Sunshine Review - Oct 12-17

[sierramyst44]

Let me start by saying this will be a mostly POSITIVE review of the Sunshine, I had read so many negative reviews that I have to say I was a bit nervous about booking this ship but thankfully I can tell you all that we had an ultimate blast! To make things easier to ready I will post this in multiple post. Feel free to ask me any questions.

[sierramyst44]

Pre Cruise we booked a night at the International Palms Resort in Cocoa Beach we thought it would be a romantic beachside start to our vacation. This resort is no better than your standard Motel 6, rooms were dated, tubs disgusting, mattress's had the old springs that you could feel, sand fleas in the outdoor fire pit area, thankfully they did not have those old quilted bedspreads but instead had a thin blanket in between two white sheets to resemble a comforter. Since Wifi was pretty sketchy we decided to just check out early and go hang at Duncin Donuts and sip coffee until it was time to head to the parking.

[sierramyst44]

We parked our car at the Cruise and Park across the street from the Radisson, since their were 4 ships going out of Port Canaveral things were pretty hectic as passengers were being brought in and just as many looking to go. They finally got clearance to bring us over and we arrived at the port around 11:30 am.

[sierramyst44]

We had purchased F2F which my DH did not agree with however I am happy to say that he saw the FULL value of F2F when the embarkation process started as we walked in the door we were ushered very quickly to the special line, easy walk thru the customs area and waited about 2 minutes for an agent to get our sign and sail card. They were already boarding and were calling zones however with the F2F we again did not have to wait in any line and was quickly up the escalators and walking onto the ship.

[sierramyst44]

With F2F your room is guaranteed to be ready so we were able to board the ship and head right down to our ocean view cabin on Deck 1 AFT. We found the room to be quite spacious with a king size bed, full couch, coffee table, plenty of storage and closet space. The bathroom was typical although the shower stall is very large. The toilet is positioned kind of at an angle so if you are tall you may find your feet in the shower! The only negative about the room is their was NO refrigerator. This was a surprise as all the room descriptions say their is one. Our cabin attendant was super, she kept our room clean, ice bucket filled and clean towels. We had a towel animal every night except the last night. High 5's to Usa and her team for looking after us.

 

In case you are all wondering if Deck 1 is near the water line it is not LOL it is above the deck for tendering and port exits and unless their are 20 foot seas I don't think you would have to be worried about being in a submarine!

[sierramyst44]

After dropping off our carry on we heading up to the Lido to enjoy our first lunch onboard. I knew I wanted to try out the Guy's Burger joint and DH wanted a nice corned beef deli sandwich. We settled in with our lunch and I have to say I LOVED this burger and fries all the juiciest mess that it was. DH always loves his deli sandwich and they did not skimp on the corned beef.

The Lido buffet is small considering the number of passengers and because they have Guy's and the Blue Iguana outside the buffet consisted of 2 center squares with the standard buffet choices ( both cubes had the same foods) along the front was the make it yourself salad bar and the dessert bar. Seating was available all around the buffet area and outside by the pool, if you head to the back entering the Havana bar their is plenty of seating at least for breakfast and lunch at night each side becomes a dinner restaurant. Soft serve ice cream stations were at both sides exiting to the pool area. One new thing we used was a pour your own beer station, this was a bit cheaper than getting one from the bar and it was located in the buffet area.

[sierramyst44]

Another perk of F2F is your luggage is to arrive shortly after you board so we decided to test it and returned to our room. As promised our luggage was waiting by the door so we unpacked and had plenty of time to explore before the muster. The muster drill went quickly and smoothly and before you know it we are pushing off and heading out to sea!

[sierramyst44]

Is it dinner already? Headed up for our first any time dining meal. You check in for dinner on deck 5 right in front of the tasting station and then walk down 2 floors to deck 3 to enter the lower dining room. We always ask for a table to 2 as I like to go to the early shows and DH likes to order lots of apps to try. The tables for two are so close together you do get to banter with other guest on the right and left of you. We did enjoy dinner in the dining room all 5 nights, never had to wait more than a minute for a table and only had "slow" service 1 of the nights. I think that a lot of the dining room staff changed over for this cruise as I could hear our waiter giving instructions to his helpers throughout the service. We found all the food that we ordered to be of good quality, exceptional presentation. never had a cold meal, glasses were kept full of ice tea/water. The only negative I could think of was more a disappointment with my cream of broccoli soup. On other cruises this soup was super yummy this cruise it had an odd flavor ( beefy?) and had too many onions. My favorite meal was the St. Louis ribs, flavorful and meat falling off the bones. Desserts were just okay they all looked pretty but lacked something in the taste and some had odd textures ( gelatin?).

 

First sea day brunch was super yummy filet mignon with eggs!

 

You can also order in the main dining room steak and lobster from the steak house. We did not try any of the pay restaurants and we felt $35.00 PP was already higher than we pay when we go out at home.

