Carnival Sunshine vs Norwegian Dawn

[MomInCheshire]

My family has finally convinced me to give cruising a try. I am looking to leave NY/Boston late July/early August. It's my husband and I with 19 and 16 year-old boys. Unlike many others, I don't want to have my boys disappear on me for a week; I want to spend a family vacation where we do things together. Problem is, I'm not into water parks and hanging out by the pool. So while I'm fine with the teenagers spending some time on their own there, I still want activities we can do together.

 

I've narrowed it down to Carnival Sunshine or Norwegian Dawn, based solely on dates/size/cost.

 

Crowds really stress me out, so the smaller Dawn appeals to me. But from what I can gather, Sunshine would appeal more to my teenagers. Thoughts?

 

Dawn is heading to Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda.

Sunshine is heading to Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Half Moon Cay.

Do either of these locations have things to see? I'd prefer some sites to see rather than just participating in water sports.

 

Any advice/thoughts are appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Sauer-kraut]

Dawn will spend all her time docked in Bermuda! Excellent way to discover history, famous pink sand beaches, and you get the best of both worlds. A cruise and a land vacation. You can use public transportation and get around quite easily for DIY sightseeing. Honestly this is on my list of places to visit. Very clean island, very nice people and its an expensive island if you were going to stay there in a resort or hotel. The best way to do it is on a cruise ship. You can come and go as you please, just make sure you're back on board the last day at least 1/2 before sailaway!

 

I have been on the Sunshine before she was renamed, sailed as the Destiny. I wasn't all that thrilled when I was on her. Realize that you are only at each port stop for a few hours so you barely get a taste of what there is to do on this type of cruise. 2 of these stops are basically beach days, Great Stirrup Cay is Carnival's private island, and Grand Turk is lovely beach but not a whole lot to do other than that. I don't know Amber Cove, I believe that is Carnival's private dock and you have to exit in order to actually see the 'real' island you are visiting.

 

 

I think with the option of freestyle dining you're better off on NCL because you don't have to make an assigned dining time, go when you're ready to eat at any venue. There are also some upcharge restaurants you might want to try out too. Carnival offers My Time Dining, but the restaurant is a lot smaller as it is an offshoot of a regular main dining room, there is also an upcharge Italian restaurant.

 

NCL will charge $13.50 per person/per day for a service charge, I believe Carnival's is $12.50 but I'm not sure about that. Its a tough choice, and it takes a lot of homework. Have a look at the PORTS OF CALL boards to see what there is to do on the ports you'll be visiting. There are a lot of helpful pepople over there.

 

I hope you have a great time, whichever cruise you choose!

Edited June 21, 2016 by Sauer-kraut

[Cruzaholic41]

This is a tough choice because these are 2 of my least favorite ships (and cruise lines) on the ocean. Sunshine is one of the most crowded ships at sea, and NCL nickel and dimes you to death.

 

Whew, this is a tough one.

 

I think I would pick Dawn basely on crowding, and I love Bermuda.

[Essiesmom]

Dawn is just out of an extensive refurb drydock. Should almost have the 'new ship' smell...EM

[MomInCheshire]

Thank you for your responses. Definitely leaning toward Dawn now!

[declansdad]

Cruised the Dawn out of Boston to Bermuda in 2014. Wasn't impressed with the food, service and lack of space for nighttime activities. We felt they were constantly pushing their pay restaurants and I don't remember seeing much available for kids.

 

Bermuda though was fantastic and we would return there in a second.

 

We haven't sailed on the Sunshine but we have been on three other Carnival ships and have no problem with them at all.

 

The ports of call you mention as pretty much beach days. We did stop at Amber Cove in late December but we never left the dock area. The pool area and water slides were very nice and the service was excellent. There were excursions that you could do but we weren't interested in that on our last cruise.

[wampuscat7]

If you're not really into watersports or lounging by the pool, are you also not interested in beach days? What kind of activities are you interested in?

[MomInCheshire]

My kids like to say that I don't "vacation", I "travel", which is really true, and why they have had a hard time convincing me to cruise.

 

Thanks to Sauer-kraut''s comments I looked at all the things to do in Bermuda, and it seems like there is more to do than hang out on the beach.

 

So it looks like Dawn is a good compromise; cruising for them (albeit without the cool water slides), and some "travel" for me. I think the somewhat smaller Dawn will help me with my fear of crowds as well.

 

Thanks everyone for your responsesS!

[Cruzaholic41]

I think you're making the right choice. Like I said earlier, I'm no fan of either of these ships, but Dawn and Bermuda sounds better than Carnival Sunshine and, well, anywhere.