getting on ship was a breeze,,,,,but getting off was messed up with diamond cruisers getting off last it seemed cause we was with a diamond guest and we sat their n sat their and came in late like 6pm on the last day due to a passenger medical problem where we had to turn back around after being out in sea 6 hours from Bermuda n go back sailing 6 hours to Bermuda to take injured passenger back ,,,,,,it was hectic but we made it,,,,,we liked dressing up for hollaween ,,,,I was my personality a long haired rocker n my lady was malicifient dressed up so it was cool getting our picture taken by cruise mates,,,,,aris was our stewerd ,,,,did a great job taking care of our room ,,,,,always had good attitude !,,,,,we ate at 555 steakhouse,,,,,,have to say it wasn't that good ,,,,have had better on different cruises,,,,,,bonsai sushi was the best of all our 13 cruises,,,,,,superb!!,,,,,met some nice people along our 7 day cruise,,,,,never a bad attitude we saw ,,,,,everyone seemed to enjoy cruising ,,,,,,tony at karaoke did a great job making sure everyone at karaoke had fun !! hope to see you all on another future cruise !! roll tide roll !! peace !! Read Less

Food was the same menu as the previous 5-6 yrs. they sorely need a change! Crew was very nice as always. Amenities are average at best. Loved Bermuda, needed to have more time there on second day. On our way back from Bermuda, we were 5 hrs out of port headed back to Charleston, the ship started to list to the port side. They got it corrected then it listed really badly again, we were in the dining room and had to catch the dishes as they slid off the table. A few minutes later they announced we had a medical emergency and had to return to Bermuda. We were supposed to return to Charleston at 7am Saturday. We got back at 4pm. The Debarkation process was a cluster at best. And there was never any mention on the ship of it listing. Some of the guests thought we had turned abruptly and that is what had happened. Lol do they really think a 103,000 ton ship can turn that quickly. I would still like them to admit we had a mechanical issue and address it properly. We have sailed on the Sunshine 5-6 times and this was the first issue we have had. Read Less

This ship stayed overnight in Bermuda, an Island we had wanted to visit. Also a smaller Carnival ship. Please understand that every ship isn't perfect, even your grand Mother of ships.Sunshine has around 3200 passengers, much less than others. It is an Older ship but has been refurbished. Are there areas that one notices need a pair refresh, or Windows replaced, yes. The shows are mediocre, the singers had great voices, however the stage presence and production wasn't as good as we have seen on other ships. We ate in the Sunrise Dining room mostly. The service was impeccable !. Our waiter Kevin was the best waiter we have EVER EVER had on Any of our multiple cruises. His attention to detail and service of his crew was top notch. Menu at every meal was wonderful. Best prime rib I have ever had on a ship. The variety of menu items was enough each day to keep one satisfied. We tried for the first time a Premium Aft. Balcony which was in the VERY rear of ship. The advantage of this cabin was a nice long balcony, 2 chairs, table & 1 long chaise. The room is roomier,has a long couch, coffee table , 2 bed end tables and came with very comfy robes. However, know that at night the rocking of the ship in this area is rough. Kinda like sleeping on 3-4 water beds all at once. For that reason, our Alaska cruise next year whichever ship we are on will be a balcony cabin midship on lower level. This area by far from past cruises is the smoothest sailing you get, day of night. Mickey, the cruise Director was OUTSTANDING !! He could personally run this whole ship single handed.He was so great at keeping everyone Informed of every event, was so personable, genuine, and really cared about us all. I do hope Carnival is paying this young 32 year old what he is worth. By FAR, the best we have had on a cruise. Go onto any ship knowing that there are all types of passengers on with you. Some nice, others not so much. However make the most of it and enjoy your vacation☺ We all have worked hard for this time so let the little things that happen to by and just have a wonderful time. Read Less

