condition of Sunshine

I am sailing on the Sunshine 10 day Journeys cruise leaving 1/7/18. Looking for comments from anyone that recently sailed on the Sunshine about the overall condition of the ship.

I was on the Sunshine the first year it sailed.

I would say very good condition, sailed on her at least four times in the past two years ,six over all. To be honest I didn't like the ole girl in the beginning ,but she has kind of grown on me. :D

We will be on the Sunshine Dec 1st-9th. I will try to remember to post when we return. Anything in particular that you are curious about? Our stateroom is on deck 11, and our companions are on deck 8 aft.

We were on her in September and didn't notice anything major. We will be getting on her again the day you get off.... Have fun!

I was on in February and had a balcony on Deck 7 near midship. Interior still looks fairly new after the normal drydock in 2016. I could tell it was an older ship when I went down below on Behind The Fun, but nothing major.

Sunshine does rock a bit, although I was sauntering about the Bahamas at 8 knots for most of my cruise, which doesn’t really allow stabilizers to work.

We were on the Sunshine in September. The inside was fine, but outside you could see signs that the ship needed some TLC. The glass on our balcony looked really dirty, but I think it was the result of sun and sea and just needed replacing. The railing and some of the deck boards were warped and need to be replaced as well.

After all the negative stuff I’d heard, I was surprised to really like the ship. The layout is a little quirky but deck 5 will get you where you want to go. The crew were good, the food was great, and the decor of the interior spaces is bright with a nice soft color palate.

We did have some plumbing issues (no hot water and a toilet that was possessed [emoji33]) but that can happen on any ship and they fixed them quickly.

We had a great cruise and would not hesitate to sail aboard the Sunshine again.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I am sailing on the Sunshine 10 day Journeys cruise leaving 1/7/18. Looking for comments from anyone that recently sailed on the Sunshine about the overall condition of the ship.

I was on the Sunshine the first year it sailed.

Yeah, better plan on bein home 3 days late. That's a 13 day cruise, we're booked too!

Been on the Sunshine 6 times (actually 3 B2Bs) and enjoyed her very much. Had the same Cabin Steward each time. Excellent service. Really enjoyed the Alchemy Bar each night before dinner. We were in a Cove Balcony and it got damp overnight, but Edi had it cleaned up every morning while we were at breakfast.

So many folks either love or hate Sunshine. We love her. It's not perfect but it was a darn good redesign of our beloved Destiny. Here's hoping they give Triumph a similar rebirth when she's completed her duty as a 'weekend boozer' out of Big Easy.

Been on the Sunshine 6 times (actually 3 B2Bs) and enjoyed her very much. Had the same Cabin Steward each time. Excellent service. Really enjoyed the Alchemy Bar each night before dinner. We were in a Cove Balcony and it got damp overnight, but Edi had it cleaned up every morning while we were at breakfast.

???? I'm not aware of any Cove's on Sunshine. Please elaborate.

Just returned from our Dec 1st-9th cruise,

The ship was clean and all the staff I saw were extremely nice and helpful. There seemed to always be crew cleaning the decks.

The sunshine is in need of having it's paint striped and repainted as rust is apparent.(not horrible just noticeable)

When we arrived in our state room the cabinet door covering the mini fridge had it's upper hinge pulled out, we told our room steward and it was fixed within 1/2 hour.

One day we returned to our cabin and the latch to the balcony divider was broken. We called maintenance and they once again had it repaired within 1/2 hour.

Our cabin(11024) was on the 11th deck forward and was very quiet.

We never noticed any vibrations throughout the trip, although the ship was rocky due to the high swells. It was nice as it kind of rocked us to sleep.

This was only our second cruise with our first being on the Liberty

We had a great time and would sail on her again..

Overall I would give it an 8 out of 10

Yeah, better plan on bein home 3 days late. That's a 13 day cruise, we're booked too!

We are on this sailing to!

Just returned from our Dec 1st-9th cruise,

The ship was clean and all the staff I saw were extremely nice and helpful. There seemed to always be crew cleaning the decks.

