Sunshine? Opinions

[GOIN2C]

Booked her again, just last nite.

 

I only read negative posts IMHO,most are trivial complaints.

 

As for being crowded...you will have that on summer and holiday cruises. Tons of children, full sailings.

I take those situations into consideration when booking?

 

I found Sunshine to be a delight. Food venues were fantastic. I could not get early seating. My husband is diabetic, we did not eat in dining room at all. We never missed it! Dining room is a great option for breakfast and lunch to avoid crowds.

[summersigh]

We did eight nights on the Sunshine in February. Absolutely the most crowded ship I have ever sailed. Chair hogging was totally out of control. Lines for everything. I was able to snag chairs on deck 14 of Serenity at 7 AM. Poolside would probably require 545 AM. NEVER could get in the piano bar. Made the comedy club twice but one time was seated on the side watching the act on TV. Went up at 4 PM to get ONE seat for the Super Bowll with a 645 kickoff---- none to be had. Need to be in line 45 minutes early for shows in a Liquid a Lounge. We have never experienced crowding like this on any other cruise.

 

I know some folks love the Sunshine and it does offer a lot of activities but this was probably our last Carnival cruise.

We sailed the Sunshine 8 days in January with a sold out ship and did not encounter the same type of crowding Dive Master did. (we were not aboard for super bowl and don't go to the comedy club so can't speak to those). We had no lines for the Liquid Lounge.

We really enjoyed our cruise and sailed her again this past May for that reason.

[beacha]

We loved Sunshine, and have another cruise booked on her in the fall. It is hard to get around due to the design of the floors, you can get mixed up, but I really think the poster who said it was designed by Ray Charles was VERY rude.I didn't use a quote because I don't want to embarrass, but you should think before you type.

[Longstockingpippi1]

As a wise man once said " Freedom is being able to voice our opinions". What some may call trivial doesn't mean it wasn't important to someone. A cruiser asked for opinions...that means the good and the bad, just because you don't agree doesn't make anyone else trivial or unimportant...think it is called tolerance.

[gaillyn518]

I have read some not so great things about the Sunshine. We are thinking of booking it for next April. Is it really that bad or would this non picky family of 4 have a great time on it? We have sailed bigger and smaller Carnival ships before.

 

I just got off the ship yesterday. We had a fabulous time! :-)

[FlyingSoloTonight]

I booked the Sunshine back in February for my birthday cruise.

 

It too, was a sold out cruise and I had a great time.

 

Only once or twice did I feel that the bartenders at the red frog pub weren't very good. They would look at me, and ignore me standing there for 20 minutes while they chose to cater to other much older adults passengers (I'm 26 by the way.)

 

I ended up never going back to that bar for drinks again. Instead, I went to the other bar directly across from them and had exceptional service the rest of the cruise.

 

I would definitely go on the Sunshine again.

Edited August 2, 2016 by FlyingSoloTonight

[abisha]

I have read some not so great things about the Sunshine. We are thinking of booking it for next April. Is it really that bad or would this non picky family of 4 have a great time on it? We have sailed bigger and smaller Carnival ships before.

 

Sailed on her both when she was Destiny and now as the Sunshine. Smallest buffet setup I've ever seen on any cruise ship. I was very shocked at that. Not saying food was bad..it was decent, but not alot of choice due to small size of buffet itself.

 

Also, public spaces were very small and cramped due to some new venues they added to it when refurbishment was done.

 

Serenity area is nice...3 stories and has a pool (small round one with waterfall that spills into it..and water is freezing), but still nice.

 

Not sure if I'd sail on her again (been on much larger ships, which is what I do like better), but would consider if great price and itinerary.

 

I feel there's much better out there to choose from. It's definitely fine for those who are new to cruising, but seasoned cruisers might not go for it.

 

I still had fun on her though :)

[tbo]

I enjoy reading the reviews .... we are very laid back and don't worry about waiting in lines or the fact there are others on the ship with us - they are basically small cities at sea - the important thing for us is having a quiet place to escape to which is why we love our balcony cabins.

 

We hit the jackpot for this cruise as I received a bounce back from the casino on our March cruise - while looking for a cruise I knew we wanted to sail from NYC - one of my favorite ports - and I knew we wanted a balcony - I was so lucky - I was able to snag an aft vista wrap around! We can't wait to board the Sunshine!

 

You are going to love that aft wrap balcony-we were in 6373 in January and loved it so much, we booked the same room before we got off the ship for a cruise in February 2017.

 

As for the Sunshine, I thought she was a great ship. We had a great time. So many food options, so many things to do-we didn't even make to the slides!

