100% honest review of the Sunshine.

[bgvic24]

Sale Date 2-28-2015

 

 

I will start off by saying I am and still will be a Carnival cruiser.. This was my 9th cruise on Carnival, first cruise on the Sunshine. This will be just an honest review from my perspective. We had an awesome time meet some great people

 

 

Upon arriving we had F2F.. Process was smooth.. on ship in 15 minutes. While boarding we kept thinking 155 million and this ship has visable rust everywhere..and rust holes in some places... Walked onboard and the Lobby area was very nice. Walked right to our room because of the F2F dropped the bags and headed for a Funship special up on Lido.

 

 

Ship Layout - HORRIBLE you cannot get anywhere without going up and down the decks.. I mean this is a nightmare. I was able to deal with it because I am in my 30's and in shape... but its so bad for our seniors/handicapped. They have to go through this..... decks 3,4,5 to be exact. Carnival.... this needs to be rectified.

 

 

Comedy club - Better get there early or you will be watching it from a TV screen as some seats are.. GET THIS... BEHIND THE STAGE!!!!! yeah... its a joke... Then while people are waiting in the hall for the next show... if you are sitting anywhere near the back all you hear is them talking and not the comedian...

 

 

Lido Layout - The Decor is actually very nice in the eating area!!! When I walked in there I was thinking this is very modern looking. Was very impressed.... UNTILL - I got to the choaking points entering the Pool area..... Have fun with this!!!! will be a constant issue your entire cruise. You have a 4 foot walk way.... if someone in a wheelchair has to come through here I feel sorry for them.. They put the drink machines and the Ice cream machines right in the walk way!!!! so out of a 4 foot wide walkway you really only have about 3 feet because if someone stops to get a drink its over..... people backing up like crazy. Now you have this tile floor that goes into the marketplace... this becomes the slip and slide.... whoever came up with this idea... Carnival please put some water absorbing mats or just carpet the entrance area on both sides.

 

 

Guys burgers - Were Awesome... would love to have this on every ship.

 

 

 

Main Stage/ Liquid Lounge - I thought it was fine with using it for the main stage and the night club. There was always a seat avail and it was a great night spot. Only time you really need to get there early were the nights of the production shows.. 20 minutes early will get you a seat for those.

 

 

Smoking areas - I understand you will never win a war with this subject. I thought the smokers had enough space. All of Deck 3 Port side they put chairs outside with smoking canisters along the whole outside deck. Deck 10 behind the screen had nice chairs. But I really do feel bad for the runners having to deal with it because you have to run right over top of the area They could fix this easily by putting a roof over that area. Casino was always smokey but c'mon... its a Casino you cant do anything about that... Didnt ruin my time there.

 

 

Lido Deck Chairs - Worst ship ever!!! They had no problems adding more passenger cabins but they neglected the deck space.... Please get outside early and get a chair. There is more deck space on the Fantasy class ship!!!! The open air decks get so full of chairs that there is no place to walk on the ship. This is the main reason I will never sail this ship again.. As a seasoned Carnival cruiser I knew to get up early and get a chair... So we had no issues whatsoever...

 

 

Automatic hand washers - Great job on this carnival!!! these things are the bomb and please put them on every ship.

 

 

Serenity area - Awesome!!! waterfall is very nice and the pool was great! I thought there were enough chairs up there and the bar was awesome! There were no children at all up there. and the pool was always avail to take a dip in. Same with the hottub.

 

 

Main Pool/ tubs - Way to small... always filled with children. Parents... Please watch your kids in there pool is so small and ship is so packed you have to watchout for other kids jumping on yours.

 

 

Waterslides - Man were these a blast!! might have been the fastest slides I have ever been on. Our group were all in our 30's and we used the heck out of them. Well done on this one Carnival.

 

 

Anytime Dining - You must check in at deck 5 and get a pager or a slip of paper. Now.. this is a mess because you have the main Promenade deck that EVERYONE has to walk through. Taste bar is right on the other side... Massive choking point. Then you have to go down a floor to go to the dinning room. So if you are handicapped at all this will be a mess.... as you cannot take the stairs. You end up riding an elevator for 15 minutes a day.

