Has anyone been on the Carnival Sunshine recently?

[Iamthesea]

Looking to book for a short girls cruise with my daughters, and also taking two grandchildren.  They ages 10 and 7 years old.  We are looking into two Ocean View staterooms, possibly connecting.  We are choosing the cruise out of Charleston so that we can drive and not worry about air cost and flight change problems.

 

Looking for cruises that have been on the ship since the pandemic.  Is it still in decent shape?  How is the service and food?  Would the Sunshine be a good ship for children?  We are thinking of sailing during the holidays.  Is there a kids program?  I know that short cruises have a reputation of being a party cruise.  Hoping that the cruise out of Charleston might be a somewhat different experience.

 

One other question.  Our family originally looked into the Sunshine for a Fall Break cruise.   DH and I were going to get a balcony stateroom by ourselves. While there were multiple balcony staterooms available, we could not get a reservation for 2 persons in a balcony.  However, when I added the grandchildren, availability for 4 persons showed.  Doesn't make sense.  Why is that?

[Iamthesea]

With no answers to my questions, the Sunshine doesn't look like a promising choice!  LOL

[ninjacat123]

On 6/19/2023 at 11:12 AM, Iamthesea said:

Looking to book for a short girls cruise with my daughters, and also taking two grandchildren.  They ages 10 and 7 years old.  We are looking into two Ocean View staterooms, possibly connecting.  We are choosing the cruise out of Charleston so that we can drive and not worry about air cost and flight change problems. My answers are below, please expand:

 

Looking for cruises that have been on the ship since the pandemic.  Is it still in decent shape?

We were on Sunshine recently and thought it looked fine!

  How is the service and food? We had great service and thought the food very tasty.  Had dinner at Jiji's and Cucina del Capitano and both were delish!

Would the Sunshine be a good ship for children? I think Sunshine is as good of a ship for children as any in Carnival's fleet. Slides, sports area, pool.

We are thinking of sailing during the holidays.  Is there a kids program? Yes

I know that short cruises have a reputation of being a party cruise.  Hoping that the cruise out of Charleston might be a somewhat different experience. The "party" element really wasn't present till after 10pm on Lido.

 

One other question.  Our family originally looked into the Sunshine for a Fall Break cruise.   DH and I were going to get a balcony stateroom by ourselves. While there were multiple balcony staterooms available, we could not get a reservation for 2 persons in a balcony.  However, when I added the grandchildren, availability for 4 persons showed.  Doesn't make sense.  Why is that?Not sure.  Maybe someone on CC will chime in.

 

Here is my review of our cruise:

Hope you have a great cruise!

Edited June 20, 2023 by ninjacat123

[ninjacat123]

28 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

With no answers to my questions, the Sunshine doesn't look like a promising choice!  LOL

Just did GPS from Nashville and Jacksonville, FL and New Orleans are the same driving distance as Nashville to Charleston.  Mobile, AL is closer driving-wise to Nashville.  All have Carnival ships. Don't know if you are close to Nashville but it's  good to have options😃

Edited June 20, 2023 by ninjacat123

[foreverafter5804]

Sunshine is our favorite ship. We have been on her 9 times with the most recent being in January 2023  on the Journeys Cruise.  In July we took our Niece and Nephew with us on their first cruise and had an adjoining room. They had a blast. There are things for all ages. Sunshine isn't one of the biggest ships like the newer ones, but it has everything that we look for. It has  the best Serenity deck in the fleet, It is 3 levels and has a pool. We cruise Sunshine often as it is only 10 minutes from home. We currently have 3 more cruises booked on the Beautiful Sunshine. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by foreverafter5804

[deelightfull]

I've been on two four day cruises on the Radiance out of Los Angeles, so same size boat as the Sunshine, and similar type of cruise, locals on a weekend trip.  Hubby and I don't drink, at all.

 

I didn't think the booze cruise aspect of it was a big deal at all.  I enjoyed the deck parties and the shows, but didn't feel like the drunk people around me were an issue. 

 

Once I was hanging out on deck crafting and ended up going into the buffet tables because people were so loud I couldn't hear the book in my headphones, but that was a minor inconvenience. 

 

In my sample size of two, I think the February President's Day weekend cruise was more "boozy" than this most recent Father's Day cruise.  That Feb cruise had *at least* three bachelor/bachelorette parties. My theory is that school year cruises are cheaper and more accessible to (drinking) young adults. But, like I said, only two of those cruises to compare, it could have been a fluke.

