#FrightfullyFun Carnival Sunshine Review Oct 28-Nov 2

[CodyMiles1994]

Pictures are posted to Instagram @trnrcodymiles if you would like to check them out. 

 

This is my review for our Halloween cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. This was the cruise with the listing incident and will touch on that some. 

 

Pre-Cruise:

Six of us went together and drove down the day before & stayed right outside Disney property. We got to Orlando about 5:30 and went to Disney Springs to walk around and have dinner. We ate at the Irish Pub & had amazing fish & chips as well as the Hog in a Box. We got to our hotel about midnight & rested for the next day. 

 

We left the hotel around 10 and parked at 528 Cruise Parking. The parking & shuttle for 6 people was $47 for the 5 day cruise. Out of 4 cruises this was the best parking solution we ever had & will use them again. After getting on the shuttle it was a 10 minute drive to drop off at the ship. 

 

Embarkation:

We were a little early so we were put in a separate line, but only took about 30 minutes to get on the ship after we got in the terminal. 

 

Pros over other ports:

I definitely like getting your zone before getting inside the terminal rather than after checking in. It allows you to get through and not worry about finding a zone you know your number and when you will be called. 

 

Getting the sail & signs in the mail boxes was different for us but didn't cause an issue as we didn't get any drinks before the 1:30 opening. 

 

 

 

[CodyMiles1994]

Sail Away & Night 1:

 

We had Guys Burgers/Buffet for lunch and took some time to learn the ship. I found that the ship is both too plain in places such as the Lido Marketplace & extremely well decorated in the Atrium.

 

We went to our rooms around 2:00 to enjoy our first balcony. The wife loved it & we would book it again if we had the extra money. 

 

Muster Drill was an absolute nightmare. Thanks to the people still drinking and partying right beside us we weren't allowed to start muster for an extra 20 minutes. The muster station for us was outside on deck 4 & was warm and crowded. 

 

We decided to do our own thing & enjoy sail away on the balcony and get ready for dinner. 

 

Dinner was in the back of the ship as we has YTD & was wonderful as always. The only complaint I had was that the only tables for 6 that they would give us were on the outside ring of seats behind a wall where we couldn't see any of the decor. After the 2nd night we started to request middle tables for that reason. 

 

After dinner it was back to the room until the Welcome aboard show and it happened. 

[CodyMiles1994]

The Listing Incident:

 

We were in the room, the wife was in the restroom & I was walking towards the Balcony. We were on the Starboard side & the ship began rocking back & forth so I wanted to check for the swells. After the second big rock the ship went Starboard and kept going. Our balcony, we were on deck 8, 😎door came open & everything on our table & desk came into the floor. Wine glasses broke & the emergency lights came on, air conditioning turned off. During that time I was able to keep my balance and stay straight. All I could think of was getting to my wife. The incident lasted for less than 2 minutes and everyone was in the halls. We had officers come running past our rooms & began to worry, buy almost immediately the captain came over the loudspeaker saying all was under control and would keep us informed. 

 

We found out that a Starboard stabilizer tripped a breaker and did not deploy causing the list to that side. Every team member did their best to comfort and help. 

 

In MY experience we were calm & my family and surrounding passengers were safe. At no point during the cruise did I feel that my life was in danger or that we were actually going to sink. 

 

There were 5 injuries that I heard of 3 were from extreme cuts from the broken glass, 1 lady had a seizure and 1 child broke a leg. I hope and pray those people are good. 

 

Our steward Kadek was amazing and came straight to our room to clean any broken glass & helped us but the room & balcony back in order. 

 

During the breakage a piece of glass got in the memory foam of my sandals & I had glass lodged in my feet, but was able to easily remove the piece & had no lasting affects from it. 

 

At the first stop (Amber Cove) 8 people decided to fly home & about 10 that planned to changed their mind. 

Edited November 2, 2018 by CodyMiles1994
Emoji entered and shouldn't have been.

[TravelE]

Thanks so much for sharing! Glad you are okay,  Hopefully the rest of the cruise was smooth sailing.

[CodyMiles1994]

Night 1 (cont)

 

Afterwards the family went to the Welcome Aboard Show just to get our minds off things & we were good after that. 

 

We stayed out late giving our donation to the casino, but the casino did not reciprocate this cruise so we are having to reevaluate our relationship status. 

 

Sea Day

 

We woke up about 9am and went to the seaday brunch. Between all 6 of us we had almost the entire menu & enjoyed all of it. 

