Storm Debby Disrupts Carnival Sunshine's Charleston Schedule

Tropical Storm Debby, which previously affected Carnival Cruise Line vessels departing from Jacksonville and Tampa, is now causing delays for the Carnival Sunshine in Charleston.

After completing a five-night cruise to the Bahamas, the Carnival Sunshine is expected to return to its homeport on Thursday, several hours later than originally planned.

In a recent update, Carnival Cruise Line stated that the Sunshine is now anticipated to dock in Charleston in the early afternoon.

“Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami continues to actively monitor Debby, which is currently impacting The Carolinas. The safety of our crew is our priority, and our ships will maintain a safe distance from the storm,” the company said in an official statement.

Despite the delayed arrival in Charleston, Carnival confirmed that the upcoming cruise will proceed as planned, with some adjustments to the embarkation process.

“We plan to operate this voyage as scheduled, with modified embarkation plans. Given the ship’s delayed return to Charleston, guests are being asked to delay their terminal arrival appointments by seven hours,” the statement explained, adding that all passengers need to be onboard by 9:30 PM.

The Carnival Sunshine is scheduled to embark on a four-night cruise to the Bahamas, featuring a stop in Nassau on August 10th, along with two days at sea.

Earlier this week, Debby made landfall in Florida as a hurricane, disrupting operations for other Carnival ships, including the Carnival Paradise and Carnival Elation.

With the port in Tampa closed to ship traffic, the Paradise's return was delayed by a day. Meanwhile, the Carnival Elation, which sails from Jacksonville, adjusted its schedule to arrive at its homeport a day earlier than planned to avoid the worst effects of the storm.

Additionally, the Margaritaville at Sea Islander also experienced delays in its return to Tampa due to the tropical storm.