 

 

Havana Bar Area - This area was awesome. Always seats avail to eat in the morning or lunch time. Decor was very refreshing also. Go here to eat in the morning at get a seat by the back windows. Its very nice.

 

Here is a list of things that I did not think I would have to deal with on a ship that was just refurbished.

 

 

Carpet was torn and tatterd is most places. Did see many visable water leaks. Saw buckets throught the ship on any given day. Esp by smoking area in casino. Tile floor had water coming up through it. Also had a light fixture in the buffet area leaking water from it right by a drink station. Carpet was always wet by the limelight lounge from the floor area... at the end of cruise they put up a baracade. Some kind of funky smell in the Lido buffet area right where it leads to the lido pool.... Celling tiles were down.

 

 

I kept asking myself..... this is what 155 million looks like!!! dont know where it all went but they could of done alot more... My guess with this ship it was all about adding 500 more passengers... Funny that 155 million was spent but all of the wheelchairs still said Carnival Destiny on them....

 

Food - Was great had no issues whatsoever. Our waitstaff in main dining room was awesome.

 

 

Stateroom - Was very clean no problems there. Our steward Ricky was great.

 

 

Missed a port because of high winds... Funny enough though both of the Norweigan ships were able to dock without a problem.... But for our ship it was... We were fine with the extra sea day because port stop was only 7am to 2pm. It was sunny out and temps were warm. We relaxed all day on the ship and ran the bar tab up!!

 

 

Summary - As I said before... I will still cruise Carnival everything I said above did not ruin my cruise... I was on vacation!! We had an awesome time and cannot wait to go again. This is my first review ever... The things I noticed on this ship made me write one..... All in all the ship is way to crowded. Too many people and not enough space. I will never sail this ship again because of this. Please build more Spirit class ships or bring the current ones back to the US and send this ship to Australia.... or just sell it...... Bigger is not always better.

 

If anyone has any questions they want to ask me, please feel free and I will give you and honest answer/opinion.

 

Thanks

[AngAndBoys]

I believe you about the crowds. I wouldn't go on Sunshine, myself, because you gotta figure with the added cabins and 2.0 updates taking up space, it's going to be a crowded mess, even if it looks pretty. Thanks for the review!

[pirate4me2]

Thank you for the review. We were on this sailing with you and noticed some of the same things as well. Especially the crowded upper decks. We still had a good time, but I do agree that some things could have been designed better.

[eponym]

Sale Date 2-28-2015

 

 

I will start off by saying I am and still will be a Carnival cruiser.. This was my 9th cruise on Carnival, first cruise on the Sunshine. This will be just an honest review from my perspective. We had an awesome time meet some great people

 

 

Upon arriving we had F2F.. Process was smooth.. on ship in 15 minutes. While boarding we kept thinking 155 million and this ship has visable rust everywhere..and rust holes in some places... Walked onboard and the Lobby area was very nice. Walked right to our room because of the F2F dropped the bags and headed for a Funship special up on Lido.

 

 

Ship Layout - HORRIBLE you cannot get anywhere without going up and down the decks.. I mean this is a nightmare. I was able to deal with it because I am in my 30's and in shape... but its so bad for our seniors/handicapped. They have to go through this..... decks 3,4,5 to be exact. Carnival.... this needs to be rectified.

 

 

Comedy club - Better get there early or you will be watching it from a TV screen as some seats are.. GET THIS... BEHIND THE STAGE!!!!! yeah... its a joke... Then while people are waiting in the hall for the next show... if you are sitting anywhere near the back all you hear is them talking and not the comedian...

