Is the Sunshine as bad as they say?

[AndyT3]

Hi there everyone!

 

I've started to read reviews on the Sunshine, and I have to say, I'm a little nervous for our first cruise.

 

A few reviews that I've read claim that the ship has a raw sewage odor that is noticeable when outside, on lower decks. Also, the cabin stewards, and their lack of cleaning cabins. I've also seen a few that talk about the general disrepair of the ship.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping on these few peoples bandwagon, and canceling. I just want to gather some other opinions.

[MCFTJCH2V]

If you're nervous there are 23 other ships to choose from. I wouldn't sail on it again simply because I sailed in her in the late 90's and didn't care for it. Add all bad reviews and it just stuck a spear in her heart for me. Her two sisters were so much better, with all the fixes.

 

Yet some love her, so it's really subjective. The chance you take is yours and yours alone.

[AndyT3]

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I understand what your saying. Personally, I feel like I should give it a go. Any vacation is better than a day at work!

[Micahs Grandad]

Give it a go and if you dont like the ship try another newer one next time

[MCFTJCH2V]

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I understand what your saying. Personally, I feel like I should give it a go. Any vacation is better than a day at work!

 

I don't believe that. I would switch jobs if I did.

[AndyT3]

Don't get me wrong, I love my job.

 

I've never yet experienced a vacation that has made me say, man, I wish I was at work instead. Maybe this will be my first…

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bohica81]

AndyT3, Do not worry! I was to sail on the Sunshine last year with a few friends and I read all the reviews and I was afraid I had made a mistake in booking on the sunshine, especially since it was everyone else first cruise. We had the time of our lives and of all five cruises I've been on I enjoyed this one the most. We sailed in May of 2015 and the ship had a lot of people but we never felt crowded and never had a problem finding chairs on deck for all 9 of us. We did late dining and the service was fast and the best I've ever had. Jaimie the cruise director is by far the most interactive and best director I've ever had. I never smelled any sewage smell and the ship was clean and nicer than I expected. I'm not saying all the other reviews are unwarranted because I wasn't there for their cruises but as for my experience, the best vacation I've ever had. Enjoy your first cruise! I sailed in November on Fascination once and we got stuck in a storm, it rained everyday, and The table service sucked and I still had a blast. It's hard to have a bad time on a cruise.

[crewsweeper]

DW has been on the Sunshine twice. Loves it. It's a totally different ship than the one the previous poster sailed on in the 90s. At times there is an odor discharge on all ships. Sometimes noticeable, sometimes not. Typically doesn't linger. Search this board for reviews and pictures of the Sunshine that are within the last year, not the reviews from the CC review sight that may be older.

[NCTribeFan]

I hope you aren't just reading the reviews from the Reviews section of the boards and have clicked on the ship's name at the top of this page and read some of those.

 

I did an 11-night Journeys cruise on her a few months ago and quite liked the ship.

 

I really should type this up and save it somewhere because I've posted it over and over in threads like this, but here goes...

 

You must realize that any review is ONE person's perceptions out of thousands of people on the same sailing. There isn't even one thorough review posted here per sailing. That's an incredibly small sample size and should be completely and totally ignored. I include my reviews in this statement, too. And realize that people can have completely and totally different experiences from their neighbor on the same sailing, depending on their choices during the cruise, their expectations, their encounters, their fellow travelers.

 

I enjoy reading reviews but I don't allow myself to get concerned about what anyone else has to say. I'll be going on Carnival cruise #25 on the Vista's inaugural sailing. I know what to expect from Carnival. I don't know what to expect on a brand-new ship (actually, I expect that they'll still be finishing work and that it won't be perfect), or what to expect regarding fellow passengers in the Med.

 

I do expect to have a wonderful time visiting wonderful ports. I still cruise mainly for the ports and the ship is simply a nice place to spend my free time. Hey, I even love the Fantasy-class ships. :D I can cruise on a small, old ship that doesn't have Guy's Burgers or a big tv (actually, I hate the TVs) and have a good time.

 

Go with reasonable expectations and don't be searching for things that aren't perfect and you should enjoy yourself!

