My thoughts on the Sunrise and carnival after my 8 day cruise from NY

[jimbo5544]

Just now, Stick93 said:

I am sorry I may understand that a bit better -

 

You may have missed the may rusty areas they just painted over and are  trying to peak through again, the shoddy flooring that was bubbling and coming up, the lack of space, the lack ease in which it should be to get around and even to get some basic food and the lack of any technology on the ship. The elevators didn't work on certain floors and the AC in areas was non existent. 

 

This was my least favorite ship by miles. I would rather sail again on the Fascination which is years behind this ship but more comfortable and less crowded. 

Well I agree the Fascination is less crowded.

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Thank you for appreciating - means a lot to me 

Listen, if you did not like the ship, then you did not like it.  I meant what I said, doing a review takes time.  It was a legitimate statement, hope yours was as well.😉

[Stick93]

1 minute ago, jimbo5544 said:

Listen, if you did not like the ship, then you did not like it.  I meant what I said, doing a review takes time.  It was a legitimate statement, hope yours was as well.😉

Yes it was legitimate.

I actually spent hours writing this review as when I first wrote it I was feeling a burn and was very negative. I rewrote it trying to be more even and even then it was very negative. I wrote it a third time and yes I will admit its still a negative review even though I made many memories with my wife and children that will last a lifetime. I spent good money and enjoyed because I wont waste my money on a bad time. But I feel that the above was honest and candid. The ship would have been more tolerable with less people and a group of people who where not such poor models of what cruisers should not be. If that was the case I and possibly others wouldn't have noticed other things.  

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, Stick93 said:

Yes it was legitimate.

I actually spent hours writing this review as when I first wrote it I was feeling a burn and was very negative. I rewrote it trying to be more even and even then it was very negative. I wrote it a third time and yes I will admit its still a negative review even though I made many memories with my wife and children that will last a lifetime. I spent good money and enjoyed because I wont waste my money on a bad time. But I feel that the above was honest and candid. The ship would have been more tolerable with less people and a group of people who where not such poor models of what cruisers should not be. If that was the case I and possibly others wouldn't have noticed other things.  

Fair enough... 

[Kellyann]

What an excellent review.  I think you tried to be positive but at the same time felt compelled to be honest.  I'm sailing on Sunrise in 2 weeks and your review just confirmed what I've been reading since April.  The beginning negative reviews I attributed to it being "new" and the staff hadn't gotten in the groove.  Then it became apparent that some of the clientele had no idea how to act in a civilized society once it started cruising out of Manhattan.  Kids should never be acting like you described if their parents had any sense.  I'm sorry that it was less than you expected but you seemed to have made the best of it which is what I'm going to try and do.  This is my 14th cruise: 8 Carnival, 1 Princess, 1 Holland America, 3 Norwegian & 1 Celebrity and I'm trying keep an open mind.  We booked this cruise because I thought it had 2900 pax and we wanted a smaller ship only to find out that it has closer to 3900 pax, we booked it because it was easy to get to from South Jersey but now it's out of Brooklyn which is really an added expense and longer commute.  Do you ever wonder if CCL executives ever read these reviews and feel some guilt about putting greed ahead of customer satisfaction.  Thank you again for the time and thought behind your review.

[RRLLAL]

Yea, they did very little for their $200m. I loved my 2 weeks on her and it’s a beautiful ship with a lot to do.

 

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by RRLLAL

[Stick93]

7 minutes ago, RRLLAL said:

Yea, they did very little for their $200m. I loved my 2 weeks on her and it’s a beautiful ship with a lot to do.

