Just off the Sunshine

[crazyboutdisney]

Sitting in NOLA...just off the Sunshine...had a fabulous time!! I have been reading reviews on this ship since it came out of dry dock. Went with an open mind and really have only one comment on the ship. Wont say complaint and thats because it didnt effect my vaca. I wasnt a fan of the fact that it was so hard to move from one end of the ship to the other. Other than that it is a beautiful ship!! No complaints at all on the food or service we recieved anywhere and I never saw any buckets.....*gasp* Always found a seat on the decks...never felt anymire crowded than when we sailed on the liberty. Only time we felt any listing was while we were on the Mississippi and I guessing thats while we were making the turns in the river. Was a great ship/cruise and I wouldnt hesitate to book again! I really think she gets a bad rap. Any questions....ask away and I will answer as best I can

[wes1side]

Which itinerary did you have...did you happen to keep copies of you "Fun Times?"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[dj17402]

Glad you had a great time. So many time times you hear negatives. You're on vacation. How can that be bad? We will be on the sunshine in May. Perhaps you can help answer the question I posted earlier today about the spa:

 

Most carnival ships we have been on without cloud 9 have had separate facilities for men and women. Have read conflicting reports for the Sunshine Cloud 9 spa. Can someone clarify as it is very hard to see on the ship layouts.

 

1. Does the Sunshine have both co-ed and non co-ed facilities? or is is all co-ed except for changing rooms of coarse.
   
2. Is the sauna/steam room only accessible by guests that purchase a pass for the cloud 9 or are there sections that are free for all guests?
   

Thanks ahead of time.

[LibbyJanesMommy]

Can you elaborate on the problems with going from one side of the ship to the other? Is this mainly on specific decks? We're booked in the front (interior with walkway views) and will be traveling with a three year old, so getting from one place to another is something I have thought about quite a bit.. Thank you!

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your report.

 

Sunshine does look like a nice ship by the photos that I have seen.

 

As for the tilting side to side, I remember on my Sensation cruise in 2000, as we sailed from New Orleans late at night, the ship did tilt as it went around the turns of the river, it was very slight but noticable in the room later as we lay in our beds.

 

Thanks again for your report on the Sunshine. I would'nt hesitate to book a cruise on her, given the right itinerary and departure port.:)

[soindcruiser]

We're getting ready to sail on the Sunshine on March 23 and were wondering about refrigerators in the cabins. We're in an OV on the Main Deck and thought we read somewhere when we booked that there was a fridge in the room. We just read some reviews and folks are saying either there aren't any at all or they are only in suites/new rooms. Did you have one or hear from any other cruisers?

 

As a side note, it's great to hear your review of the ship. Some of the reviews are interesting, to say the least. Can't wait to see it for ourselves!

[cruizinisthebest]

Glad to see another positive review of the Sunshine. I also feel the ship gets a bad wrap - at least on this board - like some folks have a cruiseship grudge or something;)

 

Also glad to hear you saw no buckets!

 

Can you share what cabin you stayed in and if you brought children? Would love to get my hands on a Camp Carnival 7-day schedule for the Sunshine before we sail. Did yo visit any of the speciality restaurants?

[Leo's Rule]

Can you elaborate on the problems with going from one side of the ship to the other? Is this mainly on specific decks? We're booked in the front (interior with walkway views) and will be traveling with a three year old, so getting from one place to another is something I have thought about quite a bit.. Thank you!

 

Deck 3 is the main one that sticks out...just disembarked today. You can't go all the way aft. You can get to it from deck 4, bit have to cut through Limelight Lounge & sometimes that's not always possible. You'll need to gain access from deck 5.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forums mobile app

[cruizinisthebest]

Deck 3 is the main one that sticks out...just disembarked today. You can't go all the way aft. You can get to it from deck 4' date=' bit have to cut through Limelight Lounge & sometimes that's not always possible. You'll need to gain access from deck 5.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forums mobile app[/quote']

 

Yeah that kinda doesn't make any sense the way it sounds. geesh.:confused:

 

Leo are you going to do a review? Only asking because you give verrrrry detailed reviews, and I would love to get your in depth take on the Sunshine. What cabin did you stay in?

[crazyboutdisney]

Which itinerary did you have...did you happen to keep copies of you "Fun Times?"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

E

We were Mahogany Bay Belize and Cozumel. I do have all my Fun Times and will attempt to post when I get home. I have never done that before so bare with me :)

[crazyboutdisney]

Glad you had a great time. So many time times you hear negatives. You're on vacation. How can that be bad? We will be on the sunshine in May. Perhaps you can help answer the question I posted earlier today about the spa:

 

Most carnival ships we have been on without cloud 9 have had separate facilities for men and women. Have read conflicting reports for the Sunshine Cloud 9 spa. Can someone clarify as it is very hard to see on the ship layouts.

