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My husband and I sailed on the Carnival Sunshine from October 2-6, 2022 and went to Nassau. Originally, we were supposed to leave on October 1, but Hurricane Ian cut our trip short by one day and one port (Half Moon Cay). Thankfully, we received minimal damage from the storm, and Carnival provided a sweet onboard credit. For those heavily affected by the hurricane or otherwise didn't want to cruise, Carnival offered a full refund by 5 PM October 1. You're reading this review, so we obviously opted to cruise. This was our first cruise since the COVID-19 test requirement was lifted. Vaccinated guests no longer have to get tested- but we had to show proof of vaccination. I was glad to have one less thing to worry about before vacation, especially since Hurricane Ian struck two days before our cruise departed. Carnival lifted all testing/vaccination requirements a few weeks after our cruise. We tried the JiJi's Asian specialty restaurant on this trip, and I highly recommend it. For $18 a person, you get a delicious family-style meal. The crème Brule dessert at JiJi's is so much better than the main dining room. It sells out, and you can check the dining room menus on the app to decide which night to book (the main dining room menu change every night). The temperature of the swimming pools is based on the water temperature in the ocean. Even in October and Charleston, it was WAY too cold to swim. I saw kids swimming, but they're tougher than me. My husband and I booked a balcony cabin and spent a lot of time on the balcony talking and being together. If you vacation to hang with your spouse and disconnect, I recommend this. I read two books in four days, with most reading done on the balcony. Staffing was MUCH better on this sailing, but that may be because folks canceled due to the hurricane/shortened cruise/changed itinerary. We had to wait a long time for a (mediocre) "Sea Day Brunch" in the main dining room, but that was it. This was our second Sea Day Brunch, and I don't think we'll do it anymore. Lines were shorter, chairs were available, and bartenders/servers were everywhere to make your cruise merry. If you live in Charleston or close by, cruising on the Carnival Sunshine is a great way to vacation for families, young couples, or anyone wanting to get away and relax for a few days.
Had a wonderful 3rd time sailing on the Carnival Sunshine. This being our 1st time sailing out of Charleston. Charleston is a much more convenient option for us distance wise and it was a great place to stay the night before to enjoy. Now, the ship itself is really starting to show its age. We've loved this ship when we sailed on it in 2015 and 2018, but it's in rough shape for 2022. The sports court is in really rough shape (basketball goal rim completely missing, walking track is an obstacle course with all the holes and marked off areas, mini golf is missing pieces and the piping to the last hole doesn't allow the balls to come out. The rooms have a sewage smell as well and the back at deck 5 there is a smokestack smell inside. The sports bar TVs only half way work and pieces of the ship seem to just be falling apart. We didn't let any of this mess up our trip, but just wanted to put a warning out. As for the staff, we had an amazing server named Bryan in the Sunset Dining room along with Sang and Primrose. The food was really good some nights and we left hungry other nights, but that's okay we found ourselves getting a snack at the deli or pizza on those nights. Mario was a wonderful room steward on the even side of aft deck 5, possibly the best I've had in over 20 cruises. I had bad luck in the spa with an assistant masseuse that truly ruined my experience for the spa this trip. She didn't listen to the type or massage I asked for and refused to speak English when I tried to clarify that the massage she was giving was not what I was paying for or asked to have done. We've been to Half Moon Cay and Nassau numerous times and we had a great time this trip. We took floats to use at Half Moon Cay and spent a great day at the beach. As for Nassau, we had done the Blue Lagoon excursion prior to the pandemic in 2020 and had a full day there. We booked it this trip and it's not less than 3hrs there, but the same price so this was a disappointment for us. It used to be an all day beach excursion, but is now very rushed. All in all though we still had great weather and a great day. The sea day activities were plentiful with trivia, games, bingo, and more. The pool deck had plenty of chairs, bars had great drinks, and the coffee shop a wonderful barista. One of our favorites was the Red Frog Pub on deck 5 with the Jamaican sunrise drink and anything from the Alchemy Bar. Ocean plaza was a great spot to hang out and the ship was full of wonderful live music. Ben the soloist sang beautifully as well as the sunshine rock band. The comedy shows were near impossible to get into so go at least 45mins-an Hr before showtime to get in line for a seat.
