Live! Brilliantseas on the Carnival Sunrise - February 12-17, 2022

[Joe817]

Stunning! Absolutely stunning! Beautiful pics, and well presented! Thanks so much! 👍

[brilliantseas]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Back onboard after a beautiful day in Grand Turk, we tried Deal or No Deal for the first time. 

 

The cards are one for $25 or two for $40. They do a random drawing for two players to have the opportunity to go on stage and play the game with 20 cases worth between $0.01 and $1,000. 

 

If you don't make it on stage, you play along with your card, opening cases as the player on stage does, hoping the dollar amount under the case matches the dollar value of the same case opened on the big screen. If you get a match, you start moving up the prize board. Two matches wins a free $25 BINGO package good for the jackpot BINGO on the last day of the cruise. Three matches gets you $30 FunPay in the casino, which on the Sunrise was just given as $30 cash. Four matches and you get $50 cash. If you win in both games, you get both prizes. I just happened to win both the BINGO package and the $30 Casino FunPay. GF didn't win anything on her card. We had a few hundred people playing on our sailing and I believe four won $50. No one won the big prizes. On stage, one person went home with $175 offer from the Banker, and the other played it out and won $40 on their case. 

 

Are you going to win big playing Deal or No Deal on the ship? Probably not? Is it fun entertainment for an hour, yes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should also note that the viewing angles from the sides of the theater make it difficult to see the full screen. We could not see which of the large dollar amounts were left on the board. Choose your seats carefully for Deal or No Deal. 

 

[brilliantseas]

After Deal or No Deal, it was time for dinner. The YTD area on the upper level of the Sunshine Restaurant was very empty most evenings. This photo was taken around 8:30. 

 

 

Chicken, Wild Rice, and Greyere Soup

 

Flatbread with chicken, red onion, arugula, parmesan cheese. I would recommend this appetizer. 

 

Caprese Salad. GF was disappointed. 

 

Jambalaya. It was just okay. 

 

Lasagna Bolognase. GF said it was very meaty but could have used more cheese. 

 

Warm chocolate melting cake

 

Tropical fruit plate. It was missing most of the "tropical" fruits. The watermelon was past its prime, but the orange segments were good. 

[mcgore83]

Great review and beautiful photos!

[B&P!!!]

Thank you for this LIVE review. Loving it as I'm heading out on the Sunrise in early April. Crowds are worrying me...any advice on where to have first day lunch without too much hassle? What are the  lines like in the pizza area or for Lucky Bowl? And thanks for the report on Guy's fries! Can't wait to get me some.

[brilliantseas]

1 hour ago, B&P!!! said:

Thank you for this LIVE review. Loving it as I'm heading out on the Sunrise in early April. Crowds are worrying me...any advice on where to have first day lunch without too much hassle? What are the  lines like in the pizza area or for Lucky Bowl? And thanks for the report on Guy's fries! Can't wait to get me some.

 

Try Cucina del Capitano or Guy's Pig & Anchor for a less crowded embarkation day lunch experience. Since these locations are located on deck 10, guests aren't as likely to find them until after the first day. It is also worth noting that Pig & Anchor is only open on embarkation day and sea days, so your opportunities are somewhat limited to try it. 

 

Pizza line shouldn't be horrible as it is aft of the Lido Marketplace. The longest lines for embarkation will be Guy's Burger Joint, Blue Iguana, and the main Lido Marketplace Buffet. Lucky Bowl and Deli should have somewhat shorter lines, regulated by the awkward positioning of the queue for these concepts. They are essentially windows that open up into a main walkway. 

[brilliantseas]

After dinner, we caught the Love and Marriage Show, which CD Adam advertised as "adults only," rather than the typical PG-13 version that they typically offer as an afternoon show. Sunrise was going through a cast change / show install during our cruise, so Liquid Lounge was being used for rehearsals during the day, and I believe we were missing a show in the evening. In any case, the "adults only" plus one toddler version of the Love and Marriage Show lived up to the tag as the competition to get on stage was taken to the Jerry Springer extremes by the couples. 

 

 

 

We were also treated to a special Late Night Comedy Showcase, with both Larry Omaha and Mark Sweeney performing 20 minute sets as a part of one continuous show in the Liquid Lounge. 

 

 

Mark Sweeney is definitely the funnier of the two comedians, and is probably deserving of his own HBO or Netflix comedy special. Larry not so much.

 

After the comedy showcase, it was towel animal time, with this guy hanging out in front of our windows. 

 

[peteandpris]

Great review thank you.

