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Sunshine 8/1-8/9 Review

friargirl

By friargirl,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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friargirl

friargirl

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We booked this cruise about a year and a half ago with much planning – the stateroom, the itinerary, etc. On the cruise were my husband and I and our 15 year old son. We wanted this vacation to be special, and it didn’t disappoint. Here’s our take on the Carnival Sunshine.

 

Embarkation: This was our 5th cruise, and our 3rd out of NYC. We swore we would never cruise without FTTF, and that still holds true. Embarkation was simple, easy, and we were on the ship by 11:20. I immediately went to Guest Services to book our cabana for Half Moon Cay, and was not disappointed. The one thing I will say about FTTF is that both times I’ve done it, I have not noticed my luggage in the stateroom any earlier. Also, other than embarkation, I never saw another Carnival employee ask or check if we were FTTF. This goes for both Half Moon Cay with priority tendering, and final debarkation.

 

Room: We were blessed to score an aft wrap around balcony a few months back, room 8328. On this ship, it proved to be our respite. If you don’t like crowds, prefer a quiet area, this is the room for you. The balcony is AMAZING and quiet…oh, so quiet. The views? 2nd to none. This offered us many beautiful photo opportunities. If you don’t plan on spending any time in your area, then the added expense may not be worth it, but for us it was awesome. Our room steward, Juan Carlos, was amazing. Pleasant, kind, and perhaps the favorite steward I’ve had in my 5 cruises.

 

Layout: Well, this is where I struggle with the Sunshine. It’s a ship jam packed. Packed with stuff (and people). I wish a few things: That the Serenity Deck was actually serene. Overlooking the Lido, that’s impossible for much of it, and you need to get there before sunrise apparently to get a spot. Chair hogs galore. I also don’t like the casino with the smoke heading into the Sports Bar. It would be nice if there were an automatic door between the two. It takes some maneuvering to get around the ship, but once you get used to it, it’s fine. While I love all the dining options, it seemed like at times there were just too many. We know 2 people who were told Cucina del Capitano was booked solid the same night we were there. There were 5 tables. It seemed that most nights the specialty restaurants struggled to keep people in there…

 

Food:

We had early dining in Sunset. I have to give props to Carnival. I have no idea how they pick people for you to eat with, but we LOVED our other family from Canada. Our head waiter, Genesis, and his assistant Kermith were fantastic. We had a lot of fun with them. We really liked the new menu. It gave more options, and it was refreshingly nice. My son tried the Ox Tongue, which was really very good. I really enjoyed the Port of Call selections. Oddly, the only dinner I didn’t really enjoy was my prime rib the last evening. I did feel that they stretch the staff way too thin in the dining room….we kind of felt forgotten about after a couple of nights. Not sure if it was because we enjoyed the company of our table mates so much, or if they just got that busy. Either way, it was fine – we were all enjoying ourselves.

 

We tried the Steakhouse on the 1st night, got the 50% off wine, and the meal was very good. I had the lamb chops, and they were delicious. We also tried Cucina del Capitano. Coming from the NYC area, it was average – at best – Italian. However, it was $15 pp, and good for a try for a night.

 

The buffet was….average. It’s a buffet. I’m not sure what people expect, but think buffet, and that’s what you get.

 

Guys Burgers is a great addition, and the pizza (as always) was great.

We had reservations at Jiji’s but canceled because we enjoyed our table mates so much. We’ll try that next year along with Bonsai Sushi.

Suffice to say, there are no problems finding something you will eat.

 

Tip: Grab your food and then head to the Havana Bar to eat. View is great, it’s cooler, and there are plenty of seats.

 

Entertainment:

We loved the Piano Bar (Patrick!) and we enjoyed Déjà vu quite a bit. Musical Nomads was not a fan favorite of ours. We didn’t go to the comedian simply because we didn’t want to put up with the crowds. Our son thought the PG show was ok.

 

We watched one of the Dive-In movies. That was when the Serenity Deck was actually most “serene” .

 

We saw one of the productions, and the cast was good. One of the girls has a truly amazing voice.

 

Emma (Hello Lovelies!) is a great cruise director.

 

Itinerary:

 

1st Two Sea Days: Day 1 was rocky, and a lot of people were sick. We spent time checking out the ship, and going to trivia, etc. Day 2 was beautiful. We spent a lot of time up in Serenity at one of the few remaining tables. You need to get there at the crack of dawn if you want a seat. We enjoyed the sun, etc.

 

Port Days:

 

Amber Cove: Debarkation and Embarkation were disastrous, to put it nicely. We arrived an hour late, and then when they announced, “Anyone who does not have a Carnival excursion, please go to the gangway at this time”, chaos ensued. It was 30 minutes of being shoved and pushed to get off the ship. We arrived back at port at 4:15 (much later than originally planned), and the port is extremely tight on security. It took our tour bus 15 minutes more just to enter into the port. We got to the ship shortly after 4:30 and had to stand in line for another ½ hour to embark. It was honestly the worst. Our excursion, however? Amazing. We booked through Marysol Tours and did the 12 Charcos Waterfall hike/jump/slide. It was incredible, and I would highly recommend.

 

Grand Turk: We had no specific plans. My son and I debarked around 10:30 to an extraordinarily crowded beach where we somehow managed to snag two loungers. We rented snorkel gear for $10 each, and had a great time snorkeling in the beach on our own. My husband? He had a margarita for breakfast at Margaritaville.

 

Half Moon Cay: This was our first time here, and I can see why people call it heaven on earth. We rented a cabana (#10), and this was, by far, one of our favorite stops. We floated, and relaxed the whole day. Our son went with his new found friends and they hung out at our cabana….it was a great day.

