Carnival Sunrise

The 1999-built/2013-reconstructed Carnival Sunrise cruise ship was built as "Carnival Triumph" and inaugurated on October 30, 1999. After a major refurbishment in 2013 (Fun Ship 2.0), the liner received a second emergency backup generator and top-notch fire detection technology. The Triumph was also re-decorated; with added new bars, lounges and entertainment options. As vessel class, Carnival Triumph is second of all three Destiny-class sisterships - together with Destiny-Sunshine and Victory-Radiance.

The vessel (IMO number 9138850) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 308045000) and registered in Nassau.

IMPORTANT: Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Carnival Sunrise was taken out of service in 2020-2021, and planned to restart cruises on March 3, 2022 (2-night itinerary out of PortMiami to Nassau Bahamas).

• A total of 92x Carnival Sunrise cruises scheduled for the period between November 5, 2020, and April 30, 2022, were canceled. The canceled program was based on homeporting in Fort Lauderdale (Nov 2020 - May 2021) and Miami (May 2021 - Apr 2022).
• The canceled Fort Lauderdale cruise schedule included roundtrips to Western Caribbean (5-day Ocho Rios Jamaica and Grand Cayman), Bahamas (4-day Half Moon Cay and Nassau), Eastern Caribbean (5-day Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau) plus a 6-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary visiting Amber Cove, Grand Turk Island and Half Moon Cay.
• The canceled Miami cruise schedule included roundtrips to Eastern Caribbean (8-day Half Moon Cay, St Thomas USVI, San Juan Puerto Rico, Amber Cove Dominican Rep), Eastern Caribbean (7-day Grand Turk, San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas USVI, Amber Cove), Eastern Caribbean (6-day Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove), Eastern Caribbean (5-day Grand Turk, Princess Cays, Nassau), Southern Caribbean (8-day Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao), Western Caribbean (7-day Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel).

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US shipping company, trademarked brand and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (shipowner). CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924-1999, co-founder of NCL Norwegian). 

CCL has the Corporation's largest fleet as number of vessels and GT-tonnage (ship sizes/volumes and passenger capacities). In 2023, CCL had ~9% (by revenue) and ~19% (passengers) share of the cruise industry's worldwide market. In 2024, the parent company (Carnival Corporation) had ~51% stake in the US$64+ billion industry.

The 3000-passenger ship Carnival Triumph's theme was ”Great Cities of the World”. In 2019 (March-April) the ship entered drydock for ~USD 200 million refurbishment, after which it was renamed "Carnival Sunrise". The refitted liner was transformed into Sunshine-Class vessel - having the same facilities and amenities as the sistership Carnival Sunshine (former Carnival Destiny, refitted in 2013 for USD 155 million).

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Sunrise staterooms (1492 total, in 32 categories) include 54 Suites, 522 Balcony, 326 Oceanview and 611 Inside cabins, most of which are sized 185 ft2 / 17 m2. CCL Sunrise ship also has 89 Cloud 9 Spa cabins and 46 wheelchair-accessible cabins. Most cabin balconies are sized 35 ft2 / 3 m2. The largest are the Captain’s Suites (500 ft2 / 46 m2 plus 150 ft2 / 14 m2 terrace) accommodating up to 5 passengers.

The boat has 13 passenger decks, of which 10 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Carnival Sunrise offers many of the Fun Ship 2.0 additions in terms of dining - Guy's Burger Joint, Cucina del Capitano, BlueIguana Cantina. The line made a few adjustments to the existing venues and also added the outstanding specialty restaurant, Chopsticks. There are two Main Dining Rooms onboard the Sunrise: Sunset, at the midship, and double-deck Sunrise located aft. The complimentary Punchliner Comedy Brunch, which is a sea day exclusive, features 5-minute teasers every hour on the hour from 9 am to 1:30 pm.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Sunrise restaurants and food bars.

