Charleston, Yes. Sunshine, No.

Item: Carnival Sunshine
Rating: 3
Author: JMNC2019

Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review

JMNC2019

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 58

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

5 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 03, 2020

Ship: Carnival Sunshine

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9209

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Would sail from Port of Charleston again, but NEVER again on Sunshine or with an itinerary dependent upon Half Moon Cay or Princess Cays.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

While the port of Charleston leaves a lot to be desired in the aesthetics department, it makes up for it in efficiency. We parked the car at port parking around 11, dropped our luggage, shuttled to port, checked in and were on the ship by 11:30. Again, not as “pretty” or well-marked as other ports, but was my best embarkation experience to date. Disembarkation was equally satisfactory.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Overall, the Sunshine conversion from Destiny is a bust. Sure, the new aesthetic is more modern and fresh. However, the removal of public space and addition of guest cabins can be immediately noticed in all dining venues. The staff seem to struggle to keep up with the immense crowds, seating is scarce, and lines back up into doorways and walkways frequently. Sea day Brunch took 1.5 hours to come to the table after being seated. We are among the first tables seated (party of 4) and large parties seated a half hour after us received their food, ate, and left before we had ever received our food. When we did finally receive our food, the order was all wrong.

Bonsai Sushi

4 out of 5

Very small venue on the Mezzanine deck with maybe 4 tables plus a few seats at the actual sushi bar. The service was probably the best we received throughout the cruise, most likely due to the small number of diners. We had the Sushi boat for two, which comes with 2 rolls, 6 pieces of sushi, a salad and miso soup. Everything was delicious, fairly-priced, and beautifully-plated. The only thing I left one star off for is a lack of variety in sushi rolls.

Cucina Del Capitano

1 out of 5

This is also, like JiJi Asian Kitchen, just partitioned off from the Havana Bar. Nothing about it feels exclusive, nor would I pay for anything here. We had lunch here for the pasta as we have on other ships. At other ships’ Cucina Del Capitano, you sit at a table, are greeted, your order is taken, and food brought to you. On Sunshine, you fill out your pasta order, they hand you a buzzer, and you have to go pickup the food at the bar when it’s ready. The pasta is okay, it‘s just like eating in a more cramped, chaotic section of the lido buffet.

JiJi Asian Kitchen

1 out of 5

This is a curtain separating you from the Havana Bar. Feels cramped, cheap, and thrown together.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Nothing too exciting here. The weather wasn’t really suitable for swimming, the hot tubs are always lukewarm on Carnival. Lots of trying to sell overpriced Bingo Cards and Spa Treatments as usual. Karaoke at odd times. DJ/dancing in the comedy club Limelight Lounge, and Comedians performing in the main show lounge/nightclub Liquid Lounge. Also odd.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

The Liquid Lounge wasn’t open as a nightclub, it was used for the comedians. Then they put a DJ in the small and awkward comedy lounge. Don’t get me wrong, I despise the liquid lounge nightclub and prefer the original nightclubs, and the comedians DO need more seating, but this was just backwards. The shows were Studio VIP, which I enjoyed, Latin Nights, which I enjoyed as well, and Epic Rock, which felt very pedestrian and cheesy. Overall, this show cast had some of the worst singers I’ve ever heard on Carnival and based on the looks on others’ faces, I’m not the only one who thought this. The couple singing in the atrium were excellent.

Liquid Lounge

1 out of 5

Probably my personal least favorite part of this ship. When converting to Sunshine, Carnival increased the passenger capacity and cut the size of the show lounge in HALF. Lines backed up into the atrium before doors opened, and even though I was there before doors opened, it was still difficult to find a seat. The first two shows I was in the very back top row, and the last show I was standing.

Sunshine Atrium

5 out of 5

Atrium is beautiful.

