Carnival Sunshine Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The food, especially in the dining room, was excellent.  The wait staff was exceptional!  Our cabin steward was also excellent.  I would give it 3 1/2 stars, but could not get the half star to show.   The shows were very good - top notch.   The down side:  The music everywhere was very loud, which made it impossible to read on deck.     We were anticipating and looking forward to dancing while on this cruise; however, there were really no places or music to ballroom dance,  It would have been nice to dance a waltz on our anniversary!  This cruise was more for the younger crowd, though my "young at heart" husband did win the Hairy Chest Contest.

Cruise was pretty good overall. My family of 5, 3 kids are all teenagers (13,15,18). Wife and I was our 3rd time cruise, but its been 8+ years since last cruise (first on Carnival), kids first time cruise... So it was exciting to see the kids reactions to things for first time, although being older they dont show there excitement like younger age kids, but they said they really enjoyed it. Teen club(s) helped them meet new friends that they were able to hang out with during the trip. The water slides were fun, however the lines were long when open, probably because it was not open until noon each day, and the last day they did not open at all.. in my opinion they just didnt want to open or supply workers to open or whatever. They claimed it was due to wind, but was open the day before with even more wind. Kids were not happy about only 1 small pool. The were not allowed in serinity area (21 and older only), and the main pool was packed and mostly small kids. So we never got in : /

Workers were overall friendly, but not overly. Some bartenders or pool waiters seemed bothered, but that is the case anywhere I guess, some good.. some bad. Room steward "houston" (spelled different) was super nice and always smiling and calling me by my name when I saw him. All 5 of us in one room with ocean view and he contstantly kept our room / bathroom tidy and full of towels. The room was bigger than I thought, even when the rollaway bed was out we still had room to get around the room and get to bathroom. 

We had late dining and first nite were stuck in a booth with a chair on end, and was sort of in a corner. I was pretty upset we were packed in. It might be ok if the kids were smaller, but they are young adults and we felt crammed. Also the waiter was friendly but didnt engage with us. I spoke to maiterdee(?) and requested a larger table and more friendly and engaging waiter, being the kids first time I wanted them to experience what I remembered was cool about my past cruise waiter/waitress. The next night they put is in a large round table in the center of the balcony looking over the whole restaurant, it was great! They also had a complimentary bottle of champaine on ice waiting on us, and we had a very pleasant and engaging waitress (and staff). Her name was Florica from Romania, and she was great! I was very pleased they honored my request and we stayed at the same table and staff the remainder on the cruise. 

The food btw was pretty good. I never had anything I didnt like and Florica brought me doubles or let me try multiple dinners if I wanted to try different things or wanted more food. It wasnt the best I have ever ate, but overall was pretty good. While on food...Guys burger joint was awesome! and the burrito bar was also really good. Buffet was as expected and just OK, but plenty of choices. Wife and I only ate there for breakfast to be fair. We ate Guys or Burrito for lunch (when on the ship...4 days were were on land during lunch), and we ate the Sushi bar one night for dinner, it was really good sushi! although had to pay extra, but we spent $35 for 4 of us, so not bad.

Shows could have been better. I thought I remembered them more fun. Comedy magic shoe was best one. Hasbro game show was OK. The other were singing shows were just ok as well, IMO. 

We did have a BIG NEGATIVE with a spa worker named Alex. I was using the spin bike in a room all by myself and was there for half hour, wy wife was also there doing situps etc., when Alex walked in and said I could not use the bike and was for classes only. I told him I was almost done and he stood there and accused me of untieing the rope from the spin bikes. I told him it was not roped and I only moved the bike to center of room so I could look out the window at the land / port we were at. He kept standing there and threatend to call security, and again said there was no way I didnt untie the bike because he personally had tied them up hours before. I got really upset and we were in each others face at this point. So not to "lose it" further I left and spoke to a assist. manager that got me knowhere. I then filed a complaint with guest services and spoke to ship manager (George) and he was supposed to get back with me and never did. After a couple of days of checking back with guest services, we finally were able to speak to spa manager and she explained the bikes were usable if not being used for a class. I was even more mad knowing this and the guy (Alex) made such a big deal about me using one. She said he would be "spoken" to and would be reported in his file, but that didnt make me feel better. She offered "free" use of the steam or heated area of the spa, but that sounded nothing more than the sauna we have back home, so that was not even a nice gesture imo...wife and i never went back to gym / spa.

Despite this bad incident we did enjoy the trip and ship was clean. Would have liked to stay at one port overnight or at least into the night. We had to leave each day by 5pm or so (2pm last port day). So if not a early riser then you dont have long at each port. I would do this trip again if the price was right. Our trip was about $700-$800+ less on Carnival than other cruise lines. I am pleased with the savings and overal with the ship / cruise. I am sure you get what you pay for compared to other companies, but if your not a long time cruiser or real picky, then Carnival should be fine. 

We are avid cruisers and loved the Sunshine.  Our party of ten (adults teens and 10 yr old loved every minute of the cruise.  The food was great (fairly limited dining room menu but certainly no one went hungry and by far more choices than home!!  The redo was terrific - everyone agreed that they hope Carnival will go with the "new look" and eating area arrangements.  The areas seemed perfect for any group and was divided into different locations which really cut down on the "crowded feel."

The staff could not have been better - our many thanks for such great service.  The ports were all fun but we did feel that Costa Maya was not the best port for a cruise ship.  We had been there years ago and appreciated the upgrade of the cruise area but both restaurants/bars at the area now seem to want to take advantage of the cruisers. Mahagany Bay was way to short of a visit.  We all fell in love with the area, people, activities, and beautiful private beach and shopping area.    All in all, we had a terrific time and would go again tonight if we could.  Thank you Carnival for a SUPER  cruise.  

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!