Sunshine

Hi

We are experienced cruisers and have sailed on Carnival Splendor and Carnival Ecstasy as well as all the other major lines. I have also worked on the ships in the past.

Our experience on Splendor and Ecstasy were very different. We loved splendor and hated Ecstasy. We cruised on Splendor in Europe and Ecstasy in the Caribbean.

The other people on the 2 cruises were very different. We are quite young for cruisers being in our early 30's with no children. We found Ecstasy was also full of younger cruisers but very rude ones. We have cruised on RCI with the same age group in the same region but the people were much more respectable. I own a night club/live music venue and spend my weekends dealing with drunk rude people so the last thing I want to do while I am on holiday is deal with rude drunk people. We had to call security 3 times on Ecstasy because a girl was trying to get into our room and would not accept that it was not her room and that she was drunk and in the wrong place.

My question is we are looking to book a cruise on sunshine around the Med. Which Carnival experience are we going to get? Were looking at going in August because work is quiet then. My worry is its might be full of kids then.

If anyone can give me an insight into what sunshine is like in Europe I would be grateful.

We like playing poker and relaxing by the pool.

I live in the UK and have done Med cruises and Caribbean cruises both with Carnival and RCI. I found that on Caribbean cruises you have a lot of young groups of people partying, but on Med cruises it seems to be families and people cruising more for the Ports rather than the onboard fun. That was just my personal observation, others may think differently. However, I have really enjoyed every cruise. School holidays run from end July to beginning September in UK so between those dates there may be a lot of kids on board from here.....including my 10 year old and his friend whom we are holidaying with on the 9th August Sunshine sailing! Xx

We will be in our 3rd Med cruise during the UK's kids holidays, there will be lots of youngsters onboard but they are normally kept very busy, the benefit to you is Serenity should be a little quieter ;)

We're on 28th July sailing with 14 & 18 year olds.

Carnival is definitely a younger crowd, even in the Med but it was not a big party ship. There were lots of kids when we went but they were not really noticeable maybe because there is so many different venues to eat and for entertainment (not that we had much energy for entertainment!) It was definitely more Americans which I think is good as some Europeans can be pushy as far as lines and such go. I say book it, it's an awesome ship (and I have not been a Carnival fan) and the itineraries are amazing!

It might have kids and it might be hot.

I posted lots of pictures (with some more to come) from the May 17th Carnival Sunshine cruise herE:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1845665

One think I do like about Carnival Sunshie with regards to kids is that the waterslides, waterpark, and all of the kids clubs are clustered together at the back of the ship. :)

I have cruised with Carnival several times, on both long and short cruises, and have found that, the shorter the cruise, the more boisterous and intense the passengers (myself included - ahem). Folks seem to be making sure that they don't miss anything - lines are longer, pool areas are frequently packed, shows are crowded, drinks are consumed, etc. Lots of family reunions, singles, and young couples.

On the longer cruises, though, passengers seem to be more relaxed about everything. And the vibe is less intense. More single family units (as opposed to large reunion groups), children, and young-at-heart couples. Minimal waiting in line for anything, chairs are easier to come by at the pool, and the pace just feels a bit slower. Passengers tend to be in a better overall mood, too.

Ports of call affect things, as well. I have found that passengers seem to party a bit more while in the Bahamas and in some ports in Mexico. Not so much in areas known for their historical sites, or eco-tourism, though. I suspect that most of your fellow passengers will focus less on partying during your Med cruise, and more on site-seeing and relaxation.

There tend to be more children on ANY sailing that occurs when school is out - so expect a lot during the summer, regardless of cruise length or itinerary.

There are always exceptions to the above, of course, and every sailing is different - but these are the general trends that I have noticed over the years.

Hope that this is helpful.

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The type of people on any cruise is luck of the draw. Some blame a whole cruise ship based on what may have happened in certain areas.

Thanks for all the replies. We are from the UK, I probably should have said that at the start.

I think were going to book it, I am working out in America for most of the rest of the year so its the only chance were going to get to go away and we both want to go to Venice.

I will let you know how we get on.

Thanks for all the replies. We are from the UK, I probably should have said that at the start.

 

I think were going to book it, I am working out in America for most of the rest of the year so its the only chance were going to get to go away and we both want to go to Venice.

 

I will let you know how we get on.

I'm sure you will enjoy it was our first Carnival cruise last year on the Breeze and we thoroughly enjoyed it...1 mth today for us :)