Carnival Sunrise vs Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas

The Carnival Sunrise was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. The Sunrise was previously known as the Triumph from 1999-2019, but was renamed after it went through huge renovations. It's 5 years older than the Icon of the Seas, which was built in 2024. Icon of the Seas is the first in a whole new class of ships by Royal Caribbean that's designed to provide the "ultimate family vacation." It is currently the largest cruise ship in the world.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Sunrise is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 893 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas, the Sunrise is 60% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Sunrise holds 47% fewer passengers than the Icon of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Sunrise has less space per person compared to the Icon of the Seas.

The Icon of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	Carnival Sunrise	Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
Class	Sunshine	Icon
Gross Tonnage	101,509	250,800
Length	893	1,198
Beam/Width	125	216
Passenger Decks	13	18
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,984	5,610
Crew	1,108	2,350
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.7	2.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	34	45

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Sunrise has fifteen different dining options like Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Pizzeria del Capitano, and JavaBlue Cafe. Of those options, fourteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.

The Icon of the Seas has eight more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, Sorrento's Pizza, and Celebration Table. fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Icon of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 53% more dining options than the Sunrise.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Sunrise might be a better choice then the Icon of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Carnival Sunrise	Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
Total Dining Options	15	23
Complimentary Dining Options:	14	15
Additional Fee Dining Options:	6	14
% of Included Options	60%	39%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Sunrise has 15 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas. The Sunrise has 11 bars like Atrium Bar, Casino Bar and Java Blue Cafe. On Sunrise, you can grab a drink at 26 different bars such as 1400 Lobby Bar, Boleros and Lou's Jazz 'N Blues.

Carnival Sunrise

Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas

•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • New World Bar • Piano Bar 88 • RedFrog Pub • RedFrog Rum Bar

•1400 Lobby Bar • Basecamp Bar • Boleros • Bubbles • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • Desserted Milkshake Bar • Dueling Pianos • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Lou's Jazz 'N Blues • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rye & Bean • Schooner Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Swim & Tonic • The Attic • The Grove Bar • The Hideaway Bar • The Lemon Post • The Lime & Coconut • The Lime & Coconut: Frozen • The Overlook • Trellis Bar • Windjammer Bar

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Sunrise serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Icon of the Seas serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Sunrise and the Icon of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Sunrise has a total of 2 pools and 3 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas has more pools than the Sunrise and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Icon of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? one of the hot tubs are adults only on Sunrise.

	Carnival Sunrise	Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
Total Pools	2	7
Pools - General Access	2	5
Pools - Adults Only	0	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	1
Total Hot Tubs	3	9
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	7
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	1	1
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	1

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Sunrise. Only 71% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Icon of the Seas, 80% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Carnival Sunrise	Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Aquatheater	✗	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Carousel	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Escape Room	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Ice Skating	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✗	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✗
Ropes course	✓	✓
Shows - Broadway play	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
Spa	✗	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
Waterpark	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties which vary per ship.

Cruise Costs

Carnival and Royal Caribbean are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Sunrise will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.

	Carnival Sunrise	Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$16.00	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	18%
Soda Price	$3.00	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.75 See drink menus	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$83 - $88 Learn more	$77 - $118 Learn more
Internet Plan	$18.70 to $23.80 per device per day	$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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