Cruisers who rang in the new year on Carnival Sunshine may not be the last to sail on a cruise ship departing from Charleston, S.C.
Although the South Carolina Ports Authority just ended its 14-year partnership with Carnival Cruise Line to homeport a ship in Charleston, discussions are already underway about a potential solution to bring cruises back to the area.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line sails last trip from popular port
Carnival Fantasy kicked off Charleston’s cruising era back in 2010. As 2025 begins, one final cruise on Carnival Sunshine marks the end of large cruise ships sailing from Charleston. At least for now.
Carnival Sunshine departed on its last cruise from Charleston on Dec. 30 after the Ports Authority decided not to extend its cruise homeport contract with Carnival. The Ports Authority is making way for redevelopment of the city’s downtown Union Pier Terminal.
As Carnival Sunshine leaves Charleston and prepares to sail new cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean from its new homeport of Norfolk, Va., cruisers from Charleston may get a new cruise option to look forward to soon.
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Carnival did not want to leave South Carolina.
Image source: Carnival Corporation.
North Charleston could become a cruise ship homeport
Charleston’s local newspaper, The Post and Courier, reported that just before Carnival Sunshine set sail on its last cruise from Charleston, North Charleston’s mayor and city council members toured the downtown cruise terminal to get a better understanding of current cruise ship operations.
According to Charleston’s WCSC-TV, preliminary talks are happening about potentially bringing a new cruise line to the former Navy port on the Cooper River in North Charleston, which would move traffic away from Charleston’s congested downtown.
Local leaders see it as a possible economic development opportunity. District 5 North Charleston City Council Member Jerome Heyward told WCSC that potential cruise line partners are already being considered.
Related: Popular Carnival cruise port on East Coast shutting down
“It’s being talked about right now, the mayor and his staff are vetting certain groups right now to make sure we have the right fit for the city,” Heyward told WCSC.
One of the criteria North Charleston leaders are likely considering in potential partners is the size of the cruise lines’ ships. South Carolina Ports Authority limits the size of ships visiting Charleston to no more than 3,500 passengers.
It’s not clear yet when a new cruise line could sail from the Charleston area. Carnival fans will surely remain hopeful that North Charleston leaders will discuss a potential new partnership opportunity with Carnival too. In the meantime, Charleston area cruisers can consider Carnival Sunshine cruises from Norfolk or Carnival Elation sailings from Jacksonville, Fla.
Cruise ships will continue to call to Charleston
Cruise passengers can also still visit Charleston on certain cruise itineraries, though the city limits cruise ship calls to a maximum of 104 visits per year. Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas will visit the port on a few upcoming itineraries. Celebrity Silhouette will call on Charleston in May and Virgin Voyages’ new ship Brilliant Lady will visit in October.
With the end of Carnival cruises from Charleston, small-ship cruise line American Cruise Line is the only cruise line with ships that homeport in the city. Its ships carry just 90 to 180 passengers and sail river and intracoastal waterway cruises.
As North Charleston leaders discuss potential cruise port plans, they should take note that an up-and-coming operator of smaller mainstream cruise ships, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Sea, has reportedly been eyeing a new homeport.
Related: Jimmy Buffett’s cruise line in talks for a new homeport
Jimmy Buffett was known to have a strong connection to Charleston among other Southern coastal cities like Mobile, Alabama, a city that has been in talks with the cruise line about the possibility of bringing a cruise ship to its growing port.
One Carnival Cruise Line ship currently sails a seasonal schedule from Mobile, and the city is hoping to attract a second cruise line to sail from its port in the future.
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