CARNIVAL SUNRISE
April 4, 2026 | Miami, Florida
Early on the morning of April 4, 2026, the Carnival Sunrise (Carnival Cruise Line) was docked at PortMiami before departing later that day for a five-night cruise to the Bahamas. Originally entering service as Carnival Triumph in 1999, the ship was extensively rebuilt and renamed Carnival Sunrise in 2019.
Early on the morning of April 4, 2026, the Carnival Sunrise (Carnival Cruise Line) was docked at PortMiami before departing later that day for a five-night cruise to the Bahamas. Originally entering service as Carnival Triumph in 1999, the ship was extensively rebuilt and renamed Carnival Sunrise in 2019.
Built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, Carnival Sunrise has spent more than 25 years with Carnival Cruise Line. Her transformation from Carnival Triumph into Carnival Sunrise included a $200 million refurbishment that substantially changed her passenger spaces and added many of the dining, entertainment, and recreation features found aboard newer Carnival ships.
Information List
Name: Carnival Sunrise
Operator: Carnival Cruise Line
Former Name: Carnival Triumph
Year Entered Service: 1999
Shipyard: Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
Class: Sunshine Class
Length: 893 feet (272 meters)
Beam: 116 feet (35.5 meters)
Tonnage: 101,509 GT
Passenger Capacity: 2,984 double occupancy
Crew: 1,108
Country of Registry: Bahamas
Service Speed: Approximately 20 knots
Major Rebuild: 2019
Facilities Include: WaterWorks, SportSquare, Serenity Adult-Only Retreat, Cloud 9 Spa, Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que, Cucina del Capitano, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi, RedFrog Pub, Alchemy Bar, Piano Bar 88, Punchliner Comedy Club, casino, pools, theater, and youth facilities
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
The ship was constructed by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Italy for Carnival Cruise Line.
She was originally named Carnival Triumph and was delivered in 1999.
The ship was built as a sister to Carnival Victory and was closely related to the earlier Carnival Destiny.
At more than 100,000 gross tons, Carnival Triumph belonged to a generation of ships that represented a major increase in size for Carnival during the late 1990s.
Her design incorporated a long passenger superstructure, extensive balcony accommodations, large public spaces, and Carnival’s distinctive winged funnel.
The ship measured approximately 893 feet long with a beam of 116 feet.
Her diesel-electric propulsion system provided a service speed of approximately 20 knots.
Carnival Triumph began a career that would eventually take her to numerous Carnival homeports around the United States.
Carnival Triumph:
Carnival Triumph spent approximately 20 years operating under her original name.
During that period, she sailed Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, Canada and New England, and other itineraries.
She operated from several homeports during her career, including Miami, New York, New Orleans, Galveston, and other U.S. ports.
The ship became particularly familiar to passengers sailing from the Gulf Coast during portions of her career.
Like other Carnival ships of her generation, Carnival Triumph received periodic upgrades as new dining and entertainment concepts were introduced throughout the fleet.
By the late 2010s, Carnival developed plans for a much more extensive transformation that would go considerably beyond a conventional refurbishment.
The project followed the earlier conversion of Carnival Destiny into Carnival Sunshine and was intended to extend the useful life of Carnival Triumph while bringing her passenger experience closer to that of newer Carnival vessels.
2019 Transformation:
In March 2019, Carnival Triumph entered dry dock in Cádiz, Spain, for an extensive bow-to-stern transformation.
Carnival invested approximately $200 million in the project.
The work lasted approximately two months and affected nearly every major passenger area aboard the ship.
Existing staterooms were renovated and additional accommodations were incorporated into the vessel.
New restaurants, bars, lounges, recreation facilities, and entertainment spaces were added.
The project introduced many of Carnival’s contemporary branded venues to the ship.
Exterior areas were extensively modified with the addition of WaterWorks, SportSquare, and the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat.
Dining additions included Guy’s Burger Joint, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que, BlueIguana Cantina, Cucina del Capitano, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and other venues.
New and redesigned bars and lounges included RedFrog Pub, Piano Bar 88, and additional entertainment spaces.
The scale of the project led Carnival to give the vessel a new identity rather than simply returning her to service as Carnival Triumph.
Following completion of the work, the ship was renamed Carnival Sunrise and became part of Carnival’s Sunshine Class.
Entry Into Service as Carnival Sunrise:
Carnival Sunrise entered service under her new name on April 29, 2019.
Her first voyage following the transformation departed from Norfolk, Virginia.
The ship initially operated a series of cruises from Norfolk before repositioning to New York.
During her first summer as Carnival Sunrise, she operated voyages from New York to Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, and New England.
A naming ceremony was held in New York on May 23, 2019.
