Carnival to Homeport Carnival Sunshine in Galveston

Change of plans sends Carnival Spirit to Tampa

Carnival Cruise Line today announced a change in its 2027/28 deployment plan, saying that Carnival Sunshine will homeport in Galveston instead of Carnival Spirit, and Carnival Spirit will now homeport in Tampa, Florida. Sailing 3,000 guests, Carnival Sunshine brings added capacity to Galveston to support the market’s growing demand for cruising, while also homeporting the ship at the Port of Galveston for the very first time.

“We’re excited to introduce Carnival Sunshine to Galveston for the first time and bring Carnival Spirit to Tampa,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “This move allows us to serve more guests in Galveston where we continue to see strong demand and introduce new, longer Caribbean itineraries for guests sailing from Tampa.”

With Carnival Sunshine’s arrival, Carnival maintains its four-ship plan in Galveston, offering a wide range of four- to 10-day Caribbean sailings beginning Nov. 2027. Shorter cruises will visit Mexico, including calls in Cozumel and Progreso, while longer sailings will reach a broader selection of destinations, including Cozumel; Belize; Celebration Key; RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay; Grand Turk; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Limón, Costa Rica; Colón, Panama; Isla Tropicale, Roatán; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Additionally, Carnival Sunshine will open eight new sailings, including a special 10-day itinerary visiting Cozumel, Isla Tropicale, Montego Bay, and Grand Cayman. To view the sailings, click here.

Carnival Spirit will offer a variety of six-, seven- and eight-day itineraries from Tampa visiting popular Caribbean destinations including Belize, Isla Tropicale and Grand Cayman, as well as Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico. Carnival Spirit will also offer six eight-day itineraries traveling to the Panama Canal, visiting destinations like Limón; Grand Cayman; and Colón. On Jan. 30, 2028, the ship will offer a 13-day Carnival Journeys cruise visiting Grand Cayman, Limón, Colón, Aruba, Curaçao and Ocho Rios.