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

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

Because I had to cancel the Horizon ship cruise due to being hospitalized last year I booked Sunrise.Sunrise offered same itinerary on New York port embankment. In order not to lose my money I went back on this ship formerly Triumph. I didn't like this ship appearance in 2005 and I didn't like it after being refurbished in 2019. The crew was polite, the entertainment and food was great. But the design, appearance and 70% of the guest was undesirable. The buffet was overcrowded and you only had deck 5 that went straight from the back to the front. School opened the week I boarded making it almost children free. But the food lines we're long with many of the adults pushing and grabbing for food and seats. When they finished eating they remaining at the table playing cards and talking. Many times I had to take my food back to my room. The elevators were small and the scooter riders rolled over others getting on and off without an apology. If fewer people we're booked the cruise would have been a better experience. I have a mobility problem and I was constantly being run over by motorized scooters and able bodied runners. Sunrise is a small ship with big ship population. No relaxation anytime. Sunrise has a project environment in the Atlantic ocean. This was my second and last time with carnival. I do thank I Nyoman and the happy feet doctor(P) who sold me arch support and 30% of the passengers who Mastered the art of courtesy and good manners. Read Less

I never write reviews but felt inclined to after seeing so many negative reviews. This is my 4th cruise. I just came back from the 8 day Eastern Caribbean cruise - a cruise which I was a little concerned about because of so many poor reviews. I'm glad I don't always believe what I read. First, the ship is beautiful. Yes it's a smaller ship but at no time did I feel crowded. Never had a problem getting food - Pig n Anchor, grill, Mexican, raw bar etc.- never more than a few minute wait. Your Time Dining for dinner is great - download the app and request a table. The wait was never more than 10 minutes. Menu changed every night. We were very happy with all our choices. Yes the buffet could get busy but again it was never more than 10 minutes in line. The drink area does bottleneck and it was the only area that annoyed me but it was no big deal. Entertainment was varied and very good. The Acoustic Trio in the Red Frog Pub was our favorite. Mike the cruise director was hysterical and really got people involved but wasn't pushy. All ports of call were beautif - Amber Cove was our favorite. We didn't do any excursions because we just wanted sun sand and water. All in all you get a lot for your money. Embarkation was a breeze - disembarking is still a chore. Read Less

Introduction: This cruise was booked 16 months prior to sailing. While it is not our first cruise, it is the first with my daughter and her husband who had no previous cruise experience. I sprang the invitation to my daughter just 6 months before the cruise. To say they were excited is an understatement. We traveled to NYC by train the day before sailing, my wife and I from Boston and my daughter and son-n-law from Philadelphia. Embarkation: I have become quite disappointed with the embarkation and debarkation process on Carnival in Manhattan and this cruise was not an exception. Up until 2016 Priority Boarding for Platinum, Diamond and Suite guests we always had a VIP lounge and a separate boarding area. The process was fast, efficient and comfortable. No longer is this the case. The Platinum, Diamond and Suite guests no longer have a lounge, and are grouped together with Faster to the Fun and persons with disabilities. The Ship: When I was looking for a cruise for September it was exciting to see a different ship was coming to New York. For reasons some who have read my previous reviews are aware my wife and I limit our cruises to those out of New York and Boston. We had not sailed on the Triumph before its transformation to the Sunrise this year. I had actually booked the cruise before the change was even publicized. I prefer the ships under 110,000 so this met my entire criterion. The ship was clean which given it just went through a $200 million refurbishment should not come as a surprise. While it never, even breakfast at the Lido, seemed crowded it always felt compressed like they want to be all things to all people. Each venue seemed shrunk to fit. The two exceptions were Pixels and Serenity. Way too much space taken up with this money grabbing venue of which my wife took full advantage. We unfortunately were unable to find any seating at Serenity on the three times we attempted. Simply stated we are not early risers so we just went back to our wonderful balcony which I discuss next under Stateroom. I was a bit disappointed with the layout of the ship. Getting to the Limelight Lounge on Deck 4 with the Punch Liner Comedy is a bit complicated. You have to traverse the Radiance Dining Room or walk partially through the Casino on Deck 5 then take the elevator or stairs down to Deck 4. Rarely will you be able to enter through the back side next to the Sunshine Dining Room. Stateroom: I originally booked Grand Suites but about a month before the cruise when we were “visiting” the ship on-line my wife saw the Captain’s Suite. As the saying goes “Happy Wife, Happy Life” so I checked and miraculously there was one of the two Captain’s Suites available. My daughter and her husband were pleased with the Grand Suite but I can not give any details given I did not ever see the suite. As for the Captain’s Suite, it is a bit more than two people need, separate bathrooms…? really now! Lots of storage space, large televisions in the sitting room and bedroom, lots of electric outlets and USB outlets, huge balcony with a table and four chairs and two lounge chairs and a spectacular view out the front of the ship. The room is directly above the ship’s bridge so the view is as good as the Captain’s. My wife did find the bathtub while jetted was smaller than previous suites. Food: The food was fine in all the venues we visited with the exception of the lobster in the MDR and the Seafood Shack. My wife, who is a Maine lobster fanatic found them to be, in her words “slimy”. She did find the shrimp and chowder to be very good and I have the tab to prove it. Also we are not Sushi lovers, did not find time for the tacos at the Blue Iguana Cantina or Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse. I would be remiss to not mention Guy’s Burger Joint. My two previous experiences of biting into a piece of charcoal and then a leather belt will never be forgotten. Being the forgiving type and always giving a second chance, in this case third chance, I went for it. And glad I did. THIS was what I had wanted all along. Even though it was well done, it was still juicy and delicious. I really enjoyed this burger immensely. We did dine at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and Cucina del Capitano and both are well worth the additional fee. More of an observation rather than a criticism or complaint we have always left the dining room after eating satisfied. This time we felt stuffed. My daughter, who is not afraid of food, was unable to empty her plate on several occasions. It seems Carnival, possibly just this chef, has increased the portion sizes. Previously, we would order another entrée, go to another venue and get something more to eat, get a soft serve ice cream or simply wait till the late night dining at the Lido. None of that occurred on this cruise. Staff: The staff throughout the ship was wonderful. The bar/ lounge staff, the dining staff, room steward guest services, etc. If they ever knew our name, they would always greet us using our names. I’m not sure how they do it, sometimes I do not remember my own. Entertainment: Al Ernst is one of the funniest if not THE funniest guys I have seen on a cruise ship. Yeah, he doesn’t swear up a storm or look for ways to insult the audience or have a bunch of filthy stories to tell but he is one heck of a great comedian. Thank you, Al for two wonderful evenings of humor. The shows in the Liquid Lounge were enjoyable with very talented performers. We did find the Electric Violins in the Sunrise Lobby played a louder than we prefer thus did our drinking and socializing elsewhere. Ports/Excursions: We only left the ship at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. We missed this Carnival private port on the Vista in 2016 due to strong winds. We rented an Ocean View Cabana which was very enjoyable. My daughter and son-in-law rode the zip line once and decided as much fun as it was, the trek back to the top really wasn’t worth it. The pool looked very inviting and there were plenty of chairs but I really enjoyed sitting and relaxing in the Cabana with an occasional hop into the water. Getting up the ladder out of the water is quite an ordeal. I suggest a couple more rungs on the ladder deeper in the water. Pretty tough on us older folk (I’m 72) and those who may be a bit on the hefty side. On the other port days we took advantage of the pool as the ship was vacated of passengers. Ah, maybe this is when we should have visited Serenity! No pool though. Debarkation: We were told to be in the Liquid Lounge at 8:15 A.M. to take advantage of Priority Debarkation. Not sure why we had to be there when we weren't allowed off until 9:30 A.M. No coffee, juice and pastry were available as has been the case on previous cruises. Had I known, we would have had a relaxing breakfast in the MDR and been the last people off the ship at 10:30. Conclusion: This certainly wasn’t our first rodeo with Carnival and God willing not our last. Overall the cruise was great with the exceptions of embarkation and debarkation. I hope to sail the Sunrise again and take advantage of the some of the other things it has to offer. While we have been on prettier ships, enjoyed better pampering and sailed for more days we are thankful the lord gave us the physical and financial ability to go on this cruise and will have memories that will stay with us the rest of our lives. Read Less