 

[brilliantseas]

Our last day at sea started with Sea Day Brunch on the lower level of the Sunshine Restaurant. Brunch may have actually been busier than dinner?

 

[brilliantseas]

GF had the yogurt parfait, an omelet, and the chocolate cake. Our waiter kept asking if she wanted various sides with her omelet and she just kept saying yes. She ended up with bacon, hash browns, and brunch potatoes. 

 

 

 

 

I had the chia seed pudding, which is a must for Sea Day Brunch, followed by the frittata and the banana cream pie. 

 

The Frittata was hot and better than what I had previously on the Legend, however I think I'd choose an omelet next time. The toast served with the Frittata was so hard it was inedible. 

 

The banana cream pie was served at room temperature and was disappointing as I always find it tastes best when it is really cold. 

 

 

 

[ninjacat123]

Off topic, does your GF wear OPI Cajun Shrimp nail polish?  Love that color!

[moonjelly]

Thank you for the news and all the fabulous photos! 

Do you happen to remember if there was a Latin dance night? On our previous carnival cruise one lounge was dedicated to this one  late night event.

[Pellaz]

On 2/13/2022 at 11:32 AM, brilliantseas said:

The "premium" internet package is far slower than what I've experienced on the past few cruises. It is usable, but you certainly won't be streaming anything on this ship. 

 

For our Feb.17th sailing, the internet was almost completely unusable.  Hardly anything loaded except Facebook.  I upgraded from Value to Premium for $16 and if anything, it got WORSE.    So I went down and asked to go back to Value with a partial refund.   That didn't work either (except for FB) so I eventually got a full refund.  

[brilliantseas]

On 2/22/2022 at 3:38 PM, moonjelly said:

Thank you for the news and all the fabulous photos! 

Do you happen to remember if there was a Latin dance night? On our previous carnival cruise one lounge was dedicated to this one  late night event.

 

I don't recall seeing a Latin dance night, unless you consider the Latin duo playing in Red Frog a "dance night"? 

 

It is worth noting that the older ships are losing lounge space when they are renovated, and Sunrise is no exception. The former aft lounge on deck 5 is now cabins. The function of the aft lounge serving as the comedy club moved to deck 4 in a space that was formerly the lower level of the disco. The upper level of the disco is now the Red Frog Pub and a smaller piano bar, with the old piano bar space becoming Alchemy Bar. The lower level of the old theater is now cabin, with the mid tier now having a floor installed and becoming the new floor level of the theater. 

 

I believe the original plan was for the Liquid Lounge theater to double as the night club after the evening shows are completed. A large bar is situated between the two sets of entry doors, and the floor seating is stackable/movable seats opening up a large dance floor. I don't think Sunrise is seeing enough people show up for the "dance club", and has relocated the late night DJ / dance function to the Limelight Lounge/comedy club. Unfortunately, this displaces the late night comedy shows, which now wrap up with a 9:30 show instead of 11:30 or midnight as seen on many of my previous sailings. 

[brilliantseas]

After Brunch, we enjoyed some time in the sun. The deck was CROWDED despite lower capacity. I wouldn't recommend this ship at 100% capacity. We ended up finding a pair of chairs on the top level of the "tiered" seating, next to the stairs leading to the water slide. This meant lots of traffic and occasional dripping/splashing from excited slide riders. 

 

 

Lido pool was FULL, but the got tubs were not getting much use. 

 

 

The ice carving demonstration also took place on the last sea day. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

I made a trip up to Guy's Pig and Anchor BBQ, which is hidden on Deck 10 near the funnel. It is only open on embarkation day and sea days, and only until 2:30. 

 

The flavor was better than the appearance, although they were out of all but one of the BBQ sauces when I visited around 2:00. No worries as a quick trip down to Guy's Burgers provided for two more sauce options, including the Brown Sugar BBQ, which was my favorite. 

 

I tried the pulled pork, smoked sausage, and the mac & cheese. 

 

 

 

Lucky Bowl was popular, but I never found an opportunity to try it. The menu changes daily with some repeats throughout the week.

 

 

 

Lunch Buffet. I like the light colors and bright lighting in this space. 

 

 

 

Cucina del Capitano offers a free "build your own pasta bowl" concept at lunch, as well as a $15 upcharge dining option at dinner. It is accessible via the staircase behind the dessert station in the Lido Marketplace. To the left is a small lift for passengers requiring accessibility accommodations. 

