Just off the Sunshine

[lovingretirement]

I was on this same cruise, so let me give a few thoughts......from a Diamond perspective.....

 

This was our 15th Carnival ship and our 32nd Carnival cruise.

 

The layout of the Sunshine and really all ships since the Destiny 1st came out is essentially the same with regard to not being able to go from the front to the back on all decks due to galley's and/or lounges. For me this is a non issue and I use the Promenade as my major route.

 

If I'm in my cabin which is usually deck 6 midship and want to go to the aft dining room or even up to the Lido, I usually walk to the aft deck 6 elevators to go up or down. When coming out of the dining room I usually go to deck 5 to traverse the ship.

 

I thought the ship was very pretty, but I've never been bothered by the old Farcus design, so these new more subtle tones are okay too....

 

We had an inside cabin 6196. It was by far the smallest cabin I've ever had on a Carnival ship and we've even sailed in PT's on deck 2. The bathroom was so small that you had one foot in the shower when on the toilet. There was probably 18" less counter space around the sink. The door opened into the bathroom so you had to step to the side of the toilet to have room to open the door.

 

We had 3 closets but not one that had shelves and with the safe in the closet that really reduced our usable space. We normally use 2 as hanging space and divide the shelves between us to have our folded cloths......this was workable but we did have to ask for more hangers.

 

No mini-fridge and no cans of soda's or anything, they could be ordered from room service though. There was a hair dryer in the vanity drawer and I wasn't expecting that. Our cabin was kept neat, and the cabin team was friendly and efficient.

 

The new design of the main show theater (Liquid Lounge) is small and awkward. The chairs on deck 4 are very close together without walkways in between the rows and no tables. The bar service is very hard to obtain because they can't get to you and you can't get out to them. I don't know how it functioned as a nightclub because I didn't go there then.

 

The Limelight Lounge where the comedy club is has a stage that extends out into the room, so that some of the seats are actually behind the performer. They have mounted TV's so the people in those seats are just looking at his back, but that's weird too.

 

This is a good or bad thing based on your perspective. In the casino instead of having all the smoking machines in one area back by EA sports bar, they are scattered around the entire casino. So there is a "pod" of smoking machines right next to a pod of non-smoking machines........the bad part is some of the smoking machines are right on the isle, so anyone walking by is subject to the smoke.......the good part is the air scrubbers seem to work better and I didn't feel like there was an overwhelming odor of smoke......the end of the casino bar is still smoking, so just as I've experienced before, it can be difficult to get bar service at the non-smoking end.

 

Other than Serenity (which is not very calming given the big screen going all the time) and the midship area of the Lido, there isn't much outdoor space. The entire aft area of the Lido is enclosed and has dark tinted windows, so it feels a bit dark and just doesn't have that come sit here for awhile. There are very few places to just sit and watch the ocean, though deck 3 does have loungers.

 

I found dining room service to be just okay. We have YTD which was upstairs in the aft dining room. We didn't have the same server every night which is our norm, but nobody seemed very friendly or conversational. I couldn't tell the difference between the head waiter and the rest of his team....Food was good and service was adequate. We're not high maintenance so I was fine with everything.

 

The bar staff in the Lobby were a real highlight for us and we spent a lot of time visiting with them.

 

I didn't eat at Bonsai Sushi this time because it's tucked away on deck 4 and I just forgot about it. I did have lunch in the Steakhouse for our Captains reception with all the Diamonds and it was really nice, but was a special menu, so I won't comment on the Steakhouse in general.

 

Overall, we had a great time sailing with lots of old friends. And there were no hugely negative issues, but it just wasn't the ship for us. We really like the larger ships and will continue to sail on the Magic as our homeport ship. I wouldn't say we'll never sail on the Sunshine again, but it would have to be something really special to get us back.

 

Oh......the one real negative I had an issue with was elevators.........they are so slow as to almost be worthless........they also don't always have lights telling you what floor they are on, and many of them don't ding or give an announcement when the doors open.

We were on the Sunshine two weeks ago, and I agree with your observations. We cruised with two other couples, who don't read posts on Cruise Critic. I was careful not to tell any of them about the negative reviews before we sailed. We have all cruised extensively, and they ALL agreed that this was their least favorite ship. Our favorite place on the ship was our balcony. Thankfully, the weather for our cruise was perfect, so we spent hours during the day and night on our balconies, two of which opened up to accommodate our six chairs.