 

 

Lido Layout - The Decor is actually very nice in the eating area!!! When I walked in there I was thinking this is very modern looking. Was very impressed.... UNTILL - I got to the choaking points entering the Pool area..... Have fun with this!!!! will be a constant issue your entire cruise. You have a 4 foot walk way.... if someone in a wheelchair has to come through here I feel sorry for them.. They put the drink machines and the Ice cream machines right in the walk way!!!! so out of a 4 foot wide walkway you really only have about 3 feet because if someone stops to get a drink its over..... people backing up like crazy. Now you have this tile floor that goes into the marketplace... this becomes the slip and slide.... whoever came up with this idea... Carnival please put some water absorbing mats or just carpet the entrance area on both sides.

 

 

Guys burgers - Were Awesome... would love to have this on every ship.

 

 

 

Main Stage/ Liquid Lounge - I thought it was fine with using it for the main stage and the night club. There was always a seat avail and it was a great night spot. Only time you really need to get there early were the nights of the production shows.. 20 minutes early will get you a seat for those.

 

 

Smoking areas - I understand you will never win a war with this subject. I thought the smokers had enough space. All of Deck 3 Port side they put chairs outside with smoking canisters along the whole outside deck. Deck 10 behind the screen had nice chairs. But I really do feel bad for the runners having to deal with it because you have to run right over top of the area They could fix this easily by putting a roof over that area. Casino was always smokey but c'mon... its a Casino you cant do anything about that... Didnt ruin my time there.

 

 

Lido Deck Chairs - Worst ship ever!!! They had no problems adding more passenger cabins but they neglected the deck space.... Please get outside early and get a chair. There is more deck space on the Fantasy class ship!!!! The open air decks get so full of chairs that there is no place to walk on the ship. This is the main reason I will never sail this ship again.. As a seasoned Carnival cruiser I knew to get up early and get a chair... So we had no issues whatsoever...

 

 

Automatic hand washers - Great job on this carnival!!! these things are the bomb and please put them on every ship.

 

 

Serenity area - Awesome!!! waterfall is very nice and the pool was great! I thought there were enough chairs up there and the bar was awesome! There were no children at all up there. and the pool was always avail to take a dip in. Same with the hottub.

 

 

Main Pool/ tubs - Way to small... always filled with children. Parents... Please watch your kids in there pool is so small and ship is so packed you have to watchout for other kids jumping on yours.

 

 

Waterslides - Man were these a blast!! might have been the fastest slides I have ever been on. Our group were all in our 30's and we used the heck out of them. Well done on this one Carnival.

 

 

Anytime Dining - You must check in at deck 5 and get a pager or a slip of paper. Now.. this is a mess because you have the main Promenade deck that EVERYONE has to walk through. Taste bar is right on the other side... Massive choking point. Then you have to go down a floor to go to the dinning room. So if you are handicapped at all this will be a mess.... as you cannot take the stairs. You end up riding an elevator for 15 minutes a day.

 

 

Havana Bar Area - This area was awesome. Always seats avail to eat in the morning or lunch time. Decor was very refreshing also. Go here to eat in the morning at get a seat by the back windows. Its very nice.

 

Here is a list of things that I did not think I would have to deal with on a ship that was just refurbished.

 

 

Carpet was torn and tatterd is most places. Did see many visable water leaks. Saw buckets throught the ship on any given day. Esp by smoking area in casino. Tile floor had water coming up through it. Also had a light fixture in the buffet area leaking water from it right by a drink station. Carpet was always wet by the limelight lounge from the floor area... at the end of cruise they put up a baracade. Some kind of funky smell in the Lido buffet area right where it leads to the lido pool.... Celling tiles were down.

 

 

I kept asking myself..... this is what 155 million looks like!!! dont know where it all went but they could of done alot more... My guess with this ship it was all about adding 500 more passengers... Funny that 155 million was spent but all of the wheelchairs still said Carnival Destiny on them....

 

Food - Was great had no issues whatsoever. Our waitstaff in main dining room was awesome.

 

 

Stateroom - Was very clean no problems there. Our steward Ricky was great.

