Live from the Sunrise 7/22 sailing review

[jimbo5544]

So this cruise started about a year and half ago, when we were approached by a family who is part of our cruise group nucleus (actually their son who was going to graduate) and asked us to do another graduating group cruise for his class.  They really wanted it to be out of New York. At the time, we knew that Carnival was bringing the Triumph to New York.  I had had several conversations with some management friends we have at Carnival regarding bringing one of their older ships seasonally to a port which previously had their newest ship.  They at the time told me there was a plan.  As we all know that plan was the Sunrise.  I will not get into whether it is an old ship or new ship or whether the name should be the new or old name.   Carnival says it is the Sunrise and that is good for me.  

 

Once we knew what was in store for changes we knew were going to be on the ship, that relieved some of the anxiety we had about bringing the group on this cruise.  Previously we had experienced the Destiny twice and then the Sunshine twice.  The Sunshine FAR exceed my expectations and I felt the Sunrise would do the same thing.  SO let me give my thoughts on the Sunrise.

[jimbo5544]

We had the opportunity to get on the Sunrise two times before our cruise.  Both of these were because we are Travel Agents and we have some friends within Carnival.  The first was the naming ceremony at New York at which we had the opportunity to spend 3 hours on the ship and explore and then a TA event that should have allowed us about the same amount of time, but in reality due to some other circumstances was less.  All that being said, we felt we had as good a feeling about the ship as we needed.

 

After sailing on her, none of that has changed.  The Sunrise is not a perfect ship......shocker.  I have not been on one yet and I doubt I ever ever will, but for what it is worth, here are my thoughts on the Sunrise.  Let’s start with the cabins.  They are all new and when we got in them we were impressed.  I do have a couple of minor issues, in our Ocean Suite the closets seem to overlap, so one door cannot open (due to all having right angles to something and the net affect is you have to reach in.  The other thing is the dresser drawers are narrow, not a big deal for us, but I can see it could be for others.  The fridges are smaller, if I did not post a pic before call me out and I will.  The AC worked like a charm, at the coldest setting it kept the room around 69, if I knocked the thermostat up two bars it raised to 72.  Cannot claim  any issues here.  The water pressure in the shower/Tub was by far the best we ever had. 

 

Main show room - I really thought the site lines and the minor changes made to the show room worked, and honestly thought it was better than the Vista or Horizon.  I know some think this is a big drawback but it is not going away and I am fine with it.  The fifth floor works fine for me.  This ship is of course more narrow than the larger ships, so somethings are different.  You have to walk thru the Casino to get from Lobby area to aft, just like other Carnival ships.

[jimbo5544]

I thought the Casino less smokey than other Carnival ships we have been on.  I loved the Red Frog area, reminded me of a combo Red Frog and Oceans Plaza and is Amin happening area on this ship.....loved this area.  Limelight lounge on 4, a somewhat larger area and a funky way to get there (a design flaw they have tried to adjust).  So the way to get here is near the casino bar and go to the elevators aft of there and down a level.  It has a long hallway entrance and while the layout is a little convoluted it seems to work with some seating that is ....well diffused.  Due to my health issues, we did not get to go to any shows, I would love to hear from others that sailed with us on their thoughts.  

 

MDR the aft as we know is mainly for YTD and some assigned and Mid (Radiance) which on the last couple of ships has been one level, on this ship is two, well not really, one and a half levels.  The other half is the Steakhouse which frankly was the right size and kind of fits right there,  This ship aside, I love the aft dining rooms on ships (and also love assigned dining) and have said my piece to people who would listen on this topic.  One of the discussion topics here was how Carnival was going to handle additional cruisers for dining.  In regards to MDR, it is clear that they did that by adding the 1/2 extra floor to the Mid level MDR.  Pretty ingenious, if you ask me.  Next up Lido....

[thesmiths]

15 hours ago, 1stTimeRoyal said:

Yes, absolutely.  We were in the car by 8:55 AM.

 

Easiest embarkation/disembarkation I’ve ever had, not even close.

Sounds good, thank you !

If all goes well I get home in Delaware by noon.

 

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, thesmiths said:

Sounds good, thank you !

If all goes well I get home in Delaware by noon.

 

You will be fine

[jimbo5544]

I had read a lot about lido before we cruised.  Carnival obviously tried to make it as palatable (pun intended) as they could, obviously there is a limitation on space.  Where on most ships there are two sets (one on each side and one upfront and one aft) on this ship there is only one.  At breakfast it works just fine, with the 4 extra omelette stations (in addition to the two in the center of the lido food line) it plain works.  Lunch.... not so much, the deli (port side was always very busy).  Lucky bowl did not seem to be a hit, I did not try it.  For dinner there did not seem to be any problem. Frankly, for us, there was not an issue.

