Be prepared for anything during Hurricane season

Item: Carnival Sunshine
Rating: 4.6
Author: mikeliga

Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

mikeliga

Contributor Level: Purser

40 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 65

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

4 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 29, 2019

Ship: Carnival Sunshine

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Be prepared for anything and make the best of whatever happens.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We had faster to the fun and things zipped along. Prepay parking on the port of Charleston website and you will park much quicker.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The only specialty restaurant we ate at was the sushi restaurant and it was outstanding and a very good value. Dinner in the MDR was very good but count on an hour to an hour and a half to eat. We ate there all four nights and really did not have a bad meal. Sea Day brunch is amazing. Try the steak and eggs or the 12 hour French toast. Embarkation day, don't go to the lido deck to eat but go to deck 5 ocean plaza for a small but very good BBQ buffet. It is quiet and not crowded and the food is very good. I am not a big buffet fan and did not eat there but when I went up for pizza (very good) or a deli sandwich (also good) the buffet area can get very crowded. Go to the aft of the ship right behind the buffet and sit in the Havana Bar area. Much less crowded. This area also has the Italian and Asian specialty restaurants that serve lunches with no extra charge.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

The pool was on the small side and crowded. The Serenity Deck was amazing and large for an adults only area but the biggest problem were the chair hogs that put towels out early but didn't return for hours. The water slides were good and there were plenty of outdoor activities to keep us entertained.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The comedy club was very entertaining. Just be aware that the venue is on the small side and to get there early. I found the musicians very good. The piano bar great even though there was a bachelorette party in there that appeared to have had a bit much to drink and insisted on singing karaoke for every song. The stage shows and performers were above 5 stars. Our cruise had an itinerary change for Princess Cays to Key West because of Hurricane Dorian and part way to Key West, the captain decided that we might be able to get to Key West but the return was questionable so we turned around and had an additional sea day. The cruise director, Adam, and the performers put together additional shows to keep everyone entertained and they were fantastic considering the limited time they had to rehearse.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The stewards were tops. Our room was cleaned every day and they knew my wife's and my name as soon as we met. I asked for ice in our room and it was there every day after the first request. The mdr staff were attentive and service was very good. I can't say enough about the Captain and Cruise director. With all the itinerary changes they went out of their way to keep the passengers informed with announcements and presentations. Carnival also was very fair compensating the passengers for being a cruise to nowhere.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The layout of the ship can be a bit confusing but pick up a map at guest services and go explore. Be patient. think of it as an adventure and you will soon get the hang of it. The Sunshine has a lot to offer in the way of venues and dining. The ship was very clean and well maintained. It is an older ship but still a lot of fun.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Good size very comfortable. The stewards did a geart job on keeping it clean.

Ship tip

Do some research, be patient, treat the staff with respect and enjoy. Your on vacation and you can't let the small things get to you. The bahamas got torn up, we just had to skip a port but we were still on a cruise enjoying ourselves.

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Very quick but we learned that we have to mark our bags with something distinctive because we almost had a mixup between picking them up and getting to the car.