Carnival Sunshine 8/8/15 8 day sailing review with pics

[dst]

Great review. We sail the Sunshine on 9-11. Extended aft balcony. 2nd cruise, first balcony.

 

 

We will be getting off - and have an extended balcony aft :) deck 7

[BattyL]

Love your reviews and am especially interested in this one. We will be on the Sunshine next August. I was having mixed feelings about this ship but after reading your review I am now looking forward to it. We have a balcony on the Lido deck. Are the hallways back in the Lido as crowded as I have read they are? Thanks for the great review and fantastic pictures.

[jenne252]

Great review. We sail the Sunshine on 9-11. Extended aft balcony. 2nd cruise, first balcony.

 

I am on this cruise! 2nd cruise also! We were in an aft ocean view room (idk if that's a real name but it was nice with 2 windows and oversized) on Valor last time. This time no balcony but we did book a Scenic Grand Ocean View on Lido!!

[tiggerttfn61]

So following this review. Keep up the good work. :)

[092306]

Thank you so much for all of the info in this review! We were considering the Sunshine out of NYC next summer and your review is making that a definite. Really enjoying it, thanks!

[jimbo5544]

Great review. We sail the Sunshine on 9-11. Extended aft balcony. 2nd cruise, first balcony.

Thanks for the nice words. You will enjoy the extended aft balcony. We normally stay in aft wraps, but not this time.

[jimbo5544]

Love your reviews and am especially interested in this one. We will be on the Sunshine next August. I was having mixed feelings about this ship but after reading your review I am now looking forward to it. We have a balcony on the Lido deck. Are the hallways back in the Lido as crowded as I have read they are? Thanks for the great review and fantastic pictures.

Why thank you very much! I wish I had started writing them a while before I did. I always enjoyed reading others, and there are some here who have a real talent at it. To be honest, I had mixed feelings about sailing on the Sunshine as well, based upon some of the reviews I had seen and also some of the comments made here. Is she a perfect ship? no. That being said I don't have a lot of negative things to say. We had a great cruise! We would sail her again... and we are ;) and have no reservations about it. Our cabin was on Lido (forward) and I have no memories about crowded hallways (and I walked them a lot). There are a couple quirky things because of the re-do (layout wise), but nothing big. I did not feel any more crowded on this ship than any other.

[jimbo5544]

I am on this cruise! 2nd cruise also! We were in an aft ocean view room (idk if that's a real name but it was nice with 2 windows and oversized) on Valor last time. This time no balcony but we did book a Scenic Grand Ocean View on Lido!!

 

The scenic grand ocean views are pretty special rooms!

[jimbo5544]

So following this review. Keep up the good work. :)

 

Thanks a lot, I had planned writing much more today, but got weigh layer with life....;) Hope to pick it up some more tomorrow. One of our all time highlights (from an excursion perspective) happened on this cruise, and I am anxious to talk about it and show all of you. Stay tuned!

[jimbo5544]

Thank you so much for all of the info in this review! We were considering the Sunshine out of NYC next summer and your review is making that a definite. Really enjoying it, thanks!

 

Thanks for the kind words. I enjoy writing it (it helps relive the cruise and keep it fresh....), I would strongly recommend anyone thinking about doing a review try it. I waited way to long to attempt my first one. I would not hesitate to recommend sailing the Sunshine out of New York , if we were not doing a med cruise on the Vista next July, we might have joined you. Sailing out of New York is an outstanding sail away! Maybe the best ever (at least in the states). I have some outstanding pics from our two cruises aboard the Splendor sailing from New York the last two years.

[isismommy]

Great review. We sail the Sunshine on 9-11. Extended aft balcony. 2nd cruise, first balcony.

 

No balcony this time for us but we'll be there too!!!! :D

[A.S.]

Thanks for the kind words. I enjoy writing it (it helps relive the cruise and keep it fresh....), I would strongly recommend anyone thinking about doing a review try it. I waited way to long to attempt my first one. I would not hesitate to recommend sailing the Sunshine out of New York , if we were not doing a med cruise on the Vista next July, we might have joined you. Sailing out of New York is an outstanding sail away! Maybe the best ever (at least in the states). I have some outstanding pics from our two cruises aboard the Splendor sailing from New York the last two years.

 

I believe the Sunshine is sailing to Canada next Summer. Would it be a chilly cruise? Looking at June 30. Are you able to sit out on deck?

 

Thanks for any info.

[cruzeluver]

Really enjoying your review so far and am looking forward to more! We are booked on a 10 night Journey's cruise on Sunshine next May, so am reading up on the ship as much as I can.

[jimbo5544]

I believe the Sunshine is sailing to Canada next Summer. Would it be a chilly cruise? Looking at June 30. Are you able to sit out on deck?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

We have never had the pleasure of sailing north from New York, but we do have family on the Splendor right now doing it. If we did not have a wedding yesterday, we had talked about being on the Splendor with them. While it is cooler up here (and further north) you can almost certainly sit out on the deck. And yes....the Sunshine will be doing some Canada sailings, although I don't know the dates off hand.

[jimbo5544]

Really enjoying your review so far and am looking forward to more! We are booked on a 10 night Journey's cruise on Sunshine next May, so am reading up on the ship as much as I can.

 

Glad you are enjoying the review, I know I am sure I enjoy doing it!;) Lot's more coming but I will try not to make it a marathon.... We would love to do a Journey cruise, I am sure you will really enjoy it.

[NCTribeFan]

...Any idea when the Sunshine will get the new menu?...

