Back to CCL After a Hiatus on RCCL and NCL- A Quick Review of the Sunshine 3/17/17

Hello-

We returned last week after an 8 day sailing on the Carnival Sunshine. As you can see from my signature, we like to jump around a bit. But, we have not been on Carnival for some time. Most recently, we have been on the Harmony of the Seas, NCL's Pride of America, the Oasis of the Seas twice, and NCL's Epic. We were looking for a GREAT itinerary for a last minute spring break cruise. The Sunshine fit the bill- as it had a WAY better and more interesting itinerary than any of the Mega ships we have been on recently. We decided to take the plunge, even after reading negative review after negative review.

We had a great trip- I will keep this brief, but I wanted to give a quick snyopsis on our trip for any of you that are curious about what it is like to jump from the big guys back down to an older smaller ship with two teenagers (who LOVE flow-riding and ziplining and aqua shows . .. ) in tow.

Embarkation-

No problem. Quick and easy. We have higher status on RCCL, but even with that, we were onboard and ready to have fun within 45 minutes of arriving at the port.

Stateroom- We had two connecting OV rooms on the third floor just steps from where we embarked. They were spacious and clean. We have always had balcony rooms, so there were times where I really missed the fresh air. (Especially as we had one very rough weather night and morning). But our staterooms had lots of storage, were more spacious than RCCL. Our attendant did a great job keeping everything tidy and neat. We never met him/her- but it was like having a magical fairy room straighening upper. Whoever they were did a good job. At the end of the trip my daughter wrote them a note and left additional tip on our bed with the note as we were unsure who to hand it too.

I would say that the location of those rooms was AWESOME! Just steps to everything. But then again, the ship was small enough that nothing was a long walk. The only thing is that it was LOUD at night. So much happening in the atrium and we were usually there for the fun, but if you don't like noise, this would not be the location for you.

Overall, I would say a good solid tie with RCCL.

Food-

This is a loaded topic for me. I really enjoy good food. I am not super picky, I just like clean unprocessed food. One more little wrench is that our whole family has to be Gluten Free, so this is always a dilemma. We are not super reactive, so I hate to make a big deal out of it. I know some people have the misfortune of getting really sick with the slightest cross contamination. We are fortunate to not be in that boat. But, we still eat 100% GF as we know there are serious health risks to our family with ingesting gluten. So I am always torn about how much of an issue to make of it. On RCCL it is hard because disclosing it often really limits our options as they cannot be 100% sure the food has not crossed paths in the kitchen with a molecule of gluten so they will not let us order items that are naturally GF. Their GF breads and pizza are awful, so we are better off not saying anything and just ordering around the issue off the menu. On NCL, they have great breads and pastas, but If we don't tell them ahead of time, they may not have enough GF product on board to accomodate everyone. So, I was not sure how it would be handled on Carnival. This was complicated by the fact that we could not get a set dining time, and Anytime Dining can be a disaster for people with food issues. It is hard for the servers and the kitchen.

All that to say Carnival was WONDERFUL! I had emailed the maitreD and he said to come and see him. His name was Amith- and he was A+ with customer service. I hope he ends up running Carnival some day. Great personality, accomodating, available but not intrusive. He told us that on every sailing he has 400 people that do not get want they want, and his job is to find a way to make them happy. He gave us an assigned dining time in the Sunrise Dining Room- which was the Anytime Dining section. So we had the same waiters every night. We were able to order off the menu for the next day so our food would be ready, and I was SHOCKED at the things they could make GF. We know better than to ask for certain dishes GF as there is usually no way to make them. Well, I am here to say they figured out a way! Crispy fried shrimp! (Haven't had those in 9 years!) It was SO great.

Our waiters were Mohammed and Renato- always smiling, always accomodating, the best! I would venture to say that they along with Amith were among the very best we ever sailed with- and that includes Disney!

