What really is wrong with the Sunshine?

[Choozin Croozin]

I have read good reviews and horrible reviews of the Sunshine. I live in Charleston but am also looking at an 8 day out of Port Canaveral in 2017. I was originally thrilled to see a new ship come to Charleston, but then so many bad reviews. This would be my first trip back to Carnival in 26 yrs. So I want to know what the real issues are and then I can determine if that would be an issue with me. We are pretty laid back and not fussy at all, but... Just came back from an RCL cruise where there wasn't a positive thing said by anyone that we talked to and that was a lot. We had no complaints. Thank you for your input.

Edited April 14, 2015 by choozin' cruzin'

[Swampbaby]

Go, understanding the public venues are smallish and you need to be at the Comedy Club early to get a seat. Lido pool area on sea days is VERY crowded as they have packed in as many lounge chairs as possible. Personally, I would NOT stay in any cabin lower than deck 7 as yes, there are smells that seem to not be correctable. Not all the time with the smells, but enough to make a difference.

 

We were on the Sunshine this FEB and had a great time. We were in a 4J on deck 7. LOVED the 2.0 upgrades, décor was very nice, crew were awesome and I liked the shows.

[Working 2 cruise again]

I would like to know as well, since Charleston is our closest port. I would love to do an 8 day out of Charleston instead of driving to FL. We would be traveling with 2 kids, by 2017 they will be 11 and 9. Thanks!

[Harrier1961]

We had a cabin on deck 1 and walked the whole ship on our cruise in March.

No smell at all.

Is the ship perfect? No.

Did I enjoy the cruise? Yes

We even have one booked for April of 2016.

Love the many dining options, the Ocean Plaza, and Red Frog Pub.

If you can find a seat in serenity, it is awesome, especially the waterfall.

 

Go and enjoy.

 

Andy

[SkyMaster]

Too many people aboard, and not enough public space. ;)

 

"SKY"

[SummerXU]

I sailed on her back when she was still Destiny, so obviously a lot has changed since then. From what I've read here on the boards, the most common complaint is that it's too crowded. They basically took the Destiny and added more cabins - therefore, increasing the number of passengers and decreasing the public space.

Edited April 14, 2015 by SummerXU

[s0ccermom]

I cruised on the Sunshine July 2014.

The décor is beautiful.

Had a balcony cabin on deck 6 midship. Never came across any 'smells' anywhere on ship

It is a crowded at peak times. The Havana bar is great, always plenty of sitting. Wish it had more open deck areas.

Not my favorite ship, but had a great cruise. I would sail on her again for the right itinerary and price.

[OCruisers]

Charleston is an extremely convenient port for us and interested in the 8 day on Sunshine so am appreciating the comments here.

Please keep them coming ....

LuLu

[barante]

Lots of years ago we drove down to Charleston from Baltimore, stayed in a reasonably-priced historic hotel, woke up to see our ship next door. I turned to my wife and said, "How does it feel to visit the best port even before the cruise starts?"

[cruzeluver]

There are 8 days on Sunshine out of Charleston? When? Know about the 10 day and are seriously considering it. Compared to other lines we have sailed on Carnival has a crowding issue in general so not bothered by that. We don't hang out much at the pool during peak times and prefer traditional dining so not worried about waiting for a table at dinner.

[ready2cruzagain]

The Carnival Sunshine was originally the Carnival Destiny. It was built in 1996 but refurbished in 2013, at which time they changed the name of the ship from the Destiny to the Sunshine.

 

When they refurbished the ship they added several cabins, taking away from the public areas. This has caused it to feel overcrowded.

 

Lots of complaints about sewer odors and buckets sitting in hallways catching dripping water.

[jimbo5544]

The Carnival Sunshine was originally the Carnival Destiny. It was built in 1996 but refurbished in 2013, at which time they changed the name of the ship from the Destiny to the Sunshine.

 

When they refurbished the ship they added several cabins, taking away from the public areas. This has caused it to feel overcrowded.

 

Lots of complaints about sewer odors and buckets sitting in hallways catching dripping water.

 

Mainly from people who have not sailed on her.

[Beachdude]

Mainly from people who have not sailed on her.

 

I could be wrong, but it appears by your long resume that you have not sailed her either.

 

Burt

[Jimmy Geegitz]

We were just on the Sunshine in March. The only complaint was the open decks on sea days. The reason it is crowded is because of the large waterpark they put on the back of the ship. It has taken up a lot of deck space. But worth it if you ask me. We love the slides. After 10am tho forget trying to find a deck chair til about 1-2pm. At nite there are so many great places to go the crowds don't seem bad. The comedy club is the only place but they fill up on all the ships. We love the Sunshine. No smells on our cruise. Also love the way the buffet is setup compared to other ships.