 

1. Does the Sunshine have both co-ed and non co-ed facilities? or is is all co-ed except for changing rooms of coarse.
   
2. Is the sauna/steam room only accessible by guests that purchase a pass for the cloud 9 or are there sections that are free for all guests?
   

Thanks ahead of time.

 

Sorry...we never used the Spa. Enjoy the ship!! It was a great week!

[crazyboutdisney]

Can you elaborate on the problems with going from one side of the ship to the other? Is this mainly on specific decks? We're booked in the front (interior with walkway views) and will be traveling with a three year old, so getting from one place to another is something I have thought about quite a bit.. Thank you!

 

It wasnt a huge issue....we just had to think a little more about how we wanted to get from one place to another. So for example our cabin was deck 2 midship. So we had to go all the way to the aft elevators to get to the Sunrise dining room on deck 4. It just took a bit to feel the flow of the ship. Have a great cruise!!!

[crazyboutdisney]

Glad to see another positive review of the Sunshine. I also feel the ship gets a bad wrap - at least on this board - like some folks have a cruiseship grudge or something;)

 

Also glad to hear you saw no buckets!

 

Can you share what cabin you stayed in and if you brought children? Would love to get my hands on a Camp Carnival 7-day schedule for the Sunshine before we sail. Did yo visit any of the speciality restaurants?

 

We were 2201 oceanview midship deck 2. Sorry...we travel wout our children ( so far) so I have no experience w camp carnival. And we ate mongolian ji ji for lunch several times ( its not an additional charge at lunch) and loved it!!! Highly recommend trying it! Warning the sezchwan sauce is hot!!

[crazyboutdisney]

We're getting ready to sail on the Sunshine on March 23 and were wondering about refrigerators in the cabins. We're in an OV on the Main Deck and thought we read somewhere when we booked that there was a fridge in the room. We just read some reviews and folks are saying either there aren't any at all or they are only in suites/new rooms. Did you have one or hear from any other cruisers?

 

As a side note, it's great to hear your review of the ship. Some of the reviews are interesting, to say the least. Can't wait to see it for ourselves!

 

We were OV deck 2 and no fridge. I dont think any of the cabins on 1 or 2 have them. Not sure about upper decks.

[riclop]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[mgriffus]

We're getting ready to sail on the Sunshine on March 23 and were wondering about refrigerators in the cabins. We're in an OV on the Main Deck and thought we read somewhere when we booked that there was a fridge in the room. We just read some reviews and folks are saying either there aren't any at all or they are only in suites/new rooms. Did you have one or hear from any other cruisers?

 

As a side note, it's great to hear your review of the ship. Some of the reviews are interesting, to say the least. Can't wait to see it for ourselves!

 

In-Stateroom Minibar / Refrigerator

Ship: SH (suites and staterooms on decks 3/5/10/11/12 and select staterooms on deck 9)

[georgiapeach66]

Thank you for this!! I'm sailing on the Sunshine for the first time May 25th and have been reading some of the other reviews etc and they aren't always positive! Of course, your trip is what you make of it. Glad you had a great time! Can't wait to go now!

[Georgiagolfer]

Thank you for this!! I'm sailing on the Sunshine for the first time May 25th and have been reading some of the other reviews etc and they aren't always positive! Of course, your trip is what you make of it. Glad you had a great time! Can't wait to go now!

 

From all reviews posted here, seems like people either like or dislike. Doesn't seem to be too many that are in between.

[okgirl]

I was on this same cruise, so let me give a few thoughts......from a Diamond perspective.....

 

This was our 15th Carnival ship and our 32nd Carnival cruise.

 

The layout of the Sunshine and really all ships since the Destiny 1st came out is essentially the same with regard to not being able to go from the front to the back on all decks due to galley's and/or lounges. For me this is a non issue and I use the Promenade as my major route.

 

If I'm in my cabin which is usually deck 6 midship and want to go to the aft dining room or even up to the Lido, I usually walk to the aft deck 6 elevators to go up or down. When coming out of the dining room I usually go to deck 5 to traverse the ship.

 

I thought the ship was very pretty, but I've never been bothered by the old Farcus design, so these new more subtle tones are okay too....

 

We had an inside cabin 6196. It was by far the smallest cabin I've ever had on a Carnival ship and we've even sailed in PT's on deck 2. The bathroom was so small that you had one foot in the shower when on the toilet. There was probably 18" less counter space around the sink. The door opened into the bathroom so you had to step to the side of the toilet to have room to open the door.

 

We had 3 closets but not one that had shelves and with the safe in the closet that really reduced our usable space. We normally use 2 as hanging space and divide the shelves between us to have our folded cloths......this was workable but we did have to ask for more hangers.

 

No mini-fridge and no cans of soda's or anything, they could be ordered from room service though. There was a hair dryer in the vanity drawer and I wasn't expecting that. Our cabin was kept neat, and the cabin team was friendly and efficient.