I booked with carnival before food was so good. I ate so much! I thought they was going to have to roll me of the ship. I had a wonderful experience on the freedom. I just returned from an 8 day cruise on the magic. The only exciting thing they had to do was bingo. They had bingo everyday. If it was bingo it was something else concerning the casino. They was pushing drinks. If you declined they just wouldn't stop hounding. However, my housekeeper was excellent. All the people i met on the ship was very disappointed as well. It was a cruise specifically for elderly or gamblers. I was very disappointed. I been itching to go on this cruise and it was whack. I'm going to give carnival a break and try royal caribbean. My cruise was from september 28,2019- october 6,2019.thye guys pig & anchor was hidden and not on the food itinerary all. Don't try the seafood shack the lobster rolls are horrible. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had never been to Bermuda and found this 8 night cruise with better rates than the 4 night Bermuda cruises at the time we booked. We flew down from North Carolina the day before our cruise. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale Airport North Cruise Port. I had read great reviews about this hotel. The staff was the nicest of any hotel we have stayed at. The hotel was very clean and the pillows and beds were very comfortable. The free breakfast was very good. We took the 10:30 shuttle from the hotel to the cruise port. It was $10 per person. We were on the ship by 11:30. We have found Carnival gets better and better on Embarkation. Our rooms were ready when we boarded. We have been Platinum on our last several cruises and enjoy the free laundry! Our family of six had 2 spa rooms with connecting balconies. The rooms were very clean but the beds did not seem as comfortable as past cruises. Our steward was Wirawan and he always kept our room clean. We had him clean in the mornings and in the evenings, we only wanted him to make sure we had fresh towels. The ship was beautiful and very clean. We did not smell any odor like some people have said. Before the cruise, I was concerned about the negative reviews of the Magic but we did not have any problems at all. Our whole family loved the Magic. We had 4 sea days and I ate brunch in the dining room two days. The french toast was delicious! We never experienced long lines on the Lido. When going to the Mongolian Wok, we got there 10 minutes early and they usually opened 5 minutes early. We always timed it right to avoid long lines. We didn't really like the barbecue. We prefer our N.C. barbecue. The desserts were definitely better on the Lido this time. We had early dining at 6:00 and had the best service!!! Our last 2 Carnival cruises have had much better service than previous cruises. Asyis, Adi and Sendian did an excellent job serving us. They were so nice too! During the sea days, we relaxed, played some mini golf and just enjoyed different activities on the ship. My two daughters and I enjoyed the Fun Shoppes. We always like the half price sale on purses, wallets, etc. . One of our daughters has special needs. There were some passengers that were extra nice to her. One nice young man saw us at the coffee shop and asked her what she liked. He ended up surprising her and buying her a double mocha frappe. It was so nice of him! We met a lot of very nice passengers on our cruise and enjoyed talking to them. We did not go to the shows at night! Some of my family went to watch the movies at night. Our first stop was at Grand Turk. We had been there before and went off the ship for less than an hour. Some of my family went to Jack's Shack but only stayed 15 minutes. We had 2 days in Bermuda. Our first morning there, we went to Horseshoe Bay beach for a couple of hours. Then we went to the ship and ate lunch. After lunch, we took the ferry to St. George. My daughters and I went in shops and enjoyed looking around the Pharmacy and the Perfumery. My husband, son and nephew walked across the town to Tobacco Bay Beach. We took the last ferry back that day at 5:45. We got back too late to go to early dining. Because we were staying over night, they allowed everyone who wanted to to go to anytime dining. That was nice of Carnival. We went at around 7:00 and were finished eating in about 55 minutes. I had an excursion booked for our second day there. A few months before our cruise, I booked a snorkeling excursion for the 6 of us and 2 friends from church who were also on our cruise. I booked with Mark Roberts and Under the Sea Charters. Mark can take up to 12 but there were only the 8 of us that day. We took a short taxi ride to the marina where Mark met us. Mark has a very nice boat. Most snorkeling excursions have very large groups of people snorkeling and snorkel close to the shore. It was nice because Mark took us 5 miles off shore to the Blue Hole and we were the only people out there snorkeling. The reef was beautiful with pretty fish. After that, he took us to an area to swim with turtles and then to a ship wreck. My daughter even got a selfie with one of the turtles. She thought it was the best excursion of all our cruises. I had read great reviews about Mark before I booked with him. He and his wife were so nice and informative. I highly recommend Mark if you want a great snorkeling experience. A lot of the crew had never been to Bermuda before, including the Captain. We loved our time in Bermuda. Our flight back was at 11:50 out of Ft. Lauderdale. We left our rooms at 8:00 and carried our own luggage off. We were off the ship in about 5 minutes and outside in less than 15 minutes. I am sure I left out some other information about the Magic but I will stop for now. This is the 3rd day writing a review. My computer the past two days would not submit my reviews and I am just hoping after all this time, it finally gets submitted. Our family loved the Magic and our cruise to Bermuda! We would definitely go on the Magic again. Read Less

We are getting close to the end of an 8 day adventure on Carnival Magic and have a few negatives to report . The entertainment in the evening was not what we expected compared to our previous 2 cruises with Carnival. The only night we half enjoyed was the last night with the rock and roll of the 80's being played by the cast in costume. The entertainment on the main floor was much better with several different groups. The trio of female violinists from the Ukrane were the best. Some of the Pixel staff needs a lesson on customer courtesy as their new way of ordering pictures was very confusing and they were all 11x7 pictures but they didnt have one 11 x 7 frame to purchase and some of the help didnt even know how to order your pictures and didnt seem to care if you bought or not. We found most of the food ok but the dinner at night was great. We really need to put a shout out to our head waiter Joseph and his staff of Maryna and Cabata for the friendship they showed us every evening in the Northern Lights Restaurant. We hope to someday take another cruise and luck out to have them again. Also we would like to thank our housekeeping for the nice job of keeping our room clean and ice bucket filled. We did feel the carpet needed a good cleaning though. We will cherish all the fond memories we did have on this cruise though. We have previously been to Grand Turks but took the Rainbow Tour Bus for a tour of the island. My sister-in-law enjoyed it so that's what we had hoped for. A special thanks to Jaunita for her guide service on Bermuda. Very informative. My sister-in-law who took her first cruise with us at 83 years young got plenty of souvenirs to take back with her and we truly hope she decides to take another cruise in a couple years. My wife and I are planning an Alaska Cruise and Land tour in the next couple of years when she retires from her work. Once again, thank you Carnival for another great experience. Read Less

I choose Carnival Sunshine because we were able to depart from Charleston, SC. where I live! It was my first cruise and loved it! We cruised to Bermuda and Princess Cays from September 28-October 5th! Everyone was so nice and friendly! Our Steward LD (for short) kept us comfortable the whole time! Robert from Romania (Head Server) was awesome! One can tell he thoroughly enjoyed his job! He kept us entertained and was on the ball with his service! I would rate his service an 11!!!! The shows, food, Lido Deck, music, service, people and everything was wonderful! We also enjoyed the buffet.the ice cream and pizza! The the crew was friendly and accommodated us with all our needs. Shopping on the ship was awesome, I found some good deals for myself and family. I will do it all over again very soon!! Thank you very much Carnival Sunshine!! See you soon! Read Less

