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Carnival Sunshine 8 Day Picture Review with Funtimes, Menus and much more!

Seany527

By Seany527,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Seany527

Seany527

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Stateroom 5342- Aft Extended View Balcony.

 

After lunch, we explored the ship for a little bit, took some pictures and then headed back to see if our stateroom was ready and by 12:30 it was. Let’s start with some pictures of Stateroom 5342.

 

Here is the entry way to the stateroom. Directly to the right, out of view of the camera, is the crew stairwell which we did not hear any noise from. To the left of that door is a suite which oddly has a much smaller balcony. The door next to that is a small utility closet, and obviously next to that is stateroom 5342.

 

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The three closets are directly to the right as soon as you enter the room

 

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DDNY

DDNY

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Really enjoying your review and appreciate all the details. Will be sailing the Sunshine on 1/31/16 for my first cruise. Booked cabin #5335 and was interested to see in your chart it may have a mini fridge as we did not think it did.

 

Incidentally I lived and worked in Saratoga Springs for about 20 years prior to moving to Orlando in 2014!

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review!!

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Seany527

Seany527

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P9110619_zpsajgqib2s.jpg

 

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A view of the balcony as it can be seen from deck 10. Of course, while you are on your balcony, those in balconies on decks 6, 7 and 8 can see down to this balcony as well as your neighbors to the right and left of you. If you also notice, the balcony to the left of 5342 is much larger. That’s because it’s a handicap accessible room. That balcony was huge and so was the stateroom. I would have loved to have booked this cabin, but if a guest with a need requested this cabin I would have been bumped to another room. About 3 weeks before sailing that cabin did open up and it was booked again a short time later. It ended up being booked by a young couple who were not handicapped and enjoyed smoking on their balcony the last two nights of the cruise. I hate to admit it, but I did complain to guest services and it turned into a much bigger situation than it needed to be. I’ll explain the whole story when that day of the cruise comes. Anyway…here’s the view from above.

 

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Here is the view looking up from the stateroom.

 

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Lastly, the bathroom.

 

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This was truly a great stateroom. The action is on deck 5 at night and we were just a few short steps away. Dinner was down just one flight of stairs or we could head directly up to the lido buffet on deck 9. One floor above Lido brought us to Waterworks and up one more floor was sports square. The only real walking was if we wanted to head towards the serenity deck or the main lounge. Breakfast at the Taste Bar was really great as well. It was always quiet and lines were almost non-existent. We never heard any noise from the Sunrise dining room below. At night, Ocean Plaza can be very loud and the noise would travel back all the way right until our cabin door, but once again, inside we heard nothing.

 

The balcony was a great size as well with plenty of room for two loungers, a chair and a small table. You could probably fit a 3rd lounger out there but it would be tight. There were really no complaints about the balcony either. It had a few minor cosmetic issues but they were overlooked by the 2nd day. It did get very, very hot on the balcony. I wish I had a thermometer because I had never sweated so much as I did on the 2nd sea day. Being out there for just a few minutes, you can feel the intense heat. Even with all that heat, the room always stayed cool for the most part, with it being very cold at some points. Vibration was at a minimum and hardly noticeable. I will say one thing about the room; on the way down it was very very rocky. I felt the ship as a whole rocked somewhat more than my previous cruises, but for some reason it was felt the most inside the cabin.

 

By this time our luggage had arrived, we did some unpacking and I went out to get more pics of the ship.

 

Up next, a virtual tour of the Sunshine.

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Seany527

Seany527

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...I also want to ask a favor. Can I possibly use your first picture of the ship to design my Tervis cup for my next Sunshine Cruise? It is my retirement cruise, so I would like a special cup. Here is one I made for my last breeze cruise. Thanks in advance if it is ok.

 

Yes, of course you can. I don't mind at all.

