Currently on Sunshine....some disappointments

[Bunkie103]

We boarded the Sunshine on 2/13/16 and within 30 minutes of arriving at the front door or the terminal we were on board. Our room was ready because we are Platinum...wonderful. I signed up for the "middle" internet package and thought $60 for the cruise was a good deal. Service is a bit slow but not bad at all.

 

The soft serve machines have been out of order since we boarded....I know not a big deal but a disappointment.

 

On Sunday we went up to the Serenity Deck....what a joke. Towels everywhere but few people. There are little alcoves with two sofas and people are hogging both sofas for two people...not nice. We walked all the decks and there was not a single chair available. So we spent a good part of the day sitting in the lobby! It's windy so Deck 3 is not usable. Same thing today and we were out at 8am! The Chair Hogs are in full force and the ONE GUY policing the lounges is overwhelmed.

 

We are YTD and they seem to have a system that is unique to the Sunshine and it's a disaster! We usually go to the Dining Room around 6:30 which by history isn't a busy time. We went up to Deck 5 to "check-in" and were given a pager....the lounge was full of people with pagers.....hundreds of people and the line kept getting longer. There appears to be no rhyme or reason about seating people. I spoke with another couple who waited 90 minutes and said they had NEVER waited before on any other ship but another couple sat down near them and were called in 20 minutes. We waited about 40 minutes and when I asked how much longer, was told if I would take a booth it would not be as long. I had initially said a booth was okay. When we finally got to the Dining Room there were lots of empty tables and booths.....I don't get it!

 

We had a great waiter and the food was good but we dread this disaster each night and don't want to eat at the Lido each night. Tonight we have a reservation at the Cucina de Capitano....so hopefully no wait there.

 

I think I can accurately say the Sunshine won't be on our list again.

[Vitamin_Sea]

oy...

 

We never do YTD. Cant stand the pagers and the wait

[sanmarcosman]

Does your cabin have a full length mirror?

[cruizinisthebest]

Sorry but chair hogs can be a problem on any ship. And if the people are returning even for a minute within that 40 minute time frame, they can keep the chair as long as they want. 8am for a spot on Sunshine's serenity is like showing up at lunchtime. We never had a problem finding a seat up there but we purposely waited until later in the day. Just too busy up there and no seats in the morning.

 

We had late seating but ATD seemed to run much better than you described. I saw the line but it went fast. People would get pagers then wait in Ocean plaza. 90 minutes waiting for a table would have turned me inside out. Sorry you're having a hard time. We did alot of resesrch to make sure we avoided some of this and absolutely loved the Sunshine. Going on her again next year.

[Bunkie103]

Does your cabin have a full length mirror?

 

No it does not BUT we are in one of the "pie slice shaped" aft cabins and I don't know about the other cabins.

[Bunkie103]

Sorry but chair hogs can be a problem on any ship. And if the people are returning even for a minute within that 40 minute time frame, they can keep the chair as long as they want. 8am for a spot on Sunshine's serenity is like showing up at lunchtime. We never had a problem finding a seat up there but we purposely waited until later in the day. Just too busy up there and no seats in the morning.

 

We had late seating but ATD seemed to run much better than you described. I saw the line but it went fast. People would get pagers then wait in Ocean plaza. 90 minutes waiting for a table would have turned me inside out. Sorry you're having a hard time. We did alot of resesrch to make sure we avoided some of this and absolutely loved the Sunshine. Going on her again next year.

 

We would settle for a chair ANYWHERE outside not necessarily on the Serenity. We have done YTD since it first started and only one time were handed a pager. People were slamming them down on the desk they set up by the Taste Bar last night. I've never seen that before, and then when we got to the DR and there were lots of empty tables.....I don't understand.

[Glock19]

I was on the week before. The soft serve machines were hit and miss last week too. The layout of that ship is horrendous. We had the sewer smell to deal with. The cabin doors look good but those screens in the bottom lets in A LOT of noise from the hall.

[zephyrhillscruisers]

I was on the week before. The soft serve machines were hit and miss last week too. The layout of that ship is horrendous. We had the sewer smell to deal with. The cabin doors look good but those screens in the bottom lets in A LOT of noise from the hall.