 

 

Missed a port because of high winds... Funny enough though both of the Norweigan ships were able to dock without a problem.... But for our ship it was... We were fine with the extra sea day because port stop was only 7am to 2pm. It was sunny out and temps were warm. We relaxed all day on the ship and ran the bar tab up!!

 

 

Summary - As I said before... I will still cruise Carnival everything I said above did not ruin my cruise... I was on vacation!! We had an awesome time and cannot wait to go again. This is my first review ever... The things I noticed on this ship made me write one..... All in all the ship is way to crowded. Too many people and not enough space. I will never sail this ship again because of this. Please build more Spirit class ships or bring the current ones back to the US and send this ship to Australia.... or just sell it...... Bigger is not always better.

 

If anyone has any questions they want to ask me, please feel free and I will give you and honest answer/opinion.

 

Thanks

 

Some of what you said MAY partially explain why the CEO has been replaced. Don't know, don't care. They can and should replace torn carpets ASAP (that's ridiculous) as are visually rust laden areas. I have never understood their plan for dangerously slippery tile floors, and the seemingly negligent approach to resolving the safety issue by Carnival Corporation and ship's captain.

 

As for some of the other things on that ship - the ratio of passengers to crew is worse than many other ships. The cramped, overcrowded, and crowd choke point resulting situations MOST definitely detract from a 100% pleasurable experience. Carnival's formula for the Sunshine - piss off 2,500 passengers for the sake of 500 more?

 

Strange too that even with the 2.0 upgrades and revamp on this ship, it is near the bottom of the list to adopt the Americana Menus SOMETIME later this year.

 

Here's to hoping that they actually put in WORKING redundant power plants and generators to avert disasters at sea.

Edited March 9, 2015 by eponym

[cruizinisthebest]

Thanks for the feedback. Most of the things you mentioned have been mentioned over and over again on this board and others regarding the Sunshine. Therefore I have no excuse when we sail to be surprised about certain aspects. Bothers some. Not others.

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[okgirl]

Very fair review, thanks for taking the time.

 

The Sunshine is my least favorite ship. I wouldn't sail on her again unless someone else was paying for the entire thing including travel expenses.

[Surfwench]

Some of what you said MAY partially explain why the CEO has been replaced. Don't know, don't care. They can and should replace torn carpets ASAP (that's ridiculous) as are visually rust laden areas. I have never understood their plan for dangerously slippery tile floors, and the seemingly negligent approach to resolving the safety issue by Carnival Corporation and ship's captain.

 

As for some of the other things on that ship - the ratio of passengers to crew is worse than many other ships. The cramped, overcrowded, and crowd choke point resulting situations MOST definitely detract from a 100% pleasurable experience. Carnival's formula for the Sunshine - piss off 2,500 passengers for the sake of 500 more?

 

Strange too that even with the 2.0 upgrades and revamp on this ship, it is near the bottom of the list to adopt the Americana Menus SOMETIME later this year.

 

Here's to hoping that they actually put in WORKING redundant power plants and generators to avert disasters at sea.

 

I've noticed huge, tractor trailer sized generators strapped to an out of the way deck on all ships I've sailed since the Triumph disaster. I'm pretty sure if nothing else works, the toilets will. :)

[Fla Senior]

It's very hard to believe that you were on the same ship as I.

 

Saw no water buckets, no tattered carpet, no significant lines (because I know not to travel at rush hour).

 

I agree that unless you get there early, the comedy club view is lousy.

 

It just goes to show how opinions vary, that's why we all have one.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

This review points out exactly why I would never travel a refurbished, rebuilt ship. All the cosmetic changes in the world can't change the structure or the space limitations that involves...I know because that is what I do for a living. Carnival in its infinite wisdom tried to use a bandage to reset a broken bone...not going to happen. And as far as the inconvenience to disabled passengers...well you can't engineer old outdated layouts to incorporate the standards of today....even some newer ships are not that wheelchair friendly.