 

The positive for this cruise was the dining experience. The food was very good, and we discovered a great team of servers on our first day. We requested them each morning and evening on our YTD plan. We enjoyed going to breakfast each morning in the dining room. The ice cream was great, so we enjoyed taking a bowl to enjoy while visiting on our balconies.

 

Another disappointing factor on the Sunshine was the lack of entertainment, and the poor quality. We were spoiled on our European tour on the Legend in September, so the Sunshine entertainment didn't measure up. It could have changed on all the ships, but we saw a drastic difference in the quality.

 

We have NO desire to sail on the Sunshine in the future! We had a nice time, but the same itinerary we took on the Conquest last year was superior to what we experienced on the Sunshine. JMO

[okgirl]

Thanks for your feedback OKgirl. Seems fair. Still very excited about our upcoming trip.

 

Your take on the inside cabin confirmed for me that I definitely want to change the ones we have reserved for our upcoming trip. When I initially booked the Sunshine, it was in a scenic oceanview. Then I had to change dates and they weren't available on the new sailing. We hesitantly opted for insides midship on Deck 6. We've stayed in an inside before but not for a week! The rooms we have are right across the hall from 6196.

 

Do you have any information about the new cabins on Deck 5?

 

I saw the balcony rooms across the hall from my cabin and they seemed pretty standard. Not sure about the bathroom because all of the cabins seemed to be more narrow than those of a Conquest class ship.

 

On our sailing, the deck 5 cabins were said to be better equipped as were the new deck 3 forward cabins. Surprisingly on the Sunshine MANY crew members are being housed on what have in the past been guest only areas instead of below deck 0..........I know of several of the entertainment staff that were in those deck 5 cabins.......2 of our bartenders were on insides on deck 8 and several of the Blogger entourage staff were housed in inside cabins on deck 6 with us.

 

I have not heard about the amenities of the new deck 5 cabins, but hopefully they are as well equipped (i.e. night stands, fridges etc....) as the new deck 3 cabins.

 

I'm not sure if Bill has any current information on the new cabins on his website, but you might want to glance through his website on http://www.zydecocruiser.net/ He think he was on the Sunshine in Europe and I know he was there last week.

[wes1side]

E

 

We were Mahogany Bay Belize and Cozumel. I do have all my Fun Times and will attempt to post when I get home. I have never done that before so bare with me :)

 

 

That would be awesome! Thanks!

 

 

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[GROUCHPUSS]

I had one of the new cabins on deck 3 and loved it! (cabin) The rest was touch and go. If you do get a new cabin on deck 3 is as far from the front as possible.

[cruizinisthebest]

I saw the balcony rooms across the hall from my cabin and they seemed pretty standard. Not sure about the bathroom because all of the cabins seemed to be more narrow than those of a Conquest class ship.

 

On our sailing, the deck 5 cabins were said to be better equipped as were the new deck 3 forward cabins. Surprisingly on the Sunshine MANY crew members are being housed on what have in the past been guest only areas instead of below deck 0..........I know of several of the entertainment staff that were in those deck 5 cabins.......2 of our bartenders were on insides on deck 8 and several of the Blogger entourage staff were housed in inside cabins on deck 6 with us.

 

I have not heard about the amenities of the new deck 5 cabins, but hopefully they are as well equipped (i.e. night stands, fridges etc....) as the new deck 3 cabins.

 

I'm not sure if Bill has any current information on the new cabins on his website, but you might want to glance through his website on http://www.zydecocruiser.net/ He think he was on the Sunshine in Europe and I know he was there last week.

 

Thanks! I will take a look. Interesting about the crew members. I too heard that some of the staff stays on Deck 5.

[lmtrn2001]

Forgot to state I stayed in a spa interior cabin. 10128

 

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Is there anything notably different in the Spa Inside cabins other than the decor & robes/slippers? There was a refridgerator in the cabin, right?

 

We are booked in 12008 on the Repo Cruise April 6th.

 

Thanks!!