 

Eggs to order in the morning can be found to the left after entering the Havana bar.

 

Pizza is made consistently 24 hours, we loved it and found them to be a tasty late night treat as the crust is super think

 

Since food is such a subjective topic if anyone has specific questions about the menu please feel free to ask!

[ch27088]

Is it dinner already? Headed up for our first any time dining meal. You check in for dinner on deck 5 right in front of the tasting station and then walk down 2 floors to deck 3 to enter the lower dining room. We always ask for a table to 2 as I like to go to the early shows and DH likes to order lots of apps to try. The tables for two are so close together you do get to banter with other guest on the right and left of you. We did enjoy dinner in the dining room all 5 nights, never had to wait more than a minute for a table and only had "slow" service 1 of the nights. I think that a lot of the dining room staff changed over for this cruise as I could hear our waiter giving instructions to his helpers throughout the service. We found all the food that we ordered to be of good quality, exceptional presentation. never had a cold meal, glasses were kept full of ice tea/water. The only negative I could think of was more a disappointment with my cream of broccoli soup. On other cruises this soup was super yummy this cruise it had an odd flavor ( beefy?) and had too many onions. My favorite meal was the St. Louis ribs, flavorful and meat falling off the bones. Desserts were just okay they all looked pretty but lacked something in the taste and some had odd textures ( gelatin?).

 

First sea day brunch was super yummy filet mignon with eggs!

 

You can also order in the main dining room steak and lobster from the steak house. We did not try any of the pay restaurants and we felt $35.00 PP was already higher than we pay when we go out at home.

 

Eggs to order in the morning can be found to the left after entering the Havana bar.

 

Pizza is made consistently 24 hours, we loved it and found them to be a tasty late night treat as the crust is super think

 

Since food is such a subjective topic if anyone has specific questions about the menu please feel free to ask!

 

 

Nice review, I'm subscribing!!!

[anamanxs]

Thanks for the review, sail on her in two weeks.

[Domino D]

With F2F your room is guaranteed to be ready so we were able to board the ship and head right down to our ocean view cabin on Deck 1 AFT. We found the room to be quite spacious with a king size bed, full couch, coffee table, plenty of storage and closet space. The bathroom was typical although the shower stall is very large. The toilet is positioned kind of at an angle so if you are tall you may find your feet in the shower! The only negative about the room is their was NO refrigerator. This was a surprise as all the room descriptions say their is one. Our cabin attendant was super, she kept our room clean, ice bucket filled and clean towels. We had a towel animal every night except the last night. High 5's to Usa and her team for looking after us.

 

In case you are all wondering if Deck 1 is near the water line it is not LOL it is above the deck for tendering and port exits and unless their are 20 foot seas I don't think you would have to be worried about being in a submarine!

 

Thanks for the review. I actually called Carnival and asked if there were refrigerators in Ocean View Rooms. They said yes absolutely. But every review says no. Amazing.

 

Was there a safe in the room? Did it work with a code or a card?

[bafinegan]

I believe only the OV cabins that were added on deck 5 after the refurbish have the fridges. Could be wrong tho

[sierramyst44]

Yes safe was inside the first closet operated with a PIN # of your choosing, we had no issues with the safe.

 

Our room attendant said that no rooms had refrigerators. Hair dryer was located inside the top drawer of the dresser and already plugged in. While it was better than some hairdryers I have used on other ships it was still not as good as your at home one. I always bring my own and ended up just using mine.

[sierramyst44]

Entertainment is subjective and I have an open mind as to the shows I go to watch. The Welcome Aboard show is usually a favorite as it gives you a sample of what the shows will be, this welcome show was none of that but instead the CD ( Calvin) also his 1st day on the Sunshine appeared on stage wearing a mismatched suit, orange socks and sweating profusely ( He even used one of socks to wipe his forehead) The shoes and socks came off due to a skit gone bad when he searched the audience for a young child and a probably 2 year old came up missing one of his shoes. It was funny for about 30 seconds but after that I still don't know what the purpose of the child was. Or what the purpose of the show was we left shaking our heads

 

Second night show was the singers/dancers doing a Motown themed song and dance while I give these 8 young mean and women kudos I found the main female singer to be a bit screechy, the male lead was very good and made the show tolerable. The set is very cool and constantly changing and the show ends with a little bit of a laser show.

 

Third night show was another themed show we chose to not attend

 

Fourth night was the Hasbro Game Show after hearing that this was actually pretty funny we found it to be chaotic and not organized well by the CD. He did admit it was his first Hasbro game show so perhaps with time he will find a groove and move the show along. We left about 3/4 of the way through. If you have young kids this show will probably be a blast for them. If you want to get picked to participate you have to sit in the lower level.

 

Fifth night was another themed song/dance show we did not attend

[sierramyst44]

Comedy shows are held at least 3 x each evening with a family friendly show early. This venue is very strange as it is not only small it is semi circle so about 1/3 of the audience on both sides cannot see the comedian's except on the large screen TV's placed on the walls. You also needed to get their very early and wait in line.

