Sunshine premium resturants

We are open to all types of cuisine. However, for our upcoming cruise on Sunshine we would like to try two of the premium restaurants. of the available offerings, which two would you recommend?

1) FYI - this is for Adults - the kids will be in the teen camp

2) No special occasion being celebrated.

3) good wine selection a must.

Sorry if this is a tall order. Just booked a few weeks ago. trying to get things settled before we go.

Thank you in advance.

I'd rather be playing 7 card

We are open to all types of cuisine. However, for our upcoming cruise on Sunshine we would like to try two of the premium restaurants. of the available offerings, which two would you recommend?

1) FYI - this is for Adults - the kids will be in the teen camp

2) No special occasion being celebrated.

3) good wine selection a must.

 

Sorry if this is a tall order. Just booked a few weeks ago. trying to get things settled before we go.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

I'd rather be playing 7 card

Steakhouse...JiJi's.....followed by Cucina...then maybe Bonzai.....Steakhouse would have the best wine selection I believe

Steakhouse...JiJi's.....followed by Cucina...then maybe Bonzai.....Steakhouse would have the best wine selection I believe

Second this!

I'd recommend JiJi's first, then the steakhouse mostly because JiJi's is only on a couple of ships whereas the steakhouse is on many. You'd have more of a chance to be able to experience the steakhouse on future cruises, but this may be your only cruise with a JiJi's on board. You could always purchase a bottle of wine at the Steakhouse bar and then take it to whichever restaurant you choose.

I would say Steakhouse is the first choice for an adults only meal. And while my teens sons have really enjoyed it, it is truly the most upscale adult experience. A kin to Ruth's Chris.

The others are all easy to do with the kids and so I would recommend that you try them all. Jijis isn't more fun with more people because the food is served family style and thus you can sample more dishes the more people you have.

Bonsai is easy to grab a lunch or pre-dinner snack. For a sushi bar the menu is delicious but relatively small so fits this bill nicely.

Our last choice would be Cucina. The food is heavy, but if you enjoy Italian wines, they have some decent ones. We are doing it again in October and I will try to order a lighter meal and see how I feel about it. It's good but not unique and outstanding like Steakhouse and Jijis.

One last thing that is great to know: Havana bar. It's free, and they will have some various hot breakfast pastries that aren't available anywhere else. At lunch time it will switch to mini Cubans and some other nibble. Please make sure you swing by early in your trip and sample because we have enjoyed it every time.

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Jiji's first for reasons already stated. Only available on a handful of ships. Wonderful, creative menu and service was terrific. Went on two different Sunshine cruises in 2016 and loved both times.The steakhouse is also very good, but not anything different. Bonsai Sushi is very good for sushi lovers, but we only went for lunch. We like a bit more atmosphere for dinner and Bonsai Sushi is almost like a storefront where you are on display for passersby.

Awesome advice thank you all for your swift responses, I'm booking JiJI's & the Steakhouse.

You can also make reservations on board, and sometimes you can even walk in and be seated, depending on the night.

I was just on the Sunshine last month and ate at the steakhouse, Ji ji's and Cucina. Loved them all, but returned to Cucina a second night because it was that good!! The risotto balls and spaghetti carbonara are amazing.

:cool: I disagree that Cucina food is heavy they have a great shrimp dish with an ant-pasta before it makes a great meal. JI Ji is great as well.The Steak house tops them all. They all offer a nice wine selection and I think they are all the same wine list.If you do any of them on the first night you can buy premium wines at half price. I'm pretty sure that offer is good for the second night as well. We always buy 3 or 4 bottles the first night and have them for the entire cruise. At $15 each you can't go wrong with JiJi or Cucina Del-Capitano.;p

Another vote for Ji-Ji's first! Like others have said, they are only on a few ships. We loved it and wish more ships had it. If you like/eat pork, then the braised pork belly is melt in your mouth level amazing!

And of course the Steakhouse is always a must-do for us.

I just got off the Sunshine August 7th and my son and I ate at Cucina, it was the best meal I had on the ship! He had pasta and I had Caprese salad (too big for just me) and the chicken parm, it was awesome and being on a fitness plan, I don't typically eat a lot of food at one time, but I ate the entire piece of chicken, it was that good! I think you have to go to what you like as far as food. I tried JiJi's for lunch and picked the wrong sauce so I didn't enjoy it as much as others have stated. I also ate in the dining room, but still found the Italian food in Cucina to be top notch!

Enjoy whatever you choose!

I tried JiJi's for lunch and picked the wrong sauce so I didn't enjoy it as much as others have stated.

At lunch that area is Mongolian Wok and very different from the quality at dinner as Jiji's. Similarly, the pasta bar at lunch is mediocre at best, but when it is full service Cucina del Capitan at dinner, whole other situation, and much, much better.

Awesome advice thank you all for your swift responses, I'm booking JiJI's & the Steakhouse.

Since you mentioned you like good wine, book a dinner at the steakhouse on the first night only and you get either one free bottle of their basic red or white or, I believe, 50% off any other bottle on the menu and you can order multiple bottles to enjoy with your other dinners around the ship during the duration of your cruise.

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Since you mentioned you like good wine, book a dinner at the steakhouse on the first night only and you get either one free bottle of their basic red or white or, I believe, 50% off any other bottle on the menu and you can order multiple bottles to enjoy with your other dinners around the ship during the duration of your cruise.

 

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Absolutely correct. We just did the Steakhouse on the 1st night for our cruise that ended yesterday. Funny, last year we were only given the option of one bottle of wine at 50% off 1st night (Sunshine as well). This year we got 3. Woo hoo! That's when I get my "wine snob" wines....lol.

We are open to all types of cuisine. However, for our upcoming cruise on Sunshine we would like to try two of the premium restaurants. of the available offerings, which two would you recommend?

1) FYI - this is for Adults - the kids will be in the teen camp

2) No special occasion being celebrated.

3) good wine selection a must.

 

Sorry if this is a tall order. Just booked a few weeks ago. trying to get things settled before we go.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

I'd rather be playing 7 card

Carnival Sunshine's steakhouse wine list was recently recognized by Wine Spectator magazine. Since a good wine selection is a must, that should be number one. Personally I wouldn't pay extra for Cucina at supper. I did that and wasn't impressed. I enjoyed the lasagna at Cucina for lunch (no extra charge) much more than I enjoyed the for-a-fee Cucina supper.

https://carnival-news.com/2017/07/10/carnival-cruise-line-steakhouses-earn-top-honors-from-wine-spectator-magazine/

I'd recommend JiJi's first, then the steakhouse mostly because JiJi's is only on a couple of ships whereas the steakhouse is on many. You'd have more of a chance to be able to experience the steakhouse on future cruises, but this may be your only cruise with a JiJi's on board. You could always purchase a bottle of wine at the Steakhouse bar and then take it to whichever restaurant you choose.

Asian Fusion does not exactly scream out for a good wine pairing.

I love the Sunshine. I'm getting ready to sail again on Saturday, and I'll be sailing again in November. I sail her second only to how often I sail on the Pride. I have not had good experiences with the Steakhouse on the Sunshine though. We'll be doing it again, because to date we haven't paid for it (the casino has comp'ed us and we have a Diamond meal to use) but it has not been up to par compared to the other Carnival steakhouses....that is just our experience. Having said that, for a nice wine, as the previous poster mentioned, Asian Fusion might not be the best choice. We love the Cucina, and they do have some nice wines. I don't think any of them will be a disappointment after you've had a couple of glasses anyway, LOL!