Latest news with #CarnivalSunshine
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Carnival Sunshine's departure from Norfolk delayed due to weather
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Carnival Sunshine will have a delayed departure from Norfolk due to the weather, according to the cruise line. 'We are monitoring a cold front which is impacting the Norfolk area,' said Caro Ferrer, senior manager of communications for Carnival Cruise Line. 'The storm is now producing strong winds and rain that requires us to delay our departure.' The departure has been rescheduled for 7 a.m. Monday. The ship, which returned on Sunday from an eight-day cruise to the Eastern Carribean, was set to depart on a six-day Bahamas itinerary on Sunday afternoon. The cruise line previously had a postponement due to weather on Feb. 15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Carnival Sunshine cruise delayed due to inclement weather
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Carnival Sunshine will have a delayed departure due to inclement weather. The carnival cruise line's Fleet Operations Center is currently monitoring a cold front that is expected to impact Norfolk on Sunday afternoon. Carnival Sunshine will embark guests as scheduled Sunday, but the ship will remain docked until Monday at 6 a.m. when weather conditions are set to improve. The cruise will not visit Princess Cays. Port times in Grand Turk and Amber Cove will be extended. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Norfolk to hold ribbon cutting ceremony to kick off year-round cruises
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The City of Norfolk is getting ready to start off their year-round cruises with a ribbon cutting at the newly renovated Half Moone Cruise Center Tuesday morning. The Carnival Sunshine, which holds up to 3,700 guests, will be the first cruise of the year. Carnival said they expect to sail a total of 150,000 guests annually from Norfolk — a feat only possible due to recent renovations to help with customer flow. Renovations almost complete to enhance cruise operations in Norfolk The $12 million renovation includes a new walkway to allow for more passengers to debark at one time and an improved space for customers to pick up their luggage before going through new customs checkpoints. Due to all of the renovations, Carnival will now offer six-to-eight-day itineraries to The Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and the Eastern Caribbean out of Norfolk. Carnival announces new cruises out of Norfolk for 2026-27 Work will continue throughout the season, however, to continue to improve access for traffic dropping off passengers. All of the improvements are expected to bring over $19 million to the city annually, according to officials. The ribbon cutting is expected to take place around 10 a.m. at the Half Moone Cruise Center. Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, Nauticus Executive Director Stephen Kirkland and Carnival Vice President of Port Operations David Candib will be in attendance. 10 On Your Side's Nick Broadway will be at the event and will provide updates throughout the day. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line adds a new year-round cruise port
2025 marked the end of an era for one of Carnival's cruise ports on the East Coast, but it also brings a new year-round option for cruisers in the mid-Atlantic region. If you aren't familiar, Carnival Cruise Line stopped cruising out of Charleston, South Carolina at the end of 2024. To make a long story short, the City of Charleston declined to renew its agreement with Carnival, and the city is no longer an origination point for cruises. However, Charleston can still be a port-of-call for cruises, and there are several sailings operated by Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages that have planned stops in Charleston in 2025 and Charleston Cruise Port was used by one ship – the Carnival Sunshine, which sailed mainly 4- and 5-day itineraries to the Bahamas, with an occasional longer Caribbean sailing. But the key point is the Sunshine had sailed from Charleston year-round since 2019. Unlike some ships that have a more tropical port in the winter months and an Alaska or European port in the warmer months, Sunshine was only sailing out of Charleston. This meant that after Carnival's agreement with Charleston expired, the Sunshine needed a new home. And after a brief period of dry dock for some cosmetic refurbishment, including a much-needed fresh coat of paint, it is making its debut from its new home port in Norfolk, speaking, Carnival Sunshine is the oldest ship in the cruise line's active fleet. It made its debut in 1996 and was initially known as Carnival Destiny. At the time of its debut, it was the largest passenger vessel in the world. In 2013, the ship was so extensively renovated that Carnival decided to change the name to reflect just how different it was. This isn't common. While cruise ships are often renovated extensively after sailing for many years, it generally isn't a near-rebuild that makes it feel like a completely new ship. But having sailed on Sunshine several times in recent years, I can tell you firsthand that it feels like a modern Carnival cruise