Why all the Carnival Sunshine hate? Should I avoid it?

[scm200]

I forgot to mention in my earlier post, The cruise director announced 3600 as number of passengers on our 9-11 sailing.

 

I am thinking the CD made a mistake, that ship does not hold 3600 guests - more like 3006...

[Tapi]

I am thinking the CD made a mistake, that ship does not hold 3600 guests - more like 3006...

 

 

At full capacity, the Sunshine holds 3,765, giving it a horrendous space ratio of 27.

[jimbo5544]

At full capacity, the Sunshine holds 3,765, giving it a horrendous space ratio of 27.

 

I assume something got cut off, what is a ratio of 27?

[MACUQUI58]

At full capacity, the Sunshine holds 3,765, giving it a horrendous space ratio of 27.

3006 is correct... I looked it up on Carnivals web site

[NCTribeFan]

It's the space ratio. Yes, it's bad.

 

My thoughts about reviews (and I've posted this a lot lately)...

 

Even if FIVE whole people come back and write a thorough review of one particular sailing, that's a teeny, tiny sample size.

 

We've seen people come here and say a particular sailing was bad and had terrible, cold food and unfriendly crew and the next post will be someone saying they were on the same sailing and had their best cruise ever.

 

Every person will have different impressions of every sailing. I don't expect anyone to read my reviews and decide to take any particular ship or visit any particular port.

 

I write them as much to memorialize them for myself as to provide info here.

 

Personally, I think if someone bases the cruise they'll book on a handful of statistically-negligible reviews, they're making a huge mistake.

 

But, again, I don't book for the ship anyway. I don't book for the food or the entertainment and certainly not for the pools. Even when I just want a getaway short cruise to relax, and am not booking for the ports, I don't worry about the ship.

 

I just think folks shouldn't give too much weight to the reviews.

[NCTribeFan]

Here you go...

 

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/CL-Carnival.php

 

I think 3765 is too high, but that's what they're showing. When they added the extra cabins, if they were mostly all 3 & 4 berth, then, yes, the space ratio is going to be even worse than it used to be.

 

Google space ratio if you don't understand what it means.

[scm200]

Here you go...

 

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/CL-Carnival.php

 

I think 3765 is too high, but that's what they're showing. When they added the extra cabins, if they were mostly all 3 & 4 berth, then, yes, the space ratio is going to be even worse than it used to be.

 

Google space ratio if you don't understand what it means.

 

well the 3006 is what the Carnival site states, I wonder if the higher number includes crew? I know the cabins we have reserved hold 3 or 4 and we are only 2 in each cabin....

[Tapi]

3006 is correct... I looked it up on Carnivals web site

 

At double (2 per cabin) occupancy, not at full occupancy.

 

I wonder if the higher number includes crew?

 

 

Crew is another 1150, which brings the total number of people that this ship carries to almost 5,000!

 

 

I assume something got cut off, what is a ratio of 27?

 

 

Space to passenger

Edited September 21, 2015 by Tapi

[tandemcruzr]

the Serenity Deck is right in front of the loud big screen TV on three levels with a bar only on the middle one and no bar waiters up there either.

 

We had bar waiters in the Serenity area on our Nov B2B. :)

 

And we have 2 more B2Bs booked for next Jan and April. :D

[Qchell]

You should not avoid it as it does have some amazing features, but you should pay attention to the negative reviews to ensure that either you are prepared for some of the negatives and know what to expect and/or to ensure they are not things that would ruin your cruise for you.

 

My DH and I won't sail on her again until she goes back in dry dock and gets some work done to her inner workings.. and even then we may not. We did not like the organization of the ship and it did feel especially crowded to us - all over the ship. You need to get to things early as they will run out of seating.

 

The air conditioning was just sad - I always need a sweater or something in the evening when indoors on a cruise and was burning up if I put one on. We never slept with more than a sheet because the air just could not get cold in the rooms.

 

TONS of plumbing issues. Our toilet had to get fixed twice. The second time so many people were calling in with problems in their staterooms that I had to literally run to the GS desk because I could not get through and our toilet was about to flood our stateroom. The pipe burst on another deck during the cruise and they had to replace the entire carpeting in that stateroom. There were buckets in the hallways constantly catching drips.

 

Now I do recall that those staying in the new staterooms that had been added during the 2.0 overhaul had no plumbing or air conditioning problems. Those apparently were all working perfectly.

