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The pool on the Serenity deck was beautiful. The waterfall is such a nice touch, and I really like how there are levels around the pool for sitting in a few inches of water to cool off. The water was really cold and refreshing. All the loungers around have comfortable cushions. There are also clamshell lounges at the edge of the deck. This is a great place to watch the lido deck activities. We spent most of our time on this deck, and it was convenient as our cabin was on deck 11. Everyone was well behaved; no one was obnoxiously drunk , loud, or rowdy.

One afternoon, we happened to be sitting on the lido deck having a beer and a snack. It was so loud, we couldn't even have a conversation. The children were out of control. ( I have been a teacher for 41 years.) There were teenagers showing off for each other while toddlers were running and jumping. There weren't many parents watching their children like I think they should have been. If I had young children with me, they would not have set foot near this pool. It was a free for all. At one point the dj was set up on the deck above, and had to ask those in the pool not to squirt him with the pool toys. He asked them about 4 times to stop. He had to explain that he had a lot of expensive equipment up there. I could not have spent even 30 minutes near this pool. I don't know how families could stand it. I am so thankful for the Serenity deck and pool. There were a few older teens up there with their parents. They were quiet, and I can see why their parents broke the rules.

Bank of Dad, I'm not sure if the Havana bar has a draft beer. We seemed to always get draft beer at Red Frog Pub on deck 5.

The lido deck bars, including Serenity, were very crowded. There was no organized line to get service. My husband waited at the Serenity bar for about 15 minutes, as others came up and were served right away. We finally gave up, and he went down to Red Frog Pub on deck 5 to get a beer. Fortunately, we don't drink much, or that would have been a pain. I remember the old days when wait staff would walk around the decks with frozen drinks already prepared, and they were gone in a minute. It reminded me of the ice cream truck that used to drive through neighborhoods.

I was really surprised that the Alchemy Bar was never crowded when we walked by, even in the evenings. One night, no one was there.

The Havana Bar was very relaxing in the late afternoon/early evening. It was wonderful to sit looking out at the wake. We didn't go to the late night parties in the lounge because we were in the casino. The bar service was pretty good in there. Servers came around frequently. Also, it didn't seem to reek of smoke in there this cruise. There weren't as many people in the outside smoking area either.

People were smoking on the balcony under us all the time. It did bother me a little bit. We did not report them, though. Next I'll make comments on the pools.

Looking forward to hearing about your thoughts about the food. Though the pool/spa set up and decor is my least favorite of all Carnival ships, I really like the Sunshine's food.[/quoteAll three cruises the food was great. We enjoyed every meal!

You mentioned your muster drill being in the lounge, Is it in all the diff lounges shipwide?

 

I asked someone else before and they told me it was standing outside and not in the lounges

 

Hope it's inside. Hate standing outside like sardines

You mentioned your muster drill being in the lounge, Is it in all the diff lounges shipwide?

 

I asked someone else before and they told me it was standing outside and not in the lounges

 

Hope it's inside. Hate standing outside like sardines

I had emailed the Maitred to ask for a two top table, and received a reply immediately, with an affirmation. The last two cruises, we were in the Sunrise Restaurant on the upper level along the rail. It was a lovely experience. The waitstaff was wonderful. We had 3 attendants- a head waiter, assistant, and a bus person. They had a "show" with dancing and passenger participation on 3 of the 5 nights. This time, we were in the Sunset restaurant, and it felt like we were at Applebee's. the ceiling was low, and they played loud random music. The one server was nice, but overworked. The first night I ordered the Indian vegetarian. It was delicious. The second night was elegant night. Most folks were nicely dressed. Maybe I'm just getting old, but the other diners were so loud. They were making loud noises and laughing uncontrollably. We decided not to go back again. Dinner has always been one of the special times on a cruise for me. This time, we ate breakfast in the Havana bar in the morning. This area is totally open- no one wants to walk back there, I guess. Breakfast was great! The best day was a veggie burrito from the burrito bar. My husband got French toast from the buffet. He got it every day, so I guess it was good! At dinner, we went to the deli and got pizza. Some people ordered 5 pizzas at a time, which was irritating. It took a long time to get to the front of the line. My husband enjoyed the burgers from Guy's. the lines were long there, too, until late afternoon. We never used room service, so I can't comment on that. The appetizers before dinner on deck 5 were awesome. We didn't eat dessert, but my husband enjoyed the ice cream on the lido deck.