 

I did hear a few people in the elevators complaining about the wait at the bar. 🤷. 

 

I personally wouldn't worry about the booze cruise aspect.

Edited June 20, 2023 by deelightfull
More to add.

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

We cruise the Sunshine last May and had a great cruise. It is a smaller great bang for our buck close to home ship. The food was great as always. They did have kids clubs but none of our kids participated. 

Certain cabins hold a certain number of people. I would assume all of the 4 people cabins are booked and 3 or 4 people cabins are remaining. Maybe try calling Carnival and see what they say. 

[MistyRo76]

We are taking our soon to be 9-year-old daughter on the Sunshine in October (but shhhh....she doesn't know yet! 🙂). I have no qualms about her going on the Sunshine. I know she'll enjoy the kids camps and the food (especially the sushi!). And the Sunshine, while an older ship, did go through a massive refurb a while back so she has many of the upgrades newer ships have - waterworks, newer dining venues, etc. 

 

I would recommend booking the Seuss at Sea breakfast (usually the last sea day). It's a fun time for kids and adults! And check on CC and online for "roll call" pages for your specific sailing date. You may be able to connect with other families who have kids around the ages of yours. 

 

We are also going to CHS a few days early to explore the city some! 

 

Not sure when you are sailing, but I plan on doing a trip review once we're back! 

[Drazil65]

We have been on the Sunshine 2xs since restart and have 2 more booked (in August this year and late next year) on her before they shut down cruising from Charleston.  Being such a close port for us to drive to we have enjoyed the Sunshine over the years and you should not have any issues with kids things to do. 

 

DS has grown up cruising (in college now) and we never had kid issues finding stuff to do on any of the CCL ships.  The OV cabins are larger than regular cabins (insides or balcony) so the extra space in each room would be great for you.   The Sunshine is more of a medium size ship so it is not as small as the fantasy class would be and she is in pretty good shape for her age.  

[mz-s]

Sunshine is now the oldest ship in the Carnival fleet. She was extensively remodeled in 2012 with dozens of staterooms and even entire decks added, while public spaces were removed. I absolutely would not sail her during a holiday. I have - once - and got so frustrated with waiting in lines and waiting for crowds to pass through halls and tripping over people and saying excuse me so I could go etc that I would get banned here if I wrote out my true feelings.

[Iamthesea]

Thank you to all!  (Where were you yesterday.  LOL 😁)

 

These replies are all very helpful. 😉

 

ninjacat123 - I read your review a week or so ago when looking into the Fall cruise.  Loved it!

 

3 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

Just did GPS from Nashville and Jacksonville, FL and New Orleans are the same driving distance as Nashville to Charleston.  Mobile, AL is closer driving-wise to Nashville.  All have Carnival ships. Don't know if you are close to Nashville but it's  good to have options😃

 

We live closer to the Asheville, NC border.  Takes us exactly 5 hours to drive to Charleston (6 with a food and gas stop in Columbia.)  One daughter moved away from there recently. We sure do miss having a real excuse to go visit.   Been going to the Charleston area for many years since I am from SC.  DH and I lived on Fripp Island and Beaufort before moving back to his hometown in TN.  My parents had a place at Wild Dunes beach, as well.  We still vacation there one to two times a year. 

 

I did look at taking a cruise out of Tampa since we can get a decent non-stop flight out of Asheville.  However, being January, I do not want to chance having a problem with the winter weather.  We can work around bad weather if we drive to the port.  The shorter drive, the better.

 

BTW- It takes us 5 hours just to drive to Nashville from Northeast TN.

 

2 hours ago, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

Certain cabins hold a certain number of people. I would assume all of the 4 people cabins are booked and 3 or 4 people cabins are remaining. Maybe try calling Carnival and see what they say. 

 

I think you misunderstood my question on room availability for a Fall cruise.  Doesn't matter, however, because we decided to spend a week at Wild Dunes for that school break.  That's with the entire family of 8.  The January cruise will be without husbands.

 

DH and I are Gamecock fans.👩  I went to Columbia College, and then transferred to USC.  DH went all 4 years to USC and started his career in Columbia.

 

2 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

I would recommend booking the Seuss at Sea breakfast (usually the last sea day). It's a fun time for kids and adults! And check on CC and online for "roll call" pages for your specific sailing date. You may be able to connect with other families who have kids around the ages of yours. 