 

I for the first time got told a flat out no to a request I made to a Carnival employee.  It happened at the Sea Food Shack.  I asked for a Lobster Roll with butter instead of mayo (the CT way and the only real way).  He told it came with mayo, I asked again and he said no.  I was kind of surprised and said I had it multiple times that way on other ships, he said .....no.  

[thesmiths]

Thanks for all the info so far Jimbo, Much appreciated.

I've taken notes.

Hope all in your crew enjoyed.

Looks like a fun time based on the pics seen.

 

We do ATD early, right after they open.

Should leave us  plenty of time for the early shows in the Main Show room and Lime light Lounge?

Just my wife & I on this cruise.

 

 

 

[jimbo5544]

Just now, thesmiths said:

Thanks for all the info so far Jimbo, Much appreciated.

I've taken notes.

Hope all in your crew enjoyed.

Looks like a fun time based on the pics seen.

 

We do ATD early, right after they open.

Should leave us  plenty of time for the early shows in the Main Show room and Lime light Lounge?

Just my wife & I on this cruise.

 

 

 

the check in area is on 5 mid sip starboard aft of the casino. You should be fine with all shows.

[jimbo5544]

Next up entertainment

[jimbo5544]

Next up entertainment

[1stTimeRoyal]

5 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

I had read a lot about lido before we cruised.  Carnival obviously tried to make it as palatable (pun intended) as they could, obviously there is a limitation on space.  Where on most ships there are two sets (one on each side and one upfront and one aft) on this ship there is only one.  At breakfast it works just fine, with the 4 extra omelette stations (in addition to the two in the center of the lido food line) it plain works.  Lunch.... not so much, the deli (port side was always very busy).  Lucky bowl did not seem to be a hit, I did not try it.  For dinner there did not seem to be any problem. Frankly, for us, there was not an issue.

 

I for the first time got told a flat out no to a request I made to a Carnival employee.  It happened at the Sea Food Shack.  I asked for a Lobster Roll with butter instead of mayo (the CT way and the only real way).  He told it came with mayo, I asked again and he said no.  I was kind of surprised and said I had it multiple times that way on other ships, he said .....no.  

 

Lucky Bowl just seems like a waste.  I don't think boiling hot soup bowls is necessarily the most appealing thing on a caribbean cruise, I never saw a line there.   Frankly, they'd be better off with two delis.

 

Did they always have an international side for lunch?   I stumbled on the side by lucky bowl on the 7th day, and they had a mexican station.

 

I realize the mayo way might not be the proper way, but those lobster rolls were great.  Seafood shack seemed like it was a hit on this cruise.

 

Pizza was fine...I really liked the 4 cheese white.

[thesmiths]

43 minutes ago, 1stTimeRoyal said:

 those lobster rolls were great.  Seafood shack seemed like it was a hit on this cruise.

 

I'll have to try them.  Love a Lobster Roll.

 

 

 

 

[1stTimeRoyal]

52 minutes ago, thesmiths said:

I'll have to try them.  Love a Lobster Roll.

 

 

 

 

You get two decent sized rolls.  I think they should tell you that because you could easily split the meal between two people.  We also had the fried clams and shrimp, also good.  People were ordering lots of crab legs.

[thesmiths]

59 minutes ago, 1stTimeRoyal said:

You get two decent sized rolls.  I think they should tell you that because you could easily split the meal between two people.  We also had the fried clams and shrimp, also good.  People were ordering lots of crab legs.

Thank you.

 

More for me as wifey does not eat seafood ! 🙂

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by thesmiths

[Luke Saint Joe]

Jimbo5544, hello! My husband & I are sailing with Jamman (Jeff & Patti) on Sunrise, 9/16 and we're sailing with YOU on the TA next June! Looking forward to meeting you as I'm a big fan of your wonderful, detailed reviews and thanks for that!

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, Luke Saint Joe said:

Jimbo5544, hello! My husband & I are sailing with Jamman (Jeff & Patti) on Sunrise, 9/16 and we're sailing with YOU on the TA next June! Looking forward to meeting you as I'm a big fan of your wonderful, detailed reviews and thanks for that!

I remember Jeff mentioning that and us talking,  Have sailed with Jeff and Patti on the Splendor a while back.  Thanks for the kind words, we will have plenty of time to catch up on the TA.

[jimbo5544]

So I thought the entertainment on the ship was pretty good.  Playlist has gotten panned since they started on Carnival ships.  They have reintroduced live music to the shows (6 piece on this ship) and the shows are unique and we enjoyed them and recommend them.  The horn section of that band also performed in the Red Frog.  I love the 3 violinists that entertain in the main lobby (I believe Carnival has deployed this concept across all ships/at least most).  They played classical and some rock, this trio was very good and animated which added to the performance.  The rest of the entertainment was enjoyable as well.

[jimbo5544]

Cruising from New York.

