Cruise Ship Throwdown: Sunshine versus Enchantment

New ships get all the attention. The upcoming Oasis-class ships, Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class, and the Quantum class ships. What about the older ships?  After all, these are the most budget friendly ships, and the ones most cruisers will embark on. They’re the ones who most need to know what to expect from each line, and from each ship. With constant upgrades and policy changes, it’s difficult to know what to expect.

At Port Canaveral, there are two ships that have undergone refurbishment that is far beyond what most cruise ships undergo. They’re close to the same size and they sail similar itineraries. They are Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, and Carnival’s Sunshine.

Extreme Makeover: Cruise Ship Edition

Both ships were launched in November of 1996, and both ships have spent most of their careers in the Caribbean. When first launched as the Carnival Destiny, the Sunshine was the longer of the two. That has changed in the intervening years, however.

In 2005, the Enchantment was cut in half and a new 73-foot section was spliced into her middle making her larger than the Sunshine. Although the Carnival ship is still slightly wider. Another spell in dry-dock in 2012 saw the Enchantment receiving several modern features like bow to stern Wi-Fi, flat-panel televisions, and an upgraded phone system. However, it did miss the new Voom internet service that actually compares to speeds on land, and can be a worthwhile investment. Royal Caribbean also has some sort of vendetta against water slides. While the expansion of the Enchantment greatly increased the size of the pool deck, there is a notable absence of descending splash on that larger pool deck.

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The Destiny/Sunshine, on the other hand, received its revamp in 2013. As part of the revamp, the Sunshine obtained all of Carnival’s Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades, a new partial deck, as well as new mechanical and electrical systems. Which goes a long way to explaining why Carnival considers it to be an entirely new ship. The rename though was more reflective of a change in style and attitude at Carnival Cruise Lines.

Carnival’s designs have traditionally been rather loud. When it worked, such as in the fairytale venues on the Carnival Legend, it could be amazing. When it missed, it was a poke in the eye. Destiny’s transformation into the Sunshine is representative of the “party barges” becoming a more mature line, and the triumph of taste.

Now which of the two ships is better for first time cruisers?  Or just a cruise in general?  The answer may surprise you.

A Place in the Sun

The Sunshine wins the faceoff.

While Royal Caribbean’s upgrades to the Enchantment of the Seas improved the ship, and extended its life, there were a couple of missed steps. While the greatly enhanced pool deck is a welcome upgrade, as are the Enchantment’s walkways, there is no waterslide.

This is actually a problem with all of the Crown and Anchor’s ships. The Harmony of the Seas launches this Spring, and as near as we can tell, it is the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet that has a waterslide. This seems like a bizarre oversight considering that the line has developed the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ships in the world.

The Sunshine, on the other hand, has a waterpark and splash zone that everyone will love. The ropes course is a bit more engaging than Royal Caribbean’s standard rock climbing wall. Price is also consideration. A 5 day cruise on the Sunshine is cheaper than a 4 day cruise on the Enchantment.

So for the amount of fun to be had for the amount of money spent, the Carnival Sunshine is the cruise to book. This reflects Carnival’s maturation from the hard drinking party barge to…a hard drinking party barge with subtle styling and more things to do.