A Week Of Sunshine 9/9-9/16

[April42749]

And, weatherwise, it was perfect. This was our annual New England/Canada cruise, but it felt more like the Caribbean with temperatures in the upper 70s and sunshine every day.

 

The last time we sailed on Carnival was 2 years ago. Since then we did 5 NCL trips.

 

Our cabin: Interior Spa...11011

No noise and a perfect location. It was wonderful for sleeping. There is no need for a balcony because you have the serenity deck almost at your door. The one issue is that only 2 elevators service the decks above 10, so if you are mobility challenged you'll have long waits for the elevators.

 

The entertainment:

Much better than it was 2 years ago. I really enjoyed the Playlist Productions. The computer generated backgrounds were a vast improvement over the old scenery. The entertainers in the lounges were also "more professional" than in prior years.

 

The ports and what we did:

Boston-walked to the aquarium (it took about half an hour). We were going to grab a cab but the line was too long.

Portland-went on a Carnival excursion to Kennebunkport. It was a 5 hour tour that included the sights in Portland. I highly recommend it. We had about an hour and a half to walk around, which was more than enough time.

Saint John-went on the Saint John city tour. We've done this before, but each tour guide brings a new perspective.

Halifax-went on the Harbor Hopper. This is not the Carnival tour, but one that's a 20 minute walk from the ship. DH had never done one of these before.

 

The food (uh oh...the cheerleaders are going to come out now):

You cannot compare this food to that on NCL.

It's very limited and for the most part like a cafeteria or institutional. For example, the buffet at dinner always had one chicken dish, one meat dish, one fish dish, one vegetable, a baked potato and rice. On NCL the buffet was limitless. I eat a healthy diet and I had so much to choose from on NCL. On the Sunshine I spent a lot of time at the salad bar.

The only "restaurant quality" meal I had was at the pasta bar for lunch.

A few desserts stood out, as did the chocolate pudding at tea time.

I'm not saying I starved or I'd never go on Carnival again....just that the food is nothing to write home about.

 

The gym:

Lots of machines, never had a wait. One thing that disappointed me was that we were supposed to get either pilades or yoga classes (because of the spa cabin). They only had yoga and it was at 8 am.

 

If I think of anything else, I'll post it. If you have questions, please ask.

[Silent Penguin]

I don't know, I think the lack of variety on the buffet and the absence of a pilates classs, together that would be a deal breaker for me. Not that I would stop cruising with Carnival, but I would have second thoughts about that ship. You have a great attitude.

 

The New England/Canada itinerary has never interested me, but your review has me thinking, if the price was right, we should do it. What compels you to do it annually, I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the review.

[April42749]

I don't know, I think the lack of variety on the buffet and the absence of a pilates classs, together that would be a deal breaker for me. Not that I would stop cruising with Carnival, but I would have second thoughts about that ship. You have a great attitude.

 

The New England/Canada itinerary has never interested me, but your review has me thinking, if the price was right, we should do it. What compels you to do it annually, I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the review.

 

We live about 10 minutes by cab from the port. It's just "something to do"...a quick getaway, rather than a "grand vacation". I also enjoy those ports and can always find "something we didn't do" on previous cruises.

 

We went a few times on Carnival and a few times on NCL. One of the reasons we did Carnival this year is that entertainment is important to me....and how many times can you see the same shows??? A different ship is like "a different island"......similar to the others but unique unto itself.

 

We live in NYC and dine out almost daily (not fancy or expensive) and are used to a certain caliber of food. If food is important and price similar (actually NCL had the same cruise on the same date and was just about the same price right before departure) I'd go with NCL.

 

Even the famous "Guys Burgers" was nothing special. I was expecting a large juicy thick burger. It wasn't.

 

I didn't bother with anything ethnic (I don't on any cruiseline) because where I live I get genuine Mexican, Indian etc...cooked by Mexicans and Indians etc...at restaurants frequented by Mexicans and Indians etc....and I know the food on the ship can't compare.

[A&Jfamily]

We live about 10 minutes by cab from the port. It's just "something to do"...a quick getaway, rather than a "grand vacation". I also enjoy those ports and can always find "something we didn't do" on previous cruises.