Mikey is awesome he is full of energy keeping everyone interacted with lots partying dancing and Making your vacation at sea very memorable I’ve been on many carnival cruises and out of all this director is the best...he is funny and makes everyone feel special. The Boat is awesome newly renovated many things to do so plan daily your activities. Kids have a great time leaving the adults to some alone time. The staff are great people always asking you if your okay or need anything extremely polite. The shows are live and you feel like your watching g a broadway show. FOOD FOOD FOOD GALORE...you are never left hungry 24 hr food stations...all you can eat ice cream and much much more...I recommend this cruise lune to all you want to have a great time...if your looking to be left alone and not bothered Carnival is not for you...Try NCL for that...Mikey keep up the awesome work...Vicky V. Read Less

Of variety, I like the crusero, but in this one I am disenchanted, because I saw things on board that I did not like, first long line to be able to eat, in the buffet, second cockroach we found inside the dishes and rates, the air in the rooms they turned it off at night, and it was very hot, the floor of the crusero is bad, you can stumble and fall, I saw it happened to a lady, you must have the video and see that, there are no good hygiene, we went to the restaurant a la carte and the water had very disgusting white argo, that made me go hungry, in a nutshell they should be more careful, I think there are very few personal paravtantas people, the meals need children, it is not that it is exacerbating, but There are many lack of children, sometimes the dishes and glass are dirty as they washed it, the rooms smell bad sometimes, the drink is very restricted, many pockets in that crusero, caramba put more varieties of juices ,,,, ,, Is it so expensive ??????? by God pure lemonade ,,, ,,, and if they put different it is necessary to go looking for it because it is a minute and it is over, ,,,, in short I am very disenchanted ,,,,,, it was better to stay on land ,,,, they must change, ,,,, and so we will be happier on board !!!!! Read Less

250, million Dollar renovation what a joke had an interior spa room it was very nice the Stuart was excellent but other than that I don’t know where they spent all the money on the spa was very nice the food was so so very overcrowded the pools were terrible the shows were so so they nickel and dime you to death just watch out for all the waiters only wanna do is serve you tons of drinks I wouldn’t go on carnival again We did a personal behind-the-scenes tour met the captain he was very nice other than that the ship is nothing to rave about 20-year-old Rheem promised ship that should’ve spent their money someplace else they’ll get five years out of it and then they’ll retire and sell it to somebody else I wouldn’t go on it very overcrowded out of New York Oh just one more thing their cruise director the flying Scotsman is terrific he is the best thing they have if they lose him the ship is dead Read Less

This was my first cruise however my parents were with us and they had been on many cruises. We were extremely disappointed as soon as we stepped on the ship. This shop had 2 tiny pools, 3 whirlpools and an over 21 area that did not mean anything. The pools were so small it was impossible to get in. There was 1 store, a tiny candy shop for kids and 1 jewelry store. Nothing at all to do. They had a treasure hunt for the pictures that team members on the ship had taken. Each day you had to go on a search. No link or sign in to make things easier. I know I missed pictures and was very disappointed. Now the food that’s a whole different story. The buffet was so packed that it became too much and it was easier not to eat. No healthy food at all. It was also beyond hot. How can you stand in a line for an hour to eat in the heat. It was complete insane. The ports were beautiful and the staff was top notch. It is unfortunate that a ship like that has to have such bad reviews because the waiters, housekeepers and all were simply amazing. Unfortunately this ship left a really bad taste in my mouth and probably will be the first and last cruise for my family! Read Less

