Just off the Sunshine.. literally! Any questions?

Sailed July 10-18, and I agree with what you siad about Javorka, Parviz & Cesar! Loved spending time with them each evening. We went there every nght before dinner, as did a few other griups, and we became an "Alchemy Family" by the end of thr trip!

Yes! They were amazing. We also went every night before dinner and we'd close the place down every night. There was a group of us that became friends on the first night and went back every night.

Thanks for all the info.

 

Going in early Nov and just curious about the serenity deck being right across the "party deck" from the big screen/DJ/loudspeakers.

 

If you went to serenity, did you hear the "noise" from across the deck coming from the DJ/big screen/etc.?

 

GP

A lot of people refer to the Serenity deck on the Sunshine to be the best in the fleet.. I completely disagree.

Yes it is two decks, with a waterfall and very small pool, but there is nothing serene about it.

It faces the Lido deck and is VERY loud.

Im going to be on the sunshine in 5 days. I wanted to bring my curling iron. Do you think I can plug it in with no problems? Also, my hubby wants to know if we can plug anything into the TV in the rooms. We want to watch our own stuff.

Im going to be on the sunshine in 5 days. I wanted to bring my curling iron. Do you think I can plug it in with no problems? Also, my hubby wants to know if we can plug anything into the TV in the rooms. We want to watch our own stuff.

As long as your curling iron is in good condition with no fraying, you can definitely bring it.

Perhaps someone else can answer your 2nd question

When does the ship leave the port? and how early were you allowed to board?

A lot of people refer to the Serenity deck on the Sunshine to be the best in the fleet.. I completely disagree.

Yes it is two decks, with a waterfall and very small pool, but there is nothing serene about it.

It faces the Lido deck and is VERY loud.

Ugh. That is not good news.:eek:

But thanks for the reply.

GP

Hi all, Sunshine has been out lone Carnival cruise to date. We were very favorably impressed, especially with the dining options and Serenity. We thought the ship was in fine condition with the only negative place that we noticed being the area on the upper lido where the new synthetic planking from the renovation meets up with the original teak decking. The teak was bowed up and could be a tripping hazard. They did put yellow tape there and it is probably fixed now. Overall, that was very minor.

There are simply too many good places to eat on Sunshine. A very nice "problem" to have. We found the buffet to be very good by current day cruise ship standards. At each meal there was not a tremendous variety with each kiosk having the same selection and layout. The upside was that this spread out the crowd so that we almost never saw lines and the food is fresh and well prepared. We never went wanting. Do not miss the mini buffet in Havana bar, especially at breakfast. There are some good things on there.

We had a spa cabin and were right there at the Serenity and spent a lot of time out there. We only went to the pool area of Serenity once and spent most of our time forward in one of the hammocks or clam shells. We did not find it noisy up there at all. One morning we did get a clam shell facing the big screen and watched the pool activities from up there. Not as serene, but we were there to enjoy the festivities so no problem. We tend to think it is the best of both worlds.

Alchemy is, as stated, is an item unto itself.. One evening I was talking to a fellow passenger there who was on his 44th cruise. He is platinum on Carnival, Diamond on Royal, and has cruised most of the major lines at least once. He said what I was already thinking: "This is the best bar I have ever seen on a cruise ship". I could not find any basis for disagreement.

We loved the comedy club. It is laid out funny and you need to be there 15 min early to get a good seat. They do several shows per night and the comedians and routines vary each night but there are enough shows that you can see them all. Good stuff. We normally do not go to production shows, but we got pumped up with the rock trivia in the atrium one night and went to the "Rock" tribute show later. We really enjoyed it.

I sailed on the Sunshine July 10-18. Piano bar singer was Roddy, and I was definitely not a fan. Stopped in the first night and left after two songs. Good piano player, but he doesn't do much to get the crowd involved and his accent made it hard to understand parts.

I was on the 7/26 sailing. We only made it though one of his songs...lol What a disappointment ! last year Patrick Duffy was the PBE. He is very talented and funny. Carnival should give this Roddy (Rod Stewart wannabe) the boot

I was on the 7/26 sailing. We only made it though one of his songs...lol What a disappointment ! last year Patrick Duffy was the PBE. He is very talented and funny. Carnival should give this Roddy (Rod Stewart wannabe) the boot

I completely agree. I just got off the Sunshine yesterday. Roddy at the piano bar was very disappointing. Patrick Duffy was amazing last year and I was really looking forward to seeing him again.

Thanks for all the info.

 

Going in early Nov and just curious about the serenity deck being right across the "party deck" from the big screen/DJ/loudspeakers.

 

If you went to serenity, did you hear the "noise" from across the deck coming from the DJ/big screen/etc.?

 

GP

Hi. I just got off the ship yesterday. The Serenity is very big so, depending where you are determines if you can hear the music. In some places it was loud and in others it was very quiet. :)

When does the ship leave the port? and how early were you allowed to board?

The ship left NY at 4:30. We were able to board by 11:00.

I was on the 7/26 sailing. We only made it though one of his songs...lol What a disappointment ! last year Patrick Duffy was the PBE. He is very talented and funny. Carnival should give this Roddy (Rod Stewart wannabe) the boot

I'm saddened to hear both of you reporting negatively about the PBE..... I verified that Roddy will be on Sunshine until mid October.... Therefore he'll be there for our sailing next month. One of our favorite pass times on ships is the piano bar! :( I suppose we'll have to find our entertainment elsewhere.