Just back from the Sunshine, and loved it! Ask me anything!

[ohitssunshine]

We were on this cruise too! My kids love Esther the Wonder Pig so they were so excited to see all the Esther supporters on the ship! One of the people in the Esther party even gave my daughter one of their "Peace. Love. Esther." bracelets :)

 

So awesome! We were booked with the group - I've been a fan for a couple of years and it was so exciting to meet them in person and see them in a different light. I love that your kids love her!

[ohitssunshine]

This was our first aft balcony as well and we were not disappointed. There are pros and cons, however. The view from the rear is fantastic. You seem to have a much wider view than from a side balcony (although that's probably just perspective, I don't know). I was a bit worried about "riding backwards", but that was never an issue. There is no breeze on an aft balcony and it can get HOT! Remember to throw down a towel on the metal chairs first or you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. :eek: Also the deck is wood and can get really really hot too, so shoes or flip flops are a must as well. But if you get too hot, it's a simple matter of going inside to cool off for a bit. Having the extra room for a lounger on your balcony is a real bonus (ask your room steward for one if there isn't one already there). We did not experience any ash, but occasionally would feel water droplets from the water slides up above. Views can be limited when pulling into port. We were already docked many times before we even realized it. But pulling away you get a marvelous "goodbye" view of the port you are leaving. No noise, but lots of vibration from the ship itself. Not enough to be annoying, or to keep you awake. It's like being rocked gently to sleep. You have to try an aft at least once and then decide if the upgrade is worth it to you. We loved it!

 

We loved ours too! What deck were you on? We didn't feel any of the vibration, so I'm curious for next time!

[ohitssunshine]

Thanks we thought the same try it at least once .Next cabin aft wrap around .We can always dream..........

 

 

We booked an aft wrap for my 40th birthday cruise! It's only a 3 day so it didn't put us into bankruptcy!

[ohitssunshine]

Has anyone ever brought this to the attention of a pool attendant and had him/her take the towels off the "reserved chairs?" We noticed this a # of times on the Pride last year. We always get up early and have our "favorite chairs" by the pool and would sit....and then get breakfast and bring our plate to the chair and SIT. Right near us was a 2 couple party and one man (we called him the "designated reserver!") who came out EVERY SINGLE MORNING, put towels and books on the chairs about the same time we got there and did not come back for HOURS. Others must have noticed this because later in the cruise a few mornings someone would go to pool attendant and point this out and he would remove their stuff. It caused quite an "incident" one day. :eek: We were lucky we had our chairs, but if I was hunting around for one and noticed this day after day I would be furious. BTW, this was a 2 week Journey cruise, so it went on and on....:mad:

We are doing Canada/NE the end of September, so wonder if we will have the CHOG problems being as it will be a cruise in a different climate. :confused:

 

I'm glad that they will enforce it when they see it happen. We didn't bring it to the attention of anyone as we left serenity before it was even officially open, and so there were no attendants. If I were out there more often, I certainly would point it out.

 

I am curious to hear about your chair hog experience on that cruise!

[ohitssunshine]

Glad the OP enjoyed their cruise. Sunshine is the first and only Carnival ship that we liked enough to book a second time (we sailed on her twice last year). We like that Sunshine is different from other Carnival ships. Jiji's alone is worth going. Wow, is that place amazing and the price is a steal! Love Havana Bar as well.

 

We loved the Havana Bar also! I am definitely going to Jijis next time too! This ship has definitely spoiled me, and I'll never book a future cruise without some serious comparison.

[TNShadyLady]

We loved ours too! What deck were you on? We didn't feel any of the vibration, so I'm curious for next time!

We were on deck 5, the lowest aft balcony deck, so that may have contributed to the vibration. Normally we cruise mid-ship balcony on deck 7, 8, or 9, and this was the most vibration I've ever felt, so I figured it was a combination of being aft and lower. Not a deal-breaker though.

[RTRMom]

We loved the Havana Bar also! I am definitely going to Jijis next time too! This ship has definitely spoiled me, and I'll never book a future cruise without some serious comparison.

 

 

Same here!

 

We ate back at the Havana bar every day for breakfast and lunch. Always plenty of seating and we usually got the booth by the window.

[gardn198]

Hi! We are debating between this ship and the Vista. I have only ever sailed on the Glory and loved it! The Vista looks to me like a floating shopping mall... how is the Sunshine size wise, too big? Just right? What was the passenger demographic - we are single late 20s and looking to meet people our age!

[ab6219]

can you give more details about getting off at Curacao: what time did you get off the ship / how long did you have wait in line to get off? We are going on same itinerary and have plans for the am before the day's heat

[Crusin Karen]

I'm glad that they will enforce it when they see it happen. We didn't bring it to the attention of anyone as we left serenity before it was even officially open, and so there were no attendants. If I were out there more often, I certainly would point it out.

 

I am curious to hear about your chair hog experience on that cruise!