This is my 3rd cruise on the Breeze, once in 2014 and I decided I would not sail her again. Then my sister and I were looking for a cheap getaway, the pricing was good, so with some hesitation I booked the Breeze in July. We had a great time, the food was a marked improvement, entertainment good and service excellent. Then I booked the Bermuda cruise for September 21, with another couple. The itinerary was changed because of the hurricane. No problem, weather happens. The food was just mediocre at best. The steakhouse took forever and my husband got a tough ribeye, 2 of us didn't even get the meal we ordered. The Italian restaurant I have to say was the best meal we had all week. NOTE to VEGANS very few options for you, unless you want too eat pasta all week. We had no problems with the service on board. Embarkation was quick Debarkation was a nightmare with their new procedures. Everyone complained. It took us 2 and a half hours to get off the ship. This was about my 35th cruise, I have lost count and I am a platinum member with Carnival, but at this point I will stick to other lines.. The entertainment was okay, we mostly went to the comedy club. We spent time in the casion, it was very crowded and smokey.. I found the service good, everyone was very friendly and helpful. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted to see the pink sand of Bermuda. Unfortunately Hurricane Jerry wanted to go there too. So it's still on our bucket list. It came as no surprise when I got the email 2 days before we sailed that the itinerary had been changed. We went to Puerto Rico , Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos. Turks and Caicos was our favorite. The color of the water was absolutely amazing. About the ship....well I think it needs a bit of a facelift. It's looking old, the public areas were very narrow. My husband has to use a scooter and at times it got very narrow. I think the worse thing was the casino. They allow smoking in the casino and it was awful. We usually play in the evening on other cruises, but the smoke was so bad we did not. For sure I would not go on this ship again. Read Less

We took this as our first cruise. It was my birthday that week. We didn't make it to Bermuda, however we had a great time.The dining staff(Eddy. Riafin and one other ) were fantastic. All the staff including room staff was fantastic! We will definitely cruise with Carnival Sunrise again! For being on the ship 5 out of 6 days we were always enertained. The shows were incredible! The talent on that ship from shows to 3rd floor music was great. The pictuted we had done on formal nights came out beautiful, and there was no high potch sales involved! We look forward to sailing with Carnival Sunrise again, not to mention they gave us 100% refund dur to not making it to Bermida. We did stop in Charleston which was beautiful and enjoyed that port.All in all it was a grrat experience for a first time cruise! Can't wait to book again! Read Less

This ship was recently renovated and rebranded as the sunrise from the previous triumph. The renovations were nice and elegant. The food was great, entertainment was spectacular, especially Mikey Gibson as a cruise director. He was full of energy and so much fun. Perfect for a cruise that had very upset passengers due to hurricane humberto changing the whole itinerary from 3 days in bermuda to we didnt reach any foreign ports at all except for a 6 hour stay in Charleston, south carolina. the renovations were elegant however and i was always skeptical of how a 2 month dry dock comes out without issues. Well this ship has alot. - The elevators are a complete disaster and numerous times got stuck and would be shut down. Some of them would open and close several times before finally going to the floor you desired. -i have always viewed and read comments here on cruise critic but never replied or posted a review and always felt there were just negative people out there trolling. Well this was the first time that i did indeed smell sewage/garbage in any elevator that you use in the AFT of the ship near the piano bar and alchemy bar on deck 5. - Deck 2 we had plumbing issues, where we couldn't flush the toilet and the shower had no hot water. I belong to carnival groups on other social sites and people on my same cruise had the issues on other decks. -there were busted seats in the liquid lounge/theatre. Also a busted seat in the redfrog bar on the lido deck. -outside an elevator i saw panels on the wall being held up by packing tape! -white paint was pealing off corner railings in the buffet marketplace and you can see the gold trim that was painted over with white. - automatic doors into buffet is not automatic you need to push a button. Stupid and makes no sense if you have you hands full of food how do you press the button -glass automatic door coming off the lido pool area onto deck 9 would constantly get stuck!! Just seemed like a horribly rushed renovations. Carnival should take their time and look everything over. Also why didnt the sunrise receive the same 3 deck serenity and waterfall as sunshine her sister ship. That was such a wow factor!! Read Less

The new season for the Sunrise (aka Triumph), ok, lets break it down into a few areas. First shout out to the crew, they were wonderful, the whole trip were always upbeat and gracious as always. Second, the food we found to be cooked to our liking, and we always had our fill. Cruise Director-Mikey and staff most enjoyable we have encountered in 6 years of sailing. Especially having to make back up plans for 3 of the sailing days. Also he was very clear when he gave any instructions we needed to know. Entertainment- was refreshing to watch shows that wasn't the same thing we have seen on the Pride for the past 6 years. Now, for the flip side, for a ship that just went through a major over haul, some areas were sorely overlooked. And some of the deck plans weren't thought out very well, For example, deck 3 to get to the Aft Dining Room, you have to go up to Deck 5 and take the aft elevator (which most of the time only 2 of the 4 were working) back down to 3, The Carnival Hub App was a nice tool to have, sure you can bypass making your table reservation for the Aft Dining room on 5, but you can't request a specific table or server from the app, which in turn means you have a different server every night. The balcony rooms seem smaller than the other ships, there was only 1 night stand beside the bed, and the other side was about 7 inches from the wall/window to the balcony. Finally- with Carnival have a home port in Charleston, SC, you'd think that maybe they could have found more than 5 excursions for the guest to choose from when the docked there as an alternative port (since Bermuda was not an option). Read Less

