Carnival Sunshine Cruise Reviews - Reviews

It was our first cruise. Had a good time. Wish kids pool was bigger and the water rides and skycourse was open longer. Food was great. Service was excellent. 

This was not my first cruise, however, it was my first and last on the Carnival Sunshine. Perhaps on a Carnival boat altogether.  The food was subpar. The only food that was digestible was found in the main dining room, but if you wanted the cuisine you come to expect from a cruise, be prepared to pay an additional $20.00 per plate per person.  Risotto and scallops?  One tablespoon risotto that was "crisp" with 3 small scallops was an appetizer. The Guy's burger bar is where we ate when too early or late for dining. The wait staff were wonderful as were the majority of staff. Beware of the casino. We were charged on our sail and sign card $10.00 for every machine we went to even though we played with cash.  I heard from others after we docked that it happened to them as well and they found the explanation they were given equally plausible as we did. The "sales guy" who tells you where the best bargains are is a flat out liar.  The best buys were clearly at Freeport and not Nassau as he indicated.  Overall, we were very disappointed, and nobody from the cruise line at guest services cared.

Favorite part of the Cruise was getting away from the kids, the chores, cooking & cleaning..., and of course the Casino!!

  Too bad the wifi was so horrendous..., as a real estate agent, I had to use the inport time to catch up/follow up with clients..., eventhough we paid for the premier wifi package, I was unable to send or receive email..., on a lighter note, my wife was able to use facebook.

  We were also unable to get the Carnival Hub to work..., so when my wife and I were apart, we were really apart..., and had to leave notes in the room for one another...

  But it was a great room with a view!!

  We can't wait to take another cruise though, and next time we'll be smarter about it!!

All the best, Glen

Enjoyed the cruise and appreciated that I could drive to and from the ship.   Older ship but clean and somewhat updated.    Friendly staff . 

Only part i wasn't happy about was Nassau on Sunday.  We had been in this port in the past so decided not to do any excursions but just walk around the shops.   Because it was Sunday most shops were closed or if opened closed early 4:00 PM .    Made the day on shore somewhat a waste of time.   

When we had trouble with our dining times, the head waiter saw to it that we had a great table at 6:00 dining.  He checked on us each evening and really cared about us.  Melissa - the hostess in charge of our dining room was wonderful, caring and talked to us each evening.  Really was sincere about our dining experience.  

Casino - The machines were confusing with so many buttons to get your money transferred over. Not user friendly at all.  Smoking was allowed throughout the Casino.  There should be a special Smoking area for those patrons.  We had to keep moving to get away from the smoke.  

Overall - we had a great time and would definitely take another cruise in the near future.  Your staff works hard to please so many people.  We like the different programs that you had to offer especially the Military Appreciation.  

The food was great and such a variety from breakfast to bed time snacks.  The drinks were good and available.  

Great Experience!!!