 

 

 

We went a few times on Carnival and a few times on NCL. One of the reasons we did Carnival this year is that entertainment is important to me....and how many times can you see the same shows??? A different ship is like "a different island"......similar to the others but unique unto itself.

 

 

 

We live in NYC and dine out almost daily (not fancy or expensive) and are used to a certain caliber of food. If food is important and price similar (actually NCL had the same cruise on the same date and was just about the same price right before departure) I'd go with NCL.

 

 

 

Even the famous "Guys Burgers" was nothing special. I was expecting a large juicy thick burger. It wasn't.

 

 

 

I didn't bother with anything ethnic (I don't on any cruiseline) because where I live I get genuine Mexican, Indian etc...cooked by Mexicans and Indians etc...at restaurants frequented by Mexicans and Indians etc....and I know the food on the ship can't compare.

 

 

 

Well then on Carnival, especially the sunshine, you are missing some of the best they have to offer. Most of the chefs are Indian or Asian and the Indian in the MDR is delicious as is the food at Jiji's. Steakhouse is comparable to a Ruth's Chris. Now I will concede the Italian is not as good as what I have had other places.

 

Sorry you didn't care for the buffet. We avoid eating there for the reasons you state. Blue Iguana is very tasty (have seen very few that disagree on these boards) and Guys is obviously a personal choice - DH loves them and I think they are so so - again I would prefer a thicker medium rare burger.

 

If you cruise carnival again, particularly the Sunshine I highly recommend you look beyond the buffet - it has not been one of the areas in which they excel compared to other lines for the decade plus I have been sailing with them.

 

 

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[April42749]

Well then on Carnival, especially the sunshine, you are missing some of the best they have to offer. Most of the chefs are Indian or Asian and the Indian in the MDR is delicious as is the food at Jiji's. Steakhouse is comparable to a Ruth's Chris. Now I will concede the Italian is not as good as what I have had other places.

 

Sorry you didn't care for the buffet. We avoid eating there for the reasons you state. Blue Iguana is very tasty (have seen very few that disagree on these boards) and Guys is obviously a personal choice - DH loves them and I think they are so so - again I would prefer a thicker medium rare burger.

 

If you cruise carnival again, particularly the Sunshine I highly recommend you look beyond the buffet - it has not been one of the areas in which they excel compared to other lines for the decade plus I have been sailing with them.

 

 

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I'm not food oriented. I'm ok with the salad bar or a fruit salad. I rarely eat meat.

 

Food is a very personal choice. And I wouldn't avoid Carnival because of the food. My point was that it's just not very good.

 

At home I go to "the neighborhood of the food"...because they cook for their ethnicity. For example, when I want Russian food I go to Brighton Beach because the population is about 95% Russian. I don't eat Russian food locally in Manhattan because they are not cooking for Russians. (I wouldn't go to the famous Russian Tea Room because it's not authentic.)

 

The Asians and Indians on a cruise are cooking "for Americans"....not Asians or Indians and the food is going to be Americanized. (I've nibbled on these things...they just aren't authentic.)

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the comparison report.

[Cyber Kat]

I'm not food oriented. I'm ok with the salad bar or a fruit salad. I rarely eat meat.

 

Food is a very personal choice. And I wouldn't avoid Carnival because of the food. My point was that it's just not very good.

 

At home I go to "the neighborhood of the food"...because they cook for their ethnicity. For example, when I want Russian food I go to Brighton Beach because the population is about 95% Russian. I don't eat Russian food locally in Manhattan because they are not cooking for Russians. (I wouldn't go to the famous Russian Tea Room because it's not authentic.)

 

The Asians and Indians on a cruise are cooking "for Americans"....not Asians or Indians and the food is going to be Americanized. (I've nibbled on these things...they just aren't authentic.)

 

 

 

Just an FYI, there are a lot of crew members who are from India or that region. The Indian dishes they feature on menus for guests are those the chefs prepare for themselves and their fellow countrymen/women among the crew. Can't get more authentic than that. We had a discussion about this with a chef from India on a Behind the Fun Tour.

 

 

 

 

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[April42749]

Just an FYI, there are a lot of crew members who are from India or that region. The Indian dishes they feature on menus for guests are those the chefs prepare for themselves and their fellow countrymen/women among the crew. Can't get more authentic than that. We had a discussion about this with a chef from India on a Behind the Fun Tour.