 

The ship itself has her issues. The features, the staff, the food was all perfectly wonderful! But we have been on everything from the smallest to largest ships and this was hands down the most cramped I have ever felt on a ship and the most 'internal' issues I have ever heard about during a cruise.

[jimbo5544]

At double (2 per cabin) occupancy, not at full occupancy.

 

 

 

 

Crew is another 1150, which brings the total number of people that this ship carries to almost 5,000!

 

 

 

 

 

Space to passenger

 

 

I won't argue that there are plenty of people the ship. I have no idea to put a value (and more importantly the common every day cruiser) On a space to passenger ratio. There are tons of common some that never get used on a cruise ship.

 

The Sunshine is a ship where they tried to make better use of common space (lido aft as an example). Liquid lounge is another. I don't think these are bad things but would never be "a plus" in an arbitrary ratio like this. To me, the value (of the ratio) is marginal at best.

[palmbaytish]

I'm looking forward to our 8 day cruise on the Sunshine in March. I've traveled enough to know that for the most part, I don't give much credence to "bad reviews". I do my research and I remember that a vacation is what you make of it. So the Sunshine can feel crowded at times. So did the Liberty, the Breeze, and the Glory before it. Buffet lines are long. What a great reason to eat in the Main Dining room! I don't expect world class food on a cruise, either. I go on a cruise to enjoy time with my family. Seeing or not seeing a comedy show is not going to ruin my trip. I am looking forward to seeing new ports (St. Marteen & St. Kitts) and just relaxing.

[cruiserNC]

Been on 15 cruises enjoyed them all but we must agree the ship felt crowded. We didn't get to attend any comedy due to the fact you must arrive at least 45 mins early. We only attended 2 shows for the same reason and unlike any other shop we've been on, a lot of bad seats are in the lounge.

We cruised with 2 children and was amazed how small the camp area was in comparison to other ships and the number of passengers. The camp could not execute me of the planned activities because of the number of campers for room space. The outside lido deck area was super crowded and at times nearly impassable because the deck chairs are as long as the width of the walking space. One area where I must say that the ship layout was executed to perfection was the inside buffet area on the lido. The serving stations were strategically placed for easy access.

 

Overall we still enjoyed our cruise and another family that with us were on their first cruise and booked another while cruising.

Would I go on the Sunshine again? Probably not, unless the price and itinerary were extremely attractive.

 

 

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[cruizinisthebest]

I sailed her for 8 days in August and was glad I experienced the ship for myself. And if I hadn't known about the remodel, I would never have been able to tell one took place.

 

I didn't bother with a lengthy review, because there's about 50,000 Sunshine reviews between this page and on the review portion of this website, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn't find the layout bothersome at all. It is different but that's what I liked about it. The deck was crowded on sea days, but even getting out there close to noon I was still able to find a lounger. Just not right by the pool where I never lay out anyway. Unlike alot of people, I tend to lay out late morning/early afternoon. Everyone flocks for a spot under the sun early. I made sure not to do that on the Sunshine. Several times we got decent spots on the coveted serenity area going later in the day. And it does indeed live up to all the hype. It's the only Serenity deck I've ever hung out on. It's nice up there. Any level.

 

We had cabins on Deck 5 aft and it was beyond perfect. Almost everything we were most interested in was aft. Plus the casino, Alchemy, Red Frog, The Shakespot, the Fun Hub - all of that was just steps away. Deck 5 has every cabin type, so I highly HIGHLY recommended a cabin back there. It's not noisy. Rooms are nice.

 

Enjoyed the spa and hubby treated me to a massage. Very pretty and relaxing up there. Just too bad there's no T-pool.

 

None of us had an issue finding good food to eat. There's a ton of options. I don't see how anyone can complain about food. Especially on this ship. Just my opinion.

 

The one and ONLY legitimate complaint I saw posted on here that holds weight IMO is the ridiculously small venue for the comedy club. I took pics, because until I sailed the ship, I couldn't understand this whole bit about the monitors. Countless people commented but I never saw any pics.

 

This right here is ridiculous:

 

 

 

 

You do need to get there early. 15-20 minutes worked for us. That would get us in just in time to avoid the seats on the sides or no seat at all. We went to 4 comedy shows - all were the 11:15 adult shows. I'm really not sure what the point of the fake stage that takes up too much space. To hide sound equipment maybe. But the host and the comedians come from the back.