 

My wife is a sleeper on vacation so we went to the room for a nap (will do that alot this time) and watched movies & the waves. 

 

We are also darned millennials who like to play vidja gaymez so we brought the Nintendo Switch and had some fun playing games on the balcony. 

 

We were in & out of the room all day going to different places/activities & coming back to rest & watch the ocean. 

 

We got dressed up for dinner and at that point I realized I packed my tie, but not the shirt that matches it so I had to make do with out the bowtie & wear the back up clothes. 

 

Dinner was amazing as usual in the MDR I had the Flat Iron that night & was cooked perfect. 

 

We went to the Mo Town show and found out we had a $50 per person credit which was quickly stolen by my ex Lady Luck. 

[mkcurran]

Great start! I look forward to reading the rest. 

[CodyMiles1994]

Amber Cove 

 

We docked in Amber Cove about 8am and got off to shop for a bit. After picking up the obligatory tourist trap souvenirs we grabbed a taxi to Costanbar beach. 

 

The beach was a solid 7.5/10.  That day the water was a little murky & sea floor was Rocky we did have a great time though & the food there was some of the best of the trip. If you want the closest beach in Amber Cove with cheap prices Costanbar is a good choice except...

 

Once we are back in the port area we pay our taxi bill. The quote was $58. I gave the driver $65 so that he can have a tip after staying with us all day so we had a ride back. 

 

We started to walk away and the supervisor came up to us demanding an extra $20 for the trip saying we only paid $40 to his driver while the money was still in his hand. 

 

I am not one to fight over things & security is everywhere so I habded the man an extra $20 and we walked away. 

 

Once back in the port area we went over to the pool as we were still in port for 3 more hours. As good as the beach is after dealing with the taxi stand I would stay in the pool area next time or take an excursion. 

 

We got back on board with some time to spare and were supposed to leave at 6... Except there were some of those people that didn't leave the shops until 6:20. After we pulled out we went to dinner, this time on Lido & watched the sunset from the top. 

 

The wife called it a night and the rest of the group went to "Studio VIP". This was the only show I hadn't seen before & was probably the one I enjoyed most this cruise. I am a fan of Playlist & the added effect of the LED Boards were an improvement over the smaller ships I've been on. 

[CodyMiles1994]

Grand Turk

 

We got in Grand Turk about 8am so it was a Lido Breakfast & straight off the ship. We stayed right at port as Grand Turk is so beautiful and the beach access is right at the ship. We grabbed the first available seats and grabbed our full face snorkel to enjoy the day. 

 

We ended up eating at Margaritaville and spent as much time as possible before getting back on the ship. 

 

Once back on the ship it's Halloween so we got in our costumes to start the night. 

 

This was the best of the MDR that we had. The shrimp was amazing and they had special dishes & deserts for Halloween. 

 

There was a costume bar crawl and the largest Lido Deck Party I have seen. 

 

We went to the first half of Love & Marriage but decided that we wanted ice cream & spend time in the casino. 

[CodyMiles1994]

Last Sea Day

 

This is the day we did EVERYTHING that we could. Family was on the water slides, in the pool, Wife did the sky course, played pool, minigolf, all before noon. 

 

We had Guys & Iguana for lunch followed by another nap. 

 

We woke up just in time for the wife's spa appointment. She did that & I went to Harry Potter Trivia.

 

We met up afterwards for a date night alone at the steakhouse. And let me say if you haven't been, this is the absolute best meal you will have on a cruise. 

 

Afterwards we went to the 80s Atrium Party & Epic Rock. Then went to pack up. 

[CodyMiles1994]

Debarkation

 

Debarkation wasn't a mess but wasn't exactly smooth either. Mainly because our group got separated while we were trying to get in line so it took a while to meet back up. 

 

There were news stations outside of the terminal at 6am (2 hours before debarkation). To those people who are looking for a new time spin there isn't one it was an amazing cruise and the Percentage of people with a bad outlook may be higher than normal but it was still better than the best day at my desk job so...

 

Things I Missed:

Dive in Movies were a great way to spend the night if it's clear out & would enjoy them more if they weren't scheduled at the same times as everything else.

 

Blue Iguana Chicken Tacos are just as good as a Guy's burger... Don't @ me lol. 

 

Amazing Staff:

Mikey & Chris are probably the best Cruise Director/Fun Squad Pair I have seen. Both full of energy and able to handle a crowd. 

 

Dennis was our waiter at Dinner & Brunch and was probably the best of the bunch.