 

The video is informative but doesn’t show the 3900 passengers navigating the narrow and congested areas. It also doesn’t have the rude and disgusting behavior that I and others have witnesses.  It’s different to watch this than to live on it for 8 days. 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Stick93

[Stick93]

19 minutes ago, Kellyann said:

What an excellent review.  I think you tried to be positive but at the same time felt compelled to be honest.  I'm sailing on Sunrise in 2 weeks and your review just confirmed what I've been reading since April.  The beginning negative reviews I attributed to it being "new" and the staff hadn't gotten in the groove.  Then it became apparent that some of the clientele had no idea how to act in a civilized society once it started cruising out of Manhattan.  Kids should never be acting like you described if their parents had any sense.  I'm sorry that it was less than you expected but you seemed to have made the best of it which is what I'm going to try and do.  This is my 14th cruise: 8 Carnival, 1 Princess, 1 Holland America, 3 Norwegian & 1 Celebrity and I'm trying keep an open mind.  We booked this cruise because I thought it had 2900 pax and we wanted a smaller ship only to find out that it has closer to 3900 pax, we booked it because it was easy to get to from South Jersey but now it's out of Brooklyn which is really an added expense and longer commute.  Do you ever wonder if CCL executives ever read these reviews and feel some guilt about putting greed ahead of customer satisfaction.  Thank you again for the time and thought behind your review.

Thank you for reading. 

 

I think in two weeks the dynamics of the ship will be different because kids will be back at school. As for the number of people on the ship - if it’s a full sailing there will be many more than the ship can handle. You have paid for this cruise and you should go and be positive and remember to pack some patience. 

 

Would love to hear your thoughts when you return and hope they will be better.

[RRLLAL]

22 minutes ago, Kellyann said:

What an excellent review.  I think you tried to be positive but at the same time felt compelled to be honest.  I'm sailing on Sunrise in 2 weeks and your review just confirmed what I've been reading since April.  The beginning negative reviews I attributed to it being "new" and the staff hadn't gotten in the groove.  Then it became apparent that some of the clientele had no idea how to act in a civilized society once it started cruising out of Manhattan.  Kids should never be acting like you described if their parents had any sense.  I'm sorry that it was less than you expected but you seemed to have made the best of it which is what I'm going to try and do.  This is my 14th cruise: 8 Carnival, 1 Princess, 1 Holland America, 3 Norwegian & 1 Celebrity and I'm trying keep an open mind.  We booked this cruise because I thought it had 2900 pax and we wanted a smaller ship only to find out that it has closer to 3900 pax, we booked it because it was easy to get to from South Jersey but now it's out of Brooklyn which is really an added expense and longer commute.  Do you ever wonder if CCL executives ever read these reviews and feel some guilt about putting greed ahead of customer satisfaction.  Thank you again for the time and thought behind your review.

 

Capacity is 2900. But that’s based upon 2 per cabin. As we all know, some cabins will have 3-4. It’s just how it’s done by all cruise lines. 

 

 

[RRLLAL]

15 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

The video is informative but doesn’t show the 3900 passengers navigating the narrow and congested areas. It also doesn’t have the rude and disgusting behavior that I and others have witnesses.  It’s different to watch this than to live on it for 8 days. 

 

 

 

I lived on it for 14 days. It is FAR more improved than is being portrayed in this thread. And I doubt 3900 since it’s capacity is 2900 at 2 per. My cruise sailed full and the CD told us there were 3400. 

[Stick93]

Thank you for Solidifying the point that this ship has way too many people on it. 

[Stick93]

3 minutes ago, RRLLAL said:

 

I lived on it for 14 days. It is FAR more improved than is being portrayed in this thread. And I doubt 3900 since it’s capacity is 2900 at 2 per. My cruise sailed full and the CD told us there were 3400. 

If they put 3-4 people in 1/2 the rooms than you can def get 3900 people and I did not make that number up - it was given to me by a head crew member as he was answering other questions and threw that piece of information out. 

 

Happy you you had a better experience. 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Stick93

[RRLLAL]

2 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Thank you for Solidifying the point that this ship has way too many people on it. 

 

Missed the point? All ships, all lines, if they are sailing full have more passengers than the capacity listed. 