 

We are also going to CHS a few days early to explore the city some! 

 

Not sure when you are sailing, but I plan on doing a trip review once we're back! 

  

Thank you for the Seuss tip.  Grandchildren would love that if they have it during a 4 night cruise.

 

Have a great trip, and if we decided to go on the ship in January, I will be on the lookout for your review.  We may be in Charleston at the same time!  We go to the beach from 9/28 - 10/5.  For a few years, when we are out sitting on the beach, I have seen the Sunshine either coming into the port or leaving across the wide blue ocean.  I have wanted to try it out for so long.  It is sad that cruise ships will not longer be allowed to sail out, but I certainly understand why.  We have previously sailed from Charleston on the Glory.  And I can remember when the Celebrity Mercury was there. 😉

 

Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions, everyone!

Edited June 20, 2023 by Iamthesea

[ninjacat123]

44 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Thank you to all!  (Where were you yesterday.  LOL 😁)

 

These replies are all very helpful. 😉

 

ninjacat123 - I read your review a week or so ago when looking into the Fall cruise.  Loved it!

 

 

We live closer to the Asheville, NC border.  Takes us exactly 5 hours to drive to Charleston (6 with a food and gas stop in Columbia.)  One daughter moved away from there recently. We sure do miss having a real excuse to go visit.   Been going to the Charleston area for many years since I am from SC.  DH and I lived on Fripp Island and Beaufort before moving back to his hometown in TN.  My parents had a place at Wild Dunes beach, as well.  We still vacation there one to two times a year. 

 

I did look at taking a cruise out of Tampa since we can get a decent non-stop flight out of Asheville.  However, being January, I do not want to chance having a problem with the winter weather.  We can work around bad weather if we drive to the port.  The shorter drive, the better.

 

BTW- It takes us 5 hours just to drive to Nashville from Northeast TN.

 

 

I think you misunderstood my question on room availability for a Fall cruise.  Doesn't matter, however, because we decided to spend a week at Wild Dunes for that school break.  That's with the entire family of 8.  The January cruise will be without husbands.

 

DH and I are Gamecock fans.👩  I went to Columbia College, and then transferred to USC.  DH went all 4 years to USC and started his career in Columbia.

 

  

Thank you for the Seuss tip.  Grandchildren would love that if they have it during a 4 night cruise.

 

Have a great trip, and if we decided to go on the ship in January, I will be on the lookout for your review.  We may be in Charleston at the same time!  We go to the beach from 9/28 - 10/5.  For a few years, when we are out sitting on the beach, I have seen the Sunshine either coming into the port or leaving across the wide blue ocean.  I have wanted to try it out for so long.  It is sad that cruise ships will not longer be allowed to sail out, but I certainly understand why.  We have previously sailed from Charleston on the Glory.  And I can remember when the Celebrity Mercury was there. 😉

 

Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions, everyone!

My youngest DD will be a senior at Columbia College!  Small world😄 If you like Asian cuisine at all, do try JiJi's.  So yummy!!  I wish all Carnival ships had JiJi's.  Thank you for the kind words about my review!

Edited June 20, 2023 by ninjacat123

[Iamthesea]

I am sure that CC has changed significantly since I was there!!! 😀

 

We all love Asian food.  My favorite cruise ship restaurants are Tamarind on HAL, and Red Ginger on Oceania.  

[Amare06]

Just got off the Sunshine on Monday and we love the ship.  It's not too small but definitely not as big as the mega ships.  Three water slides and I really enjoyed the cruise director, James Love.  We were on during Father's day and they had a celebration with cake and quizzes.  I would recommend it.  We were on floor 1 in an ocean view with our teenage son and we had plenty of room. Have two more cruises booked on her. 

[Iamthesea]

Water slides...oh boy!!!  My grandchildren would love those.  Not sure how their mother will feel about them wanting to ride on them 24/7.  😁

 

Another question.  My grandson really wants to stay in a bunk bed.  I don't see any bunks in Ocean View rooms.  The videos that I have found all have the converta sofa thing.

[UGACamper]

We love the sunshine. If getting a balcony, I recommend the spa ones on deck 12. They have longer balconies and you can have a lounger!

[Thenagers]

4 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

I am sure that CC has changed significantly since I was there!!! 😀

 

We all love Asian food.  My favorite cruise ship restaurants are Tamarind on HAL, and Red Ginger on Oceania.  