 

 

 

 

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Chefs have to cook for their audiences. Americans wouldn't eat "any ethnicity" prepared for that ethnicity......not with the same level of spices.

 

However, all restaurants consider themselves "genuine"....as you were told in the Behind The Fun tour. (The chef isn't going to say he waters it down....but I'd bet the crew gets a lot more curry!)

 

Anyway....this thread is just my opinion.

 

The fact is that on NCL the buffet had endless choices for healthy eating. On Carnival, the choices were limited.

 

To another subject where Carnival wins....the gym. The Sunshine had a bigger gym and it was always empty. I never had to wait or limit my time on a machine. And everything was in working condition.

[Cyber Kat]

We were on this same cruise. DH pronounced it one of our best and I had to agree!

 

We had some glitches and issues, but the highs far outweighed the lows. Some had to do with the ship and others had to do with the itinerary and the things we chose to do.

 

We do love the itinerary and this was our 3rd time, but the first 7 day with Boston and Halifax. We've done all 3 with Carnival. No particular reason, except that the first 2 were on ships we'd sailed before so were "safe bets."

 

We had hesitated booking the Sunshine because of the reviews I've read have been so wildly varied with a lot of negatives. We were really in the mood for Canada/NE and there was an aft wrap cabin available at premium balcony - not suite - pricing. The ones on the Pride, for instance are booked and priced as suites.

 

We thought that if the public areas were so crowded (one of the criticism I'd read), we'd have a place to retreat. We ended up using that awesome balcony more than we thought but not for overcrowding. We are ship geeks and it was so much fun watching all the other ships in the ports with us. I don't ever remember seeing so many passing us at sea or sailing in behind us. I suspect some had been diverted from Caribbean itineraries. It was great fun! The weather was perfect and there were many great sunrise and sunsets. Also just a lot of things to see as we came into or left port.

 

I got great shots of the Portland Head Lighthouse coming into port at dawn. I should note that if you are not going to get up at the crack of dawn, you probably shouldn't get an aft wrap - though the loungers were great to have. On a cruise I always try to see the sunrise and I love the whole sailing into port experience.

 

I will probably write some kind of review of our trip, but I did want to address the question of why you might consider a Canada/NE cruise. I know many on the diverted Pride cruise were disappointed and/or angry. They seemed astounded that we had actually booked this itinerary on purpose [emoji2]

 

The other thing I wanted address is food - always so subjective. I've never sailed with NCL. The one cruise we were booked on to try the line was cancelled and the way it was handled kind of left a bad impression. We are also not a fan of the Free Style dining - just a personal preference. So I can't compare the food.

 

The other 2 lines I have sailed with are RCI and Viking. I wasn't wild about the food on RCI - nothing bad. I just think Carnival's is better overall - even with changes and cut backs. Viking is in a whole different category than the mainstream lines.

 

That said, we thought the food on the Sunshine was better than any Carnival ship we've been on. The food on the Pride was very good but the food on the Sunshine was - in our opinion (and DH is a fussy eater) - a notch better.

 

I'm talking mostly about the MDR. We did not eat much from the buffet because we were in port all day. We did not have even one Guy's Burger. I know some will think that a sacrilege, but I can get a Smashburger at home [emoji12]. I do like the shrimp at the Blue Iguana but I decided on the Mongolian Wok/JiJi's) on embarkation day. On the return sea day we ate at Bonsai Sushi. We had dinner in the Steakhouse one night - fabulous!

 

So we were happy with the food and variety of offerings. And the ship surprised us. It needs a little TLC, but the crew kept it clean. I liked the muted colors and decor. Our cabin staff and dining team were both wonderful. And we had fun!

 

Whichever line you choose, do consider a Canada cruise if you want something different. It's not really cold in early September and we had great weather.

 

 

 

 

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[A&Jfamily]

Just an FYI, there are a lot of crew members who are from India or that region. The Indian dishes they feature on menus for guests are those the chefs prepare for themselves and their fellow countrymen/women among the crew. Can't get more authentic than that. We had a discussion about this with a chef from India on a Behind the Fun Tour.