[Stick93]

Just now, RRLLAL said:

 

Missed the point? All ships, all lines, if they are sailing full have more passengers than the capacity listed. 

 

Okay.

 

But we are talking about this ship and you helped the point - Thanks. 

 

You like Carnival and it pains you to read this review. It’s okay. I hope more people have your experience than mine. It’s not about being wrong or right here - it’s about sharing opinions and experiences to help people have more information and have a better vacation experiences. 

[RRLLAL]

10 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

If they put 3-4 people in 1/2 the rooms than you can def get 3900 people and I did not make that number up - it was given to me by a head crew member as he was answering other questions and threw that piece of information out. 

 

Happy you you had a better experience. 

 

You probably misunderstood him. 3900 is the maximum capacity if every single bed in every cabin was used including all the upper pull downs. 

Edited August 29, 2019 by RRLLAL

[RRLLAL]

2 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

 

Okay.

 

But we are talking about this ship and you helped the point - Thanks. 

 

You like Carnival and it pains you to read this review. It’s okay. I hope more people have your experience than mine. It’s not about being wrong or right here - it’s about sharing opinions and experiences to help people have more information and have a better vacation experiences. 

 

I take reviews here with a big grain of salt. Not talking about the OP but I’ve found over the years some reviews are done by people who weren’t even on the ship. It’s interesting that while reviews of the sunrise are probably 50/50 here good and bad that on another large social media site it’s 95/5 favorable. 

[Stick93]

2 minutes ago, RRLLAL said:

 

You probably misunderstood him. 3900 is the maximum capacity of every single bed in every cabin was used including all the upper pull downs. 

Okay.

I am sure I didn’t.  

But thanks for clarifying what I heard. I will be honest the ship felt so crowded there could have been a million people on it. It doesn’t matter and changes nothing. Enjoy your cruising

[mets123]

1 hour ago, Stick93 said:

Okay.

I am sure I didn’t.  

But thanks for clarifying what I heard. I will be honest the ship felt so crowded there could have been a million people on it. It doesn’t matter and changes nothing. Enjoy your cruising

I sailed on the Sunrise in June and agree with you completely. My wife uses a scooter and the marketplace was a zoo. Always difficult to find a table. The walkway by Guy's and the burrito bar was so tight that she couldn't get thru most of the time. I don't engage with the cheerleader anymore. Even when you answer his questions, he just doesn't believe you.

[Stick93]

5 hours ago, mets123 said:

I sailed on the Sunrise in June and agree with you completely. My wife uses a scooter and the marketplace was a zoo. Always difficult to find a table. The walkway by Guy's and the burrito bar was so tight that she couldn't get thru most of the time. I don't engage with the cheerleader anymore. Even when you answer his questions, he just doesn't believe you.

Yes that area is very tight and extremely hard for people to move through especially when you have a line of people waiting for food. 

 

I understand the cheerleaders because when I started cruising I couldn’t get enough of Carnival. My first cruise on Norwegian I didn’t fully enjoy as I was comparing it to my experience on the “fun ship” and how much they did that didn’t cost more but gave the passengers so much more entertainment and value. This has changed over years and I have enjoyed the other ships more as I maybe have matured but also Carnivals product has been changed. Their clientele have also changed and now I am seeing too much bad behavior which is not non existent on the other lines but not anywhere near as prevalent. Their ships have also not been updated and sadly even the Horizon last year which was brand new was not that much different from their old ships.  Again these are my feelings. I don’t have to justify them to the cheerleaders even though I engage them, as I believe I am a customer Carnival would like to have now and in the future as I am a repeat yearly cruiser who is spending good money on my trips on myself and family. 

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Stick93

[PhillyFan33579]

3 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

 I don’t have to justify them to the cheerleaders even though I engage them, as I believe I am a customer Carnival would like to have now and in the future as I am a repeat yearly cruiser who is spending good money on my trips on myself and family. 