This was kind of scary because one day there was a woman, and she kept coming around to our area around the pool as she had 2 children with her. I would say maybe 8 and 10 and I assume she wanted a chair next to the pool so she could sit and watch her kids swim. Her DH was with her too. Well, it was a particularly nice day and she would wander around with their stuff, disappear for a few minutes (Pride has 2 pools so I am assuming she went to the other pool), come back, wander around. I am observing her and sure enough, she kept eyeing those chairs with the CHOG's things on them (4, just what she needed and right in front of the pool!) so this after I would say about 35 minutes, she went right over to the pool attendant and pointed out noone had been there. He must have told her to wait. He finally came over and asked a few people something sitting nearby, maybe if they were saving for family, whatever. Didn't ask us, or I would have given him an earful. So he proceded to remove the belongings. Of course, when the "owners of the chairs" came out, must have been about 3 HOURS LATER they went NUTS. Don't forget, these had been "their chairs" for almost 2 weeks. There was a terrible argument and I honestly thought punches would be thrown. They had to call security and finally the CHOG's left after about 1/2 hour of this. I felt very badly for the children who were swimming and just hanging around the pool to witness this atrocious behavior. They finally left and I made many comments and uttered many names as they passed under my breath. :evilsmile::evilsmile: I WAS going to tell the pool attendant when he came over with that woman about this happening every single day (he was the same guy the whole cruise-didn't he notice this too? :confused:) DH told me to stay out of it and let them handle it, and I am sad to say I am glad I did. When we were on Liberty for a B2B I remember pool attendants attaching sticky notes to the chairs with the time written on them. When their time was up, they collected belongings and brought them back to the towel shack. :cool:

[Crusin Karen]

Hi! We are debating between this ship and the Vista. I have only ever sailed on the Glory and loved it! The Vista looks to me like a floating shopping mall... how is the Sunshine size wise, too big? Just right? What was the passenger demographic - we are single late 20s and looking to meet people our age!

What ship are you sailing and when? Have you joined your roll call? Good way to meet people your age and/or with similar interests. If you go to cruisedeckplans.com and click on public site and Carnival you can see a list of the ships and their size, pax capacity, etc. If you want, click on your ship then the deck plan illustration on the right a little bit down and you can scroll back and forth to see what's above and below everything else. I use this all the time when picking a cabin.

[Cruising Sparty]

Very encouraging to hear a positive review about the Sunshine. We are sailing on her on May 6. Looking forward to 8 days of sun, sea, and perhaps just a few boat drinks. :cool:

[Crusin Karen]

What ship are you sailing and when? Have you joined your roll call? Good way to meet people your age and/or with similar interests. If you go to cruisedeckplans.com and click on public site and Carnival you can see a list of the ships and their size, pax capacity, etc. If you want, click on your ship then the deck plan illustration on the right a little bit down and you can scroll back and forth to see what's above and below everything else. I use this all the time when picking a cabin.

Sorry, just read you are debating either Vista or Sunshine! My bad! :eek::o

[RachelC33]

A quick note about the chair hogs. Someone must have been complaining, at least one of the days. We had 6 chairs in a row, in a great spot right above the hot tubs. We woke up extra early to make sure we could all have chairs together, figured we would just eat breakfast in our chairs and get an early start on our sunning - LOL. At one point, there was 3 of us sitting in them, and the other 3 were empty because our kiddos went to cool off in the pool. An attendant walked by and stuck the "chairing is caring" sticker on the kid's chairs, after they were gone for about 15 minutes. I just told him that the kids were in the pool and would be back in a few minutes (they were) and he removed them, but I thought it was strange that he would single out our 3 chairs that were occupied most of the morning (there were SEVERAL chairs all around us with towels on them sitting vacant ALL morning and no stickers). The only thing I could think is that someone must have wanted our spot and complained when they saw the kids go in the pool.... or it was just totally random, but seemed a little odd.

[Crusin Karen]

A quick note about the chair hogs. Someone must have been complaining, at least one of the days. We had 6 chairs in a row, in a great spot right above the hot tubs. We woke up extra early to make sure we could all have chairs together, figured we would just eat breakfast in our chairs and get an early start on our sunning - LOL. At one point, there was 3 of us sitting in them, and the other 3 were empty because our kiddos went to cool off in the pool. An attendant walked by and stuck the "chairing is caring" sticker on the kid's chairs, after they were gone for about 15 minutes. I just told him that the kids were in the pool and would be back in a few minutes (they were) and he removed them, but I thought it was strange that he would single out our 3 chairs that were occupied most of the morning (there were SEVERAL chairs all around us with towels on them sitting vacant ALL morning and no stickers). The only thing I could think is that someone must have wanted our spot and complained when they saw the kids go in the pool.... or it was just totally random, but seemed a little odd.

