Carnival Sunshine Inaugural US Sailing

[shortstop95]

Self Assist. We got in around 6:00 a.m. more or less and they began self-assist a little after 7 or so. They called deck #1 and 1,200 people decended upon the lobby. One our friends had an early flight and we went to customer service the night before about it- they stated just come down when you want- nobody checks. So self assist took well over an hour. As an experienced cruiser who's been platinum for several years- we used to feel valued meeting in a room near the lobby and being "escorted" off orderly. Now it feels like half the ship leaves and loyal platinum guests are all but forgotten. Both embarkation and debarkation were chaoitic. First time cruising from New Orleans- so no frame of reference. I say chaos compared to the orderly fashion I've experienced in Miami, Baltimore, Port Caneveral and Tampa.

[bibbysnow]

Where on the eastern shore? I grew up in Hillsboro outside of Denton

 

Cambridge, but I work in Easton. My mother-in-law is in an assisted living facility in Denton.

 

small world

[MrFunInTheSun]

Would have to say you are not alone in your thoughts. Whilst you all were docked in Cozumel, the ship I was on was too. We went to Mr. Sancho's and encountered quite a few folks from the Carnival Sunshine. This one rather "Happy" group that was having a rather "Fun" time at Mr. Sancho's had nothing positive to say about the Carnival Sunshine. This was not their first Carnival cruise either. They were a fun group though and enjoying their cruise but were very unhappy with their cruise experience.

 

[lulu_cruising]

Self Assist. We got in around 6:00 a.m. more or less and they began self-assist a little after 7 or so. They called deck #1 and 1,200 people decended upon the lobby. One our friends had an early flight and we went to customer service the night before about it- they stated just come down when you want- nobody checks. So self assist took well over an hour. As an experienced cruiser who's been platinum for several years- we used to feel valued meeting in a room near the lobby and being "escorted" off orderly. Now it feels like half the ship leaves and loyal platinum guests are all but forgotten. Both embarkation and debarkation were chaoitic. First time cruising from New Orleans- so no frame of reference. I say chaos compared to the orderly fashion I've experienced in Miami, Baltimore, Port Caneveral and Tampa.

 

I was thinking of doing self assist but was going to wait until a little later to disembark. Do I have to go when called or could I wait until say, 8:30 and then leave?

[NavarreCruiser]

DW and I were also on this cruise, # 80 in total. We sat across the table from the Captain at his table during the Diamond event so we are not new to Carnival. We liked the remodel with a more modern subdued look and less glitz. We were in a 2nd floor Ocean view room which was very comfortable.

 

There was a slight sewage odor in the bath on occasion but it was minor. The service in the main dining room for ATD was slow. I feel it is definitely a staffing problem with not enough help to seat and serve the pax. The first night it was an hour and 10 minutes from the time we got in line to the time we left. At that time I had received 1 appetizer and DW nothing. On the other nights that we ate in the dining room service was fine once we could get seated.

 

This ship may definitely have a crowding problem on some cruises with increased cabin count and less public space, but it didn't feel too bad for us on this cruise. We saw 3 shows in the Liquid Lounge and ended up standing for the last one. That was really our fault as we arrived very close to show time. The theater was always at a comfortable temperature which is unusual for Carnival as it is mostly cold in their theaters.

 

We did self service debark. and that was an uncontrolled mess, but more often than not this is the case on most Carnival Ships. We knew a number of the entertainment staff crew from previous voyages so it was a nice surprise to reconnect with them on this cruise. Overall it was a pleasant trip and we will cruise again on the Sunshine for 2 weeks in February.

[cjknox]

Hey OP do you have any more pictures to share? ;)

[kajunkroozer]

We were also on this sailing, but only have a few minor complaints, and none that were big enough to affect our trip. We overheard a lot of people complaining while we were still on the ship, but we couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. We thoroughly enjoyed the ship and would go back on the Sunshine in a heartbeat. This was only our second cruise(Elation), so we can't make many comparisons to other ships.

