Carnival Sunshine

[firsttimecruiser9876]

What is wrong with the Carnival Sunshine? Why all of the negative reviews? It seems so similar to the Liberty, but people seem to love the Liberty.

 

The Sunshine fits our schedule and itinerary wishes but I am hesitant to book because of the negativity. What is wrong with this ship?

[keywest1]

We sailed on the Sunshine in September and we loved her. Some of the venues can be crowded at times, but that wasn't a concern for us. If there was a line, we just found something else to do.

I was regretting booking the Sunshine, but then I just decided to quit reading reviews and go with an open mind and a determination to enjoy myself. We had a great cruise and I would sail on her again in a heartbeat.

[firsttimecruiser9876]

good advice.

[lovecarnivalcruises]

One of my favorite ships, love the serenity area with pool and waterfall.

[near the beach]

We had a great time on the Sunshine.

We will sail on her again.

Have a fun cruise.

[hartsnvt]

We had an awesome time in August! Great Serenity area! Great crew! Main show lounge is the only negative as it is small so we only saw the "Newlywed type" game there. We were on deck 5 which was so convenient to everything on the promenade.

[firsttimecruiser9876]

it seems the main complaint is that the ship is "crowded." What exactly are they meaning by this?

 

My husband and I enjoy the serenity area, and the comedy shows the most. we also really like the fact that sunshine offers alot of different bars.

 

any idea why they say this shop is more "crowded" than others?

[keywest1]

The lounge where the comedy shows are held is small, but they clear the lounge between shows to give everyone a chance to see the acts. The theater is also small due to added cabins during the rehab. There is only one pool on the Lido, plus one more in the serenity area for adults only, so the Lido pool is generally pretty full. Those seem to be the cause of a lot of the crowding complaints. We went 20-30 minutes before shows started and never had a problem getting a good seat. We don't have kids so the Lido pool was not an issue for us.

Honestly, it wasn't like Disney World crowds or anything like that. With a little patience and flexibility we were able to have a relaxing cruise and do everything we wanted to do on the ship except for the Love and Marriage Show. We decided on the spur of the moment to go right as it started, and it was standing room only at that time so we went to the Lido and enjoyed the sun :) Had we gone a bit earlier, we would have been able to get a seat for the show. Hope this helps answer your concerns :)

[Margarita Mom]

My family cruised in August on the Sunshine and I doubt I would ever book that ship again. The ship is very poorly laid out and crowded. If you have kids there is only one pool on this ship. On a sea day it is so crowded, people only go in to stand around. Swimming would be out of the question. They removed the back pool to make room for some of the upgrades. If you aren't travelling with kids the pool in the serenity area is very nice but again it was very small and crowded. The comedy club is small and poorly laid out. Some of the seats do not face the stage and you are forced to watch the TV screens to see the show. The piano bar is out of the way and hard to find. Overall when you take away common space and cram more cabins into a ship, overcrowding is the obviously result.

[tafische]

We cruised on the inaugural and had a great time. Compared to a Dream Class, yes - she is a more crowded. The area going into the Lido buffet from Guys and Iguana can be a real traffic backup. The comedy club is small as someone else mentioned. I also didn't like the converted disco (it is in the main lounge).

 

BUT - overall she is a great ship (you can find things you don't like on any ship!). Ocean Plaza was very nice and didn't feel crowded, and the Havana bar is also a great place to hang out (don't miss the good food back there!). It also has a very nice piano bar. There were tons to see and do, and tons of eating options.

 

Go and have a great time!

[jpsec318]

We have Cruised many times but never with a group of people and are on the sunshine Jan. 17 any recommendations?

Things to avoid?

[keywest1]

Don't miss the seating area behind the buffet at lunch(reserved for the specialty restaurants in the evening). There are some awesome views from back there and it goes largely undiscovered until several days into a cruise.

[Margarita Mom]

Don't miss the seating area behind the buffet at lunch(reserved for the specialty restaurants in the evening). There are some awesome views from back there and it goes largely undiscovered until several days into a cruise.

 

Have to agree with you on this one. This is the best place on the ship.

[tafische]

Also nice views from the Havana Bar if you want to eat inside. We would get our food and go back there to eat on several occasions. Also if you want to do the Ropes Course, I would do it on port days. One, it is not very crowded - but also because it ends up being closed several times on Sea Days because there was too much wind.

 

Also like the Blue Iguana for breakfast. They had some breakfast type items that were very good.

[hhalliv]

I had also wondered about all of the bad reviews on this ship. I saw her in many ports and she looks beautiful. I'll be sailing on her in March

[JTJ]

I've been on the Sunshine many times and have 3 cruises booked. All in all I like her a lot (for me), but I live next to PC. The food choices are beyond great (especially compared to the competition RCCL EOS).

 

My Complaints:

- To use "Your Time Dining" requires a stop, stand in line, and sign up on deck 5 (I guess because the dining room is small) to make sure you are going.

- The Serenity area is large and 3 decks but has 6' glass walls surrounding each ocean view edge (makes it super hot when in port and causes photogs to go the the jogging deck to take unobstructed or non-salt spray pics)

- The other outside decks all have 2.5' steel walls, so you can't see the ocean without sitting up in your chair.

