At Home Aboard Carnival Sunshine

Balcony Stateroom 8275

When Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Sunshine received a $155 million transformation earlier this year no spot on the ship (formerly the Carnival Destiny) went untouched.

While the public areas inside and out were literally gutted and rebuilt, the accommodations also received attention in the form of new soft goods and art with a tropical flavor. In addition, 182 new staterooms were added to bring the total to 1,503 in various configurations to satisfy the needs—and budgets—of 3,006 passengers in double occupancy (or 3,758 when every berth is occupied).

As the ship was originally launched in 1996, the cabinetry in our balcony stateroom 8275 is a bit different than the furnishings in similar accommodations on Carnival’s newer ships, but the room is no less spacious and comfortable. Differences we noticed include the lack of a mini-fridge, no shaving mirror in the bathroom, and, oddly, no nightstands. Those things aside, we found the storage abundant with two closets for hanging garments and plenty of drawers and shelving units for storing folded clothing. Open shelves provide space for all the miscellaneous items we pack for a cruise vacation—cameras and so on. Lighting in both the cabin and bathroom is actually superior to what we are accustomed to on newer ships.

Speaking of bathrooms, the shower is huge—it actually takes up nearly half the bathroom. Although the remaining floor space is a bit tight, once again there is plenty of storage for toiletries on the glass shelves found on both sides of the mirror. Naturally there is a hairdryer in a drawer next to the desk/vanity table and bathrobes for our use during the cruise are hanging in the closet.

We’ve settled in nicely here aboard Carnival Sunshine for her maiden cruise from New Orleans and are looking forward to our 6-night Western Caribbean sailing that includes port calls in Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

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