Key Aspects:
- Carnival Sunshine has changed its itinerary to skip Bermuda and will visit the Bahamas instead, remaining well away from Hurricane Erin.
- Carnival Cruise Line continues to monitor the storm closely and will alert guests on other ships if itinerary adjustments are necessary.
- Vision of the Seas and Disney Treasure have likewise confirmed changes to remain away from the Category 4 storm.
Guests boarding Carnival Sunshine on Sunday, August 17, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia will not be taking the Bermuda cruise they expected.
Instead, the ship will be heading to the Bahamas to steer clear of Hurricane Erin, which has quickly strengthened to a Category 4 storm.
Carnival Cruise Line reached out to guests to alert them to the change. Now, the ship will visit both Celebration Key and Nassau instead.
“The team at our Fleet Operations Center in Miami is working with the captains on our ships to monitor Hurricane Erin,” the cruise line explained.
“Due to the storm’s forecasted path, Carnival Sunshine has canceled its Bermuda calls on August 20 and 21. The ship will instead visit Celebration Key on August 19 and Nassau on August 20 before returning to Norfolk as scheduled on August 23.”
Any pre-booked shore tours for Bermuda should be automatically cancelled and refunded. Tour options for Celebration Key and Nassau will be available through the Carnival Hub app as well as onboard at the Carnival Adventures Desk on Deck 3 (Lobby Deck), portside near the Sunshine Atrium.
Worth Reading: Another Two Carnival Cruise Ships Forced to Adjust Due to Hurricane Erin
To be clear, there is no change in the ship’s departure from Norfolk on Sunday nor her return at the end of the 6-night cruise.
Safety is always the top consideration and Carnival Cruise Line will continue monitoring Hurricane Erin for possible impacts to different ships in the coming days.
“Safety is our priority, and we will continue to track the storm, factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard and local port authorities to provide timely updates,” the cruise line emphasized.
“Guests on upcoming sailings are encouraged to opt in to text alerts during check-in and monitor their email for potential updates from Carnival.”
Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) is homeported from Norfolk year-round offering 6- and 8-night sailings to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Eastern Caribbean. The ship can welcome 3,000 passengers aboard and is also home to more than 1,100 crew members.
Hurricane Erin Update
Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified overnight on Friday and throughout Saturday. As of the 8 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, she is a major Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.
This is just shy of the 157 mph designation for a Category 5 hurricane.
Currently located 150 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the storm is moving west at 15 mph. She is expected to begin a northwest turn on Sunday, then steer even further north early next week.
“The center of Erin is expected to move just north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Sunday, and pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Sunday night and Monday,” the forecast discussion reads.
Hurricane-force winds are being felt as far as 30 miles from the storm’s eye, while tropical storm winds extend up to 185 miles.
This means that even far from the storm, the impact of strong winds and waves is likely to disrupt cruise ships and port operations.
Carnival Sunshine is now the third ship to confirm itinerary changes to stay well away from Hurricane Erin. Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas sailing from Baltimore adjusted her itinerary several days ago to avoid Bermuda.
Disney Treasure has also completely changed her itinerary this coming week from an Eastern Caribbean sailing to a Western Caribbean route to remain far from the storm.
Additional ships may have changes over the next few days and booked guests should stay alert for notifications from their cruise lines.