There were 5 of us on this cruise, all of us in our 60's, 2 first time cruisers and 3 experienced cruisers. My husband and I and been on 6 Carnival cruises - 4 Royal Caribbean and 5 Norwegian cruises. Traveling with us was my sister in one cabin and (first time cruisers), long time friends in another. We parked at the pier, $320 for 8 nights, split 3 ways isn't bad-we traveled together in one vehicle. Embarkation took maybe an hour from start to finish. Relatively simple. On board by noon, headed to Lido for our first Guy's Burger. After lunch I noticed that we had 3 separate tables for the 8:15 dinner service! Our reservations were linked together online and I assumed our dinner seating would automatically be linked like it has in the past when we traveled with others. I immediately went to the dining room and the maitre 'd was not there so we spoke with the girl there who said it was impossible to change for the first night and they might be able to change it the next day. She said the maitre 'd would be available around 6PM so we went back down and saw him then. He was very condescending and outright rude and said he had very few requests to change and it would be impossible to get us a table for 5 for the late seating. He could give us anytime dining which we ended up agreeing to. It worked out, but we had first time cruisers with us and I wanted them to experience the set dining experience with the same wait staff every night and the shows they perform at the end of the dinner service. We liked our servers the first night and tried to get the same wait staff the 2nd night and they said they weren't available. It was disappointing. We had different wait staff every night and different tables every night. I will say, the staff was excellent and the food was the best we've had on a ship. We all had balcony cabins on deck 8, very close to the glass elevators. Very convenient location but we could hear a lot of noise from the lobby at night when the parties were going on. The noise did not bother us, I actually enjoyed listening to it but others might find it annoying. The cabins were fine, standard Carnival. Our room steward was excellent. Always present, always pleasant. We asked for twice a day service, with ice please! I think twice a day is what differentiates a cruise from a hotel. It feels special. Really nice, big, flat screen TVs with on demand movies (some have a fee, most do not), one news channel, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, History Channel (?), Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and a bunch of Carnival channels including a Map Channel. The Lido deck is an absolute disaster. Pools were mobbed all the time, I'm talking a sea of heads. Loud music, too loud. The pathways to the buffet were the absolute worse designed areas I have ever seen! You have Guy's Burgers on one side and Blue Iguana on the other so there are lines of people at each place, then there are drink stations in this tiny passageway AND hand washing stations! It was ridiculous! Once inside the buffet area you have the deli on the Blue Iguana side and Lucky Bowl on Guy's side. Proceed to the buffet which was ALWAYS crowded and s-l-o-w moving people. We always managed to find a table but one of us had to stay with it while the rest attempted to get food. The pizza place was in the way back and the Seafood Shack was back there too. Food - Breakfast/Brunch/Dinner in the Sunshine Restaurant was always very good. We ate most meals here because everything else was very noisy, crowded and the food was just not as good. As stated before, we ended up with Any Time Dining. We always ate around 8:00 and getting a table took less than 10 minutes with the exception of elegant night, which took 30 minutes. Checking in at the desk was easy and using the HUB app was even easier. We believe the food in the main dining room was the best we've ever had on a ship. Hot, tasty and good portions. One in our little group has Celiac Disease and has to be gluten free. The wait staff was aware as she let them know before boarding and they went above and beyond to make sure she was well taken care of. Guys' Burgers were very good. The lines move very fast. Guys' Pig and Anchor - never saw a line. Ate there only once and it was just okay. No desire to go back. Blue Iguana - Always a line but they moved along. Always enjoy the burrito. Pizza place - Always a line, a very slow moving line. I really enjoyed the pizza on the Sunshine and Pride but not this one as much. It wasn't worth the wait. Deli - OMG.....the line might be small, but....we came back from port early and seeing how the line was short, decided on sandwiches for lunch. 5 people in line ahead of us, 5 people working inside. 25 minutes later we had 2 hot dogs and half a turkey wrap. 25 minutes! I really enjoyed that wrap but didn't want to wait in that long again. Buffet - yuck. Long lines ALL the time. People said, oh on go off times and you'll be fine. We tended to eat lunch around 2:00. That's kind of late for lunch and besides, it closes at 2:30. Forget about it! Long lines with the slowest moving people ever. Poorly designed, everything in one long display. One of the port days we got back late and decided to skip the dining room and try the buffet. It wasn't really too crowded. The food sucked. Little variety. Roast beef or what was supposed to be roast beef was inedible. My husband absolutely loves the buffet and wants to eat there most of the time. This night was our one and only dinner there. I ended up waiting in line for pizza after I attempted to eat that beef or whatever. Very disappointing. Makes me wonder how the food in the dining rooms can be so good and the food in the buffet so bad. We did not eat in any specialty restaurants, although we did have breakfast one morning in the Italian restaurant above the buffet area. They have a small breakfast buffet, all the food was ice cold, but they did have made to order omelets and eggs. It was not crowded at all but it was hot in there. Bars - We like to have a few drinks before dinner every night. There were 5 of us and we wanted to sit and chat over cocktails. It's hard to find a "quiet" bar! The Electric Violins played almost every night and they are very good but a bit loud and somber. The Red Frog Pub had karaoke almost every night at that time and that was very loud and carried out to the Alchemy Bar which was our favorite. We ended up sitting in a pretty empty Sports Bar every night because we could hear each other. When there was no karaoke, we went to Alchemy which had the best bartenders and best drinks. We did not do the drink package. Public areas - The ship's layout is very choppy but I had read up on this before hand and knew what to do. I lead my little troop around - elevator down to deck 5 - walk all the way through the shops, casino, Sushi restaurant, bars to the aft elevators to get to the Sunshine Restaurant where we ate twice a day. It really isn't that difficult to get around once you understand the layout. We found pockets of uneven air conditioning all around. The elevators were extremely warm. The buffet was downright uncomfortable. The Italian restaurant was very warm during breakfast. The Liquid Lounge (main theater) is small and uncomfortable. My legs were cramped when we sat in the chairs, they were fine if we were lucky enough to get a bench type seat. There were nights that it was absolutely freezing in there. Casino was comfortable but smoky - I do not understand why they can't do something about that - better smoke eaters - half smoking, half non-smoking...something! We always saw someone cleaning and the ship was pretty darn clean even though people left food and drinks everywhere! An entire bowl of noodles on staircase, smashed cupcakes on the floor near the elevator, a full drink right outside our cabin door that I almost tripped over! Which leads to my next topic - Guests - 95% of the guests we encountered were very friendly and talkative. Then there are those who walked around with their own music blaring, gangs of teenagers running wild (where are the parents?!). Twice someone banged on our cabin door, hard, like startling loud! Once in the afternoon when the snooze sign was out and once at 2AM. Lots of yelling going on. Crew - Fantastic. Everyone was personable, friendly and polite. We did have once exception at brunch - our waiter was obviously very sick. He looked miserable, was sniffling and didn't have any patience with our questions. He took our order and disappeared, we figured he was relived of his duty. Our meals never came and we ended up walking out. Entertainment - CD Chris "The Flying Scotsman" was excellent. Always visible, very high energy and entertaining. His one man show was surprisingly good. That's about it. The 2 "big" production shows of singing and dancing were just okay. One night they had a guest singer - Marcus Anthony, singing Motown. He was excellent, quite the entertainer. I thought the entertainment was sorely lacking on this cruise. Pretty boring. Unfortunately we never made it to the comedy club as the times were always the same with dinner and the shows in the main theater. HUB App is excellent! Kept daily tabs on our on board expenses, selected activities and put them into "My Planner" which reminds you 15 minutes before it starts, put in our request for a table in the My Time Dining part. The weather report was very accurate! I used it constantly! We used the Chat part - for $5 per person for the entire cruise we could communicate with each other via text message. Very convenient! Ports - We had not booked any excursions through Carnival as we had been to 2 out of 3 ports before. Didn't feel a need to. San Juan - we were planning to just walk around old downtown but it was so hot that we ended up taking a tour from the many, many locals trying to get you when you get off the ship. It was $15 per person and lasted almost 2 hours. We thought it was worth it. They drop you off at the top of the shopping area. Amber Cove - Basically an outdoor shopping mall with pools. Next time I would book an excursion. Grand Turk - We've been there several times and sad to say but I think it's going down hill fast. It used to be a relaxing beach day but now the locals have taken over and are aggressively trying to "sell" you beach chairs and umbrellas. There was trash all over and a lot of the buildings were boarded up. We walked as far down the beach as we could to get away from them and the crowds but again the heat got to us and we ended up negotiating 4 chairs and 2 umbrellas for $25. Luckily there was a little snack bar with bathrooms right behind us. I wanted to walk to Jack's Shack but it was just too far for us old timers. The water was beautiful and where we were, the trash wasn't as bad. Two dogs ended up staying with us under our lounge chairs so they brightened up the day! When we left NYC, hurricane Dorian looked like it might cause us some problems. We did receive a paper upon boarding explaining that our ports have been changed around and that they would keep us a safe distance from the storm at all times. Two days later we received another paper update with the arrival times changed but in our opinion, for the better! Slightly less time in San Juan but longer time in Amber Cove and Grand Turk. Carnival did an excellent job of keeping us safe. We had beautiful weather and nearly calm seas the entire trip. I think it might of rained at night once or twice but never saw a raindrop during the day. Even though it sounds like I did a lot of complaining above, all in all it was a great trip. I believe in honest reviews. Not sure if we will sail on the Sunrise again due to overcrowding and the Lido deck setup. Most of our cruises are out of NYC because it is a 2-1/2 hour drive for us. Hopefully Carnival will have a different ship sailing out of there soon. We normally sail in late September/October when kids are back in school. I thought sailing the week of Labor Day would cut back on the amount of kids onboard as most schools start right before Labor Day or that week. Don't get me wrong, I love kids but for some reason they (mostly teenagers) are wild on ships and I do not enjoy that. Read Less

