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Ship comparison

Carnival Sunrise vs MSC Splendida

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Carnival Sunrise is a large Carnival Cruise Line ship carrying 2,984 passengers, in service since 1999. MSC Splendida is a large MSC Cruises ship carrying 3,274 passengers, in service since 2009.

Choose Carnival Sunrise if you want more of a party, a more family-friendly ship or a lower starting fare: it outscores MSC Splendida for party (8.0 vs 5.0) and family friendly (8.0 vs 6.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and its cruises start from $226 (vs $299).

Choose MSC Splendida if you want a more romantic trip, more adventure and nature or a newer ship: it outscores Carnival Sunrise for romantic (5.0 vs 2.0) and adventure & nature (4.0 vs 2.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and its maiden voyage was in 2009 (vs 1999).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Carnival SunriseMSC Splendida
Cruise line Carnival Cruise Line MSC Cruises
Ship size Large Large
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 1999 2009 (better)
Gross tonnage 101,509 137,936
Passengers 2,984 3,274
Crew 1,108 1,332
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 2.7 2.5 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 34.0 42.1 (better)
Decks 14 18
Length 893 ft 1,094 ft
Beam 116 ft 125 ft
Speed 26 mph 24 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 8 / 10 8 / 10
Cruises on sale 12 100
Upcoming sailings 113 262
Cruise lengths 4–6 nights 3–34 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $226 (better) $299

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Carnival Sunrise leads on 3 of the ten, MSC Splendida on 6, with 1 level.

  • Active Carnival Sunrise: 4.0 MSC Splendida: 5.0
  • Adventure & nature Carnival Sunrise: 2.0 MSC Splendida: 4.0
  • Cultural Carnival Sunrise: 3.0 MSC Splendida: 4.0
  • Dining Carnival Sunrise: 5.5 MSC Splendida: 6.9
  • Entertainment Carnival Sunrise: 7.6 MSC Splendida: 7.4
  • Family friendly Carnival Sunrise: 8.0 MSC Splendida: 6.0
  • Party Carnival Sunrise: 8.0 MSC Splendida: 5.0
  • Romantic Carnival Sunrise: 2.0 MSC Splendida: 5.0
  • Spa & fitness Carnival Sunrise: 7.0 MSC Splendida: 8.0
  • Staterooms Carnival Sunrise: 6.0 MSC Splendida: 6.0

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Sunrise

The 2,984-passenger Carnival Sunrise is an action-packed vessel offering warm-weather getaways mostly to the Caribbean. The Carnival Cruise Line ship underwent a $155 million makeover a few years back and emerged as the second ship in its Sunshine class along with sister ships Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Victory.

Highlights

  • Four swimming pools — one with a sliding dome and one especially for the children
  • Shuffleboard, volleyball and ping pong at City Sports Park
  • Relaxation at Spa Carnival

Sailing now

12 cruises on sale, from $226.

MSC Cruises

MSC Splendida

MSC Splendida, the second in MSC Cruises' Fantasia class of cruise ships, sports cutting-edge technology combined with luxurious features that makes the ship forward-looking while it still draws from the past.

Highlights

  • Relaxing in the MSC Aurea Spa
  • Live entertainment at the 1,600-seat Strand Theatre
  • Worldy cuisines from L'Olivo Restaurant

Sailing now

100 cruises on sale, from $299.

Questions

Carnival Sunrise or MSC Splendida?

Which is bigger, Carnival Sunrise or MSC Splendida?

MSC Splendida is bigger at 137,936 gross tons, against 101,509 gross tons for Carnival Sunrise. Carnival Sunrise carries 2,984 passengers and MSC Splendida carries 3,274.

Which ship is newer, Carnival Sunrise or MSC Splendida?

MSC Splendida is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2009 against 1999 for Carnival Sunrise.

Which has more space per passenger?

MSC Splendida, with 42.1 gross tons per passenger against 34.0 on Carnival Sunrise. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

MSC Splendida, with one crew member for every 2.5 passengers against one for every 2.7 on Carnival Sunrise.

Which is better for families?

Carnival Sunrise scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 8.0 out of 10, against 6.0 for MSC Splendida.

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