Carnival Sunshine to Saint John, New Brunswick, 4-night June 30th Review

[JenTX4NYC]

Hello all!!

 

First off, apologies in advance for the lengthy review :-)

 

I will also follow up with some photos!

 

We just got off the Sunshine on Monday, after sailing her to Saint John, Thursday through Monday.

 

I should preface my review by saying that it was very cold in St. John (as well as rainy and foggy) and also very cold on the second sea day, so Lido deck and Serenity Deck activities were limited.

 

We agreed with many other reviews about about minor complaints just adding up to put a damper on the whole trip. Overall, definitely would not cruise to Canada again. Definitely would not cruise on the Sunshine to anywhere cold again. Definitely wouldn't cruise the Sunshine longer than four days.

 

There just simply wasn't enough activities for cold weather. I felt like in general the list of activities each day was very short compared to NCL. Add to that the cold and not wanting to be outside, and the activity list felt even shorter. I felt like most of the activities revolved around drinking or spending more money.

 

It was rather annoying that there wasn't always food available (other than burgers/pizza). My husband wakes up early and said on several mornings before they made breakfast available (which didn't start until 7), people were complaining because you couldn't even get pizza which was advertised as open 24-hours.

 

Smallest buffet I've ever seen on a cruise ship, so there wasn't much diversity in meals, especially at breakfast. I also found it odd that given the buffet was already so small, there were repeats of everything. There are two main Buffett areas in the middle and both had the same items. Given the buffet is so small, you'd think they would offer different items on these two areas. I am guessing their kitchen is too small to handle diversity.

 

That said, I loved loved loved the Serenity area. We never had trouble with chair hogs. I just wish I could have used it more, but it was so cold most of the trip. I loved the size and the fact that there was a pool and hot tub in there. We were actually able to use the pool and hot tub on more than one occasion since they weren't crazy crowded in Serenity. I did see kids a few times but that was few and far between, and short lived. I also saw staff tell the kids they had to leave.

 

While there was a lack of diversity in the food, it was all good to great. The stir fry lunch was the only thing we were really unhappy with. I also had a gross-looking salad served to me with my pasta lunch at Cucina so that was disappointing.

 

I highly recommend to go check out Cucina or Havana Bar at lunch time and breakfast. I don't think many people realized that those areas were open and free at those meal times. You can get a great omelet in the morning back there, and all the other breakfast items are back there as well (French toast, pancakes, meats, etc). The French toast is the best item at breakfast. Everyone seemed to be raving about it! It's definitely not to be missed.

 

In terms of lunch, JiJi is not worth the line - lines are long and it's so rushed that they don't properly stir fry your food and it's just gross. That said, Cucina was great for lunch (I personally tried the Alfredo) and while there is a wait, it's very well organized with the buzzers so you aren't standing in line like at JiJis. I would recommend they implement the same system at JiJis, perhaps it would be less rushed. Havana Bar also has a small Caribbean buffet. The empanadas and mint sauce were absolutely delish and not to be missed!

 

F55 and Cucina dinners were worth the price, especially on the first two nights with the wine specials! I would highly recommend you go to these, especially on the first two nights. Whatever you do, do not miss the tuna tartar at F55! Seriously the best tuna tartar I've ever eaten, and I go to high-end Manhattan restaurants regularly. The arancini (rice balls) at Cucina were also delicious!

 

Alcohol on this ship was much more expensive than NCL, which was a disappointment. I missed the awesome daily cocktail specials that were on NCL. If you're looking for a beverage steal on the ship, sometimes (unfortunately not always) there were specials at Java Blue (the up-pay coffee bar on deck 5 between the casino and Ocean Plaza) which made spiked coffees $4.95. In general, even at the regular price of $5.95, this is the cheapest liquor you will find on the ship, but you need to like / want coffee in your drink to get this. Otherwise most of our drinks were around $10 each. They were closer to $5-$6 on NCL for equal cocktails.

 

We also spent more in the casino than we would have liked since there was not much to do. It's also pretty convenient that you mostly need to walk through the Casino to get from place to place easily.... This made a lot more people go in there and spend money.... carnival was "smart" when they did this! Given the amount of people we saw in the Casino (far more than other ships), Carnival definitely made a killing on this trip!

 

Epic Rock was decent but very short. Definitely didn't compare to Rock of Ages on NCL. Although the theater was comfortable (which those who have been on NCL Breakaway know the theater is very uncomfortable). We also liked the Love and Marriage show, but that should have been a daytime show with a bigger production at night in my opinion. A few of the singers were quite talented, but not all of them. NCL definitely invests far more in their entertainment, that was very clear.

 

Comedy was ok. I hated that it was a planned show. We would have gone to comedy club every night but they only had two comedians who swapped nights and repeated their shows. On NCL we could go to the comedy show multiple nights (or even several times a night) and never see the same show. One of the comedians was excellent though. The other didn't entertain me at all, especially since the majority of his jokes were race-based.

 

The layout of the ship was a bit odd but that didn't bother us.