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship Design 2/10 - The re-fit of this ship is just extremely disappointing. I’d take the Destiny back over Sunshine anyday Cleanliness 9/10 - Crew we’re CONSTANTLY cleaning and scrubbing, and polishing. Took off one star as there is some noticeable visible wear showing on carpets, walls, etc that could use some attention.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Size, location, and cleanliness were all adequate and satisfactory. Shelf in closet was broken.

Ship tip

I would not sail Sunshine again. Even if it were free, I would opt to pay for an alternate ship. I would not recommend this ship to anyone unless they live within 20 miles of its port, get an extremely cheap price, and do not mind excessive overcrowding. Worst passenger-to-crew/space ratio of any ship.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Nassau is a good first-time cruiser’s destination, however, it’s highly commercialized, overpriced, and crowded. Much better destinations out there that are worth paying a few dollars more for.

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Charleston, South Carolina

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Seamless. Walked right off, down the gangway, collected luggage, through customs, and shuttled back to our car. From the cruise atrium to our car was around 10 minutes. Fastest disembarkation to date.

Traveler Photos

Calm waters at Princess Cays but "unsafe to tender"

12 Comments

Fiesta83 4 years ago

Better luck next cruise

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jstone73 4 years ago

Was there a refrigerator in the cabin?

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bobduck1993 4 years ago

JMNC2019, Thank you,I do hope that I will enjoy the cruise as there will be 19 of us together adult children and grand children. We have never all been together on a cruise,ages 73 to 9 yrs, 8 are first me cruisers!

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sunshine220 4 years ago

Yes the layout on this ship is funky but we have been on 7 cruises and this was one of our favorites. We had issues our first night in the mdr we were on a couples cruise kid free for the first time and they put us right next to two huge families and the kitchen door we were asked to be moved for the next night and they did and it was great and service great. Im sure there will always be a better ship out there but the sunshine is the best carnival ship on the east coast and way better then the fantasy class ships that are to the south of it. Sorry you didnt like it butbitvwas one if our favorite trips.

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Sorry for your disappointment

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richntina08 4 years ago

Our port is the easiest to get on n off I think. Yea us locals stay clear of the Sunshine. We did it last year and was not impressed at all. Couldn't even get in the pools but the entertainment made up for it. Doing the Breeze this yr.

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jgfan24 4 years ago

We will be going in 69 days. I hope our trip from the port to the ship and back is as good as yours, and I surely hope the ship is better than what you described.

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Cruiserike0322 4 years ago

So far, we are cool with Carnival

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JMNC2019 4 years ago

@bobduck1993 I hope you enjoy yourself. If you sailed Destiny, you will notice the differences I mentioned. It was just very hectic and crowded, which is odd considering that there were very few children on board. I was basically left feeling duped by Carnival by the time the cruise was over.

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rejeep 4 years ago

In December we had dinner at the Italian restaurant. We were seated, the waiter took our order. For us the food was very good. We tried to have lunch, but gave up because of the wait. Overall we enjoyed the Sunshine, sorry you had a bad experience.

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mykola96 4 years ago

I would have to agree with you. I’ve been on Royal Caribbean several times and this was my first time on Carnival. Singers had no talent and felt like a high school musical production. Food was mediocre, extremely crowded and the overall atmosphere left a lot to be desired for. The ship had normal wear and tear and it was good to see them cleaning all the time. This is my personal opinion as I’m relating my prior cruise experiences to Royal Caribbean. I will be trying out different Carnival cruise ships in the next few months and can’t wait to experience their newer and bigger ships.

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bobduck1993 4 years ago

So sorry that you did not enjoy yourself on the ship as it is now , I will be trying it for the first time since Destiny in August!I hope my experience will be more positive!

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Other reviews of this sailing

This was our best cruise so far. Loved the setup of the boat so much better than the others we have been on. The steakhouse was EXCELLENT! Ryan at the casino bar was great. Loved the fact that our room had a fridge. Buffet was subpar.

Carnival Sunshine from Charlston

Easy, quick getaway!