• Sunset Restaurant (forward Main Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings, or “Your Time Dining”)
• Sunrise Restaurant (aft Main Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings; offers themed breakfasts - “Seuss At Sea”, for $5 cover charge; hosts Punchliner Comedy Brunch).
• Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (alternative, reservations only restaurant, serving prime steaks and seafood at a surcharge; also hosts “Chef’s Table” VIP dining, $75 PP surcharge)
• Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ (offers pork sandwiches, complimentary lunch barbecue)
• Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse (fast food bar)
• BlueIguana Cantina (Mexican complimentary restaurant; offers house-made tortillas, burritos, tacos)
• Lido Marketplace buffet restaurant (complimentary self-service restaurant with various food stations; operates as a bistro in the evenings)
• Seafood Shack (open for lunch and dinner casual restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating)
• Cucina del Capitano (Italian reservations-only restaurant; offers a la carte dinner at a surcharge and complimentary lunch)
• Pizzeria del Capitano (complimentary, 24-hour, self-serve Pizzeria)
• Chopsticks Asian Kitchen (serves Chinese food, Mongolian Wok)
• Bonsai Sushi Bar (complimentary) and Bonsai Express (poolside food bar)
• JavaBlue Cafe
• On the Sunrise ship, Carnival in November 2019 introduced the Guy's Burger Joint breakfast menu.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Carnival made a heavy investment in lights and sound for its shows on Carnival Breeze and has taken a step further on Sunrise. An ultra-HD graphics package is beamed onto a vast screen and the performers use it as a backdrop of their show. A number of themed shows take place in ship's Liquid Lounge, which doubles as the 800-seat main Theater. Because the room was initially designed as a theater with two stories, it's impossible to feature an intimate atmosphere.

The Sunrise ship offers a complete list of activities and entertainment for each age group and taste - from ballroom scene dancing, classical music concerts, tea time and art auctions to a hairy chest and knobby knees contests, bingo, and karaoke.

In comparison to Carnival Sunshine, Sunrise has smaller-sized WaterWorks located midship (aft on Sunshine).

Sunrise also lacks SkyCourse (rope course adjacent to WaterWorks).

Follows the complete list of Carnival Sunrise lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Sunrise Atrium (9-deck high midship open area served by Lobby Bar)
• FunHub (24-hour Internet computers room)
• Liquid Lounge and Theater (800-seat, 2-level main show lounge and multi-purpose venue)
• Limelight Lounge is home to the Punchliner Comedy Club with a line-up of comics that later transforms into a night club
• Ocean Plaza (entertainment area; features live music and trivia)
• The Library Bar; Piano 88 Bar; Skybox Sports Bar; Java Blue Cafe; The Taste Bar; Alchemy Bar
• RedFrog Pub (English pub with live music; offers international beers selection and the private label Thirstyfrog/RedFrog beer)
• RedFrog Rum Bar (serves Caribbean rums selection and ThirstyFrog Red drought beer)
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar (offers Mexican beer, margaritas, drink specialties)
• Pixels Photo Gallery and Shop; Dreams Photo Studio; Cherry On Top (candy shop, offers the Fun Shops catalog, “Bon Voyage” store menu, souvenirs, watches, jewelry, logo merchandise, duty-free liquor, fashion boutiques)
• Circle C (kids' complimentary club lounge with movies, video games, parties, planned activities)
• 24-hour Warehouse Video Games Arcade; Club O2 teens' lounge for movies, karaoke, parties
• Sunrise Casino (served by Sunshine Casino Bar)
• Seaside Theatre (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Serenity (fore-located) is an adults-only Sun Deck / sunbathing area with outdoor furniture (daybeds, hammocks, loungers, low tables) and waiter-service by Serenity Bar (drinks and refreshments - cocktails, beer/buckets, wine, frozens, smoothies, shakes, soda).
• Beach Pool area (with two Whirlpools); Carnival WaterWorks Aqua Park (with 2 slides; 1 Whirlpool, SplashZone for kids)
• Camp Carnival (kids' club lounge with a complimentary programme and play area)
• Cloud 9 Spa and Fitness complex (with Gym, Fitness Studio, Sauna, Steam Room, Thermal Suites, Beauty Salon, 15 Treatment Rooms; offers ZSpa teenagers program)
• SportSquare (Basketball/Volleyball Court, Jogging Track, Tennis Tables, 9-hole Mini Golf Course, Shuffleboard).

During drydock 2024 was added Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge. The CCL's new signature venue is via a partnership with Operation Homefront (2002-founded, USA-based nonprofit organization providing services and support to military families and veterans). The Heroes Tribute fetures comfortable seating (leather armchairs with low tables) and large TVs (for live sporting events).

Itineraries

With inaugural cruise departure on April 29, 2019, Carnival Sunrise operates on 7-day roundtrips from Norfolk VA. Follow 4-5-day itineraries leaving roundtrip from homeport Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas and Western-Eastern Caribbean.

In 2019-2020, the renamed Carnival Triumph-Sunrise ship started a new itinerary program of 4- to 14-day roundtrips from the USA homeports NYC New York, Fort Lauderdale Florida and Norfolk Virginia.