 

 

 

 

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This is spot on. The chefs are cooking for their native peoples and on a behind the tour you can see that. The OP indicates that she is. It "food oriented" yet goes to great lengths to talk about seeking out Russian food in Brighton beach etc. Not sure how you square those two.

 

Anyway, the Indian on carnival is true Indian and you can get highly spicy dishes (which is only a part of Indian cuisine btw) and purely vegetarian in the MDR (unless you request meat and then it comes from the same stuff prepared for the crew). Likewise Jiji has Asian chefs who are cooking Asian fusion - the menu specifically says so.

 

It is the OPs right to her opinion. I just want to let others know that many of us find the food on Sunshine excellent when you consider all the specialty options.

 

 

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[Crusin Karen]

Thank you both for your honest opinions! Food to me is subjective. Everyone has different "tastes." I am a member of the "if I don't have to buy it, cook it and clean up after it's okay" club. If I don't like something I can just order or look for something else. I LOVE bacon. But it's expensive and a mess to cook. So I am happy on the breakfast buffet! Weather was fabulous here in the NE last week and I am happy it was for your cruise also. Fingers crossed for ours! We have cruised to Canada 3x and always get fog and drizzle. Destiny was our lst CCL ship and we sailed her a bunch of times, so we are anxious to sail Sunshine. And to sail out of NY again!

[Cyber Kat]

Thank you both for your honest opinions! Food to me is subjective. Everyone has different "tastes." I am a member of the "if I don't have to buy it, cook it and clean up after it's okay" club. If I don't like something I can just order or look for something else. I LOVE bacon. But it's expensive and a mess to cook. So I am happy on the breakfast buffet! Weather was fabulous here in the NE last week and I am happy it was for your cruise also. Fingers crossed for ours! We have cruised to Canada 3x and always get fog and drizzle. Destiny was our lst CCL ship and we sailed her a bunch of times, so we are anxious to sail Sunshine. And to sail out of NY again!

 

 

 

Hope you have great weather! We had fog and drizzle for our 2 previous cruises, but this time the weather was perfect! Previous 2 cruises also had some good weather mixed in.

 

Food was good to excellent and I'm kind of in the if I'm not cooking or cleaning camp also. Sunshine had great bacon [emoji39]. Go to the MDR they will bring you all you want! And it's hot!

 

 

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[Jaymndad]

Do you have any Fun Times you can post?

 

 

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[Crusin Karen]

Hope you have great weather! We had fog and drizzle for our 2 previous cruises, but this time the weather was perfect! Previous 2 cruises also had some good weather mixed in.

 

Food was good to excellent and I'm kind of in the if I'm not cooking or cleaning camp also. Sunshine had great bacon [emoji39]. Go to the MDR they will bring you all you want! And it's hot!

 

 

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Wow! Like I said, we had great weather (here on land lol) all week and I'm really happy you did too! I remember one cruise (the Victory I think) to Canada we were upgraded to a cabin with one of those huge balconies. You could not even see out the balcony door all week because of the fog! I actually wanted to book an inside for just that reason, but we are doing OV. Just hope we HAVE a view lol. At this point our plan is to do HOHO trolley in Boston, then just "walk around" the other ports. Is it a nice area near the ship in Portland? I plan to eat PLENTY of bacon! I'm glad there is a Guys. I make my own BLT. Grab 2 pieces of toast just when they are closing breakfast buffet and opening Guys. Go to fixin's bar and slather on the mayo, top with lettuce, tomatoes and chopped bacon! :D

[Crusin Karen]

A question: I am going to go to JiJi's one night. Obviously not elegant night, but do they post the dinner menus outside the MDR and some ships they even have them on the tv. Just to make sure I'm not missing any of my favorite dinner offerings! :eek: Also, did anyone notice if JiJis was crowded? I wonder if I can just walk up around 3-4 (after I've seen what the MDR offerings are!) and make reservation for that night.

[JaniceB]

Thank you for your review of the Sunshine!

[bobsfamily]

A question: I am going to go to JiJi's one night. Obviously not elegant night, but do they post the dinner menus outside the MDR and some ships they even have them on the tv. Just to make sure I'm not missing any of my favorite dinner offerings! :eek: Also, did anyone notice if JiJis was crowded? I wonder if I can just walk up around 3-4 (after I've seen what the MDR offerings are!) and make reservation for that night.

