Have I made a mistake

[Micahs Grandad]

Consider the Dream class and go to the S Caribbean.

[firefly333]

20 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

Why not do the Southen Caribbean on the Vista or Horizon?  Better ships with tons to do on them. Crowds are unpredictable. Are you going during Christmas or mid winter break because the crowds will be more then. You’re Husband needs to relax, he’s on vacation. Sounds like his stress is stressing you out.

Im booked on vista 11/11 and all i keep reading is how its too crowded. That i should have chosen a older ship. One guy after his return said he would only book vista or horizon again is if it was cheaper than dream or conquest class.

 

im bringing a cruise newbie and hope she is ok. 

 

oh and that the attrium and promenade areas all closed in on these ships.

 

ready to cruise and see for myself, but ive seen read some bad posts about these ships

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, MidWestChill said:

Thanks all.  I've decided to switch to the Horizon.  Seems like a better fit overall, for everyone.  

 

Not sure that was a smart move. The most crowded I have ever felt on a cruise was on a Vista class ship. With Horizon being new, every cruise for the forseeable future will likely be booked close to capacity.  The front theater and rear lounge are very small, especially considering how many passengers are on board.   Of course if you don’t go to production shows or comedy shows that won’t matter to you.   The atrium area also feels a lot smaller without the vaulted ceiling like on every other Carnival class of ship.  On sea days the lido pool area and Serenity area are packed by 9 AM, at least based on my experience. If you booked a Havana cabin, then this won’t matter either. If you are looking for the ships that feel the least crowded, I recommend picking a Dream class chip (Dream, Magic, Breeze).  Last year I cancelled a cruise on Vista and booked a cruise on Magic, right after we finished a cruise on Vista. I enjoyed the cruise like I always do, but I prefer to avoid a ship that had crowds every where we went. 

Edited November 1, 2018 by PhillyFan33579

[GeorgiaMomof4]

I think you will be making a mistake changing.  All ships are going to be crowded at some point or

the other.  We are taking our 3rd cruise on the Sunshine in February and are looking forward to it. We

have actually found that the larger ships seem more crowded to us.

 

My husband doesn't do well with crowds either and hasn't had any issues on the Sunshine.  You can 

always make your plans to stay away from the places that you know will be crowded at certain times -

kind of like avoiding Atlanta during rush hour lol!  You didn't say where your cabin was located but we

have always stayed aft and we go right up the stairs or elevator to the lido, waterworks and dinner and

have had no issues.  

 

Good luck in whatever you decide but I'm thinking you should give it a try - you never know til you do.

You might be missing what would turn out to be your favorite ship.

Edited November 1, 2018 by GeorgiaMomof4
added info

[Jenjer]

In our family its me who doesn't like the crowds. Here is what helps me.

1. always a balcony, no balcony no go.

2. I like to just chill on a sea day and have access to a adult pool. On Royal I love Anthem because of the HUGE solarium. We are currently booked in the Havana on Horizon because of the Havana pool.  Is that a option for you to look into a ship with Havana.

3. Muster sucks so get a drink before hand and just remember its 30 minutes out of a week...get over it. Think about dinner or the next sea day.

4. There will be crowds but alcohol helps and if I just don't want to see people I can sit on my balcony alone and read.

5. I get to shows early so I can have a isle seat. After shows I take the stairs to avoid the elevator congestion.

 

[MidWestChill]

The only show we would do is a comedy show or maybe a hasbro one.  We don't gamble.  The vast majority of our time will be spent reading on deck, hanging with our kids and eating.  

 

I got a family harbor ocean view.  I think my husband will like having easy access to snacks, ice cream, etc...We know we like the back of the boat location.  Also doing your time dining so that we don't have to adhere to a schedule.  

 

Another reason I switched is we can see a movie, tour brewery (he'd love that), and just sounded like more to do.  We have 3 sea days which is a lot for a guy that feels like a trapped animal on a cruise, doesn't gamble or do shows.  He WILL buck it up and have fun, don't get me wrong, but I decided these things will make it a little easier for him to do that.  

 

Wish I would have went with my gut instinct from the start on this, but the change is done and good or bad choice, there's no going back now.

 

You guys are amazing help and I loved all the opinions and insight!

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by MidWestChill

[tallnthensome]

You made a great choice! Way more to do than on the Sunshine. 

