Carnival Sunshine Review
Carnival Sunshine: Great staff, disappointing ship
Rating by category
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Let me start by saying we've cruised on the Sunshine before, right after the 2.0 upgrade, so we knew what to expect: An overcrowded ship that handles rough seas very poorly yet also has Carnival's most up to date restaurants, shops and amenities. In other words, a mixed bag.
Our last trip on the Sunshine was a generally positive experience. Two years later, however, things seem to have slipped significantly. The first hint of a problem came during our (very smooth) embarkation at Port Canaveral. We overheard one of the workers make a comment about "fitting 5,000 people on a 4,000 person ship" or something along those lines. As someone who has seen the Sunshine's overcrowding issues first-hand, it was a comment that definitely raised eyebrows.
And those concerns turned out to be justified: the Sunshine seems even more crowded these days, if that's even possible. Deck chairs are virtually impossible to secure on sea days. Lines for the Mongolian grill run 15-20 deep on both sides. Navigating the ship requires that you move around people like you're on an obstacle course. Overall, it makes for a very harried experience over eight days. It's not relaxing.
Cabin Review
Interior Upper/Lower
We made the grievous error of allowing Carnival to choose our cabin, as we rarely spend much time in the room. Big mistake. Carnival placed us in the very last room at the aft of the ship on level one. It honestly looked like a room normally reserved for storage or overbooking situations, as there were items stuffed under our bed. Even worse, there was a horrible sewage smell in the corridor that Carnival tried to fix with limited success over the eight days we spent onboard.
We also didn't find out which cabin was ours until the day before we sailed, which created luggage issues. Additionally, all of the materials sent to our cabin were listed under a different family's name. I assume the family who were originally assigned our cabin complained when they saw where it was located, and were subsequently moved.
The lesson: Never let Carnival assign your cabin. It's not worth it.
Port Reviews
Grand Turk
This port is basically a floating Margaritaville. No real culture, just a sleepy town of a few thousand people.
San Juan
Old San Juan is a beautiful historic city. The forts, city walls, pastel-colored buildings -- it's like a prosperous, first-world Havana. Avoid the beaches and go see Fort Morro, which is stunning.
St. Kitts (Port Zante)
St. Kitts is gorgeous. It's like a Caribbean Hawaii with amazing volcanic rock and sand beaches. Head out to a beach shack at South Friar's and eat fresh conch and lobster while enjoying a million dollar view of the ocean. This is the Caribbean the way it used to be: sleepy, tranquil, beautiful.
St. Maarten
Pretty island that's been overdeveloped within an inch of its life. It's crowded, touristy and more than a little tacky. Maho Beach (the one with the jets landing overhead) is a classic photo op though.