My Sunshine review

We booked this cruise(12 day Europe) based on price and itinerary we are both 57 years old have cruised on every M.M. line except Princess .We had not been on Carnival since 07 and had some second thoughts after reading reviews about the Sunshine on this site.The ship:we were very pleased with the new look fo this ship to us it looked like a X ship colors understated and lots of light.Our room(inside) was small by Carnival standards but the bed was large (kingsize) and the bathroom was laid out well , both were fine.FOOD: We went to the M.D.R. 9 nights the food on most nights was good most were hits and a few misses it happens on all lines.The lido (buffet) the items served in the traditional buffet were fewer than most lines but the special spots more than made up for this . After reading the hype on Guy's burgers I was ready to bite and the hype is right on, they are good and the fixing bar has a lot of great add on's to your burger(ask to have it fresh cooked so it does not dry out). Right on the other side from the burgers is the mexican this also very good everything you could put on a wrap is there,this also has a great fixin's bar everthing is fresh with good sauces and even fresh cilntro .Inside the Lido in the back (somewht hidden) there are stations for fresh cooked eggs (breakfast ) and at lunch they are Asian and Italtian spots with fresh cooked (wok) veg and rice ,and fresh italian choices both were very good although the asian is a little slow , but it is worth the wait. We went to the Asian and Italtian sell up spots for dinner (12$ each) both were very good and well worth the 12 dollars it was nice to change from the M.D.R. for two nights . The service and food were both great the one tip I would give is to order just appetizers they are large and very good (it was hard to finish are main course).more later

Thanks for the review. We will be on her a few days after Christmas.

Can't wait to hear more! We are booked on the Sunshine this coming March.

Thanks for the review! We will be on her for Thanksgiving!!

thanks for the review - we're going on January 19 and can't wait!

Part two : I thought I was done with the food part but I forgot about the deli this was also very good fresh turkey ,ham ,rubens and many other choices(the cole slaw could use some work) . Across from the deli is the pizza which is pretty good for a ship (it was tough to judge fairly after having pizza in Naples) they have six kinds all looked good. Also on deck 4 they have the tasting bar which is nice for a lighter breakfast or your morning coffee. They also have samples from the sell-up venues it is a very nice spot to sit and relax. The bars: We had most of our drinks at the lobby bar it is very pretty and a lot of action goes on around it .On our first sea day (this cruise had a lot of ports) we checked out the ''Red Frog Pub'' it lookes like a fun spot very large and laid out well it also had the old school shuffle board game(long)and a fosball game both free ,nice touch. They also have a sports bar on deck5(I think) I went to see some football scores and it has a tickertape running 24/7 which was nice it has a nice bar but it seemed alittle sterile to me and most people did not stay long. The only other bar we had a drink at was in the theater in the back I dont think I have seen this on other ships but it was nice place to sit and watch the shows. In fact some people at the bar kind of forgot where they were and had to be shoshed a few times. One of the things Ihad read about this ''new'' ship was how small the theater was and it is small by most ships standards but it was not a problem any night we were there.This was one of the few negaitive things I read that was true .If it is a problem get there early or go to the second floor .Many have also said that the pool is small (there is only one ) I cant say I even noticed but it was a good time anyway ,the hot tubs are the same as other ships and were crowed on sea days (wait till first seating it thins out). The adults only area at the top of the ship was nice and very quiet it has one hot tub that was almost never crowed.This is my first review so I hope it helps people who are looking into this ship I read some bad things on this site but found most were off base I.M.H.O. Now for a few minor quibbles this was a12 night cruise but the A show (with live singing and dancing) only went on 3 times not 3 nights 3 times. I think they were having problems it played twice one night and once another .Carnival is best at this kind of show I.M.H.O. and most people on board did not see it I think that is a shame .Two things that made my cruise better were the singing mater-de Ken byrne this charming irishman sang everynight at dinner each a standard by Sinatra or Perry Como I thanked him every night gave him the thumbs up on the way out ,a real treat. Last thing ,I have been on 13 or 14 ships (some more than once) and for the first time a ship had a pinball machine this was a real treat for me (even at a dollar a game) all my life that was part of a vaction since I was child and went to the Jersey Shore for vaction it is part of the best arcade I have seen on any ship. So would we go with Carnival again ,yes we would they tried hard to please and we thank them for it . As for the Sunshine also a big yes ,is it the newest greatest ship afloat ,no one thinks that but it is a very nice ship with a lot of fun to offer we would do it again in a minute if the ports were right for us.P.S. this was a Med. cruise I know most of will be on Caribbean runs but if anyone is interested in the ports just ask (I will keep it short).