The food was good in MDR. Loved the Blue Iguana, but the chicken had bones and gristle in it, but everything else was great. Guy's was AMAZING- those burgers are so much better than any others we have had a seas. And, the fries- WOW. Definitely fresh, not the frozen papery ones most cruise lines offer. The lunch at the back of the ship was excellent! One again, the made to order pasta from Cucina was incredible, especially for being GF. The mongolian wok at JiJi for lunch was also super good. Overall- the non-specialty dining as so much better than anything we had on NCL or RCCL.

As far as specialty dining we enjoyed Farenheit 555- great service and food the first night on board. We enjoyed Bonzai Sushi for lunch- good quality. And, the Chef's Table was SO good. We had been on a waiting list, and because of demand they opened another night. We have done Chef's Table on RCCL and on Carnival in the past. We really loved the menu this time! They were able to accomodate every course from a GF standpoint. The whole experience was really great. We brought our teens and they loved it too. My daughter (who wants to be a chef) got to make the WCMC. She loved it!

Overall, the dining was better than RCCL or NCL.

Amith was AWESOME!!! We got to deal with him on our 3/25 sailing on the Sunshine. We traveled with a large party (14 of us) and all had Anytime Dining. The first night he managed to get us a table all together, then promised we would have the same table every night at 7:15pm. He never disappointed. It was really nice to have an "in between" fixed dinner time, with the same wait staff the entire trip. He was really great.

Thanks for the review.

Amith was AWESOME!!! We got to deal with him on our 3/25 sailing on the Sunshine. We traveled with a large party (14 of us) and all had Anytime Dining. The first night he managed to get us a table all together, then promised we would have the same table every night at 7:15pm. He never disappointed. It was really nice to have an "in between" fixed dinner time, with the same wait staff the entire trip. He was really great.

He truly is amazing and a huge asset to CCL!

Entertainment-

OK, I have to say there really is no comparison to the "WOW" factor on the other ships. If you want Broadway shows, ice capades type shows, Blue Man Group, aqua theaters, Cirque D'Soleil - well, RCCL and NCL are hands down the better choice. I think Carnival has made strides in compared to 5 years ago, but it really cannot compare in our opinion.

However, that is just one facet of entertainment in my mind. We loved the Piano Bar, the Ocean Plaza entertainment- especially Broken Taillight and the atrium singers. Sometimes those smaller venues are super enjoyable and even our teens loved joining us. The comedy was fun, the magician was good, and the poolside entertaiment was also great. I think it really depends on what you like to do. On RCCL we like the Pub at night, as it is one of the only small venues that plays later in the night. I loved that Carnval had a bunch of choices, and they were not "knock your socks off" wow, but they were very enjoyable and fun and accessible.

Also, it really is hard to compare all the crazy things on the mega ships to the Carnival Sunshine. But, the slides were cool, although in a very cramped area. The ropes course was neat. But we really enjoyed the Serenity area down by the waterfall. There is so little pool deck for the rest of the people with young kids- and that really was apparent on sea days. It was almost impossible to get a chair if you weren't out there at the crack of dawn. But the Serenity deck always had some availability and it was peaceful and the drink service was decent. After walking around for 45 minutes trying to find a spot outside of the Serenity area, we resorted to putting sunglasses and a hat on our 14 year old daughter- sneaking her into the adults area. We covered her head up with a towel the whole time she laid out in the sun so no one could see her cute little face on a 5'5'' body. Please don't judge me . . . no one would have known she was a kid as she just calmly laid in the sun listening to music and there were chairs to spare. But without a balcony room, it was the only way to get her a spot in the sun.

The one thing I think could use a little work was the Atrium parties at night. Super fun competitons between "Team 1 and Team 2," It was all about dancing and singing to the 70's or 80's. It was lively and fun- but the guy who ran it loved to get everyone screaming on each side to win over and over and over in any given round. I kind of felt like- "please stop and let's move on to the next song dude . . . " it was a bit much and kind of seemed like he just loved everyone applauding on his cue. :) I think they could reformat that just a bit and have a winner. But it was fun!