We were on the Sunshine last year and JiJis seemed easy to get a reservation at, especially the first part of the cruise. Another point, where JiJis is has wonderful breakfast in the morning!

[April42749]

This is spot on. The chefs are cooking for their native peoples and on a behind the tour you can see that. The OP indicates that she is. It "food oriented" yet goes to great lengths to talk about seeking out Russian food in Brighton beach etc. Not sure how you square those two.

 

Anyway, the Indian on carnival is true Indian and you can get highly spicy dishes (which is only a part of Indian cuisine btw) and purely vegetarian in the MDR (unless you request meat and then it comes from the same stuff prepared for the crew). Likewise Jiji has Asian chefs who are cooking Asian fusion - the menu specifically says so.

 

It is the OPs right to her opinion. I just want to let others know that many of us find the food on Sunshine excellent when you consider all the specialty options.

 

 

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I'm not food oriented....but like all people I need to eat and I eat a healthy diet. I don't live to eat.

 

I went from "slightly obese" to a size 6 since my last Carnival cruise.....thru lots of exercise and a dietician who taught me how to eat. So, 2 years ago I would have eaten "whatever" just because it was there. Now...I don't waste calories on food that doesn't fit my lifestyle. And I go to lengths to get the food that works for me.

 

Most people will be happy with the food on the Sunshine. I chose "mainly salad" because not much else fit into my diet. And I'd go on the Sunshine again...and eat the salad.

 

However, unless someone is blind, if they go to the buffet on NCL Gem...and they go to the buffet on the Sunshine....they will see how limited the Sunshine is. The Sunshine had one"healthy" vegetable (baked potato is not a healthy vegetable) at the buffet ...on NCL I had plates of all different things. This is not my opinion, this is a fact.

 

As far as "authentic cuisine"....let your taste buds decide.

[Librarygirl59]

We were also on this cruise and had an amazing time! We are from Toronto, Canada and this was our 4th cruise on Carnival, we were on the Pride in May. This was also our first visit to the east coast of the U.S. and Canada. We drove to New Jersey and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ridgefield Park where we had the cruise package which included transportation from NJ to the port.

 

We both enjoy eating a wide variety of food and I am a Weight Watcher member who has lost 50 lbs since January 2017. We were always able to find something to eat and I was always able to make healthy choices. We ate all dinners, 2 breakfast and both sea day brunches in the MDR, we had lunch in each port, my goal was to try a lobster roll in each port and Kennebunkport was the winner. We found the buffet on the Pride more extensive than the Sunshine.

 

In Boston and Portand we took bus tours which we enjoyed and in Saint John and Halifax we did walking tours. We went to a couple of the production shows and 4 comedy shows which we enjoyed. We met up with our table mates to play Euchre a few times which we learned was a northern midwest states and Ontario card game. We spent a lot of time just relaxing the serenity area and also I walked the track on sea days. We enjoyed musical entertainment around the ship - the Latin duo, the string duo, the guitar player and the duo that sang in the lobby.

 

All in all it was a fabulous cruise, we weren't crazy about the set up of the ship and the way it flowed, we find the Pride much easier to navigate. This minor annoyance did not affect our enjoyment of the cruise at all.

[Crusin Karen]

^^^ yes, spirit class ships (Pride, Spirit, Miracle and Legend) are so easy to navigate! Especially for the MDR so you don't have to go up, down and all around to get there! :eek: And tho you didn't need it, I love the retractable roof in the main pool on Pride. One small "just to be sure" question: is there shampoo in the showers? I LOVE CCL's shampoo. I bring my own conditioner as they switched to body soap years ago. Thanks for your review!

[WMQueenie]

We sail on the Sunshine in just a few weeks....I was very hesitant to book the New England/Canada itinerary. We are from Western Massachusetts and have been to Boston and Maine many, many times so visiting these places again just didn't seem exotic enough to me. We have sailed south out of NYC/Boston 10 times and going north just seems weird! No palm trees! No warm, breezy nights! No crystal blue water! But, I've read many positive things about this itinerary and we decided to give it a try. We have sailed 4 times on RCL, 4 times on NCL and this will be our 4th on Carnival. I usually say if I had the food from Carnival, the entertainment from NCL and the ships from RCL then I'd have a perfect cruise!

