Carnival Sunshine should be put out to sea

[WakeView4Us]

We just got off the Sunshine yesterday.  After 13 years I decided to try Carnival again as it was a short cruise and we could drive to the port. 

 

I will be writing an extensive review however let's just say that they could have made this cruise free and I still wouldn't take it again.

 

Rust and decay everywhere on the ship,  our bathroom.smelled like a cat litter box and the food we tried was just horrible. How do you make a cake look lovely but have absolutely no taste and the texture of cornbread?

 

The first image I am including is from our bathroom but by all means not the only rust we saw. Additional images show the poor state of the maintenance on the ship.

 

Their newer ships might be fine but this old rust bucket needs to be sold off and scrapped.  The 2 shining stars were the restaurant/cabin crew and the entertainment in the theatre. Dont even get me started on the comic who degraded LGBTQ, women and other groups. We walked out of his show in the first few minutes and weren't the only ones.

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by basktchic

[Guest BasicSailor]

Those cakes are pretty though 🤣, right You should sail on Carnivals newer ships, don't torment yourself with those older ships.😉

Edited March 1, 2022 by BasicSailor
Tater chip selection outage

[WakeView4Us]

25 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

Those cakes are pretty though 🤣, right You should sail on Carnivals newer ships, don't torment yourself with those older ships.😉

Quite honestly we arent looking to go on Carnival again after this experience which is a shame because I hate to discount an entire line. It is just a bad look for a line that is struggling to survive and yet they produce this kind of product. 

[Virga]

I mostly disagree in sentiment: Having spent most of our Carnival 'career' on Fantasy class ships, the rust doesn't bother us.  We happily take these weekend cruises whenever they cost less than a hotel and bartab in our hometown - and now that they're legitimately free, that's even better.  We don't find the food half as bad as you do, we always find plenty we think tastes great - but boy, you're so right about the cakes.  Why are they so terrible??  We stick to the cheesecakes, which are markedly better.

 

Edit: for what it's worth, after ... 20?? Fantasy class sailings and one Spirit class sailing, we were finally able to book a newer ship (Mardi Gras) and it was like a different world.  The cakes are still awful, though.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Virga
More stuff to say

[ChattTenn]

Carnival changed Destiny to Sunshine.  We was on the Sunshine just after Carnival gave it a new name and face lift everything around still looked old/dated just can't image the appearing of her now.  We did try several on the newer ships they were good.

 

[jsglow]

Enjoy whatever line fits you better.

[Indytraveler83]

29 minutes ago, basktchic said:

Quite honestly we arent looking to go on Carnival again after this experience which is a shame because I hate to discount an entire line. It is just a bad look for a line that is struggling to survive and yet they produce this kind of product. 

 

Sorry, but Carnival isn't struggling as much as you think.  While I'm sure the bottom line is tight at the moment, a struggling cruise line wouldn't be building a whole new line of mega-ships.

 

I'm also not entirely sure you went into this cruise with realistic expectations.  The Sunshine was built in 1996.  A budget cruise on a ship that's spent 26 years in saltwater won't be without it's warts.  

 

By no means am I saying you should or shouldn't cruise Carnival again, but you may wish to lookup reviews and information about any ship you sail in the future to better set your expectations.  

[tm_aw_love]

So, you chose one of Carnival's oldest ships and complain about rust? 

Was it only the cakes that were horrible?

[WakeView4Us]

6 minutes ago, Indytraveler83 said:

 

Sorry, but Carnival isn't struggling as much as you think.  While I'm sure the bottom line is tight at the moment, a struggling cruise line wouldn't be building a whole new line of mega-ships.

 

I'm also not entirely sure you went into this cruise with realistic expectations.  The Sunshine was built in 1996.  A budget cruise on a ship that's spent 26 years in saltwater won't be without it's warts.  

 

By no means am I saying you should or shouldn't cruise Carnival again, but you may wish to lookup reviews and information about any ship you sail in the future to better set your expectations.  

Struggling or not this type of decay is uncalled for. This ship was reburbed 10 years ago and has a full crew. There were a lot of public areas that were unsafe and need to be addressed. 

[WakeView4Us]

6 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

So, you chose one of Carnival's oldest ships and complain about rust? 

Was it only the cakes that were horrible?

