Carnival Sunshine

[jcastro1202]

Hi Everyone!

 

I just booked my family of 6 in two oceanview cabins on the Carnival Sunshine sailing out of Port Canaveral on November 18, 2017 for a family Thanksgiving cruise to Aruba! Aruba has been on my bucket list for years but just have never gotten around to it until now. I originally wanted the Carnival Vista sailing that same day out of Miami however the price is just way too much out of reach for me so I settled on the Sunshine. I know she's older but was refurbished. Have any of you been on her? What are your thoughts?

 

Anxiously awaiting some good feedback from you guys to calm my nerves about booking an older ship vs the Vista!:confused:

[cruzeluver]

Love, love, love Sunshine! :p

 

For what we like in a ship she is an almost perfect fit. She has tons of food options which really appeals to us, many included in your fare and the ones that do charge a cover are very reasonable. Jiji's Asian Kitchen is the best value at sea as far as we are concerned (and we have dined at pay restaurants on Carnival, Celebrity, Royal and Norwegian). Terrific asian-fusian food and a steal at $15.00.

 

Love the three-deck high Serenity with its own pool (with waterfall!). Ocean Plaza is a great area for pre-dinner drinks (from Alchemy bar) and listening to live music. The sports deck has a lot of fun activities including the Sky Course with great views, miniature golf and her Waterworks water park is a ton of fun.

 

The decor is still bright and inviting but not as over-the-top cheesey as most of the older ships.

 

We enjoyed our ten days on Sunshine so much we are booked to sail her again in November.

Edited September 30, 2016 by cruzeluver
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[woodman]

One of our favorite ships and some of the best food on Carnival. Old does not make it bad.

They made some improvements to the ship all to the good IMHO. We have been on her 3 times and have it booked to next March. We always get an OV room love them. I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise on the Sunshine. We leave in 2 weeks on the Magic out of Port Canaveral, looking forward to that one as well . I would love to read a review of your cruise when you get back. Happy cruising.

Edited September 30, 2016 by woodman

[mbrownferrier]

I will be on that same cruise with my 16y son. Was on the Sunshine last October and really enjoyed the variety of food options and the entertainment. Water slides were a blast and the ropes course looked fun but ran out of time.

 

 

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[Life_Traveler]

I actually have a different opinion of the ship. Yes the food was great and lots of choices. However, with the additional rooms and people they downsized many of the venues. Even the steakhouse is inside on a lower deck with no view. If you have YTD you have to check in at one location and then they send you to a MDR to eat from there.

 

The serenity deck is one the the nicest of all ships with a waterfall.

[gone_cruisin]

Loved the Sunshine. Have sailed her twice and looking forward to number 3 in 2017 also.

 

Some complain about it being crowded, but I have never had a problem finding a quiet place to get away from the crowds. The serenity deck is large that there is almost some place to sit.

[mishka422]

Loved the Sunshine! Sailing on her again in January with my husband and 22 year old son.

 

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[BoDidly]

Hi Everyone!

 

I just booked my family of 6 in two oceanview cabins on the Carnival Sunshine sailing out of Port Canaveral on November 18, 2017 for a family Thanksgiving cruise to Aruba! Aruba has been on my bucket list for years but just have never gotten around to it until now. I originally wanted the Carnival Vista sailing that same day out of Miami however the price is just way too much out of reach for me so I settled on the Sunshine. I know she's older but was refurbished. Have any of you been on her? What are your thoughts?

 

Anxiously awaiting some good feedback from you guys to calm my nerves about booking an older ship vs the Vista!:confused:

 

You done good

[CruiseAdict218]

We are boarding her tomorrow! Even more excited after reading this thread! :D

[summersigh]

One of our favorite ships and some of the best food on Carnival. Old does not make it bad.

They made some improvements to the ship all to the good IMHO. We have been on her 3 times and have it booked to next March. ....... I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise on the Sunshine.

We sailed her twice and especially enjoyed our 8 day out of Pt Canaveral. There are so many places to eat lunch it's hard to decide where to choose.

 

The Havana Bar behind the Lido Buffet has lots of table back there that you can take your breakfast and/or lunch to in other places are crowded. We regularly got window seats in there which made the meal all the better.

 

It has water slides and a ropes course on the top deck plus lots of other activities. We'd sail her again in a heartbeat :)

[mamahugs]

Anyone know if the dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day? Thanks

[sunshine002]

Anyone know if the dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day? Thanks

 

The dining isn't open but JiJi's the Asian restaurant and the Italian restaurant are and there is no fee to eat at either for lunch.

[CRocks]

Sailed her when she was the Destiny + again as the Sunshine. Have her booked for Jan 7th, 2018 for a dynamite 13 day Southern itinerary. Definitely do Ji Ji's for dinner, the duck is out of this world. Only complaint, that wild slide. I do all the slides on all the ships but that one just about made me sick.

[Maraprince]

Just returned from 9/24 sailing on the Sunshine to Canada/NE so we could not take full advantage of all the outside deck activities. Boston was only 48 degrees so it really wasn't ideal temp for outside unless you dressed warmly. Passengers did use the hot tubs.

 

Plenty of inside activities. Our only complaint was the cooler than expected indoor temps on the ship and in our cabin. Once we learned to wear layers, not as much of a problem. The ship also takes in fresh air and since it was cold outside, it made it colder inside. Plus, when passengers opened the outside doors to go on deck, it brought in more cold air.

 

 

MARAPRINCE