[krispi]

We were on the Sunshine in September. The lido buffet was pretty crowded on embarkation day until the rooms were ready. That was the worst crowd we saw. Every time we went to the buffet, we ended up sitting in the back in the Havana area. It was the least crowded back there, and we could always find a table. Plus, it was handy that family always knew where to look for each other.

Waterworks was a bit crowded with families on sea days. We could always find a chair, but it might not be where we wanted in order to keep an eye on our daughter. If we waited around long enough, someone would leave, and we'd be able to get a chair in a more "prime" location. Watwerworks was our favorite area on sea days. Even though there were lots of kids there, the waterslides kept things moving, so it didn't feel as crowded as the pool. Sunshine only has 1 main pool, so we didn't even attempt the "people soup" situation on sea days. 

Other than that , the interior of the ship didn't feel too crowded. Our favorite spot to chill was listening to live music in the Ocean Plaza. There was always seating available. If you go to the show late, it was hard to find a seat, but if you got there a little early, that wasn't a problem. There never seemed to be a crowd in the Red Frog pub. We were able to find seats easily in the piano bar. We went to a couple of the earlier family-friendly comedy shows and were able to get seats with no problem. The later comedy shows did have long lines to get in. There were some dance party activities in the lobby at night where it was hard to find a spot near the railing to see. But it was a really fun atmosphere, so we didn't mind the crowds. Mikey the cruise director was awesome! He made the events a lot of fun.

[PhillyFan33579]

22 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

You made a great choice! Way more to do than on the Sunshine. 

 

The OP said her husband doesn’t like crowds, so I don’t think he will be happy with the crowds he will no doubt experience on Horizon. 

[bigcraig]

We have been on the Sunshine/ destiny 4 times and love it, the service layout food and staff are always friendly and pleasant.

sure wish the comedy club was larger or hold the adult comedy shows in the main show room, always great entertainment.

[sarmat1]

On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:30 AM, MidWestChill said:

Thanks all.  I've decided to switch to the Horizon.  Seems like a better fit overall, for everyone.  

 

Frankly, I think you made a mistake if you're looking for less crowded public spaces.  Vista class has similar spaces as Sunshine, but with considerably greater number of passengers to squeeze into them.

 

We were on the Sunshine in August.  There were about 3600 on board.  At no time did it ever seem crowded.  And if there were crowds, there would be plenty of ways to avoid them.  Like the "secret" breakfast in Ocean Plaza (one morning, we were the only ones there), and the Havana Bar/Cucina area for lunch (where we always found an empty table).  Overall, the Sunshine was absolutely our favorite ship, although the Breeze would be a close second.  Sunshine had more included food options and more entertainment than any other ship we've been on.  I'd sail on her again in a heartbeat.

Edited November 2, 2018 by sarmat1

[jsglow]

9 minutes ago, sarmat1 said:

 

Frankly, I think you made a mistake if you're looking for less crowded public spaces.  Vista class has similar spaces as Sunshine, but with considerably greater number of passengers to squeeze into them.

 

We were on the Sunshine in August.  There were about 3600 on board.  At no time did it ever seem crowded.  And if there were crowds, there would be plenty of ways to avoid them.  Like the "secret" breakfast in Ocean Plaza (one morning, we were the only ones there), and the Havana Bar/Cucina area for lunch (where we always found an empty table).  Overall, the Sunshine was absolutely our favorite ship, although the Breeze would be a close second.  Sunshine had more included food options and more entertainment than any other ship we've been on.  I'd sail on her again in a heartbeat.

 

Yeah, I know that the OP has made her choice and that's fine.  We're big Sunshine fans.  I'm just disappointed that she's being relegated to weekender duty.  I hope we get a chance to do a Journey on her someday.

[LMaxwell]

Sunshine has the least amount of passenger space of ANY ship for any cruise line sailing from a domestic port.  Switching was a good idea. 

[CruisinTrkrs3]

On 10/31/2018 at 12:37 PM, jsglow said:

I really enjoyed the Sunshine and would absolutely sail her again on the 8 day itinerary you are contemplating.  She's got the best Serenity of any ship in the Carnival fleet.  Is there a little 'pinch' near Guy's and Blue Iguana? Yes.  Is the layout of the Comedy Club lousy? Yes.  Does she have all the bells and whistles of the very newest Carnival ships? Yes.

 

But none of us can tell you what's right for you.

 

Let me add one more thing.  Many of the opinions you'll see about the Sunshine are from folks who have never sailed her but somehow 'know'.    