 

Thank you for your comments...I can't wait to write my own review when we return!

[bobsfamily]

 

However, unless someone is blind, if they go to the buffet on NCL Gem...and they go to the buffet on the Sunshine....they will see how limited the Sunshine is. The Sunshine had one"healthy" vegetable (baked potato is not a healthy vegetable) at the buffet ...on NCL I had plates of all different things. This is not my opinion, this is a fact.

 

The "buffet" is not just the buffet area, there is food in the morning and lunchtime back in the "Havana" area. Many people never make it back there thinking that it's just the "pay" places, which is only in the evening. Lots of different things back there and a great omelet station in the morning. Right at the Havana bar on the side are "Cuban" breakfast pastries and other wonderful treats, same at lunch in that something wonderful is waiting to be tried.

 

The Sushi place is very reasonable near the Steakhouse for an evening alternative.

 

I think the best buffet I've ever had on a main stream cruise line is Celebrity, now that was nice!

[Garsu]

We were on the September 9th cruise as well. Cybercat is right on the money and our review would be very similar.

 

This was our 3rd time on Carnival and we thought this was a great trip. The Serenity decks were great, sitting up top with a cold drink as the ship left each port was fantastic. What a view!

 

The food was fine and the cruise director and the shows made it all a lot of fun. We returned and will stay with Carnival because we've learned they are the fun ships.

 

We never felt the ship was too crowded and the crew did a good job providing service with a smile. Nice cruise on the Sunshine.

[matymil]

And, weatherwise, it was perfect. This was our annual New England/Canada cruise, but it felt more like the Caribbean with temperatures in the upper 70s and sunshine every day.

 

The last time we sailed on Carnival was 2 years ago. Since then we did 5 NCL trips.

 

Our cabin: Interior Spa...11011

No noise and a perfect location. It was wonderful for sleeping. There is no need for a balcony because you have the serenity deck almost at your door. The one issue is that only 2 elevators service the decks above 10, so if you are mobility challenged you'll have long waits for the elevators.

 

The entertainment:

Much better than it was 2 years ago. I really enjoyed the Playlist Productions. The computer generated backgrounds were a vast improvement over the old scenery. The entertainers in the lounges were also "more professional" than in prior years.

 

The ports and what we did:

Boston-walked to the aquarium (it took about half an hour). We were going to grab a cab but the line was too long.

Portland-went on a Carnival excursion to Kennebunkport. It was a 5 hour tour that included the sights in Portland. I highly recommend it. We had about an hour and a half to walk around, which was more than enough time.

Saint John-went on the Saint John city tour. We've done this before, but each tour guide brings a new perspective.

Halifax-went on the Harbor Hopper. This is not the Carnival tour, but one that's a 20 minute walk from the ship. DH had never done one of these before.

 

The food (uh oh...the cheerleaders are going to come out now):

You cannot compare this food to that on NCL.

It's very limited and for the most part like a cafeteria or institutional. For example, the buffet at dinner always had one chicken dish, one meat dish, one fish dish, one vegetable, a baked potato and rice. On NCL the buffet was limitless. I eat a healthy diet and I had so much to choose from on NCL. On the Sunshine I spent a lot of time at the salad bar.

The only "restaurant quality" meal I had was at the pasta bar for lunch.

A few desserts stood out, as did the chocolate pudding at tea time.

I'm not saying I starved or I'd never go on Carnival again....just that the food is nothing to write home about.

 

The gym:

Lots of machines, never had a wait. One thing that disappointed me was that we were supposed to get either pilades or yoga classes (because of the spa cabin). They only had yoga and it was at 8 am.

 

 

If I think of anything else, I'll post it. If you have questions, please ask.

 

We may have taken the same Portland tour...our guide was late getting us back. We didn't get back on the ship until 5:15. I wish I would have walked to the aquarium...it took us over an hour to get up there on the T. Overall I thought the ship and itinerary were great. Halifax may be my favorite port ive ever been to.