 

Clubs, dancing and music - The Sunshine does not lack themed bars with music depending on what you are looking for you can usually find something of interest.

 

DJ operated at the pool during the day providing current music although the volume is turned Way UP. Their is no quiet area on the outdoor Lido section including the Serenity area. We found the best place to get quiet time was to get a lounge chair on Dec 3

 

Casino - The casino is larger than other ships we have been on and have the typical slots and table games. You do need 1500 casino points to qualify for a Drinks on Us Card. It can be smoky in their as it is the ONLY indoor smoking area on the entire ship.

[keywest1]

I believe only the OV cabins that were added on deck 5 after the refurbish have the fridges. Could be wrong tho

Also, the 4Js on Deck 3. There are some others (suites or balconies, but I don't remember offhand which ones).

[sierramyst44]

The new smoking area is located on deck 10 right behind the DJ and above the pool but below the water park. It was a large enough area with new furnishing ( end type tables) and lounge chairs. It is WINDY up their!

 

Carnival's water park is outstanding we did not try anything however any time we walked by it said it was closed.

 

Drinks were plentiful and since we often had to flag down a waiter to order one it was obvious that they were not pushing the cocktails that much.

[sierramyst44]

Ports -

 

Key West was our first stop we purchased our trolley ticket through Groupon for about 1/2 the excursion price. We found it to be a good value and the drivers professional and new their island history. I would recommend taking a full loop and then decide which stop you want to get off and explore.

 

Nassau - $4.00 cab ride gets you to Paradise Island ( Atlantis) the ship had a heightened awareness statement from the US Embassy so they were recommending not taking large amounts of cash and or flashy jewelry. The terminal at the pier is being renovated so the merchants are all outside now in little huts giving it more of a straw market feel but it also did not flow well to get outside for taxis.

 

Freeport - $5.00 cab ride gets you to Port Lucaya which is where you can find the beach for about $15.00 PP as well as the shopping ( both straw market and nicer jewelry stores) Small casino is across the street from the shopping and is the drop off/pick up spot. You can walk to shopping or the beach easily from this spot. Many local bars with local food are along the water behind the stores.

[sierramyst44]

One of my favorite things to do is watch all the late people run and scramble to get on board before we set sail. I had observed many close calls but in Key West a couple did arrive as we were about 30 feet off the pier. While waiting to tie up in Nassau that left behind couple were walking down the pier to rejoin the cruise.

 

Lesson learned the ship DOES leave even if you are not their!

 

Getting on and off at all three ports was very organized and fast.

[sierramyst44]

In summary we had a GREAT time aboard the Sunshine and would definitely choose her again if the itinerary and price was right. We found NONE of the negative things that others have reported. No smells, AC was functioning properly, Ship was extremely clean, Food was hot and plentiful.

 

Hope you enjoy the review and if questions come up please ask!

 

Happy sailing :)

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for the review, nice job.

[pb19]

Minibar on Ships: Sunshine (suites and staterooms on decks 3/5/10/11/12 and select staterooms on deck 9)

 

From: https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/the_fleet/sunshine/sunshine.ashx

 

I've been on the Sunshine twice and we did cabin crawls which allowed us to visit a bunch of different rooms. This sight seemed to be very accurate.

[Out to sea!]

Thanks for the review. I actually called Carnival and asked if there were refrigerators in Ocean View Rooms. They said yes absolutely. But every review says no. Amazing.

 

Was there a safe in the room? Did it work with a code or a card?

 

For fridges it depends on what deck you are on.

[Out to sea!]

After dropping off our carry on we heading up to the Lido to enjoy our first lunch onboard. I knew I wanted to try out the Guy's Burger joint and DH wanted a nice corned beef deli sandwich. We settled in with our lunch and I have to say I LOVED this burger and fries all the juiciest mess that it was. DH always loves his deli sandwich and they did not skimp on the corned beef.

The Lido buffet is small considering the number of passengers and because they have Guy's and the Blue Iguana outside the buffet consisted of 2 center squares with the standard buffet choices ( both cubes had the same foods) along the front was the make it yourself salad bar and the dessert bar. Seating was available all around the buffet area and outside by the pool, if you head to the back entering the Havana bar their is plenty of seating at least for breakfast and lunch at night each side becomes a dinner restaurant. Soft serve ice cream stations were at both sides exiting to the pool area. One new thing we used was a pour your own beer station, this was a bit cheaper than getting one from the bar and it was located in the buffet area.

 

Could you expand on this a little more and do you know what the pricing is?

[sierramyst44]

The pour you own beer station was located in the Lido Buffet it was $4.00 for 14 ounces . You are actually paying for the ounces you pour into your glass we had a few charges for 3.75 so we were shorting ourselves so to speak. You slide your sign and sail card to activate the draft spigot.