Breeze for the 3rd time or try Sunshine?

[Niquein99]

Hey everyone. My family and I are currently booked on the Sunshine for June, 2015, and this will be our first time on that ship. I'm travelling with my daughter (22) and my son (14). The cruise is a college graduation trip for my daughter. My son and I have been on the Breeze 2X now and love that ship. My daughter has never cruised Carnival, however. I figured we'd try a different ship, which is why I booked us on the Sunshine.

 

I'm kinda torn on whether I should change from the Sunshine to the Breeze, or keep my reservation as is. Both ships are doing the exact same itinerary - St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan and Grand Turk, and they're both 8-day cruises. The Breeze and Sunshine are almost the same in price, with the Breeze costing about $50 more total, for the 3 of us, than the Sunshine, for a balcony cabin.

 

I'm just not sure if Sunshine is worth the price and since we know the Breeze and love that ship, should we go on the Breeze for a 3rd time? Or try something new with the Sunshine? Is the Sunshine worth as much in price as the Breeze? If the costs are the same, would you choose the Breeze again, or try the Sunshine? I keep going back and forth and almost changed over to the Breeze this morning.

 

Admittedly, if the Sunshine were considerably less than the Breeze, I wouldn't question it. But having never been on the Sunshine, and knowing it's a glorified refurb, just not sure if it's up to par with the Breeze price-wise.

 

We want to keep this itinerary, just questioning whether we should do it on the Sunshine or the Breeze.

 

What say you? :)

[tmg698]

I would like to know the same thing. But I have never been on Breeze or Sunshine. I am booked on Sunshine for Oct 2015 but I am considering changing to Breeze for only $40 more. The biggest thing for me is the difference in the drive 6 hours vs. 9 hours. :confused:

[bjd2]

We've been on both. We liked the Sunshine better as we like a bit smaller ship than the Dream class. It also had Alchemy and Jiji's and Havana, which the Breeze does not.

 

The serenity area is much larger and has a pool with waterfall. We really liked that as well. We don't do production shows so can't comment as others have on the lounge.

 

I'd encourage you to try the Sunshine. We would go on her again in a heartbeat.

 

Bobbie

[CruzinPenny]

We were just on the Sunshine during Labor Day week. We like going on different ships, so decided to give it a try. We have never been on the Breeze, booked Jan. 2015. We have been on the Dream twice.

 

The Sunshine was nice, a little bit of a weird layout in places. The Serenity area was nice, but the pool area was so crowded, it was definitely not serene. But, it was summer so not unexpected. We ate at Ji Ji's, in the Havana Bar. Both were good. Shows were good, but there was some kind of leak in the ceiling of the theater that had a good section of it roped off. I did not like the layout of the Lido buffet area, it made for big traffic jams, although we did start going in a little later to miss the surge.

 

The only disappointment was that there was no Thalasso pool in the spa, so we skipped going.

 

I'm sure we'd sail on the Sunshine again if she was going someplace we'd like to go, but I think I am partial to the Dream class. We'll know for sure after January. With young people along, I'd probably go with the Breeze, I think it would just be more fun for them.

 

Good luck,

Penny:)

[Rotnkid49]

We were on the Breeze 2X as well & are booked on the Sunshine for Jan 2015. We decided that we would try the Sunshine & not the Breeze for a 3rd time in a row. The Breeze is the only ship we have duplicated. A cruise is what you make it! I stopped listening to other people's reviews a long time ago. I am sure whichever you choose, you all will enjoy.

[Niquein99]

Thanks for the tips so far. I'm going to wait till after New Year's and see what prices are looking like then.

[mississauga]

We have been on both the Breeze and the Sunshine and love both. Since you have not been on the Sunshine, I would recommend that you give it a try. Judge for yourself and not on others' opinions. Each has a little something that the other one does not have but not enough to make that much of a difference.

 

Trying a different ship will give you a chance to compare so next time you are planning a cruise, you have more to compare to make an educated decision.

