Thoughts on the Sunrise?

[pmms052999]

I'm thinking about booking a quick 4-day cruise and the Sunrise is one of my options.  Anyone have any thoughts/comments/concerns on this ship?  TIA

[jsglow]

Like the ship very much. She's perfectly suited for a 4-5 night itinerary.  Preferable to any Conquest class ship in my view.

[Oceansaway17]

I was docked next to the ship 5 years ago and when I got home, I switched to the Vista and was very glad I did.  It did not appeal to me looking down at pool deck and just overall appearance.

For CCL, I will only sail newer ships.

 

[jerseyjjs]

For the record, the Sunrise has the worst space to passenger ratio rating among the Carnival fleet, and one of the worst in the industry.

[mz-s]

3 hours ago, jsglow said:

Like the ship very much. She's perfectly suited for a 4-5 night itinerary.  Preferable to any Conquest class ship in my view.

 

The problem is it's a smaller ship that holds more passengers than the Conquest class. During busy times of the year the ships are quite crowded.

 

7 minutes ago, jerseyjjs said:

For the record, the Sunrise has the worst space to passenger ratio rating among the Carnival fleet, and one of the worst in the industry.

 

Indeed. Over holidays and Summer they might as well call the Sunrise and Sunshine the Carnival Sunline.

[Lee Cruiser]

We enjoyed our cruise on Sunrise last September at about half capacity.  However, we would not want to cruise on it at full capacity.  It would feel very crowded as public spaces are small.

[Stick93]

The fantasy class ships are better than this ship. It’s and old ship dressed in some new clothes. The sunshine idea is horrible.  
In general the carnival ships look tired. I was just on the magic which I think is the best class ship (have not been on newest ship) but even she looks unkept and In need of some love. 
If you love carnival you will get the same product on all the ships. 

[tw67]

Last year we did a last minute Halloween  cruise on her.  Granted it was our first cruise after the shut down and we called it our sip and cover cruise.  Ship wasn’t going at full capacity.  We have booked again for January.  First time we had an ocean view on the 5th deck.  This time we wanted 5th deck again so we are attempting an inside. Ocean view’s on 5th were all taken.  The location was great for us.  We spend a lot of time at the Tides Pool (over 18) and we might not notice other areas getting crowded. 

[nascartim]

I was on the Sunrise last October, though it wasn't at full capacity, we had a great time. This is the way I look at it, if you haven't been on any of the larger ships before then you can't compare it to anything, so it will be fun and exciting. Obviously if you have been on the larger ones, I can understand the reservations to want to go back to a smaller boat. Work your way up and you won't be disappointed. If your 1st cruise ever was on Mardi Gras, you will be totally disappointed if you go on a fantasy class(smaller) ship. 

[pmms052999]

15 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

For the record, the Sunrise has the worst space to passenger ratio rating among the Carnival fleet, and one of the worst in the industry.

Thanks for the info!

[pmms052999]

9 minutes ago, nascartim said:

I was on the Sunrise last October, though it wasn't at full capacity, we had a great time. This is the way I look at it, if you haven't been on any of the larger ships before then you can't compare it to anything, so it will be fun and exciting. Obviously if you have been on the larger ones, I can understand the reservations to want to go back to a smaller boat. Work your way up and you won't be disappointed. If your 1st cruise ever was on Mardi Gras, you will be totally disappointed if you go on a fantasy class(smaller) ship. 

The largest we've been on so far is the Breeze.  We just wanted a quick trip to get back into cruising and have a few new cruisers with us.  I want them to have a good experience so we can book more.  Thanks for the info!

[snowballs mom]

4 hours ago, tw67 said:

Last year we did a last minute Halloween  cruise on her.  Granted it was our first cruise after the shut down and we called it our sip and cover cruise.  Ship wasn’t going at full capacity.  We have booked again for January.  First time we had an ocean view on the 5th deck.  This time we wanted 5th deck again so we are attempting an inside. Ocean view’s on 5th were all taken.  The location was great for us.  We spend a lot of time at the Tides Pool (over 18) and we might not notice other areas getting crowded. 

We are also booked in January. We have inside spa cabins for the month and will most likely spend a lot of time in the thermal suite area.

