Carnival Sunshine Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Prior to this cruise, my husband and I were ready to forever write off Carnival as an option for us.  The past two cruises were sub-par;  terrible food, overworked and unhappy staff,  classless guests (someone actually gang-tagged the hallways) and safety concerns.  (Re:  Safety Concerns- There was a major fire in the room across from ours and the staff, in an effort to keep things hush-hush, didn't notify us or any of the other cabins. Instead, they closed us in with the fire containment doors and when I approached Guest Services, they claimed they knew nothing. The Officer I spoke with told me it was no big deal, yet I saw the flames coming out of the room and witnessed them discretely stripping the room down to the bare walls.)

We booked the Sunshine with significant reservations (no pun intended) but it was a great deal for a great itenerary- a balcony room for an eight-night Southern Caribbean cruise for $700 a person- so we decided we would give Carnival one more chance.  We thoroughly loved it and would go again right now, if we could.

The new, understated decor is much needed and much appreciated.  Good riddance to that garish, purple, yellow, teal and orange palette and the decor that looked like it had been dreamed up by Liberace on acid.

The food was the best we've had on any cruise ship or cruise line.  Guy's Burgers were wonderful, as were the buffets and main dining selections.  I never had one thing I didn't like, and I am picky, picky, picky when it comes to good food!  The only negative was the wait time for anytime dining.  Waits were usually 30-40 minutes, however they gave us beepers and had us wait in the lounge by the tasting bar, so it really wasn't all that bad.

Many people commented on the ship being "chopped up", but we loved the smaller, more intimate spaces.  It gave people more options as to where and how they spent their time.  Unlike the older ship layouts, with those giant lounges that were only used once or twice for art auctions, or Friends of Bill W., guests were USING the spaces.  Scratch that- they were ENJOYING the spaces!  All the little bars and pubs and smaller lounges were always nearly full!  People seemed to be having a lot more fun on this ship.  

As for the entertainment, at any given time there were plenty of options for guests of all ages and preferences.  Karaoke, a comedy show, a family game show, the musical performances, trivia, and more.  Karaoke was packed, with no shortage of singers- many of whom were quite good- but everyone was enjoying themselves.  The two comedians I saw were both very funny and I regret that I didn't get the chance to see the heavy-set lady from SC again.  The family gameshow was cute and all ages seemed to really enjoy it- we did!  This ship seems to focus on guests being the show or a big part of the show, instead of the passive, Broadway musical-type performances.  Be aware that the singing/dancing shows are decidedly smaller and simpler.   There was only five or six performers, and they are second-rate talent. High schoolers could do a better job, but bless their hearts, they tried.

The Serinity decks are fabulous and very popular! Comfy, padded lounges and no screaming kids or hairy chest contests.  (In fact I didn't see any of those rediculous, pool-side games on this cruise.)  The pool is small, but it had a waterfall and sun-shelf around the perimeter, so you could lay in the water while working on your tan.  The capacity for the adult pool is only 17 people, but I counted over 40 at one time, so obviously, they need to make it bigger on future ships.

We loved this cruise.  It felt more personal and intimate than any other Carnival cruise we've been on.  More importantly, it felt more sophisticated and classy, and Carnival needed to be classed-up a little.

Carnival, you're moving in the right direction.  You have redeemed yourselves.  Please keep up the great work!

The  room was fine, we had a window and  this gave us a nice view of some very pretty ports. The any time dinning was a hassle especially  the first night , and every night going to the 5th floor then getting a table # and down to the 3third. floor .  The dinning room dress code was never followered  baseball hats on men  and  women, short shorts, and flip flops  even on dress night.  The shows were less then desirable. The staff was very nice , and we enjoyed the dininng room staff dancing and singing. Our rooms  were cleaned and sparkling every day.

I will never vacation any other way than on a ship from now on. I loved the process. I loved the attention I got. I loved the food. I loved the shows. I loved my stateroom. I really loved falling asleep watching the ship channels after a great pampered meal and waking up in a new place everyday! 

I bought a great new Invicta Watch duty free which I love. I met some great people and saw some people I knew from work on my ship too. I am an introvert by nature. I do not really care to get too involved but the ship allowed me to relax at my own pace and choose how involved I wanted to be.

Guest services helped me solve some minor dining issues which made me very happy. The crew were mostly from many unknown parts of the world but were so sweet to me. This one little Chinese girl that checked me into dinner always called me "Sir William". I liked that! So much that I signed all my tickets that way from then on. LOL!  

I could pick apart some weak areas because ships are not perfect. However the benefits to me were far greater than any little picky details.

Biggest downer...having to leave! I made sure I was the absolute last passenger off the Sunshine. They almost had to kick me off. I actually teared up a little as I disembarked.

PS. Some people did not like the layout of the new Sunshine/Destiny. However..I loved the fact that I had to walk around a lot up and down to get places. It was challenging. Then considering all the Guy's Burgers, Pizza and three course meals...I took the stairs...A LOT! Haha!