 

 

Whichever ship you decide on, enjoy!:)

[travler27]

Never been on the Breeze but we've been on the Sunshine once. Never again will we step foot on the Sunshine.

[Cruise life]

We have been on both the Breeze and the Sunshine and love both. Since you have not been on the Sunshine, I would recommend that you give it a try. Judge for yourself and not on others' opinions. Each has a little something that the other one does not have but not enough to make that much of a difference.

 

 

 

Trying a different ship will give you a chance to compare so next time you are planning a cruise, you have more to compare to make an educated decision.

 

 

 

 

 

Whichever ship you decide on, enjoy!:)

 

 

We almost never use Serenity, but that is one of the reasons we want to try the Sunshine- 3 decks worth!- although the deciding factor was dates for us so the whole family could cruise. I am glad the decor is like the Breeze, but I will miss the wider hallways on the Breeze. And I will miss the T pool in the Cloud 9 spa, but I'm sure the other rooms will be great since we love them so much on the Dream and Breeze (and we are planning to buy the access if it's available). Other than that, hoping all the negative comments about leaks and smells are isolated - if at all present- and not a constant issue. Will be using the Sports area so glad that is there, as well. ITA it's great to try as many ships out as you can for comparison. And to the pp who said never again on the Sunshine, we said that our first time on the Dream. Have been on the Dream 2x more since then and each time is better since we now know what to expect to plan our days more effectively.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[QTPie68]

I have not been on a dream class ship yet, but was on sunshine, but just from video and pictures of the spa on those class ships, the sunshine spa is really nothing like them, so if you are really big spa folks, you might be a little let down. No t-pool, very small sauna rooms, only 8 heated loungers, the lockers room have no real changing room and they are for the whole ship and the relaxation room is more of the waiting room for services. I enjoyed it, of course, but was very surprised when I looked into other ships spas.

[mississauga]

We almost never use Serenity, but that is one of the reasons we want to try the Sunshine- 3 decks worth!- although the deciding factor was dates for us so the whole family could cruise. I am glad the decor is like the Breeze, but I will miss the wider hallways on the Breeze. And I will miss the T pool in the Cloud 9 spa, but I'm sure the other rooms will be great since we love them so much on the Dream and Breeze (and we are planning to buy the access if it's available). Other than that, hoping all the negative comments about leaks and smells are isolated - if at all present- and not a constant issue. Will be using the Sports area so glad that is there, as well. ITA it's great to try as many ships out as you can for comparison. And to the pp who said never again on the Sunshine, we said that our first time on the Dream. Have been on the Dream 2x more since then and each time is better since we now know what to expect to plan our days more effectively.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

I actually think the hallways are wider on the Sunshine and especially in the public areas because when we were on last year, it did not have chairs and sofas to relax in between venues. I joke that they ran out of money for furniture because that is the one thing lacking on the Sunshine. No night tables in cabins too..lol. Some leaks when we were on her but hopefully they have that fixed by now. Never had any smells.

 

I have not been on a dream class ship yet, hbut was on sunshine, but just from video and pictures of the spa on those class ships, the sunshine spa is really nothing like them, so if you are really big spa folks, you might be a little let down. No t-pool, very small sauna rooms, only 8 heated loungers, the lockers room have no real changing room and they are for the whole ship and the relaxation room is more of the waiting room for services. I enjoyed it, of course, but was very surprised when I looked into other ships spas.

 

Have only been to the spa on the Dream class so can't compare but can't imagine that they would be as wonderful as the ones on the Dream or Magic. We had spa cabins on both those ships and it is wonderful...especially the thallasotherapy pool and the relaxation rooms. Never been to the one on the Breeze yet even though we have cruised on her for 20 days. We will rectify that in January as we have a spa cabin booked...lol.

 

Niquein99,

As I said, cruise on different ships so you can compare and decide for yourself which ones you like better. Each have their own pluses and minuses and only you can decide what is more suitable for your family. IMHO, both the Breeze and the Sunshine give you the same value for your money. I personally like ships for all their amenities and as I said, each one has some that the other does not have but not that much of of a difference.