 

As far as I can tell the Sunshine has been properly condemned by passengers for not meeting their expectations. Hopefully it is a lesson learned for Carnival and they won't be wasting their time and capital investitures on another pig in a poke. If I was a stock holder I would definitely be letting them know I wouldn't be a happy camper with another decision like the Sunshine.

[kelkel2]

Thank you for the very fair review on of the Breeze. These are points that have been brought up over and over again by many different cruisers that have gone into their cruise with a positive attitude not looking to complain. I think honestly, it's a bit of a disappointment that Carnival put all those extra staterooms on the ship but did not leave room to accommodate the extra passengers in public spaces.

Between all the reviews of crowded spaces, very long lines, issues with ATD, a lack of an aft pool, I am glad I decided to switch my cruise to the Breeze. I mean I'm sure we would have had a wonderful time on the Sunshine, but I think it was a better decision for us.

[gone_cruisin]

I have sailed on the Sunshine and loved it! Like another poster mentioned, as a habit I do not try to show up to things at peak times....on any ship. So I never observed crowds.

 

The choke points complaint is something I see on many ships. Triumph, Victory, etc. It's the ships original design. Not much can be done at this point. But again, this is not specifically a Sunshine problem.

 

Too bad many people refuse to sail her. It just makes it all that more pleasurable for me when carnival drops the prices due to lack of bookings.

[bgvic24]

Thank you for the very fair review on of the Breeze. These are points that have been brought up over and over again by many different cruisers that have gone into their cruise with a positive attitude not looking to complain. I think honestly, it's a bit of a disappointment that Carnival put all those extra staterooms on the ship but did not leave room to accommodate the extra passengers in public spaces.

Between all the reviews of crowded spaces, very long lines, issues with ATD, a lack of an aft pool, I am glad I decided to switch my cruise to the Breeze. I mean I'm sure we would have had a wonderful time on the Sunshine, but I think it was a better decision for us.

 

 

No Problem. We went into the trip with a positive attitude and came out with a positive attitude. This was just a review of what we saw and dealt with. What came out of this trip is how much I just want to go on another cruise!!! :D As I said we had a great time would of changed nothing but stoping in Costa Maya. I will continue to cruise Carnival... just not the Sunshine..

 

Those Water slides in the back are awesome.... but as you said... no aft pool area made this ship feel small. That whole area back there has zero space. Took away 200 deck chairs easily.... Most of us from the north just want to go on vacation and lay in the sun.....

[taki183]

This review points out exactly why I would never travel a refurbished, rebuilt ship. All the cosmetic changes in the world can't change the structure or the space limitations that involves...I know because that is what I do for a living. Carnival in its infinite wisdom tried to use a bandage to reset a broken bone...not going to happen. And as far as the inconvenience to disabled passengers...well you can't engineer old outdated layouts to incorporate the standards of today....even some newer ships are not that wheelchair friendly.

 

As far as I can tell the Sunshine has been properly condemned by passengers for not meeting their expectations. Hopefully it is a lesson learned for Carnival and they won't be wasting their time and capital investitures on another pig in a poke. If I was a stock holder I would definitely be letting them know I wouldn't be a happy camper with another decision like the Sunshine.

 

i understand that if the sunshine was sucssful theywould have done the same to the triumph and victory

[CatlinSTJ]

Thank you for the thorough review! We were looking at the Sunshine for this summer and I had a lot of concerns about the exact items you covered. We loved the upgrades on the Breeze, but trying to cram all of those plus the additional cabins on a smaller ship was a horrible idea.

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

[Swampbaby]

I was on the Sunshine earlier in FEB. Now, I personally did NOT see torn carpets nor buckets but I did see a LOT of rust spots/holes. Also the cruise was enjoyed but most everything else mentioned was observed by me. Will add our cabin bathroom had drain covers that were bent and although bleached still looked dirty - which I believe was just to being old.

 

Agreed on the shows and also agree that just 25 minutes early for the production show resulted in very good seats. Never did understand why the walking areas on Lido were so narrow and don't remember that on our other cruises.