Chose this cruise because it left from NY. Short hour drive from our home state of RI. Prior to leaving for the trip I was concerned due to all the bad reviews. I knew going in what my expectations were and was not going to let other people's experiences ruin my good time. The cruise overall was very good, even better than expected. Embarkation was quick in NY. We were at the port about 15 minutes before our embarkation time and got on the vessel vey quickly. I would guess from the time we arrived to the port to the time we were on the ship was no more than 45 minutes. Due to the pending hurricane forming in the Bahamas they rerouted our port of calls. The captain did a wonderful job of getting us to all the ports just in a different order. Ports of call were nice. Worst part of all of it was the late people getting on when last call was called to board AT EVERY PORT. I mean come people, you have to plan better. My 8 year old and I would sit on our balcony at every port to see the late people running to the ship. We ate 90% of our meals in the restaurants. Breakfast served in the main dining was average. Dinners served there were very good. Not sure why the food reviews were so bad. Had pizza and burgers for lunch most days. Burgers on board from Guy's were VERY good. Tasted like a 5 guys burger. Pizza was passable. Onboard entertainment was good. The shows were excellent, just not enough of them. Piano bar with Eden was awesome. That guy is an excellent performer. One issue was one of the Fun Crew was a young lady from Jamaica. They put her in charge of a lot of the trivia, but she has a really hard time reading. Why would you make her do that job? Most people could not understand what the heck she was saying and then she would get mad when the crowd corrected her. Main dining room service was excellent for dinner every night. Room steward was great as well. Overall great cruise and would sail on the Sunrise again Read Less

$200 million dollar renovation? Let's start with my room. We had a grand sweet, room 7295. We had dirty water from someone else's room leaking into our bathroom. It was so bad that mold was growing. And not sure exactly what we were walking in, shower water, toilet water? It took 6 days and 5 visits to be fixed, and we had to be out of our room for 5 hours while thru fixed it. We had to keep towels on the floor just to keep our feet dry! On day 7 or toilet stopped flushing, and they had to send a plumber to fix that, Day 8, the last day was problem free thou! Lol. The formal dining room is more like a diner than a formal dining room, allot of booths, which was REALLY CLASSY on formal night! I would say the food is almost as good as our local diner as well! Expect to wait a long time at all other places to eat, long lines, no organization. After you get your food, good luck finding a seat. The pool is very small and over crowded. The slides are nothing special either. People smoke wherever they want, and nobody enforces anything. Complained to security, but they did nothing! There were people even smoking in the kids water park by the slides. People were taking their kid's out of the water because they were doing nothing about it. We couldn't sit on our balcony due to people smoking marijuana, the smell was so bad my 12yr old daughter was getting sick. Guest service said all they can do is send out a letter with the smoking policy! So nothing was done about that either. I personally don't recommend this cruise, I had to get a claim number with carnival for compensation, we will see how that goes, hopefully better then the cruise! At least they added allot of rooms and made the common areas smaller! There are not allot of shows, except for shoes about shopping on board, and comedy shows everyday, which are not kid friendly, even if they say it is, it was very inappropriate. The casino is nice, but you have to walk straight through the smoking area to get anywhere, as it is the only deck you can walk from one end to the other. Not a good set up if you have kids. The spa was nice, my wife had 2 services, and we did a couples massage. The massage was relaxing, but I have had allot better around my house for less money. I would not take this cruise for a family vacation ever again. It was easy getting on the boat, getting off was another story, we had priority with the suite, but nobody knew where to send us, we're we're moved 3 times to different floors carrying 6 suitcases! And all I wanted to do is get off the boat! Kid's club was a joke for my 12 year old daughter as well. All they did was sit in the room and play a video game, or play on their phones. She wanted out in less then an hour! Getting off the boat in ports took a long time as well. Carnival had people stopping everyone on the ramp to get off so they could take pictures. All this did was hold everyone up! Take pictures on the side out of the way! It took us 1.5hrs to get off st the first port, and about an hour st the others. San Juan was nice for shopping, but don't be out after dark, we're didn't feel safe. St. Thomas was beautiful. Grand Turk was our favorite, we went snorkeling, and then relaxed on the beach, wish we had more time there. I would not recommend carnival, we mighty have tried the cruise line again if the company made right by us for all the problems we had, but they did not! Don't waste your breath complaining to the company, they don't care, and already have your money! Find another cruise line! I would add photos, but it won't let me on my phone for some reason. Read Less

Booked because it was cheap. The cruise was booked for 2 infants, 2 adults. Only one crib was placed in the room, and fit in the room. I was told that I should have known the dimensions of the room, and it became my fault. I spent 2 days arguing with the supervisors. Then, they tried to put me in a separate room away from my family on my vacation so I had somewhere to sleep. I was told before I booked this cruise that swim diapers would be allowed on children in the pool. That conversation with a carnival employee was recorded. On the ship all of a sudden the babies weren't allowed in pool with swim diapers. Pool staff/supervisors told numerous parents that they had to remove the diapers from the kids to go into pool. Parents were removing the swim diapers and putting their kids in the pool. The second day a kid crapped in the pool, and the pool was drained. The supervisors were told about this issues and the response was..."I'm sorry". They would rather have a child in the pool who is obviously not potty trained, than have swim diapers on them. Numerous parents continued to take the diapers off of their babies and put them in the pool in front of the Carnival staff, and everyone in plain site. Not only is this disgusting, but unsanitary. One child squatted and peed in the pool in front of a Carnival supervisor, and all the guests. The management on this ship was horrible. All the elevators were broken, the buffet line every day wrapped around the dining hall, the food at the buffet was gross, and the smell of marijuana was a constant every day, all day. After speaking to Carnival Corporate their solution was a 15% credit. This is after I sent him the recording of the Carnival employee lying to me to get me to book the cruise. Carnival will lie and say what ever they need to say to get your money, book a cruise, and then apologize for the horrible service, but do nothing. Next time I'll spend a little more because you get what you pay for. Read Less

I choose Carnival because I wanted to experience a different cruise line. Oh my goodness, have you ever been on a cruise where there was hardly any food? Unbelievable! You have to pay for everything! French fries ($2), no free chicken wings ($5), restaurants were packed (the 3 free restuarants) and they were opened with limited time so with the long lines, good luck if you make it to the front before some crew member cuts you off and tells you that they are closed. Stood on a line for an hour to get a pre-made sandwich. Was so upset, decided to order in to room one night for dinner. Keep in mind that I am paying for my dinner. It took 2 and a half hours for the food to be delivered to the room. Speaking with the service desk was difficult. They answered the phone as if we're a bother. Nothing about this cruise was good, I am not one to bash anyone with bad reviews but please save your money and use another cruise line. For first time cruisers, you would be utterly disappointed if you go on this ship. I love cruises and I am glad I cruised on a different line before I went on carnival sunrise because if it was the other way around, I would never cruise again. I have a 2 yr old and I tried to take him into the pool. I was told that he could not go into the pool with swimming diapers and that he needed to be potty trained. No problem. So I tried to take him to the kiddie section for him to run around (no swimming), same thing. Horrible. Kiddie camp had 1 crew member with over 15 kids under 3 in one room with no toys, just sitting on the floor. Really? The entire ship had a lack of crew (long lines of people waiting) only to be serviced by a few crew members. How about the beverage package? Hmmm 5 oz. Of soda and the rest is ice. You will have to wait 5 mins to order another soda. Craving seafood? Better prepare yourself to pay your own tab because it ain't free my friend. I can go on and on but I think I have made my point. PS. When the ship came back to NY and docked, I saw oil floating in the water . . . Like a leakage. They are probably doing more harm than good seeing how they're cutting corners. I hope someone looks into this because we need to look out for our City. Read Less