Great excersise.   

This was the first time we had a balcony room....we so enjoyed it.  Nice to go down and get that first cup of coffee and come back and sit outside your room and breathe in the sights and sounds.  Also, fun to watch ship come and go to and from ports from the balcony.  Only thing we didn't like were the travelers next balcony to us who were smokers...flipping of ashes and blow right to you...ugh!!

Also, with all the great movies that were shown in the evening pool side....we did not attend due to the fact that I am hearing impared and it would be nice if they would have CC (closed captioned) to all movies...not only help those with hearing issues but even those who don't...with all the extra noise going around...would be nice not to miss any of the dialogue.   A BIG plus to add CC.  

The dining was just perfect...only one night we asked for different seating and were told not allowed??  Rest of the dining seats were provided as asked....food sooo good and presentation is always nice. 

We were really enjoying our balcony on the 10th deck of the Carnival Sunshinein on our third day@ 7 am we had to evacuate our cabin due to a water leak in the ceiling, They put us on the 2nd. deck for the duration of the cruise and reimbursed us $319

As firrst time cruisers, we were impressed with the overall cruise. Stateroom was lovely, dining extrordinary, shows fabulous.  Not sure if it was us but ship layout a little confusing and very congested. Overall very pleasurable experience.

We expected better service in some areas of the ship.  The dining room service was bad enough that we did not return for any other meals.  The service level of the stateroom attendants was exceptional, as were most of the bartenders.  The food areas were very sparadioc in the level of friendliness and cleanliness.  We felt like that compared to most of our other cruises this was not the level of service you would expect or want.  Overall the cruise was fun and entertaining, good port of calls and beatuifull weather.  The cruise director and her staff were full of energy and made many of the events very entertaining.  The ship has so many new areas, that it seems a bit overcrowded in some of the venues.  If you want to see a comedy show be prepared to arrive 30 to 45 minutes early, or the venue is filled. The best part of the cruise was the speciality restaurants, great food and great service.  We would recommend you book these as soon as possible to ensure you have an opportunity to enjoy them.

Actual rating 2 1/2 Stars - Staring with the good: - itinerary, punctuality or port arrival excellent - Ports visited and tours etc. very good. Ships captain and officers excellent - high visibility and ver professional. The ship after re-modelling is very good in all apsects.

Not so good:- Dining room meals (dinner) for the first three nights food mediocre - service friendly but efficiency 50/50. Bought the 5  bottle wine package ($200 incl additional tip) - First two good, next three  nights was offered a cheper wine selection but insisted on original wine list and received something close to it. The dining room (Sunshine Sunset) was less than half full after the first night and more like  one third after the second night. Appeared to be a plan to encourage / coerce passengers to pay extra for the four feature restaurants which I was tempted to do but resisted on principle. I have cruised almost 30 times on many cruise ships and watched the standars slip over time, particularly on Carnival. Next time, if I consider Carnival, I will add the cost of teh special restaurant food into my evaluation before choosing.

There is supposed to be a dress code in the main dining rooms for dinner which is totally ignorde by the restaurant staff.

The buffet restaurant was reasonable as far as food quality and quantity goes and about half of teh staff good. The remainder are either over worked or have littel or no work ethic, and appear to be avoiding their choice whilst more enthusiastic do their work for the. On one occasion a child had spilled  it's breakfast on teh floor. This went totally ignored by the restaurant staff including a female supervisor who walked right over it twice. I pointed this out to one waiter (who was collecting dirty dishes (one at a time) whi did nothing. Some 10 minutes later another passenger pointed it out to another waiter who after a few attempts was able to get a lady to clean it up. She did this by using a small broom and pressing the remaider into the carpet with her foot.

As an experienced cruiser over many years my overall rating is that this was teh  poorest.

I think enough said! 

Everything was Fabulous. Food not so good. Needed more choices, better selection, needs pointers from The Ship Imagination's food. In the buffet area needs seating choice like a balcony in the same area. Other than that the ship and time onboard was AWESOME!!!!!!!!

                                                                                                   Thanks For The Memories,                                                                                                                             Mrs.Rosalia Walker

We had an inside stateroom, which was fine.  We spent very little time in it and it served it's purpose.  It felt slightly larger than others I've had in the past.  The room was very quiet and clean.

The food was really good - I'd give it an 8 out of 10. The best meal I had was a chateaubriand steak. The best desert was the chocolatte melting cake, hands down... ordered it every night.  The JiJi Restaurant was definitely worth it. We paid an extra $12 and had the best meal of the week.

Service was also good - I had heard complaints, but was very pleasantly surprised.  We met some truly great staff members over the five days.

The entertainment was better than on the past couple cruises I've been on.  They were much more passionate and looked to really be giving it their all.  The comedian, Tony something was the funniest comedian I've ever seen.  