Part two : I thought I was done with the food part but I forgot about the deli this was also very good fresh turkey ,ham ,rubens and many other choices(the cole slaw could use some work) . Across from the deli is the pizza which is pretty good for a ship (it was tough to judge fairly after having pizza in Naples) they have six kinds all looked good. Also on deck 4 they have the tasting bar which is nice for a lighter breakfast or your morning coffee. They also have samples from the sell-up venues it is a very nice spot to sit and relax. The bars: We had most of our drinks at the lobby bar it is very pretty and a lot of action goes on around it .On our first sea day (this cruise had a lot of ports) we checked out the ''Red Frog Pub'' it lookes like a fun spot very large and laid out well it also had the old school shuffle board game(long)and a fosball game both free ,nice touch. They also have a sports bar on deck5(I think) I went to see some football scores and it has a tickertape running 24/7 which was nice it has a nice bar but it seemed alittle sterile to me and most people did not stay long. The only other bar we had a drink at was in the theater in the back I dont think I have seen this on other ships but it was nice place to sit and watch the shows. In fact some people at the bar kind of forgot where they were and had to be shoshed a few times. One of the things Ihad read about this ''new'' ship was how small the theater was and it is small by most ships standards but it was not a problem any night we were there.This was one of the few negaitive things I read that was true .If it is a problem get there early or go to the second floor .Many have also said that the pool is small (there is only one ) I cant say I even noticed but it was a good time anyway ,the hot tubs are the same as other ships and were crowed on sea days (wait till first seating it thins out). The adults only area at the top of the ship was nice and very quiet it has one hot tub that was almost never crowed.This is my first review so I hope it helps people who are looking into this ship I read some bad things on this site but found most were off base I.M.H.O. Now for a few minor quibbles this was a12 night cruise but the A show (with live singing and dancing) only went on 3 times not 3 nights 3 times. I think they were having problems it played twice one night and once another .Carnival is best at this kind of show I.M.H.O. and most people on board did not see it I think that is a shame .Two things that made my cruise better were the singing mater-de Ken byrne this charming irishman sang everynight at dinner each a standard by Sinatra or Perry Como I thanked him every night gave him the thumbs up on the way out ,a real treat. Last thing ,I have been on 13 or 14 ships (some more than once) and for the first time a ship had a pinball machine this was a real treat for me (even at a dollar a game) all my life that was part of a vaction since I was child and went to the Jersey Shore for vaction it is part of the best arcade I have seen on any ship. So would we go with Carnival again ,yes we would they tried hard to please and we thank them for it . As for the Sunshine also a big yes ,is it the newest greatest ship afloat ,no one thinks that but it is a very nice ship with a lot of fun to offer we would do it again in a minute if the ports were right for us.P.S. this was a Med. cruise I know most of will be on Caribbean runs but if anyone is interested in the ports just ask (I will keep it short).

Thanks for the review. Glad to see you enjoyed the ship. I leave tomorrow early am for the TA and first cruise out of NO.

Been booked on the Sunshine for long time now. I have read just about everything out there on her. I was really worried at first with all the bad reviews. But decided to let time take its course and hope for the best. It is great to see a nice review. We will sail on her Nov. 18th! Cant wait!!

Great review..thanks! Almost at the single digits.

Thanks for the great review. Have not heard too much about her that was positive. We will be on the Sunshine in 5 weeks, a B2B. You have got me really excited about my up comming cruise!! Thanks!

Oh what about the outdoor movies, do they have a movie everynight, are they newer movies?

Thanks for the review. Glad to see you enjoyed the ship. I leave tomorrow early am for the TA and first cruise out of NO.

Nonna I leave Monday morning. I haven't seen you post on the roll call much and was wondering if you were still going. I'll be at the hotel Barcelona for three nights.

Oh what about the outdoor movies, do they have a movie everynight, are they newer movies?

They did have movies on some nights but we were to tired to go but they did have popcorn (fresh poped ) D.W. liked that . have a great time.

Thanks for the review. One of my 1st cruises was on the Destiny. I am looking forward to seeing the differences that have been made. Could you post some pics of the ship by any chance? I would really love to see some, especially the Serenity area if possible. Thanks bunches. :)

I am not very good at posting pictures but on the rollcall (sept 29)on the last page someone has a lot of good shots of the ship.