My wife and I have been on a number of cruises with Carnival and Royal Carribean. We both agree that the Carnival Sunshine stands alone in terms of facilities, entertainment and - believe it or not - casual food. Topped off by the incredible cruise director Jaime Dee (no, I'm not her dad). Since the ship was completely overhauled in 2011, it's in much better shape than other ships we've traveled on. The fitness facility is great, with a good view and plenty of equipment. Actually got to participate in one of the live shows. It was a lot of fun and the singers and dancers couldn't have been nicer.

We only ate in the formal dining room once (nothing to write home about), but the buffets and other food venues were far and away the best we've experienced. At all of the buffets, you could get freshly prepared meals, whether a breakfast omelet or a pasta dish for dinner. Even better, they now have Guy's Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana on the Lido deck. Guy's has really great, fresh burgers. Would compare to Five Guys or In-N-Out. Never had to wait. The Blue Iguana has made to order burritos and street tacos. HUGE improvement over the cold, rubbery hamburgers and hotdogs found on most buffets. And of course, the Pizzaria di Capitano, with hot fresh pies coming out of the over continously. Other venues like the small plate buffet, all very well done. Main dining had good service and entertainment, but the food was literally exactly like the food on every other ship we've been on, which is to say it was OK, but for us not worth the hassle of dressing up for.

The Cruise Director and her team simply need to be cloned. Jaime has a contagious level of enthusiasm that made the cruise a truly fun experience. She was everywhere, from morning to night. I think she must be a really good leader because you could tell that she has a happy and competent team supporting her. I suspect good things for her career.