 

You don't need people here to reassure you that it will be wonderful. No one can do that. Only you can guarantee that you'll have a good time and should you encounter something that is less than perfect (which you will), it's up to you decide if you'll let it ruin your cruise!

[mississauga]

A vote for the Sunshine here. We have spent 35 days in the Sunshine and have had some of our best cruises on her.

 

We were recently on the Nov/Dec 2015 journey cruises and the management and crew were the best we have had in over 40 cruises. Our cabin stewards ( we had 2 different cabins and locations on our cruises ) were the best we have had, always friendly and attentive.

 

We had YTD but asked for and had the same amazing waitstaff. We love the way YTD is handled on the Sunshine but that is one of the complaints we read about so to each their own.

 

Crews come and go from ship to ship so not always the same staff and we were lucky that we had as a whole a great team when we were on the Sunshine.

 

Yes, we did see some small leaks still but a big improvement over when we cruised in 2013 when there were buckets in some hallways. Hopefully after this next dry dock, these issues will be addressed. We have never experienced any sewage smells on her.

 

Yes, there are some things we did not like about the Sunshine but what ship is perfect?

 

We find that sometimes the things that people complain about depends on the demographics of the cruise you are on.

 

Go on the Sunshine and judge for yourself.

 

Enjoy!

[Namelocg]

We leave on the Sunshine in 3 days. Sailed her when she was the Destiny and had a great time. I expect we'll have a great time this time also. This will be Carnival cruise number 36 and while some of them weren't perfect all were very enjoyable. Go with an open mind and you'll have a great time.

[Vitamin_Sea]

I wouldn't go by the reviews. Its a cruise ship. Go on with a reasonable expectation and have fun. I noticed the Sunshine got a 60% Positive score.

 

I also did a check on royal Caribbean newest ship, Anthem of the seas and it scored way lower....positive 46%

 

So new and fancy don't mean squat.

 

Looking forward to June sailing

[cherbear4000]

I sailed the Sunshine about a year and a half ago. To be honest, it was not my favorite ship, but I had a great cruise none the less. When Carnival renovated the Destiny into the Sunshine, they added cabins by removing common areas. I felt that the ship was too crowded for the amount of space. The main theater was small with only 2 stories. The comedy club was tiny. It just always felt crowded to me. The majority of the cabins do not have fridges either. That said, I enjoyed the cruise. I thought the Sunshine was a very nice ship other than the crowds.

[Schoifmom]

She will also be going into dry dock prior to your cruise.

[Newbea11]

We loved the sunshine. In fact booking another cruise I am worried another ship won't be as wonderful. I did not notice any of the complaints people made. On the last day the casino was kind of smokey but that was it.

[skyeman27]

Read the last 25-30 reviews here on cruise critic, if there is a positive trend about something it is probably true info, same goes for the negative.

[A&Jfamily]

Don't worry - you will enjoy her. Ships are a matter of personal preference and each has it's pros and cons. As you can see from my signature, we have tried many of the different classes of ships - and Sunshine has been our favorite so far.

 

For example, lots of people on here love the Conquest class, and having been on Glory, Valor and Conquest, I prefer the Sunshine hands down. I can't stand the having to go up or down floors to navigate decks 3 and 4. And the location and resulting smoke flow from the casino can drift down into the lobby or up the center stairwell to decks 7 and beyond. And I don't like the tiered fish bowl effect of the Lido deck. But that won't stop us from sailing one of these ships again if the price and destinations are right because we still have a fantastic time.

 

Sunshine is great because has tons to offer with the amazing sports square for kids (and adults alike) and the best food venues we have found, not only having the traditional steak house, but adding the reasonably priced and very good venues of JiJi's, Cuccina, and Sushi. Plus she has Guys and Blue Iguana. The Havanna bar is our fav - go both morning and lunch and look for the little snacks on the side of the bar; in the morning, they have little pastries, sausage things etc and lunch its various empanadas etc.

 

You will find things that you love about her, and perhaps some things that you don't. What people say about having to wait for comedy club is true, but also true on other ships because it is so popular. Ever waited in line to get tickets for say a movie? Same idea - plan ahead - and go with the flow. You will have a great time!

