Carnival Sunshine Eight Hours Late, Will Still Sai...

Key Facets:

• Carnival Sunshine arrived in Norfolk at 2:45 p.m. following tough climate delays that stored the ship from returning on schedule early Saturday morning.
• Company embarking on Saturday, October 18 are delaying their arrival appointments by eight hours, however have acquired $25 onboard credit score to compensate for the missed time and misplaced lunch.
• No itinerary modifications have been confirmed for the 8-night Jap Caribbean itinerary and there’s loads of time for the ship to make up for the delay earlier than arriving at Celebration Key.

Following the poor weather that delayed Carnival Sunshine‘s return to Norfolk on Saturday, October 18, 2025, the ship will now be embarking company for the subsequent crusing eight hours later than initially deliberate.

The ship lastly docked on the Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Heart in Norfolk, Virginia at 2:45 p.m., far later than the initially deliberate docking at 8 a.m. Following customs and immigration clearance, debarkation was in a position to start at roughly 3 p.m.

Initially, the most recent time for Carnival Sunshine‘s docking was anticipated to be 4 p.m., so the precise arrival was a slight enchancment on that worst case state of affairs.

Company onboard had been requested to vacate their staterooms no later than 3 p.m. as a way to enable the housekeeping teams to begin turning over rooms in preparation for the subsequent company, who at the moment are beginning their cruise trip a lot later within the day than anticipated.

These incoming company had been stored up to date on the state of affairs and alerted to the revised embarkation schedule by e-mail and textual content message.

Embarkation occasions had been pushed eight hours later from the unique cruise terminal arrival appointments. Company who had anticipated to check-in on the cruise terminal from 10-10:30 a.m. will now be checking in from 6-6:30 p.m., company with appointments from 1-1:30 p.m. will now be checking in from 9-9:30 p.m. and so forth.

All company have to be checked in and onboard no later than 10:30 p.m. so Carnival Sunshine can set sail as rapidly as potential.

“To correctly handle the embarkation course of, we kindly ask to your full cooperation with this revised operational plan,” the message stated. “Importantly, we should enable company from the present cruise to disembark the ship and go away the parking facility earlier than we will accommodate your arrival.”

The notification additionally alerted company that the port’s parking amenities wouldn’t be open earlier than 6 p.m. as a way to allow earlier cruisers to vacate the property so there can be ample areas for everybody.

Shifting cruise terminal arrival appointments and guaranteeing parking amenities have sufficient time for different company to depart earlier than opening to new vacationers are commonplace measures at any cruise homeport when a ship is delayed. This often occurs, because it has for Carnival Sunshine, on account of tough climate.

Ships are additionally generally delayed on account of important medical evacuations or mechanical points that forestall a vessel from returning to the homeport on schedule.

Incoming company had been every given a $25 onboard credit score as compensation for lunch and the time they’ve missed onboard Carnival Sunshine on Saturday afternoon.

Will the Itinerary Be Modified?

Carnival Sunshine is setting sail on an 8-night Jap Caribbean itinerary. Regardless of leaving Norfolk far later than initially deliberate, the ship ought to simply have the ability to make up the misplaced time on her approach to the Bahamas, the place her first cease is Celebration Key on Tuesday, October 21 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s potential, although unlikely, that the ship might arrive at Celebration Key barely later than scheduled. Extra possible, nonetheless, is the few lacking hours can readily be made up with a rise in pace as soon as she departs Norfolk.

Learn Additionally: Why You Should Always Opt in to Carnival Cruise Line Text Alerts

From Norfolk to Celebration Key’s roughly 925 miles because the cruise ship sails. At her high crusing pace of 21 knots (24 miles per hour), it will take Carnival Sunshine a complete of 39 hours to journey that distance.

Even with an 11 p.m. departure from Virginia, the ship has 56 hours earlier than her deliberate arrival at Celebration Key.

This leaves loads of time for docking and maneuvering, slower speeds in harbor areas, and even barely slower speeds in the course of the day for much less windy situations on the open decks in the course of the ship’s first two full days at sea.

After Celebration Key, the ship will then spend Wednesday, October 22 at one other non-public vacation spot, Princess Cays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., adopted by Grand Turk on Thursday, October 23 from 11 a.m. to six p.m.

Two extra full days at sea will comply with because the former Carnival Destiny makes her approach again to the Outdated Dominion State for debarkation on Sunday, October 26 – hopefully on time!

After all, if any itinerary modifications are obligatory, company onboard will probably be notified as quickly as potential and stored up to date as changes are confirmed.