Why Yes, and No? The Sunrise is a ship that is not new, but is new, a refurbished ship with many new amenities and also many new cabins which means more people. Unfortunately the cabins were put in at the expense of public areas. So, why Yes and No? It's not a great ship but not nearly as bad as some of the reviews are making it out to be. We were supposed to embark in Manhattan, NY but were notified by Carnival a month before that the pier was being closed by Port Officials due to repairs, so we would embark in Brooklyn, NY after the ship disembarked passengers from the previous cruise in Manhattan and repositioned to Brooklyn. As we live on Long Island and Brooklyn is actually on Long Island, it was not a problem for us, but for others coming from out of the immediate area it posed somewhat of a logistical problem. But this was not Carnival's doing nor fault. The repositioning also caused a two hour delay in boarding. Carnival gives a choice of boarding times and we had chosen 12:30 to 1:00 PM, now making it a boarding time of 2:30 - 3 PM with sailaway at 6 PM. After speaking to a Carnival agent we were told to stick to the original time of 12:30, then another agent told someone on our CruiseCritic forum to go with the two hour delay. At this point I figured it would be a free for all as people would be arriving at all different times, and I was right. We unloaded at the baggage area at 1:14 PM, and we were on the ship by 1:56 PM, less than 45 minutes. We are not Platinum or Diamond VIFP and did not have FTTF. It went pretty smoothly, very organized, all the staff was helpful and friendly. Sailing out of Brooklyn you get to see the Statue of Liberty but do not sail by her. So the captain brought the ship out of the channel between the dock and Governor's Island and then turned UP river, just past the Statue and then back down again giving everyone on both sides of the ship some great views of her and great pictures too. My wife and I enjoyed the ship and enjoyed being on the ship. I can honestly say this was a strange cruise. We were supposed to go to Bermuda for two nights but due to rough seas and a hurricane we were diverted to Charleston, SC , then supposed to go on to Bermuda for one day. So a 25% future cruise credit because of the missed night in port. Then when the ship could not continue on to Bermuda due to rough seas, a 100% future cruise credit and a slooooooow (approximately 8 knots or around 10 mph) cruise home to Brooklyn. A total of five sea days, which we love, and a visit to a port we've never been to. We had some rocky seas and it seemed as if the ship was less stable than others I've been on. People were getting sick and I was queasy, but I had developed a problem in my abdomen just prior to the cruise so not sure how much that played into it. And we did not notice any foul odors or smells nor did we hear of a complaints of any. The Carnival Sunrise is a nice enough ship, but not too sure about the renovation. Carnival used to boast the biggest cabins on the sea, but it sure didn't feel like that at all. The room was sparse, one picture on the wall, a large screen tv, and that's it, fairly stark, but we didn't go to stay in our cabin. Plenty of food areas, the outside areas are nice, but getting to and from the Lido buffet was cramped, though not as bad as some of the reviews have said. I question that if they would have to close the outside decks due to weather if they would be able to accommodate all the passengers in the inside spaces. Guy's Burgers and Pig and Anchor were very good, as was the pizza and Blue Iguana Cantina. I only ate breakfast there, but it was a bit different and very good. The Lucky Bowl was good, I enjoyed the Asian "soup" bowls, but didn't eat at the Deli, nor the Seafood Shack. We always eat at the Steakhouse, and this was no disappointment, very good food, excellent service, and we took advantage of the free wine for the first night. We are not big drinkers, I don't drink at all and my wife lightly, so the bottle lasted the whole trip for her. Sushi bar was adequate, not great, but very nice over all. We did not eat at Cucina Del Capitano. Moving forward and aft on some of the decks was impossible causing diversions to other decks by going up or down and then reversing direction on the other side. This was on Decks 4 and 5. (We've cruised on the Carnival Splendor and didn't like it there either). The problem is that you use the elevator to get to a deck, only to find that you need to go to another deck to go through the ship. Also, some of the venues i.e., sushi bar, red frog pub, alchemy and the piano bar on the 5th deck are accessed either by the aft elevator or by walking through the casino, a smoking allowed area. Not good, but not really a deal breaker either. The entertainment was good, the shows very nice, and the shipboard musicians very good. The cruise director, Mikey, was very good, very high energy, funny and not intrusive. He and his team did a great job keeping things going, especially being as there were extra sea days to cover. We did not go to the comedy shows. The musicians found in the various venues were generally good, some not to our liking, and some were excellent. The staff; room stewards, main dining rooms, Lido food venues, Farenheit 555, and general cleaning crew, were excellent. They were friendly and very efficient. In Charleston we walked the Market to the right of the pier on, well, Market St. Nice, it seemed expensive to me, but I'm not a shopper. We also took a one hour carriage ride, with the company with the red sashes, through part of the historic area which was very nice, relaxing and informative. Guide was engaging, knowledgeable and humorous. Fee for the one hour was $28.00 per person. Disembarkation was very smooth and quick. We chose to have our baggage taken off and we also chose the late disembarkation. Finding our baggage was easy as it was the last set left in our zone and moving through the Customs line was pretty quick too. We were off the ship and waiting for about 10 minutes for our ride to pick us up. Good timing on my daughter's part. We go on a cruise to have a good time, and plan on it to be a good time. I've never had a bad time on a cruise, and we don't drink or gamble, I figure if you plan on it being good, it will be. Is this our favorite ship? No, but we would definitely sail on her again. At least the next time we'd be way more used to the through ship travelling. Read Less