Hubby and I on our first cruise which was also our honeymoon. With a swollen ankle, this by far was heaven in paradise. The food was great with a big variety of different tastes. Alot of activities like Bingo, Dress up Attire for Dinner, art auctions and galore of different shops. It was great and I cant wait for the next one. The water was beautiful, the people where friendly and the drinks never ran out. The sunrise and sunsets were beautiful, and the clouds were so close it felt you could reach out and touch one. The stars were bright and we were able to see the big dipper. But what surprise me the most was how dark it was at night The whole experience was amazing, I will alawys dwell on this trip, and in my heart of hearts this trip will alawys remind me that I am finally living my best life. Read Less

We choose this cruise because of convenience. Leaving from New York City was our attraction. There were so many issues I had with the cruise. I can write a book.. Let me start with the housekeeping staff! My room had an smell. The toliet smelled like bowel and urine. Under the beds had dirt left over from previous guest. I loudly complained. Totally disgusted. They recleaned room. The lady who cleaned our room did not clean the room. She only gave us towels and made up beds. There was gum on sheet and she made up bed to hide gum on sheet. And the list goes on and on. My mother diabete testing stripes were stolen from her room. When she complained was told maybe someone you're with took them. Smoking cigarettes in casino very upset about that so I didn't go there. How about having 2 casinos one being smoke free? So guest like me can enjoy the casino as well. RUDE STAFF. I noticed the Philippines workers were much nicer to non-black guest!!! I personally had 2 encounter's with staff and was given such mean attitude look as if to say did I have permission to speak to this man! Read Less

Overall had a great time! Family of 4 (kids 5 and 9). 4 night cruise to Bermuda on August 15th. The crowd was very diverse, but very friendly. Met a lot of people from NY and CT, even a few from England. We are from Philly, we vacation in OC NJ, this crowd was more from Wildwood. We chose this cruise since we could drive to the port, overall it was a simple process. We parked and off loaded our luggage; and it took less than 10 minutes to get through security and onto the ship. The buffet lines were long for lunch on embarkation day, Guy's burger joint and the mexican place had long lines too (hint: go upstairs above the mexican place and eat at the Pig and Anchor, decent BBQ food and there was no line). You can also get a pizza delivered to you anywhere on the ship, this would be another idea on embarkation day, just use the app the pizza delivery guy will come to you, cost is $5 for delivery but it beats standing in line for 20 minutes. The pizza was awesome! Many other reviews complained really bad about the buffet lines and the 2 choke points...these reviews are accurate but just do you best to avoid those areas and you will be fine. The choke points were crowded but they encompass 10 feet of the entire ship, not the end of the world! Avoid the breakfast buffet line by going to the restaurant for breakfast, no lines! Kids loved the water slides and water splash area! We never really had an issue getting a lounge chair, maybe we were lucky but it was fine for us. We used Anytime dining: perfect with the kids since they wanted to stay outside for a while. I made reservations on the app 5 minutes before we wanted to eat every night and it was not an issue. You have to walk around the casino bar (yes, I agree with everyone else that it is a stupid design to walk through a smoky casino bar right after you grab a shower so I can get to dinner!). Drinks were a bit hard to come by in the restaurant, the waiters are all running around but the service is a bit below average. We grabbed drinks at the Alchemy Bar which is on the way to the dining room. I even ran out to grab drink #2 because it was easier than waiting. **You are allowed to bring 2 bottles of wine on the boat on embarkation day and you are allowed to carry it to your room. Read the alcohol rules, it is permitted. We each brought a bottle. Some night she filled a glass and carried it with her to dinner, it saved about $12/drink. My wife had the salmon and loved it, I had the flank steak (it was more of a sirloin as opposed to a thin flank but it was really good). I ordered multiple meals every night, and usually had the flank steak too. She had the salmon several times and like it. Avoid the seafood medley, seafood was overcooked and it was kind of bland. Several of the mushroom apps were good and there was a mushroom veg entree that my wife really liked. Kids menu was simple, spaghetti, burgers, hotdog, chicken fingers. They like ordering a few desserts each night. The Carnival Hot Lava cake is great every time! On Bermuda day: Get to the buffet early. Everyone is going to the buffet, it was really crowded, I would try to get there by 8am. We arrived around 9:15 and it was jammed. We went to horseshoe beach, take a taxi, it costs about $32. The shuttle bus costs $7/person which is $28. Don't bother renting an umbrella, there was another ship in port with our ship and the beach was jammed. By noon you can grab a vacated umbrella before the staff packs them up. The line for getting back was really long, I stood in line for about 20 minutes while my wife and kids played on the beach. We took a taxi back, same cost of $32. Shuttle bus line was 3x as long. We got our photos taken all of the time on the way to/from dinner. Usually this is annoying, but the kids thought it was a special thing. And honestly, the photos really came out great, my wife ended up buying a few of them. The photographers normally harass you, but these photographers were very friendly and really enjoyed their job. After dinner, we would hang in the Red Frog pub, foosball and shuffle board and board games are hidden in the back and kept he kids busy while we drank beer! The Flying Scotsman was worth the price by himself! Be sure to attend the R&B Night in the lobby bar. There was no lie probably 1,000 people in the bar, stairs, mezzanine, and upper floors looking over the rail. The whole place was singing and he was dancing and singing on the bar. Simply awesome! He does a 1 man show that was pretty good as well, not as crowded as the R&B show, but he sang opera which was pretty neat to see (I like Classic Rock and he did a lot of that too). Our kids did not do Camp Ocean, they wanted to stay on the water slides so I cannot rate the children's activities. Read Less

