Ship Spotlight: Carnival Sunshine
When you find yourself on the Carnival Sunshine, fun at sea is guaranteed. By far the Carnival Sunshine, has been one of my favorites of the nine cruises I have taken over the years. My group departed out of the Port of Norfolk, Virginia which is an easy accessible port to leave out of no matter if you are from the area or not. The cruise was a five day cruise to Bermuda in October of 2016.
The Carnival Sunshine was refurbished a few years ago. From the minute I stepped on the ship, I could see what a brilliant job Carnival accomplished. The ship was vibrant but with a clean, crisp feel to it. I have been told that I am a picky person when it comes to ships. I will not go on ships that are older but this one blew me away. The refreshing décor made you feel like you were in Key West.
The cruise director set the tone for this cruise. All of the staff from the room stewards, bartenders, and performers made you feel at home. The ship had so many bars, restaurants, pools; I could not make it to all of them. I have never been on cruise that I did not feel like I did not have time to go check everything out.
The Serenity area is the largest on Carnival’s fleet. It has three decks, plenty of recliners…. and even a waterfall. The Carnival WaterWorks, has the slick Speedway Splash slide. Additionally, there is a Sports Square, where you can let your sports side be put to work. There is a jogging track, traverse SkyCourse - high up above, ping pong and foosball to giant chess.
I was with a group of six other people and we all thought the food was fabulous. A surprise to me was Guys’ Burgers. It was located on the Lido Deck by the pool. There is also two surprise bars on this deck. There is the RedFrog Pub, Bluelguana Tequila Bar and Rum Bar. I was told by my boss who went on Carnival Pride a year ago that it was the best burger ever. He was right! They also had a bar you could add on various choices. At dinner, my favorite was the dessert of the Melting Chocolate Cake with ice cream. It is actually my favorite dessert ever! Carnival is infamous for this amazing dessert.
Laughter, jokes, great music is just a few things to describe The Piano Bar. We were able to get to know the piano player during the five night cruise as well as other cruisers. This added the camaraderie in the bar and allowed us to make some great acquaintances. Another added bar was the Alchemy Bar. The bartenders wore chemist jackets and took pride in every drink they made. Watching the bartenders was an art in itself. The martinis were amazing and the favorite among group was the Chocolate Martini.
When you plan your next cruise, make sure to check out the locations on where the Sunshine is headed. I look forwarded to going again on this amazing ship.
Carol Cooper is an independent contractor for Fairytale Adventures Travel Agency. Carol specializes in Carnival Cruises, Sandals, and Beaches vacations for couples, families, and multigenerational families. You can reach Carol on her Facebook page or at Dreamtraveladventures@cox.net.