The cakes, cookies and other sweets were bland or dry like sawdust; salsa and crema on the salsa bar were in full sun with little to no ice, food in the dining room was served cold and for the most part tasteless. Even the famous burgers at guys burger joint were cold (we tried them twice - both times during busy times). 

 

I dont think expecting hot food to be hot and items that need refrigeration to be kept cold is asking too much. 

 

I have cruised Carnival in the past quite a few times and while I agree the new ships might be great this one needs a lot of work. 

[jsglow]

I've personally NEVER witnessed an unsafe condition on any ship; Carnival or any other line. And from your history you last sailed Carnival in 2009, more than a dozen years ago. My sense.... you went looking to be disappointed and convinced yourself that you were.

 

Enjoy Norwegian.  They are clearly your go to. No reason to hang around here any longer.

[Indytraveler83]

6 minutes ago, basktchic said:

Struggling or not this type of decay is uncalled for. This ship was reburbed 10 years ago and has a full crew. There were a lot of public areas that were unsafe and need to be addressed. 

 

I'm not trying to argue about whether or not the condition is acceptable or not.  That is really up to you to decide if it meets your expectations.

 

What I am trying to say is that there have been a ton of posts and reviews here showing this level of rust on some of the older ships.  Please, please research your next cruise ship to better set your expectations.

 

While Carnival is certainly dealing with rust showing on many of it's older ships, any cruise ship of this age will have it's warts, regardless of the line.  For your own satisfaction, be sure your next ship will be what you are hoping for, before you book it.  

[WakeView4Us]

6 minutes ago, Indytraveler83 said:

 

I'm not trying to argue about whether or not the condition is acceptable or not.  That is really up to you to decide if it meets your expectations.

 

What I am trying to say is that there have been a ton of posts and reviews here showing this level of rust on some of the older ships.  Please, please research your next cruise ship to better set your expectations.

 

While Carnival is certainly dealing with rust showing on many of it's older ships, any cruise ship of this age will have it's warts, regardless of the line.  For your own satisfaction, be sure your next ship will be what you are hoping for, before you book it.  

I would agree that older ships do have some rust here and there and sitting for 2 years probably didn't help. 

 

I was just surprised at the level of rust, railings not being varnished (this is a big problem as everyone is touching outdoor railings since we are on moving vessels and this can cause nasty splinters). In addition, when you first walk on the ship, the decking is old, not treated, with a lot of paint splatter, stains and holes. Doesnt make a good first impression. Even the windows in the dining room and our balcony were covered with sea spray so thick you couldn't really see out well. Our balcony door had a lot of crusty salt around the door seals and dividers.

 

Hopefully on newer ships these easy fixes are addressed as everyone deserves a good cruise on a well maintained ship.

 

Even on this ship there were folks who had been on the Mardi Gras indicating bad experiences with food and maintenance and that is a brand new ship.

 

[lecach]

We were on the Sunshine Feb. 19 in a balcony on deck 7 and didn't have the same issues. Our cabin was in great shape and kept clean. And I didn't notice any rust or smells. I did see rust in public areas but that is to be expected. We enjoyed the food too - thought the temperatures were hotter than remembered. But we all have our own opinions. Yes I did enjoy the Mardi Gras a bit more. But for a low price and a close drive, we'd definitely sail Sunshine again. 

[sparks1093]

Rust is a simple fact of shipboard life. Even new ships will display it very quickly. We were recently in port with two Royal Caribbean ships, two Disney ships and a Celebrity ships and they all had visible rust on their hulls. The crew will do what they can but on an operational ship there is only so much that can be done.

[chengkp75]

Let me add a few insights from my side.  The rusty door jamb in the cabin bathroom, is a major repair item, typically requiring nearly a complete teardown of the cabin walls, as they all go together in a specific order, so to get to the door jamb may require two or three walls to come down.  It is also typically bonded to the flooring system in the bathroom, so that will cause problems and leaks.  I see that they have already had leakage where they've caulked the floor to wall joint.  I've seen a lot of comments about the handrails since cruising restarted.  I think a lot of this has to do with daily sanitizing with bleach and chemicals, which can remove spar varnish quite easily.  On my last ship, the daily sanitizing was removing the chrome plating from the handrails.  I also think that a lot of the deck crews' manhours are taken with cleaning now, and not so much with maintenance of the hull fabric (taking care of rust).  It looks like the third picture is of rust on the outboard side of your balcony railing?  At any rate, they would need to remove the glass panel and chip and paint this, likely taking the cabin out of inventory for a week's sailing.