 

We are old Disney World veterans-not the cruise line-the resort. Long time ago you could sense the pride in their customer service and you felt so welcomed to be there. Not so much in recent years, at least in our opinion. One of the things we said repeatedly about the staff on the Sunshine is that it reminded us of how Disney USE to be. Always lots of smiles and the staff seemed to truly be happy with their jobs.

 

OP-you won't really know how YOU will feel about a ship until you go, we can just offer our own experiences. I worried over the Sunshine after reading some bad reviews-glad I didn't listen to the naysayers!

[lmsdf]

Loved the Sunshine! Would definitely sail on her again! Only issues were strange layout, but that's because she was upgraded! Still, a great ship!! Don't let others scare you!!!

[dacsmom]

If the Sunshine was really that bad she would not sail full every week.

[bcberri]

We sailed her November 2015 and had one of our best trips yet! The staff was amazing. Our room steward went above and beyond for us, our wait staff was so sweet and funny. Never had problems getting a pool side lounger beside the waterfall pool on serenity (even in the middle if the day), I really could go on and on. The cruise director we had is now on another ship, but if you ever get the chance to sail with Jaimee Dee, do it! She's so sweet and full of life. I say book it! Oh, and the pork belly app in Ji-Ji's is to die for!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited August 7, 2016 by bcberri

[summersigh]

Bring her to muster early, the staff will assist as well. Getting used to a ship can take a bit a time to get used to.

Good point for Muster Drill :)

 

Secondly - before we sailed Sunshine we heard it had an "awkward" layout so before we went we printed out copies of the deck plan and checked out how best to get to the places we knew we'd want to go. I used some simple computer skills, scissors and tape to print extra large layouts of the decks we'd use most often - after that it was easy-peasy :D

[Dave0311]

I sailed on Sunshine back in April and it's one of my favorite ships now, probably second only to the Breeze.

 

The only time it felt crowded to me was in the comedy club. They really shouldn't have converted the aft lounge (which was larger) into staterooms. The current setup is just too small.

 

I was concerned that removing a level from the theater would make it feel crowded too, but I was surprised that even during the production shows it was never filled!

[tandemcruzr]

You are going to love that aft wrap balcony-we were in 6373 in January and loved it so much, we booked the same room before we got off the ship for a cruise in February 2017.

 

We were in the cabin next door (6371) in April and in 6344 in January. Was Edi your Cabin Steward? We had him on both of our cruises and he was "outstanding."

[dna529]

OP here. We booked it for April! We saw her in Grand Turk last week and she looks wonderful! Can't wait!

[jimbo5544]

OP here. We booked it for April! We saw her in Grand Turk last week and she looks wonderful! Can't wait!

 

Enjoy your cruise, let us know your thoughts when you return.

[rjrpar]

We sailed the Sunshine 8 days in January with a sold out ship and did not encounter the same type of crowding Dive Master did. (we were not aboard for super bowl and don't go to the comedy club so can't speak to those). We had no lines for the Liquid Lounge.

 

We really enjoyed our cruise and sailed her again this past May for that reason.

 

 

In January you don't encounter as many kids. We have found that summer and vacation cruises usually have an extra 500-700 kids onboard. Makes a huge difference

[mtsnd1900]

I loved the Sunshine - great staff, easy to navigate. Had a lido deck balcony room, just off the pool area - best location and highly recommend. In the AM, would go get breakfast and bring back to room.

 

Staff was great, accommodated our group of 14 rooms and helped with the dining.

 

Excellent shows, especially the comedy shows (Get there early). Best live entertainment I have seen in a long time (all pubs / areas had live entertainment at night.) Karaoke was great, as was the live band playing it.

 

Red Frog is huge, fun times.

 

Waterslides were fun, splash area good for kids. Pool deck gets crowded.

 

Loved it - booked again, to Canada this fall.

[funat55]

I have never been on the Sunshine, but if you google "Dream Cruises" the tv show that is on the AWE channel, you will find that the Sunshine is one of the ships that they profiled. It's a one hour show that you can watch online. It was filmed the year the Sunshine was sailing out of New Orleans but you can get an idea from the show what the public areas of the ship look like.

[unc1acc]

I have never been on the Sunshine, but if you google "Dream Cruises" the tv show that is on the AWE channel, you will find that the Sunshine is one of the ships that they profiled. It's a one hour show that you can watch online. It was filmed the year the Sunshine was sailing out of New Orleans but you can get an idea from the show what the public areas of the ship look like.

 

Strange. I think I've seen every episode and it's not listed on the AWE website as being featured in any of the seasons. Maybe I just overlooked it??

 

Do you have a link?

[cruznjan]

I have read some not so great things about the Sunshine. We are thinking of booking it for next April. Is it really that bad or would this non picky family of 4 have a great time on it? We have sailed bigger and smaller Carnival ships before.

 

Your cruise is what you make it. Go with a positive attitude and you'll have a great time