THIS WAS OUR FIRST EVER CRUISE.  EVENING DINING WAS ENJOYABLE.  FOOD COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.  STAFF WAS EXCELLENT (AMITH, EMMANUEL OSORIO, EDUARDO, RYAN BAISAS, KETRA AND MELISSA).  COULDN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THESE FOLKS.  CRUISE DIRECTOR, EMMA NIXON WAS SPECTACULAR.  PLENTY OF FOOD ON LIDO DECK, HOWEVER, WE NOTICED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS CHILDREN AND ADULTS WOULD ENTER DINING AREA WITH NO SHIRTS OR SHOES TO EAT AND NO STAFF WOULD CONFRONT THEM.  ALSO NOTICED SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS "SAGGING" (PANTS BELOW THEIR BUTTOCKS) IN THE LIDO DINING AREA & AROUND THE SHIP.  BOTH OF THESE HABITS ARE DISGUSTING IN OUR WORLD.  WE EXPECTED CRAB LEGS AND WAS DISAPPOINTED THERE WEREN'T ANY.  LOBSTER TAIL "UP CHARGE" AT EVENING DINING WAS A TURN-OFF.  GETTING ON THE SHIP AND GETTING OFF THE SHIP WAS QUITE THE EXPERIENCE.  LONG LINES.  LOTS OF CONFUSION AT THE TERMINAL IN NORFOLK WITH THE CARNIVAL STAFF.  SEEMED VERY DISORGANIZED.  THE SHOWS WERE GREAT.  THE TRIBUTE TO VETERANS WITH EMMA NIXON WAS EXCEPTIONAL.  THE HOST FOR THE JEWELRY SHOW WAS A LITTLE "OVER THE TOP".  WE FELT LIKE WE WERE SITTING IN AN AUDITORIUM LISTENING TO A "HIGH PITCH" SALE FOR A TIMESHARE.  THE EVENING WAIT STAFF GETS A 5-STAR RATING AS DOES EMMA NIXON, THE CRUISE DIRECTOR.  CARNIVAL REALLY NEEDS TO DO A BETTER JOB OF HAVING PEOPLE EATING IN THE VENUES TO WEAR A SHIRT AND SHOES AND TO KEEP THEIR PANTS ABOVE THEIR BUTTOCKS (I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO EVEN MENTION THIS.  SELF-RESPECT COMES NATURAL TO US).  OVERALL WE WOULD RATE OUR 1ST EVER CRUISE 2.5 STARS.

My favorite part was hanging out on Lido Deck, there was always enough chair where you can relax or be entertained. My cabin was also wonderful, it was always cleaned on time and I loved the turning down at bed time. The food was wonderful and there was a large variety for every taste. There was plenty of activity and the entertainment and shows was great.The only thing that needs improvement is getting the wheelchair assistant passengers on and off, my mom was one of those passengers and it was very time consuming. Not only would I recommend, I'm going on this ship again myself...loved it loved it highly recommend.

 best cruise dream vacation in the upstate. I would recommend everyone to use this company to plan your cruise. Great professional services. Please inform others about dream Vacations because its a great deal. 

We enjoyed seeing the 5 different ports and the various shows at night. Suggestions for improvements-more food selections and better / more television reception.

This was out first cruise and it was a ten day trip to Carribians. Embarkment was quick and smooth, cabins roomy and clean, food awesome, ALL the ship staff was personable, kind and quick and always called us by our first name. Excursions to this beautiful island were priceless. Disembarkment was a bit slow at Charlston but the convenience of being close to our home was worth it. 

This was not my first cruise on the Sunshine.  I told myself I would not go on the Sunshine again but when a 10 day cruise out of Charleston became available it was a no brainer.  I will say the staff was very friendly and helpful.  Emma (the CD) was great!  She was always where ever the action was going on.  Our cabin (ocean view) was as expected and it was kept clean.  The night time entertainment lacked a lot.  They have comedians every night.  Sometimes even 5 shows a night!  That was over kill.  The band in the Ocean plaza was really good as was the duo in the Red Frog Pub and the Duo in the Atrium Lobby.  Karaoke was reduced to several nights and the hours were 5:45 - 7:00pm.  One of our friends loves to do karaoke and we had a 6:00 dinner.   That did away with that unless she missed dinner.  By midnight there was pretty much nothing to do, except the casino.  It would really help to have better ventilation in there.  There is a walkway through the middle of the casino that is used as the main walk way from forward to aft.  Even there the smoke is terrible.

The ports were the main draw and the fact that this was a 10 day cruise.  2 of the ports I had never been to.  St Kitts was beautiful.  I am ready to go back!  It rained our day in Martinique so we did not see much of it.  Antigua was great, we actually docked at a port that I do not remember.  We discovered a beach in St Thomas that we will definitely go back to.

The food lacked a LOT!  Several people at our table got sick on lobster night.  Which was the same night several of us sent ours back due to the fact that it was not fully cooked.  Fried oysters were the same night and everyone sent them back at our table.  I did not get them but the smell almost made us sick alone!  Jiji's (Asian) was remarkable.  We ate there the last night and had I known how good it was I would have eaten there many more times.

Embarkation & debarkation were very easy..  The ramp is a killer when you have bad knees and bad back though.