[nascartim]

39 minutes ago, pmms052999 said:

The largest we've been on so far is the Breeze.  We just wanted a quick trip to get back into cruising and have a few new cruisers with us.  I want them to have a good experience so we can book more.  Thanks for the info!

If you're happy with the deal that is being offered and you are bringing new cruisers with you, it sounds like this will be a fun cruise for your group. 

[nascartim]

Oh, and here is my secret tip: if anyone in your group enjoys playing roulette, I advise you to play on the electronic tables that they have specifically on the Sunrise(I have not found another ship yet that has these electronic versions). I racked up my most points ever just playing the way I play on these. I don't like the live table, to much bumping & grinding to get what you want. I need to take another cruise on this ship to build up my points, little did I even know at the time.

[pmms052999]

22 minutes ago, nascartim said:

Oh, and here is my secret tip: if anyone in your group enjoys playing roulette, I advise you to play on the electronic tables that they have specifically on the Sunrise(I have not found another ship yet that has these electronic versions). I racked up my most points ever just playing the way I play on these. I don't like the live table, to much bumping & grinding to get what you want. I need to take another cruise on this ship to build up my points, little did I even know at the time.

Thanks for the tip!  We definitely have gamblers in our group 😄

[bayoubabe516]

I was on the Sunrise in April 2022, not crowded at all.  Balcony on 7.. great location. Loved the ship.  Going back in October, good casino offer with an aft extended balcony on 7 this time.  

[CruizinSusan70]

On 8/17/2022 at 10:38 PM, Stick93 said:

In general the carnival ships look tired. I was just on the magic which I think is the best class ship (have not been on newest ship) but even she looks unkept and In need of some love. 
If you love carnival you will get the same product on all the ships. 

Hate to tell you this, but you are so wrong it's not funny.  The Magic was the second ship in the Dream Class and the third ship, the Breeze came out a year after it back in 2012.  Then, the 3 ships of the Vista Class were born, the Vista (2016), the Horizon (2018) and the Panorama (2019).  Finally, last year the first of 3 ships in the Excel Class premiered, the Mardi Gras.  It's sister ships the Celebration comes out in November of this year and the Jubilee comes out in November of 2023.

So, you will NOT get the same product.  The only aspect of the Dream Class that is superior to the two other classes is the spa area. But the Excel Class is a game changer for Carnival.

[Stick93]

22 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Hate to tell you this, but you are so wrong it's not funny.  The Magic was the second ship in the Dream Class and the third ship, the Breeze came out a year after it back in 2012.  Then, the 3 ships of the Vista Class were born, the Vista (2016), the Horizon (2018) and the Panorama (2019).  Finally, last year the first of 3 ships in the Excel Class premiered, the Mardi Gras.  It's sister ships the Celebration comes out in November of this year and the Jubilee comes out in November of 2023.

So, you will NOT get the same product.  The only aspect of the Dream Class that is superior to the two other classes is the spa area. But the Excel Class is a game changer for Carnival.

Yup they will have 3 excel ships and all the rest that are game overs in a few years. Oasis of the seas was built around same time as breeze and is prob a better ship than the Mardi Gras with all its mileage on it. 
Carnival does a lousy job keeping the ships modern, clean, painted and presentable. I was on older Royal, Celebrity and Norwegian ships that were older than the Magic and they didn’t look half as tired and left to rot. 
You are wrong - carnival product is stale and the other cruislines have much better foresight. The Excel class is a game changer for 10 years ago not compared to the new ships on the other fleets. 

[CruizinSusan70]

14 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Yup they will have 3 excel ships and all the rest that are game overs in a few years. Oasis of the seas was built around same time as breeze and is prob a better ship than the Mardi Gras with all its mileage on it. 
Carnival does a lousy job keeping the ships modern, clean, painted and presentable. I was on older Royal, Celebrity and Norwegian ships that were older than the Magic and they didn’t look half as tired and left to rot. 
You are wrong - carnival product is stale and the other cruislines have much better foresight. The Excel class is a game changer for 10 years ago not compared to the new ships on the other fleets. 