[pcvtmom]

Many reviewers (in the Review section of Cruise Critic) seem to get on there to grind their axes. There are quite a few positive Sunshine trip reviews in this forum. My family sailed on the Destiny twice (no complaints!!) and we were on the Sunshine in the Med the year she was upgraded. LOVED the ship! Our next cruise is on the Sunshine at the end of this month. A cruise is what you make of it!

[KatieCharlotte]

I sailed on Sunshine this winter and would love to sail on her again. I did not notice any smell. There was a leak in the hallway ceiling, but we just walked around the bucket and were not bothered. I have noticed a slight downward trend in steward service on Carnival in general, but our room was always cleaned and we were able to get our towels replaced by asking our steward.

 

The Sunshine has some major advantages, and some unique disadvantages, which means reviews will be very mixed. We loved all the lunch options and the extra seating in the Havana Bar. Guys Burger, burrito bar, made-to-order pasta, Cuban foods, plus Carnival's usual lunch choices. I also loved the live music in the Havana Bar at night. My kids enjoyed the sports deck, ropes course, and waterworks. I liked that the fun areas were close together, so I could easily find my teen and preteen. We actually preferred how they handled Your Time Dining and never had to wait for a table.

 

The Sunshine does have some crowding issues. The comedy club is too small. The show lounge was fine most of the time, but was standing room only for the most popular shows (like Epic Rock). On my cruise, people saved loungers all day, making it hard to find a spot, especially when high winds closed Deck 3. There also aren't enough hot tubs for the number of people. And it's hard to avoid walking through the smoky casino, which bothered my kid who has allergies. But he would still cruise on Sunshine again in a heartbeat.

 

People have mixed opinions on the unique Serenity Deck for adults. I didn't like that it was hard to find a quiet spot, but others don't mind the lido noise and love the three decks with a waterfall and pool.

 

Don't be afraid to cruise on the Sunshine.

[evandbob]

Reviews are definitely subjective. Norovirus outbreaks are a fact. One should read the thread about noro on the current Sunshine cruise and be prepared to deal with any possible lingering bugs on the next sailing.

[aenglish1609]

Hi there everyone!

 

I've started to read reviews on the Sunshine, and I have to say, I'm a little nervous for our first cruise.

 

A few reviews that I've read claim that the ship has a raw sewage odor that is noticeable when outside, on lower decks. Also, the cabin stewards, and their lack of cleaning cabins. I've also seen a few that talk about the general disrepair of the ship.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping on these few peoples bandwagon, and canceling. I just want to gather some other opinions.

 

 

I wouldn't worry about the review. There will always be people that have something negative to say, no matter what. You could find those kind of reviews on any cruise ship in the world. On the flip side, there will always be the people that find NO wrong ever with their favorite ship/cruise line/hotel/restaurant/etc. It is said you should throw out the top 10% of reviews, and the bottom 10% and you will find reviews much closer to the actual mean(a little statistics for ya ;) )

 

 

We didn't notice any sewage smells, anywhere on the ship. Our cabin was cleaned every day, and he was arguably on of the nicest we have ever had on there. He also learned our schedule very quick, and after the first day he always knew the perfect time to clean our cabin.

 

 

The one complaint I have about the sunshine is a lack of space in a couple of areas. There were a couple of sea days that the buffet got crowded, and the comedy club is a little too small. But you can counteract both of these by eating a little before or after the rush(12-1 typically) and going to a later comedy show, or standing in line a few minutes early.

 

 

Overall we had a great time, and would definitely sail the Sunshine again. :)

[Dive Master]

I sailed on the Sunshine recently for eight nights.I have no desire to ever sail that ship again.

[Podna's]

I'm with the majority here. Sailed on the Sunshine out of Nola and PC. If I went by the negative reviews I would have missed out to 2 wonderful vacations on a beautiful ship. I hope to get to sail on her again soon. Have fun!

Edited March 2, 2016 by Podna's

[crusinpsychRN]

She has ALL the dining venues Carnival has. All ships have small comedy clubs, this one might be a bit smaller. There is a renovation which may fix this in the works.

[crusinpsychRN]

I sailed on the Sunshine recently for eight nights.I have no desire to ever sail that ship again.

 

Why?