Visiting the 5 Ports, very, very nice.  Docking at a Port back to back was a little hard for me.  Several people told me the same thing.  The Sunshine very pretty Ship, but very disappointed with the entertainment on the ship and with just about everything closing down at 11:45pm to MN.  The lounges very dry and quiet, karaoke only offered 2 or 3 times during the whole 10 days.  The rooms seem so small, smaller than the other ships.  I hope the next ships Carnival builds, they build the swimming pool bigger....The pool is ridiculous.

We loved our cruise!  So much fun and the kids loved the kiddie area, the kids club and all of the attention they got!  Our room was perfect for 3 of us and our room attendant was amazing (especially important because our daughter got seasick).  We did the "cheers" package and it was great.  The downfall is that is seems the bartenders don't want to serve you when they see that sticker on your room key.  Many times the bartenders would just walk past you and serve someone else.  So weird..we were sure to tip everyone so it wasn't like they wouldn't get an additional tip.  Some of the bartenders were downright rude.  The bartender in the Havana Bar refused to make a coffee drink for us because he "hates that machine".  The food was OK but nothing I'd brag about.  Such long lines and it seems that when you really want food it's not available.  Should have more options after 10 pm.  The kids club was awesome!  Our kids loved going in every day and the staff was amazing!  The adult only section is nice but if you are not there early to reserve a chair/area then you are screwed.  Lots of people just put towels down and then leave for hours.  Sucks when you put your kid in Kids Club and then have no place to go and enjoy the quiet time.  Should be a limit with the unattended towels.  

There needs to be much better posted directions. You may have to walk part way  one deck and then go up or down to a different deck, after this you may need to go to the same deck you started on just to get to your destination. This happened to me and jusr about every person I talked too.

The food was great. The Cabin was disappointing, especially after spending over $2000. But after sharing the time with family it cruise improved somewhat. Nassau is definitely not a place I would recommend on a cruise.

First off the port in Charleston is terrible, parking it horrible and we had to wait over 3 hours in line of cars just to get on the ship. Once on the ship you can really notice all the changes that Carnival has completed on this ship. The remodels and the kids areas are all very nice and modern. Our stateroom attendant and dinning room staff were very nice and helpful, but the rest of the ships crew did not act like they wanted to be there. Most people were friendly but not out of the way friendly like you find on Princess or Royal Caribbean. 

Background: This is my husband and I's second cruise, but first with our young kids.

BOOKING: Initially booked this cruise while on our last cruise to capture the on-board credits.  The booking agent led us to believe we would receive $50 credit per person, so we excepted $250 total for our family of five.  Nope, while onboard we were told it was just $100 for the whole cruise, not based on number of people.  Then, we also transferred our booking to Delta Skymiiles Cruises (who we also had used previously) to capture extra bonuses such as airline miles and more onboard credit.  Somehow, Delta Skymiles wriggled out of this promise and we only received the miles and there was nothing to be done while on board except to get over it. In the end, we ended up with much less credit then I had anticipated (and budgeted) for which was disappointing.

EMBARKATION: HORRIBLE!! Carnival's website says all cruise passengers enter through gate 2.  We arrived right at 12:30 as stated on our boarding passes. My MIL dropped us off so we could just grab our stuff and go plus avoid paying for parking.  About 25 to 30 other people stood outside gate 2.  The gates opened and only allowed cars to go through.  We stood at the gate for OVER AN HOUR with small children and all our luggage among several others who were also drop offs. Kept being told a shuttle was coming to get us, yet we could see all the shuttles about 50 feet away from us, through the gate filling up with people who had parked. It finally took someonefrom Carnival with a little bit of authority (and initiative) to drive up and see us all standing there and get on the phone to order we all be picked up immediately and taken around to the "right place".  A place apparently not described as the correct place for drop off on the website.

CABIN: Spacious, clean, everything in good working order.  Our three children loved the pullman bed and trundle bed set up. The grown ups got the king size bed. Didn't feel cramped at all.  Plenty of closet space and drawers for our things.  Loved having the window this time (we chose interior last time). Our steward Mohammed was fantastic! Always greeted our children and made them feel special.