Had something similar happen on the Liberty We were in 2 loungers from early morning. DH left right after lunch to go to casino, I stayed. He removed all his belongings and a woman sat down in the vacated seat. Her DH/companion just stood around, sat on the edge of the chair, etc. I got up to go to the ladie's room and pick up some ice cream, was gone MAYBE 10 minutes just because there were a bunch of little ones kind of "hogging" the ice cream machine lol. Anyway, I got back to my chair and I had a sticker also. Could NOT believe it. I had been sitting there ALL DAY and was just gone for 10 minutes. I am really assuming the man whose wife was sitting next to me alerted the attendant. I can really think of no other explanation. It was all I could do to eat my ice cream and not give them the evil eye! Sometimes you are smacked for following the rules while someone who is breaking them gets away with it. :(:mad:

[JaniceB]

Nice to hear good things about the Sunshine. Haven't sailed on her yet. How was the flow of the ship? Did you find certain areas got congested?

[jsglow]

A quick note about the chair hogs. Someone must have been complaining, at least one of the days. We had 6 chairs in a row, in a great spot right above the hot tubs. We woke up extra early to make sure we could all have chairs together, figured we would just eat breakfast in our chairs and get an early start on our sunning - LOL. At one point, there was 3 of us sitting in them, and the other 3 were empty because our kiddos went to cool off in the pool. An attendant walked by and stuck the "chairing is caring" sticker on the kid's chairs, after they were gone for about 15 minutes. I just told him that the kids were in the pool and would be back in a few minutes (they were) and he removed them, but I thought it was strange that he would single out our 3 chairs that were occupied most of the morning (there were SEVERAL chairs all around us with towels on them sitting vacant ALL morning and no stickers). The only thing I could think is that someone must have wanted our spot and complained when they saw the kids go in the pool.... or it was just totally random, but seemed a little odd.

 

Not suggesting you were hogging at all as the kids were simply in the pool. But are you saying that they were 'stickering' chairs on Sunshine recently up in Serenity to help control the issue? That would be good news.

[RachelC33]

Not suggesting you were hogging at all as the kids were simply in the pool. But are you saying that they were 'stickering' chairs on Sunshine recently up in Serenity to help control the issue? That would be good news.

 

I can't speak for the Serenity deck because we weren't up there (since we had the kiddos), but they were doing it on Lido on the Sunshine. Not sure how consistently. I did overhear someone at the rum bar complaining to an employee about chair hogs earlier that morning so maybe that's why they were a little more strict that day.

 

On another note, I did venture up to Serenity one of the days to check it out and I was really surprised at how crowded it was. Pool was more crowded then the pool on Lido!

[jsglow]

I can't speak for the Serenity deck because we weren't up there (since we had the kiddos), but they were doing it on Lido on the Sunshine. Not sure how consistently. I did overhear someone at the rum bar complaining to an employee about chair hogs earlier that morning so maybe that's why they were a little more strict that day.

 

On another note, I did venture up to Serenity one of the days to check it out and I was really surprised at how crowded it was. Pool was more crowded then the pool on Lido!

 

Thanks so much. We typically get out to Serenity by 8a at the very latest often enjoying some food at our seats. Makes sense that you would be at Lido. What time did you sense things kind of filled up, if you have a sense? We typically beat the crowd out there simply because we get up so early back home. Thanks!

[RachelC33]

Thanks so much. We typically get out to Serenity by 8a at the very latest often enjoying some food at our seats. Makes sense that you would be at Lido. What time did you sense things kind of filled up, if you have a sense? We typically beat the crowd out there simply because we get up so early back home. Thanks!

 

I would say to get out there by 8am at the latest. We went down at 7 and there were are already lots of chairs reserved. Clearly people know how to play the game!

[jsglow]

I would say to get out there by 8am at the latest. We went down at 7 and there were are already lots of chairs reserved. Clearly people know how to play the game!

 

Thanks. We typically use some room service coffee as our 'alarm clock'. Certainly don't want to miss the school bus! 10 days.

[HeyJut]

This was also our first cruise where we visited the spa. We booked a couples massage for the second sea day. It was $249 plus gratuity, for 50 minutes. The massage was good, along with the overall experience from booking the appt (called on embarkation day and was able to get an 8am on sea day 2), to the massage and check out. They didn't attempt to sell me any products or constant upgrades outside of one initial offer to upgrade to the hot stone massage. The price is high compared to off ship massages, but for a special occasion or treat, I'd do it again.

 

Hi and thanks for the nice review.

Question-while you were in the spa did you notice if there is a hot tub/jacuzzi? I know there isn't a T-therapy pool.

Cruising later this month and interested in spa passes, but only if there is a jacuzzi.

Thanks

 

Btw, have reservations for JiJi and steakhouse so far.

[prock]

what day of the week was the formal night on ???

[sloper12]

I've read that Sunshine is not a very stable ship in waves. Did you notice any more movement than any other ship you've been on?

[First and Ten]

One of my favorite parts of the Sunshine was the Red Frog Pub. It was a great place to catch up with our friends, to enjoy a beer during down time, and to take advantage of the games like Foosball. My only complaint is that they allow kids in there to play the games. They had 2 Foosball tables on the sports deck already, but they were always in there playing that and shuffleboard. Would love it if they made it 21 and up, but it was still great.

 

 

So agree with you OH....bars should be for guests 21 and over

 

 

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