Returning to Carnival, first time Sunshine

[TominNC]

My wife an I are cruising on Sunshine Feb 12.  Our last Carnival cruise was 10 years ago with our teen daughters.  This time we'll be with my sister in law and brother in law.  So a bit different as far as needs.  We're the "experienced" cruisers since my wife and I have been on several cruises in the mean time with RCC and NCL.  So a few questions:

 

Is any kind of dress code enforced for "Elegant Night" or any other dining.  We'll probably where khakis or nice jeans and a polo shirt.  Neat, clean.  Is that ok?

 

Best places on Sunshine for evening entertainment.  We're all in our sixties, so oldies, mellow classic rock and such are more our tastes.

 

How's the Serenity area?  Fairly quiet.  We all have grandkids who we love dearly, but this will be our first time in ages to sit quietly and chat.

 

Overall at that time of year, will it be packed?  Mostly older or still a lot of kids running around?  We don't mind some activity, it's fun, but I think we're missing spring breakers.

 

I see there are new menus.  How's the variety?  We're not gourmet types so not overly needy.

 

Finally, my brother in law hasn't had a drink in nearly 40 years.  His wife enjoys some frosty drinks, beer, wine.  Is there any way she could get the drink package and he not get it, or maybe just the soda/juice package?

 

Thanks

[mz-s]

1. Carnival no longer enforces a dress code.

2. Probably the piano bar

3. Many would say the best in the fleet. I haven't sailed every ship so I can't say, but it's easily the best of the ships I've sailed.

4. The ship will be full but probably not packed.

5. Have not tried so cannot comment.

6. Not on Carnival.

[dololie]

I have been on the Sunshine 8 times.  Elegant night my husband wears nice shorts and a collar shirt. I wear capris. They just do not like you to wear swimsuits or daisy dukes.

My husband and I are in our sixties. My husband and I like the comedy shows. The classic rock show was loud.

If it is a school break you will have more kids then adults. I go when schools in. I love kids but not on a cruise its like there parents let them go wild.

I love the Serenity is for 21 and older.

I dont like the new menus they no longer have cold soups.

Unfortunately everyone that is 21 in your cabin has to get the cheers package you cant just buy one. There is not a soda juice package only a soda package. Personally, I bring my own because I do not Like pepsi 

[TominNC]

Thank you very much for answering my questions.  Sounds good for us.

 

I also read somewhere here that the drink package isn't usable on the private island?  

[hapytobehr]

Just now, TominNC said:

Thank you very much for answering my questions.  Sounds good for us.

 

I also read somewhere here that the drink package isn't usable on the private island?  

That is correct

[TominNC]

Thanks everyone.  I guess when one of your days isn't included in the drinks package for us a least that's a tipping point against buying it.

 

Loud classic rock is ok for me, not sure of the others.  I'm 64 and that's what I grew up on!

 

Nice Serenity area sound sreally good.

[jsglow]

Ok, there's some misinformation here. Nice shorts are fine in the MDR but not on Elegant Night. The actual policy will have you right in the wheelhouse with khakis and a polo. Whether you ever get turned away is another question. And as others have said, Cheers is required for every adult in the cabin in an 'all or nothing'.

 

Sunshine has my very favorite Serenity in the entire fleet notwithstanding the fact that her hull is now over 25 years old. The rebuild of the forward forecastle during her 2013 conversion to Sunshine was fantastic. Big pool and waterfall up there. Enjoy.

[pcvtmom]

I concur with jsglow! Sunshine has my favorite Serenity area. It's multilevel,  so if you don't find seating at the pool and waterfall, go up to another level (where it'll be quieter 😉). Enjoy one of my favorite ships!

[TominNC]

Thanks everyone.  With all the little nuances between cruise lines and even ships within a cruise line, it's always helpful to check here at CC for the real scoop.

[MistyRo76]

My family sailed on the Sunshine back in October. We loved it...and loved sailing from Charleston! Unfortunately, I didn't get to experience the awesome Serenity area cause we had our 9 year old with us! But it looked amazing! 

 

For elegant night - nice slacks and a collared shirt are appropriate for men. It really depends on the maître d on whether or not someone is not allowed in. But as long as people don't push the dress code too far, I think you'll be fine. 

