Hey everyone, In this post I’ll be sharing an overview of my most recent cruise. The cruise was in December of 2019, aboard the “Carnival Sunrise.” The Sunrise was a big ship compared to the first cruise ship I was aboard. “Carnival Paradise” was my first ship. This most recent cruise I was on is definitely my favorite of the two. I say it’s my favorite because a bigger ship means more fun things to do. Another big reason would be that this was my first time seeing the Bahamas. Right now, I can say that the Bahamas is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. This trip was about four months ago, but I still think about it almost daily!
The Sunrise sailed off from Fort Lauderdale for our five-day cruise to the Bahamas. I had my mom, sister, stepdad, and stepbrother as my cruising crew. They also took my sister and me on our first cruise back in 2018. We had three destinations in the Bahamas. Our ship would be stopping at Princess Cays, Nassau, and Freeport. All three ports were stunning, seeing it in person is better than photos. I know for sure I would love to go back to the Bahamas again someday.
First, I’ll go over the different things you can do on the ship for those who don’t know. I’ll start this off with food. There is always so much food on a cruise. Many of the food options are buffets. You can also find sit-in restaurants and cafeteria-style lines. Some of the food is even available 24 hours a day! Pizza, ice cream, and room service meals are available at any time! Both times that I have been cruising, I know I ate more than I should have, haha. A majority of the food on the boat is free! It’s hard to pass up all those snacks when you don’t have to pay for them! My favorite dining option on the cruise was anytime dining. Anytime dining is the best place to be for dinner every night! You get to go to dinner whenever you choose! There are no set schedules and rushing to get ready for dinner. On the sunrise, we had an amazing team of waiters! we requested our team every night for dinner. Our waiters were very friendly and they remembered us all by name. They are with us in the big group photo below. When you go to the anytime dining restaurant, you get a three-course meal every night. Each person gets to choose their appetizer, main dish, and dessert. Everyone in your family can eat different things on the same night and be happy with their choice! When it’s time to order dessert, a must-have is the Carnival melting chocolate cake! It’s like a melt in your mouth lava cake, yum. Another fun addition to anytime dining is formal dinner night. Every Carnival cruise will have a formal dinner night. For formal dinner night, everyone is to wear formal clothing in the dining room. It is really fun to get dressed up and have a nice, fancy dinner for a night! I’d say I made it pretty clear that are tons of eating options on the ship. Other than eating, you can do so many more things. You can go to comedy shows, go to trivia games, relax out on the deck, play in the arcade, and much more! The Sunrise even has some extra features that we did not have on the first ship. There is a movie screen above the pool, a foosball table, a fun obstacle course, and a few more fun additions! Also I love seeing the towel animals. They are a Carnival tradition!
Finally, I will move on to the ports. Our first stop was in Princess Cays. Princess Cays was for sure my favorite of the three ports. Princess Cays took my breath away; it was stunning! When we arrived, a shuttle boat took us over to the island. It took us directly to the beach. A huge plus was that the beach was free! Everything on the beach here was free because Carnival owns part of the island. We spent all of our time here on the beach. Staying on the beach here is very worth it! Overall, Princess Cays was my favorite because of its stunning beauty. I fell in love with the crystal blue water and soft sand. The pictures below are of the beautiful Princess Cays. If I could have stayed on this island I totally would have, haha!
The day after stopping in Princess Cays, we were in Nassau. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas. This island was unique and very beautiful, as well as Princess Cays. Port Nassau is full of cute gift shops, pretty beaches, and palm trees. I even found a “Hard Rock Cafe” there. I love collecting “Hard Rock Cafe” shirts, so it was an exciting find! One unique thing about Port Nassau is that you can see the Atlantis hotel on Paradise Island from the ship. You can also see a little lighthouse right at the tip of the island. Below are pictures of our time in Nassau!
After an adventurous day in Nassau, we had a fun day at sea before stopping in Freeport. Even though we don’t go to any ports on this day, I love having a day at sea! I love the sea days because that’s when you get a chance to explore everything on the ship. On this day, I was able to fit in so many fun activities! I went to play “Freinds” trivia. It was the first time I had gone to a trivia game; I had so much fun with it! I relaxed in the sun on the back deck. The back of the boat has always been my favorite place to sit. It is very relaxing to watch the water as we sail away. I enjoyed some time in the hot tub and the pool. I even watched a bean bag toss competition out on the deck! I enjoy the sea days just as much as the port days. The days at sea are a great chance to try out anything you want on the ship.
After our day at sea, it was time for Freeport. Freeport was the most unique of the three ports. This time, we didn’t have to shuttle out to the island. The ship stopped right next to the land on the port. Freeport looked like an industrial area, but there was a lot of fun shops and restaurants. Although it had an industrial look, it was still a beautiful port. I even bought two dresses from the mini shops. I will have to show them to you all on the blog soon! Shopping was the main attraction in Freeport. I could walk around all day looking at their shops! Our day in Freeport was a chillier one, but we still had a blast!
I enjoyed every moment of this cruise. I was so sad when it was over and time to go home! If you have never gone on a cruise, I highly recommend that you try one! I would have to say that cruising is my favorite vacation activity. Even after just two cruises, I am already hooked! I already have my next cruise booked for December 2020 on the Sensation. The next cruise in December is for my dad. It was my dad’s Christmas gift from my sister and me. It will be my dad’s first cruise. Maybe now he will be hooked to cruising too! I am so excited to take him and see how much fun he has. I know he will love it. If you have been on a cruise I would love to hear your stories! If you have any cruising questions, ask away! Thank you for reading, stay tuned for my next post!
I just wanted to send a message to everyone here at the end. Currently, cruises are being canceled due to the coronavirus. It is sad to know that so many people have had to cancel. I hope that this virus dies out soon and the cruise ships can sail again. I hope all of you are safe and staying home. Thanks for your support!
Love, Abby
Abby Style 