Sunrise..is she really that bad?

[Riemercruisin]

We are considering a quick beach cruise right after Thanksgiving. But everywhere I search, the reviews are awful.

Has anyone on this board been on the ship recently and can chime in?

Is she really THAT bad??

[dolphinsfan246]

I would just go and make your own opinion. I have read some absolute horror stories about ships before I sail on them and then experience none of what I read about. Just remember that people are 10x more likely to write a bad review than write praise in a good one. 

[bg2310]

It's old as hell, so not interested at all in it personally. 

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, dolphinsfan246 said:

I would just go and make your own opinion. I have read some absolute horror stories about ships before I sail on them and then experience none of what I read about. Just remember that people are 10x more likely to write a bad review than write praise in a good one. 

Bingo.

 

I have yet to go on any cruise ship and experience a bad cruise.

[jandres12]

It's not a bad ship. Went on a Thanksgiving week 4-day on her in 2022 when ships weren't sailing quite full yet and it was fine, although I could see how it could feel overcrowded with a full ship.  It's also about the clientele that takes short 3-4 day cheap cruises out of Miami. 

[alias47]

No, not a bad ship to me, i've said on Sunrise in December 2022 and enjoyed it.  I didn't encounter any issues (not sure which ones have been posted here or elsewhere, though).  I believe it is doing 4/5 nighters out of Miami, i'd sail on Sunrise again for a similar cruise, I don't really need any of the bells and whistles of the newer ships, which it won't have, ofcourse, if that is important to you, should keep that in mind.  

[CruzerDeb]

We were on her in October 2023 and had a WONDERUL time! Go, pack a good attitude and have FUN! One of our best experiences was the Sunrise Rock Band in the Blue Iguana bar - I’m sure the band is different now, but they were excellent and we went back to see them 3x. A cruise is what you make it. 

[VentureMan_2000]

There's a bunch of cruise snobs... love to complain and *****.

Ship's too dirty -- even though I witness the crew cleaning areas that they cleaned an hour before day after day.

MDR dinner is less than edible -- I guess expecting a steakhouse experience without actually paying for it.

Musicals and shows that are dull -- expecting Broadway performances for a shipboard price.

Service that doesn't meet expectations -- is not white glove service.

 

Speaking of white glove service, there are many passengers walking around with their white gloves declaring that the ship is nothing but filthy. 
 

[jsglow]

She's actually one of my favorites in the Carnival fleet.

 

I'm so glad that I have enough experience with the entire line that I don't need to read reviews. I invariably know more than they do.

[Scfilla]

We went on the Sunrise 11/28/22 and had a good time with no problems or anything bad to say. Two other carnival trips since then and same experiences. 
42 days 15 hours from now we’ll be on the Sunrise again.  
It’s a low cost cruise line and almost anyone can afford it so that’s what you’re dealing with. 
It called Fun Ship for a reason and we enjoy people watching. 😆 

[80sGal]

I have sailed Sunrise on a B2B in Dec/Jan 22-23, Oct 23 and again 3/24.    It's a great ship -- smaller than many, but nicely refurbished and rebranded.   The dining room/galley layout is not my favorite but I'm not cruising based on where I go up and down steps.   The staff and everything else was exactly as we find on other ships and in fact, the bartenders were possibly more friendly than some other ships.  

[ineedadisplayname1Vbbjhju]

I went on April 2024- I put out a review on here for that ship. It was crazy crowded because of Spring break and clientele was rude and young teens acting nuts. But I did love Leon the CD and the layout was easy to get to know. The food options were great. It was clean. I would go back on it but not on spring break.

 

Edited May 15 by ineedadisplayname1Vbbjhju

[havanadaydreaming]

i, too, have enjoyed every cruise we have taken.  big ship, little ship, new ship, old ship.  they're all more than acceptable in my book.  

 

now i do hope to get a better price point on a ship that doesnt offer all the amenities others do. 

 

i get the MG and Celebration getting top dollar not so much on the 20+ year old ships.  

 

 

[Sarcastic Mama]

Some people love the Sunrise and others hate her. The Sunrise is the old Triumph and most people know all to well about the Triumph. I think some of the Triumph and bad press hangs over her. 

Do your research on the ship, look into when she last had a dry dock, even ask a travel agent what their thoughts are.  

[notscb]

On 5/15/2024 at 1:02 PM, Sarcastic Mama said:

most people know all to well about the Triumph

She was my first ship in 2009 and is still my favorite design by far. There's plenty of quiet space, the lido deck has seating for the buffet looking at the wake and it's not too big overall.

[missholly24]

On 5/11/2024 at 6:33 PM, Riemercruisin said:

We are considering a quick beach cruise right after Thanksgiving. But everywhere I search, the reviews are awful.

Has anyone on this board been on the ship recently and can chime in?

Is she really THAT bad??

She's cursed! LOL....just google Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunrise and read all the mishaps. Floods, fires, power loss and adrift. I sailed on her once, won't do it again. Just too many nice ships to waste time on this. There is a reason they give Sunrise some of the most popular itineraries at the cheapest cost. 