[nwo4life]

She is a great ship, it pained me to cancel the cruise with had booked on her in October. There are many things that make it feel different than other Carnival ships.

[jimbo5544]

I could be wrong, but it appears by your long resume that you have not sailed her either.

 

 

 

Burt

 

 

You are correct, we have not sailed (although we have two cruises scheduled on her in August and February) her. That being said, we have slept on her and spent a day for a TA event when she came over to New Orleans for the naming ceremony.

 

I can tell you that what they did on the Sunshine far exceeded by expectations. The fifth floor, lido and especially the Havana Bar area lido aft. Spectacular comes to mind.

 

Did the Sunshine have issues after the redo? Sure. Did they add cabins? Yes. Is she the best design ship out there? No. The point of my post is most of the people slinging trash have no idea. When challenged they say they will never step foot on her, which is fine. While some may say I am a Carnival cheerleader, at least I comment on my experiences and not piggybacking on anything negative I can find.

[Podna's]

I could be wrong, but it appears by your long resume that you have not sailed her either.

 

 

 

Burt

 

 

I've sailed her twice. One out of NOLA and once out of PC and Jimbo is 100% correct. Yes the smell and bucket thing did happen after dry dock but there was absolutely none of that on my cruises. The people Jimbo mentioned do exist. Never stepped foot on her but still bring up the dry dock issues.

Bottom line, beautiful ship!

[LMaxwell]

10 pounds of ship in a 5 pound bag; which is to say too crowded.

 

Plus old infrastructure leads to some hotel related issues that any older ship is susceptible to.

[Choozin Croozin]

Lots of years ago we drove down to Charleston from Baltimore, stayed in a reasonably-priced historic hotel, woke up to see our ship next door. I turned to my wife and said, "How does it feel to visit the best port even before the cruise starts?"

 

How do you think it feels to live here.:eek: :D We have only been here a yr and a half, but love it. Would be that much better if we'd have some good cruise out of here. :D

 

The Carnival Sunshine was originally the Carnival Destiny. It was built in 1996 but refurbished in 2013, at which time they changed the name of the ship from the Destiny to the Sunshine.

 

When they refurbished the ship they added several cabins, taking away from the public areas. This has caused it to feel overcrowded.

 

Lots of complaints about sewer odors and buckets sitting in hallways catching dripping water.

 

Ok, so it appears that crowding is the major issue. Which, I hate to say it, would bug me a bit. But not enough to deter me.

 

Thank you all for your input. I welcome any other comments.

 

BTW- the ones out of Charleston don't really work for us right now. The 8 day I was looking at was out of PC which is only 6 hrs.

Edited April 15, 2015 by choozin' cruzin'

[pirate4me2]

We sailed her in February and I went in very skeptical but was pleasantly surprised. Her decor is beautiful and her entertainment was the best of any ship we have sailed. Yes, her deck space on sea days is crowded and yes, the comedy club is too small. However I would sail her again without hesitation!

[taki183]

I could be wrong, but it appears by your long resume that you have not sailed her either.

 

Burt

Burt BRILLIANT

[2Ports]

We did a B2B on her and loved every minute.

 

As far as "smells", the only issue we had with that was shortly after I got up in the morning. :confused: Customer service was never able to resolve the issue... :p

[Frank12]

10 pounds of ship in a 5 pound bag; which is to say too crowded.

 

Plus old infrastructure leads to some hotel related issues that any older ship is susceptible to.

 

Made me LOL! :D

[Out to sea!]

I have read good reviews and horrible reviews of the Sunshine. I live in Charleston but am also looking at an 8 day out of Port Canaveral in 2017. I was originally thrilled to see a new ship come to Charleston' date=' but then so many bad reviews. This would be my first trip back to Carnival in 26 yrs. So I want to know what the real issues are and then I can determine if that would be an issue with me. We are pretty laid back and not fussy at all, but... Just came back from an RCL cruise where there wasn't a positive thing said by anyone that we talked to and that was a lot. We had no complaints. Thank you for your input.[/quote']

 

What is really wrong with the Sunshine you ask? Absolutely nothing.

[StaceySteveDMB]

We stayed on deck 6 forward balcony room. We were above the Liquid Lounge and the music from the night club kept us up. Other than that we loved the ship. We did not feel crowded at all and thought the deck space was the same as any other ship we sailed. We are booked again for late June and November on her.