Very discouraged about Sunshine

[Jenn24101]

I honestly do not get why sunshine gets such a bad rap.

 

We were on last June, just a few weeks after being on the liberty in May. The dining is really not an issue. It's just there's a small space where the atd dining is, so the check in is on a different deck. I believe all but once we were able to check in and go immediately to the dining room. It's the same as any other ship. Peak dining times are busier so if you are familiar with atd you already know what to expect or how to avoid it. We ate quite late most nights and rarely waited in any line to check in.

 

We did the trip last minute and booked pack n go ocean view, deck 1...no smell noticed anywhere ever. Also, got no single supplement, great deal, 3 cabins for a steal!

 

The only crowding I noticed is at guys and the iguana cantina, it is narrower than the liberty so got more congested but wasn't a huge issue and again was at peak eating times.

 

Last annoyance was the comedy lounge, dumb setup but I suppose it had to be that way? Anyway we had an awesome trip and absolutely would sail the sunshine again.

 

As to Aruba, it is always windy there....we hit it in May on the liberty and loved it, but did not make or break our trip if we had to have missed it.

[skittl1321]

I have yet to sail on a Carnival ship that did not have crowding issues.

 

Really? Except lining up to get into a dining room on set-dining times (which is really just a traffic jam because the doors are shut) and possibly space in the comedy club, I've never seen crowding on a ship.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Really? Except lining up to get into a dining room on set-dining times (which is really just a traffic jam because the doors are shut) and possibly space in the comedy club, I've never seen crowding on a ship.

 

I've seen crowding on every sailing, primarily:

1. Lido deck, peak times throughout day

2. Promenade deck, evening

3. Embarking/debarking, depending on port-of-call and time

 

The Promenade deck gets extremely crowded in the evening. It's hard to believe you have never seen this when I've seen it on every sailing. A mass of people walking back and forth, with picture stops everywhere.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Cruise, J.D.

[CammieO]

We had a great time on the Sunshine

My Time Dining--you get in line-pick up a pager and then they page you when a table is ready (peak times)

Otherwise you go by the table--they had you a number and you go straight to MDR for your table.

Easy peasy

Quick question, though based on your post I'm pretty sure I understand but I want to clarify just in case. With YTD you can eat anytime from 5:30 (or 5:45 I can't remember) to 9:30 so I can stop by the table on deck 5 at anytime between those times and they'll either give me a ticket or a pager. I don't have to check in right at the beginning of the dining time period right? I was pretty sure I could go to eat anytime but then a lot of people were saying to check in with the staff at 5:30 so now I'm confused. Thank you!

[JennyD1]

Quick question, though based on your post I'm pretty sure I understand but I want to clarify just in case. With YTD you can eat anytime from 5:30 (or 5:45 I can't remember) to 9:30 so I can stop by the table on deck 5 at anytime between those times and they'll either give me a ticket or a pager. I don't have to check in right at the beginning of the dining time period right? I was pretty sure I could go to eat anytime but then a lot of people were saying to check in with the staff at 5:30 so now I'm confused. Thank you!

You check in at the desk on deck 5 near the Alchemy Bar when you are ready to eat. You will give them your cabin number and how many in your party. If you are a party of two, they will ask if you want to share a table with others. If that is what you want you will probably be seated right away. If you want a table for two they will give you a pager and you may have to wait 15 minutes or you may get a slip of paper and be seated right away. If your table is ready you walk down two decks or take elevator and you are right there. I think its a great system. Instead of having everyone wait outside the dining room in the hallway, you can wait at the bar or in the lounge right there. The lounge has many tables and always a live band playing. I have been on many Sunshine cruises and never waited more than 20 minutes and only a few times have we waited. I always request a table for two. If we like the wait staff we ask for them each evening and usually get them. I think they like to keep you with the same wait staff if possible, that way at the end of the cruise you can give them something extra, besides the included gratuities, which we do when we get great service. We love anytime dining and are late diners, usually around 8pm.

Edited July 8, 2015 by JennyD1
add something

[skittl1321]

I've seen crowding on every sailing, primarily:

1. Lido deck, peak times throughout day

2. Promenade deck, evening

3. Embarking/debarking, depending on port-of-call and time

 

The Promenade deck gets extremely crowded in the evening. It's hard to believe you have never seen this when I've seen it on every sailing. A mass of people walking back and forth, with picture stops everywhere.

 

 

Maybe I just have a different tolerance for crowding.

In your issues

1) I don't hang out on the Lido deck, so I may have missed this.

2) I've always been able to walk where I am going- it isn't that big of a deal. The photo stops on formal nights take up space, but they are not hard to avoid.

3) I consider these to be lines, not crowds. If 3,000 people want to leave through one door at the same time, of course there will be a line.

[sandij]

We sailed the Sunshine year before last and actually sailed her as the Destiny years ago. All ships nowadays are crowded in certain areas, but over all we weren't bumping into people and had a great time. We've been to Aruba twice and only recently did I see where ships weren't docking because of the wind. Sometimes that happens, we missed Tunisia on our last European cruise for the same reason. You can't let other peoples opinions color your vacation, there are just too many sour pusses in this world who love to ruin other peoples trips.