 

Cons-The biggest issue I noticed was the sewage smell one morning on deck 4 forward near the elevators/picture gallery and in the upper main lounge. I can't remember the exact day, but it was maybe the morning of Grand Cayman or Cozumel. The smell was horrible and overwhelming. I have a pretty strong stomach, but the wife and I were gagging as were other guests. Other days it was a very light odor or nonexistent. The comedy club was way too small and a good number of the seats had a completely obstructed view, so Carnival put up tv screens so you could see the show.:confused: Completely wasted space. We only saw one comedy show because it was so hard to get a seat. There were also bottlenecks on Lido near Guy's burgers and the Mexican joint as your were walking towards the buffet. They made the walkways much to narrow, and if there was a line at either restaurant it blocked most of the passageway. Only other complaint I might have was that there didn't seem to be as many drink waiters walking around on deck on sea days. On the Elation they were borderline pesky, whereas on the Sunshine most of the time we had to go to the bar ourselves. As far as the MDR, we had YTD, and the only night we had an issue was on formal night. We waited for over 30 minutes for a table. And in those 30 minuted they seated no one, then all of sudden they seated everyone who was waiting and then there was no wait for the remainder of the time we were seated that night, everyone just walked right in. The waiters were great and we didn't have any issues with out meals, just the wait that one night. Other nights we walked up and they told us to just pick a table. We never saw a single bucket , and the only listing was as someone else said, when we first entered the muddy river.

 

Pros-Specialty restaurants were great, and the buffet and MDR food on Sunshine was 10 times better than the Elation. Cucina del Capitano was top notch for lunch, we ate there 4 times. Guy's Burgers were good too, as was the Cuban food in the Havana bar. The wide selection of food options made this cruise much more enjoyable for my wife, who is a very picky eater. Sea days were busy out on deck, but were always able to find 2 loungers together on lido or Serenity if we looked hard enough. The sports bar was great, the bartenders Lucian and ? were very friendly to us while we watched a few different ball games on different days. The Piano bar was our favorite late night spot. We haven't laughed so hard in a long time, I literally had tears in my eyes numerous times. If you witnessed Seth Gibson's "after 11 p.m. show" you know what I mean. Search youtube for Seth Gibson The Cougar Song for a sample, it was recorded his last night on the Sunshine. If you ever get a chance to see him, do it. The waterworks are fun, but warning, the slides are very fast!! I disregarded the posted weight limit, and as I was headed down the slide I though surely I was going to come out the end of the slide and fly off the side of the ship! It was rough ride, and my wife admitted she was a little scared when she was going down.

 

I really wish the Sunshine was staying in New Orleans longer. We are about to plan our next cruise for early summer 2014 and we would without a doubt go on the Sunshine again. Looks like we will be headed west to try out the Carnival Magic instead.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Hey OP do you have any more pictures to share? ;)

 

I have a number of pictures from the cruise. :)

[poison7fl]

I normally take reviews with a big grain of salt, but yours was short and sweet, and honest I believe. I was on the fence about the "Sunshine" because I hated the "Destiny" it was the only cruise I complained about to the CEO.

 

From all of the publicity and changes, I think they tried to hard and screwed up the ship even more than it was.

 

I just got off the fence and booked the Liberty instead.

[jimbo5544]

I normally take reviews with a big grain of salt, but yours was short and sweet, and honest I believe. I was on the fence about the "Sunshine" because I hated the "Destiny" it was the only cruise I complained about to the CEO.

 

From all of the publicity and changes, I think they tried to hard and screwed up the ship even more than it was.

 

I just got off the fence and booked the Liberty instead.

 

Well, I don't think you could go wrong in booking the Liberty. She is a wonderful ship. The only comment I could make on your comments on the Sunshine is there is absolutely no comparison between the two ships. Night and day comes to mind. We were blown away by how nice the Sunshine was. The only possible negative might be changes to the main lounge. But whatever works for you.