[Niquein99]

Thanks for your responses. I'm going to keep our reservation as-is on the Sunshine. I'll be watching prices like a hawk though! :D

[bar1068]

Thanks for your responses. I'm going to keep our reservation as-is on the Sunshine. I'll be watching prices like a hawk though! :D

 

Sounds like you've seen enough responses to at least stay with your booking on Sunshine, but, fwiw...I'll had to some of whats already been "said".

 

We've also cruised twice on Breeze, but twice on Sunshine also. If price and itinerary are close to the same, I'd have a hard time deciding. Our second Sunshine cruise we booked almost solely on price, since we were familiar with the ship...but again, I'd still be hard pressed to chose between the 2, but as others have said, give the Sunshine a try..best way of course to know about a ship is to sail on it.

 

Couple things that do give the Sunshine a slight edge, have been mentioned, but I'll say em again...Alchemy bar (love that place) Havana bar(good location to sit for buffet breakfast early in cruise) JiJi's Asian kitchen(nice dining option)

plus for kiddies, young or old, there is a 3rd water slide. I believe the Serenity area has been mentioned..nice 3 level area, but a bit noisy being adjacent to the Lido festivities. Breeze gets the nod for cabins, all are of course "new", depending on cabin category, most are larger also and have fridges in pretty much all cabins. One thing we were surprised with, even though the cabins we've stayed in on Sunshine were smaller, the showers were the largest we've used on board any ship/cabin we've been in!!

 

I mostly think you can't go wrong either way.

[mississauga]

Thanks for your responses. I'm going to keep our reservation as-is on the Sunshine. I'll be watching prices like a hawk though! :D

 

 

If you do stay with the Sunshine, come back and let us know if we gave you good advice. Would be interested in knowing how you liked the Sunshine.:) after your cruise.

[rpayne]

Was on Sunshine recently and most of the equipment for fun was broken. Fooze Ball table (rusted arms and broken), mini golf (many broken pieces on course, no balls and broken putters) ping pong paddles broken and in poor repair. Very very small main pool. A lot of food and ice-cream spilled and left for hours as staff walked by time after time.

 

I was told to go on Breeze but we did Sunshine and regretted it. Most of it was clean, but you could tell it was a big refurbishment job and I really cant say how Breeze is, but the Sunshine was for me the worst Carnival ship I have ever been on, of which there have been 8.

[Cruise life]

Was on Sunshine recently and most of the equipment for fun was broken. Fooze Ball table (rusted arms and broken), mini golf (many broken pieces on course, no balls and broken putters) ping pong paddles broken and in poor repair. Very very small main pool. A lot of food and ice-cream spilled and left for hours as staff walked by time after time.

 

 

 

I was told to go on Breeze but we did Sunshine and regretted it. Most of it was clean, but you could tell it was a big refurbishment job and I really cant say how Breeze is, but the Sunshine was for me the worst Carnival ship I have ever been on, of which there have been 8.

 

 

Considering the Breeze is huge and new, you can't beat huge and new! It's like buying new construction vs used. On the other hand, price may be better and upgrades recently made could make it a better experience on the Sunshine.

We are staying in one of those newly added Deluxe OV cabins (not the captain's suites on the ends of 9 forward, but the forward inside OVs right next to them with more SF than a standard OV and the floor to ceiling windows).

I know the Cloud 9 area will be smaller and I understand how the sitting area is shared with the spa appointments, but the eucalyptus room and whatever they have there will be very much enjoyed by us in the evenings when everyone else is clamoring for showtime and comedy club seats, etc.

Please do come back and tell us how you liked it; I'm on the Ipad and can't remember or see when you leave- we leave 1/3.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[chill6x6]

It would be a no brainer if you hadn't been on either ship(Breeze). BUT since you have been on the Breeze TWICE I think that IS a good reason to give the Sunshine a try.