[CammieO]

You check in at the desk on deck 5 near the Alchemy Bar when you are ready to eat. You will give them your cabin number and how many in your party. If you are a party of two, they will ask if you want to share a table with others. If that is what you want you will probably be seated right away. If you want a table for two they will give you a pager and you may have to wait 15 minutes or you may get a slip of paper and be seated right away. If your table is ready you walk down two decks or take elevator and you are right there. I think its a great system. Instead of having everyone wait outside the dining room in the hallway, you can wait at the bar or in the lounge right there. The lounge has many tables and always a live band playing. I have been on many Sunshine cruises and never waited more than 20 minutes and only a few times have we waited. I always request a table for two. If we like the wait staff we ask for them each evening and usually get them. I think they like to keep you with the same wait staff if possible, that way at the end of the cruise you can give them something extra, besides the included gratuities, which we do when we get great service. We love anytime dining and are late diners, usually around 8pm.

Thank you so much for your quick and detailed reply! I really appreciate it. :) I will be traveling with my mom and sister who are first time cruisers. With three of us I don't imagine we will have an option to sit with other people, or do you think that would still be something they'd ask us.

[JennyD1]

Thank you so much for your quick and detailed reply! I really appreciate it. :) I will be traveling with my mom and sister who are first time cruisers. With three of us I don't imagine we will have an option to sit with other people, or do you think that would still be something they'd ask us.

Sure they will ask you. If not, you can ask them if you would like to be seated with others. They have several large tables, which seat 8 to 10 people. If you have breakfast in the dining room, they will also ask if you want a table for the three of you or if you would like to be seated with others. Hope you all have a great time.

[CammieO]

Sure they will ask you. If not, you can ask them if you would like to be seated with others. They have several large tables, which seat 8 to 10 people. If you have breakfast in the dining room, they will also ask if you want a table for the three of you or if you would like to be seated with others. Hope you all have a great time.

Awesome. :) Thank you again! It looks like you have a few cruises coming up too. I hope you have a great time in those also!

[tbdurdles2]

LizzieTrowbridge I see that you also went on the NCL Dawn to Bermuda. We sailed on her also and are now booked on the Sunshine for May 2016. Can I get some feedback from you on how the two ships compared?? We loved the Dawn and are really excited about the Sunshine but just wondering what your opinion is on them both? We have three generations of family going so should be a great time! Thanks so much!

[fozziscooter]

I had a great time on the Sunshine and I am a Royal Caribbean girl, tried and true. Never heard of tickets for dining, only tendering, but, if there are tickets, so what. You're on a cruise ship, you won't go hungry, LOL.

 

Glad to hear you had a great time. We have been trying to book a cruise but we just can't figure out which one to do. We really wanted to cruise the Freedom or Oasis the week before Thanksgiving this fall but both are more than we want to pay. Trying to figure out if we should do the Sunshine or Liberty. Another choice is the Celebrity Reflection. Any suggestions?

[ratherBcruizin']

I sailed the Sunshine in May. Had no issues with crowding compared to other ships. And honestly for me, the complaints about checking in on deck 5 for anytime dining was making a mountain out of molehill. It was really not a big deal for us in the least.

[Green4me]

Take a chance on the Sunshine, it is one of our favorite ships. We first sailed her as the Destiny and will be going back in a few weeks on our third 8 day as the Sunshine. This will be our second trip to Aruba and Curacao, we enjoyed them both very much. We booked a snorkel sunset cruise in Aruba last time and have signed up to do the same again. Curacao we just walked the town and shops, it was very nice. I understand they too have great beaches and snorkeling

 

Have a great cruise

[MACUQUI58]

I have been on the Sunshine several times and sailing on her again on September 6th....

[turbidblue]

We just cruised the Sunshine in mid July (8 day). Was it crowded? Yes. But not really any more so than other ships we've been on. We were usually able to find chairs on the lido deck around the pool...even at peak times on sea days. The pool was always packed...but we expected that. Also never had a problem getting chairs on Serenity the few times we were up there. Buffets were never very crowded for lunch or dinner, and we never had any trouble finding a table. Minor lines for breakfast (much less than other ships to be honest). There was usually a line for Guy's Burgers. We had anytime dining. The check-in process on deck 5 was very efficient. We never had more than a 5-10 minute wait for a table.

 

Lines for the waterslides were always long, but seemed to move pretty quickly. The ropes course was the same. I thought the wait was pretty decent, considering the amount of time it took some people (me) to complete the course. :p

 

The only issues we had were the shows. Comedy Club set-up was weird. It was a very small venue with a pretty low ceiling. If you didn't get in line about 20-30 minutes ahead of time, you wouldn't get a seat. And the line wound down a hallway with not a lot of air flow. The hallway housed the Piano Bar and Bonsai Sushi, and a couple of other things. So people wanting to visit those areas would run into the comedy club line. Also the musical shows were always packed....theater was also pretty small. We would have to get in line for those 30-45 minutes ahead of time to get seats in the lower level. And sometimes even then....wouldn't get 4 seats together. The line for this show (lower level seating) would wind through the photo gallery and/or elevator waiting area. which caused a lot of congestion there.

 

Overall, we had a great time. We would sail her again if the price was right. :)