 

There was usually music in the Atrium and Ocean Plaza in the evenings and it tended to run the gamut of genres. I'm sure you'll find something you like. The shows in the main lounge are also decent and they aren't too long, usually only 30-40 minutes. You can also take in their Deal or No Deal game show - it was a really fun time and you may win some $$ if you buy some cards and play along. We won entry to play Jackpot Bingo on the last day. And you also have the comedy shows which range from family friendly to R-Rated. 

 

The week we sailed in October was fall break for us and alot of others cause our ship was packed and there were a TON of kids. I wouldn't expect that to be the case when you're sailing as President's Day holiday is the following week. That would be the next possible long weekend where lots of people want to get away from the cold weather! There were terrible lines for alot of the kids programming (Build-A-Bear at sea), but most other wait times were as I would expect to find. 

 

We missed the new menus by a week, which I was bummed about! But I've heard mostly good things about them! They brought back some of my old faves like the Pumpkin Soup, Cheesecake and Key Lime Pie! I also highly recommend booking one night at JiJi's Asian Kitchen. It's a small upcharge, but very reasonable! It was the best meal we had all week! Sunshine is one of the few ships with a JiJi's, so take advantage while you're on here! Other than our night at JiJi's, we only ate at in the Main Dining Room. 

 

As others have said, everyone over 21 in a cabin has to buy the Cheers Package. My husband doesn't drink, but I can easily make Cheers worth it for me if I'm not sailing with the kiddo!  But with him not drinking, it definitely wasn't worth it. He paid for his specialty coffee every day and I only had a 2-3 drinks most days, and that was perfect for us! 

 

All in all, we loved our time on the Sunshine! 

 

 

[sunkey1]

Agree with the statements about the Serenity area on Sunshine. The new Excel ships have the largest, nicest Serenity areas - other than the Sunshine, which just stands out with the waterfall. It's beautiful.

[Drazil65]

Although we gravitate towards the newer, bigger ships the Sunshine is our fav "older" ship, kind of mid level in size.  Great serenity area for sure and the piano bar can be loads of fun with the right group. We sail her at least once a year since it only a little over 3 hrs to port for us so we will def miss her after this year.  Thank goodness we have once last cruise (for now anyway 😉) from Charleston in December to see her off.  Have a blast and enjoy the ship!

[jsglow]

I have to say, I'm one of the limited number of folks who actually really, really like the Sunshine class as a whole. The only miss on Sunshine is the orientation of the Limelight. They fixed that on the next two by spinning it 90 degrees. I know they added cabins so there's times in peak season when they can get tight but overall during most weeks they pack a ton of fun on a manageable sized ship. As you can tell from my sig., we sail them quite a bit.

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I have to say, I'm one of the limited number of folks who actually really, really like the Sunshine class as a whole. The only miss on Sunshine is the orientation of the Limelight. They fixed that on the next two by spinning it 90 degrees. I know they added cabins so there's times in peak season when they can get tight but overall during most weeks they pack a ton of fun on a manageable sized ship. As you can tell from my sig., we sail them quite a bit.

 

I like Sunshine a lot, I really dislike the Limelight lounge and the way Lido is set up however. They really should have gone back and tweaked those designs in successive drydocks.

 

To me a Sunshine cruise over peak season is pretty much the definition of hell. I did it once and called the ship Sunlines - I got so tired of standing in lines and standing aside so a herd of people could pass by, etc. I will absolutely only sail those ships during shoulder season. Shoulder season they're great.

[jsglow]

You ever been on Sunrise or Radiance @mz-s? They certainly improved the Limelight design on those two. The Serenity isn't as good however. But then again, those 2 didn't get entire decks added with an open design palate to work with!  

 

And aren't all cruise ships to be avoided during peak weeks? We think so. No doubt the Sunshine class is particularly susceptible.

 

We'll be doing Radiance again in about a year to Hawaii. Looking forward to it. 

[Theosprey247]

Radiance is a great ship going to be on her in June. I only wish they would add a Havana area (even just hot tubs) to all their ships. 

[mz-s]

53 minutes ago, jsglow said:

You ever been on Sunrise or Radiance @mz-s? They certainly improved the Limelight design on those two. The Serenity isn't as good however. But then again, those 2 didn't get entire decks added with an open design palate to work with!  

