Carnival Sunshine to sail year-round cruises from Charleston starting in May 2019.
Carnival Cruise Line has announced that Carnival Sunshine will be based from Charleston and offer a year-round service starting in May 2018. The ship will replace Carnival Ecstasy which is currently based on Charleston, it will reposition to Jacksonville, Florida in May 2019 and sail 4-day and 5-day cruises. Carnival Elation which is currently based in Jacksonville will then move to Port Canaveral in the same month.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said:
“With its convenient location and strong tourism appeal, Charleston is one of our most popular homeports and we’re delighted to build upon this success with the deployment of Carnival Sunshine.”
“Carnival Sunshine not only provides guests sailing from Charleston with a newer, larger ship with so much to see and do but also underscores our commitment to our year-round operations from this port.”
Carnival Sunshine which is formerly known as Carnival Destiny will offer short 4-day and 5-day cruises and will increase capacity from Charleston as it is a larger Carnival ship carrying over 3,000 passengers. 220,000 passengers are expected to sail on Carnival Sunshine from Charleston annually. The first sailing will begin on May 18, 2019, with the 4-day voyage calling in Nassau, Bahamas and the 5-day voyage calling in Nassau and the cruise lines private island of Half Moon Cay.
Added Jim Newsome, South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) president and CEO:
“The decision by Carnival Cruise Line to homeport the Carnival Sunshine in Charleston is an important affirmation of their success and commitment to operations in Charleston. SCPA’s cruise business is an important part of our maritime commerce mission and diversification of business segments. The Port succeeds through having world-class brands, such as Carnival Cruise Line, as its direct customers and looks forward to continuing this productive relationship.”
Carnival Sunshine will also sail a one time “Carnival Journeys” voyage which is a longer cruise lasting for 11-days. The round trip from Charleston will depart on December 3, 2019, and will include calls in St. Thomas, Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. The special Carnival journeys cruise will also feature unique experiences and cultural tours at the ports.
Carnival Sunshine is currently offering Eastern Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida. Carnival Cruise Line has also announced a shuffling of deployments which Cruise Hive readers can read about here.