First cruise traveling alone. I sent as bad as I thought. Two good books and I was set. The cruise offered plenty of activities and if you like to drink, which I don't, you'd be in your version of heaven. The ocean was a bit rocky as in walking as if you have a couple of stiff ones but it was a good sale. The employees called you by name which is nice and tried to accommodate you as best as they could, well must of them. The food in the dining room was disappointing, along with the service, which was slow. I expected better tasting plates, especially since they don't give you too much. Since there also the lido deck and poolside food options one just needed to more on to be satisfied.
Honestly they need to do a lot if work. Let's start with the food: the first night in the main dining room my food was cold. The next morning on the MDR my food was also cold. The rest of the week the food was ok. Our servers were phenomenal. Guys burgers: delicious, hot, quick Blue Iguana: Delicious shrimp taco salad Chef's table: the mushroom tea, mushroom branch and Sea Bass were phenomenal. The rest of the 9 course meal was good - nothing earth shattering. Mongolian at lunch - slow, but good Pasta at lunch - scrumptious Chocolate extravaganza - lick your lips good - especially the chocolate pnut butter cake. Entertainment: Kujo the comedian funny Night time shows: weak. Allison, Sam and Caleb were really good. Several of the girls were off key to the point it made me cringe. Jake the Cruise Director was funny. Piano bar: Scott was ok Bingo Vicky: tried to sing during last bingo game. Very annoying. Ocean: did a great job with trivia. Room 7330 The rain did a better job on Friday cleaning the windows than the cleaning crew on Thursday while we were in Nassau. Our room steward - Tambu did a fabulous job. Lots of rust was present and in port the ship looked sadly old. I had hoped they would have been loved on more during the pause.
We was on the Halloween Cruise trip, it was very exciting and lots of fun. The fun days at sea were well planned as well as many excursions to the Bahamas. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow us to Cayman Bay, Hurricane scare, Rocky waters. We received another day at sea, which is alway appreciated.
I really enjoyed this ship! I sailed last week of Jan 2020, porting from Charleston SC for a 4-day cruise. This was my 4th Carnival Cruise ( 5th cruise total) , but 1st time on the sunshine. It is somewhat small, about 3000 passenger capacity. However, it holds it's own in regards to activities and on-board features. I stayed in a spa suite which Included access to spa features such as thermal suites and a few fitness classes. I was really impressed with the spa area. The fitness area is a pretty good size, so it never felt crowded. There is a thermal suite area which has at least 2-3 steam rooms, a sauna and some type of thermal seats (which I never got around to trying,but was told they activate heat upon sitting on them). I also had 2 facials and a hot stone massage, all services I would definitely do again. Spa staff was extremely efficient and professional. For meals, I mostly ate on the lido deck (buffet) or room service. I never went to the formal dining room. Food on lido is fair to good. There are multiple restaurants to choose from on the ship as well. I went to the sushi restaurant (Bonsai) multiple times. The sushi here is definitely in my top 3. The service at Bonsai is as high quality as the food. Truly, the only thing I disliked about this ship is having to walk thru the casino to access certain areas. Smoking is allowed in the casino, which is fine, but not something I care to expose myself to. Entertainment on the ship was good, great varieties of good quality live music. There was also a wide range of activities to participate in throughout the day (crafting to karaoke to live shows to games to outright parties, only naming a few). This ship is very well-maintained and the crew was awesome. I appreciated the smaller ship (in comparison to others I have been on) because I felt like everything was easily accessible so it felt more convenient. I would definitely sail on the Sunshine again.
