Carnival sunrise. The worse ship ever

[livingthedream1]

8 minutes ago, luvsboozecruises said:

I was also on the 10 day trip. Worst cruise ever. NO..... Carnival did screw the ship up, YES, cutting the lido buffet area in half  and adding more cabins was really stupid, but crying over it will not work.... Alot of first timers on that cruise so you have to figure ways  around them like I did. When we all got onboard you could see the confusion of the passengers and the crew. Refub boat and new crew = HELP.. if you want to complain write to carnival and tell them.. instead tell others ways around that mess were on, breakfast as said, in cucina ,no one in it, also on sea days, eat in the dining room, lunch , don't have it at the same time as everyone else, 4,000 people on board when there should be 3200, makes Long lines,every where, as I said carnival screwed this one up and I will call them tomorrow and complain..  my wife and I had a great time and the great weather is always a plus. NEVER been on a bad cruise, have been on 50+ Cruise's and enjoy your time and make the best of it ,as you can.. have had, hurricane's and really bad seas and am lucky that we don't get sea sick, make the best of your next cruise and enjoy not being at work, because,  work sucks, not cruising...

 

Well said! 

[PhillyFan33579]

10 hours ago, PalmTree601 said:

And Sunshine has arguably the best Serenity area in the fleet. 

 

I would argue that point. I would agree that Sunshine has the nicest looking Serenity area, but the area itself is anything but serene. Due to its location right next to the Lido pool deck, it is usually loud on all 3 decks of the Serenity area. The third level is the quietest, but it often gets closed due to high winds (this is a problem on other ships too with a Serenity area located at the front of the ship).  In my book, Spirit class ships have by far the nicest Serenity areas. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by PhillyFan33579

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I would argue that point. I would agree that Sunshine has the nicest looking Serenity area, but the area itself is anything but serene. Due to its location right next to the Lido pool deck, it is usually loud on all 3 decks of the Serenity area. The third level is the quietest, but it often gets closed due to high winds (this is a problem on other ships too with a Serenity area located at the front of the ship).  In my book, Spirit class ships have by far the nicest Serenity areas. 

 

You took the words right out of my mouth and I agree completely. The best of the Serenity decks on the Sunshine is Deck 14 because it has the bar, hot tub, and is a little bit quieter. However, as mentioned above, that deck is often closed due to "high" winds. I have cruised twice on the Sunshine, with a total of five sea days, and deck 14 was closed all five of those days. The Spirit class Serenity is by far the best, and I will take the Fantasy Class Serenity over the Sunshine as well. I was glad when I learned that they weren't duplicating the Sunshine's Serenity on the Sunrise and Radiance.

 

As for the Issues on the Sunrise as mentioned above, we will form our own opinions when we sail B2B on her in September. If we had listened to the all the complaints about the Sunshine we would have never sailed on her. We wound up having two great cruises on her.

[Maraprince]

2 hours ago, luvsboozecruises said:

I was also on the 10 day trip. Worst cruise ever. NO..... Carnival did screw the ship up, YES, cutting the lido buffet area in half  and adding more cabins was really stupid, but crying over it will not work.... Alot of first timers on that cruise so you have to figure ways  around them like I did. When we all got onboard you could see the confusion of the passengers and the crew. Refub boat and new crew = HELP.. if you want to complain write to carnival and tell them.. instead tell others ways around that mess were on, breakfast as said, in cucina ,no one in it, also on sea days, eat in the dining room, lunch , don't have it at the same time as everyone else, 4,000 people on board when there should be 3200, makes Long lines,every where, as I said carnival screwed this one up and I will call them tomorrow and complain..  my wife and I had a great time and the great weather is always a plus. NEVER been on a bad cruise, have been on 50+ Cruise's and enjoy your time and make the best of it ,as you can.. have had, hurricane's and really bad seas and am lucky that we don't get sea sick, make the best of your next cruise and enjoy not being at work, because,  work sucks, not cruising...

 

As long as there is the option of eating in the MDR for breakfast and lunch on sea days, we will be doing so if we find the buffet over crowded.  Also, there is a Guy's on board that we tried on Sunshine and liked as an alternative on one day along with Cucina.