ship, complete with some of the line's most current specialty restaurants, bars, and other be clear, Carnival has sailed out of Norfolk for many years (although it paused Norfolk sailings in 2024 to renovate its terminal). However, it has been a seasonal port for the cruise line. In 2023, for example, Sunshine will sail mainly five-to-eight-night itineraries to the Bahamas and Caribbean. There are currently 27 different itineraries listed on Carnival's website with dates ranging from Feb 2025 through April 2027. Just to name a few, stops in the Bahamas include Bimini, Nassau, and Freeport, plus Carnival's new Celebration Key private destination once it opens in Summer 2025. In the Caribbean, some of Sunshine's ports of call will be Grand Turk, Amber Cove (Dominican Republic), San Juan, and St. Thomas. More Carnival cruise news:There are also several Bermuda itineraries, ranging from a four-night itinerary that spends a day at the island to a seven-night option that features a three-night stay on Bermuda. There are also several eight-night Canada and New England cruises available on Sunshine in Fall 2026. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Have questions about booking a cruise?, or call or text Amy Post at 386-383-2472. Carnival Sunshine arrived in Norfolk on Monday, Feb. 10 and is setting sail on its first cruise, a five-night Bahamas itinerary, the very next day. As you might expect, Norfolk is expecting quite a bit more cruise passenger traffic through its port than in previous years. Sunshine has capacity for nearly 3,000 guests on every sailing and is a 101,000-ton ship. Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one?
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cruises to leave from Norfolk weekly, year-round starting next week
This cruise season will be unlike any other at Nauticus as it sets sail on a new schedule of weekly cruises year-round. Norfolk's business community looks at those passengers and sees an opportunity. It is making a joint effort to draw them out for experiences in the area before and after voyages. This takes the form of expanded discount packages involving local restaurants and hotels and promotions for business districts like Selden Market and Waterside in downtown Norfolk. Weekly cruises will begin Feb. 11 with the Carnival Sunshine and run through December, instead of being from early spring to early fall and being more sporadic. Each week, there will be more than 3,000 passengers disembarking from the previous week's cruise and 3,000-plus more passengers embarking for another weeklong cruise, according to Stephen Kirkland, executive director of Nauticus. Cruise passengers spend an estimated $125 per person in the area before and after their voyages, according to Rehn West Saunders, director of development and marketing for Nauticus. That means an estimated $375,000 per ship and $19 million annually in economic impact from the new weekly schedule. Nauticus is expecting an estimated 300,000 cruise passengers this year, Saunders said. 'Our primary opportunity here is continuing to position Norfolk as an incredible pre- and post-destination,' Kirkland said in a presentation to the Norfolk City Council last month. 'Savvy travelers know if I get there the day before I can spend some time in the port and I can make sure that I'm ready for my cruise – that's our opportunity.' Along with the new schedule, cruise passengers leaving from Norfolk this year can now book cruises to Canada and Bermuda, Saunders said. To help promote local businesses, Visit Norfolk created a webpage with a full list of the discount packages being offered to cruise passengers. The page launched in September 2024 and quickly became the most viewed page on their site, according to Sarah Hughes, director of marketing for Visit Norfolk. The discounts include a free night at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel near the Norfolk Airport along with parking for the length of the cruise and transportation to and from the cruise terminal, 20% off a meal at select restaurants at Hilton Norfolk The Main, 15% off meals at restaurants at Waterside, and promotions with the city's various museums and other attractions. The year-round cruise schedule for Norfolk has been in the works since the announcement of Nauticus's relationship with Carnival in 2023, but the disruption to cruise traffic caused by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore put many of these ideas on the fast track, according to Saunders. 'What we really saw last spring with the Baltimore bridge collapse when both Carnival and Royal Caribbean were redirected to Norfolk … The community really stepped up and saw that there were going to be a lot of cruise passengers coming here, people were being bused down from Baltimore, and we were just able to come together and quickly come up with packages and deals and things for these passengers to do and I feel like that was what spurred (the year-round schedule) because (local businesses) were able to see a return,' Saunders said. Later this month, Nauticus will host more than 100 travel agents for a site visit to help promote Norfolk as a cruise destination across the country. Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806,