 

Been on the Sunshine my last two cruises. Where is the sewer smell exactly? Never caught wind of it.

[marty1950]

We were on the Jan 24th cruise and the ice cream machines were out of order that week also. I asked the attendant when they would be repaired, he said they were waiting for parts, yeah right. asked him why they couldn,t use parts from one machine to repair the other machines, he shook his head and walked away. I guess Carnival saved alot of money with this cut back. Gary

[jimbo5544]

We boarded the Sunshine on 2/13/16 and within 30 minutes of arriving at the front door or the terminal we were on board. Our room was ready because we are Platinum...wonderful. I signed up for the "middle" internet package and thought $60 for the cruise was a good deal. Service is a bit slow but not bad at all.

 

 

 

The soft serve machines have been out of order since we boarded....I know not a big deal but a disappointment.

 

 

 

On Sunday we went up to the Serenity Deck....what a joke. Towels everywhere but few people. There are little alcoves with two sofas and people are hogging both sofas for two people...not nice. We walked all the decks and there was not a single chair available. So we spent a good part of the day sitting in the lobby! It's windy so Deck 3 is not usable. Same thing today and we were out at 8am! The Chair Hogs are in full force and the ONE GUY policing the lounges is overwhelmed.

 

 

 

We are YTD and they seem to have a system that is unique to the Sunshine and it's a disaster! We usually go to the Dining Room around 6:30 which by history isn't a busy time. We went up to Deck 5 to "check-in" and were given a pager....the lounge was full of people with pagers.....hundreds of people and the line kept getting longer. There appears to be no rhyme or reason about seating people. I spoke with another couple who waited 90 minutes and said they had NEVER waited before on any other ship but another couple sat down near them and were called in 20 minutes. We waited about 40 minutes and when I asked how much longer, was told if I would take a booth it would not be as long. I had initially said a booth was okay. When we finally got to the Dining Room there were lots of empty tables and booths.....I don't get it!

 

 

 

We had a great waiter and the food was good but we dread this disaster each night and don't want to eat at the Lido each night. Tonight we have a reservation at the Cucina de Capitano....so hopefully no wait there.

 

 

 

I think I can accurately say the Sunshine won't be on our list again.

 

We are on as well, and by far, their are more more YTD then I have ever seen. Sunshine is unique in its approach to YTD. Last night I would wager that there were over 500 people that showed up to check in between 5:45 and 6:30. Someone saying they never had to wait for YTD sounds suspect to me.....

Edited February 15, 2016 by jimbo5544

[Glock19]

Been on the Sunshine my last two cruises. Where is the sewer smell exactly? Never caught wind of it.

I was in a cat 11 OS 7169. The smell was bad. It was even out on the balcony. Right off the glass elevators by the pictures had the smell too. When I was shaving I could smell it in the sink.

[Bunkie103]

We are on as well, and by far, their are more more YTD then I have ever seen. Sunshine is unique in its approach to YTD. Last night I would wager that there were over 500 people that showed up to check in between 5:45 and 6:30. Someone saying they never had to wait for YTD sounds suspect to me.....

 

Call it anything you want but we waited one time on the Dream when we went to dinner at 7:30 on elegant night, and one time on the Fantasy out of Charleston when we asked to change from late seating. If I had known the pagers were involved on a regular basis I would have picked a set dining time. Believe me or not!

[summersigh]

I was in a cat 11 OS 7169. The smell was bad. It was even out on the balcony. Right off the glass elevators by the pictures had the smell too. When I was shaving I could smell it in the sink.

 

We were in 7277 on the Jan 8 cruise - only thing we smelled was what seemed like food cooking in the kitchens.:D out in the hallways

 

I just remembered - when I went down to guest services one afternoon (maybe day 6 of 8) I smelled what seemed to me to be a rancid mop between the glass elevators and guest services. It was localized to that area.

Edited February 15, 2016 by summersigh

[cruizinisthebest]

Been on the Sunshine my last two cruises. Where is the sewer smell exactly? Never caught wind of it.

 

One of us in our party last year had an aft extended on deck 5 and it would woof in and out in the bathroom the entire trip. We tried pouring water down the drains. Nothing seemed to help. Luckily it wasn't that bad. Never smelled it in any other areas of the ship or in our own cabin, which was also on deck 5.