 

To avoid going through the Casino we used to go up or down and walk through a passenger deck.

 

If you know where the problems (crowds) are, you can plan ahead to avoid them.

 

MARAPRINCE

[sanmarcosman]

1 hour ago, Maraprince said:

As long as there is the option of eating in the MDR for breakfast and lunch on sea days

To clarify for new members or those new to Carnival on sea days brunch is served in the MDR. The menu includes a mix of breakfast and lunch items typical of most brunch menus. The exception is Journey Cruises when a traditional lunch menu is often substituted for the brunch menu. The serving of lunch on Journey cruises is part of the " relive the old days " of Carnival cruising Journeys theme.

Edited June 23, 2019 by sanmarcosman

[ChrisNCruiser]

I've been on 34 cruises (all Carnival) and was on the second sailing of the Sunrise, and we loved it. We wondered if the staff would be inexperienced  / not able to handle the larger crowds but they were great. Never had to wait 45 minutes for the Liquid Lounge shows (saw three); walked in 15 minutes before show time and always got seats with a great unblocked view in the 'nosebleeds' (which aren't far away considering the smaller size of the theater). We actually PREFER the smaller theater, as it makes the shows feel a little more intimate. Yes, some buffet lines could get long but there were also non-line, fast-line, or minimal-line alternatives The omlette area in Cucina Del Capitano was ALWAYS empty; a new Asian Bowl station was lightning fast; the Guy's Pig and Anchor thing rarely had a line. We had an ocean view cabin but could usually locate a couple of chairs in the back pool area. The decor was great - less tacky (said with affection) than on older Carnival ships. 

 

Check out some pics I took  - hopefully, you'll agree that many pictures reflect a shiny, polished ship that isn't overstuffed to the brim with too many people. You can ALWAYS find someplace quiet if that's what you're looking for. Here are the pics.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by newpherchris
spelling

[antmaril]

1 hour ago, newpherchris said:

I've been on 34 cruises (all Carnival) and was on the second sailing of the Sunrise, and we loved it. We wondered if the staff would be inexperienced  / not able to handle the larger crowds but they were great. Never had to wait 45 minutes for the Liquid Lounge shows (saw three); walked in 15 minutes before show time and always got seats with a great unblocked view in the 'nosebleeds' (which aren't far away considering the smaller size of the theater). We actually PREFER the smaller theater, as it makes the shows feel a little more intimate. Yes, some buffet lines could get long but there were also non-line, fast-line, or minimal-line alternatives The omlette area in Cucina Del Capitano was ALWAYS empty; a new Asian Bowl station was lightning fast; the Guy's Pig and Anchor thing rarely had a line. We had an ocean view cabin but could usually locate a couple of chairs in the back pool area. The decor was great - less tacky (said with affection) than on older Carnival ships. 

 

Check out some pics I took  - hopefully, you'll agree that many pictures reflect a shiny, polished ship that isn't overstuffed to the brim with too many people. You can ALWAYS find someplace quiet if that's what you're looking for. Here are the pics.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Your post is making me feel a lot better about our cruise on the Sunrise in September.  Thank you!  

[N7786W Flyer]

1 hour ago, newpherchris said:

I've been on 34 cruises (all Carnival) and was on the second sailing of the Sunrise, and we loved it. We wondered if the staff would be inexperienced  / not able to handle the larger crowds but they were great. Never had to wait 45 minutes for the Liquid Lounge shows (saw three); walked in 15 minutes before show time and always got seats with a great unblocked view in the 'nosebleeds' (which aren't far away considering the smaller size of the theater). We actually PREFER the smaller theater, as it makes the shows feel a little more intimate. Yes, some buffet lines could get long but there were also non-line, fast-line, or minimal-line alternatives The omlette area in Cucina Del Capitano was ALWAYS empty; a new Asian Bowl station was lightning fast; the Guy's Pig and Anchor thing rarely had a line. We had an ocean view cabin but could usually locate a couple of chairs in the back pool area. The decor was great - less tacky (said with affection) than on older Carnival ships. 