 

One thing not mentioned in the OP was there were areas in the hallways (and some cabins) that had the sewer smell. Thank goodness it was NOT our cabin on deck 7, but was in one of the hallways on that deck. Keep in mind deck 7 was not one of the "new" staterooms.

 

All in all I personally feel it was a pretty accurate review and I'm with the OP in not sailing on the Sunshine again.

[gone_cruisin]

I'm not knocking anyone for their negative views of the ship. I just think some people may be put off simply by the reviews and yet if they sailed her....might actually enjoy her.

 

The following things are why we love her so much:

 

1. JiJi Asian Kitchen - no other ship has this (yet). We ate there 3 nights.

2. Bonsai Sushi - ate there 2 nights

3. Havana Bar - in particular their cuban snack area during lunch. Yum!

4. I love having the separate area for the pay for eateries. Because most people don't attend them, these areas tend to be quieter and more pleasurable to hang around.

5. The 3 level serenity deck and waterfall.

6. The bar in show lounge. I like the idea of watching the dancers and hanging around the bar area.

 

Numbers 1,2 and 3 are the main reason we loved her so much. The Vista is haping up to be my second favorite ship...possibly? I will probably still like Sunshine better because I prefer aft-balconies and the Vista's are leaving a bad taste in my mouth with the pool area below.

[sanmarcosman]

Thank you for the very fair review on of the Breeze.

 

Was it the Breeze or Sunshine :confused:

[Crusin Karen]

Oh, I'm upset to read this. Am in the middle of reading 2 Sunshine reviews and really thought maybe this would be my ship of choice for a cruise next winter. Wanted to sail the Breeze ever since she came out, but we were on Destiny twice and thought it would be fun to go on the Sunshine! I am going to have to rethink this because we LOVE to sit at the pool and with all the warnings of crowding, doesn't seem like it's the right ship for us...:confused::(

[Cruise, J.D.]

Thanks for the review! You are obviously a seasoned Carnival cruiser, so I appreciate the warnings about this ship. The amenities and itineraries appear attractive, but reviews like this raise flags about this ship.

[jimbo5544]

Some of what you said MAY partially explain why the CEO has been replaced. Don't know, don't care. They can and should replace torn carpets ASAP (that's ridiculous) as are visually rust laden areas. I have never understood their plan for dangerously slippery tile floors, and the seemingly negligent approach to resolving the safety issue by Carnival Corporation and ship's captain.

 

As for some of the other things on that ship - the ratio of passengers to crew is worse than many other ships. The cramped, overcrowded, and crowd choke point resulting situations MOST definitely detract from a 100% pleasurable experience. Carnival's formula for the Sunshine - piss off 2,500 passengers for the sake of 500 more?

 

Strange too that even with the 2.0 upgrades and revamp on this ship, it is near the bottom of the list to adopt the Americana Menus SOMETIME later this year.

 

Here's to hoping that they actually put in WORKING redundant power plants and generators to avert disasters at sea.

Where in the op's review was power plant mentioned? Agenda :confused:

 

Do you know that the additional power plants don't work?....maybe they are taking up some of that crowded choke point space?

[kelkel2]

Was it the Breeze or Sunshine :confused:

 

Sorry...Typo..

[travler27]

Why do so many folks take it personal when someone posts that they don't like the Sunshine? It's almost like you told them they have an ugly baby.

Edited March 9, 2015 by travler27

[jimbo5544]

Why do so many folks take it personal when someone posts that they don't like the Sunshine? It's almost like you told them they have an ugly baby.

 

I did not see anybody taking it personal. Good comments about a review someone did. No one was taken to task, just other opinions.

[bgvic24]

Oh, I'm upset to read this. Am in the middle of reading 2 Sunshine reviews and really thought maybe this would be my ship of choice for a cruise next winter. Wanted to sail the Breeze ever since she came out, but we were on Destiny twice and thought it would be fun to go on the Sunshine! I am going to have to rethink this because we LOVE to sit at the pool and with all the warnings of crowding, doesn't seem like it's the right ship for us...:confused::(

 

 

I have only been on the Dream but it is really the same as the Breeze and I would sail those ships over and over.. HUGE amounts of deck space and always a chair to grab no matter what time!!!

