Sunshine 3/23 review

[klpalp]

We were on the 3/23 sailing of the Sunshine and since I loved reading everyone else's reviews, I thought I would share our experiences! We are a family of six, 2 adults and 4 kids, ages 5-14.

 

First off, we got to the port around 1130, and it took about 1 hour from parking in the garage until we were walking on the ship, which I didn't think was too bad at all. There were some lines to check in, but they moved fast. We were on the Lido deck around 1230, and went straight for Guy's Burgers. They are amazing and as the week went, we noticed even if there was a line there, it went very fast.

 

We were traveling with a group of 11 that had 4 balcony rooms on the port side near the mid-ship elevators on the 6th floor. I was a little worried about the location since we were right above the casino, but we never heard a peep or smelled smoke from the casino bar. My husband and I had 2 rooms next to each other, so we opened the partition between our rooms, which made for a really nice size balcony! We had no issues with our room, everything was in great working order, and our room seward was fantastic! The bathroom is a little awkward in how its arranged, but it wasn't a huge issue. Our last cruise we had an ocean view room, and we will never cruise without a balcony again, even our kids enjoyed sitting out there.

 

For the dining options, we don't do any of the "pay" restaurants, mainly a cost factor for all 6 of us, but we did make a point to try the Asian and Italian places at lunch, both of which was very good. At lunch at the Italian place, you fill out a card of what you want and they give you a buzzer, so you can go sit or get your drink without having to wait there in line. We ate at the MDR every night, except the last night. Our last cruise, the MDR took forever and the quality wasn't the best, so we were not expecting to eat there so much. We did anytime dining with a group of 11 and didn't have any issues with wait times, but we made sure to be there when they opened. The quality of the food and the service was really good. We ate most breakfast meals and lunch meals at the Lido "Marketplace." At first I wasn't so sure about the setup, but as the week went, it made more sense to me. With the exception of the first sea day, we never had to wait in long lines to get food. Of course, at times there would be a line, but it went fast. At breakfast there was usually a line for the bacon......it didn't make sense they had 2 lines for all the bfast lines that met at one end where the bacon was, so you always had a small wait for bacon. It was worth it though, as it was very good and they kept it well stocked!

 

My kids love the waterslides, so that is where we hung out most of the time. The pool is just way too crowded and small for the amount of people in it. We have a pool and hot tub at home, so that didn't appeal to them anyway.

 

We really don't get into shows, or "entertainment" much on cruises, we cruise for the ports. I will say we stopped by and watched a few minutes of the Epic Rock on the last night and it was really good! I probably could have stayed longer to watch it. The only nightlife I really did, was my husband and I gambled a bit one night, and lost, and another night I went to the Alchemy Bar with my sister and mom. They had some really interesting drinks on the menu! I did love the variety of drinks each different bar had. I love a good fruity mixed drink and each bar had their own version of them, along with the standard drinks.

 

We pretty much stay together as a family the whole time, so my kids never went to Camp Carnival, but it did look very inviting! My teenage daughter went to a teen spa night and for $42 they got a lot of things done. Since we did always have kids around, I never made it to the Serenity decks. I had intended to go, but it just never happened. My sister went and loved the pool.

 

My thoughts on the crowding on the ship.....I read reviews from the time we booked almost a year ago, so I was wondering what we would see. The Lido deck in general had some areas that just doesn't make sense when a lot of people of coming or going......for example walking from the open area into the buffet area(near guys burgers and blue iguana on other side) there was barely room for 2 way traffic, that area needed to be wider, but they also needed that space for more table I guess. I didn't like the seating in the Lido Marketplace, first off it was always full and it was hot in there. I had done my research before going and knew there was a lot of tables back in the Havana Bar. It was much cooler temperature wise, and we could always find a table there. So I could see how if you didn't know about going back to the Havana Bar, you would be wondering where you would sit. I didn't care for the location of the ice cream machines, it felt like they were stuck in a corner of a high traffic area, so I didn't have as many cones, which was probably a good thing, haha! Also, there wasn't many areas to sit around the waterslides........we are early risers, so on our first 2 days a sea we got chairs no problem, but they filled up quickly. I equate it to if I were going to my local waterpark, I would go early to get the best chairs and if I got there late I would be out of luck! We did notice a lot of chair hogs around the pool, there were towels on chairs at 8am when we were finishing breakfast! Overall, I didn't feel it was more crowded that the last time we cruised.

 

I also wanted to address the funny smell............I did notice it very faintly in the Liquid Lounge, but that was the only place and it seemed like you would smell it, then it would pass and you wouldn't, if that makes sense!

 

Our ports: Roatan-we did Maya Key with lunch(we have our own snorkeling gear) and it was AMAZING!! Snorkeling out to the "drop off" and looking back at the reef.......words just can't describe! This was by far our highlight of the trip.

 

Belize-I just staying on the ship with our younger boys because they wanted to do the waterslides with no lines so my husband and daughter went into port and looked around. I loved sitting up on the ship and looking at the beautiful water! My husband and son was going to do the Barrier Reef snorkel in Belize, but it was too windy and got cancelled.