 

Check out some pics I took  - hopefully, you'll agree that many pictures reflect a shiny, polished ship that isn't overstuffed to the brim with too many people. You can ALWAYS find someplace quiet if that's what you're looking for. Here are the pics.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

Awesome pictures.  Thanks for sharing.

 

Garnett

[Organized Chaos]

I know filling cabins is their bread & butter, but it's disappointing to see them continually squeeze in more & more cabins, especially on these remodeled ships that weren't originally designed for it. Granted, there are new things to do on newer, bigger ships, but many of the most popular public areas stay the same size, or even get shrunk down, to make room for more cabins. That means more passengers, which risks more crowding.

 

6 hours ago, April42749 said:

People like to complain.  You don't see my husband posting here...about how good our cruise was.  And he dislikes cruising.

 

One of the reasons people come to CC is to learn more about ships they're considering cruising on. If no one complained about their experiences, there'd be nothing but sugar-coated comments and reviews. People would go into it without knowing any possible negative points. Posting/reading negative experiences (i.e. complaints) can be just as valuable as the positive ones. I'm sure a lot of people would agree with that. I, for one, appreciate it when people are willing to admit the bad along with the good.

[beshears]

The Sunrise and the Sensation are two ships that we are planning on checking into more for our cruise next year.  I appreciate your review on this ship, and I know it was YOUR opinion as well.  When you talked about the crowding, that was why I was trying to avoid the much larger ship Horizon next year.  I'm glad you mentioned the "smoking" casino of having to walk through it.  That is a no, no for me, so that would be something I would have to think about as well. 🙂

[hotsauce126]

20 hours ago, Lee Cruiser said:

I have been saying this all along.  It is the same thing they did with the Sunshine, which is our least favorite ship. On the Sunshine, you had to line up very early to get a seat in the shows.  They were packed most of the time. Many of the "updates" were to create more revenue like more cabins and Cucina Del Capitano, which is a fee based restaurant in the evenings.  The Victory is about to go through the same transition as it becomes the Radiance.

Interesting, I spent 9 days on the sunshine and never felt nearly as crowded as I did the entire time on the breeze. 

 

I also really like how they clear the comedy club on the sunshine out after every show. It let's more people get a chance to see a show without the same people posting up in there the entire night

Edited June 23, 2019 by hotsauce126

[hotsauce126]

6 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I would argue that point. I would agree that Sunshine has the nicest looking Serenity area, but the area itself is anything but serene. Due to its location right next to the Lido pool deck, it is usually loud on all 3 decks of the Serenity area. The third level is the quietest, but it often gets closed due to high winds (this is a problem on other ships too with a Serenity area located at the front of the ship).  In my book, Spirit class ships have by far the nicest Serenity areas. 

 

That's part of what I love about it. You get good chairs and no kids but still get to be involved in lido activities. I know some people want quiet but a mass market cruise line isn't the best place for that

[April42749]

As to crowding....we were on the Lido, in a balcony cabin, the 2 of us.  The cabin across, an interior, had 5 people (not a family with kids).  The steward gave us a tour....no standing room at all.  And he said he had a few "like that".  I think that there should be occupancy limits based on size of cabin.

[RRLLAL]

This was our 16th carnival cruise and were on the 14 day Panama Canal cruise. Loved it. Loved the ship and loved the crew. There were a couple things we wish were different, but overall we had no complaints and neither did anyone we met and hung with on the ship. 

[Organized Chaos]

4 hours ago, April42749 said:

As to crowding....we were on the Lido, in a balcony cabin, the 2 of us.  The cabin across, an interior, had 5 people (not a family with kids).  The steward gave us a tour....no standing room at all.  And he said he had a few "like that".  I think that there should be occupancy limits based on size of cabin.

 

There is an occupancy limit for that cabin...it's 5 people. I'll agree that that's going to be a very crowded cabin, but if others want to squeeze 5 people into an interior cabin, I don't understand how that affects anyone else.