 

Here is how I went into this cruise.... It was between Pride and Sunshine... both offered same places. But Prides port loads were huge at every stop some places over 20k in people and all of port stops were at 8am. Sunshine had much lower port loads and all stops were at 10am. We like this because you can sleep in a bit and don't have to rush of the ship at 8am...

 

Also here is the rule I use on a ship like this... With only 2 sea days.. you will not notice it much because you only have to deal with it for 2 days... with the missed port it added the 3rd. Now our Costa Maya stop was 7am to 2pm.. so everyone WAS already up and about when call was made a 6:56 am not to port.. So.... that sea day was very busy.

 

I had read all of the negative reviews also and I don't judge until I actually do the trip. So I booked it and that was that.... But my wife and I are sun lizzard's... I knew to get up on deck and get a chair. but seeing the look on people faces at 8am.. I knew it was going to be worse than the first sea day.

 

I loved all the options the Sunshine had to offer... It really had everything!! and I wanted it so bad to be the best ship.. So I could come back on here and let everyone know how great it was....

 

However it was not great... Our cruise was AWESOME :D had a friggin blast but ship was not good.... and I will not sail it again. Funny enough we booked the Breeze for Feb 2016

[AtSeaWithChris]

Sale Date 2-28-2015

 

 

I will start off by saying I am and still will be a Carnival cruiser.. This was my 9th cruise on Carnival, first cruise on the Sunshine. This will be just an honest review from my perspective. We had an awesome time meet some great people

 

 

Upon arriving we had F2F.. Process was smooth.. on ship in 15 minutes. While boarding we kept thinking 155 million and this ship has visable rust everywhere..and rust holes in some places... Walked onboard and the Lobby area was very nice. Walked right to our room because of the F2F dropped the bags and headed for a Funship special up on Lido.

 

 

Ship Layout - HORRIBLE you cannot get anywhere without going up and down the decks.. I mean this is a nightmare. I was able to deal with it because I am in my 30's and in shape... but its so bad for our seniors/handicapped. They have to go through this..... decks 3,4,5 to be exact. Carnival.... this needs to be rectified.

 

 

Comedy club - Better get there early or you will be watching it from a TV screen as some seats are.. GET THIS... BEHIND THE STAGE!!!!! yeah... its a joke... Then while people are waiting in the hall for the next show... if you are sitting anywhere near the back all you hear is them talking and not the comedian...

 

 

Lido Layout - The Decor is actually very nice in the eating area!!! When I walked in there I was thinking this is very modern looking. Was very impressed.... UNTILL - I got to the choaking points entering the Pool area..... Have fun with this!!!! will be a constant issue your entire cruise. You have a 4 foot walk way.... if someone in a wheelchair has to come through here I feel sorry for them.. They put the drink machines and the Ice cream machines right in the walk way!!!! so out of a 4 foot wide walkway you really only have about 3 feet because if someone stops to get a drink its over..... people backing up like crazy. Now you have this tile floor that goes into the marketplace... this becomes the slip and slide.... whoever came up with this idea... Carnival please put some water absorbing mats or just carpet the entrance area on both sides.

 

 

Guys burgers - Were Awesome... would love to have this on every ship.

 

 

 

Main Stage/ Liquid Lounge - I thought it was fine with using it for the main stage and the night club. There was always a seat avail and it was a great night spot. Only time you really need to get there early were the nights of the production shows.. 20 minutes early will get you a seat for those.

 

 

Smoking areas - I understand you will never win a war with this subject. I thought the smokers had enough space. All of Deck 3 Port side they put chairs outside with smoking canisters along the whole outside deck. Deck 10 behind the screen had nice chairs. But I really do feel bad for the runners having to deal with it because you have to run right over top of the area They could fix this easily by putting a roof over that area. Casino was always smokey but c'mon... its a Casino you cant do anything about that... Didnt ruin my time there.