I hate to dredge up old stuff but recently this issue came full circle. In 2018 my wife and I took a Carnival cruise out of Charleston SC. 5 days to the Bahamas. On about the 3rd day we returned to our room from a day excursion and there were fans blowing to dry the carpet and a slight smell. We didn't give it too much attention because when we cruise we are in our room very little, just to sleep. Come to find out sewage backed up from our shower drain. They cleaned it pretty good so we didn't make a fuss. On the last day a letter was left under our door to compensate us for the problem. Well life happens and Covid came so we were outside the parameters of the timeframe for us to use the discount on an upcoming cruise. Carnival cruise consultant kept calling me to book a cruise so I inquired about the discount that was offered. The consultant elevated it to her boss and they said no. I'm attaching the letter so you can see all the stipulations they put on the future cruise as well as the way they downplayed sewage on our carpet to water. Unless they respond to this review and change their mind I won't use or recommend Carnival to anyone. To end I am not a cruise snob and have enjoyed my experiences on carnival cruises
This was our very first cruise and it was a gift from my job so I didn't know what to expect. Overall, the ship is very nice, but there were several things that were very disappointing. The elevators were so slow that most of the time, people gave up and took the stairs after waiting for several minutes. There were like 6 or more bays, and I don't get what took so long. The food was not what I expected... very bland and limited selection. Several times, I went to the buffet area to get something, and it was closed. I thought they had food out all day? Even the restaurants were closed at times where your only choice is Guy's Burger Bar or the pizza place. Even the food at the table service restaurants weren't very good. Talked to other passengers and got similar reviews. I was highly disappointed in the spa services. The staff were friendly enough, but they obviously get paid by commission or from up selling. I've dealt with used car salespeople that weren't that pushy. After a wonderful 75-minute massage and feeling good, I had to sit through a 10-minute hard sell of products, and no matter how much I said no ot kept on. He ended up saying yes just to get the hell out of there and was straight up angry when I finally left. Had an appointment for a haircut and mani-pedi the next day and went back and forth all night if I was going to show up for them. I did, and I wish I hadn't. Guy cutting my hair again tried to tell me what I should do with my cut, wanted to add on color treatment that I didn't want, and aggressive sell me on products I'm NEVER going to use. Tip... I've learned from other passengers... only do spa services on the last day before returning home because they won't harrass you as much. I paid for the faster to the fun pass. It's completely worth it. We practically had no wait to get on and off the boat. It was supposed to help on port day going to the excursions, but there wasn't a line for the faster pass holders. But it was pretty quick anyway. Several long-time cruisers told us not to take this experience to heart and to try a better, bigger ship.
I don't have any photos of the ship itself since I've been on this boat 3 times already. The port did major changes since 4 years ago which is terrible now you have to get a shuttle to the port instead of walking over to it and parking in the warehouse. They also need to come down on there parking rates as well it was $20 a day and $80 overall for a 4 day cruise. The checking in processs was easy. They liked to close a lot of places on the ship early which left limited things to do. I enjoyed the two happy hours they had on the boat. The service also lacked at some of the bars and in the dining room . The weather really disappointed me overall on the boat we only had one warm day and that was when we was in the Bahamas. Wasn't enough hot tubs on the boat either. OverallI don't mind cruising again but I'll pass on the sunshine boat and going out of Charleston again.