 

Cozumel-we did Mr. Sanchos, ale carte and was very satisfied with what we got. The prices were very reasonable and food was very good!

 

Excursions are expensive for a family of 6, so my big splurge was going to Maya Key, but it was well worth it!

 

Sorry this is a jumbled mess, but wanted to get something posted while it was still fresh in my mind. If you have specific questions about something ask away!!

[geovet]

Thanks for the review!!!

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thanks so much for the review.:)

[gregg204]

Thanks for the review! Glad to see yet another positive outlook on the Sunshine.

[RoscoeJames]

We were on the same cruise. We used the Havana Bar the times we did eat on the Lido. Also had afternoon drinks there. Great space. They also have omelet stations in the morning that are not too crowded.

 

 

Clay.

[klpalp]

The omelets were really good, plus you could get your other sides up there without going back to wait in another line. The beverage counters back there were always fully stocked and never a line either, we loved the Havana Bar area!

[ksouthern]

We were on the same cruise and I agree with everything you wrote. We had a large group and were still able to pull off anytime dining (they asked us to come early). Guy's Burgers and Epic Rock were definitely a hit. I saw no buckets of water or experienced any problems with the ship. We had an awesome time! The lido deck was a bit crowded but it was spring break after all. The chair hogs were out in full force. One lady told us she tied her robe belts to several chairs at 5:30 in the morning and then came out at 9 or 10 to claim them. I would have no issues sailing on The Sunshine again. But, I am already looking forward to sailing on The Dream in October!

[ksouthern]

We were on the same cruise. We used the Havana Bar the times we did eat on the Lido. Also had afternoon drinks there. Great space. They also have omelet stations in the morning that are not too crowded.

 

 

Clay.

 

Loved the Havana Bar area! I was surprised to learn that they had a little Cuban lunch buffet at the Havana Bar. It had small Cuban sandwiches and pork and beef empanadas. These were very good with the garlic alioli they provided.

[reerun25]

Thanks for the review!

[bar1068]

So I have a really important question....any idea what the Platinum gift was on that cruise?? Really really important that I know before Sunday!!

[sjcruiser]

Thanks for the reviews from the original OP and the others on the same cruise. Can you tell me what items Havana Bar had for breakfast and lunch besides the items you already noted? Thanks again

[keishashadow]

We were on the same cruise and I agree with everything you wrote. We had a large group and were still able to pull off anytime dining (they asked us to come early). Guy's Burgers and Epic Rock were definitely a hit. I saw no buckets of water or experienced any problems with the ship. We had an awesome time! The lido deck was a bit crowded but it was spring break after all. The chair hogs were out in full force. One lady told us she tied her robe belts to several chairs at 5:30 in the morning and then came out at 9 or 10 to claim them. I would have no issues sailing on The Sunshine again. But, I am already looking forward to sailing on The Dream in October!

 

seemingly proud of herself?:rolleyes: Our last CCL sailing in the serenity area the staff was diligent as to removing towels from the loungers after they had been empty for some time. Was hoping the practice would still be in force.

 

OP What time did you line up for the Asian & Italian venues for lunch? Will a pool cover up & a shirt & board shorts for DH be ok or do you have to 'dress'? I'm just getting into planning mode for our upcoming sailing on the sunshine. I really liked the destiny but have read complaints as to passenger flow, somewhat concerned with fact we have 4 sea days and might be tripping over other guests. Sounds as though it was manageable for you.

Edited April 3, 2014 by keishashadow

[ksouthern]

So I have a really important question....any idea what the Platinum gift was on that cruise?? Really really important that I know before Sunday!!

 

The platinum gift was the beach bag with the cooler bottom.

[ksouthern]

Thanks for the reviews from the original OP and the others on the same cruise. Can you tell me what items Havana Bar had for breakfast and lunch besides the items you already noted? Thanks again

 

For lunch it was the 3 items I mentioned with flan for dessert along with at least 2 sauces - the garlic alioli which I loved and a mint sauce that I thought was too sweet. I can't recall the breakfast items. Many people get made to order omelettes and eat them in the Havana Bar area. I did this a couple of times. The Havana bar food buffet is very small and easy to miss.

[klpalp]

For the food offered at the Havana Bar........I didn't try what they had, it seems I was always full from all the other choices that I never did try any of it! There was 4 different baskets that had a label of what each item was, I do think they had same offering at bfast and lunch.

 

For the question about the Asian and Italian for lunch..........it is the same place they do omelets at breakfast. The Asian place you wait in a line like the omelets, but it goes very fast. You fill you bowl with the ingredients you want and they cook it for you. I had it on a port day, so there was no line to try it. The Italian place you can fill out a card of what you want and they just give you a buzzer to notify you when it is done, so there is no line. For dress, you just wear what you would wear at the Lido buffet, we had our swimsuits with cover ups on. Even if we got food at the buffet, we always went back to that area to eat. I hope that answers the questions!