Carnival Sunshine Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,418 reviews

Great Cruise

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Sunshine
User Avatar
Floridalovecruising
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2015
Cabin: Balcony

This was our 9th cruise, 5th with Carnival. We picked the Sunshine because of the new renovation and the activities for the kids. Port Canaveral was easy, check in was a breeze, from the time we parked our car we were onboard the ship in less than an hour. Typical crowds the first day on Lido deck but that is expected on embarkation day. I read a lot of negative reviews but you are on a ship with 5000 passengers and crew, you have to be somewhat flexible. Was very impressed with the food options and was surprised that we never really had to wait in a long line. Taco/burrito bar was great for breakfast, Guy's burgers was a good option for lunch and to nurse a hangover.

Dinner in the dining room was just ok, not great but not horrible. I would recommend the any time dining, we had the 8:15 seating, dinner usually took about 90 minutes so it really ran into the evening activities. We ate one night at Asian, excellent, and one night at the steakhouse, a great value for $35. We did not do the shows, but we loved the comedy. Limelight Lounge is small, make sure you get in line about 20 minutes prior to the show to grab a seat. Best bar on the ship was the Alchemy Bar, great place before/after dinner for a martini, and Parviz makes a great drink. Piano bar was fun, music around the ship was great, pizza was open 24 hours and was excellent, especially after a few cocktails. We traveled with 4 families and children, kids had a blast we hardly ever saw them. The adult only Serenity section was awesome, but make sure you get seats early, especially during sea days, they go fast.

Grand Turk we did the catamaran/snorkeling excursion, it was great and highly recommended. St Martin was great, we went to Maho Beach, hung out to watch the planes and swim in the water. Shakey's Shack, right outside of the gate in St Martin, is a great spot to have a few beers before getting back on the ship. St Kitts we hired a van for the day, there was 11 of us, we were able to tell him where we wanted to go and how long to spend at each spot. We also did the zipline excursion at St Kitt, it was awesome and worth the money. Getting off the ship was easy, only bad part was the cruise had to end, we had a great time.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin 8C

Cabin was great, little small but we did not spend much time there. We had two kids in the room, if you are going to have 4 people in this cabin, the only bad thing was the couch when a bed as not against the wall but perpendicular to it, so it stuck out and made the room a little cramped. Balcony was great, room steward was great. We were really happy with this location on deck 7 aft, we were two decks up from the main deck and two decks below Lido with the pool and food. The casino is on deck 5 midships and the only place inside where you can smoke. When walking down deck 7 midships, I could smell the smoke. I would not get a cabin midships two up or two down from deck 5 if that bothers you.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Carnival Sunshine Cruise from $409

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.