Carnival never fails to deliver a great party experience, and the Sunshine is no exception.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Much faster than our first cruise, which was out of Ft. Lauderdale, where we waited an hour or more to board. This was a matter of a few minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
For all the talk about Carnival being a low-budget cruise, the food is excellent. We only ate in the main dining room and buffet, but all were very good.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
In the usual Carnival style, TONS of activities to choose from! I'm a trivia addict, and there are several to choose from each day.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The onboard performers were outstanding, heads above our first Carnival cruise where the entertainment was just mediocre. Don't miss the beginning of the cruise show. These folks were amazing in their singing, and the visual effects were out of this world!
Children's Programs
No kids!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Very friendly staff.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
I have to say, the ship itself was very nice, but there was a pervasive odor throughout the ship that smelled like a combination of urine and body odor. Not everywhere, but it was enough that we noticed it in various places. Kinda gross.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We always love having a balcony, and this one was very nice. The bed was wonderful, and the rocking helped us sleep like babies.
Ship tip
Carnival has a great lineup of activities, and I've only half-jokingly referred to it as Spring Break for Adults. If you like lots of activites in a party-like atmosphere, Carnival is the one for you. A fair number of kids (even in October, which is when we cruised), but also a healthy dose of seniors complete the mix.
We did the horse carriage tour of the Historical district of Charleston the morning before the cruise, and it was wonderful! We learned lots, plus our guide was wonderful. He kept things animated and very interesting.
I did the bike tour of the island, which was very good and led by two great guides. My only complaint was it wasn't a very long ride - a mile at most. We did get to see some interesting sights, like an old (17th century) church and some nice scenery.
We did the 5 hour tour of the whole island, which was very interesting, along with a ride out to the reef on a glass-bottom boat, at night! We got to see a ton of fish, plus an old ship wreck from the 1800's. Highly recommend, if you don't mind a little creepiness, especially riding out to the reef in almost total darkness.
We got in around 4pm (after an 8 hour delay at sea, due to a medical emergency), but then didn't get off the ship until after 6:30pm. No idea what the hold up was, but it was got a little old.
Only ate in buffet and MDR? WOW! Sunshine has so many dining options. Ji Ji’s Asian kitchen, capitano Italian, Havana bar is my favorite place to be. Steakhouse is to die for. Sorry you missed all of these. Love the Sunshine and Carnival and Bermuda.
We will be boarding December 28th and I'm hoping that it's as fast as it was the last time I cruised out of this port. Off the shuttle, in the terminal, checked in and on the Lido deck within minutes!
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