Overall, to introduce new people to cruising in an environment where fun is the theme at a reasonable cost Carnival is a strong choice. The food is a step up from the buffet however it is the combination of a great staff and the song/dance celebration that elevate the dining room fun factor. The dining room experience is a lot of fun on the Sunrise as the maitre d’ was quite the singer to lead off the nightly waitstaff dance numbers. The buffet add on’s (Pizza, Sandwiches, Guy’s Burgers) all got positive reviews among our family. The buffet got mixed reviews among our group. However, within Carnival’s market, food on the Sunrise was generally good/average. If food is one’s main focus then there are other cruise lines (at other price points) who make food quality a larger priority (Celebrity). The crew was fantastic! Everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and genuinely warm. Cabins are functional and ours were all nicely laced out. One observation is that the Sunrise isn’t the easiest ship to get around as moving front to back and across levels did require planning and strategic use of multiple elevators/stairways. Now for the basics: the ship was clean as were all of our cabins. The Triumph was also re-decorated with added new bars, lounges.

After a major refurbishment in 2013 (Fun Ship 2.0), the liner received a second emergency backup generator and top-notch fire detection technology. Being on board for Halloween was an added bonus as the passengers and the crew really participated. The 1999-built/2013-reconstructed Carnival Sunrise cruise ship was built as 'Carnival Triumph' and inaugurated on October 30, 1999. Carnival does a tremendous job of offering activities for every interest and age group. The 4 day, Bahamas length was a perfect introduction to cruising for our two daughter-in-laws and two grandchildren (under 10). We decided to take our family (eight of us) on a multigenerational cruise. My wife and I have cruised with Carnival before and we were offered a deal that we couldn’t refuse.

Carnival sunrise room map