 

And aren't all cruise ships to be avoided during peak weeks? We think so. No doubt the Sunshine class is particularly susceptible.

 

We'll be doing Radiance again in about a year to Hawaii. Looking forward to it. 

have not! Would like to. Just hasn’t worked out for me to sail those ships so far.

[momin05]

We have sailed Sunshine many times, twice in 2023, most recently in October on the first sailing with the new menus. I think the new menus are an improvement, but maybe I was just ready for something new. JiJi’s was also very good. 
 

It sounds like you are into classic rock, and if so I HIGHLY recommend seeing Epic Rock. Someone said it was loud…well, it’s rock. I always take ear plugs to concerts but I didn’t notice this show being too loud. It really is their best show with lots of nice effects. Go early to hear the guitarist pre-show. 
 

Ocean plaza has a band every night and it is a chill place to sit and listen to music. 
 

Enjoy!

[jsglow]

15 hours ago, Theosprey247 said:

Radiance is a great ship going to be on her in June. I only wish they would add a Havana area (even just hot tubs) to all their ships. 

I actually think a Havana area on the Sunshine class would be a mistake. They are already a bit pressed for public space following the cabin additions. It's okay but the addition of an exclusive space would make it too tight in my opinion. I know exactly what @mz-s is referring to about the tight pinch points on Lido. 

 

Those ships are nearly perfect in the 3-6 day short cruise market, during off peak weeks, with the occasional 'double occupancy' Hawaii run thrown in. I hope all 3 are in the fleet for many years.

[jsglow]

I just went back and compared Deck 4 & 5 between Sunshine and Sunrise. While I certainly recall the 'less than ideal' Limelight on Sunshine, I didn't recall the Piano bar being down on #4 with the Ocean Plaza  on #5. That's a whole additional concert venue not available on the later 'Sun' incarnations. Pretty cool and a difference I had forgotten about. Hope I get back on the old girl someday.   

[ninjacat123]

I love Sunshine (Serenity is awesome!) and definitely go to JiJi's for dinner!! We usually book two dinners at JiJi's during a week cruise, it's that tasty and the service is great.  We also enjoyed Cucina del Capitano.

Remember that each adult is allowed to bring on board a bottle of wine or champagne at Embarkation. That's four bottles for the four of you.  Also there is Cruising the Vineyards which gives you a discount on a wine package.  My upcoming cruise this January 15 on Freedom (so close😃) I am planning on getting a five bottle wine package, the premium is $193 and the regular wine package is $126 (not including the 18% gratuity).

Have a wonderful cruise!!

[waywyrd]

The Sunshine is one of my favorite ships. The Serenity area is fantastic, we love the comedy club and the food/service is usually pretty good.

 

I actually did see someone turned away during Elegant night last year - some guy came dragging up in shorts and a dirty white tank top. They politely sent him on his way, lol. 

[Theosprey247]

2 hours ago, jsglow said:

I actually think a Havana area on the Sunshine class would be a mistake. They are already a bit pressed for public space following the cabin additions. It's okay but the addition of an exclusive space would make it too tight in my opinion. I know exactly what @mz-s is referring to about the tight pinch points on Lido. 

 

Those ships are nearly perfect in the 3-6 day short cruise market, during off peak weeks, with the occasional 'double occupancy' Hawaii run thrown in. I hope all 3 are in the fleet for many years.

They would have to take cabins out.  The revenue lost would be made up by the higher cost of the Havana cabins. 

[jsglow]

10 minutes ago, Theosprey247 said:

They would have to take cabins out.  The revenue lost would be made up by the higher cost of the Havana cabins. 

Certainly the only way it could conceivably make any sense. I'd need to see the math on that including the conversion costs which would certainly exceed $25 million. Yeah, that ain't happening on ships built in the last century. I don't think Havana was even a concept when the blueprints for Sunshine were drawn circa 2011-12.

 

God forbid they get that idea on the 'Moonbeaming' of the Spirit Class and ruin the Serenity on those ships. I'd be seriously POed. I think we're safe following Pride's extensive dry dock.

[Theosprey247]

It was more wishful thinking rather than anything else.