I can’t begin to understand how any one can complain about the ship. Although I was one of the unfortunate ones to have their ports cancelled due to hurricane Humberto, I still can’t say a bad thing. They’re giving us a free cruise for the inconvenience and the staff did amazing! Yes being stuck on a port for 6 out of 7 days during bad seas was rough but the staff did everything they can to make us feel safe and welcomed. EVERY STAFF MEMBER on that ship is AMAZING ! The entertainment is top notch.. food is the best I’ve ever had and I’m sorry there was no waiting , ship was clean and never felt crowded. The entertainment went on even though it was hard to stand on the stage , trust me I know I was on it as well. You can’t predict bad weather and we we’re u lucky but As I said the staff did everything they could to make it a fun cruise . All our excursions were refunded immediately . I would highly recommend guys burgers and the blue cantina, food was amazing . The alchemy bar was hands down the best drinks and most talented bartenders I’ve ever seen and that’s coming from a bartender myself, I learned a lot of tricks from them. I highly Recommend ignoring the bad reviews and booking this cruise! Read Less

The Trip: Now that our kids are grown, my wife and I prefer cruising in late August/early September for several reasons - not the least of which is to take advantage of back-to-school while its still warm enough to swim and enjoy the sun. This year was no different, and we knew the risk of booking during hurricane season - despite the fact that we'd been lucky over the previous 4 cruises and knew the odds were starting stack up against us. Previously we've had minor inconveniences, but nothing major. Well, we finally had a cruise that had to be redirected due to a hurricane, and it really wasn't that bad of an experience. We had a couple of days of rough weather (5-10 foot swells), but we wore the seasick patch and fared pretty well. Other people who had nothing or waited too late to take Dramamine didn't fare as well for 2 of the days, but I have to thank Carnival for redirecting south along the far edge of the storm to Grand Turk and Amber Cove rather than going north to New England or Canada - we were able to enjoy the warm weather and swim/sunbathe all 7 days. The Ship: The pride is an older ship, but in general Carnival's refreshes have improved her and she has held up fairly well. Some complain about the decor (I frankly don't care), and others complain that the ship is old. However, my wife and I prefer the smaller feel of the older design - the newer ships (in particular the megaships) are just too crowded for my taste. We did a Royal Caribbean cruise on a larger ship (3500-4000 passengers), and were turned off by the way they managed the larger crowds. The downside to the smaller design is that there really isn't a lot to do all day during bad/cold weather; the bigger ships have enclosed pools or other activities beyond the bars and casino. A definite upside is that the passenger to crew ratio is better, and the ship is easy to navigate. The Food: The best "free" food is definitely in the dining room at dinner, and the whole experience is a positive. The food was generally very good, although a few items were average (appetizer/dessert). My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the singing and dancing of the waiters - it is a nice touch I hope they keep. For lunch Guy's was great, and rivaled any chain such (Five Guys or Smashburger). The Lido buffet is passable, but it is average at best even for a buffet. At breakfast the dining room was good, but the room service egg sandwiches were not. We did pay for David's steakhouse one night for dinner, and it was excellent. Entertainment: One of the reasons my Wife and I prefer Carnival over other lines is the nightly comedy club. Over a 7 day cruise there are 2 pairs of comedians who do 3 different sets apiece so the comedy is fresh each night. The comedy shows are thus much better than the song and dance production in the main theater. On good weather days there is plenty to do up on deck, and at night there are plenty of choices of live music along with the typical clubs and bars. Service: For the most part service was pretty good, and in particular our steward and Dinner staff were very good. They did seem to be rushed at times, but were always pleasant. Walking the ship, most of the crew would greet you with a smile and a hello. The steward did offer a choice of morning or evening which offends some, but honestly I didn't feel the need for anything more than once. Embarkation: We live in southern New Jersey, and have sailed out of New Jersey, New York, and Baltimore. By far the easiest port to get into an out of is Baltimore. The new scheme of your sail-and-sign card being on your door is absolutely fantastic - there was virtually no line at security and once we were through we just walked onto the ship. We typically do the "faster-to-the-fun", but for embarkation you really don't need it now. Grand Turk: This was our first time to Grand Turk, and since we were redirected there after we sailed we couldn't do any prior homework. We picked an excursion for an all inclusive trip to a beach, and would not do it again. The food was pretty bad, and the drinks were basically rum punch or soda. It was a 10-15 minute ride, and it would have been much easier and cheaper simply to go to one of the beaches right at the port terminal. The beach had lots of rocks, and without water shoes my wife couldn't even go in deeper than her knees. Amber Cove: First time here as well, and we ended up booking a trip to "Ocean World" to swim with the dolphins and it was great. It is basically a smaller version of discovery cove plus seaworld, without the rides. Despite the reputation of the Dominican Republic, there was plenty of security at Amber Cove and Ocean World. Conclusion: We've already booked next year's cruise on the Pride, so yes I am happy with the experience. After cruising on Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity my wife and I are convinced that Carnival offers not only the best value but has the best options for us. Read Less

We were big Carnival fans but then they got greedy and service and quality went down to the basement. But we came back last year and things had improved-not much but somewhat On the Pride the service was excellent everywhere we went. Our cabin steward Yasa was fantastic. we had cruised with him before on Carnival. He exceeded all expectations of service and being just a great guy. We usually have issues in the formal dining. I mean some bad slow service but this time on the Pride- HayDee and her team of Roland and Rexter were outstanding. They were terrific people. My wife cried on the last service saying goodbye-Yeah I got a little choked up too. Due to weather the production shows were modified but still good. I hope Carnival keeps them as they are fun and entertaining. Some other cruise lines have changed things up and we don't care for their entertainment Cruise direct Dr. E worked hard to keep the crown engaged. He was fun. We are senior citizens but like fun times and Carnival most of the time provides that. But we expect excellent service and decent food. Carnival keeps trickling UP their drink prices and gratuity while limiting choices like a "bar" brandy and 18% tag on for drinks. They are greedy. Parents- either leave your kids at home OR watch them- IT is NOT their ship to run all over screaming and hollering. All in all- a good time was had. Read Less