First of all parking was $101 for 5 days and the lot was a hot mess. I ruined my brand new suitcase crossing 4 sets of train tracks. We had booked excursions on both Nassau and Princess Cays. Nobody told us we were no longer going to Nassau. We found out by watching the movie channel lineup and at the top it said "Bimini". I never got a refund for my Nassau excursion which means an hour long phone call at some point to reach Carnival Customer Service. Bimini was nice but we were all crammed into one little section of beach. The next day we went to Princess Cays. We rented one of the beach huts which was kind of a waste. The beach there is horrible. There are rocks everywhere. You can't snorkel bc you can hardly get into the water. My kids rented a water trike and the current was so strong that they had to be rescued which was $100. I was double charged for the trike on top of it. I heard many complaining that they were double charged for drinks on the island. We saw many who had to be rescued so it's a scam. They tell you to go out as far as you like but fail to tell you returning is all but impossible especially when it's a teen and an 11yr old. They didn't have the strength. The food in the Sunset dining room was hit or miss. Cold steaks, cold potatoes, cold hard bread. Our waiter, Ricky Ricardo, was great though but it was hard to get drink refills. All the action happened on an upper tier of the restaurant so those of us on the lower tier never got to see them dancing. We did enjoy the food on the Lido deck however when they say it ends at 2:30 they aren't joking. Line of people waiting to go to the buffet and 2:30 hit and the curtains came down. We had a room on the 8th floor with a deck and with 3 people it was tight. They never told us they set up the 3rd bed so I tried to do it and dropped the couch on my toe. Below is the mattress for the 3rd bed. It's disgusting. They did come and remove it. Disembarking was chaotic. They said to tune in to channel 14 but we never did see the presentation. It was always some other programming. The ship is very old and it's obvious. The rust on our bathroom doorframe was half way up the door. No ventilation in the bathroom. The ship itself was dirty and rusted and you can't see out the windows bc they are encrusted with salt. If you go on this cruise pack an extension cord with a multi plug and warm clothes. You will freeze the first 2 days. It never got about 75 the whole time even on the islands. The entertainment was underwhelming. I had been on a cruise years ago and they had dancers and singers and a magician and a calypso band. This cruise had 2 very funny comedians and a small band that played normal wedding type music. There's a big push for going to the shops on board which are super over priced. $8 for a can of Pringles!! We never used the pools or slides bc it was too cold and the two hot tubs remained packed the entire trip. I purchased the most expensive internet option and it was pitiful. You won't be able to make any phone calls or text anyone and most of the time can't access Facebook. They block your hotspot so you're forced to buy a package for everyone. I also got the chat feature so I could text my kids but it never notifies you that you have a text message. You have to remember to check. If you can't be off the grid for 6 days don't go. Overall it was disappointing trip.
My family just finished two, 5-day, back-to-back cruises! First, I highly recommend doing back-to-back cruises! They make it so easy! You stay on the ship and either stay in your cabin or move cabins. We changed cabins and the change was easy! We packed up our belonging and left them in the room. While we were enjoying brunch, they moved all of our things into the new room. We never got off the ship to see/explore Nassau, Princess Cays, or Half Moon Cay! We LOVED staying on the ship during those days!!! The ship is quiet and you have the place to your self! Note: everyone that did get off loved the beach!!! The food is AMAZING! Guy's Burger Bar exceeded all expectations! Done right is exactly what you get every time! Unlimited Soft Serve Ice Cream is glorious! So refreshing!!!! The restaurants are all beyond AMAZING! You get to customize every meal! And, the Marketplace offers several buffets offering sweets, entrees, and salad areas! Everything is just perfect! The pizza area is glorious (we loved the 4-cheese pizza). The custom sandwich bar is great for making a hot or cold sandwich! The staff is perfection! Joel (sounds like Noel with a J - should be a Team Lead Supervisor for his every attention to detail), Efenfi, and Suraj made every meal perfection! I do not have the words to properly describe their excellence! James Love (Cruise Director) is beyond AMAZING! If James is hosting an event, ATTEND! The comedy on the Ship is worth it! You will laugh so hard you may cry tears of joy, find yourself clapping because you are laughing so hard, and sometimes you will laugh so hard no sound will come out as you loose your breath! Just FUNNY! ! Lastly, the music on the ship is TOP NOTCH! May Bell (duo so good you feel like they should be on a big stage), Marc (a solo act that will make you melt), and a duo that will blow you away! Phew....ONLY POSITIVE VIBES! Most Sincerely, Dayla read more
Carnival Sunshine was my very first cruise ever. I didn't know what to expect. I had researched this particular ship as much as I possibly could including the Port of Charleston. I feel like at the time there was a lot of unnecessary walking to keep crowd control down with the lines. Luckily one of the attendants allowed me to cut a line when they saw me struggling. I was grateful to finally get on the ship. Seeing the ship move for the first time is an amazing thing. The ship has a lot to offer. From bars, restaurants, shopping, shows and other activities. I did not go to a specialty restaurant or the sail away party. I will fix that next go round. Nor did I take advantage of getting off the ship. I just wanted to be able to do what I wanted to do which wasn't much. The one thing I really liked was the attentiveness and kindness of the room attendant. He was pretty thorough to have so many rooms to service. The food could stand to be revised. I ate in the dining room most days. I think I preferred breakfast over the other meals. The Buffett was a NO. Big disappointment. I thought there would be more variety and food that had some taste. I know it's hards to feed so many but I just wish it was a little better. I had no problems with the cleanliness of the ship. It is an older ship so some things are not super modern. I will be sailing again in 2024. This is the last year the Sunshine will be in Charleston. They are moving to Norfolk I believe so it's doubtful I will ever be on this ship again. read more
4 years ago
My husband and I sailed on the Carnival Sunshine from October 2-6, 2022 and went to Nassau. Originally, we were supposed to leave on October 1, but Hurricane Ian cut our trip short by one day and one port (Half Moon Cay). Thankfully, we received minimal damage from the storm, and Carnival provided a sweet onboard credit. For those heavily affected by the hurricane or otherwise didn't want to cruise, Carnival offered a full refund by 5 PM October 1. You're reading this review, so we obviously opted to cruise. This was our first cruise since the COVID-19 test requirement was lifted. Vaccinated guests no longer have to get tested- but we had to show proof of vaccination. I was glad to have one less thing to worry about before vacation, especially since Hurricane Ian struck two days before our cruise departed. Carnival lifted all testing/vaccination requirements a few weeks after our cruise. We tried the JiJi's Asian specialty restaurant on this trip, and I highly recommend it. For $18 a person, you get a delicious family-style meal. The crème Brule dessert at JiJi's is so much better than the main dining room. It sells out, and you can check the dining room menus on the app to decide which night to book (the main dining room menu change every night). The temperature of the swimming pools is based on the water temperature in the ocean. Even in October and Charleston, it was WAY too cold to swim. I saw kids swimming, but they're tougher than me. My husband and I booked a balcony cabin and spent a lot of time on the balcony talking and being together. If you vacation to hang with your spouse and disconnect, I recommend this. I read two books in four days, with most reading done on the balcony. Staffing was MUCH better on this sailing, but that may be because folks canceled due to the hurricane/shortened cruise/changed itinerary. We had to wait a long time for a (mediocre) "Sea Day Brunch" in the main dining room, but that was it. This was our second Sea Day Brunch, and I don't think we'll do it anymore. Lines were shorter, chairs were available, and bartenders/servers were everywhere to make your cruise merry. If you live in Charleston or close by, cruising on the Carnival Sunshine is a great way to vacation for families, young couples, or anyone wanting to get away and relax for a few days. read more
Had a wonderful 3rd time sailing on the Carnival Sunshine. This being our 1st time sailing out of Charleston. Charleston is a much more convenient option for us distance wise and it was a great place to stay the night before to enjoy. Now, the ship itself is really starting to show its age. We've loved this ship when we sailed on it in 2015 and 2018, but it's in rough shape for 2022. The sports court is in really rough shape (basketball goal rim completely missing, walking track is an obstacle course with all the holes and marked off areas, mini golf is missing pieces and the piping to the last hole doesn't allow the balls to come out. The rooms have a sewage smell as well and the back at deck 5 there is a smokestack smell inside. The sports bar TVs only half way work