As a fellow luxury cruise passenger, I want you to go into Sunshine with an open mind! I have done Seaborne, Celebrity, RCL and Carnival. I enjoyed them all. I would never take my kids on Seaborne or Celebrity though. They have loved Carnival. As far as Sunshine is concerned, I am booked to sail her again in August after sailing her last summer. It is now an annual Mom/son cruise for myself and my college son. We enjoy her. Definitely try Mardis Gras if you get a chance. We all really enjoyed her. Best casual free food venues at sea. We actually drove to Port Canaveral from Raleigh for this cruise. Broke it up with a college visit for my daughter at College of Charleston. It is just shy of 8 hours from Raleigh. If I was sailing in January, I would want to get further south than Charleston.

[ninjacat123]

10 hours ago, Thenagers said:

As a fellow luxury cruise passenger, I want you to go into Sunshine with an open mind! I have done Seaborne, Celebrity, RCL and Carnival. I enjoyed them all. I would never take my kids on Seaborne or Celebrity though. They have loved Carnival. As far as Sunshine is concerned, I am booked to sail her again in August after sailing her last summer. It is now an annual Mom/son cruise for myself and my college son. We enjoy her. Definitely try Mardis Gras if you get a chance. We all really enjoyed her. Best casual free food venues at sea. We actually drove to Port Canaveral from Raleigh for this cruise. Broke it up with a college visit for my daughter at College of Charleston. It is just shy of 8 hours from Raleigh. If I was sailing in January, I would want to get further south than Charleston.

Yes I concur! We have cruised a number of times in January and the further south you travel for embarkation, the better.  This past January we cruised out of Port Canaveral and the first day out and last day coming back were cool ones. When we have cruised out of Jacksonville in January, it was really chilly! That's why I'm not planning on cruising out of Norfolk even though I love Sunshine.😞

Edited June 21, 2023 by ninjacat123

[Iamthesea]

We don't have a good choice, unfortunately, unless we just don't go.  Having said that, we normally go to Wild Dunes (Charleston) for New Years, anyway.  We have a great time whether we get to hang out at the beach or not.  It's more about getting away, eating good food, and enjoying each others company. 

 

The ship is really the destination for this cruise.  It's all about introducing the kids to cruising and all having fun on the ship.   Yes, the seas days may be too cold for the slides and swimming. We will probably get off the ship in Nassau and go to the aquarium.  If we happen to get lucky and have a warm day there, we would stay on the ship and enjoy the outdoors.  Going further south for embarkation doesn't guarantee any warmer weather.  

 

As for taking the children on Celebrity, I absolutely would if we could find a good one for our time frame!!!  Our children started cruising on Celebrity when they were in Jr. High.  It is very child friendly!  I don't consider Celebrity a luxury cruise line anymore.

[groundloop]

On 6/19/2023 at 11:12 AM, Iamthesea said:

..... While there were multiple balcony staterooms available, we could not get a reservation for 2 persons in a balcony.  However, when I added the grandchildren, availability for 4 persons showed.  Doesn't make sense.  Why is that?

 

Carnival sets aside quite a number of cabins for 3 or more passengers, which obviously can limit the choices for a couple, I've been bitten in the butt by this several times.  I personally don't understand why they don't open up these cabins for couples once the similar cabins for two are all booked.

 

What MIGHT work is to book with a third name (it would have to be a real person so that you could put in their information at online check--in) and then just the two of you show up for the cruise.  The third person would be a no-show and you'd be refunded their taxes and port fees.  I've yet to try this, but  don't see why it wouldn't work.

Also, I was on Sunshine several months ago.  The ship seemed fine, the service and food were good and I have no complaints in that regard.  What I did notice though is that at times the ship felt quite crowded.  For instance the theatre is on the small side so you'd better show up early to get a decent seat.

[Iamthesea]

Thanks so much for the explanation.  Now we are having trouble getting connecting OV staterooms.  I checked this online myself, but had wanted to go through my TA for the Firecracker sale coming up this Sunday.  However, I think I would have a better chance of getting connecting rooms by going directly through Carnival.  I am going to call them tomorrow and see if they can do anything.  If not, I will just go with the TA (if there is an incentive) and book GTY OV staterooms and see what we get.  I think the ship is getting full.  I also looked into getting all 5 of us booked into a Suite, but they are all sold out.