 

Not saying these aren't problems, nor that older ships are not more prone to them, but typically what you see as small problem areas are areas that require a great deal of work to correct, and are better off done while in shipyard.

[volfan22701]

 we have cruised on the Sunshine 6 times and it has always been a favorite. have it booked for a cruise now in the fall of 2023. we have 3 booked between now and then. it is an older ship and certainly could do with some work but nothing unsafe about it and we do not look at the issues, we look at the fun we have. our cruises are always fun no matter the ship and have been on some older than Sunshine.

[BlerkOne]

We like Carnival just fine, and don't sweat the small, insignificant stuff.

[ninjacat123]

I'm taking my mom on basically a free cruise on Sunshine in 4 weeks and we are so excited!  Love the Serenity area with the waterfall.  Love JiJi's and Cucina del Capitano.  Guy's Burgers still tasty but fries so-so.  The only thing I'm apprehensive about is parking at the port.  When DH and I cruised on Sunshine this January, the parking was a PITA.

I hope you find a cruise line that  makes you happy. 👍

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

You get what you pay for. I don't go to Wal Mart and expect Nordstorm quality. Carnival suits my family just fine at it's price point. And our free balcony for the our first trip coming up on the Sunshine suits us even better!

[Spaniel Lover]

I think it's really unfortunate that, for your return to Carnival after a long absence, you didn't choose a Vista-class ship or Mardi Gras.  You chose an old ship.  Yes, parts have been revitalized, but it's still an old ship at heart.

 

My very strong advice for anyone who hasn't sailed on Carnival in a very long time (or ever) is to book a cruise on a Vista-class ship in a Havana Cabana...  and you'll be seeing Carnival at her best.  If you don't like a cruise in a Havana Cabana on the Vista class, at least you've experienced the best of the new Carnival...  and you can safely move on to some other cruise line instead, knowing that you gave Carnival a fair shot at impressing you.

But to judge Carnival based on Carnival Sunshine...  you just haven't given Carnival a fair shot.

[Guest BasicSailor]

5 hours ago, basktchic said:

Quite honestly we arent looking to go on Carnival again after this experience which is a shame because I hate to discount an entire line. It is just a bad look for a line that is struggling to survive and yet they produce this kind of product. 

There are several things that can be done to improve on these conditions from the photos you took.

At least paint over that surface rust on the balcony and they do paint when that work order comes in. It won't last but it will look better to the naked eye. 

 

As for this photo of the bathroom it just seems to be pure neglection from maintenance.

But even so part of that could be grinded out and replaced with new metal. Even Bondo sanded to look like the door frame would work as a temporary hold. At least to the person seeing this eyesore and using the cabin. But none the less Destiny is still under Sunshine and she's showing

her age trying to get out.😶

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

There are several things that can be done to improve on these conditions from the photos you took.

At least paint over that surface rust on the balcony and they do paint when that work order comes in. It won't last but it will look better to the naked eye. 

 

As for this photo of the bathroom it just seems to be pure neglection from maintenance.

But even so part of that could be grinded out and replaced with new metal. Even Bondo sanded to look like the door frame would work as a temporary hold. At least to the person seeing this eyesore and using the cabin. But none the less Destiny is still under Sunshine and she's showing

her age trying to get out.😶

 

Painted over rust still looks like painted over rust.

[Guest BasicSailor]

Just now, BlerkOne said:

Painted over rust still looks like painted over rust.

No, no, no, no. The rolling No's, learned that from trying to teach my grandchild not to touch the TV remote 😁  I was going to make a long comment about preparation and rust conditioning before painting so that wouldn't happen, but my fingers are getting lazy.

[MandyMooToo]

We have only been on ne Carnival cruise (Liberty) and several RCL cruises on newer and older ships.  We are cruising on Sunshine in May and are very much looking forward to it.  I know we will be on an older ship but as long as it is clean we will have a great time.  The price for this cruise was ridiculous, $650 with $500 OBC and I used my Carnival card with a promo to get a statement credit of $250 so I feel like Carnival is actually paying us to cruise.  It is what you make of it.  If this had been a first time ever cruise then maybe I could see some 😲