The sunshine is in need of having it's paint striped and repainted as rust is apparent.(not horrible just noticeable)

When we arrived in our state room the cabinet door covering the mini fridge had it's upper hinge pulled out, we told our room steward and it was fixed within 1/2 hour.

One day we returned to our cabin and the latch to the balcony divider was broken. We called maintenance and they once again had it repaired within 1/2 hour.

Our cabin(11024) was on the 11th deck forward and was very quiet.

We never noticed any vibrations throughout the trip, although the ship was rocky due to the high swells. It was nice as it kind of rocked us to sleep.

This was only our second cruise with our first being on the Liberty

We had a great time and would sail on her again..

Overall I would give it an 8 out of 10

In all fairness ships start rusting the day they hit salt water.. but your assessment hits the nail on the head with Sunshine. She seems to be up to par . But Destiny still lurks in the shadows..

We are on this sailing to!

Same, you guys beat me to it.

The ship is in great condition as far as I'm concerned, judging by my Halloween cruise last month. The layout is somewhat strange, but nothing that is impossible to learn. I didn't notice offensive amounts of rust or other issues. Everything was clean and all the elevators seemed to work - they just didn't always take you where you needed to go since decks have been added over the years. That gets back to the weird layout thing.

My only issue is the A/C in our room did not get it cold enough. We never had that issue on the Ecstasy or Fantasy. Almost invoked the great vacation guarantee.

So many folks either love or hate Sunshine. We love her. It's not perfect but it was a darn good redesign of our beloved Destiny. Here's hoping they give Triumph a similar rebirth when she's completed her duty as a 'weekend boozer' out of Big Easy.

Glad to read your comments; as we are booked for May 05,2018 and some of the comments really show its a love / hate relationship on the Sunshine.

Here is a video taken from a drone last week so you can see the outside of the Sunshine. Feel free to share.

[YOUTUBE]2HyvZrbYHWA[/YOUTUBE]

???? I'm not aware of any Cove's on Sunshine. Please elaborate.

Duh!!! My mistake. We were in the deck 6 L-shaped cabins aft 6344 and 6371.

Duh!!! My mistake. We were in the deck 6 L-shaped cabins aft 6344 and 6371.

I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. My husband and I are in the process of cabin selection for an upcoming cruise on the Sunshine and are considering the L-shaped 6344 balcony cabin. I can't find any videos on this specific cabin, but I noticed in videos of the others just like it, there doesn't seem to be a seat at the vanity/desk. It appears the mini fridge is in its place. Can you tell me if that is true of 6344 also? It sounds trivial, but I do get a lot of use out of that little seat when applying makeup or having my continental breakfast the mornings we have excursions booked. Thanks in advance for your help! :)

I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. My husband and I are in the process of cabin selection for an upcoming cruise on the Sunshine and are considering the L-shaped 6344 balcony cabin. I can't find any videos on this specific cabin, but I noticed in videos of the others just like it, there doesn't seem to be a seat at the vanity/desk. It appears the mini fridge is in its place. Can you tell me if that is true of 6344 also? It sounds trivial, but I do get a lot of use out of that little seat when applying makeup or having my continental breakfast the mornings we have excursions booked. Thanks in advance for your help! :)

We were in 6346 and had the mini fridge under the vanity/desk. The little stool that would normally be under the desk was next to the wall. I used it a lot but mostly to put things on because the desk was small. 6346 is the aft wrap next to the L-shaped. We shared the little vestibule.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I am seriously torn. We live in Orlando and the Sunshine would be perfect. I am scared to book this old ship after all of the negative reviews. Really thinking of driving to Ft. Lauderdale for the Conquest. I don't know what to do.........

I am seriously torn. We live in Orlando and the Sunshine would be perfect. I am scared to book this old ship after all of the negative reviews. Really thinking of driving to Ft. Lauderdale for the Conquest. I don't know what to do.........

Why would you be scared? Look at the video reviews on YouTube of recent sailings on Sunshine - is there anything in particular that you find disturbing?

And you can find negative or positive reviews of any and all ships in the fleet.

"I hate the Elation, it is too small, not enough of the upgrades, no Alchemy Bar."

"I hate Sunshine, too big, I prefer small ships like the Elation."