Kelly Arison, daughter of Carnival Corporation chairman Micky Arison, served as godmother for the transformed ship.
Later in 2019, Carnival Sunrise repositioned to Fort Lauderdale for Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.
The transformation gave the 1999-built vessel many of the venues and amenities associated with considerably newer Carnival ships.
Service:
Throughout her combined careers as Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunrise, the ship has operated from numerous American homeports.
Her deployments have included cruises to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico, Canada and New England, and the Panama Canal region.
Following her 2019 transformation, the ship initially operated from Norfolk, New York, and Fort Lauderdale.
Cruise operations were interrupted during the industrywide suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After returning to service, Carnival Sunrise resumed short Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.
Miami subsequently became an important homeport for the ship.
By 2026, Carnival Sunrise was operating a program of primarily four-, five-, and six-night cruises from PortMiami.
Destinations during these cruises include the Bahamas and Caribbean, with itineraries visiting ports such as Nassau, Half Moon Cay, Celebration Key, Grand Turk, Ocho Rios, and Grand Cayman.
On April 4, 2026, Carnival Sunrise was scheduled to depart Miami at 3:30 p.m. for a five-night Bahamas cruise.
The voyage included scheduled calls at Half Moon Cay, Nassau, and Celebration Key before returning to Miami on April 9.
As of September 2026, Carnival Sunrise continues to operate from Miami on short Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries.
Design and Features:
Carnival Sunrise retains the basic hull and overall proportions of the ship originally completed as Carnival Triumph in 1999.
Her approximately 101,500-gross-ton size places her between the smaller ships of Carnival’s earlier fleet and the much larger vessels introduced during the following decades.
The ship’s exterior remains recognizable as a product of Carnival’s late-1990s shipbuilding program.
Her long superstructure is topped by Carnival’s distinctive winged funnel.
The 2019 reconstruction substantially changed the arrangement of several upper-deck and interior passenger areas.
Additional accommodations increased the ship’s passenger capacity while new dining and entertainment spaces modernized the onboard experience.
Despite the extensive transformation, much of the original vessel remains beneath the redesigned interiors and upper-deck additions.
Dining and Entertainment:
Guy’s Burger Joint provides poolside burgers developed in partnership with chef Guy Fieri.
BlueIguana Cantina serves Mexican-inspired food near the main pool.
Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que provides barbecue dishes.
Cucina del Capitano offers Italian cuisine.
Fahrenheit 555 serves as the ship’s specialty steakhouse.
Bonsai Sushi provides another specialty dining option.
RedFrog Pub is one of several Carnival-branded bars and lounges added during the transformation.
Alchemy Bar specializes in cocktail service.
Piano Bar 88 provides live evening entertainment.
Punchliner Comedy Club hosts comedy performances.
Playlist Productions provides Carnival’s main stage musical entertainment.
The ship also contains a casino, shopping areas, youth facilities, and numerous additional bars and lounges.
Outdoor Features:
WaterWorks provides the ship’s primary water park and includes multiple waterslides.
SportSquare offers outdoor recreation and fitness activities.
The Serenity Adult-Only Retreat provides a quieter outdoor area reserved for adult passengers.
Multiple pools and whirlpools are distributed throughout the exterior decks.
The upper decks were among the areas most extensively changed during the 2019 transformation.
These additions allowed Carnival to bring many of the recreational features introduced aboard newer ships to the older vessel.
Sunshine Class:
Carnival groups Carnival Sunrise with Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Radiance as part of the Sunshine Class.
All three vessels began their careers under different names before receiving extensive transformations.
Carnival Sunshine originally entered service as Carnival Destiny in 1996.
Carnival Sunrise entered service as Carnival Triumph in 1999.
Carnival Radiance originally entered service as Carnival Victory in 2000.
Their large-scale rebuilding projects added modern Carnival venues, additional accommodations, and extensively redesigned passenger areas.
The Sunshine Class therefore represents an unusual group within the Carnival fleet because the ships were created through major conversions rather than constructed as a new class from the beginning.
Legacy:
Carnival Sunrise represents an important period in Carnival Cruise Line’s development, combining a late-1990s hull with passenger spaces and amenities introduced two decades later.
Her original career as Carnival Triumph lasted approximately 20 years and made her a familiar ship at numerous U.S. cruise ports.
The approximately $200 million transformation in 2019 was extensive enough for Carnival to retire the Carnival Triumph name and introduce the ship with a new identity.
Her rebuilding demonstrated Carnival’s strategy of extending the careers of existing vessels through major structural and interior modernization.
Together with Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Radiance, she forms a distinctive group of heavily transformed ships within the Carnival fleet.
More than 25 years after her original entry into service, Carnival Sunrise remains an active part of Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet.