[jsglow]

40 minutes ago, missholly24 said:

She's cursed! LOL....just google Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunrise and read all the mishaps. Floods, fires, power loss and adrift. I sailed on her once, won't do it again. Just too many nice ships to waste time on this. There is a reason they give Sunrise some of the most popular itineraries at the cheapest cost. 

🙄 

 

Bye.

[odysea]

We sailed on her in March of this year, Spring Break time. We honestly had a great time. Have no complaints about the ship at all. We were looking for a last minute trip just to be on the water for a few days so we grabbed the one we did and despite it being a full ship we were always able to find somewhere quiet to sit with a lovely cocktail and we had a wonderful time, no regrets at all. 

[CruisingTab]

I've sailed on the Sunrise once and have two more sailings booked on her. I think it's the perfect size and has enough to do on these short itineraries. 

[ajtaylor29]

we've loved every cruise we've been on (some more than others!) so i say go and enjoy it!

There are a lot of people who complain no matter which ship they're on....and some of us who can have a great time on any ship!

We're often on older, smaller ships because we're sailing for the itinerary and in many cases those are the ships that take some of the most interesting routes.

If we just want to cruise to anywhere/anytime - like here comes Cozumel again! - then we'll try to pick a new, big ship.

I love them all. Have fun!

[Stick93]

On 5/11/2024 at 6:33 PM, Riemercruisin said:

We are considering a quick beach cruise right after Thanksgiving. But everywhere I search, the reviews are awful.

Has anyone on this board been on the ship recently and can chime in?

Is she really THAT bad??

Terrible ship. Worse than fantasy class. 

[TX Cruise Girl]

We were on the Sunrise April of this year and it was fine for me.  I dont have a single complaint however,  we did come across someone that said his room had flooded two days in a row.

The most notable thing for me was that we never had to wait on an elevator for more than a minute.  Not even on the first day while the luggage was being delivered or the last day when everyone was leaving.  I also like that nothing seemed to be far away.  I would go again.

[mz-s]

One of the older ships afloat right now, but was renovated about 5 years ago. They added new venues but also ripped out lounges and public spaces to add more staterooms.

 

You'll probably be OK in the off season, after Thanksgiving but before Christmas - that's one of the slowest travel periods of the year, generally speaking.

 

But you couldn't pay me to sail a Sunshine class ship during the busy season. You'll get so fed up of standing to the side to let a crowd pass, waiting in lines to do ANYTHING - wait for an elevator, wait for the bathroom, wait for a seat at Lido, 30 minute wait for a slice of nasty pizza, etc., that you'll never want to cruise again.

Edited Thursday at 01:41 PM by mz-s

[sgttami]

A friend who is Loyal to Royal sailed on Sunrise last year (first time on Carnival).  Nothing but negative comments.  I told her to try a different ship and it was, "NO way, Carnival is S*** "

 

She couldn't believe that I like Carnival and there would never be a way to convince her to try it again.

 

I've never been on Sunrise but can't imagine it being THAT bad!

 

 

 

 

[Jamman54]

We did a B2B on her in 2019 just before the Covid shutdown. Here are a couple of observations that we made in our review of those cruises. Right along the same lines as mz-s posted.

 

 

Our final thoughts and observations.

 

I guess the first thing most people would want to know is if we would book another cruise on the Carnival Sunrise. The answer is absolutely yes, but…. Before I tell you what the but is, let’s talk.

 

Patti and I had read all the reviews, mostly negative, on the newly refurbished Carnival Sunrise. Some of these reviews had come from some pretty reputable posters, and the vast majority complained about how crowded the ship was. Of course some of the claims were over the top, such as having to stand up to eat breakfast and lunch which to me was a bit of stretch, but I could see where they were coming from. But in reality they had to feel more crowded.

 

Let’s talk a little about passenger space ratio. The Destiny, Triumph, and Victory in their original configurations had a PSR of 31. The refurbished Sunshine, Sunrise, and soon to be Radiance have a PSR of 27. That’s quite a drop. Also, there is a huge difference between sailing on the Sunrise when it is “full” (3,000 – 3,300 pax) vs sailing the Sunrise when it is “near or at capacity” (3,500 – 3700 pax). When do they sail at “near or at capacity”? Peak times such as spring break, summertime, Christmas, and New Years. That’s when the family groups travel the most, with plenty of kids, filling up all those third and fourth berths. The cruises that we were on were “full”, with very few family groups, and hardly any kids. Our Cruise Director Mikey told us that there were about 300 more passengers on our second cruise, and Patti and I could “feel” the difference.

 

So, back to the beginning. We would absolutely sail on the Sunrise again, but, not during peak times. That also goes for the Sunshine and Radiance. Let me also throw the Vista Class in there as it’s PSR is only 28. For those that want to sail on these ships during peak times, and at one time we were locked into that scenario, be prepared to feel a little crowded, but I can assure you, that you won’t have to stand up to eat! 

Edited Thursday at 02:02 PM by Jamman54