We chose this cruise as a first vacation for our blended family of 4 kids. With interior and balcony rooms on deck 6 aft we had plenty of space for her 2 girls and my 2 boys (ages 10, 10, 13, and 14.) Speaking of aft, the back of the ship was like a hidden gem that rarely got crowded and had plenty to offer. It was right up the stairs and the kids had plenty of time in the hot tubs and pool as well as the ropes course and Foosball at all hours of the day/night. Not a single meal disappointed but the lido buffet does get packed during prime hours. We avoided it during the breakfast and lunch rush and had no issues getting food other places. Kids said the hot dogs were the best they ever had. This was my 2nd cruise on the Sunshine class of ships and this sailing was more fun and less stressful than the Sunshine to the Bahamas a few years back. For the girlfriend and her 2 girls it was their first cruise and they loved it. Our only complaints were getting stuck on an elevator for 5 minutes. I'll go into some detail below but overall we had an amazing time going to Bermuda and would definitely sail again on the Sunrise! Now for some specifics: Embarkation and debarkation in New York was incredibility easy. I had faster to the fun, she did not, but we all got to board at the same time. It took 15 minutes from walking into the port to walking on the ship, and leaving was just as easy. We spent probably 20 minutes from when we left our room to walking through customs. Her interior room was small, but the 3 of them didn't do much but sleep in it. We spent a lot of time on my balcony enjoying drinks and the waves. Both rooms were always kept clean and our attendant Chai was awesome. Main dining room (your time dining) was always a blast and the kids had some amazing food. The lobster was a huge hit. Some of the small specialty places to eat were also good. This cruise lacked some of the fun shows in the liquid lounge but we were surprisingly entertained with a jazz program and always have a blast at Hasbro Game Night. I got to go up on the state for my 2nd time and we won. Chris (The Flying Scotsman) is a little over rated in my opinion. I didn't enjoy his company as much as Mason from the Sunshine and his one man show was the only thing we walked out on, the kids were not feeling it. But we did see 3 different shows in the comedy club, 2 of which were kid friendly and they loved it. Pools and hottubs were awesome and never that packed. The water was 80 degrees and felt great. Even the water slides were fun. Again, back on the Sunshine in April a couple years back the water was freezing so this was a pleasant treat. There were of course plenty of people not having a good time, mostly because they were upset with some of the language barriers or slower drink service on the busy days. The beauty of things like Cheers is that you just order another drink before you current one is gone! Bermuda was BEAUTIFUL. I've never had so much fun swimming in the ocean, i'm used to it being a little on the cold side but this trip was perfect. The bus ride to the beach was way too hot and the kids didn't enjoy that part so much. The beach was also packed, but it's a big ocean. Overall, the 6 of us had an amazing trip and only have a handful of complaints but not enough to review this vacation as anything short of perfect. I booked the Sunrise based on the fact that it was recently refurbished and leaving for Bermuda out of New York. I didn't want something as touristy as the Bahamas again. I also knew full well of the "poop cruise" and the negative ratings that the Triumph and some of the newly named Sunrise was getting but didn't let that deter me because you can often tell that some reviews are negative because of someone specific attitude or that they didn't really know what they wanted out of a vacation. Read Less

This was my platinum cruise and was very convenient choice for us but I absolutely do not want to ever go on this ship again and will def rethink ships remodeled! This ship was old and had a negative history. ( fire,arrest and even a death ) So in order to save the ship they had to change the name and redo. Big problem was they didn't think it all through or just didnt care) It was a smaller older ship. The corrections made them more money and passengers more annoyed They did away with laundry rooms on most floors and added more rooms. They made everything we like smaller! They added more dining choices BUT many are for a price! They took away much of the dining space ( free) and left people waiting in ridiculousy long lines for food... The pools were literally standing room only ! Serenity did not have their own pool either. SMOKING!!!!!!!!!!!! I smelt smoke pretty much everywhere. I know this is huge issue for many but one would think remodeling would help things but it certainly did not. Carnival ships are set up the worst of all ships when it comes to avoiding second hand smoke,, In order to get to certain areas you have to walk through the casino which is ALWAYS disgustingly full of smoke! Not only that but the area is open to all the floors of the atrium so the smoke hits everyone! Constantly seeing people walking around with their faces covered. They have very very little food for kids and it was an issue just to get milks and juices. unless the go to the camp carnival, there is nothing for them to do. They took away most of the free room service . It now only goes to 6p . After 6 you pay! To sum it up. They added more rooms to make more money . More people with less room to play ( except casino) less free dining, Read Less

We sailed on the Carnival Sunrise as part of a large 40+ group of friends, so we did not choose this particular ship or itinerary. We have sailed with Carnival before and are Gold level members. Embarkation: We were pre-assigned a time to show up to check in for boarding. That was excellent and went very smoothly. Hats off to Carnival and the NYC port for making what used to be a nightmare, a pleasant experience. Cabin. We had a balcony cabin on level 6. We were near the Atrium. The room was quiet despite the loud night-time parties in the Atrium. The room location was ok for most areas of the ship we frequented. Our cabin steward and staff were extremely friendly and efficient. Our plumbing worked fine! Balconies were cleaned during our cruise, which was nice. Plenty of USB & AC outlets for our electronics. Air conditioning was sufficient. Public areas: The pool areas were crowded as usual on a ship, especially on sea days as you would expect, however, the pools are too small for the number of guests on board. We did not even want to go in as there were shoulder to shoulder people in the pool most of the time. NOT INVITING!. The lack of staff to clean the dishes from the pool area made for a messy area much of the time. Poor ship design between the Guy's Burger joint and the Lido Marketplace made a narrow passageway that caused traffic jams constantly. I was always afraid my food would be knocked into and spilled moving from outside to inside. The coffee/tea area, ice cream machine and the pillar/railings make for a very narrow 2 way passage. The air conditioning in some areas either did not work or was poorly designed. We found "hot spots" all over the ship. Food: The dining room food was fine, wait staff worked very hard. Most of the time I received what I ordered. The Lido marketplace buffet was overcrowded most times, It seemed to run past the stated closing each day as there were still people waiting in line to get food at the closing hour. Buffet food was ok, not exceptional. We ate there only twice. Guys burger joint was fast and good, the Blue Iguana Cantina was OK but fast to get food, Pig & Anchor was excellent! Highly recommend if you like southern BBQ! Lucky Bowl was excellent! No lines to speak of most of the time. we ate there frequently. Did not try the 24 hour pizza but we heard it was good. Did not try Bonsi Sushi (extra charge), it was empty most of the time. The Red Frog pub was a large area, not crowded, beers were ok. Personally I did not like the Red Frog "red ale", but the Toasted Amber was good. The ship seems to have only 4 flavors of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry & butter pecan). Only the first 3 are available soft serve, butter pecan is available in the dining room with the other 3 flavors. Personally I wanted more choices in the dining room as Ice cream ins my choice of dessert. Not a fan of cakes, etc. Lido buffet was also one of the poorly air conditioned areas of the ship, it was hot most of the time, which made eating uncomfortable. Staff was good cleaning the tables. Ports of call: Grand Turk: The ship dock at Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville. Just a pool/beach stop, nothing to see there. Food & drink is for purchase only, not free. We took a private trolley tour with Island Trolley Tours (not a ship excursion). the were excellent. If you want to see the island, this is the only way ($30/pp) Ship tour is twice that. Buy tickets on beach or online prior. San Juan: Ship docks right in town, El Morro is a long walk but do able with the time allowed. Amber Cove: Another pool stop. Pools are very crowded both in Margaritavile & Amber Cove. Nothing to do there other than shop & swim in the waist high water. We did not swim in the pools as we dislike over crowded pools with no shade opportunity other than hiding under a foot bridge. Disembarkation: Handled well. we lined up around 0830 to get tags. we had tag # 8. This got us off the ship around 1030. We waited in the Liquid Lounge. The only complaint I had was I did not have any idea when our number would be called. We had someone picking us up and I was not sure when to tell him to be at the dock. Geting off the ship and getting our luggage was excellent, and efficient. Customs was a breeze! Final thoughts: Level 3 was the best serenity area on the ship. Forget the official Serenity deck as it was also overcrowded and no shade. Deck 3 off the Atrium was quiet, had a panoramic ocean view, a nice breeze, and was near the Atrium bar. Plenty of deck chairs also! If you like crowds, loud parties, so so ports of call and long lines...this is the cruise for you! Read Less