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!😁 

We've sailed on her 4x with an Aug '19 also booked. She fits our family of 3, also our daughter's families of 2, 4, and 5 that we've gone together on 2 of those cruises. Not one of our Sunshine cruises has EVER been bad, subpar, less than what we've come to expect,ect ect (and love) from Carnival Cruise Lines. Although the Conquest is our favorite of all,  Sunshine is a VERY close 2nd for all the above AND she's only a 90min drive to Port Charleston 😀

[jsglow]

30 minutes ago, CruisinTrkrs3 said:

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!😁 

We've sailed on her 4x with an Aug '19 also booked. She fits our family of 3, also our daughter's families of 2, 4, and 5 that we've gone together on 2 of those cruises. Not one of our Sunshine cruises has EVER been bad, subpar, less than what we've come to expect,ect ect (and love) from Carnival Cruise Lines. Although the Conquest is our favorite of all,  Sunshine is a VERY close 2nd for all the above AND she's only a 90min drive to Port Charleston 😀

 

Have you sailed on any of the other Conquest class ships?  So far the Freedom is my favorite but honestly, they are all very much to our liking and essentially the same with minor differences .  We're doing Glory for the first time this winter.

[CruisinTrkrs3]

45 minutes ago, jsglow said:

 

Have you sailed on any of the other Conquest class ships?  So far the Freedom is my favorite but honestly, they are all very much to our liking and essentially the same with minor differences .  We're doing Glory for the first time this winter.

Liberty and Freedom once each... Yes I agree they are pretty much the same. Lol probably why we liked them so much. But honestly our hearts are with Conquest for many reasons, the biggest being that we go on her each year for our anniversary cruise. Alone!😉 It's the ONLY time that we're anywhere by ourselves nowadays. Kids, Grands, and other assorted Family are what we're with everytime we get to get away... I know you will have an awesome time on the Glory this winter! Our neighbors were on her a couple yrs ago for their first cruise and loved it! 

[GMRPHRN]

I cruised on the Sunshine the week before Christmas last year. It was very crowded during embarkation and trying to get food when we finally made it onboard. The rest of the week, I didn't notice a difference from any other ship I've been on. The Sunshine has a great bar at the back of the ship (indoors) that very few people frequented. It's got a view, too. Loved to go back there with my lunch or to sit and relax. Seems like there was always plenty of seating on Serenity, too.

[Thebosn1]

Sorry,

 

But the Sunshine is still the ONLY Carnival ship where I have ever felt crowded.  They added a bunch of cabins but did not change the public spaces to provide more room.  

[PhillyFan33579]

4 hours ago, CruisinTrkrs3 said:

Liberty and Freedom once each... Yes I agree they are pretty much the same. Lol probably why we liked them so much. But honestly our hearts are with Conquest for many reasons, the biggest being that we go on her each year for our anniversary cruise. Alone!😉 It's the ONLY time that we're anywhere by ourselves nowadays. Kids, Grands, and other assorted Family are what we're with everytime we get to get away... I know you will have an awesome time on the Glory this winter! Our neighbors were on her a couple yrs ago for their first cruise and loved it! 

 

One difference between Conquest class ships is Freedom and Valor have a Red Frog Pub, which the other 3 ships in this class don’t have. For awhile Conquest was the only one without a Serenity area, but that was added when she was in dry dock last year.  Conquest class ships are my second favorite class just behind Dream class ships. 

[mredandchis]

On 10/31/2018 at 12:25 PM, MidWestChill said:

I will check those out.

 

When I say crowds, I mean the actual ship itself.  It sounds like the sunshine is packed to the rim, at the detriment of room to move and relax.   We don't want to fight to just find seating to eat during the day...things like that.  

 

We are going in Feb./19.  Our ports are Grand Turk, St. Martin, San Juan and St. Kitts.

I have been on the Sunshine for a journey cruise and it was fine.  I never felt closed in by people or the ship. Been on the Vista and felt conjested. I think it was mostly layout.  But all and all after the boarding day most people just spread out .

[Ragdollbd]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 12:25 PM, MidWestChill said:

I will check those out.

 

When I say crowds, I mean the actual ship itself.  It sounds like the sunshine is packed to the rim, at the detriment of room to move and relax.   We don't want to fight to just find seating to eat during the day...things like that.  

 

We are going in Feb./19.  Our ports are Grand Turk, St. Martin, San Juan and St. Kitts.

I was on the same cruise this past February.  It was my best cruise so far.  There is plenty to do on this ship.  I'm sure it was at capacity but I never felt crowed at all.,