We are originally from CT and considered ourselves part of the New York area.  We have two kids in our family who live with their family in Long Island.  This crowd was tough.  We met more people (these comments were unsolicited I might add) that told us stories that shocked us.  Maybe it was a full moon.  People telling us they removed all tips because they wanted their room cold and the crappy staff could not oblige.  People walking into MDR early seating 50 minutes after the start time and sucking up the poor wait staffs time which of course took away from the rest of the entire room.  Two couples came in late and one man demanding two milks and an iced pronto loudly as they made their way to their table.  Frankly it was embarrassing and prevalent in many ways and places.  I could go on with many examples but will move on.

[jimbo5544]

The crew

 

I have said it many ways and in many places, Carnival’s best asset is their crew, without a doubt.  This crew was not the exception, they excelled.  Across the different teams that support their clients to a T, over and over and in many ways and different examples.  I am always in awe of these teams and watching them do their jobs with great exuberance and effort.  Kudos to them all.

[jimbo5544]

The ship

 

The Sunrise has gotten slammed in some early reviews.  I will give my thoughts.... She is not perfect, as I said before, have not been a ship that is.  When you take an existing footprint and modify it very significantly, their are things that have to be fit into the area that is available.  I thought they did a really good job doing this.  Serenity is somewhat disjointed with two levels and the center area broken off, but it works. Lido, they did the best they could.  The two areas I question is Lucky Bowl, which we thought never busy and the deli was mobbed, whenever was open.  Pools and splash park were just fine.  The ropes course was busier than I can remember on any ship we were on.  The slides the same.  This ship felt no more crowded than any other Carnival ship we have been on.  Bigger than s Spirit class and small than a Conquest class.  Next year New York will have her and he’s sister sailing together for the season from New York.  I hope the New Yorkers embrace having two great ships to sail on.

 

We sailed the Triumph and now the Sunrise.  There is no comparison folks.  This is a significantly enhanced ship sailing in an older hull.  Will we sail her again?  Definitely  We are sailing her twin on her TA to New York next June. A thread here called it the worst ship, which was laughable then and even more so now.  LAUGHABLE. Is she our favorite Carnival ship? Probably not.  IS she near the bottom of the list? Not even close.

[jimbo5544]

I think that is it, if I can answer any questions, please feel free to ask.

[livingthedream1]

5 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

The ship

 

The Sunrise has gotten slammed in some early reviews.  I will give my thoughts.... She is not perfect, as I said before, have not been a ship that is.  When you take an existing footprint and modify it very significantly, their are things that have to be fit into the area that is available.  I thought they did a really good job doing this.  Serenity is somewhat disjointed with two levels and the center area broken off, but it works. Lido, they did the best they could.  The two areas I question is Lucky Bowl, which we thought never busy and the deli was mobbed, whenever was open.  Pools and splash park were just fine.  The ropes course was busier than I can remember on any ship we were on.  The slides the same.  This ship felt no more crowded than any other Carnival ship we have been on.  Bigger than s Spirit class and small than a Conquest class.  Next year New York will have her and he’s sister sailing together for the season from New York.  I hope the New Yorkers embrace having two great ships to sail on.

 

We sailed the Triumph and now the Sunrise.  There is no comparison folks.  This is a significantly enhanced ship sailing in an older hull.  Will we sail her again?  Definitely  We are sailing her twin on her TA to New York next June. A thread here called it the worst ship, which was laughable then and even more so now.  LAUGHABLE. Is she our favorite Carnival ship? Probably not.  IS she near the bottom of the list? Not even close.

Thank you for taking the time to do this review. It was so nice to read all the positive things. I have not been on her yet will be over Thanksgiving and really looking forward to it. I find the negative reviews laughable as well most things the complaints are about are not even under Carnivals control.  I was kinda exited about the Lucky Bowl. We really like the Ramen  soup places that are local here so was hoping for something similar. 

[jimbo5544]

19 minutes ago, livingthedream1 said:

Thank you for taking the time to do this review. It was so nice to read all the positive things. I have not been on her yet will be over Thanksgiving and really looking forward to it. I find the negative reviews laughable as well most things the complaints are about are not even under Carnivals control.  I was kinda exited about the Lucky Bowl. We really like the Ramen  soup places that are local here so was hoping for something similar. 

Thanks for the kind words.  I sure hope it gets more attention and use (Lucky Bowl).  I would have tried it except my stomach was not cooperating.  

[ah4sail]

Thanks for your detailed review!  Last week, I booked the Sunrise for the first week in September.  We’ve never booked so close to sailing, but husband has been working 14+ hours 6 days a week, then we had a death in the family.  We need to get away!!  Then I started reading reviews, most of which were negative.  So glad to read yours.  We’ve never been on a bad cruise, and are really looking forward to this one.  Thanks for sharing😊

[MEUB1112]

Sir,

Great review, sailed on this ship prior to the renovation and always loved it. We would love a trip now that she's updated. Thanks Again!! Hope to have a drink with you on the Mardi Gras in 2021.