CCL-Carnival Cruise Line relocated the Carnival Sunshine ship to Charleston (South Carolina) in 2019, marking the occasion with significant enthusiasm.
Sunshine was the most modern cruise vessel to have ever homeport in Charleston SC.
At the time, CCL emphasized the strategic importance of Charleston within its broader deployment strategy. Carnival highlighted its approach of positioning ships near major American cities along the USA's East and West Coasts and the Gulf of Mexico to ensure convenience and cost-effectiveness for travelers.
The company noted that with 20 North American homeports, roughly half of the USA population is within a day's drive of a CCL departure port.
Carnival had operated from Charleston since 2010, with Sunshine making her final departure on December 30th as CCL terminated its operations there.
The contract between CCL and Port Charleston expired, and the city opted not to continue serving as a homeport.
Moving forward, Carnival Sunshine will transition to Norfolk (Virginia) to begin year-round sailings.
Christine Duffy (CCL's President) remarked in 2022 that the ship would play a pivotal role in expanding services from Norfolk’s Half Moone Cruise Terminal. She expressed excitement about the collaboration with city and port officials to transition from seasonal to year-round operations, noting that the company was eager to open bookings for 2025 to allow guests from the Southeastern USA to plan their future cruises.