The amenities were really nice.  The Alchemy Bar serves amazing drinks and has a really nice atmosphere.  The Piano Bar was a blast and we stopped by there for at least an hour every night.  Guys Burgers and Iguana Cantina were so delicious.  The buffet wasn't that great, but no need with the other venues.  Also, it wasn't tough to find deck chairs in the Serenity area, which I was afraid of.  Grab a hammock and a scotch while the sun is setting for a really great experience.

I'd definitely sail the Sunshine again... expecially if I lived in the area and could take advantage of some of the last minute deals.

One last thing... I noticed that people were extremely friendly on this ship.  We made more friends in the five days than on any of my other sailings. I don't know if we just got lucky or if it comes with the friendly atmosphere the ship creates.

Why did Carnival not spend done of the 150 million on cabin frig, relocating some of the cabin doors and resolving some of the plumbing issues with the cabin toilets? Excessive waits in main dining room and food often cold and over /undercooked. The Asian and Italian rest were much better (service and food quality). I would not recommend this ship

Brad

Renovations great, but ship extremely noisy and long lines for food and comic shows.  Serenity deck niclely laid out, but anything but serene.  It overlooked the central Lido area so very, very noisy.  Was surprised only 2 tiny pools, and how early buffet, deli closed forcing you to wait long lines for late snacks.  Room service took o forever with limited menu, and order was never completely correct.  

This was by far the best cruise we have ever been on. From the time we got on the ship til the time we left, everything was great!!  The food was great. The staff was exceptional. The stops where priceless!!

We enjoyed the beautiful ship. The service was great and the ship employs were very nice and helpful.  We were disappointed in the lack of music groups where we could listen to good music and dance. We were on another Carnival cruise in december and again there was no place to have a drink and listen to good music and dance.  There was a production on the last night of the cruise that was so loud that we were unable to stay in the auditorium or within 50 feet of the door. You obviously have decided to cater to the younger cruiser. We still have our hearing. I believe this was cruise number 14 with Carnival and number 42 cruises overall.  We will probably look for cruises on other cruise lines in the future.  We have really enjoyed Carnival in the past and thank you for many memorable trips in the past.

What a fun ship!  From the moment you enter the atrium, to the last minutes picking up your luggage, you will be amazed.  The lay out of the ship takes a little getting used to (going up to get down), but once you realize where you want to be and how to get there, no problem.  The open areas of the ship take away the tunnel feeling of walking the promenade.   Check out the Alchemy and Havana bars.  Neither one to be missed.   The watersports area (ropes course, racing slides, water park, mini golf, twister) are not just for the kids.  Most times, the adults have it all filled!   Serenity is just that.   Serene.   Love the new waterfall pool.     My only want would have been another hot tub or two.  Loved my Sunshine week.

room was a little tite shows filled up vry fast had to be there early to get in casino was good to me food was ok could have been better were times when it was cold really enjoyed the weight room which was for me the best part of the ship kiddies enjoyed the all yuo could eat ice cream very much

Had a great time

Had a great time!  Was fun, staff was excellent.  Room was located on 7th floor midship and near elevator.  Was so easy to get around.  Didn't book any excursions, went touring on our own and due to comments we heard about the long lines, was glad we did.  Activity on ship was good.  Don't recommend the art auction shows, director was really rude due to no one was buying.They offered free art and drawings for attending, which didn't happen.  Recommend early dining, met some great people and new friends.  This is first time on a Carnival cruise and will book again.  I have booked with other lines and this was the most fun!

Nicely decorated & maintained Ship. Great Cruise Director & entertainment staff. Dining was great in the Dining Room. Loved Guys burger Shop, Pizza shop could have more variety. Buffet was pretty good. Taco & Borrito shop was good.  Shows were Fantastic!. Bingo was too Pricey!! Entertainment was Good.  Unlimited Soda ticket was too pricey. Shops  & pricing were Good. All in All good Cruise for the price. Would recommend to friends & Family. Would go again!

Our cavine boy was outstanding.  Had ice twice a day without being asked.  On other cruises have had to practically beg to get this.  \Wait servers were always smiling, ready to answer any questions, and brought extra serving of dishes without making us look like pigs!  Crew members that did not have direct contact with you;, but passed in the hall, always spoke.  Very nice to be acknowledged.

We have been on many cruises before, and the Carnival Sunshine was by a mile our favorite ship!  There was so much to do on board the ship.  The renovation was well worth the expense.  We are looking at booking on the Sunshine again very soon.  Our only complaint (as it has been on all of our Carnival Cruises) was the entertainment.  There is not enough family friendly entertainment on the ship.  We enjoyed the magician, but otherwise, costuming, jokes, and subject material was often inappropriate and offensive to even the adults in our group.  That being said, we were finally on a ship that had plenty of other things to do besides attend the nightly shows.  An awesome trip!