Carnival Sunshine Review
Rating by category
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As a happy grandma who loves to cruise, I decided to introduce some family members to this fun pastime. My husband’s son, his wife and their 2 kids picked this itinerary, and we joined them - my daughter, her husband, their 2 kids, and of course my husband and me. We also added 3 friends (family with one child) for a total of 8 adults and 5 kids, ages 7 to 12. My son in law was skeptical as he is no lover of water and very careful and protective with the kids. I got them a nice 8th floor inside cabin, with Pullman beds for the kids, which hit the perfect note of both comfort and safety. The others got standard balcony cabins, but I got my husband and me a suite, thinking that the grandkids could do sleepovers in our room while their parents played in the nightclubs. And that was exactly what happened, with the odd card game, midnight pizza party and trip to the sports deck for anyone still awake.
Even my non-cruising husband declared the trip to be a wonderful family vacation! Pool, food, shows, entertainment, hot tubs, water slides, movies, more food, drinks, repeat. We all fell in love with Emma, the cruise director, who got cheerfully tossed into the tiny, kid-friendly pool by adoring young fans (photos and autographs!). We also loved our waitstaff, Wanya and Putu, who had Shirley Temples waiting on the table and cut up kid’s steaks without being asked. And we loved the show entertainers, especially the incredibly talented Wade, who got us all dancing. The kids played chess, made home videos, jumped into the pool a million times, conquered the scary water slides, and just bonded with their cousins, to my husband’s adoring delight. My son in law went from skeptic to cruisaholic in about one and a half pina coladas.
To actually review the ship, instead of the trip, I will add that it is clean, cheerfully decorated and user friendly in design. The beds are the best on any line!! The buffet area is a bit congested but we discovered you could take buffet food into the spacious uncrowded Havana Room, where there was more food and a relaxed vibe. The Serenity area is the nicest on any Carnival ship I have tried, with direct access by elevator and a safe easy to enter hot tub, enjoyed by even people with physical limitations. Compared to the Carnival Pride, my most travelled ship, the walking deck was short and narrow, probably my only real criticism of the ship, as I am a morning deck walker.
Cabin Review
Ocean Suite
Nice suite. For me the big closets and dressing room are wasted space, but excellent for grandkids making a scary horror video!
Port Reviews
Saint John (New Brunswick)
We had a lovely walk thru the extended market area and around town. Excellent tour of the town's Jewish Heritage Museum. Don't miss the fantastic beaver pond sculptures in the park just beyond the top entrance in the City Market!
Halifax
Halifax is a delightful walking city. While the grandkids played in the pool, my husband and I strolled along the dockside boardwalk and went into the Mariners Museum. We especially enjoyed boarding the Acadia, the museum's "largest artifact", a well preserved oceanographic mapping ship. The we turned uphill and walked past the Citadel to the beautiful Public Garden. Just elegant. Back in time to enjoy a home made pretzel from the farmers market and a beer sampler from the brewery right there on the docks!