Filthy ship, now have a horrible cold. food sucked, kids ran rampant, young drunks everywhere. 1st and last time on a carnival cruise. Had to wait in a line for anytime dining just to get a table assigned and then go downstairs to the dining room to request seating. What????? How stupid. Cabin service was offered only once a day either am or pm. so once you go to the crowded pools with a bunch of drunks and yelling kids you have to wait until the next day to get a dry towel. food was horrible, dry, cold, no flavor etc. Pool areas were occupied by tons of young fall down loud drunks. Having taken cruises on celebrity, royal caribbean and holland, this was the most disappointing experience and a total waste of money. I will never again go on a carnival cruise even if it was free. NEVER AGAIN Read Less

Having cruised on another Carnival ship and it being OK ( not over the top but OK), we decided to book this cruise specifically because my sister wanted to go to Grand Turk. We cruise about 1 x every 2 years. This ship and staff does not need to be in service. The only good thing was Mikey the cruise director. The ship was really dirty ( dust everywhere, smelled like feces on many floors including one with a dining room. Very few sanitizer stations. Same napkin laid in a hallway for 7 days. Sheets were stained. Buffet was way less exciting than Shoney’s or Big Boy for northerners. Sister was hospitalized with community acquired pneumonia day after we got back and I have been on meds ever since. Met another family on the cruise that 2 of them caught lice. NEVER AGAIN. Please do yourself a favor and do not book this disaster. Read Less

Chose this cruise because it was offered to me as an Ultra by the Players Club. This was my 24th Carnival cruise and I am Platinum soon to be Diamond. I cruised with my sister who uses oxygen. We drove down from Tallahassee the same day and the drive was uneventful. Embarkation was as easy as ever. Walked right on the ship. Our cabin was ready and we were able to drop our carry-ons and head up to have lunch. The elevators were busy but crew members were at the elevators to direct traffic and man the elevators to the Lido. I've been on Sunshine before and it's not my favorite ship. We were in an inside cabin when usually I have a balcony but booked this offer late and got the last inside cabin offered. The cabin was quiet, cool and comfortable. Our room steward Macklin was exceptional. We were all the way to the front and did feel the rocking a little bit more than usual. Actually I love this because it makes me sleep like a baby. We ate in the Marketplace and the food was ok. It was ok the entire cruise. Same old menu in the dining room. No escargot. I have been on seven Carnival cruises in the last year and every time I go I notice little changes. The coffee was better this time and I'm not sure why but the food just wasn't as good this time. Talked to marketplace management about the fried oysters. Told him that if someone ate those oysters and had never had them before they would never try them again. There was a time when the oysters and shrimp were fresh and they breaded them but no more. They were heavily breaded and fishy. I have to say that there was a good assortment of food but it was just not good only mediocre. Cakes were very nice looking but didn't have the flavor that I would expect. Never tasted vanilla in anything. Enough about food. As far as activities there was lots of trivia and the usual activities. Love the arts and crafts but the last three cruises the only craft offered was card making. Seems like another cut back to me. Tea was offered on Sea days but it's not like it used to be. The only tea that is offered without cost was regular Lipton and green tea. If you wanted earl gray it was $1.95 extra. The desserts were limited as well. They were pretty much what is offered for dessert on the Lido. Didn't go to the shows as I've seen them all the last year. The musical ensembles were good but not over the top good. Service was excellent. Crew members went over and above to help. Didn't have much time to chat in the dining room because they have cut down number of servers and this has lead to inaccuracies in the orders, not getting juice, no bread at breakfast unless you ask for it, etc. Got off in every port but have been to all of them so didn't do any excursions. It was also a little difficult with my sister. We did a lot of walking but it was hard for her. Going to the beach is difficult with oxygen as well. That pretty much left the bus tours which we've done. I tried to spend some time in the casino but it was impossible. This Ultra was so overbooked that there were no machines available and people waiting to use them. Some people waited hours before the casino opened to get a particular machine. I finally gave up. Will never do an Ultra cruise again. Just not worth it. Read Less