"The Vista is the newest ship, yet I found a speck of dust on deck 7 near a window. Never sailing her again!"

"I remember the Mardi Gras, best ship ever! All these new ships have too many bells and whistles, I long for the old fashioned way of cruising!"

And so on...

Why would you be scared? Look at the video reviews on YouTube of recent sailings on Sunshine - is there anything in particular that you find disturbing?

 

And you can find negative or positive reviews of any and all ships in the fleet.

 

"I hate the Elation, it is too small, not enough of the upgrades, no Alchemy Bar."

 

"I hate Sunshine, too big, I prefer small ships like the Elation."

 

"The Vista is the newest ship, yet I found a speck of dust on deck 7 near a window. Never sailing her again!"

 

"I remember the Mardi Gras, best ship ever! All these new ships have too many bells and whistles, I long for the old fashioned way of cruising!"

 

And so on...

Small things like bed bugs, mediocre food, visual signs of rust, other signs of aging, Ship is too crowded, people complaining about service issues..... Not things like I like smaller ships or I like bigger ships. I have been on thirty cruises and I can sort through those. I was just looking for some reassurance from recent cruisers.

Small things like bed bugs, mediocre food, visual signs of rust, other signs of aging, Ship is too crowded, people complaining about service issues..... Not things like I like smaller ships or I like bigger ships. I have been on thirty cruises and I can sort through those. I was just looking for some reassurance from recent cruisers.

OK, so bed bugs are a moot point - they can occur anywhere, because they are brought in by the previous passenger, not by the ship being old. And it does not seem to be a problem wide-spread on Sunshine (I only found that one review about BBs on Sunshine, but maybe I'm just missing them) - the couple of posts I have seen from regular CCers about it were on Freedom and Magic, and another unspecific ship.

Mediocre food - again, that has nothing to do with the ship per se, it is either a staff issue (bunch of lousy cooks on that sailing) or perceptions (some folks just don't seem to like Carnival food). I don't perceive it to be a Sunshine-specific fault.

Rust - I am quite certain Carnival is not interested in rust damaging their ship, so if you see it, it will probably be addressed soon enough. A bit of sanding and a fresh coat of paint is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than replacing a weakened steel beam/whatever. It will probably be more obvious on an older ship, but give a new ship a couple of years on the seas and I bet you would be able to find rust.

The ship is relatively crowded from what I understand, compared to others in the fleet. That might be a legitimate concern if you want to have a lounger by the pool and you get there at 11am on a sea day. But I'm not sure it is so much worse than other ships in the line - I would bet finding a lounger by the pool at 11am would be tough on all ships. (But if not, please let me know, for future reference!) The videos I have seen on YouTube show line-ups for certain things, but I see similar line-ups on other ships.

I don't recall seeing any more-than-average complaints about service issues on Sunshine. Do you have any specific instances? I'm curious, since I will be sailing on her in Dec 2018.

But hey, if you aren't comfortable with the Sunshine, you should find a different ship to sail on, where you will not be pre-worried about stuff. Because that's what it is all about: relaxing!

Small things like bed bugs, mediocre food, visual signs of rust, other signs of aging, Ship is too crowded, people complaining about service issues..... Not things like I like smaller ships or I like bigger ships. I have been on thirty cruises and I can sort through those. I was just looking for some reassurance from recent cruisers.

We were on the Sunshine this past September and I was concerned because of reviews. It seemed people either loved it or hated it. We thought it was a good ship. I would absolutely sail on her again with no hesitation.

We saw no bugs - bed or other. The food was great - best of any Carnival ship we’ve been on. Service was great as well. We had a great room steward and dining staff.

I don’t think I’ve ever been on a ship that didn’t have some rust. It’s a ship at sea most of the time subject to salt water, wind, waves. They do a good job of keeping up. It’s not perfect but neither were any of the other ships we’ve been on.

It could be crowded I guess if it’s up to whether it’s at full capacity, but we didn’t run into any issues - except the atrium when all the photographers were set up.

So don’t just listen to the negatives. If I had I would have missed a great cruise.

Sent from my iPad using Forums