Carnival Sunshine

The 1996-built/2013-reconstructed Carnival Sunshine cruise ship was initially named "Carnival Destiny". After a major refurbishment in 2013 (USD155 million drydock), the vessel was renamed Sunshine. As class, Carnival Sunshine was the first of three Destiny-class Carnival ships - together with Victory-Radiance and Triumph-Sunrise. Today, the liner belongs to the unique Sunshine-class.

The vessel (IMO number 9070058) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 308017000) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US shipping company, trademarked brand and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (shipowner). CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924-1999, co-founder of NCL Norwegian). 

CCL has the Corporation's largest fleet as number of vessels and GT-tonnage (ship sizes/volumes and passenger capacities). In 2023, CCL had ~9% (by revenue) and ~19% (passengers) share of the cruise industry's worldwide market. In 2024, the parent company (Carnival Corporation) had ~51% stake in the US$64+ billion industry.

The 3000-passenger ship Carnival Sunshine is not a Dream-class ship but contains almost all the elements found on Breeze and Magic: high-energy, low-commitment activities, including 20-min standup comedies, 30-min production shows; sushi, burgers, burritos. For the first time, the Fun Ship 2.0 blueprint was laid down on Carnival Magic (in 2011), followed by Carnival Breeze (in June 2012). Next photo shows the old Carnival Destiny ship.

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Sunshine staterooms (1501 total) include 53 Suites, 518 Balcony, 320 Oceanview and 624 Inside cabins, in all 34 grades. Most staterooms are sized 185 ft2 / 17 m2, cabin balconies are sized 35-85 ft2 / 4-8 m2. "Family" staterooms (connecting cabins) are with max capacity 5 passengers. The largest are the Captain's Suites (500 ft2 / 46 m2 plus 150 ft2 / 14 m2 terrace) with max occupancy 5 passengers. Sunshine also has 89 Cloud 9 Spa cabins and 32 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

The boat has 13 decks, of which 11 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Carnival Sunshine offers many of the Fun Ship 2.0 additions in terms of dining - Guy's Burger Joint, Cucina del Capitano, BlueIguana Cantina. The line made a few adjustments to the existing venues and also added the Asian restaurant Ji Ji. There are two Main Dining Rooms onboard the Sunshine: Sunset, at the midship, and double-deck Sunrise located aft. The complimentary Punchliner Comedy Brunch, which is a sea day exclusive, features 5-minute teasers every hour on the hour from 9 am to 1:30 pm.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Sunshine restaurants and food bars.

• Sunset Restaurant (forward Main Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings, or “Your Time Dining”)
• Sunrise Restaurant (aft Main Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings; offers themed breakfasts - “Seuss At Sea”, for $5 cover charge; hosts Punchliner Comedy Brunch).
• Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (alternative, reservations only restaurant, serving prime steaks and seafood at a surcharge; also hosts “Chef’s Table” VIP dining, $75 PP surcharge)
• Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ (offers pork sandwiches, complimentary lunch barbecue)
• Guy’s Burger Joint (fast food bar)
• BlueIguana Cantina (Mexican complimentary restaurant; offers house-made tortillas, burritos, tacos)
• Lido Marketplace buffet restaurant (complimentary self-service restaurant with various food stations; operates as a bistro in the evenings).
• Cucina del Capitano (Italian reservations-only restaurant; offers a la carte dinner at a surcharge and complimentary lunch)
• SeaDogs (complimentary beef hotdogs stand)
• Ji Ji Asian Kitchen (serves Chinese food, Mongolian Wok)
• Bonsai Sushi Bar (complimentary).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Carnival made a heavy investment in lights and sound for its shows on Carnival Breeze and has taken a step further on Sunshine. An ultra-HD graphics package is beamed onto a vast screen and the performers use it as a backdrop of their show. A number of themed shows take place in ship's Liquid Lounge, which doubles as the 800-seat main Theater. Because the room was initially designed as a theater with two stories, it's impossible to feature an intimate atmosphere.

The Sunshine ship offers a complete list of activities and entertainment for each age group and taste - from ballroom scene dancing, classical music concerts, tea time and art auctions to a hairy chest and knobby knees contests, bingo, and karaoke.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Sunshine lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Sunshine Atrium (9-deck high midship open area served by Lobby Bar)
• FunHub (24-hour Internet computers room)
• Liquid Lounge and Theater (800-seat, 2-level main show lounge)
• Ocean Plaza (entertainment area; features live music and trivia)
• The Library Bar; Piano 88 Bar; EA Sports Bar; ShakeSpot; Java Blue Cafe; The Taste Bar; Alchemy Bar; Havana Bar
• RedFrog Pub (English pub with live music; offers international beers selection and the private label Thirstyfrog/RedFrog beer)
• RedFrog Rum Bar (serves Caribbean rums selection and ThirstyFrog Red drought beer)
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar (offers Mexican beer, margaritas, drink specialties)
• Limelight Lounge (hosts Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch)
• Pixels Photo Gallery and Shop; Dreams Photo Studio; Cherry On Top (candy shop, offers the Fun Shops catalog, “Bon Voyage” store menu, souvenirs, watches, jewelry, logo merchandise, duty-free liquor, fashion boutiques)
• Circle C (kids' complimentary club lounge with movies, video games, parties, planned activities)
• 24-hour Warehouse Video Games Arcade; Club O2 teens' lounge for movies, karaoke, parties
• Sunshine Casino (served by Sunshine Casino Bar)
• Seaside Theatre (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Serenity (adults only relaxation area with Serenity Pool, Serenity Bar, Spa Whirlpool, cascading waterfall, loungers, and hammocks)
• Beach Pool area (with two Whirlpools); Carnival WaterWorks Aqua Park (with 5 slides; 1 Whirlpool, SplashZone for kids)
• Camp Carnival (kids' club lounge with a complimentary programme and play area)
• Cloud 9 Spa and Fitness complex (with Gym, Fitness Studio, Sauna, Steam Room, Thermal Suites, Beauty Salon, 15 Treatment Rooms; offers ZSpa teenagers program)
• SportSquare (Basketball/Volleyball Court, Jogging Track, Tennis Tables, 9-hole Mini Golf Course, Shuffleboard).

