Embarkation – one word to describe embarkation today – stressful. Port Everglades is currently under construction and everything is chaotic and manic. Just getting through the port gates took us over an hour. The traffic turning into the port was backed up for miles. Once we made it through the gate, we drove over to Terminal 4, dropped off our bags with the porters and then we had to leave that terminal to park in the neighboring terminal because of the construction. We parked in Terminal 2, which was also shared by Sky Princess and because the terminal was being shared, parking was extremely limited and every space was coveted. We did manage to find a space and we started walking back to Terminal 4. The walk was an easy 5 minute hike but when we got to the terminal, the Carnival port employees didn’t seem to know where to direct us. We purchased Faster to the Fun but we had no idea where to go or which line to get in. We eventually wandered around long enough to find a nice gentleman who helped direct us to the right place. Keep in mind, while we were wandering, 100 people were rushing by us trying to figure out the same thing we were and all of this was happening in a very small area because of the construction.
We finally made it into the terminal and checked in with a Carnival employee. This was the only easy process because 2 steps past the agent was the security processing line or I should say “security mob”. Everyone was processed quickly by the agents and then thrown into a huge pile of people that were not moving through the security scanning process. Looking around it seemed like the biggest hold up was the full size luggage pieces being pushed through the X-ray machines. This is our 48th cruise and we have never seen so many full size suitcases going through security. Most ports will stop the bags and make people go to the porters to check their bags but with all the chaos, the luggage made it through. At one point a family of 7 pushed their way past us and each of them had 2 bags a piece. That’s 14 bags if you are keeping count (and keep in mind more and more people are piling on top of us because we only moved 2 steps in front of the check in lines). My blood pressure was high. Sean’s blood pressure was even higher. It was the worst embarkation we have seen in a very, very long time BUT….
Boarding Sunrise – everything was much calmer once we got through security. Boarding had already started so we simply walked right up the gangway on to the ship. So easy compared to the nightmare we just went through.
Once on the ship, we went straight to our cabin since we had Faster to the Fun (I will have a separate write up about Faster to the Fun later).
Cabin – Spa Interior Cabin – Our cabin is fantastic. It ranks up there in our top 3 interior cabins. The first thing that is spectacular is the smell of our cabin. Not sure how they do it but the entire room smells like the spa and OMG, the spa smell is intoxicating. I just wanted to lay down in the bed and just breath it all in. The room layout seemed small at first but upon examining the space, it looked like everything had a place. Plenty of storage and the bathroom space is roomy. One drawback for us in the bathroom is the shower curtain but this is standard on Carnival ships (all brands) so not a shock for us. We are really happy with our cabin and definitely recommend the spa interior room if you are interested.
Lunch Time – Now that we are settled into the cabin, it was time for lunch. Now we know embarkation day lunch is always crazy, no matter what ship you are on. And the Sunrise did not disappoint. We ventured up to the buffet and found that the buffet area on Sunrise is extremely small. Due to the size and the fact that everyone goes to the buffet on embarkation day, well crowded is an understatement. It was like being at Disney on a holiday. Wowza.
Seeing the crowds, we quickly remembered Carnival ships typically have other options available for lunch. After checking the Carnival app, we saw that Guy’s Burgers & Fries was open. Perfect. We love the burgers and fries and the line typically moves pretty fast. So we grabbed our burgers and found a seat.
Muster Drill – our muster drill was in the main theater (yay, not outside in the heat). Load in was very easy and the actual drill was around 15 minutes. This was one of the fastest safety drills we have been part of. The coolest thing was how we exited the theater. Typically exiting after muster is a mob full of people heading for the doors. But on the Sunrise, the let us go in rows. It was so nice because there wasn’t any pushing or shoving. Awesome job to the Sunrise crew for this exit.
Sail Away – like I mentioned earlier, we have been on a lot of ships and the one thing we have seen is Carnival knows how to do a sail away party. The entertainment staff is amazing and you just can’t help but have a great time. I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. It is the best way to start your cruise vacation and we recommend everyone checking it out.
Dinner Time – Lido Marketplace Buffet – we ended up taking a short disco nap after sail away and slept through our main dining room seating time. No big deal for us. We simply showered and decided to head up to the buffet and grab something fast. Bad idea! Remember how I mentioned the buffet was small, well for dinner they cut that in half. Half of the buffet was unoccupied (and we were there an hour and a half before it closed so it’s not like they shut down because it was late). The offerings were miniscule. I saw a lady walk by with only 2 baked potatoes on her plate. Sean and I were shocked that there wasn’t really a lot of food to choose from. But, one thing you will find in the buffet is the entrance to Cucina del Capitano, the Italian restaurant on board. For us, it was like a beacon of hope in this buffet of nothing. So up the stairs we went.
Dinner Take 2 – Cucina del Capitano – we were seated without a reservation, which was so nice. The upcharge cost here is $15 per person, which is reasonable considering what you get (starter, appetizer, entree, dessert). For an appetizer Sean had the minestrone soup and he loved it. I had a caesar salad and it was ok. The dressing was very fishy and that isn’t my favorite (the waiter did warn me about the fishy-ness level). For entrees I had the chicken parmesan and Sean had spaghetti. Both entrees were fantastic but way too much food. For dessert we ordered an apple dish and a biscotti dish. Both were excellent but we couldn’t finish them because we were so full. Overall, we absolutely loved our dinner.
Alchemy Bar – Nightcap – we finished off the evening with a cocktail at the Alchemy Bar. If you have never been on a Carnival ship, the Alchemy Bar is a place where they make craft cocktails and they are super good. We had our nightcap, listened to the music from the neighboring Red Frog Pub and it was time for bed
Overall Thoughts From the Day – embarkation day is always stressful, no matter what ship you are on (unless you are staying in a suite level cabin). We have been through a lot of different terminals in our cruising travels and this was the worst yet. Actually, if we never have to leave out of Fort Lauderdale again, we would be very happy. I’m sure things will change once all the construction is finished but right now it’s bad.
We are really looking forward to our week on Carnival Sunrise. There are always little quirks you figure out on every cruise line but overall we had a great first day.
Super excited to see what tomorrow brings.
If you would like to see everything as it happens, check out our Instagram stories (instagram.com/seanandstef).
We also have to give the biggest thank you to our sponsor ‘Your Perfect Getaway by Brittany Watson’. If you are looking for a great travel agent, definitely reach out to Brittany and let her help you out. Land or sea, Brittany is a great resource for all your vacation needs.
Day 2 Coming Tomorrow…..
