Just off the Sunshine - loved JiJi's

[JayDeeJay]

Yes, the cabins are smaller, no bedside tables, cramped bathroom, however! We enjoyed the heck out of the Big Enough balcony. We tried to eat at every station, still missed a couple. But we did have a MAGNIFICANT dinner at JiJi's. Wow! Sunshine has the only JiJi's, so I hope word spreads! Absolutely delightful! Can't wait to get back.

[KirkNC]

Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed it.

[luvs2beachit]

Yes, the cabins are smaller, no bedside tables, cramped bathroom, however! We enjoyed the heck out of the Big Enough balcony. We tried to eat at every station, still missed a couple. But we did have a MAGNIFICANT dinner at JiJi's. Wow! Sunshine has the only JiJi's, so I hope word spreads! Absolutely delightful! Can't wait to get back.

 

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise. We are considering booking the ship this summer but have read so many negative complaints that we started looking at the Pride and NCL so hearing your positive comments makes me happy and gives the Sunshine a big positive check mark!:)

[JayDeeJay]

We've seen complaints about Sunshine and every other ship on the ocean! We go to have a good time, eat everything we can get our hands on, and don't sweat the petty stuff. We are fast approaching our Milestone(25) and are really looking forward to it. We have always felt Carnival tries hard to make us happy, that's why we've been loyal and have enjoyed every cruise.

[summersigh]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise. We are considering booking the ship this summer but have read so many negative complaints that we started looking at the Pride and NCL so hearing your positive comments makes me happy and gives the Sunshine a big positive check mark!:)

 

The deficiencies of the Sunshine are greatly exaggerated in my humble opinion. We did 8 days last month and really enjoyed ourselves. It's not the Queen Mary 2 :D - but we felt we got a good value for our $$.

 

Print out the deck plans and get familiar with the public deck layouts. Once you do that getting around is no mystery. The contact we had with the staff was that they were always polite, pleasant, and helpful.

 

The JiJi and Italian restaurants (in the Havana Bar area) were good at lunch (we ate dinner in the MDR) Guy's Burgers was delicious if you ate it hot and the Taco Bar looked really good. The Lido at lunch has a nice assortment and the Deli in there was excellent. We weren't overwhelmed with the pizza but many did like it. The MDR menu was typical Carnival but I understand the American Table menus are coming this spring.

 

The entertainment was good. We went to the Ocean Plaza often to hear the show band which did a different show each evening. Red Frog Pub and Alchemy bars were cool too.

 

We've got her booked for later this spring and are looking forward to being back aboard.:)

[crusinpsychRN]

What did you like at Jiji?

[debbiet70611]

What size cabin did you have

[HamSammie]

I do not give much attention to cruise ship reviews online. I probably would find negative reviews about the Carnival Vista.

[Dive Master]

We just got off the Sunshine yesterday. I had read the good and bad reviews and went with an open mind. I would not sail on the Sunshine again. It was the most crowded ship I have ever been on.Beautiful public rooms but they simply can not handle the number of passengers on board.Lines for everything. Chair hogging and seat saving is totally out of control ! Want a seat in Serenity decks 11 or 12, they were all taken by 700 AM. I did manage to secure a clamshell on deck 14 at 7:05 AM. The last one still not hogged. For the production shows we had to line up at 8:00 pm for the 915 show for good seats. Lots of seat saving going on there too. Comedy--- pretty much a lost cause--- did manage to see two shows. Could never get in the piano bar.

 

The ship was clean. Our stateroom was nice and we had an excellent room steward. We made the best of things but after experiencing the Sunshine we both agree it is time to explore other options than Carnival. We just think HAL or Celebrity are a better choice for us in the future.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Dive Master

[jolyroger]

We cruised in April, during Spring Break. (due to having children that need to cruise during school break)Prior we cruised on the Breeze , Freedom , miracle, and Dream. All during Spring break, Cant really complain about it being overly crowded. Always found a place on Serenity or lido deck. Loved our cabin which was a spa balcony deck 11 area. Had no problems on the lido area or MDR , actually we had a great cruise! We would definatly cruise again on The Sunshine !

