I chose Carnival Sunrise because it left from Norfolk and was an easy departure point as I was taking my entire family on the cruise. It was the first cruise for many of them; so their first cruise experience. I have sailed Carnival before and have enjoyed the experience. I can not say the same for this trip.

I had high expectations since I had heard so much hype about the renovations and upgrades. I was disappointed and wondered where the money was spent. There was a lot of rust in places, loose carpet, and general maintenance issues. There were long lines in the Lido marketplace at all the meals. The flow wasn’t very good. The Lido deck did have the water slide which my kids enjoyed. There was also putt-putt golf, basketball, fossball, and a pool table. My family enjoyed the pool and the rope course. My kids did enjoy their trip and the travel and the visits to Nassau and Freeport.

I was disappointed in the quality of the food (very bland). The chefs seemed to want to be innovative, trying to mix flavors and textures. But the food didn’t have a lot of flavor. I heard that Guy’s BBQ was good, but I didn’t enjoy it. The Guy’s Burger Joint was awesome as usual. And ice cream was always available. The wait staff at our table in the dining room was good, not great. They seemed new and not quite sure of their role. Our waiter, Idewa, was very pleasant and good with the kids. There was no anticipation of guest needs or desires as I have experienced in the past. Service was also slow. And the “shows” in the dining room were not on par with what I have enjoyed on past cruises. I was also disappointed with the dining experience as this was a family trip. My two sisters and I had booked the cruise together and requested family to be seated together for the early dining. Unfortunately, my sister and her daughter and granddaughter were placed on the lower level and the rest were on the upper level. When she bought this to the attention of the maître d’, she was treated rudely and told that it was too late to make a change. Read more