We typically go on 2 to 3 cruises a year. Normally, we use Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.We chose Carnival this cruise because we went with a group of 6 friends. The embarkation and entertainment were the only things on our cruise that was not a disappointment. We bought the premium drink package which is a terrible RIP off! One ounce liquor servings only. The bartenders were very slow, oftentimes rude and not willing to make anything but their standard limited menu drinks. I asked for a Sammy Sosa drink. The bartender became indignant and refused to make the drink. I asked why. He replied it had too much liquor in it and that wasn't allowed. I said it only has two liquors in it. I showed him on his drink card a rum punch Carnival was offering that had 3 liquors in it. Then I showed him a drink of the day Carnival was offering called an MF er that had 6 liquors in it. He then proceeded to tell me Carnival only serves or makes drinks that are on the drink menu. I pointed out that a multitude of drinks they were serving were not listed! Such as, seven & seven, gin & tonic, screw drivers, etc. I asked for a Jameson neat , the bartender served it in a 1 once shot glass. I asked for 2 of them, he said I had to wait 5 minutes to order another drink. Although, a man at the end of the bar( which the bartender called by name ) ordered a Jack Daniels neat and the bartender gave him a 12 ounce rock glass full of Jack Daniels! Not very classy in my opinion after all the fabrications he gave me! My wife and I went to guest services and asked to speak to the bar manager. I told him our experience with his bartender. Also,I told him, we paid $600 for 2 premium drink packages. He backed up the bartender and his disrespectful actions and proceeded to give me the run around. He said we're here to make money! I explained to him I was in the food and beverage business 50 years! I said there are approximately 34 shots in a liter. So at ounce servings and $8 per drink, Carnival allows most guests (but some special people get much more, not sure how to become one of these people) Carnival makes $ 272 per bottle which is approximately 9 times the cost of the bottle. I told him that's more than making money... that's called making a killing! He asked for our room number. Nothing ever came of that diversion! The Lido Buffet food was of poor quality with little variety. Many times reused the next day under a different name. The Sapphire restuarant service was very slow with a poor selection, hardly any better than the buffet. All 8 people in our group received cold food! Non smoking areas were not enforced. The restrooms were not very easy to locate and not cleaned very often. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it left from our usual cruise port and was going to Bermuda. The port was Canaveral which we find exceptionally efficient! Embarkation processing was as fast as we could walk. Cabins were ready by 1:30 and our luggage showed up prior to dinner (we did not have FTTF or elite status). Cabin stewards offer AM, PM, or twice a day servicing, extra pillows and towels when they come to greet you. Our steward was nice and did a pretty good job. The tide bar and blue iguana bar seemed the best at getting a drink fastest, though we never found issues with getting a drink (except in the MDR for dinner) even if the bars were busy. The buffet for lunch was different. It seemed to be busy all the time. The options for meals were pretty small (except dessert during the chocolate extravaganza - wow). Guy's burgers were awesome as always and the service fast there. The taco/burrito bar at the Blue Iguana were wonderful too. Dinner in the Steakhouse was fabulous! I highly recommend it! Our servers were Malana and Pani - Wonderful. The alchemy bar is great for martinis - Vera was the best bartender!! Red Frog Pub was fun as was the server we most often saw - Anthonie. He's hilarious and a treat all his own. We enjoyed the music of Liz & Lucas - they were really really good! Unfortunately they did not often play in the evenings when we were in the Red Frog Pub or Atrium. We'd liked to have seen more of them at night. If you get the chance to see The Sea Sharps with Surplus of Diggity - do. They are remarkable. The female singer is top notch as is the brass section! We usually enjoy the casino on cruises, but this one had such poor ventilation that we never used it at all. It's situated in the middle of deck 5 and unfortunately you must go through it to get from one end to the other - there is no walk around hall. If the doors are locked to outside (which was the case most of our trip due to winds), you have to go up/down stairs, cross over then back down/up to the other side to get across without going through the horrific smell of the casino. The one and only time we went through it we had to go back to the cabin to change clothes right away. It was rough. Our cruise stopped in Bermuda and Grand Turk. We rented a taxi for a tour in Bermuda and they did a great job. It's a very interesting and beautiful place. In Grand Turk we rented a golf cart which worked well for driving around the island. We also stopped at Jack's Shack which was fun to see. The beaches are beautiful and all open to the public to enjoy. If anyone has specific questions, please feel free to contact me - ksws64 Happy Cruising! Read Less