 

I give the ship two thumbs up on everything and I mean everything BUT this tiny behind comedy club. I will plan to sail her again!!

[KatieCharlotte]

When I think about cruise reviews, I think about one moment during our most recent spring break cruise, full of newbie cruisers. (Blue cards were most common and gold cards were rare). I was on Lido, walking with my kids to grab ice cream cones, a little after noon. Every single person around me sounded or looked stressed out as they tried to find a place to sit with trays full of food after waiting in long buffet lines. We had just finished a very relaxing brunch of steak and eggs in a nearly empty dining room.

 

I would like to know how early we need to arrive for the family friendly comedy, assuming we have no interest in seeing the stage but would like to sit down.

[LuckyZ]

The one and ONLY legitimate complaint I saw posted on here that holds weight IMO is the ridiculously small venue for the comedy club. I took pics, because until I sailed the ship, I couldn't understand this whole bit about the monitors!!

 

Thanks for posting the pics. That does seem small.

 

Personally I was never a fan of moving the comedy shows from the show lounge to the small room venue. Why does Carnival insist on reminding you that you are on a 3,500 person cruise by squeezing everyone into such a small space.

[cruizinisthebest]

When I think about cruise reviews, I think about one moment during our most recent spring break cruise, full of newbie cruisers. (Blue cards were most common and gold cards were rare). I was on Lido, walking with my kids to grab ice cream cones, a little after noon. Every single person around me sounded or looked stressed out as they tried to find a place to sit with trays full of food after waiting in long buffet lines. We had just finished a very relaxing brunch of steak and eggs in a nearly empty dining room.

 

I would like to know how early we need to arrive for the family friendly comedy, assuming we have no interest in seeing the stage but would like to sit down.

 

I would say 20-30 minutes tops. There's really no need to get there any earlier seeing as you will have to stand the entire time. The comedy club is on Deck 4 at the end of the hallway were Bonsai Sushi and the Piano Bar is on one side, and the Steakhouse is on the other. Just make sure when you finally get in that you head center or to the bar seats in the back. There's really no bad seat in the rear since the place is small. It's the sides you want to avoid.

 

Thanks for posting the pics. That does seem small.

 

Personally I was never a fan of moving the comedy shows from the show lounge to the small room venue. Why does Carnival insist on reminding you that you are on a 3,500 person cruise by squeezing everyone into such a small space.

 

I don't know. I wonder myself. The comedy shows are so popular. Hold them in a decent size space! I get they want an intimate setting but the lights are turned down. That's enough! lol.

[Tapi]

I have no idea to put a value (and more importantly the common every day cruiser) On a space to passenger ratio.

 

To me, the value (of the ratio) is marginal at best.

 

I agree that value of the space to passenger ratio is of little importance to a lot of people. For example, if a person is the kind of passenger who likes to spend a lot of time enjoying their own balcony and away from the crowds, and they shy away from busy places at peak hours, and doesn't care about attending venues like the comedy club and prefers one of the less frequented venues or decks, then this ratio will not be a real factor for them. But for the vast majority who are normally out and about the ship when most other passengers are doing the same, then this number becomes much more important and valuable to determine what the experience will be like.

 

Unlike a star rating which is subjective at best, space to passenger ratio is a real, measurable hard number which can be of great value to a lot of people. Is a ship with a horrible space to passenger ratio going to automatically translate into a bad cruise experience? Not necessarily. We see every day here how many people praise the Fantasy class for carrying less passengers and not feeling as crowded, even though their space to passenger ratio is worse than the Conquest class and equal to the Dream class. Personally, we loved sailing on the Dream (2nd favorite Carnival cruise) even though its also a pretty crowded ship. We just learned to avoid busy venues at peak times from day one.

 

As I said in my first post on this thread, anybody sailing on Sunshine can have an enjoyable time as long as they go with realistic expectations. Know that its indeed a crowed ship, and plan daily activities accordingly to try to minimize the impact of the extra passengers onboard.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Tapi

[saharaga]

Qchell, We're you on my Sunshine cruise at the end of May? Because your entire post mirrored my experience on the Sunshine. I clipped this part because a pipe did break and water soaked our carpet. They changed our carpet after I insisted that something be done to fix the problem.

