Florida is a major cruise hub, with popular embarkation ports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Cruises also depart from other ports along the East Coast, from Baltimore to New York and Boston; however, one port is ceasing operations at the end of the year.
Charleston, South Carolina, is a popular tourist destination known for its antebellum architecture, charming historic district, rich history, and renowned culinary scene. It's also home to a port used by Carnival Cruise Line.
However, Carnival Sunshine, the line's oldest ship at sea, will be repositioned following its December 30, 2024, sailing, as Charleston didn't renew its agreement with Carnival. In other words, cruisers can no longer take advantage of Charleston as a pre- or post-cruise destination.
Read more: 7 big changes coming to Carnival in 2024
The change isn't breaking news, though. SC ports announced in mid-2022 that they wouldn't renew the contract with Carnival. With cruise ships no longer utilizing Union Pier Terminal as an embarkation port, the city hopes to shift its focus to other areas of tourism and economic development.
Charleston's Union Pier Terminal has also struggled with congestion in recent years. Located in the heart of downtown, embarkation day meant heavier traffic and crowds. Though Carnival tried to develop a new terminal in Mount Pleasant roughly 5 miles from downtown Charleston, the town's leaders have opposed the plan thus far, as reported by WCBD News 2. For example, Mayor Will Haynie is opposed, claiming that Patriots Point doesn't have any land left to accommodate a cruise ship.
"Cruise ships are not right for Mount Pleasant. I’ve heard resoundingly from our residents and citizens that this is not something they want for our town," said Council member Jake Rambo. Some leaders also mentioned a state law prohibiting cargo and passenger-related vessels from using Patriots Point.
While ships won't be allowed to embark in Charleston, cruises may still include the city as a port of call on their itineraries. For example, Vision of the Seas will call at Charleston on Jan. 18, 2025, as part of its 8-night Southeast Coast and Bahamas cruise. Celebrity Silhouette is also expected to visit Charleston in May 2025, with Virgin Voyages following suit in Oct. 2025. And Norwegian Jewel will begin calling at Charleston in April 2026, visiting nine times alone in June and July!
That said, the city imposed restrictions on visiting ships to prevent the area from getting too crowded. First, there can be no more than 104 cruise ship visits per year, which breaks down to about one every three days.
Moreover, ships with passenger capacities of more than 3,500 guests cannot dock at the terminal, so if you're hoping to visit South Carolina on a mega-ship like Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, you'll have to think again.
Carnival Sunshine's future
Carnival Sunshine won't be moving too far from the Carolinas. Effective February 11, 2025, the 29-year-old ship will relocate to Norfolk, Virginia, offering 6- and 8-night cruises to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean through May 2026. Starting in June 2026, Sunshine will offer a series of shorter sailings to the Bahamas and Bermuda before cruising to Canada and New England in the fall.
Norfolk is over 400 miles from Charleston—a roughly 6.5-hour drive. At just four hours away, Jacksonville, Florida, is closer to people residing in the Charleston area; however, the only Carnival ship deployed in Jacksonville is Carnival Elation, the smallest "FUN" ship in the fleet. That said, NCL is scheduled to begin offering cruises from Jacksonville in Nov. 2025 aboard Norwegian Gem.
Regardless of whether you book a voyage to the Bahamas, New England, Bermuda, or the Caribbean, Carnival Sunshine is poised to call Virginia home through at least April 2027, aiding Carnival's efforts of offering more cruises within driving distance to Americans.
In addition to Norfolk, Carnival guests can look to sail from Baltimore, Maryland; Galveston, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Los Angeles, California; New York City, New York; Miami, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; Port Canaveral, Florida; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; and Tampa, Florida.
Following Sunshine's departure from Charleston, Carnival isn't planning to have any ships return to South Carolina for the day through at least December 2026.
Carnival Sunshine's remaining voyages from Charleston depart on Nov. 18, 23, 28, Dec. 2, 12, 16, 21, 26, and 30. All sailings are 4- or 5-night cruises to the Bahamas, excluding December 2's 10-night Southern Caribbean voyage, which will visit St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos.
Read more: My first cruise from Baltimore: Essential tips for Maryland sailings
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