 

 

Lido Deck Chairs - Worst ship ever!!! They had no problems adding more passenger cabins but they neglected the deck space.... Please get outside early and get a chair. There is more deck space on the Fantasy class ship!!!! The open air decks get so full of chairs that there is no place to walk on the ship. This is the main reason I will never sail this ship again.. As a seasoned Carnival cruiser I knew to get up early and get a chair... So we had no issues whatsoever...

 

 

Automatic hand washers - Great job on this carnival!!! these things are the bomb and please put them on every ship.

 

 

Serenity area - Awesome!!! waterfall is very nice and the pool was great! I thought there were enough chairs up there and the bar was awesome! There were no children at all up there. and the pool was always avail to take a dip in. Same with the hottub.

 

 

Main Pool/ tubs - Way to small... always filled with children. Parents... Please watch your kids in there pool is so small and ship is so packed you have to watchout for other kids jumping on yours.

 

 

Waterslides - Man were these a blast!! might have been the fastest slides I have ever been on. Our group were all in our 30's and we used the heck out of them. Well done on this one Carnival.

 

 

Anytime Dining - You must check in at deck 5 and get a pager or a slip of paper. Now.. this is a mess because you have the main Promenade deck that EVERYONE has to walk through. Taste bar is right on the other side... Massive choking point. Then you have to go down a floor to go to the dinning room. So if you are handicapped at all this will be a mess.... as you cannot take the stairs. You end up riding an elevator for 15 minutes a day.

 

 

Havana Bar Area - This area was awesome. Always seats avail to eat in the morning or lunch time. Decor was very refreshing also. Go here to eat in the morning at get a seat by the back windows. Its very nice.

 

Here is a list of things that I did not think I would have to deal with on a ship that was just refurbished.

 

 

Carpet was torn and tatterd is most places. Did see many visable water leaks. Saw buckets throught the ship on any given day. Esp by smoking area in casino. Tile floor had water coming up through it. Also had a light fixture in the buffet area leaking water from it right by a drink station. Carpet was always wet by the limelight lounge from the floor area... at the end of cruise they put up a baracade. Some kind of funky smell in the Lido buffet area right where it leads to the lido pool.... Celling tiles were down.

 

 

I kept asking myself..... this is what 155 million looks like!!! dont know where it all went but they could of done alot more... My guess with this ship it was all about adding 500 more passengers... Funny that 155 million was spent but all of the wheelchairs still said Carnival Destiny on them....

 

Food - Was great had no issues whatsoever. Our waitstaff in main dining room was awesome.

 

 

Stateroom - Was very clean no problems there. Our steward Ricky was great.

 

 

Missed a port because of high winds... Funny enough though both of the Norweigan ships were able to dock without a problem.... But for our ship it was... We were fine with the extra sea day because port stop was only 7am to 2pm. It was sunny out and temps were warm. We relaxed all day on the ship and ran the bar tab up!!

 

 

Summary - As I said before... I will still cruise Carnival everything I said above did not ruin my cruise... I was on vacation!! We had an awesome time and cannot wait to go again. This is my first review ever... The things I noticed on this ship made me write one..... All in all the ship is way to crowded. Too many people and not enough space. I will never sail this ship again because of this. Please build more Spirit class ships or bring the current ones back to the US and send this ship to Australia.... or just sell it...... Bigger is not always better.

 

If anyone has any questions they want to ask me, please feel free and I will give you and honest answer/opinion.

 

Thanks

 

 

Good and fair objective review. I think knowing all of this beforehand can put a reasonable expectation of the experience. I think a lot of people will be able to still book and have an enjoyable cruise. Others will not. And that's fine. Everyone has their definition of a fun cruise.

 

I'll be sailing the Sunshine in September and will plan accordingly and I think I will have a fun time and will be able to get the best out of the cruise.

 

Thanks!