Oh Canada! Our Carnival Sunshine New England/Canada cruise (with pics) 9/3/2016

[Crusin Karen]

I hate to see your cruise end! Thank you for taking us along with you on another memorable journey. Enjoy your trip with Ryan. How nice you do these trips and have some father/son times together! Wishing you and Patti many happy voyages in the future and fingers crossed we will cruise together someday! ;)

[Warm Breezes]

Thank you for the review.

[savedbygrace]

Great review, Jeff. I loved seeing the trip from your perspective and counting the many times we crossed paths but never met. Elpedio, Cinthia and Mackbeth were our Dining Team as well. They were amazing, so friendly and wonderful; we hated to say goodbye that final night. Here's a last dinner pic with Elpedio and Mom and Dad. Thanks for taking the time to do this great review. Peace and Blessings upon you and Patti, and safe voyage for you and Ryan next week.

 

Ed (savedbygrace)

 

 

 

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[Jamman54]

I look forward to it! Hard to say who dropped the ball CC or Carnival, but hopefully they will get it straightened out by then. Meanwhile, enjoy your next cruise on the Sunshine with your son! I'll be heading out on the Vista in 31 days. :D

 

Have a GREAT cruise on the Vista!!!

 

I hate to see your cruise end! Thank you for taking us along with you on another memorable journey. Enjoy your trip with Ryan. How nice you do these trips and have some father/son times together! Wishing you and Patti many happy voyages in the future and fingers crossed we will cruise together someday! ;)

 

Thanks Karry!! Have you considered a B2B on the Magic next October? :D

[Jamman54]

Thank you for the review.

 

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your cruise on the Sunshine. We'll wave to you as we leave the ship on the 17th! :)

 

Great review, Jeff. I loved seeing the trip from your perspective and counting the many times we crossed paths but never met. Elpedio, Cinthia and Mackbeth were our Dining Team as well. They were amazing, so friendly and wonderful; we hated to say goodbye that final night. Here's a last dinner pic with Elpedio and Mom and Dad. Thanks for taking the time to do this great review. Peace and Blessings upon you and Patti, and safe voyage for you and Ryan next week.

Ed (savedbygrace)

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Thanks for reading, and I hope it brought back some great memories. Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet. What dinner seating did you have? Could you have been sitting right next to us?

[savedbygrace]

We were at the 6:00 seating. Also, how awesome was our Maitre D, Amith. He stopped and talked with us every night, and always had a huge smile when walking around the dining room.

 

 

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[lauren0309]

I came across your review this morning and you got me hooked on reading it. I will finish reading it later when I return home tonight. I like the flashback down memory lane and your boys were adorable. I'm sure they still are!

I'm going to Canada/New England in June, so looking forward to reading more and seeing the pictures.

[Jamman54]

We were at the 6:00 seating. Also, how awesome was our Maitre D, Amith. He stopped and talked with us every night, and always had a huge smile when walking around the dining room.

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We had late seating. Amith was great. I emailed him before the cruise with my table preferences and he came through for us!

 

I came across your review this morning and you got me hooked on reading it. I will finish reading it later when I return home tonight. I like the flashback down memory lane and your boys were adorable. I'm sure they still are!

I'm going to Canada/New England in June, so looking forward to reading more and seeing the pictures.

 

Thanks for reading and for your kind words. Cruising to New England / Canada is different but fun. Enjoy your cruise!

[rksmom]

Sorry you didn't like my city (I live just outside Saint John). There is actually a lot of things to do in and around the city. St. Martin's Cave, the town of St. Andrews, Museum at Market Square and quite a few micro-breweries (2 more will be opening by next cruise season. We are a small province, however, Saint John is a very historic city with lots to explore. The old houses you saw may be the ones left over from the fire that took out most of the downtown core. We are the oldest city in North America. Hopefully next time, if there is one, you can find something to your liking.

[TracyESQ]

Just realized we'll be on the sunshine together on October 13th! How fun! My husband and I are taking a baby-free cruise to celebrate 5 years married :D

 

So are we! Small world.