[summersigh]

We just got off the Sunshine yesterday. I had read the good and bad reviews and went with an open mind. I would not sail on the Sunshine again. It was the most crowded ship I have ever been on..

 

Wow ... it's hard to believe we were even on the same ship. Our sailing was close to sold out and yet we did not experience the crowds or the degree of chair hogging you did. Our sailing didn't feel any more crowded that other cruises we've taken in the past.:cool:

[fam2cruise]

What did you like at Jiji?

 

 

We loved the pork belly and duck appetizers, short ribs and chili shrimp entrees and the fried rice...all amazing!

[CRocks]

What did you like at Jiji?

 

The duck, which is an appetizer, is INCREDIBLE! Also, when they say it's "spicy", they mean "if you eat this you will die". It is an AWESOME experience + NOT to be missed.

[janjan3839]

We also just got off the Sunshine yesterday. I felt the ship had some of the best service we have experienced in a long time. Fabulous dining staff, bar staff. We had a great cruise. The ship did feel small. The cabins were smaller, common areas were tight in spots. The reason we cruise on a ship is the intinerary and dates. Our group is loyal to Carnival as the perks for frequent cruising are nice. We get up early and were able to to get chairs, we were able to get into the shows and the piano bar, We plan and meet up ahead, before the shows. We got to see the Super bowl on the lido deck, and celebrate Mardi Gras. I thought the decor was nice and light and we love the 2.0 upgrades. Though short on space, an overall great week. Would I cruise on this ship again, for the service alone, yes!

[tommytune42]

Going back to the OP's original premise about JiJi's--it's a lot of fun to put a group together and take a large table. If you can put together a group of 10 or more, they will literally bring one of every single thing they have on the menu to your table. Since it's all served family style you can try everything, which is a lot of fun. Now, when I sail on the Sunshine, I always try to put together a group of people I meet on board to make a group reservation at JiJi's. Can't wait to try the new one on the Vista!

[nol4am]

We also just got off yesterday. I do agree lido can be crowded n finding a chair is a task but I find it that way on many ships not just sunshine. We ate in different places, burgers, pizza, buffet and there weren't but maybe 3 people ahead of us. Now maybe my times going were not during the rush times but I can't complain with lines. Totally agree w the comedy shows. That area is just too small. They should put the dance party from liquid lounge in there n use the liquid lounge for comedy shows after the evening entertainment shows. I loved the sunshine n look forward to future cruises. Our service was excellent in all departments n the port itself was by far the best for debarkation. Everyone is different n see things from different angles always read n be ready for anything but I think your opinion should be based on your experience. Give it a try!

Edited February 15, 2016 by nol4am

[Glock19]

I just got off the Sunshine too. I won't be booking it again either. I had a cat 11 OS 7169. The sewer smell was in the cabin from day one. Out on the balcony it smelt bad too from time to time. Right off the glass elevators by the pictures had the smell too. I honestly think Ray Charles redesigned the ship. The comedy club layout was real bad. You walk through the club to get to the dinning room behind it. The liquid lounge layout is bad too. Guys burger line goes down a tight hallway thats very hard to get by to go to the lido buffet. The other side is just as bad with the Mexican buffet line. I've been on 29 Carnival ships and this one is the worst.

[heatherhudson15]

We LOVED the Sunshine which is why we are going on her again in a few weeks. We absolutely LOVED our cabins as well...booked same ones. We experienced some of the best customer service on the Sunshine. I'm sorry others have not shared my and my families fantastic experience. I'm a loyal Carnival Cruiser...this will be #18 for me. Our cabins are on Deck 11...Spa Cabins.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[420cruisin]

Jijis is excellent. As others have stated, the duck appetizer is amazing. Everything I tried was great but the duck stood out the most

[ladygal4.4]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise. We are considering booking the ship this summer but have read so many negative complaints that we started looking at the Pride and NCL so hearing your positive comments makes me happy and gives the Sunshine a big positive check mark!:)

 

 

We just got off, and loved the Sunshine!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jenhem31]

I do not give much attention to cruise ship reviews online. I probably would find negative reviews about the Carnival Vista.

 

 

That made me lol. People are already complaining about the Havana Cabanas. At least wait until the ship is built!