[bguppies]

DW and I have taken a few cruises on her since the Pandemic. 

For us we just need a ride and be dropped off and picked up at the pier.

We are the same about trying to avoid flights as much as possible.

 

But we take quickie weekend cruises to the Bahamas on the Sunshine, but if at all possible we prefer to drive down to Tampa or Jaxsonville or even Port Canaveral for better ships and port selection.

 

Our last cruise on Sunshine in September was crowded, poorly staffed (although well after covid more out of cutbacks) and generally a poorer experience than on other ships since the pandemic.

 

The state of the ship has deteriorated alot in the last few years.

Our balcony on that cruise had alot of rust, a hole in the floor and the view from our balcony was to rusted equipment all around and below our cabin. (I can't imagine how the rusty winches for the lifeboats could actually work anymore)

Whenever I used a public restroom around the ship, the dividers were all extremely dirty/crusty around the corners/edges due to poor cleaning. (which again seemed to be from understaffing due to cutbacks)

 

The food quality was bad, but after cruising the Pride out of Tampa a few weeks later, the Sunshine's quality was worse than the Pride. Carnivals quality has decreased linewide, but it was much more noticeable on the Sunshine.

 

I look at it like hotels.

If I drive to Tampa I can stay at the Marriot, Holiday Inn or a Days Inn.

I'll get a great room, service and super good breakfast at the Marriot, but pay for it.

I'll get a decent room, decent breakfast and decent service at a Holiday Inn and pay a bit less.

I'll get a room, get some "food" and very little service at the Days Inn, but I will be staying in the city I want to visit.

 

If you cruise Carnival you can cruise the newest ships and get a closer to Marriot experience or do the Sunshine and get the most beat down overworked crew and the most dilapidated ship.

(and understand, when I talk about the ship, I don't have anything against older ships, I actually prefer the older ships, usually. Thus cruising the Pride out of Tampa, or the Fantasy class out of Jaxsonville over the Sunshine in my own backyard)

Edited June 22, 2023 by bguppies

[Iamthesea]

Thanks for your honest review.  Doesn't sound too good!  Some things can be overlooked, but after taking a look at the latest Member Reviews last night, I am seriously thinking my idea is not so smart!  We may end up at the beach again!

Edited June 22, 2023 by Iamthesea

[ninjacat123]

13 hours ago, groundloop said:

 

Carnival sets aside quite a number of cabins for 3 or more passengers, which obviously can limit the choices for a couple, I've been bitten in the butt by this several times.  I personally don't understand why they don't open up these cabins for couples once the similar cabins for two are all booked.

 

What MIGHT work is to book with a third name (it would have to be a real person so that you could put in their information at online check--in) and then just the two of you show up for the cruise.  The third person would be a no-show and you'd be refunded their taxes and port fees.  I've yet to try this, but  don't see why it wouldn't work.

Also, I was on Sunshine several months ago.  The ship seemed fine, the service and food were good and I have no complaints in that regard.  What I did notice though is that at times the ship felt quite crowded.  For instance the theatre is on the small side so you'd better show up early to get a decent seat.

True about showing up early for shows.  We didn't go to any theatre shows (seen all of them a few times and other activities like gambling beckoned) but we did go to a number of comedy shows and they were packed.  Both PG and 18+. We were lucky to get seats.

[ninjacat123]

15 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

We don't have a good choice, unfortunately, unless we just don't go.  Having said that, we normally go to Wild Dunes (Charleston) for New Years, anyway.  We have a great time whether we get to hang out at the beach or not.  It's more about getting away, eating good food, and enjoying each others company. 

 

The ship is really the destination for this cruise.  It's all about introducing the kids to cruising and all having fun on the ship.   Yes, the seas days may be too cold for the slides and swimming. We will probably get off the ship in Nassau and go to the aquarium.  If we happen to get lucky and have a warm day there, we would stay on the ship and enjoy the outdoors.  Going further south for embarkation doesn't guarantee any warmer weather.  

 

As for taking the children on Celebrity, I absolutely would if we could find a good one for our time frame!!!  Our children started cruising on Celebrity when they were in Jr. High.  It is very child friendly!  I don't consider Celebrity a luxury cruise line anymore.

We took our DDs (at the time, 10 & 12) to the Pirate Museum in Nassau.  Once they saw the taxidermied goat, they loved it.  We also checked out Atlantis and the Aquarium, which was great!