Cruise on Carnival Sunrise 8/7/2019 thru 8/15/2019 Booked a Suite on Deck 7, Family of 2 Adults and 2 Children. We had 11:30/ 12:00 am Boarding time. When we got to the cruise port it was easy to get into the terminal. First of all, I expected to see a Gorgeous ship after a 200-million-dollar refurbishment. Since we had a Suite, we had priority boarding, which I was told that we would get on the ship as soon as we got there. Then we could proceed to our room once we boarded and it would be ready and that our luggage would be there waiting for us. The room was ready at 1:30 pm and our luggage didn’t arrive until 4:15 PM. We’ve been on numerous cruises and this didn’t surprise me at all. I don’t sweat the small things. Room was nicely decorated, and we had plenty of room for the 4 of us. Bathroom was nice but there was mold around edges of outside of tub. Our Room Stewards name was I Putu, who was always there when you had a question and always Greeting you with a Smile and a Hello. He was the best room steward anyone could ask for. He always had our room spotless and made up and turned down the room very quickly. These stewards always are working very hard throughout the day. Then there’s the Breakfast Buffet in the Lido Deck. I HIGHLY recommend that you stay away from the Lido Deck breakfast lines, it was chaotic any time after 7:30am and for lunch. At lunch It took more than 45 minutes just to get a grilled cheese sandwich from the deli line with only 10 people in front of you. The lido deck buffet is seriously understaffed. These people work their tails off and have people being rude to them, which they don’t deserve. I highly recommend you go to the Sunrise Restaurant for your Breakfast every day. It was nice to sit down for breakfast and not wait in line for 30 minutes or longer. Lunch was the same way, it was like a feeding frenzy every day. We would wait for it to calm down and then go to lunch which wasn’t that bad. Food was good in the Lido Deck every day during lunch time. Guy’s Burgers was the Best, followed by the Blue Iguana Restaurant which had Taco Bowls and other fine Mexican Food, then the Pizza Restaurant. The Guy’s Bar B Queue was also Tasty on Sea Day’s. For Dinner we were in the Sunshine Restaurant at table 617. At first it seemed the workers were overwhelmed and over worked. We had 3 of the best waiters we could of asked for. The head waiters name was Henry C. from the Philippines, Team waiter Jerry Boy Gomez also from the Philippines( JERRY also worked the Italian Restaurant during lunch time) and team waiter Ihram from Indonesia. Once they got stuff together, they were outstanding. Like I said before, this ship is understaffed, and these workers are overworked. The entertainment of the Flying Scotsman was the best I’ve seen. He had so much energy and never stopped working. The guy was unbelievable. I don’t know how someone could do that day in and out with so much enthusiasm. He was just fantastic. The problem with this boat is that they added more passengers and the boat was not originally built for that many people. Forget trying to get into the Lido buffet at lunch time because you had a line from Guys’ Burgers and a line from the Blue Iguana restaurant in the way of getting access to the Lido Restaurant. You actually had to go through the seating areas of these 2 restaurants to get into the Lido restaurant. One last thing, If anyone tells you when you are booking a cruise on Carnival that you have PRIORITY over the other passengers because you booked a Suite OR HIGHER ROOM, DON” T BELIEVE THEM, they are not giving you the correct information. I went down to customer service desk and they said you stand in line with everyone else. The special line is only for the Diamond and Platinum guest only. ONE LAST THING, PRIORITY DISEMBARKATION, DON’T BELIEVE THEM, IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!! We had Priority Disembarkation, on the sheet we received the Morning before we were Disembarking, it stated and I quote: arrive at 9 AM in the Liquid Lounge and you will be escorted off the ship by a Carnival Representative, IT DIDN’T HAPPEN. We ended up getting off the ship at 10:30 AM and we had a Van waiting for us to get back home. Overall, we had a good time on the cruise, but the ship has a lot to be desired with, the ship was not what I expected. I thought with a 200 million Dollar makeover it would be newer and cleaner. But all they did was add more rooms and 500 more. It’s like taking 100 lbs. of garbage and trying to stuff it in a 10 lb. bag. After all, said and done, you must make the best of what you dealt with. First port of call was Turks and Caicos. Rented a Cabana, (Never did this before) at Margaritaville, what a Waste of time and money. She gave us a buzzer to ask for things that we would like from restaurant. Tried using the buzzer on 4 different occasions, she never bothered to come over, went and ordered from the restaurant ourselves. Finally, when we were ready to leave, (Guess since we weren’t ordering drinks, she didn’t care about us) she came over. She noticed that we had food and sodas and asked why we didn’t buzz her. I replied that we tried to buzz her 4 times. She picked up the buzzer and pushed it and she replied, and I Quote, it works fine when I push it and proceeded to throw the buzzer down on the counter and just walked away from us, continually stating that it worked fine for her. Guess I was lying that we pushed the button 4 times. She had a really bad attitude. I approached the Management from Margaritaville, and they said that they would take care of it. I filled out a survey card that the management asked me to fill out and I guess I won’t hear from them anytime soon. Next port was Puerto Rico: We walked off the boat and took a Taxi for $21.00 for 6 of us to Isla Verde Beach. It took about 20 Minutes or less. The beach was Beautiful, and umbrellas and chairs were very reasonable. Chairs were $4.00 apiece and Umbrellas were $10.00 apiece. Great Beach day, water was beautiful. Last port was Dominica Republic, We stayed at the cruise port and the kids enjoyed the pools and water slides that were available at the pool. We originally booked a resort for the day but with all the issues with the drinks and deaths, we didn’t want to chance anything. Well, that’s about it and we did have a Good Time on our cruise. Read Less

We live in NY and chose this cruise as a nice family get away since it left from NY and we would not have to fly to get on the ship. Embarkation was a breeze. We got to port and walked right on to the ship. We ate at Lido deck any by the time we were done our rooms were ready. We had a Spa balcony on the 10th floor. The room was clean, ample space, great light. The temperature was perfect. Our room steward Constantine was terrific! The spa amenities were amazing! I will admit, I got really nervous prior to the cruise as I was reading all the reviews, but quite honestly, it really isn't that bad. I agree that they redesign of the ship made the Lido marketplace smaller and led to very long lines during peak times. The air conditioning can was hit or miss in different areas. However, there are lots of places to eat on lido or nearby, all quick with no lines. Also, if you altered when you went, even the buffet had short lines. Deck chair availability is the same as I have seen on every ship! You have to be there early to get a pool side seat. I typically came to Lido around 7:30 and never had a problem, even on sea days. The pools were small but not all that much smaller than other ships of this size. I was able to enjoy less crowded pool before lunch time. I never saw dirty dishes. The crew were quick to constantly clean and pick up dishes. Entertainment was great. We went to the shows in the Liquid Lounge most nights. We never had an issue getting a seat. We typically got there about 10-15 minutes before the show. You really can't show up at 7:29 for a 7:30 show an expect prime seating.. and that is on any ship! Chris (the Flying Scotsman), our cruise director was fabulous! This is our second time sailing with him (previously on the Vista) and he always makes it a fun time. We were wait listed for late dining and it did not go through so when we got on the ship, we were given any time dining. After a quick chat with the hostess on the first night, we were given a late dining table for the remainder of the cruise. Our wait staff were terrific, going above and beyond. One member of our party was not feeling well and our waiter took the food from Deck 3 aft to Deck 10 forward (all the way forward!!) for 2 nights so she would not have to wait until we finished our meal! The food was good.. same as on other Carnival ships we've been on. My husband asked for "more authentic" flavored Indian vegetarian and the chefs delivered! They even special prepared some dishes for him. We ate breakfast in the MDR on port days. Always quick and delicious! Other places we ate at were Guys & Blue Cantina, both really good! Service throughout the ship was terrific! Everywhere from Lido, to MDR, to liquid lounge, casino, bars, cabin crew, spa, fun squad... not a single complaint. Always smiling, always helpful. In addition to enjoying the thermal suite ( which was included with our balcony) we went for a few different services in the spa. The massages were amazing!! And all of the spa staff are lovely. We participated in a lot of the activities around the ship, from games to trivia to shows. There is plenty going on around the ship. You can choose to do as much or as little as you want. Ports: Grand Turk: We love this port. We took a quick cab ride to Pillory beach.. one of best beaches on the island San Juan: We've been before so I decided not to disembark and enjoyed having the ship to myself. Amber Cove: Went to the pool for a while but wasn't really crazy about this port. Overall - yes the ship is smaller and older and could have been designed better, but it was clean, great crew and we had a fun and relaxing vacation. Would I go on this shop again? Maybe not, but I would not rule it out if it fit my schedule. Read Less