The CD, Nathan was good. He was always upbeat and positive, even with bad weather, was encouraging everyone to have fun. He was also very accessible. I watched him help an older disabled gentleman up the stairs, and he did not realize anyone was watching him- so it was not for show. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy who wanted everyone to have a great trip!

All in all, we really enjoyed our entertainment. Was it super glizty and cool- well . . . not really. But it was fun, lively and there was plenty of it to be had. Carnival did a great job!

Thanks for the review. We are trying Carnival again for the first time in years and this review helped a lot in expectations. Appreciate you taking the time to post. :)

FYI

Special diets are easily accommodated with ATD. When you're ready to be seated, the hostess gives your order slip to your waitstaff. Only issue we've ever had was DD's food came out before ours.

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Thanks for your thoughts! I always enjoy reading comparisons between the lines.

We will be on Sunshine in September. Super excited as we cruised Destiny a few times, and we tend to go on the same ship all the time (going on Pride for the 5th and 6th week in a row) not that I am complaining, but I am anxious to try a new ship!

We love the Sunshine. It seems like you love it or hate it. Your comparison to the other lines is great in helping us know if we are getting a good deal or should venture off to other lines. Thanks for your honest review

This summer we will board Sunshine for the third time, sailing from Norfolk. The Serenity decks are amazing! We never had a problem finding a place to rest.

Boarding the Sunshine in 30 days! So glad to read the positive review. I love the pictures of the serenity deck and cannot wait to be on it!

I too am boarding in 30 days and the Sunshine reviews are getting better and better:D

Good information and something to look forward to ... we're on the Sunshine in 8 days!

Really enjoyed your review. Our very first cruise was on Carnival then we took a very long break with kids. We really enjoy RCI and will continue to cruise with them but we wanted to try something different so we booked the Sunshine in Nov 18. I know that is still a long way out but it just builds up the excitement/anticipation and your review hit the spot. Thx!

Thanks for the comments!

Condition of the ship-

I had read that it was pretty worn and somewhat dirty on several reviews. I will say that I did see some signs of wear, the new renovation "sparkle" has worn off. And that could be because our most recent cruise was literally brand new (which I wouldn't recommend either as brand new ship sometimes equals service issues) but the comparison might be subconscious. But overall, the ship looked quite clean. I will say I was a little surprised by hand sanitizer and hand soap being out quite a bit. This was shocking as on RCCL you are assaulted with huge blobs of hand sanitizer every where you go. But, otherwise everything was clean and tidy.

Good information and something to look forward to ... we're on the Sunshine in 8 days!

Have so much fun!!

I too am boarding in 30 days and the Sunshine reviews are getting better and better:D

Have so much fun!

Thanks for the review. We are trying Carnival again for the first time in years and this review helped a lot in expectations. Appreciate you taking the time to post. :)

Hope you have a great trip!

Itinerary-

OK- This criteria is where the Sunshine SHINES!!!!

The Mega RCCL Ships have such BORING itineraries. Ok, that sounds really snobby. But, they are always the same few stops that are absolutely flooded with people. Every Western itinerary seems to take you to Labadee- which is not our favorite. Every Eastern is pretty much the same. I get that they can only get into certain ports because of ship size. We took a 9 day on Oasis last year and we went to St Kitts and they docked there for the first and still only I think time.- which was AWESOME. The Quantum was SOOO blah as well- Bayonne down to San Juan (which is cool) and then we missed Grand Cayman due to weather, and that was about it in 8 days. I love sea days- but with the whole ship that time (75% estimated by the crew) sick with the Norovirus- we were dying for a good stop or two on that one.

Enter the Sunshine- Grand Turk (a first for us!), San Juan, St Kitts and St Maarten . . . it was a WINNER!

