After fourteen years, Carnival Cruise Line will no longer sail out of Charleston, South Carolina. Other cruise lines will still utilize the southern port, but Carnival’s last cruise from the region will take place in a few weeks.
What began with Carnival Fantasy in 2010 will end with the one last Carnival cruise on Carnival Sunshine in the last month of the year.
There are eight more sailings in total for Sunshine out of the port, ranging from a 4-night cruise to a 10-night cruise to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
These are the last sailings for Carnival ships in Charleston:
- November 23: 5-day cruise to The Bahamas
- November 28: 4-day cruise to The Bahamas
- December 2: 10-day cruise to Eastern Caribbean
- December 12: 4-day cruise to The Bahamas
- December 16: 5-day cruise to The Bahamas
- December 21: 5-day cruise to The Bahamas
- December 26: 4-day cruise to The Bahamas
- December 30: 5-day cruise to The Bahamas
The December 30, 2024 sailing is a 5-night cruise that will mark the end of an era for the South Carolina cruise port. This cruise will return to Charleston on January 5, 2025.
Some residents of Charleston have been trying for years to get rid of Carnival and cruise ships in general. Traffic issues have plagued the city on embarkation days and environmental concerns were also at the forefront of discussions.
In 2022 it was announced that the cruise line’s contract with the port city would not be renewed.
Other efforts to move the cruise port just across the bay to Mount Pleasant were also shot down in recent town council meetings.
Other cruise lines in Charleston
While Carnival will no longer have a presence in Charleston, the port will still be used be a few other cruise lines as a port of call.
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas will be stopping at the port several times in 2025 and 2026.
Viking’s 30,150 gross ton expedition ships will also call on the port next year, and Oceania Vista is scheduled to visit Charleston in April of 2025 with its 1,200 passengers.
American Cruise Lines has cruises that start and end in Charleston on smaller 100-passenger vessels, but they dock on the other side of the marina. The cruise line will visit Charleston over 30 times in 2025 and 2026.
Its location on the southeast coast makes Charleston a convenient stop for ships sailing from the northern states to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
Azamara and Virgin Voyages will also stop at the port in October and Norwegian Jewel and Seven Seas Grandeur will be calling on the port in April of 2026.
Norwegian Jewel is scheduled to make several Charleston stops in 2026 during the peak season of April through September.
Carnival Sunshine’s Future
Where will Carnival Sunshine go after ceasing operations in Charleston?
On February 11, 2025, the ship will begin sailing out of Norfolk, Virginia. From Norfolk the vessel will offer 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-day sailings to The Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda.
Sunshine is currently scheduled to remain in its Norfolk homeport until April of 2027.
The vessel has been in service since 1996 when it was called Carnival Destiny. The renaming of the ship took place in 2013. The 102,853 gross ton ship has a passenger-capacity of 2,642 and is the oldest of three Sunshine-class vessels, the others being Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Radiance.