- The big screen TV has numerious LED squares that are none functioning or discolored. Looks like it was hit with a shot gun blast from 100 yards out.

- The balcony dividers rattle very loudly (clothes pins jammed in help)

- There is always a long line at the sea day brunch or reg. lunch because only one of the two resturants is open. And VIFP plats. who just want a drink must wait around at the entrance 10 - 15mins for a waiter to use the free drink coupon if they want to eat somewhere else (if space is such an issue they should let you use at a bar or at Havanas).

 

But like I said I have 3 cruise booked, again for me the food is worth the issues.

[CanadianDee]

This is our first time with Carnival, though we've cruised other lines. We chose the Sunshine because of its itinerary, the port, and the fact that this is the first time we're sailing with our granddaughter.

 

If I'd paid more attention to the reviews of how crowded the ship is, I might've made a different choice. With that said, I know we'll have a great time and no regrets about the choice. I'm with a couple of my favourite people and if the pool is too busy, we'll find something else that day. We won't have a bad time and we won't let a few not-perfects ruin any aspect of our time together.

 

Future cruises might be on another ship though. :)

[adaptabl]

Many are upset Carnival listed it as a new ship that is really an older ship with an upgrade. It is not a state of the art new ship like the competition is rolling out so it is a disappointment to many.

[firsttimecruiser9876]

the only other ship i have sailed in the Fascination. So thats really all I have to compare it to. I recall long lines for lunch, etc, but no real feeling of overcrowding.

[Trish12345]

One of the things that bugged me on this ship is when the comedy lounge was used that area was shut off. The former 'walkway' on both sides of the ship are now the comedy lounge. So when you are walking to dinner you go past the casino to the mdr. there is an event in the comedy lounge so now you must walk back to the main lobby bar go up or down and walk to the back of the ship again then up/down a flight of stairs to reach the mdr. Not to mention when you come out of the mdr, now the comedy lounge is in session, it's up/down 1 flight walk toward the main lobby bar, back up/down a flight of stairs then head back to casino, taste bar, get pictures taken, etc. And I wear heels on formal nights. Also noticed when the comedy lounge was in session, doors were closed and this is when the ship would get very warm inside.

 

I never had a bad meal on the Sunshine, the pizzeria was excellent, service was always top notch and my cabin was the best.

 

It's still a cruise and you will have a wonderful time!

[tafische]

Crowded is a very relative term. It is really just your own perception compared to another experience you may have had. I know there are comparisons like how much open sq ft per passenger and all that - but here is my thought --- on every ship there are areas that are more crowded than others.

 

There are plenty of "non-crowded" areas on the Sunshine and you will have a great time. Every boat is a different experience and feel, and the Sunshine is no different....sure some like it and some don't - but that goes for every class of ship.

 

I would have no issue sailing on her in the future....

[BND]

Crowded is a very relative term. It is really just your own perception compared to another experience you may have had. I know there are comparisons like how much open sq ft per passenger and all that - but here is my thought --- on every ship there are areas that are more crowded than others.

 

There are plenty of "non-crowded" areas on the Sunshine and you will have a great time. Every boat is a different experience and feel, and the Sunshine is no different....sure some like it and some don't - but that goes for every class of ship.

 

I would have no issue sailing on her in the future....

 

I also noticed that a couple of posters cruised in August, when school is out and there are always more people onboard. We're going on Sunshine in Feb. It was not our original choice but when they swapped out ships before we booked, it's what we got, plus we're going with friends who had already booked. I think the main reason people think it's crowded is because they're going at peak times for meals, etc. We like to sit in the shade and read on deck during the day, but it doesn't have to be right near or next to the pool so we don't feel those crowds as much.

[sxyshell]

We did the Sunshine in September and there are pros and cons. It was my least favorite Carnival ship that I've cruised on. It is very overcrowded. We ended up with any time dining and that was our first time we didn't have a set dining time. I didn't like it. Some people love it. We never got to see the comedy show because it was always packed. We even got there a half hour early several nights and there were no seats so we didn't get to see the comedy show. We loved the Alchemy Bar and we are excited that the Pride now has one as well since that is our next ship we'll be cruising on.

[skyeman27]

The Sunshine being crowded is one of the most common complaints about this ship, I have to believe that this is experienced more often than not on this ship. If one reads the reviews this is apparent. This ship is still the lowest rated ship in the Carnival fleet. I have never been on a Carnival ship that I did not like and I would like to keep it that way which is why I will not sail on the Sunshine. Will be setting sail on the Liberty this Saturday...

Edited December 5, 2014 by gklow

[PSRCPA]

I've been on 31 Carnival cruises and the Sunshine is my least favorite ship. As most said, over crowded on Lido especially around Blue Iguana and Guys......walkway too narrow. Comedy Club too small, some people don't even see comedian but watch on monitor. Disco/Main Lounge dual purpose.....really?? Did not care for that either. Cabin bathroom, strange configure....sitting on toilet not enough room for both feet in front of you...... one foot ends up In shower. We had a balcony.

 

These are just my opinions. Just not a ship I cared for. We are only 40 miles from Port Canaveral and prefer the Liberty over the Sunshine.

 

What we did like.....the Alchemy Bar and Serenity!

 

Go and enjoy! Make up your own mind, you may just love it, others do!

 

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