[2Ports]

I can't believe the BS regarding the Sunshine listing is still being propagated here......

 

Do the math - and note the emoticon... :rolleyes:

[EZ4]

I can't believe the BS regarding the Sunshine listing is still being propagated here......

 

The OP mentioned something about being tilted. :p

[bar1068]

Do the math - and note the emoticon... :rolleyes:

 

Oppss...Ok..got me there.totaly missed it!!!

[LHP]

We were on this cruise as well.

 

Not sure how many passengers this ship holds, but I know there were over 3,100 passengers onboard with us.

 

Loved Lido....never had a line. I hope they replicate this floor plan.

 

Our wait staff and cabin stewards were fabulous. (probably the best we have never had)

 

We were in cabin 8184 and had no issues at all.

 

We did not see any buckets but there were 3 absorption cloths. (2 by the pizza and 1 in the Ocean Plaza.

 

Folks have complained for years that Carnival was to cookie cutter and this is definitely not the case on this ship.

 

There is probably as much seating as ever on Promenade BUT it is configured differently. The seats that used to line the windows are now in the Ocean Plaza.

 

LOVED the Red Frog Pub but it is currently being under utilized.

 

I am not a show person or a disco person, so the changes there do not affect me. Although dual utilizing space is probably a smart idea.

 

I will say that I thought it was interesting that I know two people (very well) that both spent over 30 days on the Sunshine (including the Trans Atlantic).

 

One thought it was fine.

One swore they would never sail this ship again.

 

I will say the one that thought it was fine is a travel writer. The one that hated it is a chronic complainer always looking to get something for nothing.

 

Sad that people do not know these things ahead of time before they read the reviews.

[jimbo5544]

Loved Lido....never had a line. I hope they replicate this floor plan.

 

I totally agree. The job they did on Lido, especially the aft portion is great.

[DGP1111]

. . . Our wait staff and cabin stewards were fabulous. (probably the best we have never had)

 

That made me giggle, Linda. :p . :p

 

Again, it was great to see you & Mr. P during your sailing at Cozumel. :)

.

Edited November 29, 2013 by DGP1111

[13607]

I've read accounts of the ship listing anywhere from 90 to 170 degrees - did you experience that? :p

 

We did several cruises in the Med on the Sunshine and the TA. We were in a spa cabin in the front, and being that high up, you feel every wave. We did not experience any listing in any way on the ship at all, even on the TA.

 

I do agree with the no place for drinks in the Liquid lounge, and it seems to work better as a disco than a big theater. They do have a bar right in the room, making drinks more available, but like others have said, there is no place to put them down. It was very problematic during the past guest party when they have drinks and are also serving small bits of food, there was literally no place to put them, and it was hard for the servers to walk between the rows of floor seating, so only people on the edges got served, if you were in the middle, there was no way to get to you.

 

If you sit up in the elevated seating, there is little room to walk with the arm rails making it a very small space the walk through. Yes we are a bit overweight, but we probably represent the majority of US passengers on ships, and there were many aisles we literally had to squeeze to get through and it would have been very awkward if people were in those seats.

[LHP]

That made me giggle, Linda. :p . :p

 

Again, it was great to see you & Mr. P during your sailing at Cozumel. :)

.

 

So great getting to visit with you.

 

It is so cool when our ships actually meet up instead of just passing in the night!

[LHP]

A side note is that about 50 (or more) folks were very upset.

 

Not at the ship itself, but the fact that there was very limited karaoke.

 

We had 30+ EXCELLENT singers. The Limelight Lounge was packed 30 minutes before karaoke even started.

 

We only had 45 minutes on the 3 Sea days and none of Port days.

 

Many said they would never sail this ship again ....

 

Thankfully, I have been assured that this issue is being corrected.

 

 

Because we are going back in a couple of months!

 

(and you know me and my karaoke.... :eek:)

Edited November 30, 2013 by LHP