 

Kadek was a great room steward always around and even dropped in early to clean if we weren't in the room. 

 

All in all this cruise was one of the better I've been on if you remove all the negative people looking for attention. I would like to repeat if you were truly injured I feel for you & hope all is good, but if you are looking for a free cruise/attention you aren't getting it here. 

[CodyMiles1994]

Final Rating

 

528 Parking: 8/10 

 

Ship Cleanliness: 9/10

 

Ship Layout: 7/10

 

Ports: 8/10

 

Food: 8.5/10

 

Shows: 7/10

[CodyMiles1994]

If you want to see more pictures check out my Instagram at the top of the review & if you have specific questions feel free to ask. 

[Victory.Feb.29,2008.]

awesome job 

 

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for doing the review, especially in light of the “incident”.  What was the general feeling of what happened immediately. After and later from those who stayed on the cruise.

[Kingofcool1947]

3 hours ago, CodyMiles1994 said:

The Listing Incident:

 

We were in the room, the wife was in the restroom & I was walking towards the Balcony. We were on the Starboard side & the ship began rocking back & forth so I wanted to check for the swells. After the second big rock the ship went Starboard and kept going. Our balcony, we were on deck 8, 😎door came open & everything on our table & desk came into the floor. Wine glasses broke & the emergency lights came on, air conditioning turned off. During that time I was able to keep my balance and stay straight. All I could think of was getting to my wife. The incident lasted for less than 2 minutes and everyone was in the halls. We had officers come running past our rooms & began to worry, buy almost immediately the captain came over the loudspeaker saying all was under control and would keep us informed. 

 

We found out that a Starboard stabilizer tripped a breaker and did not deploy causing the list to that side. Every team member did their best to comfort and help. 

 

In MY experience we were calm & my family and surrounding passengers were safe. At no point during the cruise did I feel that my life was in danger or that we were actually going to sink. 

 

There were 5 injuries that I heard of 3 were from extreme cuts from the broken glass, 1 lady had a seizure and 1 child broke a leg. I hope and pray those people are good. 

 

Our steward Kadek was amazing and came straight to our room to clean any broken glass & helped us but the room & balcony back in order. 

 

During the breakage a piece of glass got in the memory foam of my sandals & I had glass lodged in my feet, but was able to easily remove the piece & had no lasting affects from it. 

 

At the first stop (Amber Cove) 8 people decided to fly home & about 10 that planned to changed their mind. 

Sounds like it was fun.

[CodyMiles1994]

25 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Thanks for doing the review, especially in light of the “incident”.  What was the general feeling of what happened immediately. After and later from those who stayed on the cruise.

 

Immediately after there was some concern, some overreacting (people carrying life jackets around to the shows) mostly from the new cruisers. After we all touched land on Amber Cove it was a wonderful cruise (minus the few party poopers).  I've been on an extended cruise due to Hurricane and that was a worse feeling. 

 

20 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Sounds like it was fun.

 

Bad Cruise Day > Good Work Day. 

[bury me at sea]

I really enjoyed your review and your perspective on the listing.  You guys managed to take advantage of nearly everything a cruise has to offer.

[AmberTeka]

Thanks for the Review.

[BearkatJoe]

I'm glad you mentioned the Dive-In Movie times. 

 

We were on the Magic last week, and we went into the trip with every intention of catching a movie or two along the way, but found that the movies usually started at 7:00, which made logistics difficult, what with dinner to work around and the comedy and Playlist shows also typically going on in that time frame. 

 

I totally get that Carnival wants to make them early enough so that families can go together, so I suppose it's less of a criticism on my part and more just an expression of disappointment that it didn't work out for us on this trip. 

[JTBCruiser]

Great review and thank you for your optimism.  I'm sure at the moment it wasn't fun but you quickly put it behind you and enjoyed the cruise.  We sail on her a week from tomorrow.  DW and I had at the time a scary incident sailing on NCL Pride around the Hawaiian islands.  First night around 2:30 AM the alarms went of signaling an evacuation of the ship.  We were on one of the lower decks and first sail day, water was very rough. We jumped up and headed for the cabin door, went outside and saw nothing.  We realized the horn blasted 6 times vs 7.   Long story short, someone screwed up yet none of the crew would acknowledge what happened, any time we asked they'd say they couldn't say anything.  We could have gotten PO'ed but elected to make the most of the cruise, had a great time and now we have one heckuva story to tell. 