[CityGirlLost]

Thanks for the awesome review. We head out to Canada on the Sunshine o n Saturday and I hadn't really done my homework for this cruise. I feel a little better now knowing what to expect.

[Jamman54]

So are we! Small world.

 

The more the merrier! See you on board! :)

 

Thanks for the awesome review. We head out to Canada on the Sunshine o n Saturday and I hadn't really done my homework for this cruise. I feel a little better now knowing what to expect.

 

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your cruise on the Sunshine, and keep her in good shape for those that board her the 13th! :D

[Jamman54]

Sorry you didn't like my city (I live just outside Saint John). There is actually a lot of things to do in and around the city. St. Martin's Cave, the town of St. Andrews, Museum at Market Square and quite a few micro-breweries (2 more will be opening by next cruise season. We are a small province, however, Saint John is a very historic city with lots to explore. The old houses you saw may be the ones left over from the fire that took out most of the downtown core. We are the oldest city in North America. Hopefully next time, if there is one, you can find something to your liking.

 

We do not dislike Saint John. I just said that compared to Halifax, and the other ports on our cruise, there wasn't as much to do.

 

My son Ryan and I will be back in Saint John on October 15th, and we plan on having lunch at Rocky's Sports Bar. I'll buy you and your SO a drink and we can discuss this further! :D

Edited October 6, 2016 by Jamman54

[Jamman54]

Final thoughts and ramblings.

 

Let's start with the ship itself. There were very few positive reviews of the Sunshine anywhere, but rather than avoid this ship based on what others have said, we wanted to see for ourselves. We are glad we did! Like I said at the beginning of the review, we had sailed on her twice when she was the Destiny, so we were thinking that this would be sort of a homecoming for us. Once we boarded we didn't feel that way. Other than the hull of the ship and the stairwells, there wasn't much left of the Destiny. It felt like a completely different ship, which was a good thing.

 

Let's talk about the beautiful three deck high Serenity, with it's waterfall and pool. Decks 11 & 12 overlook the Beach Pool which is not very serene at all. The best Serenity deck is Deck 14, which has plenty of quiet comfortable seating, the Serenity Bar, and the fairly large hot tub. On both of our sea days the best Serenity deck was closed due to "high" winds. Though Serenity on the Sunshine is awesome looking, I will always prefer Serenity on the Spirit Class ships.

 

We had read that the Sunshine felt more crowded. Our cruise was sold out, and we felt that the ship wasn't any more crowded than any other Carnival ship.

 

We didn't see any leaks or water buckets in the hallways, or encounter any sewage smells.

 

As reported many times on CC, the Limelight Lounge where the comedy shows are held is much too small! There are seats that don't have a view of the stage so you watch the show on video screens. Funny thing was, that once the doors were opened, the seats without a stage view were filled before the better seats! Go figure.

 

At the Havana Bar all the way aft on Deck 9, you will always find a seat for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast there are two omelet lines on the JiJi's side, and one omelet line on the Cucina side. The breakfast meats, potatoes, breads, etc are also available on the Cucina side. For lunch, the Mongolian wok is at JiJi's, and the Pasta Bar is at Cucina.

 

We loved all the dining choices on the Sunshine. JiJi Asian Kitchen was just AWESOME and a don't miss. $15 upcharge pp. Cucina del Capitano was also very good. $15 upcharge pp. Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse was our least favorite, not because of the food which was excellent as always, but because of the way they have arranged the seating in there. Tables for two were fairly close together which took away the intimate and romantic feeling that you had when dining at other Steakhouses in the fleet. Feels like dining in the MDR but with better food. $35 upcharge pp.

 

We loved this itinerary, but feel that the Sunshine is not the right ship for it. Carnival should be using a ship with at least one pool covered with a sliding glass dome in the cool weather.

 

We would love to see Carnival come up with a 10 day itinerary adding ports such a Newport, Bar Harbor, and St John, Newfoundland.

 

That's about all I can come up with at the moment. Patti and I really had a great time on this cruise, and hope to do it again in the future.