 

 

The last sea day is also the chocolate extravaganza dessert buffet during lunch hours. There are several chocolate cakes to choose from, as well as a chocolate fountain. A crew member will skewer and dip your selections for you. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

$5,000 Jackpot BINGO was relocated from Liquid Lounge to Red Frog Pub due to rehearsals for the new show install in Liquid Lounge. This was borderline disastrous. It was standing room only, with players also using the Alchemy Bar and Piano Bar 88 spaces for BINGO. Unfortunately, the speakers are only wired to broadcast the microphone in Red Frog itself, so they did what they could and cranked the volume all the way up. There is also no projection screen in Red Frog, so they had to pause for recaps of the numbers that had already been called. Had we not won a free $25 package from our Deal or No Deal game, we would not have played. 

 

 

Making matters worse, Alchemy was still wrapping up the Martini Tasting class with a loud crowd enjoying their cocktails and making it harder to hear BINGO. They wrapped up shortly after BINGO started. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Time for some pizza? Just kidding. The counter was empty and they were moving very slowly putting pizzas out. 

 

 

We decided to go for some Guy's Fries instead. They are going faster than the cooks can produce them. 

 

 

After a short wait, more fresh cut fries appeared! So happy the fresh cut fries are back! Frozen is just not the same. 

 

[brilliantseas]

Dinner Menu for the last day at sea. 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

We both opted for the shrimp cocktail and the enchiladas. The enchilada recipe has changed a bit, and the ones we were served had clearly been sitting for a while. While still flavorful, the tortillas were quite dry, somewhere between chewy and crispy, similar to a very stale tortilla chip. 

 

 

 

For dessert, I had the Baked Alaska, while GF had another Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

We got to see the opening night of Soulbound with a brand new cast. I'm not sure if it was just the cast that was new, or if Soulbound is an entirely new show for the Sunrise. 

 

The lighting and haze effects in Liquid Lounge set the mood for the show and is a step up from the pre-show experience for any of the shows I saw on Legend in December. 

 

 

 

 

The Liquid Lounge also has a large bar in the back of the lower level. Seating at the bar is temporarily unavailable due to COVID restrictions, but in normal times, you are able to watch the shows from the bar or from a few standing cocktail tables in the back of the lounge. 

 

 

Unlike other Playlist shows, Soulbound features almost zero costume changes. Instead, the cast is in elaborate makeup and highly-themed costumes. 

 

 

 

 

Like Vintage Pop, the best way to describe Soulbound is "unique." It is a bit of a shift away from the other Playlist Productions shows in terms of the music and costumes. Soulbound took more advantage of the open show floor than Vintage Pop, with the cast moving to platforms throughout the lounge during the show. 

 

The show feels as if it were specifically developed for a New Orleans based vessel and then deployed to other ships throughout the fleet. It would be a great show for Halloween sailings, and takes inspiration from what I can only describe as Voodoo culture of Louisiana. I felt as if it was a bit of a miss for a Miami-based sailing, with the dark makeup and costumes. 

 

While the performance of the singers and dancers was strong, I came away disappointed in the Playlist Productions shows on this sailing. 

[Pellaz]

I was surprised -- but pleased! -- to see Baked Alaska offered on my Sunrise cruise last week.  I've always thought it was a "longer cruises only" offering.  

 

Those short ribs were great, as expected.  One of my MDR favorites.  

 

After seeing complaints here, I was wondering why the fries at Guy's seemed surprisingly good.  Now I know; they brought back the "good" fries.  😄  

 

The pasta-bowl (and lasagna) free lunch at the Cucina is my go-to on embark day.  People fighting for space right below at the buffet and I just walk up that stairway and find a nice, uncrowded area, and with bar service!

[brilliantseas]

We finished the night with the Sunrise Rock Band in Red Frog Pub. We even hid this little guy on the Red Frog photo op. 

 

 

GF had a Ting Mojito. 

 

 

I had a Parched Pig Toasted Amber Ale, which was only available in cans on this sailing. 

 

 

 

Sunrise Rock Band were the strongest musicians on the ship, especially the male lead. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos; my camera does not like the lighting in Red Frog. 

 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

1 minute ago, Pellaz said:

 

 

After seeing complaints here, I was wondering why the fries at Guy's seemed surprisingly good.  Now I know; they brought back the "good" fries.  😄  

 

 

 

I really hope they are back on all ships. I suspect it may have something to do with crew shortages in the galleys.

 

Guy's was using frozen fries on embarkation day on our cruise, but switched to fresh cut on the first sea day and didn't go back to frozen. I hope they stick with fresh going forward as it makes a huge difference!