Carnival Sunshine Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We have just returned from the maiden voyage of Carnival Sunshine 5/5-5/17, and the itinerary of the cruise is very good with lots of major ports/cities to see. Unfortunately, the cruise ship did not complete it's transformation from the former Carnival Destiny, and some guests experienced some issues with overflowing toilets, lack of shower heads, missing lights, and other minor problems. We had a lovely balcony room, but our bathroom had a bad urine odor for the duration of the cruise until the maintenance department finally fixed the issue around the the 2nd to last day of the 12 days Mediterranean cruise. The issue was fixed after many hours spent waiting in the long line at customer service for multiple times. There is also the unpleasant smell of paint and construction in some parts of the ship, such as on the 4th Floor near the unimpressive fine dining Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse that has so-so food for $35 extra charge per person; the service staff is excellent though. The WaterWorks deck was closed until the 2nd Day at Sea on 5/15 towards the end of the cruise, but the main pool on Lido Deck remained closed for the duration of the cruise. Carnival refunded $75 per person for the late opening and closure. Even though the cruise ship supposedly went through $155 million renovation, not all the rooms have been remodeled and some rooms may appear worn even balcony rooms. The decoration throughout the ship is not as beautiful as other ships such as the Carnival Splendor. One may wonder where the money all went for the remodeling, and we speculate that a lot of it went to the mind-blowing stage lights/screens for the two must-see shows debuted on the two "At-Sea" nights. Unfortunately, most of the remaining other performances on stage may make you wish you had not wasted time attending. The food on board was good, and we were pleased with the dining room food, afternoon tea, and kind staff. The 24-hour pizza provided on Lido Deck is also delicious, especially if you get a hot one fresh out of the oven. Overall, Carnival Sunshine still has some quirks and hiccups, and even though I am not quite certain that I would have picked this ship knowing what I know now, we had an enjoyable time seeing the wonderful cities around the Mediterranean.

Overall we enjoyed our cruise very much. The ship is older but kept up nicely. Casino was just ok for us, it was smoke filled in many areas, and lacked the fun games we usually play. Entertainment was great, our activity director Leon was great. Lots to do. Pools small and walking/jogging outdoor track did not go the entire length of ship.

Carnival Sunshine is a older ship but still a lot of fun. This ship has a lot of complimentary food options!!

Had a good time and was happy to get away and relax for a few days but probably won’t cruise again for a little while. Not my favorite cruise I’ve been on.

It was a Journey cruise so there were many extra activities.

Enjoyed the cruise with our kids and grandkids. Carnival did everything possible to make this cruise enjoyable despite cold and windy weather. Staff of the Sunshine was absolutely fantastic.

My favorite thing specifically on the cruise probably be the music. The rock band and the duo musicians were great we loved it.

My husband & I had a great time on the Sunshine! The ship was fantastic. The cruise director Leon is probably my favorite now (I’ve been on 6 Carnival cruises). He was so fun. The food was great! The only thing that disappointed me was the Playlist group — they sang but barely danced. It wasn’t as big of a production as in the past. Oh well! We still enjoyed ourselves immensely!

It was a nice quiet cruise. The food has gone downhill but we still had a blast.

We're doing this cruise again before the sunshine leaves Charleston.

Nothing spectacular about this boat. Still an amazing vacation, very hard to complain about being on a cruise! But if I had to, cabins definitely need an upgrade, very outdated. Was not a fan of the lunch buffet most days but the other food options more than make up for it! Service is always amazing! Nassau was great!

Overall we had a great cruuse. Ot was my mother in law and her husband's forst cruise and they had a ball. The weather was colder than I expected in the Bahamas, but it was a nice trip. This was my first shirt cruise and I was expecting a rowdy crowd, but it went without incident.