FOOD: We did a repeat of the Chef's Table.  Loved the chef but was teensy bit disappointed, it was repeat of the same menu we had last fall.  Lido food was decent. Not blown away, but not bad.  Iguana burrito bar was yummy, husband loved the Guy's burgers. Food in MDR was hit or miss as it was last time, but overall everything was good (again not superb, but better then most chain restaurants I've been to). Staff was attentive and super friendly with our kids.

STAFF: This ship just got out of a two week dry dock.  Compared to our last cruise, we felt like the staff was not less friendly (in fact with our children, they were outgoing and accommodating), several just seemed "new", like most of the staff on our previous cruise were old pros and this staff were a lot of fresh on the job.  Didn't make the service bad necessarily, just not as streamlined as we had experienced before.  We wondered if they dry dock hiatus had anything to do with this.

CAMP CARNIVAL: SOOO nice. Two young ladies in particular went above and beyond to make our experience great. We have a 2, 3, and 9 year old and all had only good things to say about Camp. We were allowed to rent a double stroller from them which made rolling about Nassau and Freeport much easier. This staff is SO patient and accommodating.  I told my husband, I was super impressed that never once was I made to feel like I was annoying them, bothering them, they were so keen to make me and the children happy and comfortable.

ENTERTAINMENT: We didn't get to do as much this cruise since we had the little kids. We did a few of the "dive in" movies which the children loved.  We did the special Dr. Suess parade and story time on the second day and the Dr. Suess breakfast on the last day -- both major hits with the small children.  We hit the candy store.  We got some really great photos.  (NOTE TO CARNIVAL: WHY do you print EVERY single pic taken and then so much paper and ink is wasted on a daily basis!  Why not just have a kiosk where people can swipe their card, look up their photos, and check off the ones they want printed.  Here's a thought, the money saved in paper/ink would help reduce overhead and you can charge less for your pictures!!!!)

OVERALL: Nice ship.  I liked somethings about our previous ship better (Splendor) but there were several things the Sunshine had that were nice too. I think the Sunshine could use another pool or two.  Perhaps a two foot wading pool for the younger children.  We took ours in the hot tubs a few times just because it was chiller and there weren't big kids flailing about.  

It would be nice not to have to go through smoke-filled casino to get to At Your Table for dinner seating time. Another location away from the smoke right before you eat would be great. 

We had a great time on our recent Carnival cruise.  The best part for us were the islands and the excursions we chose for enjoying them.  We booked all of our excursions through private companies, however, not through Carnival.  We did a Segway trip in St Kitt's and an island tour and beach day at The Boatyard in Barbados.  St Lucia was our favorite stop, as we did an island tour that included a beach between the pitons, mud baths, volcano and waterfall.  The tour also included breakfast and lunch and all the drinks (rum punch, beer, soda, water) you wanted.  In St Maarten we also did an excursion that took us to Orient Beach, Maho Beach and a market area on the French side of the island.  We had great photo opportunities at each of the islands and so much fun.

The Carnival Sunshine is a very old ship and definitely showing it's age.  The ship is extremely difficult to navigate, causing you to have to go up or down a flight and across the deck and back up/down to get to where you need to be.  This got frustrating on several occasions. We also discovered that the ship was headed to drydock after our trip, meaning many of the crew members were headed home for 2 weeks.  The service was far below our expectations and I think this probably had something to do with that; everyone just wanting to get this cruise over so they could go home.  We did enjoy many of the activities and tend to make our own fun when we vacation.  We did enjoy the Serenity area, however it was impossible to get any of the more comfortable seating options during the day.  We did not like the new menu options in the main dining room, it seems the selections are more limited, especially for those of us that do not eat seafood.  The cruise director staff was one of the best we have had on a cruise ship; Donkey and his crew were very energetic and entertaining, as well as welcoming.

I would not recommend this ship, but only because of the age and problems with navigating the ship.  

This is our 3rd time on Sunshine, always enjoyed ship. After this cruise it was going to dry dock to be refurbished. Food was good, as was beer, drinks and other cruisers.