We hung out at Margaritaville Beach on Grand Turk. So beautiful. Had a great waitress that brought us WAY too many "5 o'clock somewhere" drinks right down to our beach chairs. Just a quick tip for you regarding tipping- our bill included the gratuity. I inadvertently tipped an additional 20% because she was awesome. I don't regret it, but probably would have been a little lighter if I had noticed that BEFORE I wrote the tip in. No worries though. We got a huge hug and were glad to make her day. Our kids did the FlowRIder- so they got their fix even though they were not on RCCL. GREAT DAY- loved every part of that stop!

San Juan- We typically just go a couple of hours to Senor Frogs. Had fun, but I was a little alarmed when my chair was tipped backwards and people were blowing whistles at my to open my mouth for a shot of tequila- but we survived. :)

St Kitts- OMG. If you like snorkeling and catamarans- DEFINITELY do the Nevus sail. Carnival books the vendors all out so you really cannot find another vendor to take you. So, we bought this one through CCL. The boat was clean, the crew was AWESOME, the island of Nevus is super cool- we had about an hour right next to the Four Seasons. The snorkeling was really good. The food was so-so, but who cares? We had a whole ship filled with amazing food waiting for us when we got back. And, the drinks were ridiculously plentiful, strong and tasted really good. We made several friends on that boat, and most did not make it to dinner . . . so buyer beware on the drinks:). But it was a highlight trip. We will definitely do that one again!

St Maarten- We love the beach right across from the ship. After several years going to Orient Beach on that stop, we FINALLY decided to try the beach close by to the ship on our last cruise. We had such a great day that we could not believe we had missed out on that all those years and had paid all the cab fare going to Orient, and had endured our eyeballs burning at some of the swim attire (and lack there of). The last time we were at Orient, three women in their 50's sitting next to my teenage son took their tops off in the "family section" When another gentleman compained (he had little kids), they started talking to my son telling him that guy "just doesn't get our culture". The funny thing is they were from Virginia. :) Our son looked like he was going to die of embarrassment. So, we decided the next time to go a little more low key. We went to the spot close to the second water taxi stop- look for the orange umbrellas there. We paid $10 a chair, had wifi, super cheap drinks, great sun, no huge crowds as we were down from the main drag, and loved it. I highly recommend it.

So, all in all an amazing itinerary! Best one yet!

We went to St. M for the 2ndx last year and did Bernards Tours. Enjoyed it and was thinking of doing the excursion with Capt. Bob of the motor boat, but I am not a fan of jumping off a boat and swimming to shore. Give me a beach or a dock any day. Can you tell me a bit more about the beach off the ship? You can walk to it? Any other details? Seems like something we would really enjoy doing! We will be on the Pride Journey cruise next January and the ship will stop at St. M so we're going to have a lot of decisions to make with all the ports of call.

Good information and something to look forward to ... we're on the Sunshine in 8 days!

Me too :)

We went to St. M for the 2ndx last year and did Bernards Tours. Enjoyed it and was thinking of doing the excursion with Capt. Bob of the motor boat, but I am not a fan of jumping off a boat and swimming to shore. Give me a beach or a dock any day. Can you tell me a bit more about the beach off the ship? You can walk to it? Any other details? Seems like something we would really enjoy doing! We will be on the Pride Journey cruise next January and the ship will stop at St. M so we're going to have a lot of decisions to make with all the ports of call.

Hello!

Yes- the beach is very close to where the boat docks. It is a very short walk off the ship, and then once you walk through the gates you look left for the water taxi stand. It was like $5 or $7 for a round trip ticket. The big water taxis go more towards the the right side of the beach. The smaller taxis go to the left side of the beach. Either way, it is a short walk between the two sides with lots of shops and restaurants to check out on the way. You can taxi back from either side. As you walk by the beach, people will offer you chairs and umbrellas for money. We looked for good chairs by the water that had wifi and a bar close by.

There is jetskiing, parasailing, some snorkeling, and the water is beauiful there- very warm and clear.

If you have any other questions let me know!