Our cabin steward was very nice. He did ask if we wanted morning or night service. We chose morning, and that was fine; we don't spend a lot of time in the room to need service twice a day. If we dropped a towel, though, we had to call to ask for another. I did miss that turn down after roaming the ship at night.

We did not go to any shows. We saw all three of the shows on the previous two cruises. They were very enjoyable. The after shows in the Atrium were fantastic.

We spent most of the day on the Serenity deck 11. I was up by 7 each day and got a clamshell. ( My son in law calls it a bird's nest.) We really enjoyed the privacy and space. There were lots of chairs available throughout the day. No chair hogs that I could tell.

We loved the three levels of serenity. It was so relaxing. The bar servers were really overworked at the small Serenity bar. They ran up and down the stairs all day. If you check out towels up there, the towel check in closes at 5:30. It took us 3 days to get ours checked back in. We should have used our room towels.

We were on the June 14 cruise from Norfolk, VA. This was our third Sunshine cruise. We had a very relaxing vacation.

Embarkation was fairly quick. We were on the ship within 30 minutes of our arrival at the terminal. Our check in time was 11:30 , but we didn't get there until about 4:00, which was cutting it close; however, there were many checking in after us. We went straight to our room to drop the luggage, as I refuse to check mine with the porters. I love my clothes too much to let them out of my sight!

Our spa balcony on deck 11 was clean and lovely. We unpacked, made a few phone calls, and relaxed on the balcony. Muster was in the Liquid Lounge at about 5:30. I got caught playing games on my phone by a Carnival employee and was asked to put it away. They were very serious about passengers being quiet and not using phones. After muster we went to Red Frog Pub on deck 5 to get a beer. On our last cruise, we played a lot of shuffleboard, but this time it was occupied every time we went there. After that, we went back to the room to change clothes for dinner. Later I will add my thoughts on our dining experience.

I'm confused. We are sailing June 14 on Sunshine from Norfolk. Is there a cruise leaving today, too?

EBFURR, thank you for sharing the details of your cruise.

nearly capsizing?????????

 

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what????

I would have taken that offer.

Fun to get the call, but I would have kept my balcony just like you did.

The Indian vegetarian meal is the best meal I have ever had on a ship. I order it every night. It takes up half the table. Just heaven.

We have sailed to the Caribbean in October three times; and also to Bermuda. That time of year is delightful! Don't worry!

Our safe was keypad opening type. We brought drivers license and passport.

We will board Sunshine for voyage number 3 in a few weeks. We had a fridge in our cabin both times. We were in spa cabins. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel are provided. Hair dryers were provided, but I brought my own, as I read here that they were attached in a drawer. We love Sunshine. Three decks of Serenity are wonderful. If you have kids with you, there is a fantastic water park for them to enjoy.

One more question. We are on the Sunshine out of Norfolk (first embarkation from there) Sunday, June 4. The planner says barding begins at 1:30 PM. Is that actually the case? RC used to say 1 PM but they actually started as early as 10:00 AM if the ship was cleared. This will make a difference since we are driving in. No need to get a super early start if we will be stuck in the terminal until the afternoon. On the other hand, the sooner we can start this party the happier we will be. ;p

When you filled out your forms, was there a place to select your check in time? We were able to choose 11:00-11:30 for our Sunshine cruise from Norfolk. This will be our third time sailing on Sunshine. We are going just for the ship. We loved our cruises to the Bahamas and Bermuda. I sure hope you have a great time!

This update is to inform the group about what Carnival was able to do for us. I asked to upgrade my reservation from an 8s to an 8T. The cost to upgrade was less than what I paid for the 8s cabin. The PVP refunded my credit card $250.

Thanks for all the responses. We don't have a Premier cruise, our rate for this 5 day is almost $900 each. I don't know why they offered this

small discount to us. We don't lose too much there. I was just hoping that if the next level of cabins price went down, that we could move up one deck, and get OBC for the difference in price.

Thanks, everyone. I am booked with a casino offer. The offer expires April 27, so I'll be watching the 8T cabins. Right now they are a lower price than what I paid for the 8S.

I am enjoying your blog! Thank you for taking the time to share.

Thanks, Sanger 727.

I am booked on Sunshine in June from Norfolk. Currently, we are on deck 10 in an 8S. After final payment, would I be allowed to upgrade to deck 11 or 12 into a 8T , if the price for that is lower than what I paid? I know Carnival would accept money for an upgrade, but would they give OBC if a higher category cabin is lower? Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

This summer we will board Sunshine for the third time, sailing from Norfolk. The Serenity decks are amazing! We never had a problem finding a place to rest.