 

The new design of the main show theater (Liquid Lounge) is small and awkward. The chairs on deck 4 are very close together without walkways in between the rows and no tables. The bar service is very hard to obtain because they can't get to you and you can't get out to them. I don't know how it functioned as a nightclub because I didn't go there then.

 

The Limelight Lounge where the comedy club is has a stage that extends out into the room, so that some of the seats are actually behind the performer. They have mounted TV's so the people in those seats are just looking at his back, but that's weird too.

 

This is a good or bad thing based on your perspective. In the casino instead of having all the smoking machines in one area back by EA sports bar, they are scattered around the entire casino. So there is a "pod" of smoking machines right next to a pod of non-smoking machines........the bad part is some of the smoking machines are right on the isle, so anyone walking by is subject to the smoke.......the good part is the air scrubbers seem to work better and I didn't feel like there was an overwhelming odor of smoke......the end of the casino bar is still smoking, so just as I've experienced before, it can be difficult to get bar service at the non-smoking end.

 

Other than Serenity (which is not very calming given the big screen going all the time) and the midship area of the Lido, there isn't much outdoor space. The entire aft area of the Lido is enclosed and has dark tinted windows, so it feels a bit dark and just doesn't have that come sit here for awhile. There are very few places to just sit and watch the ocean, though deck 3 does have loungers.

 

I found dining room service to be just okay. We have YTD which was upstairs in the aft dining room. We didn't have the same server every night which is our norm, but nobody seemed very friendly or conversational. I couldn't tell the difference between the head waiter and the rest of his team....Food was good and service was adequate. We're not high maintenance so I was fine with everything.

 

The bar staff in the Lobby were a real highlight for us and we spent a lot of time visiting with them.

 

I didn't eat at Bonsai Sushi this time because it's tucked away on deck 4 and I just forgot about it. I did have lunch in the Steakhouse for our Captains reception with all the Diamonds and it was really nice, but was a special menu, so I won't comment on the Steakhouse in general.

 

Overall, we had a great time sailing with lots of old friends. And there were no hugely negative issues, but it just wasn't the ship for us. We really like the larger ships and will continue to sail on the Magic as our homeport ship. I wouldn't say we'll never sail on the Sunshine again, but it would have to be something really special to get us back.

 

Oh......the one real negative I had an issue with was elevators.........they are so slow as to almost be worthless........they also don't always have lights telling you what floor they are on, and many of them don't ding or give an announcement when the doors open.

[crazyboutdisney]

Vacation is all what you make of it :) I noticed many of the things you mentioned but I was on a ship...in warmer weather and loving it. I have a hard time complaining with a pina colada in my hand and the sun on my face ;) We have only sailed twice so I am by far not an expert but I really didnt see much difference between our experience on the liberty and the sunshine.

[crazyboutdisney]

 

From all reviews posted here, seems like people either like or dislike. Doesn't seem to be too many that are in between.

 

Your comment is very accurate :) I am pretty easy going so it would take alot to upset my vacation. After all....im not at work so whats not to like?? Lol

[okgirl]

Vacation is all what you make of it :) I noticed many of the things you mentioned but I was on a ship...in warmer weather and loving it. I have a hard time complaining with a pina colada in my hand and the sun on my face ;) We have only sailed twice so I am by far not an expert but I really didnt see much difference between our experience on the liberty and the sunshine.

 

I agree, it was nothing too bad and I certainly wouldn't discourage someone from going on the ship. I did have a friend on the ship that had never cruised before and there were enough issues for him that he was more than ready to get off the ship.......

 

I always hate to hear that, because every ship every week can have a much different vibe, and like you said......

 

We're on vacation, on a ship, not cooking and not cleaning..........Sister and I are missing Feby at the Lobby Bar and our Bloody Mary morning specials.....:(

[cruizinisthebest]

Thanks for your feedback OKgirl. Seems fair. Still very excited about our upcoming trip.

 

Your take on the inside cabin confirmed for me that I definitely want to change the ones we have reserved for our upcoming trip. When I initially booked the Sunshine, it was in a scenic oceanview. Then I had to change dates and they weren't available on the new sailing. We hesitantly opted for insides midship on Deck 6. We've stayed in an inside before but not for a week! The rooms we have are right across the hall from 6196.

 

Do you have any information about the new cabins on Deck 5?

[Leo's Rule]

Yeah that kinda doesn't make any sense the way it sounds. geesh.:confused:

 

Leo are you going to do a review? Only asking because you give verrrrry detailed reviews, and I would love to get your in depth take on the Sunshine. What cabin did you stay in?

 

I wasn't at first, but am working on it.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forums mobile app

[Leo's Rule]

Yeah that kinda doesn't make any sense the way it sounds. geesh.:confused:

 

Leo are you going to do a review? Only asking because you give verrrrry detailed reviews, and I would love to get your in depth take on the Sunshine. What cabin did you stay in?

 

Forgot to state I stayed in a spa interior cabin. 10128

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forums mobile app