[lmtrn2001]

We were on the Sunshine two weeks ago, and I agree with your observations. We cruised with two other couples, who don't read posts on Cruise Critic. I was careful not to tell any of them about the negative reviews before we sailed. We have all cruised extensively, and they ALL agreed that this was their least favorite ship. Our favorite place on the ship was our balcony. Thankfully, the weather for our cruise was perfect, so we spent hours during the day and night on our balconies, two of which opened up to accommodate our six chairs.

 

The positive for this cruise was the dining experience. The food was very good, and we discovered a great team of servers on our first day. We requested them each morning and evening on our YTD plan. We enjoyed going to breakfast each morning in the dining room. The ice cream was great, so we enjoyed taking a bowl to enjoy while visiting on our balconies.

 

Another disappointing factor on the Sunshine was the lack of entertainment, and the poor quality. We were spoiled on our European tour on the Legend in September, so the Sunshine entertainment didn't measure up. It could have changed on all the ships, but we saw a drastic difference in the quality.

 

We have NO desire to sail on the Sunshine in the future! We had a nice time, but the same itinerary we took on the Conquest last year was superior to what we experienced on the Sunshine. JMO

 

Do you remember the names of the Wait team you had in YTD??

[waynbo]

Forgot to state I stayed in a spa interior cabin. 10128

 

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Those are the rooms we are looking at for our December trip on the Sunshine. I'm calling my PVP tomorrow to book and I'd love to hear a little more about your location. Can you answer some quick questions for me?

 

1. How was the noise level? The open deck above and the big screen outside

the room concern me.

 

2. Was the ships movement noticeable? We've been in spa rooms on the Dream a couple times and it wasn't too bad but still a lot of movement. We've been in a porthole room on the Elation and will never do the front of a small

boat again.

 

3. I saw youtube video of an inside room with the beds together as a king

and there was NO room to move around, is it really that bad?

 

4. Tell me about the Cloud 9 spa saunas/steam rooms, please.

 

Thanks!

[cruizinisthebest]

I had one of the new cabins on deck 3 and loved it! (cabin) The rest was touch and go. If you do get a new cabin on deck 3 is as far from the front as possible.

 

No noise issues with your cabin?

 

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[MoeDeckedOut]

We're getting ready to sail on the Sunshine on March 23 and were wondering about refrigerators in the cabins. We're in an OV on the Main Deck and thought we read somewhere when we booked that there was a fridge in the room. We just read some reviews and folks are saying either there aren't any at all or they are only in suites/new rooms. Did you have one or hear from any other cruisers?

 

 

 

As a side note, it's great to hear your review of the ship. Some of the reviews are interesting, to say the least. Can't wait to see it for ourselves!

 

 

We'll be on that same cruise as you!! We can not wait

 

 

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[GROUCHPUSS]

No noise issues with your cabin?

 

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Not at all. Just book up by the stairs and you are way away from the sounds. Also the night club was only open 4 nights which is normal from what I hear. It is always closed 1st and last night then one other I don't remember. Very nice rooms refridge and all.

[sweetjem]

Thank you for this!! I'm sailing on the Sunshine for the first time May 25th and have been reading some of the other reviews etc and they aren't always positive! Of course, your trip is what you make of it. Glad you had a great time! Can't wait to go now!

 

 

We will be getting off when you get one cant wait we are in a balcony on the the spa deck won a cruise over new years in casino so we Decided on the sunshine this will be our 18 th one on carnval

[Goldwolf]

Thanks for your feedback OKgirl. Seems fair. Still very excited about our upcoming trip.

 

Your take on the inside cabin confirmed for me that I definitely want to change the ones we have reserved for our upcoming trip. When I initially booked the Sunshine, it was in a scenic oceanview. Then I had to change dates and they weren't available on the new sailing. We hesitantly opted for insides midship on Deck 6. We've stayed in an inside before but not for a week! The rooms we have are right across the hall from 6196.

 

Do you have any information about the new cabins on Deck 5?

 

We stayed in the Ocean Suite on deck 5, it was by far the biggest room(s) we've ever had on cruise.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1916825

[lovingretirement]

Do you remember the names of the Wait team you had in YTD??

 

They were Horacio and Samuel from Guatemala. Another good choice is Wassana from Thailand. They treated us royally!

[okgirl]

Is there anything notably different in the Spa Inside cabins other than the decor & robes/slippers? There was a refridgerator in the cabin, right?