Cabin - Spa Balcony on the 11th Floor Cabin No. 1104. Embarkation & Disembark at 12th Avenue 55th Street in Manhattan, NY. The ugliest ghetto ship i've ever been on. This was a 4-day cruise to Bermuda and we spent it in our cabin and only left to eat. The buffet is full of only 4-5 things and they're greasy yucky things. You have to make a line and stand on it each time. They had a great taco stand and a great pizza stand but i didn't go on a cruise to eat a $5 meal. Dining hall was nice called Sunshine but our first day it took them 30 min's to get a glass of water on our table (with a 19-month old !!!!! no less). We left. Boycotted for a day only to realize that the pizza and slimey food at buffet was going to make us even more sick!!! I threw up for 2 days because of the rocking of the ship!!! lol I have been on so many cruises before and never threw up or even felt anything close to sea-sick (infact!! when first time cruisers ask me if they'll be sea sick ..i tell them I NEVER EVEN FEEL THE SHIP MOVING) Not this Ghetto ship!!!! I felt it all!!! Gross and EWW!! Service: the staff? The crew ppl -- the small guys that i encountered AMAZING!! all Philippians and omg amazing amazing amazing....friendly nice sweet. I heard how the mop girl only made $540/month after working 60 hour shifts. They do a great job and with a smile. Activites? What FREAKING activities? This ship was all PROFIT FOR THE CRUISE LINE ....we, the passengers got gipped!! ZERO SHOWS...ZERO ENTERTAINMENT...there was NOTHING TO DO!! LIKE NO JOKE!!! nothing. Child room? N O P E !!! I could take my 19 months old to the play room from 8am - 10am FOR FREE or!!! from 10pm - 1 am for a free of $6.95/an hour. what about he rest of the freaking day????? b/c i wake up at like 10am!!! WELL i got to stay in my balcony room entertaining her ANNOYED. Pool? hot Tub? Sure but they were packed and i was grossed out to go near them!!! I DIDN'T even want my child to wet her feet in them!!! Entertainment: Comedy club!!! okay SAD!!! not funny! i went to two shows and 1 was by a CP person...he was as funny as he could be...no big jokes but he made fun of the fact that he couldn't make really much jokes .... 2nd was a black guy who gave us a speech (by us i meant to blacks) saying how they have to laugh even if he's not funny b/c us blacks have to stick together... Highlight? I gotta have some fun right? lol NO! i used the spa the first day and was done and bored with it.!! it is smaller than my NYC apartment and i live small!!! UGHH i paid too much for this ghetto vacation!!! How was Bermuda??? It was gorgeous...sadly we didn't have time to do much.. The port docs are at one end of the island and everything to do and see is literally 50 min bus ride away (minimum) to downtown Hamilton. Bermuda itself was gorgeous.. THIS IS A PLACE to go and stay at for a few days.....a cruise there is a waste! no time to do anything. I WOULD NEVER AGAIN USE CARNIVAL....it was my first experience with this GHETTO company (and i'm sure they have nicer ships but can't risk it) Read Less

We chose this cruise as it suited our time frame and the price was extremely fair. I was however nervous a couple of days prior to departure after reading some terrible reviews. Embarking went fantastic very quick and efficient the appointment times work so there is no wait to get onboard and begin the vacation. First impressions were staff very friendly and welcoming love the new designs in the lobby atrium very welcoming and feels very roomy. Straight up onto the lido deck we went to check it out. It was extremely busy as you can imagine as everyone was enjoying the bar and ample types of foods. Mikey from the entertainment was absolutely phenomenal I’ve never laughed so hard and right from the beginning I knew this was going to be a good one. We were able to access our cabins at 1:30pm which was awesome so we could get ourselves situated before we set sail. We stay in cabin aft 6439 balcony the room design was awesome and more than enough closets 3 in total full length mirror on inside of one of the doors. In the bureau there was ample drawers 6 in total. With a built in desk and another great mirror. And shelves built around it. The cabin was fabulous no complaints whatsoever about the cleanliness and the bathroom is actually bigger with a decent amount of counter space on the vanity along with 6 shelves. Love the water temperature adjuster huge thumbs up on this. Deck party phenomenal all the Entertainment was fabulous there was so much to do never a minute to become bored. Serenity was amazing we even found ourselves falling asleep with the tranquil music that was being played and the chaises made for 2 so comfortable. Dining room very efficient we were welcomed each evening no problems with service or food all excellent. I would highly recommend a night at the Fahrenheit steakhouse the food was amazing. All in all no complaints at all only praise. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we already booked for next year but this time instead of the 4 day we are doing 8 loved it Read Less

We chose this ship because it sailed from Port Canaveral (Orlando) to Bermuda. That was the ONLY reason. My previous experience with Carnival was "lowest common denominator". I've been on about 20 cruises with Norwegian, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Here are my "positive" notes: (1) fastest ever embarkation, (2) arrived at cabin 1:30PM with luggage waiting, (3) lifeboat drill used fast ship-card check in, (4) good quality balcony & deck furniture, (5) beach towels supplied in cabin, (6) cabin well lit (no struggle to read in bed), (7) excellent cake station in buffet - custom cut for you. Previous reviews have criticized the food as bland and uninteresting (and somewhere I've seen Carnival allude to their "hamburger and fried chicken" loving passengers. So I carried a bottle of Herbes de Provence which was unused after the 2nd day. We found the dinner menu quite adequate, imaginative and comparable to other cruise lines. While the Melting Chocolate Cake was the star of the dessert menu, there were other tasty selections such as a nicely done creme brulee. I was a bit disappointed in their preparation of mushrooms. We liked the layout of the buffet - relatively small "rooms" with buffet and nearby tables. No walking 50 yards around all the stations, then trying to find your seatmates. The first night we went late to the show, sat near the starboard door, something wet was dripping on my head and my partner was shivering. We left. During a talk by ship managers, a passenger remarked on the small number of Carnival shows ("on every ship"), and she would like to see more variety (as a frequent Carnival guest). The ship acknowledged the complaint, stated a new show is in the works, they are expensive to produce, and the existing ones have new personnel that bring a new look to an old show. The production shows are a big reason I cruise, so I'm not in a hurry to sail with Carnival again to see the same old thing. The band Sea Squared (if I have that right) was very good. We were particularly impressed with a string trio performing on the central stairway. A lot of talent (of course), with excellent variety., Definitely not "lowest common denominator". They were great. Debarkation went very well. We had to wait about 15 minutes with luggage in hand because the terminal got backed up. Absolutely no problem getting on elevators. We are happy! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was our anniversary and it was going to Bermuda. We have been to Bermuda twice before and loved it. We had friends going with us who had never been there. We were supposed to go to Princess Cay first then Bermuda. We were supposed to spend a day and a half in Bermuda. Because Princess Cay sustained damage due to the hurricane, we were sent to Nassau. For some reason it too longer to get to Bermuda from Nassau than it would have from Princess Cay. Our time in Bermuda was cut short by a third. We didn't arrive in Bermuda till after noon and by the time we docked and approved by customs, it was well after one oclock before we could go ashore. We took the ferry to Hamilton arrived about 3:30. We wanted to take a bus to St. George, which would take about 45 minutes. The last ferry from St. George to the Dock Yard was 4:30pm. Most of the shops and sites close about 5:30/6:00pm. The next day we had to be back on the ship by 11:30am. Not time to really see the island. Very disappointed about the change in schedule and no reimbursement from Carnival. Princess Cay is in the Bahamas as is Nassau and according to the map a little lower. I don't understand why it took longer to get from Nassau to Bermuda than it would have from Princess Cay to Bermuda. Our friends were also extremely disappointed. The entertainment on the ship was great and the ship had the best cruise director we've ever had a cruise. I must say the food was so much better than what we had on the Esctacy in June. Desserts were wonderful, Wait staff very friendly and called us by name. Cabin was fine, plenty of closet space, Carnival is not very stringent on hand washing as other ships such as Norwegian. The buffet dining room needs some reconfiguration. The hanging lights don't line up with the tables. A lot of people bumping their heads including us. I gave the overall rating a poor because the main reason we went on this cruise was to go with our friends to see Bermuda. Read Less