[Niquein99]

If you do stay with the Sunshine, come back and let us know if we gave you good advice. Would be interested in knowing how you liked the Sunshine.:) after your cruise.

 

I certainly will. We don't cruise till June, but I'll come back with a report and comparison. :)

[PugGeek]

We sailed on the Sunshine in August 2013 and it was leaking through ceilings in several places. Surprised that hasn't been completely sorted out. And sewer smell in the evenings in places really bothered me but I am very sensitive to smells. I did not like the tiny comedy lounge and the fact that everyone uses it as a walk through to get to other places. The serenity pool with the waterfall is my favourite ship pool so far.

 

We are sailing on the breeze first time in Dec 2015 and I am going to really miss the Alchemy... first cruise without it.

[Cruise life]

Was on Sunshine recently and most of the equipment for fun was broken. Fooze Ball table (rusted arms and broken), mini golf (many broken pieces on course, no balls and broken putters) ping pong paddles broken and in poor repair. Very very small main pool. A lot of food and ice-cream spilled and left for hours as staff walked by time after time.

 

 

 

I was told to go on Breeze but we did Sunshine and regretted it. Most of it was clean, but you could tell it was a big refurbishment job and I really cant say how Breeze is, but the Sunshine was for me the worst Carnival ship I have ever been on, of which there have been 8.

 

 

Maybe these issues are why it stays in the bottom of the rankings. The Serenity area can only pull it up so much. We loved the Breeze, but going to the those southern ports is a good 8 hour drive when we can get to PC in less than 5 hours. Plus we noticed a huge demographic difference leaving from Miami...need to brush up on my Spanish and listen/dance to more salsa music!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Boozebabe]

Never been on the Breeze but we've been on the Sunshine once. Never again will we step foot on the Sunshine.

 

Please tell us why. Don't leave us hanging. I was on the Destiny but would consider the Sunshine since refurbed. Would like to hear other opinions.

[ExFed drvr]

Please tell us why. Don't leave us hanging. I was on the Destiny but would consider the Sunshine since refurbed. Would like to hear other opinions.

 

I also will never sail the Sunshine again. I've been on Dream (4X) Breeze and Magic and they are much better ships than the Sunshine. They ruined the theater when they put all those tables and chairs on the main floor. The Serenity Decks are right in front of the loud big screen TV and spread out over three decks with ONE bar and almost no bar waiters. The buffet is one big cluster with peoples going in 10 different directions. We were in an aft rooms deck 7 4D and had NO nightstands. They added some rooms and cut down on the public spaces Carnival has cut back on employees and I notice this on all ships, on the Splendor a couple of weeks ago the Lido deck supervisors were cleaning tables....Dennis

[bassmaster150]

We have been on both.....and were on the Sunshine twice while it was the Destiny. If I had to choose between the two, I would probably lean towards the Sunshine especially if you have not been on the Sunshine. There were more specialty restaurants (JiJi, Havana, etc) than on the Breeze, and as some others said in the posts above....a cruise is what you make it. We had no issues with the smaller theater, and thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

[RoscoeJames]

Never been on the Breeze but have been on the Magic and the Sunshine. Loved the Sunshine. Had an aft balcony and enjoyed the location. The specialty restaurants are great especially the Bonzi Sushi. The Havana Bar was my favorite spot to eat breakfast or have an after noon drink. The serenity area is great and unlike many I enjoyed it overlooking the Lido pool. My kids liked the slide but the pool was small with the Magic edging the Sunshine.

 

Unless you pick a poor cabin location you will enjoy the Sunshine. Also most rooms on the Sunshine don't have a fridge or access to your account on the television. Comedy club is small but can get a good seat if you get there early. Did not go to the clubs or main theater.

 

 

Clay.

[Turquoisewaters70]

I have sailed the Breeze twice and have 3rd booked. Great ship !

 

Sent from my XT1080 using Forums mobile app