 

I will be back on the Sunshine along with my son Ryan for a 4 day cruise to Saint John a week from today as I write this. I will not be doing a full review on that one, but will post any noteworthy photos or information to this review as an add on.

 

Patti has purchased a new Canon camera, so the issues that we had this cruise will be eliminated next time. I will also remember to pack our back up camera next time! :eek:

 

If you have any questions or comments, please add them here and we will address them.

 

Our next cruise review will be on our favorite ship, the Carnival Pride, in February as we embark on a 14 day Journeys Repo cruise from Tampa to Baltimore, which will include a partial Panama Canal transit. This one should be epic!! :D

 

So until next time, may you have calm seas and blue skies. Happy Sails!!!

[SMSACE6]

Thanks again Jamman54, Jeff! :) Have a great cruise with Ryan!

[KPfromCT]

Awesome review!!!!:D:D

 

Always a pleasure reading about your adventures.....

Can't wait to read the "highlights" of your cruise with Ryan.

 

The Pride cruise sounds AMAZING!!!!!!

SOMEDAY I dream of doing a 14 day cruise.....:D

[declansdad]

Enjoyed reading your review. It's always interesting to see what others say about about our little part of the world.

[swim25]

Final thoughts and ramblings.

 

 

We would love to see Carnival come up with a 10 day itinerary adding ports such a Newport, Bar Harbor, and St John, Newfoundland.

 

 

Great review as always. I enjoy reading your reviews.

 

Yes Carnival must send a ship to visit my home town sometime!

[Jamman54]

Thanks again Jamman54, Jeff! :) Have a great cruise with Ryan!

 

Awesome review!!!!:D:D

 

Always a pleasure reading about your adventures.....

Can't wait to read the "highlights" of your cruise with Ryan.

 

The Pride cruise sounds AMAZING!!!!!!

SOMEDAY I dream of doing a 14 day cruise.....:D

 

Thank you so much for following along once again. I'll be sure to have a drink or two for both of you! :D

[Jamman54]

Enjoyed reading your review. It's always interesting to see what others say about about our little part of the world.

 

Great review as always. I enjoy reading your reviews.

 

Yes Carnival must send a ship to visit my home town sometime!

 

Thank you so much for reading! We love visiting our neighbors up north! :D

[paper1122]

Jeff, another great review! I've been "rationing" it waiting on my upcoming Valor cruise, which hopefully goes as scheduled despite the weather down here. I couldn't help but binge on the rest today while sitting here riding out the hurricane.

[Jamman54]

Jeff, another great review! I've been "rationing" it waiting on my upcoming Valor cruise, which hopefully goes as scheduled despite the weather down here. I couldn't help but binge on the rest today while sitting here riding out the hurricane.

 

Thanks for reading! Fingers crossed that you get to cruise this weekend. Stay safe down there!

[sgttami]

Thanks again Jeff for another great review! I do agree with most of your "final thoughts and ramblings" regarding the ship.

 

Leaving tomorrow on Sunshine for the second time and am eager to see how the July 4 cruise compares with this one as the outdoor areas were WAY TOO CROWDED for me since everyone wanted to be in the sun and pools.

 

Hopefully, it's smooth sailing!

[pghsteelerfan]

I just finished the last parts of your review and I really enjoyed it. We haven't been on a New England/Canada cruise yet, but would like to do it one day to see some new ports (have never been beyond CT) and to sail out of NYC. I always love the pictures you post of sailing out of NYC. Thank you for your finial thoughts on Sunshine. I would love to try her because I love what I see of her in reviews, including yours, but always hear about how crowded she feels...glad to hear that it actually feels no different than the other ships.

 

I really enjoy your reviews and have for a while now and I do actually feel that I'm also on the cruise. Looking forward to a little more on your upcoming cruise and I'm already looking forward to your Pride cruise review. Thank you for always taking the time to do these wonderful reviews and thank you to Patti as well for all the pictures.

[jeepchick444]

thank you for your review Jamman54,,,,always enjoy reading your reviews,,,,we are getting ready to sail on sunshine for the first time this weekend and also trying JiJi Asian Kitchen cant wait!!! :)