[Glock19]

We were in 7277 on the Jan 8 cruise - only thing we smelled was what seemed like food cooking in the kitchens.:D out in the hallways

 

I just remembered - when I went down to guest services one afternoon (maybe day 6 of 8) I smelled what seemed to me to be a rancid mop between the glass elevators and guest services. It was localized to that area.

The only other time I ever smelt sewer was on the Triumph and once on the inspiration. All the other Carnival ships I've sailed on we never smelt anything. The noise in the cabins on the Sunshine with the vents in the doors you hear everyone's conversation in the hall.

[KatieCharlotte]

We are on as well, and by far, their are more more YTD then I have ever seen. Sunshine is unique in its approach to YTD. Last night I would wager that there were over 500 people that showed up to check in between 5:45 and 6:30. Someone saying they never had to wait for YTD sounds suspect to me.....

 

I am not afraid to criticize Carnival, and I can honestly say that we never had to wait for a table during our Christmas cruise on the Sunshine. We always were sent straight to the dining room and never received a pager. We ate in the MDR seven times, usually around 6 to 6:15 p.m., and needed a table for five or occasionally four. There were typically three or four people ahead of us in line, and I never saw more than about twenty people waiting (at a busy time on elegant night). Maybe they're experimenting with expanding YTD to more guests?

 

We DID have the same experience as the OP with chair hogging. I have never seen it so bad. I recommend that if you see a bed with just a towel, move the towel and sit yourself down. If the hogger returns, stand up and say you were saving the spot for them.

 

Also, one of the soft serve machines was also out of order throughout the entire cruise. My kids would have been quite upset if the other machine had not been working. Out of order soft serve machines on Sunshine is a problem I have heard about frequently. I would love to know why. :confused:

 

As for the "sewer" smell, we did not notice it.

[ladygal4.4]

We are on as well, and by far, their are more more YTD then I have ever seen. Sunshine is unique in its approach to YTD. Last night I would wager that there were over 500 people that showed up to check in between 5:45 and 6:30. Someone saying they never had to wait for YTD sounds suspect to me.....

 

 

We never waited last week on the Sunshjne. But then again we always showed up at 5:15 when the doors opened. But when our meal was over, there were a lot of people waiting for a table in the lounge on deck 5.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mizLORInj]

Hmmm. Maybe I'll go back to fixed dining on the upcoming cruise.

 

On Glory a few years back when YTD was relatively new we didn't wait when we showed up around 6. Maybe more people are now doing YTD?

[JawjaFatBoy]

Sorry to hear you're having problems. We have been entertaining the idea of booking the Sunshine, but I think I'll do a bit more research before we do. The long wait in the DR it unusual. We have done YTD on all of our cruises and have never had more than a 20 minute wait even during peak time.

[ladygal4.4]

No it does not BUT we are in one of the "pie slice shaped" aft cabins and I don't know about the other cabins.

 

 

spa balconies don't have a full length

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jimbo5544]

We never waited last week on the Sunshjne. But then again we always showed up at 5:15 when the doors opened. But when our meal was over, there were a lot of people waiting for a table in the lounge on deck 5.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Understand, I meant at peak times.

[TaDaaa!]

oy...

 

We never do YTD. Cant stand the pagers and the wait

 

Exactly. we always do early time dining. One reason people may be waiting so long is that they have requested a certain table or wait team and they have to wait until something opens up.

[boopsahoy]

oy...

 

We never do YTD. Cant stand the pagers and the wait

Ive done YTD on both my Carnival cruises and both 8 day cruises we ate 7 nights in the MDR and only once (the lst night) did we get a beeper.

a

[boopsahoy]

oy...

 

We never do YTD. Cant stand the pagers and the wait

 

Ive done YTD on both my Carnival cruises and on both 8 day cruises we ate 7 nights in the MDR and only once (the last night) did we get a beeper. The ship was Splendor so wondering if the problem is The Sunshine.

[cruiserNC]

We agree Sunshine was a one and done for us. The public areas were so crowded always gave me the feeling of exiting a movie theater after completion.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk