Carnival Sunshine Review
Terrific! Best Service on Carnival on the Cleanest Ship
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose Carnival Sunshine because we love the new Carnival 2.0 features and the itinerary was perfect. It definitely felt much smaller than the usual ships we go on (Vista, Miracle, etc.) The Lido buffet area feels very small but the trick is to utilize the Havana area for meals where most people don't look.
We were amazed at how well the ship was cleaned every day by all staff. Also, this was the friendliest staff we have experienced in a long time. Our entire family is Platinum, so we've been on a lot of cruises and over the past several years we have felt like the service is lacking. But this cruise revived our hopes! With only one or two exceptions, the crew was SPECTACULAR!
While the cabins are smaller, they are really well organized and we felt like we even had extra space in the room for storing clothes. However, the pull-down bed that overlapped above our bed caused me to hit my head a few times when I was waking up. I definitely missed the bigger cabins on other ships. I did enjoy the larger showers though (from the old style layout).
Cabin Review
Balcony
Much smaller than we are used to, and the bunk bed hangs over the main bed which is challenging, but the layout of the shelves and closets is great! We will never cruise without a balcony. It makes our entire vacation better.
Port Reviews
Aruba
We went to Eagle Beach, which was absolutely gorgeous and not crowded at all. I'd highly recommend it and will go there again next time. The chairs and umbrellas were expensive though. But worth it, of course. The cruise terminal is small and the taxi drivers are rude and greedy. I will plan a pickup ahead of time for future cruises to avoid the disaster that the taxi drivers caused us.
Curacao
This port is now one of my favorite. We went to Mambo Beach and I will recommend it to EVERYONE and will go back next time. They don't require a fee when you enter but the girls work the beach and ask for $3.50 per person and $3.50 per chair. You can pay $10 for one hour on the waterpark floats, which we did for our kids and they loved it. I loved that they were being supervised by a lifeguard so I could relax. The beach was sheltered from the waves, well-maintained, and surrounded by bars, shops, and restaurants. I can't go on enough about how much I loved this beach. One of my favorites in the Caribbean. It was full but not crowded. Perfect in every way!
We had the taxi drop us off in the downtown on our way back from the beach. It was so beautiful. The shopping is unique thanks to the Dutch history. The people were so nice. and the buildings were GORGEOUS. The walk back to the ship was fun. I could happily spend a day walking around that area. I can't wait to go back!
Grand Turk
One of our favorite ports every time. We always love to catch some beach chairs right there by the ship and enjoy a beach day with the ship in the background. So nice and easy. My only complaint is how loud the DJ at the Margaritaville pool is. His obnoxious music and crass commentary can be heard in the ocean on the beach where my kids are - I don't understand why the offensive party crowd gets to flaunt their lifestyle on everyone. Overall, we love this port and will always choose cruises that go here. It's so nice and easy to have a good time.