Itineraries

Carnival Sunshine itinerary program is based on Western and Eastern Caribbean roundtrip cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida. Feature port destinations include Bahamas (with Nassau and line’s private island Half Moon Cay), Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas USVI, Grand Turk, Roatan, Belize, Mexico (Costa Maya and Cozumel). In 2016, the ship started itineraries to Bermuda - 7-day from NYC New York and 5-day from Norfolk Virginia.

Starting May 2019, the ship's new itinerary program offers 4- (to Nassau) and 5-day (Nassau and Half Moon Cay) short Bahamas cruises leaving roundtrip from a new homeport (Charleston SC) on a year-round schedule. The maiden voyage was scheduled for May 18 (2019). Carnival's South Carolina annual cruise shipping volume is approx 220,000 passengers. In Charleston, Carnival Sunshine will replace Carnival Ecstasy (to be relocated to Jacksonville Florida), while the Jacksonville-homeported Carnival Elation will be repositioned to Port Canaveral FL.

In Dec 2022 CCL announced that between February 2025 and April 2025 Sunshine will be homeported in Norfolk VA. Bookings were opened for the following 4 roundtrip/ex-Norfolk itineraries:

• (6-day Bahamas) to North Bimini-Nassau-Freeport, and to Nassau-Half Moon Cay-Freeport
• (8-day Eastern Caribbean) to Amber Cove Dominicana-Grand Turk-Princess Cays Bahamas, and to Half Moon Cay-Grand Turk-Amber Cove

Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was done in 2013. Sunshine is one of Carnival's "old new" liners, representing a truly grandiose ship transformation project. The old Carnival Destiny ship (1996-buit by Fincantieri Monfalcone) was extensively (and expensively) drydock refitted and refurbished in Europe (Trieste Italy) at the astonishing cost of USD 155 million. The vessel was transformed into a brand new Carnival "Fun Ship 2.0" in 2013 under the sunny and shiny name "Carnival Sunshine". Carnival Destiny had as sisters the CCL ships Triumph (Sunrise since 2019) and Victory (Radiance since 2020), and also Costa Fortuna and Costa Magica.

Carnival Sunshine (Monfalcone shipyard/hull number 5941) is powered by Wartsila-Sulzer marine diesel engines (models 8ZAV40S and 8ZAL40) generating total power output 63,36 MW.

The Sunshine ship's interior design was done by Partner Design (Hamburg-based company). Destiny ship's interior design was by Joe Francus. The new ship now features modern amenities, new venues, more dining options, new onboard entertainment program (3 new grand show productions).

As a Destiny-class liner, Carnival Destiny was the world's first cruise ship with GT/weight over 100,000 tons. Carnival Destiny's Inaugural Cruise started on November 24, 1996. Sunshine's Inaugural Cruise started on April 12, 2013 (14-day Mediterranean Venice-Barcelona).

Carnival Destiny's list of chartered/themed voyages includes the first-ever "311 Caribbean Cruise" (March 2011), the first-ever "Kiss Kruise" (October 2011) and the first-ever "Weezer Cruise" (January 2012).

Carnival Destiny-Sunshine refurbishment 2013 conversion review

The most extensively expensive of all (ever) was the Carnival Destiny's drydock refit/transformation. At the staggering cost of USD 155 million, this really extreme makeover produced a brand new Carnival ship in 2013! After its last dry-dock ever (a 49-day refurbishment), the Destiny ship emerged as Carnival Sunshine. This amazing cruise ship transformation was made in the Fincantieri shipyard (Monfalcone, Italy) adding a new partial deck and 2 other decks (in the front section). As a result of the Carnival Destiny renovation, 182 new cabins were added (including 96 spa cabins), all of the ship's other cabins were also refurbished (with a new tropical decor). The list of all major changes includes:

• (new) Ji Ji Asian Kitchen (casual restaurant), also were added “Fat Jimmy’s BBQ”, “Cucina del Capitano”, “Fahrenheit 555 SSteakhouse”, “JavaBlue Cafe”, “Shake Spot”, “Guy’s Burger Joint”, “BlueIguana Cantina”/Mexican, “Seaday Brunch”, “The Comfort Kitchen”/Lido, “Havana Bar”/Lido, “Sunshine Bar”, “Alchemy Bar”, “RedFrog Pub”, “Cherry On Top”, “Punchliner”, “Hasbro”
• "The Comfort Kitchen" (in the Lido Marketplace)
• "Havana Bar" (Lido Marketplace) with floor-ceiling windows
• "Sunshine Bar" (Atrium)
• a new cigar club (Casino Bar)
• CCL fleet's first 3-deck-high Serenity Retreat (adults-only deck) with the Carnival Cloud 9 Spa package.
• "SportSquare" (an open-air complex with Ropes Course, Mini-Golf Course, half-size Sports Court/basketball-volleyball-tennis.

During drydock 2018 (October 14-21, in Freeport Bahamas) were made regularly planned maintenance works.

Drydock 2016 was in the period March 8-20.

In 2021 (October-November) Carnival Sunshine was drydocked at Navantia Shipyard (Cadiz Spain), mainly for general maintenance (technical and routine) works and also repainting (received CCL's new livery).