
The port is ok, nothing special but the island is beautiful! The scenery, the hills, the views from the water are just gorgeous! We took an excursion through Carnival and it was a small group of just 12, it was perfect! Two people each shared a small speedboat that was easy to drive and our guides took us around part of the island-the views from the water were amazing and so worth the splurge! We then were take to Shitten Bay where we snorkeled for about an hour. While the water is not as clear as we are used to and the sea life not as abundant, we still LOVED it! Our guides were great, the group was small, we had plenty of time to drive the boats and snorkel at our leisure. We will do this again!
Old San Juan is such a cool little city with a lot to see! We wished we had more time at this port but had a great time exploring the old fort and walking the city streets. We hired a cab driver to drive four of us around and give us a quick tour of old town and new town-he showed us some of the hurricane damage but most of it in old town had already been cleaned up. Can't wait to go back and see more of the island.
The port itself is beautiful with a really nice pool. My husband took an excursion to the waterfalls and loved it! I went to the Serenity VIP resort-our guides were excellent and did treat us like VIPs. Loved everything about it except the water in Amber Cove is not clear, pretty cloudy and there is a lot of debris that washes up on shore.
There's no comparing the Sunshine Destiny class to Magic Dream class which is bigger and better... no way!
The refit Destiny turned into the Sunshine in 2013... they put too much into her cramming venues... no club.. at night the forward show theatre transforms into a club 😜
Small comedy show room...
Decks don't flow to MDR without going up and down...
Dream class is sooo much better.
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