 

Last 2 Sea Days: The first day was hot, hot, hot. My husband and I actually hung out on our balcony and read most of the day. It was a perfect, relaxing day. The last sea day was cloudy and a bit drizzly….again, a perfect day to just relax.

 

Debarkation: Easy, easy, easy. We were off the ship at 7:50 and in our car by 8:10.

 

Final thoughts….

 

The Good:

The food choices were plentiful and good. Our room steward and his team were amazing, and we loved our headwaiter. All of the staff were very accommodating, and I loved getting to know them. One of my favorite parts of this cruise was seeing our headwaiter from last year’s cruise on this ship. I felt like a groupie…. Also, I felt that there was always someone cleaning. Keep in mind, we don’t frequent really high traffic areas, but the ship appeared to be very clean. We enjoyed the Piano Bar (Patrick!) and the band Déjà vu. We did some of the trivia games, and just enjoyed the ship and its offerings. The CD, Emma, was likeable, and very visible. Probably my favorite cruise director of all the cruises we’ve done.

 

The Bad:

Once again, I’ve encountered cruisers behaving badly in NY. This ship was at absolute max capacity (3700 when the guest capacity is listed at 3000). People were LOUD. I mean…just LOUD and rude. That being said, we had some not quite 21 year olds near us who were partying until 3,4….even 5 in the morning. Loud, yelling, room service plates strewn in the hallways with food not always on the plates. It was disheartening to see how disrespectful people can be of others, and it’s not Carnival’s fault when people throw their plates with complete disregard in the hallway. That said, while it’s no fault of Carnival’s, sadly behavior like this does, in my opinion, reflect on Carnival’s reputation whether we like it or not.

 

Overall we had a fantastic vacation. Our son met some great kids who he is already snap chatting, we met some wonderful people and we had a relaxing and incredible time. We feel that Carnival really does give you the best bang for your buck. We cruise on Sunshine again next year (NYC again!), and can’t wait.

 

Happy to answer any questions!

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caddykid12

caddykid12

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I sail Wednesday on her. Reviews are 50/50 Imo on this still.

 

A vacation is what you make of it and I won't let others ruin my time. Funny I am also from ct!. Did u park at the port. Usually we take a limo from Bridgeport when my aunt comes but we live in Goshen and it's to expensive this time.

 

I'm booked on a bounce back so this is a ship I'm willing to try based on accessibility from NY

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friargirl

friargirl

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We really enjoyed ourselves. We actually poked fun at the issue with the kids on our floor...up until the last night. I agree - a vacation is often what you make of it. We went in pretty laid back, and had a really great time. Enjoy your trip and safe travels!!!!

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friargirl

friargirl

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Oh....and, no. We've parked at the pier before but this time we parked at park right on 43rd. $28/night. They can pick you up at the port, but we just walked down. It was about a 10 min. walk off the ship, but I wasn't paying $30 ($10 pp) for some guy to drive us 6 blocks. We were really happy with them.

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sgttami

sgttami

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I was on Sunshine on the July 4 cruise and am going again in October.

 

I'm hoping that the outdoor areas won't be as crowded as they were in July since it will be a lot cooler.

 

In all the cruises I've been on, I never felt as crowded as Sunshine.

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moxie99

moxie99

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We are driving down from Maine to sail the Sunshine on Wednesday! We have snagged an aft wrap (7th floor) on a casino bounce back! We are so excited - have been reading alot of negatives and your review just reinforced the cruise for me! I will always have fun!!!! Can't wait to board her next week!

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Viesczy

Viesczy

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Thankya for the fair/balance review!

 

I agree with the OP about having some less than savory folks around, gives you a steady source of entertainment! It is even better when you meet up with others too have discovered said unsavory character(s), a cabal is thusly formed and you share your separate experiences!

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jimbo5544 "Live from...." Rare

jimbo5544

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Just one comment/question. Reading about Cucina, I assume you meant there were 5 tables empty or full, not 5 tables total? The booking at the specialty restaurants is a little head scratching. When I have asked I was told they have a time window and their rules only allow for 1 booking in that window. Thanks for doing the review. Sailing out of New York is unique and one of a kind experience.

Edited by jimbo5544
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friargirl

friargirl

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How was your cabin? Was it quiet ? Loud? Hot? am interested about that specific cabin.I know the Havana is above it but thought since it was on the end maybe less noise above?

 

Our cabin (8328) was awesome. It was pretty quiet....we could lightly hear the noise of the Havana Bar when there was the band on a few of the nights, but it wasn't enough to keep us awake or bother us, and I'm a really light sleeper. I would assume that the other aft rooms just below had it much louder. I can safely say I probably wouldn't book those rooms unless I was planning on being out late every night.

 

The cabin itself was pretty temperate. I brought a fan just in case, but everyone said they were fine. The balcony gets super hot on the aft side during the day, but you can always catch an awesome breeze on the port side.

 

We'd definitely book it again....

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friargirl

friargirl

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Just one comment/question. Reading about Cucina, I assume you meant there were 5 tables empty or full, not 5 tables total? The booking at the specialty restaurants is a little head scratching. When I have asked I was told they have a time window and their rules only allow for 1 booking in that window. Thanks for doing the review. Sailing out of New York is unique and one of a kind experience.

 

Yes...about 5 tables full. I was perplexed, too. They never seemed all that busy. I get that I'm sure it's a staffing issue - if they're dead one night someone jumps in elsewhere - but to not accommodate just 2 people seemed kind of strange.

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jimbo5544 "Live from...." Rare

jimbo5544

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Yes...about 5 tables full. I was perplexed, too. They never seemed all that busy. I get that I'm sure it's a staffing issue - if they're dead one night someone jumps in elsewhere - but to not accommodate just 2 people seemed kind of strange.

 

 

Got it thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

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