 

To all the Sunshine evangelists, I booked this cruise with eyes wide open. I knew it was a refurbished ship and had read through the reviews, positive and negative. It was still our worst Carnival cruise ever. For anyone cruising on the Sunshine, or considering it, by all means, go on the Sunshine with an open mind but the negative reviews are just as valid as the positive ones. Weigh the issues and decide what you are willing to put up with after paying your hard earned money.

 

 

TONS of plumbing issues. Our toilet had to get fixed twice. The second time so many people were calling in with problems in their staterooms that I had to literally run to the GS desk because I could not get through and our toilet was about to flood our stateroom. The pipe burst on another deck during the cruise and they had to replace the entire carpeting in that stateroom. There were buckets in the hallways constantly catching drips.

[lido deck larry]

I think that a big reason why the Sunshine gets disproportionate negative reviews is Carnival's fault for advertising Sunshine as a brand new ship and creating false expectations.

 

Magic is a brand new ship. Sunshine is a 20 year old ship which got a name change, was refurbished, cabins were added, and public areas removed, which gave it one of the worst space to passenger ratios in the entire cruise industry.

 

In my opinion, you will enjoy it as long as you go with REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS, in other words, not expecting the Magic.

Exactly. Couldn't have put it better.

 

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[kublaieod]

Sailed in May and September both 8 day. I love this ship, its not any more crowded than any other ship in my opinion except for the comedy club. Definitely too small. The AC in our room was awesome, I usually have to crank it (other ships) and it was just comfortable. We had it dialed up a couple "dots" and was plenty cool. The toilet did have an issue one day. It just wouldn't flush, but an hour later it was fine. I was on 8th deck (for reference).

 

JiJi's is AMAZING!!! Can't get that on any other ship

Serenity - best in the fleet.

 

I don't understand why people say it is so confusing.

 

I am also used to having seating along the promenade on the outside. Sunshine does not have, but has a nice seating area in back by the Alchemy and the plaza venue where they do all the activities (trivia, etc).

 

Service on both trips were amazing. Had at least 15 different people remember me from my May cruise.

 

Our Roll call had an amazing planner and our meet and greet had ~50 people. She contacted the hotel manager to get a location and they gave us the red frog pub. Once they saw that we indeed had a lot of people they started brining in servers and dining room folks and they served does finger food (a lot of it), officers showed up. Was really amazing and we didn't ask for it. They went above and beyond.

[jolyroger]

We cruised on the Sunshine This past April during Spring break. Honestly, I would not hesitate to book again on this ship! I read the reviews like I always do , trying to figure out best or worst location on whatever ship we may be sailing, what to see and to avoid. As with every thing we read, we take with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own opinions on what they look for in a ship, their personal standards on what makes them happy or not so happy on a cruise. To us, We didn't feel this ship was overly crowded. I always managed to snag some deck chairs whether on lido or serenity area .Our cabin, which was a spa balcony cabin, loved it! Food no complaints and there are plenty of places to eat. The staff was great and personable. The ship itself we thought was beautiful, very clean and well kept. Very similar to The Breeze in décor which we had sailed twice prior to the Sunshine , reminded us like a mini version . Now we sailed with a huge group as well, about 30 of us... all different cabin areas, all different ages. For the most part , aside from some who nothing will ever please them, we all had a great time. And as I said, I would not hesitate to book again, and also if you go into a cruise or a vacation looking for all the negative, that's all your going to find, and you may miss out on a great trip!

[cruzinlisa]

I think Sunshine looks like it has a lot of great features and really wanted to sail on her myself while she was in NOLA. Alas she has moved ports. Now that her homeport has moved, its unlikely I will sail on Sunshine, because if I am traveling to any other port, I am probably going to go for a newer ship (Breeze, Vista or Magic) or just not Carnival. Now if they would move her back to NOLA, I would probably be more likely to take a Carnival cruise this year. Dream just does not excite me and I want something more posh that Elation (which I did like BTW). So I have to decide whether to drive an extra couple of hours to Galveston (NOLA is already almost 12 hours) or do something else. We have been thinking of road tripping to Niagara Falls, which is not that much more of a distance from our house as Galveston is). Decisions...

[ANGELSwithANGLES]

Not happy. I think I heard they are sending that ship to New York.

[cruizinisthebest]

The Sunshine is moving all around next year....Charleston, Norfolk, and NY from late June to the end of August.

 

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