We chose this cruise mainly for the itinerary. Bermuda was one place we looked forward to visit and an overnight in Charleston was an extra plus, as there was much we enjoyed seeing in this historic city. We enjoyed the old style Carnival ship with the atrium lobby and full length glass elevators, something that Carnival is mistakenly removing from its new ships. We feel The New Light Tower atriums are not nearly as dramatic. The inside Lido restaurant area was always crowded forcing us to use Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana more than usual. Late seating in the Sunset Dining Room was very good. Our waiter and his staff were excellent. But it was noted on the back of our Sail and Sign cards that we were Ocean Suite guests, so I’m wondering if we weren’t seated to be served by the better staff? We had noticed a decline in the dining room service on Carnival Cruises until this last on the Sunshine. Entertaining was good, but the time of stage performances didn’t schedule well with our late seating. Previous Carnival cruises had done a 8PM stage show for early seating, then a 10PM show for late. Showtimes had been moved ahead to 6:45PM and 8:45PM. So it defeated the purpose of relaxing for a Late Seating when you hurrying to dress for the 6:45 performance. The Late Night Comedy shows we’re dissapointing. We are four adults and don’t mind adult humor, but Carnival has hired low-budget talent. We think it’s a lot harder to be a clean funny and the comedians on Carnival can’t cut it. The one show excursion we booked was the Horseshoe Bay Beach excursion. We thought it was pricey for a group of four but money well spent as other guests were just hiring taxis and then left stranded for the return trip. Read Less

My wife's birthday was on the 12 of September. Bermuda was her first choice and Charleston was an easy commute from our home in NC. It was to be my birthday present to her. Once on board we were met by the "happiest and friendliest" crew compared to all our previous 13 plus cruises. While the Sunshine did show some "bumps and bruises" showing her age; the crew definitely made up for it. We all thought their most positive attitude stemmed from the top: Captain Lorenzo. To quote a familiar military phrase, " he leads from the front." His pleasing personality was always on display. Most significantly to this writer was the effort he and "Freddie," the head of Guest Services went to on my wife special day : having her picture taken with the Captain, Champagne at the dining table, special birthday cake, singing Happy Birthday by the Matte D's and personal appearance by the Captain and Freddie to wish her a Happy Birthday. My wife's reaction is hard to put into words but she did say at the time, "this will be remembered as the most special birthday and one I will remember the rest of my life." I think besides my wife's misty reaction - all in attendence also got a little moist around the eyes. The rest of the cruise was a very happy experience with the ever present greeting from every crew person, "Good morning or Day" with those broad smiles. To sum up this review, "we just finished a cruise with the happiest crew in the Carnival fleet." Read Less

This was our first cruise ever so we choose a 7day to Nassau Bahamas and a overnight in Bermuda. I only saw my 16y old at breakfast and Dinner plus the 2 shore excursions he made a bunch of friends his age doing their entertainment and activities all over the ship ( I highly recommend taking the "Restless Native Catamaran " shore excursions in Bermuda) I have to give a Shout Out to these's people they made our experience very memorable " James, Thai , Andy, Adam, Christian, with the games like Clue, Guess Who, trivia's ect and we must not forget the Comedians " Cowboy, Kim Harris, Al Cats " . Our first dinner was at the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse , the rest of the Dinners we eat a the" Sunrise Dinner " we got so spoiled , Henry & ----- table number 517 knew our names and had our drinks , they worked so hard for us I have to say "Thank You " I give them a 10 out of 10 thumbs up.. We did not want to leave the Sunshine ship it only felt like 3 days next time I'll be taking 10 to 14 days ... Definitely will go again !! The only thing that need to be more smoother is when we got to the port in Bermuda getting Off the ship was so crowded everyone wanted off at the same time , we had an excursion at a certain time but for some reason you let the people who did NOT have excursions go at the same time I thought the Excursions had priority off the ship first ? Read Less