Is the Sunshine as bad as they say?

[kruisinkris]

[FONT="Arial Black"]I'm putting in my "2 cents worth", too.

We sailed on the Sunshine in Nov of 2014 for the ports it visited. I have to admit, I wasn't super thrilled about the ship itself ([SIZE="3"]before we got on).[/SIZE]

And there were some things I still didn't care for: 1) Only 3 hot tubs (which were always crowded) and the 2 pools, especially the Serenity pool were very small. I normally like to use the pools and hot tubs, but didn't do that much this cruise, because of how small and crowded they were. In fact the whole area around the pool felt crowded and it really bottle necked where Guy's burgers and the Cantina area were.

And, yes, the location for the comedy club was weird and small (so we didn't see any comedians this trip)

And I wasn't too crazy about lining up to get a reservation/ticket/pager for YTD.

BUT

There were some GOOD things, too....dare I say GREAT things!

The line for YTD was by the Taste Bar, the Alchemy Bar, the Ocean Plaza and close by the Red Frog Pub. They'd tell us about how long the dinner wait was, we'd get a snack from the Taste Bar, and then enjoy the entertainment in Ocean Plaza and the Red Frog Pub. I LOVED the Red Frog Pub and wished we'd have spent more time there.

I also loved sitting back in the Havana Bar area.

So while I didn't do some of the things I'd normally expect I would be doing on a cruise, I did different things, and it was still AWESOME!
[SIZE="4"]
And, go figure, I'd like to sail on her again....just for the Red Frog Pub location and the Havana Bar.[/SIZE]
As many have already posted here, A CRUISE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!!![/FONT]

[Lunar Blue]

We sailed on Sunshine just a couple of months ago and had an absolutely brilliant cruise. I hadn't read any reviews prior to booking but did see some before embarkation. This didn't put me off as a review is subjective and only about a moment in time. Plus, as someone elsewhere said with 3000+ passengers onboard not all are going to be happy. Those who don't enjoy it may shout louder and longer than those who are satisfied.

I would have no hesitation about sailing on Sunshine again tomorrow or next week, whenever I can save up for my next cruise.

[maryesun]

Nine of my family members sailed 12/27/15-1/4/16, we had 4 cabins. They were all nice, clean spaces. The cleaning crew was fantastic and ahead of any problems. They knew our names the first time they saw us. The whole ship was very nice. The waiters in the big room--"G" and Putu- were fantastic. We made sure that we got them every night. This was our 3rd cruise and in fact my husband and I just booked the exact same 7 day cruise to Amber cove, San Juan, etc. on the Sunshine....

[minnesotagirly]

Our first cruise was in 2012 on the Destiny/Sunshine. I can say that our cabin was nice and clean, the ship was in good overall repair even if the decor was a bit outdated (never once saw a leak or smelled sewage). The service was borderline spectacular in the MDR and my husband still raves about our steward service.

We did feel that the common areas were too crowded however...pools were small, not enough deck chairs, not enough hot tubs, could never find a table for a family of four in the buffet area. Had to arrive early to shows in order to get a seat. Not sure if these complaints are exclusive to the Destiny/Sunshine however as at the time we had nothing to compare our experience to. We just booked our second cruise for the Glory, it will be nice to have a comparison.


Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Edited March 8, 2016 by minnesotagirly

[Mommabear2Five]

Carnival Sunshine has been our favorite ship! She's unique and offers so many of Carnival's speciality venues. The Entertainment crew was fantastic on our May 2015 cruise and if you're lucky, Jaime Dee will be back on the Sunshine as your CD - she's amazing!

Have a wonderful time!

[Hoosierpop]

I've been on the Sunshine three times. Never found her to be in disrepair or smell bad. I had a great time every cruise. By far my biggest complaint was the size of the comedy club. But I like going to comedy so that's a big deal to me. Even with that, I would go on her again.

[Valskate86]

I sailed on her when she was Destiny back in 2009. LOVE this ship. Some of my family tends to disagree with me. However we all got a kick out the pink bathrooms and "hairdryers", had a wonderful time at dinner every night, and even with 8 of us on the trip there was always something to do that appealed to each person.

This was before we tried balcony cabins even. She's a smaller ship that is easy to navigate through. The windows in the dining room are amazing. I've been on a couple of the bigger ships and on other lines since this. I think Destiny will always have a special place in my heart.

I could go on and on; but I think you get my point. [emoji6]

The view a person has of a ship is so subjective. One really has to experience it themselves to decide if "they" are right. Edited March 8, 2016 by Valskate86

[cruznjan]

[quote name='AndyT3']Hi there everyone!

I've started to read reviews on the Sunshine, and I have to say, I'm a little nervous for our first cruise.

A few reviews that I've read claim that the ship has a raw sewage odor that is noticeable when outside, on lower decks. Also, the cabin stewards, and their lack of cleaning cabins. I've also seen a few that talk about the general disrepair of the ship.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping on these few peoples bandwagon, and canceling. I just want to gather some other opinions.[/QUOTE]

When are you sailing? The Sunshine is going into dry dock in May. If you're sailing after that, you'll be on a refurbished ship.

[AndyT3]

[quote name='cruznjan']When are you sailing? The Sunshine is going into dry dock in May. If you're sailing after that, you'll be on a refurbished ship.[/quote]

We will be sailing the First of October. :D

[bingo3]

[quote name='pmoniz']I'll be on the next sailing and not worried about it at all!! It's probably going to be the cleanest ship in the fleet![/QUOTE]

I agree. That virus has been making the rounds here in town and I think the ship will be cleaner than any place I go around here. Who knows who touched what, etc. and I am sure none of it is as clean as that ship will be. :D

when a virus is on a ship, it is because people brought it on there...... You can't blame the ship. And because people can be contagious before they even show symptoms, that makes it even more difficult to manage.