We chose this ship because of the departure port, the itinerary and the size. We are regular cruisers and although we have cruised NCL and Royal, we are usually loyal to Carnival. We are also not picky and not big complainers. Most of this review is negative but if it is not in this review, it was probably great. I offer these things because I think they are all fixable. I don’t want anyone to get impression it was a bad cruise, it was not. It just wasn’t great. This is an older ship. Old is okay but when a ship is old, it is imperative that no small detail be left to chance in the cleanliness department. Sadly, this was not the case. Was it clean? Yes. Could it have been cleaner? Yes. The main issue was that help did not take care of things quickly enough to keep it from being noticed. There was always the feeling of being understaffed or staffed with lazy people in the common areas. One day the ice machine was empty on lido, The next day, the drink machine was empty. These are the little things that are no big deal one time but when a pattern starts to develop, it’s an issue. We stayed in a balcony cabin 6190. Our cabin was a typical Carnival cabin and we had no complaints. Our steward was one of the best we have had on multiple cruises and the best thing about our cruise. Our steward probably saved this review. If Carnival could clone him, the ship would have less problems. The cabin was spotless and he was attentive to everything! Plus, he smiled! A smile goes a long way. Entertainment was hit and miss on this ship. Unfortunately, the main miss was featured the most in the atrium. Sunshine needs to move these guys around. Don’t put your weakest entertainer in a prime location. Jordan is an excellent guitar play but he lacks in the singing department. Pair him up with someone who can sing and let him play guitar and problem solved. Jeff, in the piano bar, was quite talented and entertained the crowd. A couple other groups were good but there was no “Wow” in the everyday entertainment. The comedians we saw were terrific. However, the comedy club is too small for the ship. It is not right that people stand in a long line for long periods of time and still not get a seat. Even some of the seats, do not see the stage but watch on a screen. Sunshine has to fix this! It is a sore point and a big loser for the ship. It is also not friendly to those with mobility issues who cannot stand for long or run to locate seat. This could be easily fixed by having a podium where you pick up a token much lime you pick up a pager for anytime dining and when the tokens are all gone, the show is full. Then, at least you could give people a token to the next show instead of letting the same few people see all the shows and everyone else be mad about it. Dining room was good, food was as expected and some dishes were outstanding. The Steakhouse and JiJi’s were both worth the extra cost. Guy’s Burgers still the best lunch item. The Lido buffet was pretty lame. This is one area that could use a reboot. The buffet needs more selections and more staff and you definitely are losing when you have two omelette stations and one cook at each. Yeah, that just about guarantees 99% are not getting an omelette. Add some more grills!! Read Less

After booking our cruise, I was shocked to read so many negative reviews and began to dread my cruise (which, of course, you never want to do!). I've come to the conclusion that some people just need something to complain about. Was this cruise equivalent to staying in a five-star hotel in a major city? No, of course not, but if I wanted to do that I would have stayed in a five-star hotel in a major city. I wanted to cruise with my family, relax, and have fun, and I was able to do all of that and more on the Carnival Sunshine! My family of three (my husband, myself and our 8-year-old daughter) cruised in April 2019 from Port Caneveral and cruised to Aruba, Curacao and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. We stayed in a balcony room, which was the perfect amount of space for us, although we weren't in the room all that often. I wish that our neighbor wasn't smoking a lot of the time, and I could have complained to guest services but didn't - that was on me. Otherwise, the room was great. Our housekeeper, Ari, was super friendly and did an excellent job. Of course, we all loved the towel animals! I saw so many complaints about the food on this cruise and I sincerely do not understand. The buffet was lacking, but I'm not a buffet eater so I just ... didn't eat there. The main dining room service was slow, but that's standard on all cruises I've been on. The food itself was very good in the dining room, and we loved the options for lunch! The fish tacos at Blue Iguana were AMAZING, and I ate them many times. I tried a bite of a burger from Guy's and it was delicious. JiJi's wok bowls for lunch were excellent, and my daughter loved being able to get pasta. I can honestly say I have no complaints about the food. Drinks were cold and plentiful. My husband and I are drinkers and so we purchased and made good use of the Cheers! package. We felt we used it enough that it was worth the money, but you'll have to decide that based on your own personal preferences. This was my fourth cruise and I couldn't tell you anything about any of the previous cruise directors, but MIKEY made our experience on this boat. He was EVERYWHERE, and so upbeat and friendly. Definitely don't miss events that Mikey is running. We particularly enjoyed 80s and 90s music trivia! CAMP OCEAN was an incredible experience for our daughter! She had a great time with the counselors and the other kids. I really enjoyed the many ways that this cruise catered to families - but I also noted and appreciated the many ways it catered to the adult experience, too. We were able to enjoy both sides of the experience. Embarkation was quick and easy. Debarkation was somewhat of a mess, but I've yet to experience a cruise where it wasn't. In closing, we booked our next Carnival cruise within a week of coming home. We had an amazing time. There is something on this boat for everyone, whether you are traveling with or without kids. You just have to find it, and the Carnival Sunshine made that very easy. I would definitely recommend this ship to others! Read Less