 

Our chief complaints are probably cleanliness and staff. Nobody used the wash bins heading into the buffet. On NCL there were multiple people at every entrance making sure you sanitized your hands. There sheer lack of care for health / cleanliness on Carnival was kind of gross. I went into a public bathroom once and decided never again after that since it was so dirty. This was also the first day and the bathroom nearest F55 (where we were spending $100 for dinner), so it was quite disappointing. Always went to our cabin after that.

 

In terms of the staff, most didn't seem happy. We had an issue in the main dining room on the last night with them running out of the wine we ordered, and somehow our card was charged three times for the wine we never received, and our waiters seemed so scared. I made sure to mention to their bosses multiple times in front of them that it wasn't the waiters' fault, but they still seemed nervous. Dining room staff in general just seemed very scared / nervous / unhappy. This also applies to the buffets and other food areas (except F55). That said, all the bar tenders we met and other staffed seemed very friendly. We just felt like there was a serious lack of staff all over the ship, which clearly led them to being over-worked and miserable.

 

The weather was definitely not their fault, but they should have been more prepared for it with more activities. I would go on the Sunshine again if someone could gaurantee me sunshine and warm weather every day (so that I could just chill in Serenity my whole trip), but as that's never a guarantee, I likely won't.

 

Photos coming over the next few days!!

[boopsahoy]

Sorry you had bad weather! Looking forward to photos as we are going on the Sunshine August 1st. Did you do Your Time Dining?

[crooooze]

Along the lines of unavailability of food, we had a shore excursion in Nova Scotia that had a meeting time of 11:45.

 

The *only* lunch available before 12 was pizza.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the report and looking forward to the photos.

[JenTX4NYC]

Sorry you had bad weather! Looking forward to photos as we are going on the Sunshine August 1st. Did you do Your Time Dining?

 

Yes, we did. It was very simple and we never had to wait, but both times we went to the main dining room it was early (before 7).

[JenTX4NYC]

Along the lines of unavailability of food, we had a shore excursion in Nova Scotia that had a meeting time of 11:45.

 

The *only* lunch available before 12 was pizza.

 

 

 

That's correct. And, that's if you can even get pizza. Sometimes there was actually nobody there. Other times the pizza line was EXTREMELY long. I only tried the breakfast pizza as I was lucky enough to pass by at a time that wasn't busy. The guy seemed miserable, but the pizza itself was very good.

[boopsahoy]

Yes, we did. It was very simple and we never had to wait, but both times we went to the main dining room it was early (before 7).

Did you have to sign up on deck 5?

[sshs]

Our chief complaints are probably cleanliness and staff. Nobody used the wash bins heading into the buffet. On NCL there were multiple people at every entrance making sure you sanitized your hands. There sheer lack of care for health / cleanliness on Carnival was kind of gross. I went into a public bathroom once and decided never again after that since it was so dirty. This was also the first day and the bathroom nearest F55 (where we were spending $100 for dinner), so it was quite disappointing. Always went to our cabin after that.

 

In terms of the staff, most didn't seem happy. We had an issue in the main dining room on the last night with them running out of the wine we ordered, and somehow our card was charged three times for the wine we never received, and our waiters seemed so scared. I made sure to mention to their bosses multiple times in front of them that it wasn't the waiters' fault, but they still seemed nervous. Dining room staff in general just seemed very scared / nervous / unhappy. This also applies to the buffets and other food areas (except F55). That said, all the bar tenders we met and other staffed seemed very friendly. We just felt like there was a serious lack of staff all over the ship, which clearly led them to being over-worked and miserable.

 

We just got off the same cruise, and I generally agree about the cleanliness and staffing issues. I didn't notice the unclean bathrooms as much as people not washing their hands and the lack of hand-sanitizers. I tried using the hand-washing stations in the Lido, but both times got my non-waterproof watch wet. Fortunately, it was ok.

 

As for the staff - I think the reason for the lack of staff (which I've commented on elsewhere) is the fact that when they remade the Destiny into the Sunshine, they added a bunch of guest cabins on several floors, but I'll bet they didn't add any (or just a few) staff cabins. It even showed up in the steakhouse, according to our tablemates. Our cabin didn't get serviced the last night, and when I called to get some towels, our steward said he was still working on the rooms (after 11 pm!), but that his assistant got pulled away to help with the luggage. I assured him that it wasn't a problem, but I think it points to the very full plates the staff have - even worse than I've seen on other Carnival ships.

[ilovetotravel1977]

Overall, definitely would not cruise to Canada again.

 

Why is that?

[cruzeluver]

Thanks for the feedback. Its always interesting to see a ship through another's eyes.

 

We were on Sunshine end of May into June for her 10 night Journeys cruise and absolutely loved it. We had never been impressed enough with a Carnival ship to book it a second time, but we are going back on Sunshine in November and are possibly booking again in late 2017.

 

Regarding the hand sanitizers, I do not use them as my hands are already quite dry and sanitizers make them even worse. I do practice very good personal hygiene and wash my hands frequently and correctly. Personally, I think a lot of folks skip the hand washing altogether thinking sanitizer is a good substitute.

[oceanqueen101]

I think this is why they are taking the Sunshine on the 4 day Bermuda route soon. Not much to see in St John and most people are disappointed with the weather; like me.

