FUN FUN FUN! Not sure why it isn’t letting me rate our ports but both were great. In curaçao we took a taxi to Mambo Beach, it was very clean and safe. In Aruba we did the De Palm Island beach excursion, five stars. Wish I could leave a full review.

Item: Carnival Sunshine
Rating: 4.8
Author: KurryandTyler

Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review

KurryandTyler

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 107

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

8 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 31, 2021

Ship: Carnival Sunshine

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9155

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

This was my boyfriends first cruise, he’s addicted.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

We waited quite a long time to get on the ship, I’m not sure what the hold up was but the ship wasn’t even at the cruise terminal when our check-in time came around. But once they started boarding the ship, things moved quickly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Not a single complaint about the food or the drinks. Everything was amazing except one dish in the MDR that I didn’t like but that was a personal preference. Nothing wrong with the food. Also, PLEASE try Jiji’s. Best food on the ship!

JiJi Asian Kitchen

5 out of 5

The food, service, and vibe of this restaurant was amazing. We weren’t sure what to expect but we did not expect the very large portions that we got with each dish. There was so much food that we couldn’t finish it all and that was unfortunate because it all tasted so good! For $15pp it was well worth the money.

RedFrog Pub

5 out of 5

On past cruises this has always been packed but even with all of the events in the ocean plaza right next door, I never saw more than 4 or 5 people in the pup for the entire cruise. Which was fine with us because we could play shuffleboard anytime we wanted. The drinks were good, the service was unusually slow with just a few people there.

Bonsai Sushi

5 out of 5

The food was amazing, the service was amazing, and because of its location it’s a very quiet spot to have a relaxed lunch or dinner without a crowd.

BlueIguana Cantina

5 out of 5

Tried the tacos and burritos. All tasted great.

Sunset Dining Room

5 out of 5

Great food, ate here every night for dinner and after the first night we always asked for Oscar because he was the BEST server!

Lido Marketplace

5 out of 5

We only tried the buffet a couple times but we had no complaints.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

Delicious! The burgers are amazing and the fries are even more amazing.

Alchemy Bar

5 out of 5

Amazing drink selections that you’ve never heard of before. We just wished the bar opened earlier.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Everything we took part in was a lot of fun…only reason for 4 stars is because it seemed like the list of activities was a lot shorter than past cruises I’ve been on. Most of it was shopping stuff and sales on this or that. We tried trivia a lot and I hoped to win a ship on a stick but there was a group of 7 who were on their second week of a back-to-back. They knew every answer and were at every single trivia. I never saw them lose, they had about 30 ships on a stick and nobody else could win. No fault of Carnival, we thought it was pretty rude of the group though. The pool in the serenity area is nice and the serenity area itself is the largest I’ve ever seen. Loved it.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Only one actual stage show with the cast. The rest of the nightly shows in the main auditorium were comedians, magicians, jugglers, etc…it was all very good. The comedians were hilarious. One of the comedians was an actor from Breaking Bad which is one of our favorite shows so that was very cool to see.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Oscar in the MDR was great! Nicholas our room steward didn’t talk much but he kept our room clean and we appreciated him very much. Staff who we didn’t even remember encountering knew our names and asked how we were doing.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The layout of the ship was fine. The cleanliness was great, there were always people cleaning. The quality of the ship was not great though. We had engine problems which caused us to miss a port. One elevator wasn’t working. The handle on our water faucet in the bathroom just popped right off one day. On the last day of our cruise you could smell sewage coming from our bathroom. I heard multiple reports of peoples toilets backing up. Honestly though we were just happy to be cruising. None of that took away from our trip, even the missed port wasn’t a big deal to us.

Ship tip

I would pick a newer ship. But if you’re going on the Sunshine, book a balcony and ask for Oscar in the aft MDR. Don’t forget to check in for dining. Try the rare finds on the menu. HAVE FUN!

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Quick and easy, we carried our bags off and got an Uber to the airport.

Traveler Photos

Aruba. De Palm Island Beach excursion. Five stars.

9 Comments

GalenB 2 years ago

The Sushine was my 1st and 3rd cruise, and now I'm looking forward to my 4th cruise on the Mardi Gras on April 23rd. My favorite kind of vacation now. Sunshine is easy for me, and I'm sure I'll sail her again because I live in the Charleston area. Welcome to the cruise addiction!

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

PiratesWorld 2 years ago

Thanks for the info

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

CVCruiser 2 years ago

Welcpme to the cruise family addiction!! 😁

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

izrgreen 2 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

javawoody 2 years ago

Appreciate your review and sharing your experience

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Curt34 2 years ago

Glad you had a great cruise. Thanks for the review.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you have converted your boyfriend into a cruise addict like many of us. Happy to hear you enjoyed your cruise.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

cruising2004 2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience. Tell your boyfriend, welcome to the cruising family!

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Issues

Awful, horrible Port of Miami