and pieces of the ship seem to just be falling apart. We didn't let any of this mess up our trip, but just wanted to put a warning out. As for the staff, we had an amazing server named Bryan in the Sunset Dining room along with Sang and Primrose. The food was really good some nights and we left hungry other nights, but that's okay we found ourselves getting a snack at the deli or pizza on those nights. Mario was a wonderful room steward on the even side of aft deck 5, possibly the best I've had in over 20 cruises. I had bad luck in the spa with an assistant masseuse that truly ruined my experience for the spa this trip. She didn't listen to the type or massage I asked for and refused to speak English when I tried to clarify that the massage she was giving was not what I was paying for or asked to have done. We've been to Half Moon Cay and Nassau numerous times and we had a great time this trip. We took floats to use at Half Moon Cay and spent a great day at the beach. As for Nassau, we had done the Blue Lagoon excursion prior to the pandemic in 2020 and had a full day there. We booked it this trip and it's not less than 3hrs there, but the same price so this was a disappointment for us. It used to be an all day beach excursion, but is now very rushed. All in all though we still had great weather and a great day. The sea day activities were plentiful with trivia, games, bingo, and more. The pool deck had plenty of chairs, bars had great drinks, and the coffee shop a wonderful barista. One of our favorites was the Red Frog Pub on deck 5 with the Jamaican sunrise drink and anything from the Alchemy Bar. Ocean plaza was a great spot to hang out and the ship was full of wonderful live music. Ben the soloist sang beautifully as well as the sunshine rock band. The comedy shows were near impossible to get into so go at least 45mins-an Hr before showtime to get in line for a seat. read more
First cruise traveling alone. I sent as bad as I thought. Two good books and I was set. The cruise offered plenty of activities and if you like to drink, which I don't, you'd be in your version of heaven. The ocean was a bit rocky as in walking as if you have a couple of stiff ones but it was a good sale. The employees called you by name which is nice and tried to accommodate you as best as they could, well must of them. The food in the dining room was disappointing, along with the service, which was slow. I expected better tasting plates, especially since they don't give you too much. Since there also the lido deck and poolside food options one just needed to more on to be satisfied. read more
Honestly they need to do a lot if work. Let's start with the food: the first night in the main dining room my food was cold. The next morning on the MDR my food was also cold. The rest of the week the food was ok. Our servers were phenomenal. Guys burgers: delicious, hot, quick Blue Iguana: Delicious shrimp taco salad Chef's table: the mushroom tea, mushroom branch and Sea Bass were phenomenal. The rest of the 9 course meal was good - nothing earth shattering. Mongolian at lunch - slow, but good Pasta at lunch - scrumptious Chocolate extravaganza - lick your lips good - especially the chocolate pnut butter cake. Entertainment: Kujo the comedian funny Night time shows: weak. Allison, Sam and Caleb were really good. Several of the girls were off key to the point it made me cringe. Jake the Cruise Director was funny. Piano bar: Scott was ok Bingo Vicky: tried to sing during last bingo game. Very annoying. Ocean: did a great job with trivia. Room 7330 The rain did a better job on Friday cleaning the windows than the cleaning crew on Thursday while we were in Nassau. Our room steward - Tambu did a fabulous job. Lots of rust was present and in port the ship looked sadly old. I had hoped they would have been loved on more during the pause. read more
3 years ago
We was on the Halloween Cruise trip, it was very exciting and lots of fun. The fun days at sea were well planned as well as many excursions to the Bahamas. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow us to Cayman Bay, Hurricane scare, Rocky waters. We received another day at sea, which is alway appreciated. read more
I really enjoyed this ship! I sailed last week of Jan 2020, porting from Charleston SC for a 4-day cruise. This was my 4th Carnival Cruise ( 5th cruise total) , but 1st time on the sunshine. It is somewhat small, about 3000 passenger capacity. However, it holds it's own in regards to activities and on-board features. I stayed in a spa suite which Included access to spa features such as thermal suites and a few fitness classes. I was really impressed with the spa area. The fitness area is a pretty good size, so it never felt crowded. There is a thermal suite area which has at least 2-3 steam rooms, a sauna and some type of thermal seats (which I never got around to trying,but was told they activate heat upon sitting on them). I also had 2 facials and a