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Item: Carnival Sunshine
Rating: 4.7
Author: MamaKey

Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

MamaKey

Contributor Level: Cruise Director

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 9

Helpful Votes: 299

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

5 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 15, 2018

Ship: Carnival Sunshine

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2210

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

This was my first cruise since 2011 and I loved every minute of it. I met a lot of cool people on this trip and would definitely travel like this again. There were no issues that the crew couldn't fix for our group asides from the speed of the internet. I would definitely travel on the Carnival Sunshine again and with Carnival Cruise Line!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Waiting to board is probably the most frustrating part of cruising but it wasn't bad. Make sure you arrive during your scheduled arrival time to minimize your waiting. they go relatively quickly through calling each zone to board. Despite the large amount of people the line was never stationary for an extended period of time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The buffet food was very good! There were different options to satisfy pretty much anyone. Depending on what time you went there were long lines to get food but if you just waited it out and came back you could get your food without any problems. The lemonade on the ship wasn't sweet to me but there was always sugar right next to the beverages to fix that. I didn't get a chance to try any specialty restaurants out or the main dining rooms because I always napped through my dining times lOl. Pizzaria never disappointed! Only thing is after the club let out there was always a long line to get pizza.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

Now I had been thinking about Guy's Burgers since I booked this cruise. they never disappointed and I tried the pig patty for the first time and I loved it! Will definitely be trying the different burgers on my future cruises.

Limelight Lounge

4 out of 5

This lounge was always packed for the comedy shows so make sure you get there early if you want good seats. Also, the Punchliner drink was VERY good and I highly recommend it in the pitcher for a group of 2-4.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

There is always something to do on this shiip. Granted I felt as though the pools were too small (both the pool on the lido deck and the serenity deck) for the amount of people on board. The gym was nice, hard to find the first time I went though but it has the basic equipment to do a decent workout.

Hot Tubs

4 out of 5

The temperature of the water was great! The ones not on the serenity deck were in the perfect spot to enjoy the dive in movies but when not on the serenity deck you will have children swimming in the hot tub as if it is the pool. So if you want to actually relax in the hot tub I suggest the one on the Serenity Deck

Sportsquare

4 out of 5

Did not find this section until the last day but I did enjoy playing up there. Drunk Twister on the ship went a lot better than it sounds like it should lOl.

Fitness Studio

4 out of 5

Despite being difficult for me to find (granted I'm not the best with directions) I did enjoy the fitness area once I got there. It is a bit small but it has pretty much all you need to work any part of your body. I love that the treadmills have a TV option to get you through your cardio.

The Fun Shops

5 out of 5

If you forget anything I'm pretty sure they will have it and I do mean anything lOl.

Serenity

5 out of 5

Great way to get away from kids and relax. Also took some amazing pictures of the sunset from this deck

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Liquid Lounge

5 out of 5

When I tell you this was the place to be from 11pm until 2:30-3:00am I'm not exaggerating! We always talked about going here at night for the club because of DJ Devine! Plus me and my best friend were always turning up in there lOl. This lounge was also a lot larger for when they had comedy shows so it was easier to get seats.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The staff did a great job taking care of everything. You never waited too long without someone greeting you and asking if you needed anything, especially on the Lido deck.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The ship was clean for the most part. They were always cleaning something, especially on the Lido deck. There was only one time I had to request that my sheets were changed because there was some kind of stain on it. But of course it was fixed right away and there was no issue after that.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Learn the layout of the ship early on to prevent getting lost. The Sunshine is a very large ship and I spent a lot of time walking around lost because I got turned around on the ship. Granted it was great for my step count but it did get frustrating sometimes trying to locate certain places.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

4 out of 5

I really enjoyed this port. We took a tour and saw a lot of cool places and took some amazing pictures. Our tour guide Pedro was very informative and always made sure we had everyone before completely leaving a site. Also, fun fact, the wifi on the tour bus is WAY better than the wifi on the ship :)

Thumbs Up 7

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5

I loved this port! Despite the influx of seaweed in the water it was still beautiful. The beach is right there when you exit the ship and there are also people there to book excursions if you decide to do one later. Margaritaville was a great time for us as well! The DJ kept everyone dancing and helped orchestrate the longest congo line I've ever seen. The drinks were about the same price as on the ship and just strong. The food was pretty good too.

Thumbs Up 11

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

8 Comments

Itspeace4me 1 year ago

Thank you for sharing.

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Thanks for the review.

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MJPMJPS 6 years ago

Nov 10

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GiantRay 6 years ago

Dec 22 👍🏻👍🏻

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Mydogluke 6 years ago

Love the Sundhine

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andreakim 6 years ago

I've been on 6 Carnival cruises and 1 with Princess. The Sunshine was/is by far my favorite ship! I'm cruising on the Vista in September and can't wait!

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joycek 6 years ago

Lovely review and thank you for posting. We are going on her to Cuba but not for another year and a half! Already starting the countdown.

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meannie 6 years ago

I am glad to hear that you had a wonderful time. I Love Carnival & next year will be my first time on the Sunshine. I am so ready to be on that beautiful ship.

Thumbs Up 3

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great Trip!

Very crowded , out side deck 5 was the the place I liked best.

First cruise as a family