Carnival Sunshine

Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) is a cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She debuted in 1996 as the first passenger ship ever built to exceed 100,000 gross tons, and became the first to break the record the Queen Elizabeth set in 1940 as the world's largest passenger vessel, holding it until 1998.[5] Built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, she was christened as Carnival Destiny in Venice, Italy, in November 1996 by Lin Arison, the wife of Carnival Cruise Line founder Ted Arison.[6][7]

Carnival Sunshine docked at Curacao in 2014
History
Name
  • Carnival Destiny (24 November 1996 – 4 May 2013)
  • Carnival Sunshine (5 May 2013 – present)
OwnerCarnival Corporation & plc
OperatorCarnival Cruise Line
Port of registry
RouteBermuda, Bahamas, Caribbean
Ordered1994
BuilderFincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
CostUS$409 million
Yard number5941
Launched15 November 1995 as Carnival Destiny
Maiden voyage
  • 24 November 1996 as Carnival Destiny
  • 5 May 2013 as Carnival Sunshine
In service1996–present
RenamedCarnival Sunshine
Refit2008, 2013, 2018
Identification
Statusin active service
Notes[1][2][3]
General characteristics (As built)
Class and typeDestiny-class cruise ship
Tonnage
  • 102,853 GT
  • 73,081 NT
  • 11.142 DWT
Length272.2 m (893 ft)
Beam35.5 m (116 ft)
Draught8.3 m (27 ft)
Decks12
Deck clearance2,920 mm (115 in)
Speed22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph)
Capacity2,642 passengers
Crew1,150
Notes[1][3]
General characteristics (After 2013 Refit)
Class and typeSunshine-class cruise ship
Tonnage102,853 GT
Length272.2 m (893 ft)
Beam35.5 m (116 ft)
Draught8.3 m (27 ft)
Decks13
Deck clearance2,920 mm (115 in)
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[4]
Capacity3,002 passengers
Crew1,150
NotesRenamed Carnival Sunshine post 2013 refit.

In 2013, she received a major refit and a rename, with sister ships Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Radiance following suit in 2019 and 2021 respectively.[8] At a ceremony in New Orleans on 17 November 2013, she was formally renamed, with Lin Arison once again serving as her godmother.[9][10]

Since May 2019 the ship has been homeported in Charleston, South Carolina.[11] It was originally planned to sail to Cuba from Charleston but those plans were cancelled after the Cuban travel ban in 2019.

History
Carnival Destiny in 2007.

On 6 March 2012, Carnival announced that Destiny would undergo a US$155-million dollar refit, and renaming of the ship as Carnival Sunshine.[12][13] Carnival Destiny went into dry dock in Trieste, Italy in 2013 to be refitted and renamed Carnival Sunshine. The refitting, which was completed in May 2013, was delayed by a month to install new back-up generator systems.[12][13] The ship was re-launched on 5 May 2013.

In late 2021, Carnival Sunshine was repainted into Carnival's new livery.

In May 2023, the ship suffered extensive damage in a storm. Crew were evacuated from their cabins on one deck due to flooding, and the crew bar was destroyed.[14]

Layout
Carnival Destiny in 2010.

Following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment in 2005, Carnival Destiny featured three pools, a variety of dining options, lounges, nightclubs, a casino and a spa. Carnival Destiny received more modifications in 2010, including a movie screen on the Lido deck and cabin renovations.

The 2013 refit included a racing themed waterpark with one of the biggest slides in Carnival's fleet.[15]

Areas of operation

Other than an 18-day cruise across the Atlantic to position her for the refit in Italy, the ship has always operated from ports in the United States cruising primarily to Caribbean destinations.[16][17] The Carnival Sunshine is primarily doing three- to five-night voyages from Charleston that visit Nassau, Freeport, Half Moon Cay, and Princess Cays. The ship also participated in the fun ship meet up in March 2022 to commemorate Carnival's 50th anniversary. It will also do various ten day voyages that visit St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, St. Kitts, San Juan, Princess Cays, Grand Turk, Aruba, and Bonaire.

References

Notes
  1. Ward, Douglas (2005). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 978-9812467393.
  2. "Carnival Destiny (448228)". Port State Information Exchange. United States Coast Guard.
  3. "Advanced masterdata for the vessel Carnival Destiny". VesselTracker. 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  4. "Carnival Sunshine Fact Sheet". carnival-news.com. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. "World's First 101,000-ton Cruise Ship Detailed" (Press release). Carnival Cruise Lines. 24 November 1996. Archived from the original on 7 February 1998. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  6. Carnival Sunshine 2013 Commemorative Inaugural Book. Miami Beach, FL, USA: Onboard Media. 2013. p. 15.
  7. "Carnival Sunshine (9070058)". LR Class Direct. Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  8. Knego, Peter (18 May 2013). "Sunshine debuts". Maritime Matters. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  9. Sloan, Gene (18 November 2013). "Revamped Carnival ship renamed in New Orleans". USA Today. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  10. Norton, Theresa (19 November 2013). "The New and Improved Carnival Sunshine Finally Officially Christened". TravelPulse. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  11. Carnival Sunshine to Offer Year-Round Cruises from Charleston 7 December 2017.
  12. "Carnival Destiny to Undergo $155 Million Refit, to Become Carnival Sunshine". Cruise Industry News. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  13. "Carnival Sunshine Meets ROI Thresholds". Cruise Industry News. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  14. "Carnival Sunshine Experiences Severe Storm". Crew Center. 28 May 2023.
  15. "Carnival Sunshine Cruises | Sunshine Cruise Ship | Carnival Cruise Lines". Carnival.com. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  16. "Carnival Destiny To Operate New Six-Port Caribbean Cruise Program From San Juan In March 2008" (Press release). Carnival Cruise Lines. 13 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  17. "Carnival Sunshine to Offer Year-Round Cruises from Charleston". Cruise Industry News. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2018.

Bibliography
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