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Carnival Sunshine Launches Year-Round Service From Charleston
InauguralFestivities Include VIP Luncheon, Donation to Local Charity 180Place
MIAMI(May 20, 2019) – Carnival Sunrise has launched a schedule of four- to 11-dayvoyages from the Port of Charleston, becoming the newest ship to operateyear-round cruises from that port.
Carnival Sunshine inaugural festivities on Saturday, May 18, included aluncheon for travel advisors, local officials and VIPs during which Carnivalmade a donation to One80 Place, a homeless assistance center supported by thecruise line for many years. Charleston-based ships have donated hundredsof mattresses, chairs, dishes and other items for use at the facility over theyears.
CarnivalSunshine's schedule from Charleston includes four- and five-day sailings to theBahamas, six- and seven-day voyages to Bermuda and the Caribbean, and thefirst-ever Cuba cruises from Charleston with a series of five-day sailingscalling at Havana. Also offered are longer-length 10- and 11-day CarnivalJourneys sailings to the Caribbean with day-long calls at tropical islands,opportunities to sample local cuisine and entertainment and activities like aretro Throwback Sea Day.
"Carnivallaunched Charleston's first-year round cruise program nearly a decade ago andwe're delighted to homeport Carnival Sunshine which offers our guests so manywonderful onboard features and amenities," said Terry Thornton, senior vicepresident of nautical and port operations for Carnival Cruise Line. "Thisweekend's festivities were a great way to celebrate the arrival of Charleston'snewest year-round cruise ship while supporting a longtime charitable partnerthat has made such a tremendous impact on the community," he added.
CommentedJim Newsome, SC Ports Authority president and CEO, "Carnival Cruise Line is agreat customer of the Port, and we're proud to welcome the Sunshine as areflection of their success in Charleston. Cruise operations are an importantpart of SCPA's maritime commerce mission and the diversification of ourbusiness segments. We look forward to continuing this productive relationshipwith Carnival and applaud their commitment to supporting charitableorganizations in our community."
Inaddition to featuring more than 500 balcony staterooms and nearly 50 suites,Carnival Sunshine offers a wide range of onboard amenities that includestunning outdoor spaces like a three-level Serenity adults-only retreat, asuspended ropes course and Speedway Splash, dual racing slides that are part ofan expansive WaterWorks aqua ark. A variety of food and beverage optionssuch as Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italianrestaurant, Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub andthe cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar are included as well.
Charlestonis an important part of Carnival's ship deployment strategy in which the linepositions ships near large U.S. population bases along the East and West Coastsand the Gulf of Mexico. Carnival sails from 20 different North Americanhomeports providing a convenient and cost-effective means for its guests to getto and from their cruise. It's estimated that roughly half of the U.S.population is within a day's drive of a Carnival homeport.
Carnivallaunched Charleston's first year-round cruise program in 2010 and thedepartures attract guests from across the Southeast and other regions.Carnival and other cruise operators generate $131 million in directexpenditures and account for nearly 2,400 jobs and $93 million in wages towardthe South Carolina economy.
WithCarnival Sunshine repositioning to Charleston, Carnival Ecstasy was deployed toJacksonville for year-round four- to seven-day cruises to the Bahamas andCaribbean. In turn, Carnival Elation, previously based in Jacksonville,shifted to Port Canaveral for a new four- and five-day Caribbean/Bahamasschedule from the Space Coast.
Tolearn more about Carnival Cruise Line, visit Carnival.com. For reservations, contactany travel agent or call 1-800-CARNIVAL. Carnival can also be found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitterand YouTube.
Journalistsalso can visit Carnival's media site, carnival-news.com or follow theline's PR department on Twitter at twitter.com/CarnivalPR.
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AboutCarnival Cruise Line
CarnivalCruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK),is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 26 ships operatingthree- to 24-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska,Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Cuba, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, thePacific Islands and Southeast Asia. The line currently has three new shipsscheduled for delivery – Carnival Panorama™ in 2019, Mardi Gras in 2020and an as-yet-unnamed ship in 2022.
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