I truly cannot believe some of the negative reviews. Maybe they had bad luck, or you cannot make them happy no matter what. If i see one more comment about long food lines. What the hell do you expect with 3000 passengers? Short lines? Be patient. You'll get your food. If the buffet was packed(which it was) then I literally walked up to to Guy's burger joint or the blue Iguana and never waited more than minute yes not a misprint . I waited less than a minute a number of times. I know the buffet has more choices. The staff was fantastic. Friendly. Helpful. By the third day at Red Frog Rum bar by the pool I didn't have to ask for my drink. They knew what I wanted. By the way this my first cruise on Carnival. My 5th cruise overall. I had so much. Thats why they call it the fun ships. Keep in mind you decide how much fun you want. Get involved. Enter games and contests. Play trivia. Go to the comedy club. We went four times with four different comedians. Whats great is its not redundant. Your not there for two or three hours. You watch a half hour set and then go do something else. And theres a lot to do. If you don't have fun on this ship your not breathing. It was a big party with strangers that became friends for a little part of their lives. It didn't matter what color, age, sex,religon or where you were from. It was a bunch of people with the same goal, just to have a good time and forget about life for a while (thank you Billy Joel) Too bad that wasn't everywhere. Chris the flying Scottsman made this trip so much better. The energy. The laughs. The guy is hilarious and a sweetheart to boot. Nice man. By the way. The main dining room was fantastic. Always a great meal. We celebrated my daughters sweet 16 at Farenheight steakhouse. I thought $38 extra was ridiculous but the meal and service was awesome. Pizzeria del Capitano was the only food that was open 24 hours besides room service which was dissappointing, but the prosciutto pizza was one of the best pizzas I ever had in my life, and I live in New York and went to Italy. The pool area was set up great. I love they had two bars. Red frog on one side and BluE Iguane on the other. There was plenty of room at both. They basically brought indoor bars outside. Just to sum this up. Each cruise I have been on brought something different to the table NCL Breakaway was great. But so was Sunrise.Just be positive. If you want to just relax, do not go Sunrise, actually don't bother cruising just chill out at a resort. By the way I shared a balcony with three teenage boys. My wife shared with two teenage girls. I never felt cramped. And plenty of room in the closets and drawers One last thing download the app. We never and me never waited for our table at the main dining just let them what time you would like to eat.the app also had all the things to do on the ship whether it was pool games, trivia piano bar bingo etc etc Read Less

If I could do two and a half stars, I would. We decided to do a cruise, which was not something we had ever done before. We decided on this ship because it was well priced, out of NYC (which is where we live), recently refurbished, and Carnival has a good reputation as being a family friendly cruise line with great kids amenities. The Good: The stewards and other staff were lovely. Very nice and friendly. The Bonsai Sushi Restaurant was very good and well priced. Lucky Bowl was a terrific lunch time option if you didn't mind eating soup for lunch when it was 90 degrees out. The lobster rolls were good at the seafood shack, but also had an additional up-charge. The fries were consistently excellent. Chris Williams (the cruise director) was a lot of fun. Puerto Rico was an excellent port and we had a terrific time there. The kids really enjoyed putting on their bathing suits and watching movies while in the pool on the Lido deck. The Average: I was in one of the Port Hole rooms and one of the beds is obviously a sofa that is converted into a bed. It was very hard. My husband slept in the other bed which was far too soft for me. In room entertainment is very limited. Our snorkel excursion at Grand Turk was fine. Trivia contents we mostly esoteric and not real competitive trivia. The Bad: Honestly, where to begin? There were lines for everything. The ship is very poorly laid out and very cramped. They said the anytime dining and the set time dining had the same menus, but they did not. My kids (7/9/10) HATED the kids club. After the first day they referred to it as "baby jail" and refused to go. The reason for this cruise was the great amenities for kids. While they liked the water slides and the ropes course, that was about it. For a ship that was recently refurbished, it was very run down. Sewage smells in the hallways, the sprinkler head in our cabin was held on with duct tape, doors did not close, things had already fallen off the walls and elevators consistently did not work. Restaurants: (in order of appreciation): Bonsai Sushi (mentioned above) -- up-charge Fahrenheit 555 -- up-charge. The Waygu beef was excellent, the lobster bisque excellent, and that was about it. It was as good as any third tier steakhouse. The service was OK. Seafood Shack -- up-charge Excellent lobster rolls and fries. The crab was meh. Avoid the oysters. Lucky Bowl -- Included VERY good, as long as you are okay with soup on a hot day. Cucina de Capitano -- Up-charge. Pretty consistent pasta place. Not sure why there needs to be more than a $5 up charge on this. Hit or miss at lunch (when it is free). Meat Lasagna was odd. Felt like it was made with brisket. The Pizza place (I can not remember the name) - Included. It's good. Sunrise Restaurant -- Included. VERY hit or miss. The service is slow. The waiters mostly didn't understand special requests and you would have to ask multiple times. The food went from absolutely awful (salmon my first night...sad shrimp cocktail) to delicious (my kids loved the pork chop. The chicken breast was very good). Avoid the fruit "soups". They taste like melted ice cream. Brunch here was surprisingly good, however, and I highly recommend the brunch spaghetti. It was delicious. Guys Burger Joint (burgers) -- Fine for burgers. Tastes like fast food, which is is. Blue Iguana (Mexican) - Not great. BBQ Place -- never tried. Deli - (hit or miss) Lido Marketplace - AWFUL. Badly laid out. No concept of line management. We did this as infrequently as possible, but it made all the other restaurants around it feel cramped and uninviting. The food was truly awful with the exception of the Indian buffet day for some reason.(I tried it that day as a joke and was pleasantly surprised). I will not do a carnival cruise again. avoid. Read Less