[CodyMiles1994]

58 minutes ago, JTBCruiser said:

Great review and thank you for your optimism.  I'm sure at the moment it wasn't fun but you quickly put it behind you and enjoyed the cruise.  We sail on her a week from tomorrow.  DW and I had at the time a scary incident sailing on NCL Pride around the Hawaiian islands.  First night around 2:30 AM the alarms went of signaling an evacuation of the ship.  We were on one of the lower decks and first sail day, water was very rough. We jumped up and headed for the cabin door, went outside and saw nothing.  We realized the horn blasted 6 times vs 7.   Long story short, someone screwed up yet none of the crew would acknowledge what happened, any time we asked they'd say they couldn't say anything.  We could have gotten PO'ed but elected to make the most of the cruise, had a great time and now we have one heckuva story to tell. 

 

Have a great cruise. It seems like they actually improved the stabilizers in dry dock (ironic) and the ship is much less Rocky than it was in the past. 

[coldinerie]

So, were there any noticeable changes in the ship post dry dock in Oct 2018? Since the 'incident' occurred, have forgot to inquire about any upgrades you noticed.  We sail on her Nov 10. People keep asking about fridges in the cabins, can you tell us if you heard or witnessed any new fridges put in cabins? Also, how about mattresses, are they new as it was reported they would be all changed out. 

 

Thanks for sharing your 'incident' take, I am seasoned cruiser, but good to know there were some level heads prevailing this night. 

 

[CdrescherRBL152]

On 11/2/2018 at 2:00 PM, CodyMiles1994 said:

The Listing Incident:

 

We were in the room, the wife was in the restroom & I was walking towards the Balcony. We were on the Starboard side & the ship began rocking back & forth so I wanted to check for the swells. After the second big rock the ship went Starboard and kept going. Our balcony, we were on deck 8, 😎door came open & everything on our table & desk came into the floor. Wine glasses broke & the emergency lights came on, air conditioning turned off. During that time I was able to keep my balance and stay straight. All I could think of was getting to my wife. The incident lasted for less than 2 minutes and everyone was in the halls. We had officers come running past our rooms & began to worry, buy almost immediately the captain came over the loudspeaker saying all was under control and would keep us informed. 

 

We found out that a Starboard stabilizer tripped a breaker and did not deploy causing the list to that side. Every team member did their best to comfort and help. 

 

In MY experience we were calm & my family and surrounding passengers were safe. At no point during the cruise did I feel that my life was in danger or that we were actually going to sink. 

 

There were 5 injuries that I heard of 3 were from extreme cuts from the broken glass, 1 lady had a seizure and 1 child broke a leg. I hope and pray those people are good. 

 

Our steward Kadek was amazing and came straight to our room to clean any broken glass & helped us but the room & balcony back in order. 

 

During the breakage a piece of glass got in the memory foam of my sandals & I had glass lodged in my feet, but was able to easily remove the piece & had no lasting affects from it. 

 

At the first stop (Amber Cove) 8 people decided to fly home & about 10 that planned to changed their mind. 

Thank you for the info on the listing. Take it from where you were on board that the reports of total choas. Of the ship being on its side taking on water for over an hour. Are total over reactions.

[CodyMiles1994]

2 hours ago, CdrescherRBL152 said:

Thank you for the info on the listing. Take it from where you were on board that the reports of total choas. Of the ship being on its side taking on water for over an hour. Are total over reactions.

Complete & Utter overreaction. 

[CodyMiles1994]

Update:

 

Just received this email.

 

WELCOME HOME MESSAGE FROM CHRISTINE DUFFY CARNIVAL SUNSHINE - OCTOBER 28, 2018

November 5, 2018     Dear Carnival Sunshine Guest,   As you return home, I want to thank you for sailing with us on Carnival Sunshine this past week.    I also would like to extend my personal apology for the listing incident which happened on Sunday evening. I recognize this must have startled many of our guests and was glad that our officers quickly intervened to correct the situation. I remained in close contact with our shipboard leadership team and was pleased to hear that normal activities and entertainment resumed later that evening and most of our guests went on to enjoy the rest of the cruise.        We never want our guests to experience anything less than a perfect vacation, and I sincerely regret we did not make it a perfect trip for the entire voyage. Despite the less than ideal start to the cruise, I hope you were able to take home some good memories of your time spent on board with us and that you will once again consider Carnival for your future vacation. We'd love nothing more than to welcome you back!

Sincerely, Christine Duffy President, Carnival Cruise Line