• From homeport NYC, were offered five 4-day Bermuda cruises (May 23, June 20, July 18, Aug 15, Sept 12), one 6-day Bermuda (Sept 16, 2019, overnight) and one 8-day Caribbean and Bermuda (June 24, with 2 overnights in Bermuda and visiting Grand Turk). The ship also has scheduled three 7-day Canada New England cruises (Sept 22, 29, Oct 6) plus two 8-day Caribbean (to Grand Turk, Puerto Rico and Amber Cove, departures July 2, 10, 30, Aug 7, 27, Sept 4), one 8-day roundtrip (to Puerto Rico, St Thomas USVI and Grand Turk (July 22, Aug 19), one 10-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary (June 10, to Puerto Rico, Tortola BVI, St Maarten, St Thomas USVI, Grand Turk), one 14-day "Carnival Journeys" (May 27, to Panama Canal / Colon, Grand Turk, Grand Cayman, Limon Costa Rica, Half Moon Cay Bahamas).
• From homeport Fort Lauderdale were offered 4- and 5-day roundtrips (April 2019) and between November 2019 - April 2020). The 4-day Bahamas itineraries (Thursday departures) visited Nassau and Half Moon Cay (or Princess Cays). The 5-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries (Saturday departures) visited Grand Turk, Nassau, Half Moon Cay/Princess Cays. The 5-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries (Monday departures) visited Ocho Rios Jamaica and Grand Cayman.
• In 2019, from homeport Norfolk VA, the ship operated 5- and 6-day Bahamas itineraries roundtrip from Half Moone Cruise Center. Two 5-day Bahamas itineraries (May 12, 17) visited Nassau and Freeport. The 6-day itineraries (May 6, Oct 14, 20) visited Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Freeport.
• Starting mid-December 2019 and in early-2020, the ship offered regular 5-day Bahamas and Cuba cruises from Fort Lauderdale to Half Moon Cay and Havana.

Carnival Triumph itinerary program was based on 4- and 5-day Western Caribbean short-breaks from Galveston TX to Mexico. Feature port destinations included Cozumel and Progreso Yucatan. Starting April 4, 2016, Triumph offered new itineraries from homeport NOLA New Orleans.

Triumph was Carnival's first-ever liner with mobile phone systems ("Cellular At Sea" by Wireless Maritime Services). This partnership (between AT&T and MTN Sat / Maritime Telecommunications Network) allowed passengers to use their cell phones at sea to call directly at any time.

The Fincantieri Monfalcone-built Carnival Triumph was christened by godmother Madeleine Arison - wife of Micky Arison (Carnival Corporation's Chairman). This is a Post-Panamax vessel (can't pass through Panama Canal), launched on July 1 and with its inaugural cruise/maiden voyage on October 30, 1999. Th

e interior design theme is "Great Cities of the World".

Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was done in 2013.

Fun fact is that this Carnival ship had a namesake - the 2017-launched "MOL Triumph". The vessel is among the world's largest boxships/container carriers (capacity 20170 TEUs) and is operated by MOL Shipping.

Sunrise ship's godmother is Kelly Arison - daughter of Micky Arison. The vessel's christening ceremony was on May 23, 2019, held at Manhattan Cruise Passenger Terminal in Port NYC New York. The naming ceremony featured a 4-ft (1,2-m) high champagne bottle sculpture (filled with confetti) which was custom-made by Romero Britto (1963-born Brazilian artist).

Sunrise ship's Captains are Bruno Palomba (during the drydock) and Isidoro Renda (after the launch). Captain Isidoro Renda (Italian, Naples graduate) is with Carnival since 2010 (starting as Second Officer) and Captain since 2016. Its previous service was with TIRRENIA Ferries and MSC Cruises. Ship's other officers include Mauro Fabbrini (Chief Engineer), Nicola Tonelli (Chief Engineer), and Caroline Bourke (Hotel Director).

Carnival Sunrise refurbishment 2024 review

The vessel's first drydocking (as Carnival Sunrise) was in 2022, conducted in February-March 2024, at Navantia Cadiz. The ship left Miami on Feb 1st and arrived in Cadiz on Feb 10th.

The 2-week drydocking project was for general maintenance works (technical overhaul, classification inspections, minor steel works), indoor renovation works, as well as hull cleaning/painting, including the addition of CCL's new hull livery (red-white-blue).

Refurbishment/renovations received all public areas (facilities and venues) as well as all passenger staterooms.

During the drydocking was also added CCL's new signature lounge the Heroes Tribute Bar.

Drydock 2024 (February 1-27) was at Navantia Shipyard (Cadiz). The project was for mainly for routine maintenance, safety inspections and classification works. Some public areas received minor updates.

Carnival Triumph-Sunrise ship conversion 2019 refurbishment review

Following the 38-day long drydock refit in 2019 (February 26 - April 28, at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz Spain), Carnival Triumph becomes "Carnival Sunrise".