Just checked your signature and it states that you cruised on the Horizon in August of 2018, before the Magic in January of 2019, yet you thought the Magic was the newest ship in the fleet that you sailed on.  Your signature states you have cruised 26 times in the last 9 1/2 years, which is impressive, but the newest ships you've sailed on were the NCL Escape and RCI's Anthem, when each of them were 3 years old.  In 2022 I have sailed on or will sail on 4 different ships that are less than a year old, the Mardi Gras (28 days) the Celebrity Apex (12 days), the Discovery Princess (14 days) and the NCL Prima (11 days).

 

Since you have not sailed on the Mardi Gras, you then do not have first hand experience with it being a game changer.  It is such a game changer that I have five sailings booked on the Celebration.  The game changer comparison is versus the rest of the fleet.  But at the same time, the Excel Class can stand beside any of the new offerings by any of their competitors.  I can say this since I have first hand experience on new builds on various lines that are considered mass market cruise lines.

[jsglow]

All the naysayers can complain all they want. She's honestly one of my favorite in the fleet. 

[Jamman54]

We did a B2B on her in September 2019, and enjoyed her very much. Our review is in my signature. That being said,  and I mentioned it in our review,  that we would not sail on her, or the Sunshine or Radiance,  during peak seasons and holidays, as she would feel very crowded. 😎

[Stick93]

10 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Just checked your signature and it states that you cruised on the Horizon in August of 2018, before the Magic in January of 2019, yet you thought the Magic was the newest ship in the fleet that you sailed on.  Your signature states you have cruised 26 times in the last 9 1/2 years, which is impressive, but the newest ships you've sailed on were the NCL Escape and RCI's Anthem, when each of them were 3 years old.  In 2022 I have sailed on or will sail on 4 different ships that are less than a year old, the Mardi Gras (28 days) the Celebrity Apex (12 days), the Discovery Princess (14 days) and the NCL Prima (11 days).

 

Since you have not sailed on the Mardi Gras, you then do not have first hand experience with it being a game changer.  It is such a game changer that I have five sailings booked on the Celebration.  The game changer comparison is versus the rest of the fleet.  But at the same time, the Excel Class can stand beside any of the new offerings by any of their competitors.  I can say this since I have first hand experience on new builds on various lines that are considered mass market cruise lines.

Thanks for looking at my signature - I never thought people cared. 
 

Horizon is a nice ship and I sailed on her when she was 3 month old. It still looked like every other carnival ship. Nothing special besides the Havana area which is an upgrade that is worth a few extra bucks. 
 

The  magic is one class below and has the best layout of any carnival ship. Again she looks very tired and unkept.  
 

I sailed Adventures of the seas, Freedom or the seas, Norwegian Gem and Celebrity Infinity - all ships that are older than the Magic - some by double digits and all looked in better shape. 
 

The carnival brand is stuck in the last decade. The new ships which I have researched and watched many reviews are still behind the other new ships. Yes some new restaurants and bars - big whoop! A roller coaster? Who cares it’s as stupid as a sky ride. An outdated ropes course and some water slides - nothing new. Adult only area with jacuzzi - still better on all other cruise lines. We can disagree as I have not been on them and that’s okay - but where we can all agree is the rest of the fleet has been poorly maintained and lacks any serious upgrade  besides a new water slide here and there. They are all rusting from the outside in! 
 

 

[Pellaz]

 

I sailed on the Sunrise in February.  $35 total fare per person, so I booked it for two and enjoyed my first-ever solo cruise.    We were basically at full capacity and of course, there were long lines for some "customary" places....so the trick is to be a little creative.  

 

On embark day, for example, don't go to the buffet for lunch, go up one flight of stairs and go to the Cucina for fresh made-to-order pasta bowls.  It's free (at lunch) and NOT jam-packed.  

For breakfast, if the buffet is crowded, go to Blue Iguana Cantina for yummy breakfast burritos.  Also free (all day).  

Overall I was pleased with the cruise except that the wi-fi connectivity was terrible.  I got a credit back at Guest Services for the slowness.  Note that this can vary based on ship positioning and satellite coverage.  

On the last night I actually won one of the $2500 "cubes of cash" in the Cash Vault machine, so the cruise was paid for twice over.   Sadly, I'm sure the machine is not programmed to allow that more than once per year, so y'all are probably out of luck.  😄