hot stone massage, all services I would definitely do again. Spa staff was extremely efficient and professional. For meals, I mostly ate on the lido deck (buffet) or room service. I never went to the formal dining room. Food on lido is fair to good. There are multiple restaurants to choose from on the ship as well. I went to the sushi restaurant (Bonsai) multiple times. The sushi here is definitely in my top 3. The service at Bonsai is as high quality as the food. Truly, the only thing I disliked about this ship is having to walk thru the casino to access certain areas. Smoking is allowed in the casino, which is fine, but not something I care to expose myself to. Entertainment on the ship was good, great varieties of good quality live music. There was also a wide range of activities to participate in throughout the day (crafting to karaoke to live shows to games to outright parties, only naming a few). This ship is very well-maintained and the crew was awesome. I appreciated the smaller ship (in comparison to others I have been on) because I felt like everything was easily accessible so it felt more convenient. I would definitely sail on the Sunshine again. read more
1 year ago
I hate to dredge up old stuff but recently this issue came full circle. In 2018 my wife and I took a Carnival cruise out of Charleston SC. 5 days to the Bahamas. On about the 3rd day we returned to our room from a day excursion and there were fans blowing to dry the carpet and a slight smell. We didn't give it too much attention because when we cruise we are in our room very little, just to sleep. Come to find out sewage backed up from our shower drain. They cleaned it pretty good so we didn't make a fuss. On the last day a letter was left under our door to compensate us for the problem. Well life happens and Covid came so we were outside the parameters of the timeframe for us to use the discount on an upcoming cruise. Carnival cruise consultant kept calling me to book a cruise so I inquired about the discount that was offered. The consultant elevated it to her boss and they said no. I'm attaching the letter so you can see all the stipulations they put on the future cruise as well as the way they downplayed sewage on our carpet to water. Unless they respond to this review and change their mind I won't use or recommend Carnival to anyone. To end I am not a cruise snob and have enjoyed my experiences on carnival cruises read more
2 years ago
Most of it was the buffet food presented in a nice way, some times it was actually cool like frog legs, but then the portion was super small. The food was good read more
2 years ago
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3 years ago
This was our very first cruise and it was a gift from my job so I didn't know what to expect. Overall, the ship is very nice, but there were several things that were very disappointing. The elevators were so slow that most of the time, people gave up and took the stairs after waiting for several minutes. There were like 6 or more bays, and I don't get what took so long. The food was not what I expected... very bland and limited selection. Several times, I went to the buffet area to get something, and it was closed. I thought they had food out all day? Even the restaurants were closed at times where your only choice is Guy's Burger Bar or the pizza place. Even the food at the table service restaurants weren't very good. Talked to other passengers and got similar reviews. I was highly disappointed in the spa services. The staff were friendly enough, but they obviously get paid by commission or from up selling. I've dealt with used car salespeople that weren't that pushy. After a wonderful 75-minute massage and feeling good, I had to sit through a 10-minute hard sell of products, and no matter how much I said no ot kept on. He ended up saying yes just to get the hell out of there and was straight up angry when I finally left. Had an appointment for a haircut and mani-pedi the next day and went back and forth all night if I was going to show up for them. I did, and I wish I hadn't. Guy cutting my hair again tried to tell me what I should do with my cut, wanted to add on color treatment that I didn't want, and aggressive sell me on products I'm NEVER going to use. Tip... I've learned from other passengers... only do spa services on the last day before returning home because they won't harrass you as much. I paid for the faster to the fun pass. It's completely worth it. We practically had no wait to get on and off the boat. It was supposed to help on port day going to the excursions, but there wasn't a line for the faster pass holders. But it was pretty quick anyway. Several long-time cruisers told us not to take this experience to heart and to try a better, bigger ship. read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