 

[Organized Chaos]

5 hours ago, beshears said:

The Sunrise and the Sensation are two ships that we are planning on checking into more for our cruise next year.  I appreciate your review on this ship, and I know it was YOUR opinion as well.  When you talked about the crowding, that was why I was trying to avoid the much larger ship Horizon next year.  I'm glad you mentioned the "smoking" casino of having to walk through it.  That is a no, no for me, so that would be something I would have to think about as well. 🙂

 

Ever since the Vista set sail, I've been curious about what it'd be like on a ship that big, but I wasn't ready to try it just yet. We haven't been on a Dream class ship yet, so I thought we'd work our way up to Vista if we liked Dream class. But my wife and a few members of her family planned our cruise next year, so it was on them. Well, they picked the Horizon. They decided on that ship mostly out of the need to coordinate all of our schedules and the different ports that we've all been to, so that's just where they ended up. I wasn't too thrilled because a giant ship means bigger crowds. But a couple months ago, I read a thread that made me feel better about it. The OP of this thread was live-posting back in April while on the Horizon. Crowds, or lack there of, were a big part of the discussion. So if it's a ship you're considering, I think this thread is worth reading. It did a lot to ease my apprehensions about the ship. Now I'm excited to see what she's like and regardless, I'll make the best of it. Here's the thread if you want to have a look: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2652747-currently-on-the-horizon/

 

In regards to casino smoke, the last two ships we were on were Conquest class. You didn't technically have to walk THROUGH the casino, but the main walkway through the Promenade deck (deck 5) runs right alongside the casino. You're only a few feet away from the nearest slot machines. It definitely smelled, but wasn't overpowering. I hate cigarette smoke, but walking by there on a regular basis wasn't bad. So is the Sunrise similar in that you walk passed the casino, or do you actually have to walk THROUGH it?

 

By the way, we were in your neck of the woods a week ago. Took a road trip to KC for the Monster Jam event at Arrowhead. 🙂

Edited June 24, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[shof515]

16 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

In regards to casino smoke, the last two ships we were on were Conquest class. You didn't technically have to walk THROUGH the casino, but the main walkway through the Promenade deck (deck 5) runs right alongside the casino. You're only a few feet away from the nearest slot machines. It definitely smelled, but wasn't overpowering. I hate cigarette smoke, but walking by there on a regular basis wasn't bad. So is the Sunrise similar in that you walk passed the casino, or do you actually have to walk THROUGH it?

 

The original layout from the Triumph had that walkway, similar to the Conquest class ships based on the videos i saw on youtube. The new Sunrise, that walkway is now removed and the warehouse arcade is now in that location. the new walkway is in the middle of the casino so now you have to through the casino

 

here is a video of the original deck 5 layout of the triumph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLUC6oniufU . a lot has changed during the sunrise makeover with the layout and decor

Edited June 24, 2019 by shof515

[Organized Chaos]

9 minutes ago, shof515 said:

 

The original layout from the Triumph had that walkway, similar to the Conquest class ships based on the videos i saw on youtube. The new Sunrise, that walkway is now removed and the warehouse arcade is now in that location. the new walkway is in the middle of the casino so now you have to through the casino

 

here is a video of the orginal deck 5 layout of the triumph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLUC6oniufU . a lot has changed during the sunrise makeover

 

Thanks for the video. Yeah, the Triumph walkway was pretty much exactly like Conquest class. I found a video with a walk-through of the new Sunrise setup, so I see what you mean. It does curve back towards the starboard side, but yeah, you have to walk right through it at first. Not ideal for people who don't like the smoke, but I'm sure if we ever found ourselves on it, I'd deal with it. I used to work on a riverboat casino when I was younger. Not a great job for someone who doesn't like smoke, but after a couple hours into my shift, I pretty much went "nose blind" (to reference those Febreeze commercials). A good ventilation and filtration system is vital for places like that, but even then it doesn't matter much. That riverboat had filters everywhere. They used to change them every week. They'd go in pure white and come out black as coal.

 

From what little I've seen of the Sunrise after watching these last couple videos, I definitely would not rule it out. We take the good & bad experiences posted by people and decide for ourselves.