[JenTX4NYC]

Did you have to sign up on deck 5?

 

Yes we did, but I found it extremely easy. Both times they handed us a ticket to go straight to 3 and be seated. They even accommodated our request to sit by Windows and not with strangers.

[JenTX4NYC]

We just got off the same cruise, and I generally agree about the cleanliness and staffing issues. I didn't notice the unclean bathrooms as much as people not washing their hands and the lack of hand-sanitizers. I tried using the hand-washing stations in the Lido, but both times got my non-waterproof watch wet. Fortunately, it was ok.

 

As for the staff - I think the reason for the lack of staff (which I've commented on elsewhere) is the fact that when they remade the Destiny into the Sunshine, they added a bunch of guest cabins on several floors, but I'll bet they didn't add any (or just a few) staff cabins. It even showed up in the steakhouse, according to our tablemates. Our cabin didn't get serviced the last night, and when I called to get some towels, our steward said he was still working on the rooms (after 11 pm!), but that his assistant got pulled away to help with the luggage. I assured him that it wasn't a problem, but I think it points to the very full plates the staff have - even worse than I've seen on other Carnival ships.

 

Agree with all of the above in regards to staff. Glad your watch was ok!

[JenTX4NYC]

Why is that?

 

Way to high of a risk for cold gloomy weather. At least with rain in the Carribean it's still warm enough to enjoy some things.

[JenTX4NYC]

Thanks for the feedback. Its always interesting to see a ship through another's eyes.

 

We were on Sunshine end of May into June for her 10 night Journeys cruise and absolutely loved it. We had never been impressed enough with a Carnival ship to book it a second time, but we are going back on Sunshine in November and are possibly booking again in late 2017.

 

Regarding the hand sanitizers, I do not use them as my hands are already quite dry and sanitizers make them even worse. I do practice very good personal hygiene and wash my hands frequently and correctly. Personally, I think a lot of folks skip the hand washing altogether thinking sanitizer is a good substitute.

 

Was the 10-day cruise bad weather and fully sold out? As mentioned I do think weather contributed heavily to my opinion, but again, also think they should. Have been better prepared.

 

People definitely need to know hand sanitizing is not a replacement for washing, but I didn't feel there was enough reminding from Carnival about cleanliness.

[JenTX4NYC]

I think this is why they are taking the Sunshine on the 4 day Bermuda route soon. Not much to see in St John and most people are disappointed with the weather; like me.

 

Agree. Bermuda is a much better destination in my opinion, and less freezing cold in July risk :-)

[boopsahoy]

Yes we did, but I found it extremely easy. Both times they handed us a ticket to go straight to 3 and be seated. They even accommodated our request to sit by Windows and not with strangers.

 

Thanks!

[JenTX4NYC]

I've been having some trouble uploading photos. I'll get some up this weekend when I have more time. :-)

[jpurdy]

Canadian cruises are totally different than Caribbean (weather). However, my best memories are that of being stuck inside due to poor weather and having the time of our lives dancing/singing with a band by the casino. There were all age groups, elderly and children participating. I smile just thinking of that memory. We all made the best of the situation and hopefully we will have the same experience in a couple short weeks. I also hope to see whales, which we often do on this itinerary.

[JenTX4NYC]

Canadian cruises are totally different than Caribbean (weather). However, my best memories are that of being stuck inside due to poor weather and having the time of our lives dancing/singing with a band by the casino. There were all age groups, elderly and children participating. I smile just thinking of that memory. We all made the best of the situation and hopefully we will have the same experience in a couple short weeks. I also hope to see whales, which we often do on this itinerary.

 

I think there is a big difference in the experience you're explaining vs what we experienced on the Sunshine - you made the most of it, but we're also given great indoor stuff to make the most of - such as the band you mentioned. We didn't have that. Your crew clearly planned for indoor activities in the case of inclement weather. Unfortunately the Sunshine crew, at least on my sailing, did not.

[Bailey3]

While in Saint John, did the ship stay on New York City time or were clocks set to local time (one hour ahead)? What time did you actually arrive in Saint John? Thanks.

[Cr2zCr8zy]

Okay, so this was disappointing to hear on many levels in that I head to Boston, Portland & Canada on the sunshine on Sept. 3. Hoping summer weather holds out while heading north. I've never been on the sunshine but am hearing mixed reviews. I always have to find out for myself.. ;)

[nybumpkin]

I've never really understood why they use Sunshine for the Canada cruises rather than a Conquest-class ship that has the dome over the aft pool. We did seven Canada cruises (4 on Victory, 3 on Glory) and having the covered pool really helped when the weather wasn't great (which wasn't a constant for us - we had several Canada cruises where you'd swear you were on a Caribbean cruise, based on the crowds on the Lido deck).

[monkeybone]

To the OP, I was on this cruise and agree 100% with your review.

 

We stayed in an OS and it was so dusty and dirty.

 

They had nothing planned on the ship with the bad weather in port. Boring.

 

Also the food was not up to par in the main dining rooms and the buffet. We ate at the Asian place it was ok (very salty) and the steak house also just ok.

 

The only show we saw was Epic rock that was ok.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.