Review of the Carnival Sunshine Cruise Ship Sail Date 5-15 December 2022 (Charleston SC Roundtrip) I booked this cruise via the Carnival website on 12 January 2021 as a replacement cruise for a 2020 cruise. My wife and I have sailed out of Charleston SC seven times (Twice on the Ecstasy and 5 times on the Sunshine). We stayed in cabin #3102 (Inside AAC cabin). Embarkation from Charleston is a unique experience. They have a parking lot set up with K rails. You pay for parking ($21 per day, handicap is free), pull up to the checked luggage drop off and then are directed to park your car. You take a short walk to building #324 for check-in and then a short bus ride to the terminal. At the terminal you undergo security check (TSA) and board the ship. Our time from entry to boarding was 15 minutes. The Sunshine is a refurbished ship (Used to be the Destiny) and was built in 1996. She is a beautiful ship but is most definitely showing wear and tear from age. The crew is outstanding. They are 24/7 fixing and cleaning everywhere. By 1:30pm we had lunch on the Lido, completed muster and were in our room. Our room steward was I Ketut and he went by just “K”. He was nice, professional and very attentive to our needs. He made sure we had a clean room, full ice bucket and a different towel animal every day of our 10 day cruise. Days 1-3 were sea days. Carnival went all out on the extras for this cruise. We have had previous journeys cruises but this one felt and was very special. The ship was decorated from end to end in holiday flare. There were many celebrations aboard for the holidays. We have cruised in the past for Christmas with Carnival but this was the best cruise yet out of the 14 cruises we have had with Carnival. The atmosphere was unbelievably festive. I was super impressed with the amount of gratitude for my Marine Corps service from my fellow passengers and the crew! Day 4 was a long port call (12+ hours) at Aruba. Since no handicap tours were offered by Carnival we had done some research prior to the cruise. My wife and I found a company called Island Car Rentals online and booked a Hyundai Verna. We were met by Jessica at the Citco gas station just across from the cruise terminal. We paid her $65.00 for the rental that included no hassle, full coverage insurance and ¾ tank of gas. My wife’s scooter is the break down kind and we were able to fit it into the trunk and off we went. What an amazing day. In Aruba a US driver’s license is valid without anything extra. They drive on the right side of the road and the signage is easy to follow even though it is in Dutch. The island is just 19 miles long with one major road. We did fill the car up upon return and gas was $40 US for half a tank. Bottom line $105 for the day and we found that an excellent deal. (We went everywhere and did everything). Day 5 was a port call to Bonaire. We stayed near the port and did some shopping and sightseeing. It was another great day for this cruise. Day 6 Was another sea day with many onboard activities and shows. Day 7 was a port call to Grand Turk. A beautiful BWI Island with one of the best pools in the Caribbean. Just another day in paradise for us cruisers on the Sunshine. Day 8 was a port call to Princess Cay (Bahamas). This port requires a tender ship to shore. Carnival did a good just getting the people off the ship and then back on. The BBQ on island was fantastic and the water was 1,000 shades of blue and clear as a bell. Day 9 was another sea day Day 10 We arrived back at Charleston. Debarkation had some issues that slowed the process down. Not quite sure what went wrong this time as we usually have a smooth debarkation process there. The cold weather and rain sure did not help. What went well: This cruise was our best yet! Almost everything was fantastic. The passengers were older with not too many kids. They say we had 1,000 platinum/diamond cruisers on this voyage. The comedy club was stocked with 6 different comedians and we laughed a lot at each show. Definitely top notch there and Gabby helped entertain the crowd. Carnival contracted an artist by the name of Jodie Fleming to do free characters for the guests and she was fantastic! My wife and I really enjoyed her work and her personality was super! Carnival also contracted a Magician named Rankin and he provided us with top notch entertainment. Ocean Drive entertainment in the Atrium and Ocean Plaza were fantastic! Carnival did some throw back stuff like the pool aquafrog races, ship building contest and horse racing. It was all super fun. There were many dance classes by Tom & Jo. They were super instructors and tons of fun. The ugly sweater contest and spirit of the season caroling was great! The ships Captain (Captain Contarino) was the most entertaining Captain we have ever sailed with. He interacted with the passengers and had a Cocktail party for the entire ship. He also attended the Platinum/Diamond party and made an appearance at the final Christmas show (Just before Santa Clause) What did not go well: The main stage entertainment first show of the cruise was terrible. One of the performers kept grabbing his crotch and touching himself during the entire show. This was so bad and unprofessional that we never went to another playlist show the entire cruise. The main dining room was blah. The service was slow, food not so good and they gave us a table that was difficult at best to get to via mobility scooter. We only went 2 nights. Changes since our last cruise: Military Appreciation event was excellent (As always). They started to distribute the appreciation pins again and also take the group photo. Both were very much appreciated. Lido deck and deli food seemed to be much better. Overall impression; Carnival remains our go to vacation. The value is very good despite the small price increases. Many people complain but I am grateful that Carnival stayed afloat for 18 months with zero income. People that made it great: TJ (Cruise Director). Fantastic energy, positive attitude plus a smile and good word for everyone, everytime. IKutet (Housekeeping). He took superior care of my wife and myself. Laura (Guest Services) A true professional with a fantastic grip on how Carnival wants to be represented to the public. Always adds that personal touch to make you feel like her friend and not just a customer. Nitesh (Food Services) Another fantastic crew member that not only remembered us from previous cruises but also remembered exactly what we wanted in our breakfast omelets. Always energetic, smiling and happy. He definitely is a top notch member of your team and deserves recognition and/or a promotion. Nellie (From England) She went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable while we were waiting for the Punchliner to open. She is very personable and has an amazing gift to make you feel like you belong to the Carnival family. She also assisted us with our special needs during debarkation from the ship. I cannot say enough nice things about her. Carnival: Thank you for a safe voyage!

This was our first cruise with a group of our friends since covid. Overall it was an awesome trip. One out of the 6 of us got a cold but the rest of us were fine. I didn't particularly like the 3 sea days but this trip was more about the time with the people around us.

Honestly I miss Covid cruising without the crowds 😂, but I enjoyed my trip.

Overall, pretty nice. There were some small things, but that comes with older ships.

This was my first cruise and it was a blast. I will be rescheduling another one real soon.

Favorites that we enjoyed were the Chef’s Table, Sunrise dining room, Lido Marketplace buffet, and Serenity space for adults. The Cruise Director TJ was absolutely the best we have ever had.

It was very relaxing time. Not at full capacity. Beautiful weather. Nice staff all around.

Overall great experience! This is our second voyage within 6 months on the Sunshine. It’s all about making memories! The crew works diligently to stay on top of things. The ship is clean but shows her age. She has certainly been loved to the point it shows!