 

We are booked in 12008 on the Repo Cruise April 6th.

 

Thanks!!

 

All cabins have robes, but I'm not sure about the rest.

 

We stayed in the Ocean Suite on deck 5, it was by far the biggest room(s) we've ever had on cruise.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1916825

 

Wow....that cabin looks awesome. I had a Cat 12 suite one time because we won it playing Bingo, but typically in the Caribbean we opt for inside cabins, and we were fine with this one even though it was small we just aren't in there too much.

[smurf1635]

Other than Serenity (which is not very calming given the big screen going all the time) and the midship area of the Lido, there isn't much outdoor space. The entire aft area of the Lido is enclosed and has dark tinted windows, so it feels a bit dark and just doesn't have that come sit here for awhile. There are very few places to just sit and watch the ocean, though deck 3 does have loungers.

 

 

There ARE loungers on deck 3? That is exciting to me, as this is one of our favorite places in the afternoons.

 

Robin

[cruizinisthebest]

We stayed in the Ocean Suite on deck 5, it was by far the biggest room(s) we've ever had on cruise.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1916825

 

nice room! I saw a video of these cabins on youtube. I wonder if the ocean suites on Deck 8 are the same. We miss you on the roll call too!

[cruizinisthebest]

Not at all. Just book up by the stairs and you are way away from the sounds. Also the night club was only open 4 nights which is normal from what I hear. It is always closed 1st and last night then one other I don't remember. Very nice rooms refridge and all.

 

Thanks for this information GROUCHPUSS. Love your screen name btw. lol

[Goldwolf]

nice room! I saw a video of these cabins on youtube. I wonder if the ocean suites on Deck 8 are the same. We miss you on the roll call too!

 

I don't think they are, the 2 room design seems to be pretty unusual. We were following the new room design before and through the dry dock and originally it was going to be a single big room with a wrap around balcony, but during the re-fit this changed. Although you lost the full aft wrap, the balcony was still fine and having 2 rooms was great with the two kids.

 

I will investigate the roll call, we've got a cruise on the NCL Epic in May and I only just joined that roll call, I am a bit behind! :)

[keishashadow]

Glad to see another positive review of the Sunshine. I also feel the ship gets a bad wrap - at least on this board - like some folks have a cruiseship grudge or something;)

?

 

we enjoyed our Destiny sailing enough to give the Sunshine a go:).

 

always book a balcony to have a little personal 'outdoor' space. I am hoping the serenity area will have a lounger or two open @ 8 am-ish and that the chair hogs who stake out a spot then depart for hours are monitored. Last sailing on CCL, the staff did a great job of it.

 

disabled searching is killing me;) have been looking for info on bonsai, I'm a sushi fiend.

[crazyboutdisney]

Do you remember the names of the Wait team you had in YTD??

 

We had Elmer and loved him!!! He always remembered who wanted tea and that my friend wanted lemon with her water. And he made a point to call us by name, which makes you feel so good :) His tables were at the very back with an awesome view out the back of the boat.

[mnjen]

We were on this same cruise!

 

My observations....not enough Serenity space. Not enough good entertainment. Limelight Lounge is way too small to have the comedy club. Didn't like that bingo was scheduled immediately before the shows in the Liquid Lounge, so you had to deal with a crap ton of people leaving bingo while you try to find a decent seat. We were in room 8106....big mistake. There's a crew area right next to that room and they slammed doors all night long, every single night.

 

The MDR staff we had were fantastic. We had Jose, Joyce, and Mate. They accommodated my gluten free diet fabulously!

 

But, we had a great time with the Blogger's group and then of course CD Butch is awesome. All in all we had a great vacation and we had fantastic weather up until the last full day as we got closer to Louisiana. Then it was cloudy and cool...back to reality :( lol

[gregg204]

We were on this same cruise!

 

My observations....not enough Serenity space.

 

 

Really ? Not enough Serenity space??? There is no way you were on the Sunshine. It's the largest in their fleet. 3 stories. You could enjoy the action of the lido on its 1st deck or get all the piece and quiet on its upper 2 decks. The Sunshine's Serenity was perfect for the people in our group on the sea days.

[mnjen]

You're right...we just could never find chairs! So it just felt small! LOL

[cruizinisthebest]

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