Carnival Sunshine

Built in 1996 for US$409 million, Carnival Sunshine was initially named Carnival Destiny. After a major refurbishment in 2013 which cost US$155 million, the ship was renamed Sunshine. As passenger ship class, Carnival Sunshine was the first of three Carnival Destiny-class sisterships - together with Victory-Radiance and Triumph-Sunrise. Today, the vessel belongs to the unique Sunshine-class.

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US 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). Carnival Cruise Lines has Corporation's largest fleet as both a number of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). CCL has over 1/5 of the cruise industry's worldwide market.

The 103,881-ton, 2,642-passenger cruise 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.

Cruise itinerary program

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, Grand Turk, Roatan, Belize, Mexico (Costa Maya and Cozumel). Starting in 2016, the ship offers Bermuda cruises with a 7-day itinerary from New York and 5-day itinerary from Norfolk VA.

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). The 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.

Cabins

Carnival Sunshine has a total number of 1506 cabins (of which 55 Suites) in 32 grades. Most Carnival Sunshine staterooms are 185-sq. foot insides (586), oceanview (342) and suite (55). Sunshine also has 89 Cloud 9 Spa cabins and 32 wheelchair accessible cabins. The number of ship's cabin categories is 34. Sunshine's Captain’s Suites are the largest cabins onboard (500 sq.feet) and can accommodate up to five passengers. They feature master bedroom, dressing area, large bathroom, separate living room, separate bathroom, fridge, and mini-bar. Suite guests benefit from VIP check-in.

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 outstanding specialty 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.

The following official YouTube video reviews Carnival Sunshine ship's facilities and onboard amenities.

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).

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 (built 1996) 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". MS Carnival Destiny had as sisters the Carnival ships Triumph (Sunrise since 2019) and  Victory (Radiance since 2020), and also Costa Fortuna and Costa Magica.

The Sunshine ship's interior design was done by Partner Design (german company based in Hamburg). 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 Destiny-class liner, Carnival Destiny-Sunshine is world's first cruise ship to weight over 100,000 tons. First cruise (as Destiny) was on November 24, 1996. The inaugural cruise (as Sunshine) started 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:

• a new Asian restaurant (casual dining venue)
• "The Comfort Kitchen" (in the Lido Marketplace)
• the "Havana Bar" (Lido Marketplace) with floor to ceiling windows
• the "Sunshine Bar" (Atrium)
• a new cigar club
• the first-ever 3-deck-high Carnival Serenity retreat (an adults-only area) with the Carnival Cloud 9 Spa package.
• the "SportSquare" (an open-air complex with a ropes course, a minigolf course, and a half-size basketball-volleyball court.