 

Evan as a Carnival loyalist I don’t believe this. Carnival’s current focus is on the new or inexperienced cruiser. There is no doubt in my mind the perfect cruise in Carnival’s world is a ship filled with only Blue and Red cards. Every decision and change they have made over the last several years supports this view. The reason my wife and I continue to sail on Carnival is because we always have fun on their ships. The perks associated with being Platinum definitely aren’t enough to keep us loyal to Carnival. 

[Stick93]

44 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Evan as a Carnival loyalist I don’t believe this. Carnival’s current focus is on the new or inexperienced cruiser. There is no doubt in my mind the perfect cruise in Carnival’s world is a ship filled with only Blue and Red cards. Every decision and change they have made over the last several years supports this view. The reason my wife and I continue to sail on Carnival is because we always have fun on their ships. The perks associated with being Platinum definitely aren’t enough to keep us loyal to Carnival. 

 

Interesting take.... 

 

Not or sure I agree with this business model if this is so.  I understand as a platinum member I may remember the days of yesteryears and be critical of a watered down version of that. A blue and red card may not have those expectations and are possibly easier to please.  They want and need all the repeat customers as all the cruise lines do.  

[jimbo5544]

17 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

 

Interesting take.... 

 

Not or sure I agree with this business model if this is so.  I understand as a platinum member I may remember the days of yesteryears and be critical of a watered down version of that. A blue and red card may not have those expectations and are possibly easier to please.  They want and need all the repeat customers as all the cruise lines do.  

Carnival’s business model is most def iced at new cruisers in as many home ports as possible (believe they focus on 5 hour drive to the ship).  I agree with your last statement, as do they.

[PhillyFan33579]

23 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

 

Interesting take.... 

 

Not or sure I agree with this business model if this is so.  I understand as a platinum member I may remember the days of yesteryears and be critical of a watered down version of that. A blue and red card may not have those expectations and are possibly easier to please.  They want and need all the repeat customers as all the cruise lines do.  

 

I don’t disagree that Carnival wants repeat customers. However, their current focus is clearly on new cruisers, not repeat cruisers. I think Carnival realizes passengers who are Platinum and Diamond are already committed to Carnival and their VIFP Program does enough to satisfy most of these people.

 

I personally know several D&Ps, and have heard of more online, who no longer sail on Carnival for one reason or another. But the majority of D&Ps continue to cruise on Carnival, which is why they have the current problem of too many cruises having too many D&Ps. Not a bad problem to have, but it’s hard to provide priority perks when large numbers of passengers on a ship have priority status under the current VIFP Program. 

[Stick93]

5 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I don’t disagree that Carnival wants repeat customers. However, their current focus is clearly on new cruisers, not repeat cruisers. I think Carnival realizes passengers who are Platinum and Diamond are already committed to Carnival and their VIFP Program does enough to satisfy most of these people.

 

I personally know several D&Ps, and have heard of more online, who no longer sail on Carnival for one reason or another. But the majority of D&Ps continue to cruise on Carnival, which is why they have the current problem of too many cruises having too many D&Ps. Not a bad problem to have, but it’s hard to provide priority perks when large numbers of passengers on a ship have priority status under the current VIFP Program. 

Interestingly on this cruise of 3900 people had under 200 p&d cruisers. 

[Mklbee]

I was on the Sunrise for 14 days to the Panama Canal. Loved the cruise. Had a good time, but the worst thing was the over crowding. I was very surprised that even getting on the ship early (11:50a) we still couldn't find a place to sit and eat!! Now, it was a longer cruise and had the largest amount of Diamond and Platinum cruisers I have EVER seen, but moving around the ship was challenging. We also had many people with motorized wheel chairs, scooters and walkers....which made the narrow walkways even tougher to navigate.

 

I think that Carnival did a great job with the ship, and the 'Flying Scotsman" was a great CD, but I have looked for future cruises ( Id love to go to Canada and Boston) and that cruise is on the Sunrise.....and I started looking elsewhere. Nice ship, but by FAR my least favorite.