First of all, I must say that our cabin steward was an absolute sweetheart. Many of the ship crew were also great. The downfall is that the ship is old and small. The metal around the decks is painted over eaten away steel. We found holes throughout the railings. The carpets throughout are old and many sofa/restaurant bench upholstery have stains. There is a peculiar smell about the ship. Many times there are sewage and/or grey water smells. The buffet was subpar. Desserts were great the first night then thereafter were dry and flavorless. The sit-down dining was better but not outstanding. The ship lacked entertainment. There was a comedy show that was good. Many of the shows in the liquid lounge revolved around what to buy on the islands and promoted their sales in their ship stores. The ship was small and if you are planning a long cruise you might want to choose one with many stops so you are not bored to death multiple days at seas. We were in a cabin with a window. The room was clean the bathroom was dirty in corners with caked on dirt. I suppose they don't have time for deep cleaning since a steward told me when we were leaving the ship that they were boarding again in one day. This ship does not compare to Royal Carribean or MSC. We were disappointed and felt it was a major waste of money. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the intinerary and our first 8 day. But this ship is terribly over crowded and badly redesigned. When they refurbished this ship in 2013 they added more cabins, removed a pool and added huge slides on top in back. So very unstable and rocky in only 6 - 8 foot swells. On fun days at sea it was terrible, we could not even get a lounge chair anywhere in the adult only area. There were fights over chairs and security had to come. There is only 1 pool and an oversized hot tub of a pool in serenity area. I will never go on this ship again and too long of lines for food. They added specialty restaurants that are an up charge. Not good locker room space or showers in workout area. All the other ships had a nice steam room off men’s locker room for free. This one has a coed one they wanted to charge $159 per week for it. This ship is the worst of 8 we have cruised on. Spent a lot of money to be very disappointed! Our previous 7 cruises on other Carnival ships were good! Read Less

We had some time off for spring break. There were four of us all adults who were out of school for the week and in need of some relaxation and vitamin sea. We picked this cruise for the 8 days and haven't been to any of these ports before. I personally think that vacations are what you make of them. They can be as busy as you choose or as relaxing as you choose. No not everything will always be perfect but if you let people or things stress you out then shame on you, it defeats the purpose of vacationing. This cruise was absolutely AMAZING. We have never been on the Sunshine before and we loved the different layout than those ships we've been on in the past. We loved how they had all the food places in the different areas of the ship. We always love the DELI, and GUYS burgers did not dissapoint. We didn't try the italian or wok place except for breakfast so cannot comment on that. They had food/snacks in the Havana Bar and by the Ocean plaza that were never as busy as the lido buffet. Food in the dining room this cruise was superb. Every single night we each tried multiple appetizers or entrees and loved them all.(oops not ALL there was one pasta dish that I didn't like the sauce of) Some appetizers we liked we ordered seconds or thirds of and had no problem getting them served. Lobster night and filet mignon nights were delish, prime rib was done perfectly, in the past we've had problems with steaks or lobster being too done but not this time. Enjoyed a good variety of desserts with baked Alaska being my fave. We did have my time dining every night and it went fairly smooth. We had to wait for a few minutes each night but that wasn't a problem, we just signed in online & it texted when our table was ready so we'd have a drink at the Red Frog Pub or Alchemy Martini Bar. Unfortunately not the same wait staff each night but we still had pretty good service. We also did do breakfast in the dining room most days and the food/staff were just as good early morning. I loved the steak & eggs(yes same filet mignon at dinner) and the brunch mac & cheese was almost as good as Noodles & Company. We definitely put the midnight pizza bar to the test. Hit it all but one night after casino, shows, or piano bar and it was good and very very busy(so take your patience with you). The cruise director MIKEY is awesome. I think he was the best we've seen. Always energetic and friendly. Don't miss the 80's trivia in the atrium bar IT WAS A BLAST. Get seats to enjoy the entertainment and laughs :) His assistant Nicky from England was fun and top notch as well. We did play trivia throughout the week and the hosts were fun and witty. Music around the ship was plentiful and enjoyed by all. We loved Cassidy Rae Wilson in the Piano Bar. It was her last week working so she is back to Australia until the fall, but we hope to cruise with her again. The gentleman that plays on the stairwell outside of the sports bar, pixels photo area, and above atrium bar was so good. I feel bad that I forget his name but he played tunes that everyone enjoyed, oldies thru current definitely a good singer. The duet of Young Patches were pretty good as well they played through different areas of the ship. They are from Cali and definitely look hipster :) RB & The Sunshine Band always had good tunes as well. Their 80s night was great!! Don't miss the Red Frog Bar on this ship . 1/2 price happy hour every day with fish bowls and other special drinks. They have karaoke, shuffleboard and foosball in the back as well. The Punchliner Comedy Club had some good talent for sure. Missed one night but they sure did put smiles on our faces. ADULT SERENITY AREA ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW !! This is the best from our 13 cruises. We've been on Carnival and 2 RCCL and this was just so relaxing and had so much room and on three decks. LOVED IT :) Aruba: what a beautiful place. We spent the day at MooMba Beach, Aruba and it did not disappoint. We changed clothes at the Holiday Inn and very much enjoyed this port. We had booked on our own a sunset sail with The Jolly Pirate and had an amazing time on that 5:30-7:30pm excursion. It was good for adults as well as the several families aboard seemed to have a good time. Curacao: another beautiful place. We spent the afternoon at the Renaissance hotel right at the port. It has two infinity pools and a small beach. It was nice, quiet and very relaxing. Absolutely breath taking and not very crowded at all. You can get a day pass at the resort by just walking up. Amber Cove Dominican: we had heard there were lazy rivers, pools, zip lining, volleyball etc..... right at the pier so we did not make any plans for this day. We slept in, ate breakfast and spent a few hours here. They have $10 buckets of beer and lots of fun stuff to do. You can zip line all day for $20/person. Everyone we saw here seemed to be enjoying themselves. We will definitely do this again. The other couple we were with tried to get a taxi to the beach but it was on the other side of the island and they wanted $60 each way for a taxi, needless to say they enjoyed the area right at the port. PS) As you made read in other reviews from this week DISEMBARKING was not fun. There were delays and our ship arrived late plus we had to clear customs. Lots of people were not off the ship till 10:30 or later and people were pissed.......... This is why cruise lines suggest you fly out in the afternoon in case of issues. Lots of people missed flights etc..... sad for those who had this happen but it is what it is and hopefully everyone made it home safely Read Less