 

Really enjoying your review and appreciate all the details. Will be sailing the Sunshine on 1/31/16 for my first cruise. Booked cabin #5335 and was interested to see in your chart it may have a mini fridge as we did not think it did.

 

Incidentally I lived and worked in Saratoga Springs for about 20 years prior to moving to Orlando in 2014!

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review!!

 

You will love the location and yes you will def have a fridge. All new staterooms have one. :)

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13cheermom

13cheermom

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Great review and am following as well. I love all of your little helpful copies of all the information they give you once onboard. We will be sailing on the Sunshine this Friday for an 8-day to Bermuda, hoping your 8-day schedule will be very similar to ours. Sailed on the Sunshine in Europe in fall of 2013, and loved her. Can't wait to read the rest, hope you will be done by next Thursday, before we leave. :D

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Seany527

Seany527

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GREAT start to your review!! We're booked on the Sunshine next August from NYC, so we'll be following along! :)

 

Thanks, Jeff. I followed along on your first Splendor review just before I sailed on her in 2013. Your review helped me as a first time cruiser immensely. I hope I can return the favor!

 

Love your review and photos.

 

Would you happen to know what time the Taste Bar on Deck 5 starts serving coffee in the morning. DH is an early riser and I think we will be staying on this deck.

 

Thanks

 

It's open from 8-10am.

 

Awesome review and GREAT pictures, love all the little details and thoughts, are you using a GOPRO camera?

 

Thanks :) It's not a GoPro- Im using the Olympus Tough TG-3

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Seany527

Seany527

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So, let’s go on a tour. The pictures to follow are from both the first day of the cruise and the first sea day, but for the sake of the tour, I will just post them all here. We can start the tour on deck 3 as decks 1 and 2 are solely dedicated to interior and ocean view staterooms.

 

When you step foot onto the Sunshine, this is what you will see- the Sunshine Atrium. From dinner time onward there was usually music being played in the atrium, either by a DJ or, from time to time, a solo guitarist.

 

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And now from two more different angles.

 

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The dream studio is also on deck 3 where for an arm and a leg, a Carnival photographer will create a custom photo shoot on the open decks.

 

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In all honesty, I have no idea how much it cost but I could imagine it would be pricy.

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Seany527

Seany527

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On deck 3 if you head forward you will run into rooms that were added during the Destiny to Sunshine transformation. Head towards the aft and you will walk through the Sunset Restaurant. My pictures are somewhat lacking of this dining room, but then again it was pretty lackluster to begin with in my opinion.

 

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Now to reach the Sunrise Dining room from this point of the ship where we are now, you will either need to go up a flight of stairs or down a flight. The galley divides the ship on deck 3. Once you do that, you will reach the dining room.

 

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Seany527

Seany527

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Exiting the dining room on deck 4 and heading forward we reach the Lime Light Lounge. Talk about awkward. I had read on here before there are seats that are not in view of the stage and instead you watch the Comedian perform on a TV screen. When I read that I took it as the TV screens could be used to help see the comedian. But I was wrong; the seats are actually behind the stage. So even if you have a clear range of sight, with no obstructions and perfect eyesight, it is 100% impossible to see the comedian perform because these seats are truly behind the stage.

 

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Here I am standing at a spot behind the stage

 

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And here is where the comedian would stand and what he/she see’s.

 

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Another angle (I was standing over by that padded wall in that previous shot).

 

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And lastly a wide angle shot of the whole venue.

 

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For this tour we actually entered the lounge through the exit door. This is the entry way and the long hallway guests line up in each night to view the show.

 

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Seany527

Seany527

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We will keep moving forward on deck four- up next is Bonsai Sushi, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, The Piano Bar (88 Keys) and then the Library Bar.

 

Bonsai was usually filled with Carnival workers. I did not try it so I can not offer any sort of review. It looks pretty in there, though!

 

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Here’s the menu:

 

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Although not on deck 4, this is a typical Bonsai Sushi kiosk to entice you to have a meal in the venue:

 

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