Rick

 

Don't think I'll have them on either of my upcoming fall cruises (Splendor 10/23 and Sunshine 11/28). Both were on an earlier list provided by John Heald but then he announced that the roll-out was delayed.

 

Too bad, as I was really looking forward to some new options. I don't have any problem with the current menus, but I've sailed several times with them and there are days that I'm underwhelmed by the choices, and others that I could order just about everything on the menu. I'd be happy if they just took the current menus and shuffled the offerings around a bit!

[jimbo5544]

Around 12:30 we headed in for our first real lunch and decided to get a Guy's burger for the first time on this cruise. We were surprised that there was not much of a line. As a matter of fact, the line at Guy's was the shortest for this entire cruise compared to the other ships we have been on that have had a Guy's burger bar. Form our vantage point, this was a great addition by Carnival, while we don't eat a lot of them, we really enjoy them.

 

After getting our food, we wandered back to our normal area back by the Havana bar to eat. After eating we went back up to the Serenity area until late afternoon when we needed to get ready for the first cruise elegant night. At dinner the night before, Joesef the maitre'd mentioned that there would be to shorts allowed and the crowd, from what we could see, complied. Having been around Carnival a good while, we are the older crew who still enjoy dressing up (but I really don't mind others who don't).

 

During dinner we discussed what everyone was doing and one in our group said, we have to go the main show all together. I am hit or miss on the main show entertainment, while I enjoy it (not nearly as much as my wife) I would not lose a lot of sleep if I missed a show.;) I asked why we had to go as a group and was told where have you been (when I heard the reason why tho.....I had to agree).

 

We live in a small gown outside New Haven CT. It seems (actually it was) that one of our own was in the then current Playlist Production group that was on the Sunshine (they left the ship with us as their contract was up). Not only that, but she used to live right next door to one of our cruisers (the one who mentioned it) and two others in our group (who are teachers) had taught her. Her parents had been on the sailing two sailings before, but she did not know we were coming.

[jimbo5544]

Don't think I'll have them on either of my upcoming fall cruises (Splendor 10/23 and Sunshine 11/28). Both were on an earlier list provided by John Heald but then he announced that the roll-out was delayed.

 

Too bad, as I was really looking forward to some new options. I don't have any problem with the current menus, but I've sailed several times with them and there are days that I'm underwhelmed by the choices, and others that I could order just about everything on the menu. I'd be happy if they just took the current menus and shuffled the offerings around a bit!

 

I thought I had read that they had re-established a new roll out date (specifically for the Sunshine), but I might be all wet. I do get your point on the menu, however, after sailing the Breeze with the new menu, and then sailing the Sunshine with the original menu, we viewed it as a glimpse of what was. We certainly (like you) know the menu pretty well and really don't need to look at the menu........

[jimbo5544]

So we all headed down to the room to get something front and center........ well not so much. When they did the transformation for the Sunshine, the did something with the main show lounge that is continuing on new builds (at the very least on the Vista and probably the next in line yet to be named new build). This is making the room smaller and more multi functional. I did not take a lot of pics.... let me try to explain for those who have not seen or experienced it. The new Liquid Lounge is shorter (what used to be the lower level deck 3 are now rooms and the lounge starts on Deck 4). In addition, the central floor area is not the fixed bench seats but portable chairs that they move around in different configs - or not there at all depending on the show. There is also a working bar in the center back. Hopefully not to confusing. I will try and look back at my pictures from the sleepover we did back in November 2013 for the naming ceremony to see if I have any pics that do a better idea of getting the point across.

 

So we ended up starboard front on the floor. Being the last in line coming in, I ended up being on the end and got picked with 3 other guys to go on stage as part of the warm up (from a comedy perspective....:o). So our first cruise on the Sunshine and I ended up with a medal (not the last for our group I might add).

[movingimages]

Thank you that was very helpful.

 

Regarding the new menu, I've been on a couple of ships that had it. I didn't feel it was a big plus or minus either way. However, one thing for me that disappointed with the new menu was that they had fewer offerings of the cold soups. I really enjoy those. The old menu has them almost, if not every, night. Change happens. No big deal ... I don't have to plan it, cook it, or clean it up, so it's all good for me. :D

 

Enjoying the review so far. Thanks!

[isismommy]

Thanks for the great review and taking the time to share with us!

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for the great review and taking the time to share with us!

 

Believe me it is my pleasure. Thanks for reading along.

[jimbo5544]

I know that there has been much printed and debated here about Playlist and whether it is a cutback etc etc. I will only comment on what I experienced. The first part is that clearly there is no more show band. Is that a cutback, sure it is. As to the quality of the shows, the two I saw were good. Not only that, but the way the get the audience involved (participating and other ways) I do get what is behind the concept.

 

At any rate, at the end of the show we hung around the stage area and the young lady saw us came out and spent a good chunk of time with us. I did learn a bunch on how that shoe process works (and to a certain degree does not) but that is another topic for another thread.... I do think it was special that we got to spend some time with here. She was very pleasantly surprised and invited us to participate in there things they were doing to celebrate the end of the contract. One of those things was the following evening when they preformed wight the in motion band in the Oceans plaza and then she hung out with some of us for a while.

[big ragu 1950]

awesome review, really enjoy your style and can almost feel how much you enjoyed your cruise

[jimbo5544]

awesome review, really enjoy your style and can almost feel how much you enjoyed your cruise

 

Thanks! Does it show that much? :) We sail a fair amount, but this one was special for several reasons. Can't wait to get on her again in February. This is a unique ship, which we enjoyed a whole bunch.