The new liner has 12 new bar and dining options, plus fleetwide facilities, among which are company's signature RedFrog Pub (Caribbean rums and beers, Carnival ThirstyFrog Red Ale), Chef’s Table (multi-course VIP dining), SportsSquare (ropes course, basketball court, jogging track, 9-hole minigolf course), Carnival Waterworks park with waterslides (203 ft / 62 m and 212 ft / 65 m long), Serenity Retreat (adult-only lounge), Video Gaming Arcade, Fun Shops, comedy club, new theatre.

CCL Sunrise has 4 new suites - two Captain’s Suites (850 ft2 / 79 m2) and two Grand OceanView Suites (320 ft2 / 30 m2). All passenger staterooms were thoroughly updated. Captain’s Suites have max capacity 5 passengers and are located next to Navigation Bridge.

Next are compared "Triumph-Sunrise" ship's capacity changes as cabins and facilities:

• passengers - 2758-2984 (max capacity 3310-3730)
• crew/staff - 1040-1110
• Passengers space ratio - 31-27
• lounges/bars - 18-22
• swimming pools - 4-3
• cabin decks - 8-10
• staterooms - 1379-1492
• Captain Suite - 0-2
• Grand Suite - 8-10
• Ocean Suite - 40-41
• Junior Suite - 2-1
• Premium Balcony - 8-8
• Balconies - 464-494
• Scenic Oceanview - 0-6
• Oceanviews - 317-302
• Interior with Picture Window - 19-12
• Porthole - 6-6
• Inside cabins - 497-594
• Small Interior - 18-17

Carnival Triumph refurbishment 2013 review

The list of deckplan changes made during ship's 2013 drydock refurbishment included:

• new dining options (Lido Deck 9): Guy’s Burger, Bluelguana Cantina
• new bars: BlueIguana Tequila Bar (Deck 9), Alchemy Bar (Promenade Deck 5), EA SPORTS (Deck 5, replacing the Olympic Bar), RedFrog Rum Bar (Deck 5)
• Various technical enhancements were also implemented.

Carnival Triumph's last drydock was in 2016 (March 21 - April 6).

Follows the complete list of Carnival Triumph lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Triumph Atrium Capitol Lobby (9-deck high midship open area served by Capitol Lobby Bar)
• Internet Cafe (24-hour Internet computers room)
• Rome Theatre (1500-seat, 3-level main show lounge)
• Washington Library; Oxford Bar (153-seat cigar bar); Olympic Bar (55-seat sports bar); Vienna Cafe; Alchemy Bar; California Bar; The Big Easy Bar (100-seat piano bar); Venezia Lounge and Bar (jazz lounge) 
• RedFrog Rum Bar (serves Caribbean rums selection and ThirstyFrog Red drought beer)
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar (offers Mexican beer, margaritas, drink specialties)
• Club Rio Lounge (425-seat; hosts Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Photo Studio; The Fun Shops (“Bon Voyage” store menu, souvenirs, watches, jewelry, logo merchandise, duty-free liquor, fashion boutiques); Formalities Shop (tuxedo rentals; special occasion gifts)
• Circle C (kids' complimentary club lounge with movies, video games, parties, planned activities)
• 24-hour Underground Tokyo Video Games Arcade; Club O2 teens' lounge for movies, karaoke, parties
• Club Monaco Casino (184-seat, served by World’s Bar)
• Hollywood Disco and Nightclub (211-seat)
• Seaside Theatre (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Serenity (adults only relaxation area with Serenity Pool, Serenity Bar, Spa Whirlpool, cascading waterfall, loungers, and hammocks)
• Continent Pool area (with two Whirlpools, two Continent Bars, stage for live performances); New World Pool area (with two Whirlpools, New World Bar, pizza and grill; has SkyDome glass roof); Aqua Park (Universe Pool area which is connected to Twister Waterslide; with one Whirlpool, splash pools, fountains)
• Camp Carnival (kids' club lounge with a complimentary program and play area)
• Spa Carnival complex (with Gym, Fitness Studio, Saunas, Steam Rooms, Beauty Salon, Treatment Rooms)
• SportSquare (Basketball/Volleyball Court, Jogging Track, Tennis Tables, 9-hole Mini Golf Course, Shuffleboard).

Follows the complete list of Carnival Triumph restaurants and food bars.

• London Restaurant (forward Main Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings, or “Your Time Dining”; offers themed breakfasts - “Seuss At Sea”, for $5 cover charge)
• Paris Restaurant (1114-seat aft Main Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings; open seating Breakfast and Lunch)
• Guy’s Burger Joint (fast food bar)
• BlueIguana Cantina (Mexican complimentary restaurant; offers house-made tortillas, burritos, tacos)
• South Beach Club Lido Buffet Restaurant (1252-seat, 2-level complimentary self-service restaurant with various food stations; operates as a bistro in the evenings).
• Sushi Bar (complimentary).