Carnival Sunshine Coming to Port Canaveral vs. Freedom of the Seas

[nbsjcruiser]

You are aware that the Carnival Sunshine is a refurbished ship built 17 years ago, and about 2/3 the size of Freedom of the Seas, right? In addition to that, they added a couple hundred cabins during the refurbishment making it one of the ships with the worst space to passenger ratios.

 

With that said, Carnival did do a great job taking an old ship and making it look modern and contemporary. If you choose to do the Sunshine, do so with realistic expectations.

 

Have to agree. We were on the Sunshine when she was the Destiny and I have no idea how the hell they'd fit an extra 200 cabins in that thing. Having cruised on the Independence (sister ship to the Freedom) and the Destiny I will tell you quite honestly, there simply is no comparison to the two ships. Its like comparing a MLB team to a AAA team. It really is not even close.

[Tapi]

...the Sunshine is all new

 

This is the same misleading tag line that Carnival used on their website when they introduced the Sunshine. A lot of people had no clue that Sunshine was an old refurbished ship.

 

I would've had much more respect for the Sunshine if Carnival had been up front about this ship from the beginning instead of trying to make it something it's not. With some creativity, they could've definitely created A LOT of hype with the Sunshine without calling it "an all new" ship. All they've done is confuse, anger, and mislead people while creating false expectations.

 

With that said, I do want to try the Sunshine some day, maybe for an inexpensive getaway. But if I do so, I want to do it with realistic expectations, fully knowing what the Sunshine TRULY is, not what Carnival (and Carnival loyalists) want me to think it is.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Tapi

[Big_G]

Have to agree. We were on the Sunshine when she was the Destiny and I have no idea how the hell they'd fit an extra 200 cabins in that thing. Having cruised on the Independence (sister ship to the Freedom) and the Destiny I will tell you quite honestly, there simply is no comparison to the two ships. Its like comparing a MLB team to a AAA team. It really is not even close.

 

Absolutely agree. I've never been on any ship other than Destiny where there were slow moving lines just to get through the pool area. I'm not sure how they could possibly fix that and add another 200 cabins.

Edited July 1, 2013 by SPDBigG

[ryano]

, it does not even compare with Freedom.

Tim

 

Keep in mind that I have a VERY limited cruise history but I have done tons and tons of research, reading reviews from all lines, and have seen hundreds of pics of many many different ships.

 

IMHO and maybe a very biased opinion at that, there is simply no other ships out there that can compare to the Freedom class except the two Oasis ships.

 

I DO want to try a Solstice class ship one day but I just cant get over all the "bed by 10" remarks Ive read :) I love love love RCIs nightlife!

Edited July 1, 2013 by ryano

[HB Cruiser]

IMHO and maybe a very biased opinion at that, there is simply no other ships out there that can compare to the Freedom class except the two Oasis ships.

 

That is exactly my point here Ryano. Even with Breeze being the "newest, latest and greatest" Carnival ship, there is no comparison. This being said, everything else being exactly the same, there is no ship in Carnival's fleet that can even come close to the Freedom of the Seas.

 

Tim

Edited July 1, 2013 by HB Cruiser

[cruzeluver]

I DO want to try a Solstice class ship one day but I just cant get over all the "bed by 10" remarks Ive read :) I love love love RCIs nightlife!

 

 

The Solstice class ships are fantastic, and they do seem to attract a younger, more active crowd than Celebrity's other ships, so give one a go. Our Silhouette cruise was unbelievable!

Edited July 1, 2013 by cruzeluver
spelling

[Cruising89143]

Keep in mind that I have a VERY limited cruise history but I have done tons and tons of research, reading reviews from all lines, and have seen hundreds of pics of many many different ships.

 

IMHO and maybe a very biased opinion at that, there is simply no other ships out there that can compare to the Freedom class except the two Oasis ships.

 

I DO want to try a Solstice class ship one day but I just cant get over all the "bed by 10" remarks Ive read :) I love love love RCIs nightlife!

 

The Reflection back in March was going later into the night than many RCI ships that I have cruised. It all depends on the length of cruise and time of year. We had a much younger than expected crowd on our March 2nd sailing.

[Cruisegirl6]

We heading back to RC as you can see we are booked for the Allure next year. I definitely would consider Celebrity newer ships too.

[Dave85]

That is exactly my point here Ryano. Even with Breeze being the "newest, latest and greatest" Carnival ship, there is no comparison. This being said, everything else being exactly the same, there is no ship in Carnival's fleet that can even come close to the Freedom of the Seas.

 

Tim

 

Having sailed the Breeze, undisputedly Carnival's latest and greatest, I can confidently say that she does not compare to a Royal Caribbean Freedom Class ship. I've sailed both lines extensively and harbor no ill-will for Carnival, it's just fact. I wrote a Breeze review that's somewhere in Cruise Critic Land (don't have time to find it), but would be happy to list the areas Breeze was not comparable upon request.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Dave85

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Having sailed the Breeze, undisputedly Carnival's latest and greatest, I can confidently say that she does not compare to a Royal Caribbean Freedom Class ship. I've sailed both lines extensively and harbor no ill-will for Carnival, it's just fact. I wrote a Breeze review that's somewhere in Cruise Critic Land (don't have time to find it), but would be happy to list the areas Breeze was not comparable upon request.

 

If anyone wants the lowdown on my less than fabulous Breeze cruise, you can find my review HERE.

 

Tom

[HB Cruiser]

If anyone wants the lowdown on my less than fabulous Breeze cruise, you can find my review HERE.

 

Tom

 

Wow, three of us with less than GREAT things to say about the Breeze. I will say this, we had a wonderful time and I'm glad to say I have sailed carnival and the breeze. I can also say that I will NOT sail the Breeze again nor another Carnival ship UNLESS the price is definitely right.

 

When we got home and talked about the cruise, we would have to save over $500 pp, $1000 total for me to take another Carnival ship. The differences, for us, are worth the extra $$$.

 

Tim

[Robinola]

Freedom, It Is! Ok....so let's see...what'll be in Port Canaveral in 2015? :D

[Donut23]

From what I hear, Royal has little to worry about.

[jamin jul]

I love sailing RC ships and Carnival is ok to me. I have sailed on the Freedom of the Seas 3 times and it is my favorite ship. I sailed the Liberty once. I sailed the Carnival Dream this past April instead of the Freedom due to it being cheaper, different and itinerary. We had a fun time BUT- never book for itinerary- of course we did not get into Roatan. And - Carnival's lay out is just not my favorite. I like the lay out on the Freedom and the food on RC has more healthy choices of fruits/ salads, ect. I live in NC and the drive to port Canaveral is convenient. The kids had fun on both ships and loved the slides.:D

[Robinola]

Freedom, It Is! Ok....so let's see...what'll be in Port Canaveral in 2015? :D

 

Ahhaahh...here we are now in almost mid year 2015, and I am booked on Oasis of the Seas for November 2016 because she is sailing out of Port Canaveral. See how things can change in an instant? I am really happy.