[jimbo5544]

18 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I would argue that point. I would agree that Sunshine has the nicest looking Serenity area, but the area itself is anything but serene. Due to its location right next to the Lido pool deck, it is usually loud on all 3 decks of the Serenity area. The third level is the quietest, but it often gets closed due to high winds (this is a problem on other ships too with a Serenity area located at the front of the ship).  In my book, Spirit class ships have by far the nicest Serenity areas. 

I find this hard to believe but we agree....at least on the last point.

[jimbo5544]

18 hours ago, evandbob said:

Carnival's buffet lines seem to be the longest of any of the mass cruise lines.  I usually look for alternatives at meal "rush hours" .

 

By creating more cabins and removing public spaces, Carnival exacerbates this issue. 

 

Like Jimbob70 above, we prefer the Dream class or NCL's newer ships, or Celebrity.  Bargain pricing that I can sometimes get on Carnival is the tradeoff for the overcrowding.  We won't book the Sunshine or Sunrise or any other re-purposed Carnival ship that has a higher crowd issue after remodeling.

I do not think I have seen a comparison of any cruise lines buffet lines before, an. Interesting point but subjective for sure.  Like you, we almost always look for lunch alternatives, either time or different places to eat.  Lunch is our lightest meal as well.  In regards to what you book, which is of course your choice, then you will NEVER book a remodeled Carnival ship, new hips BTW will have more cabins also.......so......

Edited June 24, 2019 by jimbo5544

[thesmiths]

We're going on the Sunrise in September,  8 day Eastern.

It will be a great cruise. Because it will be our next cruise.

 

We can't wait.

 

 

 

 

 

[thesmiths]

15 hours ago, newpherchris said:

 

Check out some pics I took  - hopefully, you'll agree that many pictures reflect a shiny, polished ship that isn't overstuffed to the brim with too many people. You can ALWAYS find someplace quiet if that's what you're looking for. Here are the pics.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Great pics.

Something tells me you like cake 🙂

 

 

[Micahs Grandad]

Carnival did a great job designing Dream class lots of open space and large show and comedy lounges.

 

From what I have read they went downhill on Vista and Sunshine class.

[carol louise]

9 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

There is an occupancy limit for that cabin...it's 5 people. I'll agree that that's going to be a very crowded cabin, but if others want to squeeze 5 people into an interior cabin, I don't understand how that affects anyone else.

 

It may not appear to affect you directly as an individual, but the cumulative effect of filling many cabins to capacity means more people on lines waiting for whatever, more seats taken wherever, more crowding for disembarkation at ports, etc.

 

I was on this cruise (am the sister and travel companion of Joanne G. who posted a separate review of this cruise), and while we had a good time overall, felt we had to do more strategizing what time to do something or be somewhere to avoid the worst of the crowds, than we have had to do on cruises in the past.

[April42749]

26 minutes ago, carol louise said:

It may not appear to affect you directly as an individual, but the cumulative effect of filling many cabins to capacity means more people on lines waiting for whatever, more seats taken wherever, more crowding for disembarkation at ports, etc.

 

I was on this cruise (am the sister and travel companion of Joanne G. who posted a separate review of this cruise), and while we had a good time overall, felt we had to do more strategizing what time to do something or be somewhere to avoid the worst of the crowds, than we have had to do on cruises in the past.

Agree....that's exactly what I meant about "5 people in a cabin".  It wouldn't be me in there....but for the area they paid for....they took up 2.5 times the space in the theatre, the buffet etc than my husband and me.

 

And yes, although we did work around the crowded buffet...as a "buffet person"...this was the first time (after about 25 cruises) I had to "work around the crowd" to eat.  The only time I as able to "do the entire buffet line" was at dinner.

 

I've said this before...except for the buffet I didn't feel crowded on the Sunrise.  However, DH and I didn't rush to get off the ship in ports and in all seriousness, I live in Manhattan, NYC.  I'm used to crowds...in the subways, elevators, lines for the bathrooms in theatres etc.  That's "my norm"  and it greatly affects my perspective as compared to someone from "not NYC".