We stayed at the Quality Inn in Cocoa Beach(??). The price included our room, transportation from the Orlando Airport to the hotel, shuttle to the ship, and transportation from the ship back to the airport. A real bargain. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary; islands that we had never visited before. Embarkation went very smoothly; disembarkation.....not so much. We have been on numerous Carnival ships, some larger, some smaller. But, for some reason, this is the first time I have ever felt that the ship was crowded. I feel as though when Carnival refurbished the ship, they tried to cram too many things into the space. Some areas seemed underutilized; others, such as the Comedy Club were packed with standing room only, and some people not able to get in at all. Too have to stand in line for 45 minutes or more, just to get into the Comedy Club (and not sure you will get a seat) seems a little ridiculous. Our cabin was great (we were offered an upgrade and took it); the staff was overworked, but kept our cabin clean. Dining - we only went to the main dining room once (it takes too long to get through a meal) That dinner was good. There was plenty of food at the Lido buffet, and at all of the other food areas around the ship. The Deli always had a line waiting for food and sometimes had only 1 person to wait on everyone. Guy's Burgers always had a long line that often blocked people trying to get from one area of the Lido deck to the other. I miss the old style of desserts at the Lido Buffet. I used to like to take a couple of the small desserts that they used to have, to sample. On the Sunshine, they had whole cakes, and a few pies, that they cut to serve you. They were all very delicious, but one slice of one kind of cake was enough. Mikey, the Entertainment Director, knows how to pull the people into the activities. He always had the crowd up and into the spirit! There were other activities going on throughout each day, although on one of the first sea days, the activities were very dull and then we had a port day and there were lots of interesting sounding things going on back on the ship! I managed to see two of the comedians; Diane Ford was great, both at the PG show and later at the 18+ show. The male comedian wasn't even good; I had heard some of his jokes before and the ones I hadn't heard before weren't that funny. Then I caught a cold and didn't feel like going to see the comedians that came later in the week. Service was always good with many of the crew members going around with a smile on their faces. Alexis, from the Red Frog Pub, was absolutely my favorite! The ports were all beautiful. We took excursions in Aruba and Curacao with guides who taught us a great deal about their islands and took us through many areas, both ending at beautiful beaches. In Amber Cove, we did our own thing and enjoyed wandering around the town. Would I go again? Yes, to the islands, but not on the Sunshine if I can help it. Read Less

We joined two other couples with whom we were stationed in the military 20+ years ago for a reunion cruise. We knew it was during Spring Break so we expected lots of children, which was the case. It wasn’t too much problem until late night (late for us, like 10:00 pm!), when the teenagers were running through the ship. However, it really wasn’t too intrusive. The embarkation was very smooth. We were on the ship smoothly and our cabin was ready as promised at 1:30. Conversely, the disembarkation was a cluster. Our ship arrived two hours late, and we waited hours to leave the ship. Our bags were in a large room, sorted by zones, but it appeared everyone disembarked at the same time. It was very disorganized. We stayed at the Radisson the night prior to our cruise and utilized their parking service. I would advise everyone to avoid this service due to the incredible rudeness and poor organization at disembarkation. The gentleman driving the scooter (perhaps due to a foot injury) was particularly rude. The food on the cruise was just ok. The service and food has certainly declined in the past few years but is what we expected. The food was plentiful, of course, with plenty of different venues. The highlight of the cruise was the cruise director, Mikey. We enjoyed having him as our cruise director on the Fantasy last year and we feel he is the best cruise director we’ve ever had. It is worth following him and booking the cruise on which he is the cruise director; he’s that good! Overall, it was a good cruise! Read Less