I don't have any photos of the ship itself since I've been on this boat 3 times already. The port did major changes since 4 years ago which is terrible now you have to get a shuttle to the port instead of walking over to it and parking in the warehouse. They also need to come down on there parking rates as well it was $20 a day and $80 overall for a 4 day cruise. The checking in processs was easy. They liked to close a lot of places on the ship early which left limited things to do. I enjoyed the two happy hours they had on the boat. The service also lacked at some of the bars and in the dining room . The weather really disappointed me overall on the boat we only had one warm day and that was when we was in the Bahamas. Wasn't enough hot tubs on the boat either. OverallI don't mind cruising again but I'll pass on the sunshine boat and going out of Charleston again. read more
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5 years ago
5 years ago
First of all parking was $101 for 5 days and the lot was a hot mess. I ruined my brand new suitcase crossing 4 sets of train tracks. We had booked excursions on both Nassau and Princess Cays. Nobody told us we were no longer going to Nassau. We found out by watching the movie channel lineup and at the top it said "Bimini". I never got a refund for my Nassau excursion which means an hour long phone call at some point to reach Carnival Customer Service. Bimini was nice but we were all crammed into one little section of beach. The next day we went to Princess Cays. We rented one of the beach huts which was kind of a waste. The beach there is horrible. There are rocks everywhere. You can't snorkel bc you can hardly get into the water. My kids rented a water trike and the current was so strong that they had to be rescued which was $100. I was double charged for the trike on top of it. I heard many complaining that they were double charged for drinks on the island. We saw many who had to be rescued so it's a scam. They tell you to go out as far as you like but fail to tell you returning is all but impossible especially when it's a teen and an 11yr old. They didn't have the strength. The food in the Sunset dining room was hit or miss. Cold steaks, cold potatoes, cold hard bread. Our waiter, Ricky Ricardo, was great though but it was hard to get drink refills. All the action happened on an upper tier of the restaurant so those of us on the lower tier never got to see them dancing. We did enjoy the food on the Lido deck however when they say it ends at 2:30 they aren't joking. Line of people waiting to go to the buffet and 2:30 hit and the curtains came down. We had a room on the 8th floor with a deck and with 3 people it was tight. They never told us they set up the 3rd bed so I tried to do it and dropped the couch on my toe. Below is the mattress for the 3rd bed. It's disgusting. They did come and remove it. Disembarking was chaotic. They said to tune in to channel 14 but we never did see the presentation. It was always some other programming. The ship is very old and it's obvious. The rust on our bathroom doorframe was half way up the door. No ventilation in the bathroom. The ship itself was dirty and rusted and you can't see out the windows bc they are encrusted with salt. If you go on this cruise pack an extension cord with a multi plug and warm clothes. You will freeze the first 2 days. It never got about 75 the whole time even on the islands. The entertainment was underwhelming. I had been on a cruise years ago and they had dancers and singers and a magician and a calypso band. This cruise had 2 very funny comedians and a small band that played normal wedding type music. There's a big push for going to the shops on board which are super over priced. $8 for a can of Pringles!! We never used the pools or slides bc it was too cold and the two hot tubs remained packed the entire trip. I purchased the most expensive internet option and it was pitiful. You won't be able to make any phone calls or text anyone and most of the time can't access Facebook. They block your hotspot so you're forced to buy a package for everyone. I also got the chat feature so I could text my kids but it never notifies you that you have a text message. You have to remember to check. If you can't be off the grid for 6 days don't go. Overall it was disappointing trip. read more
7 years ago
This was my first time cruising. We picked a middle room on a high floor which was perfect as I didn't feel the boat rocking as much. The room was bigger than expected. Ismail my or attendant kept the room immaculate and handled all our needs. Pauly the Cruise Director kept us entertained the entire cruise. Lei not quite sure of his actual title was also hilarious as he hosted Bingo. If you cruise, make sure to bring spending money on the Boat for the Casino and Fun Shops. And purchasing the Drink packages is a must! I've already bookede another cruise! read more
3 years ago
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196 Concord St
Charleston, SC 29401
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